Some Harry Potter fans have been trying to find advance copies of the latest book on the black market. Which got The Marketplace Players thinking about how the series is addictive -- really addictive.

Most moms and dads these days are over-tired, over-stressed and over-worried that they're not doing the right thing when it comes to raising their kids, says author Susan Gregory Thomas. And, she says, that makes them easy targets for marketers.

Some of life's little mysteries have simple economic explanations behind them. Econ professor Robert Frank shares a few, and the philosophy behind his book and the assignment that gets everyone thinking about everyday life in cost-benefit terms.

When economic bubbles burst, a ripple of devastating effects inevitably follows. Investors can lose everything, tens of thousands of workers may lose their jobs. But there's usually an upside says author Daniel Gross, even in the deflating housing market.