Recently in Book news Category

Just in from the Associated Press:

ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- Former Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin is promising to visit more cities than a conventional book tour when her memoir "Going Rogue" is published later this month.

Palin says the locations of her book tour will be announced later this week by her publisher, HarperCollins. But in a Facebook posting Tuesday, the former Alaska governor says she's decided to travel to cities outside of the typical book tour venues.

Her book hits stores Nov. 17. Palin will appear on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" the day before the book release.

Palin says she's also trying to line up other interviews with hosts such as Bill O'Reilly, Barbara Walters and Rush Limbaugh.

From the Associated Press:

NEW YORK -- It was a weird day in the book price wars.

The cost of John Grisham's "Ford County," officially released Tuesday, moved up and down like stock market shares as rivals Amazon.com and Walmart.com extended, then rescinded, their high discounts for top-selling pre-orders.

From the Associated Press
NEW YORK -- The book price wars are no longer just for pre-orders.
Amazon.com was offering hardcovers of John Grisham's "Ford County" and Barbara Kingsolver's "The Lacuna" for just $9 on Tuesday, the official release date for both books. Hardcovers generally have a list price of $24 or higher.
In mid-October, Walmart.com announced dramatic discounts for pre-orders of "Ford County," Sarah Palin's "Going Rogue" and other popular November publications. Wal-Mart.com initially charged $9 for the books, a price quickly matched by Amazon.com, then dropped to $8.98 by Wal-Mart.com.
Authors, publishers and rival booksellers worry that cutting the price so low will harm competition and force down the cost of books overall, leading to a reduction in author advances.
On Tuesday, Walmart.com was selling "Ford County" for $12 and "The Lacuna" for $13.50. Another price cutter, Target.com, was selling "Ford County" for $15 and "The Lacuna" for $18.89.

The York Jewish Community Center will present Mitch Albom Live via satellite from the 92nd Street Y in New York City at 8 p.m. Nov. 4.

Tickets are only $5 and include light refreshments. They are available at the JCC, 2000 Hollywood Drive, and at Bookland and Borders Books & Music.

The Central Pennsylvania Romance Writers will meet 10 a.m. Nov. 7 at the Cleve J. Fredericksen Camp Hill Library, 100 N. 19th St., Camp Hill.

Jennifer Blackwell-Yale will speak. New members are welcome.

For details, call 795-0874.

The Associated Press reports:

Ten emerging writers, their home countries ranging from Vietnam to the United States, each have received a $50,000 prize.
The Whiting Writers' Awards, given annually for "exceptional talent and promise in early career," were announced Oct. 28. The recipients included fiction writer Vu Tran, born in Vietnam and now living in Las Vegas, and poet Jay Hopler, a native of Puerto Rico who lives in Tampa, Fla.
The other winners were poets Jericho Brown and Joan Kane, playwright Rajiv Joseph, nonfiction authors Michael Meyer and Hugh Raffles, and fiction writers Adam Johnson, Nami Mun and Salvatore Scibona, whose novel "The End" was a National Book Award finalist in 2008.
The awards, presented by the Mrs. Giles Whiting Foundation, were founded in 1985. Previous winners include such Pulitzer Prize winners as Jeffrey Eugenides, Michael Cunningham and Jorie Graham.

From the Associated Press:

NEW YORK -- The latest weapon in the publishing price wars: Stephen King.

Scribner announced Wednesday that the digital edition of King's "Under the Dome," a 1,000-plus page novel, would have a list price of $35, several dollars higher than for what e-books usually are listed. Amazon.com and other online retailers have been offering best-selling e-editions for $9.99, which publishers fear is unrealistically low.

From the Associated Press

NEW YORK - Target is throwing itself into a heated price war on books expected to be top sellers.
The retailer says it will offer some of this season's most anticipated book titles at $8.99, in line with recent moves by Walmart.com and Amazon.com.
Target says the $8.99 price applies to pre-orders on Target.com of such books as "Breathless" by Dean Koontz, "Ford Country" by James Patterson, and "Under the Dome" by Stephen King.
Target's move is expected to heat up the price wars that began Thursday between Walmart.com and Amazon.com. Both sites lowered online prices on certain forthcoming titles to $9. Walmart.com showed the books priced at $8.99 Monday afternoon.

From the Associated Press:

NEW YORK -- An online book special offered by Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is turning into a full-fledged price war with Amazon.com.

Wal-Mart got things started Thursday, offering $10 prices on such upcoming hardcover releases as Sarah Palin's "Going Rogue" and John Grisham's "Ford County," a cut of 60 percent or more from the regular cost. Wal-Mart will also offer free shipping.

Amazon.com, the largest online bookseller, matched the $10 price, prompting Wal-Mart to take its offer to $9. By Friday morning, Amazon.com also had priced the books at $9.

From the Associated Press:

MADRID -- Spanish writer and journalist Angeles Caso has won the country's most lucrative literary award for a novel about the ordeals of women from poor countries who emigrate in search of a better life.

You've read, or are planning to read, "People of the Book," this year's One Book/One Community selection. But you have questions about some of the terminology. You also wonder what the ancient illuminated Sarajevo Haggadah, the "main character" in the book, looked like.

All will be revealed at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 29, at the York Jewish Community Center, 2000 Hollywood Drive. Temple Beth Israel's Rabbi Jeffrey Astrachan will perform the mitzvah (good deed) of explaining and answering questions about the Jewish terminology in "People of the Book."

Mench (good guy) that he is, Rabbi Astrachan also purchased a special reproduction of the Sarajevo Haggadah to show those in attendance.

No fee or advance registration is required and an oneg (light refreshments) will follow.

From the Associated Press:

FRANKFURT -- Nelson Mandela will release a new memoir focusing on the best of his personal archives and letters from his time as anti-apartheid activist and former South African president, the publisher Macmillan said Wednesday.

Just in from the Associated Press:

NEW YORK -- Tycoons, evolution and the environment are among the subjects of this year's National Book Award nominees.

Marcel Theroux's global warming novel "Far North" and T.J. Stiles' "The First Tycoon," a biography of Cornelius Vanderbilt, were some the finalists announced Wednesday. Two books about evolution, including a story for young people about Charles Darwin, were also nominated.

Winners in the four competitive categories of the National Book Awards will be announced at a Nov. 18 ceremony in New York.

From the Associated Press:

STOCKHOLM -- Romanian-born German writer Herta Mueller won the 2009 Nobel Prize in literature Thursday, honored for work that "with the concentration of poetry and the frankness of prose, depicts the landscape of the dispossessed."

