Page, the new kitten found in the snow and adopted by Vicki Myron.
Vicki Myron, who wrote the best-selling "Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World," was going to wait before getting another cat. But then she "fell in love instantly" with Page, a kitten found on a snowy road a few weeks ago, Associated Press reported.
The new cat won't be living at the library as Dewey did; she'll stay with Myron.
NEW YORK -- A children's book inspired by a since-discredited Holocaust story has been pulled by the publisher, the Associated Press reports.
Laurie Friedman's "Angel Girl," based on Herman Rosenblat's tale of meeting his future wife at a concentration camp, had been released in the fall by the Lerner Publishing Group, which is offering refunds for any returned book.
Rosenblat, 79, whose many admirers had included Oprah Winfrey, acknowledged last weekend that he didn't meet his wife during the war. His own memoir, "Angel at the Fence," scheduled for release in February, was quickly canceled by Berkley Books, an imprint of Penguin Group (USA).
Adam Lerner, president and publisher of the Minneapolis-based Lerner Publishing Group, said in a statement Tuesday that the company had been misled by the Rosenblats.
It's wonderful to receive books, but sometimes a gift is all about the presentation.
Christmas morning our oldest son, Mike, gave my husband and me a slim volume of poetry by Billy Collins. Then he proceeded to read one of the poems, "The Lanyard," about the love between mother and child. By the end we were laughing and crying and my husband was rushing for the box of tissues. That reading was the true gift.
Not to be outdone, our youngest son, Peter, opened his backpack and explained that he hadn't wrapped our gift, another book. But he didn't think that the cover was good enough and so, late on Christmas Eve, he rummaged through the old toy closet, found some ancient, but still usable tempera paints, and fashioned his own cover for "The Color Purple." He eloquently explained all of this, then brought out a book with a simple, beautiful cover.
I'm sure I'll enjoy both books. But the giving is what I'll remember.
A review from reader Beth Vrabel:
Take Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" and mix with the Olympics. Blend in all that's evil about reality televison, add a dash of "Romeo & Juliet," and you'll end up with something not nearly as irrestible as "The Hunger Games."
This book, despite being geared toward Young Adults (of whom, sadly, I am not), was so compelling and original that I flipped back to the beginning to read again as soon as completing the last page.
By JEFF FRANTZ
Daily Record/Sunday News
As he lay in bed at York Hospital on Tuesday battling leukemia, Gerry Meisenhelder turned to a grandson and began dictating verse.
One more connection with the world to be recorded.
Since he began writing poetry in high school, Meisenhelder found and explored one avenue after another for these connections.
A co-worker suggested I read "Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World" by librarian Vicki Myron. I asked for it for Christmas. 
I opened it Dec. 25 (Thursday) and was finished with it two days later despite working on Friday and visiting family on Saturday. I like to think I have amazing cats, and in all fairness to them, I do. But if you have a place in your heart for cats, you'll love Dewey.
I told my aunt, a mommy to three cats, about the book. I know she will love it. She is a library lover. She searched the catalog at the New York Public library, where she lives, and she is 240th on the waiting list for 43 copies of the book.
Dewey really must have touched the world.
Read here about Dewey and another pet-lover's book.
A review from one of our readers, Loretta Martin:
Walking past the book section of Wal-Mart the other day, I noticed a book with a title that caught my eye: "23 Minutes in Hell" by Bill Wiese.
Being a big believer in heaven, and having reading some pretty compelling testimonials of some people who have "visited" there, I immediately grabbed it so I could read about people who have "visited" the other side.
Here are the most popular books of 2008 at Borders Books & Music in Springettsbury Township, as compiled by the store's management staff.
1. "The Tales of Beedle the Bard" by J. K. Rowling.
2. "Breaking Dawn" by Stephenie Meyer.
3. "The Shack" by William Young.
4. "The Last Lecture" by Randy Pausch.
5. "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer.
6. "The Grace That Keeps This World" by Tom Bailey.
7. "New Moon" by Stephenie Meyer.
8. "A New Earth" by Eckhart Tolle.
9. "Eclipse" by Stephenie Meyer.
10. "Brisingr" by Christopher Paolini.
