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Fresh Air book critic Maureen Corrigan lists her favorite books of 2005, including novels by Mary Gaitskill and Kazuo Ishiguro, and memoirs by Joan Didion and J.R. Moehringer.

We remember Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, the singer and guitarist who died Saturday in his hometown of Orange, Texas. He had gone there to escape Hurricane Katrina. He was 81. Brown, who had been battling lung cancer and heart disease, was in ill health for the past year, said Rick Cady, his booking agent. Cady said the musician was with his family at his brother's house when he died. Brown's home in Slidell, La., a bedroom community of New Orleans, was destroyed by Katrina, Cady said.

Book critic Maureen Corrigan reviews the new memoir The Tender Bar by Los Angeles Times reporter J.R. Moehringer. It tells the tale of his dysfunctional family on Long Island — and the community's center, the local bar.

More than 80 people are dead in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheik after a series of bombings early Saturday. At least two of the explosions are believed to be the result of car bombs. Hotels and a market were targeted.

Robert Siegel talks with Bruce Nussbaum, editorial page editor of Business Week, about the magazine's annual Best Product Design issue. The 2005 winners include a sleek update on training wheels, the iPod shuffle and a toilet design that "recasts the whole concept of the toilet."

Her mother once told her she'd be disowned if she ever bought a motorcycle. But that didn't stop NPR's Petra Mayer from checking out the International Motorcycle Show in Washington, D.C., and sending an audio postcard.

Hazel Luther of Daytona Beach, Florida, takes a timeless approach to a pretty amazing birthday. And a Wisconsin man's in-laws may be scrounging for quarters when they come visit.

For the first time in 20 years, an official representative of the Dalai Lama has been allowed into Tibet. Lodi Gyari's visit and his talks in Beijing earlier this week are the latest indications that China may be easing its policy toward Tibet — while still insisting that it is an integral part of China. Beijing conducted a major policy review on Tibet last year and has released six Tibetan political prisoners since then. NPR's Rob Gifford talks with NPR's Jacki Lyden from the Tibetan capital of Lhasa.

NPR's Ivan Watson reports from Cotonou, the capital of Benin, on the practice of child slavery in West Africa.

NPR's Mike Shuster reports on the critical role of the U.S. embassy staff in Beijing in resolving the crisis. The young Bush administration was caught by surprise by the incident, as it had not fully developed its stance toward China. The administration had to scramble to respond -- and relied on the expertise of the embassy.

Host Renee Montagne talks with NPR's Rob Gifford in Beijing. The Chinese government is holding another person they accuse of spying for the U.S. government, and this person is an American citizen.

NPR's Julie McCarthy reports on closing defense statements in the trial of two Libyans charged with killing all 270 people aboard Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland in December of 1988. The lead defense attorney described the star prosecution witness as, 'a man who tells lies for a living.' A Scottish court is conducting the trial in the Netherlands.