The 56-year-old author, who emigrated to Germany from then-communist Romania in 1987, made her debut in 1982 with a collection of short stories titled "Niederungen," which was promptly censored by the Romanian government. In 1984 an uncensored version was published in Germany and her work depicting life in a small, German-speaking village in Romania was devoured by readers.

That work was followed by "Oppresive Tango" in Romania.

Because of her vocal criticism of Romania's government, and its feared secret police, she and her husband left the country.

The prize includes a 10 million kronor ($1.4 million) prize and will be handed out Dec. 10 in the Swedish capital.

From the Associated Press:

NEW YORK -- Ian Frazier is a funny man. Officially.

The author and frequent New Yorker contributor won the Thurber Prize for American Humor for his lighthearted book on parental guidance, "Lamentations of the Father." Frazier, who in 1997 received the inaugural Thurber award, will receive $5,000, prize organizers said Monday.

Other previous Thurber winners include David Sedaris, Christopher Buckley and Jon Stewart and the co-authors of "America (The Book)."

Just in from the Associated Press:

LONDON -- A tale of political intrigue set during the reign of King Henry VIII won the prestigious Man Booker prize for fiction Tuesday.

Hilary Mantel's "Wolf Hall" scooped the 50,000-pound ($80,000) prize. Mantel's novel charts the upheaval caused by the king's desire to marry Anne Boleyn, as seen through the eyes of royal adviser Thomas Cromwell.

Mantel's novel beat stiff competition from a shortlist that included previous Booker winners A.S. Byatt and J.M. Coetzee.

From the Associated Press:

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- Harvard University has acquired the manuscripts, correspondences, and other papers of two-time Pulitzer Prize winning author John Updike, a member of the university's class of 1954.

The Boston Globe reports that Harvard's Houghton Library, the university's primary repository for rare books and manuscripts, will house the John Updike archive. Officials did not disclose how much Harvard paid for the papers.

Leslie Morris, curator of modern books and manuscripts at Houghton Library, says the collection includes 1,500 books, including Updike's collection of his own work, as well as books Updike reviewed, photographs and correspondence from Kurt Vonnegut, Joyce Carol Oates and others.

Updike died in January at age 76.

From the Associated Press

STOCKHOLM -- The new frontman of the Nobel literature prize jury believes the secretive panel has been too "Eurocentric" in picking winners and says there are plenty of American writers who would qualify for the award.

Peter Englund's comments Oct. 6 come two days before the prize announcement. They contrast with his predecessor's view that U.S. literature is too insular.

Englund told The Associated Press that because award judges in the Swedish Academy are European they tend to a "European outlook" on literature. Europeans have dominated the literature awards in recent decades and won nine of the last 10.

Englund, who replaced Horace Engdahl as the Swedish Academy's permanent secretary in June, said "I think that is a problem."

Over the summer two Christian School of York students submitted poetry and were chosen to be published in "A Celebration of Poets -- Summer 2009." Justine Keener submitted a poem entitled "Wake Me When January Ends" and Nick Lay submitted "Meltdown."

The guidance counselor for Wellsville and South Mountain Elementary schools has written and published a book chronicling his experience adopting a little boy.

Troy Strausbaugh and wife Tara adopted 7-year-old Noah from Catholic services a few years ago. Their experience was so positive, Troy decided to write a book with illustrations by retired Northern art teacher Donna Barlup. The picture book, "Adoption Is A Loving Choice," is now available at www.xlibris.com.

From the Associated Press:

MIAMI -- Juanita Castro, the exiled sister of Cuban leaders Fidel and Raul Castro, is set to release a first-person memoir in which she talks at length about her brothers.

The more than 400-page book entitled: "My Brothers Fidel and Raul. The Secret Story," is set for release Oct. 26. It is co-written by Spanish-language journalist Maria Antoineta Collins and will be published by Santillana USA.

Juanita Castro left the island in 1964. A longtime Miami resident, she has kept a low profile and for years could be found behind the counter of the small pharmacy she owned. She retired in 2007.

According to a Santillana news release, Castro dictated the story to Collins a decade ago but refused to publish until now.

From the Associated Press:

BOSTON -- A new book about a man accused of killing a masseuse he met through Craigslist includes an account by a Las Vegas woman allegedly robbed at gunpoint by him.

"Seven Days of Rage: The Deadly Crime Spree of the Craigslist Killer," was written about Philip Markoff by Boston Globe reporter Maria Cramer and Paul LaRosa, a producer for the CBS newsmagazine "48 Hours."

Book news from the Associated Press

Dan Brown's new novel has passed the 2 million mark and bested Bill Clinton's "My Life" in the record books.

Doubleday announced Tuesday that hardcover, audio and e-book sales for "The Lost Symbol" topped 2 million copies for its first week of release in the United States, Britain and Canada. The total is "well over" 2 million for English-language editions worldwide, according to Doubleday spokeswoman Suzanne Herz, who declined to offer a specific number.
Amazon.com reported last week that first-day sales for "The Lost Symbol" were higher on its Kindle e-reader than in hard cover.
"The Lost Symbol" didn't approach the more than 8 million copies that "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" sold in the first 24 hours, but the weekly results were an all-time high in North America for Doubleday's parent company, Random House Inc.


And at Google: The authors and other parties that reached a settlement with Google Inc. to give the company the digital rights to millions of out-of-print books now say they will negotiate a new deal.
Lawyers for The Authors Guild and other plaintiffs said in court papers filed Tuesday that they plan to have settlement talks with the U.S. Department of Justice to resolve complaints about a $125 million deal that the Justice Department said probably violates antitrust law.
The lawyers asked a judge who was supposed to preside over a hearing on the settlement next month to delay it for at least another month so they can reach a new agreement.

From the Associated Press:

CHICAGO -- Oprah Winfrey says her latest book club selection is an exception in more ways than one.

The latest pick from publishing's surest hitmaker is Uwem Akpan's debut short story collection "Say You're One Of Them."

From the Associated Press:

LONDON -- She was known for much of her life as the queen mother. And according to her official biography, she detested it.

"Horrible name," she wrote in a 1953 letter to her daughter, Queen Elizabeth II.

Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, died in 2002 at the advanced age of 101. The official account of her life by royal biographer William Shawcross runs past 1,000 pages and divulges the queen mother's opinions on topics ranging from feminism to homeopathy.

From the Associated Press:

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. -- Google Inc. is giving 2 million books in its digital library a chance to be reincarnated as paperbacks.