The book: "No Time for Ribbons" (iUniverse, $17.95)
The author: Craig Trebilcock of Glen Rock is an attorney/partner with Shumaker Williams PC and a colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve.
I'm talking about the Internet. People who have grown up with the Internet, as opposed to people like me who had to "learn" it, are much more likely to turn to the web in all things.
This was illustrated to me in "Harry, A History," by Melissa Agnelli. The Harry in the title refers to Harry Potter. Melissa Agnelli became the editor of the Leaky Cauldron, the most popular and well-respected fan site for all things Harry Potter.
The following books were were best-sellers at Borders Books & Music in Springettsbury Township for the week that ended Dec. 14.
1. "The Tales of Beedle the Bard" by J. K. Rowling.
2. "Breaking Dawn" by Stephenie Meyer.
3. "Scarpetta" by Patricia Cornwell.
4. "The Christmas Sweater" by Glenn Beck.
5. "Multiple Blessings" by Kate Gosselin.
Jen Hetzer of New Freedom reads Clement Moore's classic poem, 'The Night Before Christmas,' to her 2-year-old son Andrew at the Paul Smith Library of Southern York County.
Deborah Sullivan
York County Library System community relations director
We brought my son, Michael, home from the hospital on Christmas Day in a huge red stocking with furry white trim. Each year, we would root that stocking out, he would climb in, and we would take his picture -- always amazed at how much he had grown.
Around pre-school age, we started sprinkling "reindeer food" on the lawn to help guide Santa's sleigh to our house, and of course we set out a plate of cookies for our jolly visitor to eat!
Snuggling up to read Christmas tales, singing carols and driving around to see lights have all weaved their way in and out of our celebrations over the years, creating what I hope will become cherished memories.
It was "The Invention of Hugo Cabret" by Brian Selznick. Now, don't be put off when I tell you it's considered a children's book. And, don't be put off when I tell you it's 544 pages! Most of those pages are charcoal illustrations that move the story along.
From the Associated Press:
NEW YORK -- The Bernard Madoff books are in the works.
Less than one week after the former chairman of the Nasdaq Stock Market was arrested for an alleged multibillion dollar Ponzi scheme, publishers HarperCollins and the Random House Publishing Group each announced Thursday that they had signed up books about the scandal.
In 2010, HarperCollins will release an investigative work, currently untitled, by reporter-anchor Andrew Kirtzman, who has been featured on the New York television stations WCBS and NY1; Random House will publish a Madoff book, also currently untitled, by Richard Behar, a journalist who has written for Time, Fortune and other magazines.
"How We Decide" by Jonah Lehrer will be released in February by Houghton Mifflin. Lehrer also is the author of "Proust Was a Neuroscientist." He is the son of York native Jean Hively.
To read more about Lehrer, click here.
This just in from the Associated Press:
The author of the Oprah Winfrey-endorsed "The Story of Edgar Sawtelle" is writing a prequel.
Author David Wroblewski said today, in a statement issued by publisher Ecco, an imprint of HarperCollins: "My fascination with the Sawtelles and the Sawtelle dogs is far from over. This new novel is a chance to look more deeply into their story, and a tremendously exciting project to me."
Wroblewski's debut novel, an updating of "Hamlet" set in rural Wisconsin, was a word-of-mouth hit last summer and became a blockbuster in the fall after Winfrey picked it for her book club. His new work, the second of a planned trilogy, is not yet titled, and no publication date has been set.
Woogi World and leading children's publishers, HarperCollins Children's Books, Walden Media and Penguin Books, announced today their joint collaboration to introduce kids to great books through Woogi World's online WoogiReaders Club.
Morning Edition on National Public Radio talked to a family that saves its holiday books to read every night during the season.
Read about their holiday tradition and listen to the report at http://www.npr.org/templates/player/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=98308208&m=98321124
The paperback edition of "My Father's Heart: A Son's Reckoning with His Legacy of Heart Disease," by local author Steve McKee, will be released Feb. 1. To read more about McKee and his book, click here.
From the Associated Press:
Poets & Writers, a nonprofit literary organization, has received a $2 million donation to support its Jackson Poetry Prize, a $50,000 award founded in 2007 for emerging American poets.
