Book Lust With Nancy Pearl (seattle Channel)

The history books may lead us to believe it's the grand successes that shape our world, but what about the failures? The epic disasters, the inventions ahead of their time, and the plain bad ideas – surely they have a place in humanity's tale, too? If you've ever wondered about the wins that weren't, comic artist and editor Kel McDonald has the graphic novel for you. "Failure to Launch: A Tour of Ill-Fated Futures" compiles comic artists' favorite flops throughout history (illustrated in each of their unique styles) into one astonishing anthology.

Author Daniel Handler (aka Lemony Snicket of "A Series of Unfortunate Events") discusses his new book, "And Then? And Then? What Else?" He tells host Nancy Pearl that it began as a book about the poems of Baudelaire but transformed into something more personal. It offers a peek behind the scenes of the industry and an explanation of how he went from being "tiresome in every undergraduate way" to the writer he is today. Essentially, he says, it's sort of "how I write."

A "Rosie the Riveter"-hunting serial killer roams World War II Seattle in author Kevin O'Brien's first historical fiction thriller, "The Enemy at Home." He and Nancy Pearl discussed the very real history of murder in Seattle that caught his attention, the gendered dynamics of serial killing, and a bit of publishing drama in this latest episode of Book Lust.