As part of a deal announced Thursday, Google is opening up part of its index to the maker of a high-speed publishing machine that can manufacture a paperback-bound book of about 300 pages in under five minutes. The new service is an acknowledgment by the Internet search leader that not everyone wants their books served up on a computer or an electronic reader like those made by Amazon.com Inc. and Sony Inc.

In a previous Book Buzz post, we wrote about Bob Ketenheim's postcard history book about Glen Rock.

Not long ago, the Glen Rock Carol Singers published a revised history.

Now comes another book about this southern York County borough. "Glen Rock -- A Historical Review" will be published next year as part of Glen Rock's 150th anniversary.

For details, click on Books about Glen Rock abound, and there's a lot of history to write about.

"How to Tell a Secret: Tips, Tricks and Techniques for Breaking Codes & Conveying Covert Information," by P.J. Huff and J.G. Lewin, has been reprinted in Italian by Availerdi, a publishing house in Milan. Huff and Lewin are owners of The York Emporium and authors of "How to Feed An Army" and "Witness to the Civil War."

From the Associated Press:

NEW YORK -- Three poets, two fiction writers and a nonfiction writer have won $25,000 prizes given annually to emerging women authors.

Poets Vievee Francis, Janice Harrington and Heidy Steidlymayer; fiction writers Lori Ostlund and Helen Phillips; and nonfiction writer Krista Bremer are this year's recipients of the Rona Jaffe Foundation Writers' Awards. The awards were announced Wednesday.

Previous winners of the award, founded in 1995, include ZZ Packer and Lan Samantha Chang.

From the Associated Press:

SAN FRANCISCO -- Online bookseller Amazon.com Inc. is warning a federal judge that Internet search leader Google Inc. will be able to gouge consumers and stifle competition if it wins court approval to add millions more titles to its already vast digital library.

In the past, Bob Ketenheim has put forth photo books on Shrewsbury and New Freedom.

Now, it's Glen Rock's turn. For details, click here.

I applaud the One Book, One Community selection committee for choosing "People of the Book" for this year's community read.

Geraldine Brook's historical novel tells the 500-year history of a Haggadah, or illustrated Jewish prayer book, and how Jews, Christians and Muslims repeatedly saved it from destruction, often at great personal risk.

Brooks is a masterful writer who won a Pulitzer Prize for "March," a novel about the absent father in "Little Women." Her other book, "Year of Wonders," is about a small English town visited by bubonic plague in the 17th century. I recommend them all.

So be sure to drop by the library or book store soon to pick up your copy. Then go to www.yorklibraries.org for a list of One Book, One Community activities.

By BETH VRABEL
For the Daily Record/Sunday News

Nan Cavanaugh's been waiting a year to tell the world -- or at least seven local county library systems -- about this year's One Book, One Community selection.

This year's choice is "People of the Book," by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Geraldine Brooks. The novel focuses on the restoration of an ancient Haggadah, an illustrated Hebrew prayer book, and uses back stories to connect the book to times of persecution and bravery spanning 500 years.

Author Dominick Dunne, who told stories of shocking crimes among the rich and famous through his magazine articles and best-selling novels such as "The Two Mrs. Grenvilles," died Wednesday in his home at age 83.

Read more about his life here.

Associated Press Report

From the Associated Press:

NEW YORK -- Sen. Edward Kennedy did not live to see his dream of universal health care passed, but he did complete a cherished and more personal project: his memoir.

"True Compass," the greatly awaited summation of his life and career, comes out Sept. 14 with an announced first printing of 1.5 million copies. Kennedy, diagnosed with a brain tumor in May 2008, just months after his book deal was announced, died Tuesday night at age 77.

From the Associated Press
NEW YORK -- On paper and on screen, "Julia" is stealing the show from "Julie."

Meryl Streep's performance as Julia Child in "Julie & Julia," which opened last weekend, has helped return the late chef's "Mastering the Art of French Cooking," a classic published nearly 50 years ago, to the top of best-seller lists.

On Monday, Aug. 10, a $40 hardcover of "Mastering" topped the charts of Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.com, easily outpacing a $7.99 paperback of the book that gave the film its title, "Julie & Julia" -- Julie Powell's memoir about spending a year preparing all the recipes in Child's book.

Publisher Alfred A. Knopf has ordered an additional 75,000 copies of "Mastering," which on Monday was sold out on Amazon.

Other Child works selling strongly (and currently out of stock on Amazon) are "My Life in France," on which the film is partly based; "Julia's Kitchen Wisdom" and a paperback edition of "Mastering the Art of French Cooking."

The movie is divided between the lives of Child and Powell, but critics have found the "Julia" side far more interesting than the time devoted to "Julie," played by Amy Adams. As of Monday afternoon, Powell's book was No. 16 on Barnes & Noble.com and No. 27 on Amazon.

I went to Borders this weekend with my stepdaughter, Britni. I finally bought the first installment to "Vampire Diaries." I read this series back when I was in high school, which was a very long time ago. And I wanted to reread the series for my own enjoyment.

I have read the "Twilight" series and did enjoy it.

Back to "Diaries," I completed Vol. 1: The Awakening, and about halfway through Vol. 2: The Struggle.

On L.J. Smith's Web site there is an updated book listing of more stories to follow in the "Vampire Diaries" series.

To add more fuel to the fire. The CW "Vampire Diaries" series premiere is Thursday, Sept. 10 8/7c.

So, Edward beware: A new vampire is moving into the dark shadows and he doesn't sparkle. Paul Wesley as Stefan in "THE VAMPIRE DIARIES."

From the Associated Press:

SAN FRANCISCO -- Electronic books are often mentioned in the same breath as Amazon.com Inc.'s Kindle digital reader. Now e-book rival Sony Corp. is determined to recapture consumers' attention with a smaller reader that's also $100 cheaper.

Sony is expected to announce that it will release the Reader Pocket Edition by the end of August. Like the Kindle and Sony's previous Readers, the Pocket Edition will come with an "electronic ink" display, which shows dark gray text on a lighter gray background. As the word "pocket" implies, its five-inch screen will be smaller than that on the Kindle and other Sony models.

This just in from the Associated Press:

SEATTLE -- A high school student is suing Amazon.com Inc. for deleting an e-book he purchased for the Kindle reader, saying his electronic notes were bollixed, too.

Amazon CEO Jeffrey P. Bezos has apologized to Kindle customers for remotely removing copies of the George Orwell novels "1984" and "Animal Farm" from their e-reader devices. The company did so after learning the electronic editions were pirated, and it gave buyers automatic refunds. But Amazon did it without prior notice.

From the Associated Press:

LONDON -- The purported autobiography of a movie-star chimpanzee is among the contenders for Britain's most prestigious literary award.

