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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.

Here are a few things to look for if you're trying to distinguish the age of your bottle of bubbly or the method by which it was made. And if you just want to get the most bang for your buck when it comes to preserving the bubbles, consider how you pour.

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.

The clot is located in a vein that's in the space between her brain and skull. A statement by Clinton's physicians released by the State Department said the clot did not result in a stroke or neurological damage. The statement added that the doctors were "confident she will make a full recovery."

Also: Hillary Clinton being treated for blood clot; big banks reportedly near settlement over foreclosure abuse accusations; body of Newtown killer is claimed; Venezuela's Chavez suffers new cancer complications; nine killed, 36 injured in Oregon bus crash.

Michigan's Lake Superior State University collects nominees for words or phrases that should be outlawed for "misuse, overuse and general uselessness." This year's No. 1 suggestion is all about the cliffhanger.

NPR Music remembers the singers, instrumentalists, songwriters and personalities who died in 2012. Explore their musical legacies.

Diana Vreeland had a troubled childhood; her mother often told her she was ugly. But she later became editor-in-chief of American Vogue and one of the country's most revered fashion icons. Her life is captured in the new biography, Empress of Fashion: A Life of Diana Vreeland. Host Michel Martin talks with author Amanda Mackenzie Stuart.

Phiona Mutesi grew up in one of the roughest slums in Uganda. Her days were spent focusing on survival, until she discovered chess. She's now on her way to becoming a world-class chess competitor. Host Michel Martin speaks with Mutesi, her coach Robert Katende, and Tim Crothers, who chronicles her story in his new book, The Queen of Katwe.

To a significant degree, you are the sum of the stories you tell yourself about yourself. Take away your memories, the connective tissue of your life, and what's left?