Topic: Books

Ben Greenman and Being a Literary Provocateur

Ben Greenman is a writer who pokes, prods, and sets readers off balance in hopes of generating emotion and thought — and maybe, sometimes, simply because he feels like it. This is a man who has purposely inserted typos in his books.

By Jen Doll

Jul 25, 2012

The Book Hate Read Is a Labor of Love

When was the last time you finished a book you hated, really, truly hated, despising it with a passion deep in your soul all the way through, to the end of the very last page?

Comments | 2,609 Views

By Jen Doll

Jul 25, 2012

Y.A. for Grownups

In Search of the Best Teen Novels Ever

What's the title of the greatest teen novel of all time? NPR Books hopes to reach a conclusion on a topic that's fodder for no shortage of passionate opinion.

Comments | 4,153 Views

By Esther Zuckerman

Jul 24, 2012

Trimming the Times

Pyramid Rumors, Sally Ride, and Rare Books

A summary of the best reads found behind the paywall of The New York Times.

Comments | 1,159 Views

By Jen Doll

Jul 23, 2012

An Early Peek at Michael Chabon's New Novel, 'Telegraph Avenue'

Michael Chabon fans are about to get another little teaser about the writer's much anticipated next novel, Telegraph Avenue, which will be released on September 11.

Comments | 3,537 Views

By Jen Doll

Jul 19, 2012

Y.A. for Grownups

R.L. Stine Has Been Giving Us Goosebumps for 20 Years

If you're an adult of a certain age in America, of course you know the name R.L. Stine, you know it like a delicious shiver down your spine. His Goosebumps series, now celebrating its 20th anniversary, has crossed generations.

Comments | 8,936 Views

By Jen Doll

Jul 17, 2012

Media Diet

Kurt Loder: What I Read

Kurt LodercolumnistTV personality, and author of the recent film-review collection The Good, the Bad, and the Godawful starts the day with O.J. (or a Coke) and Drudge Report and ends it with wine, Twitter, and maybe a book or a movie. 

Comments | 10,565 Views

By Jen Doll

Jul 16, 2012

Caitlin Moran on How to Be a Woman, How to Be a Feminist

Caitlin Moran's How to Be a Woman has already sold 400,000 copies in 16 countries, and tomorrow the American edition will be released. Talking to her is nearly as much fun as reading her book.

Comments | 13,508 Views

By Jen Doll

Jul 12, 2012

Y.A. for Grownups

The Crowdsourced Funding of a Y.A. Movie

Y.A. author Nina LaCour is making a small-budget movie out of her novel, and the Y.A. community is helping her pay for it.

Comments | 957 Views

By Jen Doll

Jul 12, 2012

The Case for Fiction That's Free

In the world of digital publishing, there's a question as old as Internet time: If you give away content for free, are you devaluing an entire industry? Of at least one example, writers and editors say, firmly, no. 

Comments | 2,147 Views

By Jen Doll

Jul 12, 2012

Is 'Fifty Shades of Grey' Bad for Teenage Girls?

 This time the Fifty Shades trend story skews a bit younger: Teenagers are reading the book, too! 

Comments | 5,037 Views

By Jen Doll

Jul 10, 2012

Note to Amy Sohn: It's Not Regressing If You've Always Been That Way

Are bored, well-to-do adults devolving into the state of rebellious teens, or are we all just the same as we always have been? Amy Sohn introduces the so-called "Regressives."

Comments | 5,622 Views

By Jen Doll

Jul 10, 2012

Malcolm Gladwell on Underdogs; What Happened to the Fiction Pulitzer

Today in books and publishing: Malcolm Gladwell takes on the underdog; what really happened with the Pulitzer Prize for fiction this year; Zadie Smith's first book in seven years; Fifty Shades in the air.

Comments | 2,348 Views

By Jen Doll

Jul 9, 2012

How Does This Image of Christian Grey Compare to the Guy in the Book?

