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This just in: Money does NOT buy happiness. Dartmouth Economist David Blanchflower has studied the economics of happiness and finds that happiness is relative and that some very simple factors in life contribute mightily to one's sense of wellbeing. Host John Walters talks with David Blanchflower about his findings and the results of a study that looks into the relationship between money, sex, and happiness.

Steve Curwood is the creator and host of
Living on Earth, NPR?s weekly program about the environment. Steve is a resident of southeast New Hampshire. He?ll talk about his career in print and broadcast journalism, getting hooked on environmental reporting, and creating Living on Earth.

Sarah Josepha Hale was one of the most prominent women in 19th Century America. Born and raised in Newport, Hale was sort of a cross between Martha Stewart and Oprah Winfrey. She was an acclaimed writer and for 40 years was editor of Godey's Lady's Book, the most popular women's magazine of its era. She played a key role in advancing the cause of American literature and was a tireless advocate for making Thanksgiving a national holiday. On top of all that, she is credited with writing "Mary Had a Little Lamb." We're talking with Judith Freeman Clark, Episcopal priest and amateur historian. She's studied and written about the life of Sarah Josepha Hale.

On the surface, debut novelist Sara Gruen's book "Riding Lessons" is about horses. But so much of her novel new is about interpersonal connections: between parents and children, between lovers old and new, and between humans and animals. Gruen, who lives in Chicago also has a message to convey through her work, and has donated a portion of the proceeds of "Riding Lessons" to two New Hampshire horse and animal rescue farms, one in Northwood and another in Chichester.

In the 1940's and 50's, wealthy grandmother and captain in the NH state police, Frances Glessner Lee created a series of macabre dollhouses designed to help homicide investigators further their understanding of forensic science. The 18 models are the subject of photographer Corinne May Botz' published work and appear in her book "The Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death." The photos give the fictional and miniature murder scenes a surprising air of intimacy. Lee's dioramas are still used in forensic training today.