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The Kite Runner, the debut novel by Afghani-born physician and author Khaled Hosseini, has been on best-seller and book club lists for nearly a year. Writer Isabel Allende says the book — about a young man who returns to Afghanistan after a long absence — is "one of those unforgettable stories that stays with you for years."

NPR's Bob Mondello has an appreciation of playwright August Wilson, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning dramas, Fences and The Piano Lesson. Wilson died Sunday of liver cancer in Seattle. Mondello says that Wilson's dialogue was "musical" -- inspired by the blues and lyrical in its phrasing.

President Bush signed a sweeping energy bill into law Monday, and proponents say it should make the nation's electrical grid more reliable. But opponents contend the measure will make it easier for utility companies to play accounting games.

Patients who don't want to go to the doctor -- or are unable to go -- have an alternate resource for medical tests. Commercial testing companies provide exams for cholesterol, HIV or DNA without a prescription.

Unocal's shareholders approve sale of the company to rival Chevron. The transaction was overshadowed by a failed bid for Unocal by a Chinese energy company.

Harriet Miers, nominated Monday to succeed Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, is considered one of President Bush's closest and most loyal advisers.

The Department of Energy launches a campaign to promote energy conservation as the home-heating season approaches. Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman says energy-saving steps can help consumers trim high heating costs this winter. Critics say the administration's emphasis on conservation is long overdue.

Last year UPS delivered over 3.5 billion packages, the equivalent of nearly 10,000 every minute. But the company is working hard to find customers who want UPS to do more than move boxes from one point to another.

Ethiopia and neighboring Eritrea are to attend United Nations-led talks Friday to discuss escalating border tensions. From 1998 to 2000, the two African nations fought a border war that killed tens of thousands of people.

Make-believe assassins at play in New York: Young executives are gathering information, wearing disguises and working to whack competitors -- with water-filled firearms.