"Receiving this generous gift during such a challenging time reminds us of the importance of literature," Elliot Figman, executive director of Poets & Writers, said in a statement Monday.
The money comes from the Liana Foundation, a philanthropic organization based in Far Hills, N.J., and co-managed by poet Susan Jackson.
From the Associated Press:
"Twilight" fans have a short wait for the next installment of the vampire saga.
Summit Entertainment spokesman Paul Pflug says "New Moon" is following just 12 months after the first movie, opening Nov. 20, 2009, over the same weekend as "Twilight" this year.
Summit has tapped Chris Weitz ("The Golden Compass") to direct "New Moon," based on the second book in Stephenie Meyer's best-selling series about the dangerous romance between a teen (Kristen Stewart) and a vampire (Robert Pattinson) fighting his bloodsucking instincts.
Weitz is taking over the franchise from "Twilight" director Catherine Hardwicke. "Twilight" has shot to $150 million at the box office since debuting Nov. 21.
This just in from the Associated Press:
After eight years in Washington, Lynne Cheney plans to write about a politician she regards as "steady," "reserved" and given to working "from behind the scenes."
No, it's not a memoir about her husband, Vice President Dick Cheney, but a biography of James Madison.
This from the Associated Press:
It only took a 100 years or so, but the world is finally getting a piece of Mark Twain's mind on the subject of free expression and whether it's safer for your words to be expressed after you're dead.
Following were best-sellers at Borders Books & Music in Springettsbury Township for the week that ended Dec. 7.
1. "The Tales of Beedle the Bard" by J. K. Rowling.
2. "Breaking Dawn" by Stephenie Meyer.
3. "Eclipse" by Stephenie Meyer.
4. "The Christmas Sweater" by Glenn Beck.
5. "Multiple Blessings" by Kate Gosselin.
Connie Sprenkle's latest children's book, "Christmas Pajamas," was inspired by a well-loved family tradition.
When Sprenkle was a child, her mother made her a special pair of pajamas that she could wear all day Christmas day. Last year, she continued the tradition by buying matching pajamas for herself and her two grandsons.
Several people I know told me I must read "The Shack" by William Young. I had seen it in all the stores and knew it was a best-seller. I'm always up for the latest in book trends, so obliged them.
If you or someone on your holiday gift list is an avid traveler -- or wishes they were -- head on over to the Explorer's Backpack blog to check out this list of recommended reading.
Educational publishing house WorldScapes has released a book on Special Olympian Loretta Claiborne called "In Her Stride."
The life and accomplishments of York native Loretta Claiborne are profiled in the brief book "In Her Stride."
For more, check out York Town Square post : York native and Special Olympian Loretta Claiborne: 'Role model for others with disabilities'.
that books make great gifts, but now we can listen to famous authors tell us why.
From the Associated Press:
Five novels for teens are finalists for the American Library Association's first-ever William C. Morris YA Debut Award.
The prize is given for books that "illuminate the teen experience and enrich the lives of its readers through its excellence."
The nominees, announced this week: Elizabeth Bunce's (rhymes with once) "A Curse Dark as Gold"; Kristin Cashore's "Graceling"; James Lecesne's "Absolute Brightness"; Christina Meldrum's "Madapple"; and Jenny Valentine's "Me, the Missing and the Dead."
The winner will be announced Jan. 26.
Artist Bradley Schmehl's painting of the burning Wrightsville Bridge in 1863 serves as the focal point of the cover of Scott Mingus' forthcoming Civil War book.
Scott Mingus' detailed study of the Confederate occupation of York County, 'Flames beyond Gettysburg, in late June 1863 is moving along the printing trail.
Another forthcoming Mingus work follows one of the brigades that visited York County. "A Spirit of Daring: The Louisiana Tigers in the Gettysburg Campaign" will come from the LSU Press.
Steve McNaughton of New Oxford will sign copies of his book, "Pennsylvania's Adams County Ghosts: Gettysburg, New Oxford, Cashtown and East Berlin," from 2 to 6 p.m. Saturday at the New Oxford Coffee Co. & Visitor Center, 16 Center Square, New Oxford.
