Coming in at #7 this week on the New York Times hardcover bestsellers list is Elizabeth Edwards' memoir, Saving Graces. Edwards, the wife of former vice presidential candidate John Edwards, has written a fascinating account of her life in law and politics, and an uplifting account of how she has survived both the tragic loss of her son Wade and her recent fight against breast cancer. You might also want to check out John Edwards' account of his legal career and family life in Four Trials, or take a look on-line at the Wade Edwards Foundation, which provides computer labs and other learning resources for school children.

Read about public-radio journalist and author Katherine Lanpher's move to the Big Apple in her new book Leap Days: Chronicles of a Midlife Move. She left Minnesota on Leap Day 2004 for a chance to work with Al Franken in New York, and explores many topics in this collection of essays, including religion, middle age, and parenthood. You can listen to her on Talk of the Nation.

Nicaraguan writer Gioconda Belli has taken the compelling and dark tale of Juana of Castile, daughter of Isabelle and Ferdinand and mother of many monarchs, and spun it into a novel called The Scroll of Seduction, which was recently translated into English. Read an excerpt of the novel or listen to Jacki Lyden speak with Belli about her new book on All Things Considered.

It’s hard to shake a stick without running into a photograph taken by Annie Leibovitz lately. Famous for her Rolling Stone photographs of the 70’s and 80’s, she most recently made headlines for snapping the coveted first pics of little Suri Cruise and family. Now she’s released a new book. A photographer’s life 1990-2005 draws not only on her evocative images of the rich and famous, but also exhibits work from her private, personal life—her friends, family, and in particular, the late Susan Sontag.

Some of these photographs are also featured in the DIA’s exhibit, on display through January: Annie Leibovitz: American Music, which chronicles her role as a photographer of American Roots musicians and those who’ve been influenced by the movement. See images up close and in personal of B.B. King, Pete Seeger, The White Stripes, and many others.

Mattie E. Knight was a natural inventor. At 8 years old, she invented a footwarmer for her mother, so her mother could keep her feet warm as she sewed late into the night to support the family. When she worked in the fabric mills by 13, she invented a shuttle stop to protect workers from injury when the looms malfunctioned. As a young adult she developed the machine that would fold paper into square bags ... the kind we carry groceries in today. Marvelous Mattie is a picture book biography about a girl at the turn of the century who held drawings and patents on her inventions.

Houdini World's Greatest Mystery Man And Escape King is a new picture book biography on Harry Houdini, the escape artist and magician. It was written by Kathleen Krull and illustrated by Eric Velasquez.