"Me Cheeta" is one of 13 novels on the Booker Prize longlist. Originally published anonymously, James Lever's book claims to tell the life story of the chimp who gained 1930s Hollywood stardom in "Tarzan" movies.

Two York area women have stories published in "Chicken Soup for the Soul" collections.

Joyce Seabolt of Red Lion has written two stories, "Sister/Survivor" and "Tough Task," which appear in "Chicken Soup for the Soul: Tough Times, Tough People."

"A Time to Remember," by Georgia Shaffer of Mount Wolf, appears in "Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Cancer Book."

By BETH VRABEL
For the Daily Record/Sunday News
Karen Hostetter knows how to pick a great read, and not just because she is in charge of library relations for all of York County libraries. She listens to patrons as they return their orders. If they're still raving about the book when it's due, she knows to take it home.
That's why she's a big fan of a new feature in the annual Summer Reading Club, going on now in county libraries. Patrons can go online to leave reviews of books they've checked out. The anonymous critiques are posted on a link for the Summer Reading Club, organized by age group.
"The adult (membership) is what just blew me away," said Hostetter, who said half her day is spent signing up club readers. More than 1,000 reviews have been submitted so far, Hostetter said. Members can add their reviews while logging their reading time online.

From the Associated Press:

It's teen time for "The Secret."

Rhonda Byrne's self-help multimedia phenomenon, which has sold millions of copies, will come out this fall in an edition for young people. "The Secret to Teen Power" will be written by Paul Harrington, who produced the DVD version of the original "Secret."

According to Simon Pulse, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, the new book will show "how teens can transform their own lives and live their dreams, by understanding and using the power they have in their hands."

Simon Pulse announced Wednesday that "The Secret to Teen Power" will have a first printing of 500,000.

This Sunday (July 26), PCN (Comcast channel 21) will air programming featuring the late Pulitzer Prize-winning author Frank McCourt, who passed away on July 19 at the age of 78.

At 3 p.m., the network will re-air the "PCN Profiles" program in which McCourt spoke candidly about his life, achievements and inspirations. McCourt's speech during the Speakers' Millennium Lecture from 2008 will air on PCN at 4 p.m. Replays of the "PCN Profiles" featuring McCourt have also been scheduled to air at 10 p.m. Sunday and 6 a.m. Monday.

A son of Irish immigrant parents and native of Brooklyn, McCourt gained international acclaim after being awarded both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award for his memoir, "Angela's Ashes."

Harlequin, known for publishing romance novels, has taken aim at teen readers with a new imprint, Harlequin Teen.

Read more about it here.

Sad news from the Associated Press:

NEW YORK-- Frank McCourt, the beloved raconteur and former public school teacher who enjoyed post-retirement fame as the author of "Angela's Ashes," the Pulitzer Prize-winning epic of woe about his impoverished Irish childhood, died Sunday of cancer at age 78.

Just in from the Associated Press:

Some final thoughts are coming from George Carlin.

Free Press, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, said Tuesday that the comedian's book "Last Words" will be published in November.

Carlin died in June 2008 at age 71 and worked on the book for the last decade of his life. He collaborated on it with author and humorist Tony Hendra.

Hendra is best known for the memoir "Father Joe."

Carlin's other books included "Brain Droppings" and "Napalm and Silly Putty."

By BETH VRABEL
For the Sunday News/Daily Record

Jim Rath fell in love with York in the summer of 1980. So, almost three decades later, he decided to blow it up. Fictionally, anyway.

Rath's novel, "American Anarchy" (Cornerstone, $17.96), is about a group of homegrown terrorists who plan to overthrow the U.S. government. Their first move of the rebellion is the sudden and brutal destruction of York.

Scott Butcher's 'Gettysburg Perspectives.'

Prolific York author/photographer has written what one reviewer says is "one of the best, if not the best, photographic anthologies of Gettysburg."

And he has other books on the way.

For details, click here.

From the Associated Press:
LONDON -- The surviving pages of the world's oldest Christian Bible have been reunited -- digitally.

The early work known as the Codex Sinaiticus has been housed in four separate locations across the world for more than 150 years. But starting Monday, it became available for perusal on the Web at www.codexsinaiticus.org so scholars and other readers can get a closer look at what the British Library calls a "unique treasure."

"(The book) offers a window into the development of early Christianity and firsthand evidence of how the text of the Bible was transmitted from generation to generation," said Scot McKendrick, head of Western manuscripts at the British Library.

Jim Hubley's 'Off the Record.'

The York County Heritage Trust has received copies of longtime York Daily Record/Sunday News columnist Jim Hubley's "Off the Record."

The book, a collection of the late columnist's work, was previously believed to be out of print.

For more details and information about purchasing the book, click here.

This just in from the Associated Press:

NEW YORK -- A Swedish author whose new book was promoted as a sequel to J.D. Salinger's "The Catcher in the Rye" cannot publish it in the United States because it too closely mirrors Salinger's classic without adequate parody or critique, a judge ruled Wednesday.

A new children's picture book by Laurie Lears of Shrewsbury Township is now available.

"Stay Away from Rat Boy" is illustrated by Red Hansen. It is the story of a class bully befriending the classroom's pet rat.

The book is $16.99 at bookstores and at www.albertwhit 
man.com and other online stores.

By BETH VRABEL
For the Daily Record/Sunday News

If the Civil War conjures images of debonair soldiers in dashing uniforms and with unbreakable principles, "Seen the Glory" (Simon & Schuster, $25) might just dash those dreams.

The soldiers in former York countian John Hough Jr.'s meticulously researched historical novel leave all romantic notions of the war behind. They march for days on end without bathing. They eat a scarce, rotting diet of salted pork and wormy hardtack. They face as much danger from disease and bacteria as they do on the battlefield. Most have, at best, an eighth-grade education and a muddied idea of the war's motivation.

From the Associated Press:

PIGEON FORGE, Tenn. -- Dolly Parton created a charity 13 years ago to provide books to children and encourage literacy.

Now her first children's book, "I Am a Rainbow," will be featured in the philanthropy.

From the Associated Press:

NEW YORK -- Former Vice President Dick Cheney has a book deal with a conservative imprint at Simon & Schuster.

The memoir by Cheney, widely considered the most powerful vice president in history, is expected to be published in Spring 2011, a few months after President George W. Bush's book comes out. Cheney's work is currently untitled and will cover his long career in government, from chief of staff under President Ford to vice president under Bush.

Known for his secrecy while in the Bush administration, Cheney has made clear for months that he was planning a book. He is working on it from his home outside of Washington, D.C., with the assistance of his daughter, Liz Cheney.