McNaughton operates the Chestnut Hall Bed and Breakfast in New Oxford. He also established the paranormal investigate group called P.E.E.R. (Paranormal and Environmental Explanations from Research) and explores southcentral Pennsylvania in his search for the paranormal.
Gloria Fogal is the Daily Record/Sunday News books page editor. Nancy Duncan is a Daily Record/Sunday News staff librarian and the children's librarian at Red Land Community Library.
Nancy: What do readers really want for Christmas? More books! So, Gloria and I came up with our top five books of all time. Believe me, it wasn't easy limiting myself to just five titles.
Here are my favorites, in no particular order.
"Pillars of the Earth" by Ken Follett
The building of a 12th-century cathedral and all it entails. A huge, spellbinding book with ambition, sex and the struggle for power -- all that you want in a novel that will last a long time. A wonderful choice for a long, cold winter.
Daily Record/Sunday News
If you want to stay local with your holiday gift giving, here are some recently published books with local themes or local authors. Most are available at Borders Books & Music, 3000 Whiteford Road in Springettsbury Township or online.
"York: America's Historic Crossroads" (Schiffer Publishing) by Scott Butcher. This coffee table book includes more than 300 color photos, with chapter introductions and photo captions that showcase York's history, from its founding in 1741 to today. For sale at the Museum Shops of the York County Heritage Trust, 250 East Market St., Borders or amazon.com.
"My Father's Heart: A Son's Journey" by Steve McKee. This book does a lot of things, everything well. It's a memoir of growing up in York in the 1960s. It explores life in Haines Acres, showing a close-knit neighborhood. McKee's work touches on moments fishing at Muddy Creek and eating at Gino's and acquaints the reader with legendary York Catholic basketball coach Jim Forjan and the admired Cole Steel veep Otto Lewin. At Borders and online.
"My Favorite American" by Dennis McCloskey. A book about Valen Cover, a York County woman who, at 25, has endured an organ transplant, polycystic kidney disease, a seizure disorder, coliosis, pancreatitis and a motorcycle accident. "What impressed me most is her positive outlook on life and living," McCloskey said. At Borders and amazon.com.
The turn of the new millenium eight years ago brought with it an onslaught of books on the Civil War in York County.
Before 2000, only a handful of books probed the Civil War and York County and they consisted of chapters in larger works on the Gettysburg campaign.
The York Town Square post Books probing York County in the Civil War come in strong, sudden onslaught lists the dozen local Civil War books published in recent years.
That includes a recent publication on the Battle of Hanover.
Here is a review of J.K. Rowling's "The Tales of Beedle the Bard" by Deepti Hajela of The Associated Press:
"The Tales of Beedle the Bard" (Children's High Level Group, $12.99, 111 pages), by J.K. Rowling: Just in time for the holidays, J.K. Rowling has given Harry Potter fans a little gift.
According to the Associated Press:
A rare original edition of J.K. Rowling's latest book is going on display at the New York Public Library, just as the work is being published around the world.
"The Tales of Beedle the Bard" is a collection of five stories that's mentioned in the last book in Rowling's "Harry Potter" series. It's being released today.
Rowling originally wrote and illustrated seven copies of the book as gifts. She gave one to Arthur Levine at Scholastic, which published the American versions of the books. It's Levine's copy that will be on display at the library through Jan. 4.
So says James Gleick, a member of the board of the Authors Guild and the author of "isaac Newton." He was writing in the New York Times on Sunday about the agreement allowing Google to scan in thousands of books for its digital archive.
Why won't it be the death of books? Read here http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/30/opinion/30gleick.html?_r=1&em
As you prepare to buy books for gifts or just shop for something new for yourself, perhaps you'd like to consider what the New York Times book reviewers liked best of the hundreds of books they've seen this year. Here's a link to their picks http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/28/books/28bmaslw.html?_r=1&ref=books
The following books were best-sellers at Borders Books & Music in Springettsbury Township for the week that ended Nov. 23.
1. "Cross Country" by James Patterson.
2. "Eclipse" by Stephenie Meyer.
3. "The Christmas Sweater" by Glenn Beck.
4. "Breaking Dawn" by Stephenie Meyer.
5. "Too Fat to Fish" by Artie Lange.