Generally we have to wait until the movie to complain about how a book character has been envisioned as nothing like what we imagined. Fifty Shades fans, your time is now.

Comments | 8,048 Views

By Jen Doll

Jul 9, 2012

Anne Rice Gets a 'Fifty Shades' Makeover; Gene Simmons, Fanboy

Today in books and publishing: Fifty Shades hits another milestone; Anne Rice's cover revamp is courtesy E.L. James; an Olympics novel; no more books in one school; the joy of boring books.

Comments | 517 Views

By Esther Zuckerman

Jul 5, 2012

The 'Fifty Shades' Hotel Packages and Other Bookish Getaways

Fifty Shades of Grey insanity has now reached complete saturation (we hope): In addition to Fifty Shades sheets, hotels in Portland, Seattle, and San Francisco are offering packages based on the erotica trilogy.

Comments | 1,975 Views

By Esther Zuckerman

Jul 2, 2012

History of the Great American Novel; David Remnick on Nora Ephron

Today in books and publishing: Questions about the so-called "Great American Novel;" Britain's "Famous Five" infatuation; what books to expect for the rest of the year; advice on self-publishing; Remnick on Ephron; Jake Adelstein gets a deal. 

Comments | 303 Views

By Jen Doll

Jun 29, 2012

What Does Your E-Reader Know About You?; The Book That Disappears

Today in books and publishing: Your e-book is watching you; a book written with disappearing ink; Jezebel's new book club; library jail; Colin Powell reads on planes.

Comments | 1,649 Views

By Jen Doll

Jun 28, 2012

Y.A. for Grownups

The Re-Readable List: The Books That Never Get Old

One key difference between a good book and a great book is that a great book is eternally transportive, no matter how times you return to the well. Here are the books we started reading as kids and haven't put down since.

Comments | 18,041 Views

By Jen Doll

Jun 28, 2012

Sexing Up the Classics for Teens

Hoping to capitalize on the frenzy over Y.A. book sensations like The Hunger Games and Twilight, publishers are returning to their design departments and asking for new teen-friendly looks for the classics.

Comments | 9,181 Views

By Jen Doll

Jun 28, 2012

The Cutest Little Book Movement, E.L. James Is Lashing Her Way to the Bank

Today in books and publishing: Adorable, tiny libraries spread across America; E.L. James' gold mine; Nora Ephron, angry essayist; Fitzgerald breeds Gatsbabies; Jonathan Franzen on social media.

Comments | 1,519 Views

By Jen Doll

Jun 27, 2012

The Many Shades of 'Fifty Shades of Grey' Reviews

With a review from the one and only Mitch Albom, it appears we've reached a new shade of Fifty Shades of Grey: Complete and total saturation.

Comments | 6,552 Views

By Jen Doll

Jun 27, 2012

Casey Anthony's Lawyer Tells All; The Return of the Grand Home Library

Today in books and publishing: Casey Anthony's lawyer tells his side; E.L. James at Comic-Con; Nora Ephron remembered; fancy home libraries are back.

Comments | 1,640 Views

By Jen Doll

Jun 26, 2012

Facebook's Dirty Little Secrets Are Out; A Book from Amy Winehouse's Dad

Today in books and publishing: A former employee reveals some juicy Facebook secrets; a book from Amy Winehouse's dad; read to get out of jail; Dear Abby takes on book clubs.

Comments | 3,586 Views

By Jen Doll

Jun 25, 2012

A Y.A. Book Deal for Mr. Fifty Shades of Grey

There's another notch in the Fifty Shades of Grey power belt: Niall Leonard, husband of the bestselling trilogy's author E.L. James (real name: Erika Leonard), has his own book deal.

Comments | 1,064 Views

By Jen Doll

Jun 25, 2012

The E-Books of Shakespeare; Martin Amis Takes Brooklyn

Today in books and publishing: The e-books of Shakespeare; Richard Russo's homage to print; an e-bookstore for Macmillan's Tor/Forge; Apple's e-book price-fixing trial date set.