From the Associated Press:

NEW YORK -- A journalist jailed for four months in Iran on charges of espionage has a book deal.

Iranian-American Roxana Saberi, 32, is working on a memoir that HarperCollins will publish in March 2010. Saberi's book, currently untitled, will tell of her arrest in January, her initial sentence to eight years in prison and her release in May after being granted a two-year suspended sentence.

From the Associated Press:

ATLANTA -- Four books that have been long out of print by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. will be published again under a new deal with Beacon Press brokered by King's youngest son.

On The Shelves
By Deb Sullivan

If I had the proverbial soapbox, I would be standing on it right now in Harrisburg advocating that our state legislators preserve funding for libraries during this critical budget year. I understand that they are facing some very challenging fiscal decisions.

An undate from the Associated Press:

NEW YORK -- A Swedish author's new book is so similar to J.D. Salinger's classic novel "The Catcher In The Rye" that a judge said Wednesday she will carefully study copyright law before ruling whether it can be published in the United States.

U.S. District Judge Deborah Batts temporarily blocked publication of the book, "60 Years Later: Coming Through the Rye," until she rules whether the book transforms Salinger's original creation enough that it qualifies to be published as a "fair use" of a copyrighted work.

A ruling was anticipated in the next 10 days. The book was scheduled for U.S. release on Sept. 15 but the court dispute was likely to delay that.

Just in from the Associated Press:

NEW YORK -- An author who's being sued by J.D. Salinger for copyright infringement is asking a Manhattan judge to let his book be published.

A hearing is scheduled Wednesday about the novel, called "60 Years Later." Its author, Fredrik Colting, writes under the name John David California.

A review from reader Nancy Duncan:

Filled with strong, believable characters, with a setting rich in history, "The Help" by Katherine Stockett is the best book to be published this year. I couldn't put it down.

Set in Jackson, Misssissippi, during the early 1960s when the civil rights movement is getting started, "The Help" is the story of black domestic workers in white households. Doesn't sound like much, right?

Well, the characters of Skeeter, the white woman who longs to escape Jackson, and Abileen and Minny, the "colored" women who tell Skeeter their stories, are so full of life that you want to know how this book will end. How will these women, and the other women who come to Skeeter with their tales, survive in this small town, where everyone knows each other's business, whether they are black or white? The telling of these stories must remain a secret, if word got out that the domestics were commenting on their white employers, the women, and their families, wouldn't be safe from retribution.

The times were changing and social and racial barriers were being broken down. Although change was slow to come in Jackson, humanity and respect rose to the top.

An excellent debut novel.

From the Associated Press
Another Obama relative has a book deal.
A memoir by George Obama, the president's half brother and a resident of Huruma, Kenya, will be published by Simon & Schuster in January 2010. George Obama, 27, shares the same father with his famous, older half sibling, although George and Barack Obama -- 20 years apart in age -- did not grow up together and did not meet as children.
Little is known about George Obama. The book, tentatively titled "Homeland" and to be written with author-journalist Damien Lewis, will tell of George Obama's fall into crime and poverty as a teenager and his eventual embrace of community organizing -- a passion shared by the president -- and of advocacy for the poor, an identification so strong that he chooses to live among them.

From the Associated Press:

Call it the luck of Marley.
The late Labrador retriever made famous by "Marley and Me" will be the hero of 13 children's books by "Marley" author John Grogan. The first of the series comes out this summer, HarperCollins Children's Books announced Thursday.
Grogan's "Marley & Me," published in 2005, is a million-selling memoir and the basis for the hit movie of the same name, starring Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston.

Long-time York County lawyer Jeffrey C. Bortner has penned a lively look at York County's legal community.

And it provides useful information for serious inquirers about the local bar in the past 50 years.

For details about his work, available via York County libraries, click here.

From the Associated Press:

NEW YORK -- The setting was divine -- a duplex on the Upper East Side. The featured speaker, Nobel laureate Toni Morrison.

The subjects: sex, violence and profanity.

In other words, the stuff that books are banned for.

June Grove is an expert on York County family history.

So her recent book "The Heffner Family of York County, PA, and Associated Families" will be a resource for scores of York countians.

For details, click here.

From the Associated Press:

Notes from BookExpo America, which ended Sunday in New York:

PROLIFIC PATTERSON: If you aren't sure whether James Patterson has a new release coming, just assume he does. Patterson (helped by a few co-writers) has six books scheduled to come out between June and the end of the year, including two new novels in the Alex Cross series and a young adult work, "Witch & Wizard."

From the Associated Press:

TOKYO -- Everything has been kept secret, except the author and title. But the first novel in five years by Japan's Haruki Murakami has become a hit even before its official release Friday.

"It is amazing. People are craving his latest novel," said Takashi Machii, spokesman for the book's publisher, Shinchosha, which raised its first printing to 480,000 copies from 380,000 after orders flooded in.

Murakami, 60, is one of the most widely translated Japanese writers alive, with global best-sellers such as "Norwegian Wood," "Kafka on the Shore" and "The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle." He is considered a top Japanese candidate for the Nobel Prize in literature.

In a clever marketing scheme, the contents of his new novel have been kept secret. Fans ordering the book know nothing but the title, "1Q84," which can be read as "1984" in Japanese.

From the Associated Press:

Barbra Streisand has finished building her dream house and started to think about her life.

The singer, director and actress has reached an agreement with Viking for "A Passion for Design," an illustrated book scheduled for fall 2010 that includes photos of the Malibu, Calif., oceanfront compound she worked on for more than five years, and of other residences, back to her early years in New York.

Dean Koontz's latest suspense novel, "Relentless," hits bookstore shelves June 9.

Let us know what you think, good or bad.

Send a short review to gfogal@ydr.com.

The first reviewer receives ... well, you get to see your review right here. Isn't that enough?

Just in from the Associated Press:

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama will preside over the ninth National Book Festival, a daylong celebration of the joys of reading and literacy, scheduled for Sept. 26, on the National Mall.

The Library of Congress organizes and sponsors the event, which is free and open to the public.

An estimated 120,000 people have attended each of the past two festivals, a library spokeswoman said.

This year's festival will feature about 70 award-winning authors, poets and illustrators in pavilions dedicated to specific genres of writing, ranging from history and biography to mysteries, thrillers, poetry and prose, and books for families and youngsters.

Local writer and photographer Scott D. Butcher has authored "Delaware Reflections."

The 128-page book features 242 color photos by Butcher.

Publisher is Schiffer Publishing, Ltd. of Atglen, Pa. and the price is $29.99.

