Monitor readers share their favorite pick books.

Where pessimists saw a barren wasteland, ingenuity and dedication created thousands of newly arable acres.

Home sales may be headed lower. So sellers and even real estate agents are turning to auctions instead. Are home sales auctions for you?

Author Daniel Pink argues that once you have "enough" money, it's not much of a motivator to work harder. So why do wealthy entrepreneurs keep starting new businesses?

First it was hunger striking candidates. Now a Libertarian running for secretary of state in California launches a petition to open debates to all who are qualified.

Trapped miners are similar to astronauts – held in confined spaces under dangerous conditions – so NASA sent scientists to the site of the Chilean mine collapse to advise officials there.

The pastor of the Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, Fla., is no stranger to controversy. Interfaith groups and others are mobilizing to protest his planned Koran burning on Sept. 11.

The Tea Party Express is targeting Mike Castle in the Delaware Republican Senate primary. But there are reasons the group might not duplicate the success it had in the Alaska GOP primary.

Users of Eppicard, an electronic-payment card issued to recipients of government benefits in 19 states, couldn't access their online accounts Tuesday because of a computer glitch.

Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley said Tuesday that will not seek reelection in 2011. Speculation is turning to Obama Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, who has expressed an interest in the job.

Pentagon officials have long talked of the July 2011 Afghanistan war drawdown date as being a soft deadline. Now, a NATO official suggests troops might simply be shifted around the country.

Reggie Bush will have his Heisman Trophy taken back, according to a Yahoo Sports report Tuesday. Reggie Bush helped lead USC to a pair of national championship games. Reggie Bush is currently a member of the Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints.

Following an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report that charges Iran with obstructing inspectors of its nuclear program, Iran said Tuesday that it can rightfully replace nuclear inspectors.

The subject matter of this haunting tale is brutal, yet its words inspire hope.

The Obama administration is considering a third round of homebuyer tax credits, an idea that failed twice and left us with the worst housing market in four decades.

Government looking for an exciting new stimulus policy? How about a tax credit for first-time gold buyers? Housing is out … Gold is in!

Cable news outlets showed limited interest Tuesday afternoon in a press conference where church leaders from a variety of faiths called for a united front against Koran burning and other aspects of Islamophobia.

Officials triumphed in Monday's return of everything from gold earrings to a sacred statue looted in the Iraq war. But they also said that 632 pieces returned last year have gone missing.

Kim Clijsters takes on fifth-seeded Samantha Stosur of Australia. Kim Clijsters is the two-time defending ladies champion at the US Open tennis tournament.

The biggest problems for Rep. Joe Sestak, a Pennsylvania Democrat running for US Senate, might be that he is a Democrat and a member of Congress, analysts say. National polls show Americans turning against both, and Sestak's race is local proof.

Both Republican Nikki Haley and Democrat Vincent Sheheen had their gubernatorial campaigns running full steam ahead on Tuesday.

Millions out of work, millions more disheartened. We need strong leadership, but are getting demagoguery.

Angelina Jolie met flood victims in northwestern Pakistan on Tuesday and appealed to the international community to provide aid needed to help the country recover.

Las Vegas's unemployment approaches 15 percent, prompting residents to move out in record numbers.

The 70th anniversary of the start of the Nazi 'Blitz' on England today was commemorated near St. Paul's Cathedral, which survived the bombing campaign as much of the city around it was reduced to rubble.

In an unprecedented event, two asteroids will pass our planet Wednesday at a distance closer than the moon. Neither rock threatens to strike the earth, say astronomers.

If Republicans regain power this fall, you can expect a fierce battle over repealing all or part of the health care overhaul, say analysts.

Obama moves to ratify free trade agreements with Colombia, South Korea, and Panama.

Julia Gillard barely retained power on Tuesday when the last two independent legislators ended a tense 17-day standoff and agreed to join her government.

The death of more than a million livestock in the Pakistan floods has wiped out years of farmers' savings. How the government responds will shape the country's economic future.

Adding a day of talks in Jerusalem is thought to demonstrate the seriousness of the Mideast peace talks between Hillary Clinton, Benjamin Netanyahu, and Mahmoud Abbas. A moratorium on West Bank settlement construction expires Sept. 26.

The antigenocide group the Enough Project gathered five stories on human rights trends in Africa, from a book review on religious faultlines in Africa to a barge ride down the Congo River.

Córdoba, Spain, was a center of art and culture under medieval Islamic rule and an inspiration for the original name of the planned New York City mosque.

'Restoring Truthiness' is the code name for a growing Internet campaign to get talk-show host Stephen Colbert to host a satire of the Glenn Beck 'Restoring Honor' rally.

The man behind Wright County Egg, the firm involved in last month's egg recall, may not be reviled in Iowa, but he's not admired either. How his egg business has changed Clarion, Iowa.

Google logo secret message rumors abound. But what's really behind all those bouncing Google balls?

Entrepreneurs are borrowing than they did last year: a dangerous trend for small business owners or anyone else.

Among the many ideas from Obama for creating jobs, one deserves a serious debate: a national infrastructure bank that can tap private capital and would back highway and rail projects based on merit.