Comments | 328 Views

By Jen Doll

Jun 22, 2012

Are E-Books Killing Books?; The Books That Shaped America

Today in books and publishing: The ongoing hand-wringing over e-books; the Library of Congress's great reading list; Apple anti-trust suit wrinkles; Alec Baldwin gets mad, gets books.

Comments | 1,207 Views

By Jen Doll

Jun 21, 2012

Y.A. for Grownups

The Inimitable, Unforgettable Redheads of Fiction

The latest redhead in the headlines right now is Merida, the Titian-tressed heroine of the first Pixar movie to focus on the tale of a female protagonist, Brave. But what about her predecessors in Y.A. and children's fiction?

Comments | 7,293 Views

By Jen Doll

Jun 21, 2012

Armistead Maupin Heads East; Penguin Brings E-Books to the Library

Today in books and publishing: Armistead Maupin is leaving town; everything is coming up e-books (almost); to burn books or not to burn; the French are still hanging on to their beloved print. 

Comments | 690 Views

By Jen Doll

Jun 20, 2012

Barack Obama's Tall Tales; Free Harry Potter

Today in books and publishing: Questioning the stories of Obama in a new book; free, unlimited Potter for Amazon Prime subscribers; Alice Walker protests Israel's treatment of Palestine, won't allow Hebrew translation of The Color Purple.

Comments | 438 Views

By Jen Doll

Jun 19, 2012

'Fifty Shades' Outpaces Potter; Authors' Drunk Texts Imagined

Today in books and publishing: Fifty Shades of Grey is the fastest-selling paperback ever; Elie Wiesel returns an award to Hungary in protest; remembering the good old book days; what would your favorite author drunk-text? 

Comments | 1,083 Views

By Jen Doll

Jun 18, 2012

How to Really Survive Anything: The Best of the Girl-Power Books

In the wake of the controversy over the sexism in Girls Only! How to Survive Anything, we present this badass addendum to our previous compendium, "The Greatest Girl Characters of Young Adult Literature."

Comments | 8,110 Views

By Jen Doll

Jun 18, 2012

What Really Happens in Rielle Hunter's Memoir; Author Band Splits

Today in books and publishing: Rielle Hunter's memoir promotion begins in full; The Rock Bottom Remainders author band will break up after a final tour; Winston Churchill e-books; Fifty Shades of Etsy.

Comments | 1,897 Views

By Becky Hogge

Jun 15, 2012

Why Bloomsday Is Special This Year

2012 is the 71st year since James Joyce’s death, and marks the first — across the EU at any rate – that his work may be shared freely among them, without needing permission — for public readings, performances, or re-interpretations — from his estate.

Comments | 7,903 Views

By Jen Doll

Jun 15, 2012

The Censorship of a Book About Two Moms; Israel Battles Book Discounts

Today in books and publishing: Fighting censorship of a book about lesbian moms; Israel fights against book discounts; where are the stay-at-home dads in kids' books?; you will covet this book-tent.

Comments | 245 Views

By Jen Doll

Jun 14, 2012

Y.A. for Grownups

Book Reviews Are for Kids: Meet the Next Generation of Book Critics

Kids are getting into the world of book reviews, offering up commentary and criticism on the Y.A. and children's books intended for them. Makes you wonder why this didn't happen sooner, right?

Comments | 2,007 Views

By Jen Doll

Jun 14, 2012

How 'Fifty Shades' Is Changing the Face of Publishing

This week it was announced that Caroline Mickler Limited had been appointed the "master licensing agent" for the Fifty Shades trilogy. Leaving aside questions of taste, let's talk about this as business. 

Comments | 19,605 Views

By Jen Doll

Jun 14, 2012

Dave Eggers Gets the Kakutani Seal of Approval; Books on the Subway

Today in books and publishing: Dave Eggers' new book gets a rave review, photos of people reading books on the subway, self-publishing, and books about aliens.