For more about Butcher and his books, visit www.scottbutcher.com.

From the Associated Press:

Former eBay chief executive Meg Whitman, a presumed candidate for governor of California, is working on a book about the "core values" that helped her build the online commerce giant.

The book, currently untitled, is scheduled to be published by Crown Business in February, just as California starts voting for its next governor. Financial terms were not disclosed, but Whitman will donate all of her earnings to charity.

Whitman, 52, joined eBay in 1998, when the company had just 30 employees. By the time she stepped down last year, eBay was a multibillion dollar company with more than 15,000 workers.

From the Associated Press:

ISTANBUL -- A Turkish author on trial over accusations that his latest book insulted Islam denied the charges Tuesday and insisted he was respectful of religion.

Nedim Gursel faces up to a year in prison if found guilty on charges of humiliating religious values and inciting religious hatred in his novel "The Daughters of Allah."

Alice Munro, the revered Canadian short story writer, has won the Man Booker International Prize for lifetime achievement, according to the Associated Press.

The award, announced Tuesday, is worth around $95,000.

Munro, 77, is known for such collections as "Friend of My Youth" and "The View from Castle Rock." Her short story "The Bear Came Over the Mountain" was adapted into the acclaimed film "Away from Her," starring Julie Christie.

If you aren't familiar with Munro's work, do yourself a favor and pick up one of her short story collections at the library or bookstore. I'm not a big short story fan, but I love Munro.

This weekend's BookExpo America will be a good time for promoting, predicting, mingling -- and worrying, the Associated Press reports.

Some of the worrying facts:

Except for e-books, sales are down throughout the publishing industry and the numbers have looked ever steeper for audio. The Association of American Publishers has seen a 47 percent drop in audio revenue this year.
The economy gets part of the blame as does the general decline in book purchases.

David Kushner's "Levittown."

David Kushner tells the story of York, Pa.'s Bill and Daisy Myers and the discrimination they faced after moving into a new house in Bucks County's Levittown in 1957.

Kushner's 2009 work draws from - and expands upon by bringing in many other sources -Daisy Myers' 2005 memoir "Sticks 'n Stones."

For more, click on the post: New book 'Levittown' tells about the Myers family's quest to live the American dream - in York, Pa., too.

From the Associated Press:

Sarah Palin has picked a collaborator for her memoir.

A spokeswoman for SarahPAC, the Alaska governor's political action committee, says that Palin has selected Lynn Vincent, an author and features editor for World magazine, a conservative Christian publication. Palin's book, currently untitled, is scheduled for release next year by HarperCollins.

Vincent, a San Diego resident, has written or co-written several books, among them "Same Kind of Different As Me," "The Blood of Lambs" and "Donkey Cons: Sex, Crime and Corruption in the Democratic Party."

Just in from the Associated Press:

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan has amended a deal with Google Inc. to create digital copies of millions of library books and journals.

Just in from the Associated Press:

A publicist for Frank McCourt confirms the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of "Angela's Ashes" has cancer.

Scribner spokesman Brian Belfiglio says the 78-year-old writer is being treated for melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer.

From the Associated Press:

A shrinking economy and rising technology have transformed how, and how many, books are being published.

Anthony D. Fredericks, professor of education at York College, has written a new children's book, "A is for Anaconda: A Rainforest Alphabet," which provides young readers with a look into one of the world's most amazing ecosystems. Illustrated by award-winning artist Laura Regan, this book highlights the fascinating plants and animals of this magical -- and endangered -- world.
The book costs $17.95 and can be ordered from bookstores, online merchants or directly from the publisher -- Sleeping Bear Press, www.sleepingbearpress.com.

By Deborah Sullivan
York County Libraries
If history repeats itself, and it usually does, students have already started the countdown to the last day of school. It is also a pretty sure bet that teachers have started counting too.

Parents are keeping track because they are asking what York County libraries have in the works for the next few months. And our librarians are paying close attention too, because as the school year winds down, they are gearing up to greet the thousands of kids and their parents who flock to the library looking for fun and free things to do during our annual Summer Reading Club.

This year's theme, "Be Creative @ Your Library," is packed full of art, theater, magic shows, story times, movies and craft programs designed for a variety of ages.

Just in from the Associated Press:

A son's memoir about his adventure-seeking father is the latest Starbucks book pick.

In "Crazy for the Storm," author Norman Ollestad tells of surviving a plane crash as a child, but also reflects on his father's passion for surfing and skiing and competitive sports. Published by Ecco, a HarperCollins imprint, the book comes out June 2, in time for Father's Day, and will be featured at thousands of Starbucks stores.

From the Associated Press:

You knew it was coming: Sarah Palin is ready to tell her side, agreeing to publish a memoir with HarperCollins. The book comes out in spring 2010 -- the year she is up for re-election.

Sasha Obama, daughter of President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama takes her seat at the start of "an evening of poetry, music and the spoken word" in the East Room of the White House in Washington on Tuesday.

From the Associated Press:

First lady Michelle Obama says the White House is a place where people should feel free to speak their minds. To that end, she and President Barack Obama welcomed actors, poets and writers to the East Room on Tuesday.

From the Associated Press:
Glenn Beck loves the publishing game.

The conservative commentator and best-selling author has reached an agreement with Simon & Schuster for a series of books -- fiction and nonfiction, for young and for old, in a variety of formats -- the publisher announced Monday.
As part of the deal, Beck will accept a smaller advance, but also will receive part of the profits, an arrangement Simon & Schuster has used previously with Stephen King.
Beck has three books planned for this year, including "Arguing With Idiots," a nonfiction hardcover book; an audiobook called "America's March to Socialism"; and an e-book/paperback channeling of Thomas Paine, "Glenn Beck's Common Sense."

Just in from the Associated Press:

LONDON -- British poet Carol Ann Duffy says she has been chosen as the country's first female poet laureate.

Previous holders of the honored post include William Wordsworth, Alfred Tennyson and Ted Hughes.

From the Associated Press:

LONDON -- A first edition of Charles Darwin's "On the Origin of Species" book sold for about 40,000 pounds ($60,000) today, an auctioneer said.

The work, still in its original embossed green binding, was bought by local book dealer Hamish Riley-Smith, said Keys auctioneer Andrew Bullock.

Written for a lay audience, "The Origin of Species" outlined Darwin's theory of natural selection, which in turn provided the foundation for the modern understanding of evolution.

Keys, a Norwich, England-based auction house, said the book was one of 1,250 copies first printed in 1859.

