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Our summer reading series continues this week with Jeff Bezos, the founder and CEO of Amazon.com. Bezos is a fan of science fiction, though he says his favorite novel of all time is Kazuo Ishiguro's The Remains of the Day (Vintage Books; ISBN: 0679731725).

Martha Stewart steps down as head of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, hours after a federal grand jury indicts the home-decorating icon and her stockbroker on nine counts of obstruction of justice, making false statements and perjury. Stewart is accused of using insider information to dump shares of ImClone stock. Hear NPR's Snigdha Prakash.

Chris Nickson reviews the CD Ghana Soundz: Afro-Beat, Funk and Fusion in 70s Ghana. The disc brings together rare and previously unreleased tunes influenced by American 1970's funk. It's the first of three volumes.

Her new book, Highsmith: A Romance of the 1950's, is about her two-year affair with the writer Patricia Highsmith. They met at a Greenwich Village bar and were both writing lesbian pulp novels under pseudonyms. Meaker wrote Spring Fire (1952) under the pen name Vin Packer. It sold 1.5 million copies. She also wrote under the name Ann Aldrich. Meaker writes young adult novels under the name M.E. Kerr. Highsmith is known for her classic novels Strangers on a Train and The Talented Mr. Ripley.

NPR's Elaine Korry profiles the search engine company that has thrived at a time when so many electronic-based enterprises have failed.

The Reduced Shakespeare Company, an outrageous theater troupe known for paring down the longest of works to the simplest of stage shows, presents a two-minute version of their 90-minute production "All the Great Books (Abridged)."

As the 140th anniversary of the battle of Gettysburg approaches, historian James McPherson tours hallowed ground with NPR's Liane Hansen.

Forensic experts conduct DNA tests on the remains of people killed last week in a U.S. airstrike on an Iraqi convoy. The New York Times and a British newspaper, citing military sources, say U.S. forces believe former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and his two sons may have been traveling with the convoy. Hear NPR's Deborah Amos.

The U.S. administration in Iraq is coming under mounting criticism for the slow pace of its efforts to hand over authority to Iraqis. While U.S. officials focus on plans to establish a grass roots political process in Iraq, many Iraqis demand a greater role in governing the country. NPR's Kate Seelye reports.

Scientists at the National Institutes of Health are attempting the first test of an HIV vaccine that could stop the global spread of AIDS. But as NPR's Joe Palca reports, finding volunteers willing to get innoculated with an unproven and possibly harmful vaccine is proving difficult. Learn more about the vaccine program.

The Bush administration drafts a plan to investigate mass murders allegedly committed by the Saddam Hussein regime in Iraq. The plan calls for an international effort to exhume mass graves and collect forensic evidence for possible prosecutions. NPR's Christopher Joyce reports.

With the release this weekend of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, our summer reading series features Eden Ross Lipson, the children's book editor at The New York Times. In lieu of the Harry Potter books, she recommends Philip Pullman's Dark Materials trilogy: The Golden Compass (Del Rey; ISBN: 0345413350), The Subtle Knife (Del Rey; ISBN: 0345413369, and The Amber Spyglass (Del Rey; ISBN: 0345413377). She also likes Cornelia Funke's The Thief Lord (Scholastic; ISBN: 0439404371).