Comments | 1,048 Views

By Jen Doll

Jun 13, 2012

Dear God, There Will Be 'Fifty Shades' Sheets; Thomas Pynchon Goes E-Book

Today in books and publishing: Fifty Shades merchandise is on its way and you can't stop it; Thomas Pynchon e-books are available as of today; a hotel themed for books in Paris.

Comments | 863 Views

By Jen Doll

Jun 11, 2012

A Ray Bradbury Museum; Duluth Loves 'Fifty Shades'

Today in books and publishing: A possible Ray Bradbury museum; Google settles their French book-scanning dispute; Oprah's Book Club 2.0 may not have the same touch; the future of books on demand.

Comments | 820 Views

By Jen Doll

Jun 7, 2012

Y.A. for Grownups

The Talk of Book Expo America

At Book Expo America, we got a sneak peek at the most-talked about new Y.A. and children's titles, and we referred to some publishing industry insiders for their takes on the books you don't want to miss. 

Comments | 5,673 Views

By Jen Doll

Jun 7, 2012

17 'Fifty Shades' Stories That Haven't Been Written Yet

We're starting to wonder...what Fifty Shades of Grey-related story—trend piece, reported article, interview, spin-off book—has yet to be written?

Comments | 4,168 Views

By Jen Doll

Jun 7, 2012

Autographs, Galleys, and the Paying Public: Taking a Reading of Book Expo

Today is the third and final day of BEA, or Book Expo America, which is being held at New York's Jacob Javits Center. Gauging the health of an industry by looking at how many industry people are at an industry event is something, but it's not everything.

Comments | 557 Views

By Jen Doll

Jun 5, 2012

BEA Begins; J.K. Rowling's New Augmented Reality 'Harry Potter' Book

Today in books: Book Expo America is on; Sony introduces an augmented reality book for Playstation by J.K. Rowling; Amazon buys Avalon Books; and more.

Comments | 3,416 Views

By Jen Doll

Jun 4, 2012

Oprah's New Book Club Is Different But the Same; Sex Is Better in E-Books

Today in books: Oprah's book club is back, e-books stands for "erotic," and the Vatican does not approve of nuns talking sex.

Comments | 1,461 Views

By Ray Gustini

Jun 1, 2012

Times of London Drops Paywall for Queen; Book of Mormon Stolen

Today in books and publishing: The class-action lawsuit against Google gets the go-ahead, the Times of London paywall temporarily comes down, and a copy of the Book of Mormon has been purloined.

Comments | 1,724 Views

By Jen Doll

May 31, 2012

Y.A. for Grownups

A Y.A. Lover's Summer Reading List, by Judy Blume, R.L. Stine, and Others

We asked some of our favorite Y.A. book authors for the titles that would have been on their ideal summer reading lists, and why. 

Comments | 7,652 Views

By Ray Gustini

May 31, 2012

A 'Devil Wears Prada' Sequel; Literary Theory Is Still Dumb

The Devil Wears Prada has spawned a sequel, the last Orange Prize went to Madeline Miller, literary theory is still a joke.

Comments | 399 Views

By Ray Gustini

May 30, 2012

Stephen King Returns; Artistic Envy Explained

Today in books and publishing: Stephen King will release a new book next June, Saddam Hussein's daughter wants to publish her dad's memoir, artistic envy explained.

Comments | 1,785 Views

By Ray Gustini

May 29, 2012

'Fifty Shades' Unbanned; Michelle Obama's Book Finally Drops

Today in books and publishing: Michelle Obama's book about the White House garden finally arrives, Fifty Shades of Grey returns to shelves in Florida, and what it was like to stage an opera with Maurice Sendak.

Comments | 2,827 Views

By Jen Doll

May 25, 2012

The Ingredients of a Perfect Summer Read

Everyone's busily putting forth what, exactly, you should be reading this summer, so we won't bother you with that. Instead, we're supplying you with the information you need to choose the right book all by yourself. 

Comments | 4,853 Views

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