This is a bumper year for Darwin fans, who are celebrating the 200th anniversary of the scientific luminary's birth. Celebrations earlier this year included a landmark exhibition at London's Natural History Museum, prayers at Darwin's tomb in Westminster Abbey, and a host of parties, lectures, and exhibits around the world.

The 150th anniversary of the publication of "The Origin of Species" is Nov. 24.

Just in from the Associated Press:

Amy Sedaris is preparing more literary laughter.

The actress and comedian is working on a follow-up to her best seller, "I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence." The new book, currently untitled, will come out in 2010 and will again feature "her unique approach to home life through the use of fun, long-forgotten crafts," according to Grand Central Publishing, which announced the book Thursday.

Sedaris, 48, is the sister of humorist David Sedaris and plays Jerri Blank on Comedy Central's "Strangers With Candy."

Tedd Unger of Dover has self-published a volume of poetry, "Thinking of You: A Collection of Poetry about Women." A portion of the proceeds will be donated to a women's shelter. Priced at $11, the book is available at Borders Books & Music, 3000 Whiteford Road, Springettsbury Township.

Dean Koontz's fourth book in the Odd Thomas series, "Odd Hours," is now in paperback.

To learn more, click here.

To read a review, click here.

In these tough economic times, publishers are finding readers are more willing to purchase paperback editions of works by new authors.

To read more, click here.

Just in from the Associated Press:

The 2009 Pulitzer Prize winners are:

Fiction: "Olive Kitteridge" by Elizabeth Strout.
Drama: "Ruined" by Lynn Nottage.
History: "The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family" by Annette Gordon-Reed.
Biography: "American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House" by Jon Meacham.
Poetry: "The Shadow of Sirius" by W. S. Merwin.
General Nonfiction: "Slavery by Another Name: The Re-Enslavement of Black Americans from the Civil War to World War II" by Douglas A. Blackmon.

Just in from the Associated Press:

At last, a new Dan Brown novel is coming.

Six years after the release of his mega-selling "The Da Vinci Code," the Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group announced that Brown's "The Lost Symbol," a thriller set during a 12-hour period and featuring "Da Vinci Code" protagonist Robert Langdon, will come out in September.

From the Associated Press:

LONDON -- Author J.G. Ballard, a survivor of a Japanese prison camp whose vision was so dark and distinctive it was labeled "Ballardian" and who reached a wide audience with the autobiographical "Empire Of The Sun," died Sunday, his agent said. He was 78.

Ballard was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2006. He had been ill "for several years" and died in London at the home of his long-term partner, his agent Margaret Hanbury said. She did not give the cause of death.

Ballard was born in Shanghai, China, and was interned there in a prison camp by Japanese troops in 1941 -- an experience he drew upon in the 1984 novel "Empire of The Sun," adapted as a film by Steven Spielberg.

From the Associated Press:

VATICAN CITY -- A new children's book detailing Pope Benedict XVI's daily life has been published on the pontiff's 82nd birthday.

"Max and Benedict," about a sparrow's impressions of the pope from his perch on St. Peter's Basilica, is a sequel of sorts to the 2007 children's book "Joseph and Chico," which told the story of the pope's early years from the point of view of a tabby cat.

From the Associated Press:

Now that Bo has his paws firmly planted in the White House, let the marketing begin!

A small Virginia publisher is racing out the first picture book for kids featuring the precious little Portie, with the pup on the cover in his colorful lei.

From the Associated Press:

Poet Fanny Howe has received a $100,000 prize for lifetime achievement.

The 68-year-old Howe, whose collections include "On the Ground" and "The Lyrics," won the Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize.

The award, which is "given to a living U.S. poet whose lifetime accomplishments warrant extraordinary recognition," was announced Tuesday by the Chicago-based Poetry Foundation.

The foundation also awarded a $10,000 prize for criticism, the Randall Jarrell Award, to 39-year-old Ange Mlinko, whose work has appeared in The New Yorker, The Nation and on the Poetry Foundation Web site.

The William Penn Senior High School boys ....

... and York Catholic's state title runs are detailed in forthcoming York Daily Record/Sunday News' books.

The York Daily Record/Sunday News will publish 56-page books with accompanying DVDs on the state championship bids by two accomplished York County high school teams.

For details, click here.

These works come on the heels of a book profiling the West York Bulldog's football season: "Friday Night Bulldogs."

Following were best-sellers at Borders Books & Music in Springettsbury Township for the week that ended April 5:

1. "Liberty and Tyranny" by Mark R. Levin.
2. "Long Lost" by Harlen Coben.
3. "The Middle Place" by Kelly Corrigan.
4. "Handle with Care" by Jodi Picoult.
5. "City of Thieves" by David Benioff.

From the Associated Press:

A "glitch" on Amazon.com has caused the sales rank to be removed from gay- and/or lesbian-themed books by James Baldwin, Gore Vidal and others.

"There was a glitch in our systems and it's being fixed," Amazon's director of corporate communications, Patty Smith, said in an e-mail Sunday.

As of Sunday night, books without rankings included Baldwin's "Giovanni's Room," Vidal's "The City and the Pillar" and Jeanette Winterson's "Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit." The removals prompted furious remarks on Facebook, Twitter and elsewhere online.

Craig Seymour, author of the gay memoir "All I Could Bare," wrote on his blog Sunday that his sales rank was dropped in February, then restored nearly four weeks later, after he was told by Amazon that his book had been "classified as an Adult product."

Just in from the Associated Press:

A posthumous collection of short stories by Kurt Vonnegut will be released this November.

Just in from the Associated Press:

Former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan has signed a deal to publish his memoir -- a close-up look at his encounters with major world figures and events.

This just in from the Associated Press:

President Obama's half-sister has a book deal, for a children's picture story.

Maya Soetoro-Ng's "Ladder to the Moon," based in part on Obama's mother and other family members, will be published by Candlewick Press at a date not yet determined. According to Candlewick, Soetoro-Ng will pay "homage to her mother's tradition of storytelling."

The late Ann Dunham is mother both to Obama and Soetoro-Ng, who was born in 1970, nine years after the future president. (Obama and Soetoro-Ng have different fathers). Soetoro-Ng, who teaches at an all-girls school in Honolulu, campaigned for her half brother and spoke at last year's Democratic National Convention.

A new book tells about the West York High School's district champs.

A 56-page book about the West York High School varsity football team's District 3 championship season is being published this month by the York Daily Record/Sunday News and its high school sports Web site, GameTimePA.com.

For details, see:The dogs got out.

Jonah Lehrer, the Rhodes Scholar with local ties, has penned his second book "How We Decide." ...

