Ben Lerner's debut novel, Leaving the Atocha Station is one of the most compelling books about nothing I've ever read.

Ordinarily, I'm not a fan of this kind of spinning-one's-wheels-in-the-sand fiction. Austen and Dickens and Hammett got to me early and spoiled me: I like plot. But Lerner's offbeat little novel manages to convey what everyday life feels like before we impose the structure of plot on our experience.

As he listens to the current debate in Washington over the budget deficit, taxes and economic policy, former President Bill Clinton says the discussion lacks a lot.

"It's all about 'is the government good or bad or taxes always good or bad?' " he told Morning Edition co-host Steve Inskeep during an conversation that's scheduled to air Tuesday. "There's very little talk about what actually works."

That's why Clinton has a new book — Back to Work — with this subtitle: Why We Need Smart Government for a Strong Economy.

The nationwide Occupy movement might be targeting Wall Street, but it's arguably municipal governments that have felt the biggest impact so far.

Protesters have staged weeks-long sit-ins at public spaces in cities from New York to Atlanta to Pittsburgh to Oakland, Calif. Although the demonstrations have been largely peaceful, hundreds of protesters have been arrested and there have been a handful of violent clashes with law enforcement.

Update at 4:16 p.m. ET: A California jury has found Dr. Conrad Murray guilty of involuntary manslaughter in the 2009 death of pop icon Michael Jackson.

As the clerk read the verdict, Murray looked on with a blank stare. When the clerk said guilty, an emotional shriek was heard in the courtroom.

As the judge read the jury more instructions, the Houston cardiologist sat next to his counsel without any visible emotion. Television images showed that Jackson fans outside the court house rejoiced.

The United States Supreme Court heard arguments on Monday in a case that combines the Middle East conflict with the dueling foreign policy roles of Congress and the president. Specifically, the question was whether Congress can force the executive branch to list Israel as the birthplace for United States citizens born in Jerusalem.

Barnes & Noble announced today that it, too, was entering the tablet market. Its Nook Tablet aims to compete with Amazon's Kindle Fire and Apple's iPad.

The Wall Street Journal reports:

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More than a week after a freak October snowstorm, tens of thousands of Connecticut residents are still without power. Jeff Cohen reports that some roads remain blocked by downed trees and power lines, and anger is growing over the pace of the restoration effort.

JEFF COHEN, BYLINE: Walter Tobias came to Simsbury Town Hall to ask for help. The 78-year-old has no power at home, and his sick wife is stuck in a rehab center.

Career Education Corporation, a major for-profit post-secondary education provider, is facing trouble after it admitted to supplying misleading information on job placement rates. Other for-profit companies are struggling too, under pressure from new federal rules.

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From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Guy Raz.

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And I'm Robert Siegel. We've been hearing a lot lately about the gap between rich and poor in this country. Well, now a new angle on that gap between young and old. Research out today finds that older Americans are significantly better off than seniors a generation ago, but young adults have fallen dramatically behind.

NPR's Jennifer Ludden reports.

Robert Siegel talks with NPR's Karen Grigsby Bates about Monday's verdict in the trial of Dr. Conrad Murray. Michael Jackson's personal physician was found guilty.