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Ben Fountain's first novel, Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk, was nominated for the 2012 National Book Award. He's well-read for 2013, so we thought we'd ask him what to look forward to in the book world.

Europe spent much of this year trying to hold its common currency pact together. Greece, Spain, Italy and other countries flirted with disaster as interest rates spiked, forcing the debtor nations to accept austerity programs. The turmoil was bad enough to push much of the eurozone into recession.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is in a New York hospital for treatment of a blood clot. Clinton suffered a concussion after a fall earlier this month.

Demonstrations in India continued for a second straight day after a young woman who was gang-raped on a public bus died of her injuries over the weekend. Police are awaiting forensic reports that would establish the presence of the men inside the bus that the young woman boarded with her companion, who was also brutally beaten in the attack.

It turns out parents are increasingly naming newborns after grandparents. That's one new trend, according to the baby website, Belly Ballot. It is also predicting first names that sound like last names: think Kennedy.

Hear the rock 'n' roll quartet perform its enthusiastic, soulful songs live in the studio.

Rep.-elect Ann Kirkpatrick is returning to Washington this week after sitting out a term following her 2010 defeat. This time around, Kirkpatrick hopes to strengthen her foothold in a swing district, but she's dealing with a tricky electorate.

Republicans and Democrats have until midnight tonight to avoid going off the so-called fiscal cliff. If they can't reach an agreement by then, automatic tax hikes and spending cuts will kick in.

For perspective on why Democrats and Republicans in Washington have not been able to work together to avoid a countdown to the fiscal cliff, All Things Considered host Robert Siegel talks with Norm Ornstein, resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute. Ornstein says a big part of the problem is how Republicans in Congress have behaved like a parliamentary minority.

Some economists predict that the reconstruction from the damage caused by Superstorm Sandy will produce a stimulus effect for the U.S. economy in 2013 — especially in construction and related industries. Others say the losses associated with a storm will outweigh any positive effects from the rebuilding.