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Best-selling mystery novelist James Patterson may be known for his thrillers, but the little book that profoundly influenced his writing was far less conspicuous. Mrs. Bridge, the tale of a Kansas City husband and wife, would stay with him forever.

Amy Dickinson, author of the syndicated advice column "Ask Amy," writes about the strong women in her life in her new memoir, The Mighty Queens of Freeville. The youngest in her family, Dickinson says she's "the plankton at the end of the food chain and the advice flows down."

Hurricane Ike, expected to make landfall in the U.S. this week, has already caused havoc in Cuba and the Caribbean. In Haiti, at least 58 people have been killed. The port city of Gonaives, hit hard last week by Tropical Storm Hanna, has been flooded again, and aid agencies are having trouble delivering supplies.

As winter nears, we look for ways to be warm and comfortable. One of the best ways to do that, says food writer Nigella Lawson, is to indulge in rich, tasty foods that some might call guilty pleasures. For instance: Why not make French toast that tastes like a doughnut?

The Senate parliamentarian informed lawmakers that a plan to gradually increase the federal minimum wage to $15 by 2025 does not fit the complicated rules that govern budget bills in the Senate.

Teju Cole's new essay collection covers politics, poetry, music and even Snapchat. "I love to live things," he says — and he recommends Miles Davis as a cure for election season stress.

The computer model that predicts the weather is getting more power. Climate change is upping the stakes for forecasters as extreme weather gets more common and residents demand earlier warnings.

Everyone thought they were lost, but Jason Burt has found his grandfather's WWII Army Band recordings. It is the only known live music recordings near a battlefield.

Clashes between police and Occupy Wall Street protesters in Oakland, Calif., made news this week. But the violence has less to do with the Occupy movement than with the long history of law enforcement troubles in that city.

The House passed legislation Thursday to pause the refugee resettlement program. The legislation includes new requirements for the government agencies that are screening Syrian and Iraqi refugees.