It has captured comparisons with Malcolm Gladwell's "Blink."

For more, see Author with York ties: Learned the brain inside and out in writing 'How We Decide'.

"Yesterday I Will," an anthology of original short stories, poems and one-act plays, will be formally launched during the York Book and Paper Fair on April 4.

The anthology, which grew out of a writing contest sponsored by The York Emporium used book and curiosity shop in downtown York, is being published by Fortress Publishing, Inc. of Lemoyne.

The 226-page book contains 25 winning entries to the contest.

Review by Robert Cook

Okay, I'll admit the Kindle 2 is not for everyone. In fact, it's not for every book I want to read, but the 2 makes me believe that the electronic reader is here to stay.

What I Like About the Kindle 2:

From the Associated Press:

A book coming this fall will offer one of the ultimate inside takes on the economic crisis -- from former Secretary of the Treasury Henry M. Paulson, Jr.

From the Associated Press
Nobel laureate Al Gore's follow-up to his best-selling "An Inconvenient Truth," originally planned for last spring, is coming out this fall with a new title.
Publisher Rodale Books announced Tuesday that the former vice president's book, "Our Choice," will be released in November, printed on 100 percent recycled paper. The book, which proposes solutions to the global warming crisis documented in "Inconvenient Truth," was called "The Path to Survival" when first announced two years ago.
"An Inconvenient Truth" was published in 2006 and was a companion book to the Academy Award-winning documentary of the same name.

"How We Decide" by Jonah Lehrer was recently reviewed in the New York Times. The book was 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 the review, click here.

Just in from the Associated Press:

President Barack Obama, a best-selling author who received royalties of $2.5 million last year, will get hundreds of thousands more for a youth-oriented version of his published memoir and will write a nonfiction book after he leaves the White House.

From the Associated Press:

Former President George W. Bush, who once famously called himself "The Decider," is writing a book about decisions.

"I want people to understand the environment in which I was making decisions. I want people to get a sense of how decisions were made and I want people to understand the options that were placed before me," Bush said during a brief telephone interview Wednesday with The Associated Press from his office in Dallas.

From the Associated Press:

Author James Purdy, a shocking realist and surprising romantic who in underground classics such as "Cabot Wright Begins" and "Eustace Chisholm and the Works" inspired censorious outrage and lasting admiration, has died.

From the Associated Press:

A Princeton University professor with a wide range of expertise will be the next president of the American center of PEN, the writers organization.

Kwame Anthony Appiah, a professor of philosophy at Princeton who has written three novels and written and edited numerous nonfiction books, is expected to be elected next week to a 1-year term.

PEN's executive vice president, Laurence J. Kirshbaum, said Thursday night that Appiah would succeed author Francine Prose, who had served two 1-year terms. Kirshbaum's comments were made while accepting an honorary prize on behalf of PEN from the National Book Critics Circle.

Appiah, 54, was born in London and lived for many years in Ghana. A world traveler immersed in everything from ethics to racial identity, he has written often about Africans and African-Americans and has set his fiction in England and Italy.

From the Associated Press:

Stories and scholarship from around the world were honored by book critics Thursday night, including works about the ancient and modern Middle East and a novel set in Mexico, the late Roberto Bolano's "2666."

This just in from the Associated Press:

Sen. Edward M. Kennedy's memoir is scheduled to come out sooner than originally planned -- in the fall.

For fans of "The Time Traveler's Wife," here's some good news from the Associated Press:

In a time of cost-cutting in the publishing industry, wallets opened wide for a long-awaited second novel.

Audrey Niffenegger's "Her Fearful Symmetry," her first book since the million-selling "The Time Traveler's Wife," has been acquired by Scribner and will be published in September, spokesman Brian Belfiglio said Tuesday.

'The Associate' has many York references.

John Grisham placed York squarely into the setting of his most recent bestseller "The Associate."

York County often seems to find fame.

For more on York Sunday News columnist Gordon Freireich's piece on Grisham's affinity to York and York County's place in the middle of the universe, click here.

From the Associated Press:
Historian and Harvard University president Drew Gilpin Faust has won a $50,000 prize from the New York Historical Society for "This Republic of Suffering: Death and the American Civil War."
Faust, 61, received the fourth annual American History Book Prize, the society announced Tuesday. She has written several other books about the Civil War and the South, including "Mothers of Invention" and "A Sacred Circle."
Previous winners include Doris Kearns Goodwin and David Nasaw.

From the Associated Press:

A softcover copy of the first Harry Potter book has sold for just over $19,000, according to a Dallas auction house.

This year's national publishing convention will get a cup of "Morning Joe."

MSNBC's Joe Scarborough was among the speakers announced today for BookExpo America, being held in late May at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York. Others scheduled to attend include Pat Conroy, Julie Andrews, Meg Cabot and Nicholas Sparks.

Tobias Wolff, best known for his memoir "This Boy's Life," has been awarded a $20,000 prize for excellence in short story writing.

Wolff won the Story Prize on Wednesday for the collection "Our Story Begins." The finalists -- Jhumpa Lahiri, for "Unaccustomed Earth," and Joe Meno for "Demons in the Spring" -- each received $5,000.

The Story Prize was founded in 2004; previous winners include Mary Gordon and Edwidge Danticat.

Just in from the Associated Press:

Playwright and screenwriter Horton Foote, who movingly portrayed the broken dreams of common people in "The Trip to Bountiful," "Tender Mercies" and his Oscar-winning screen adaptation of "To Kill a Mockingbird," died Wednesday in Connecticut, Paul Marte, a spokesman for Hartford Stage, said. He was 92.

This just in from the Associated Press:

It's not the sensation of his first effort, but Stephen King's latest e-adventure is another best-seller.

King's agent, Ralph Vicinanza, said Tuesday that downloads of King's novella "UR," available only as an e-book and released to coincide with the launch of Amazon's upgraded Kindle reader, have reached "five figures" after barely three weeks on the market.

One of the characters in John Grisham's new book, "The Associate," is from York. How did Grisham come to choose York?
Read Gordon Freireich's column in the York Sunday News March 8. He talked to Grisham and found out the story behind the best-seller.

From the Associated Press:

A long, unfinished novel by David Foster Wallace is scheduled for a posthumous release next year.

"The Pale King," excerpted in The New Yorker magazine edition coming out today, is set in an Internal Revenue Service office in Illinois in the 1980s.

Following were best-sellers at Borders Books & Music in Springettsbury Township for the week that ended Feb. 22.

1. "Eclipse" by Stephenie Meyer.
2. "The Associate" by John Grisham.
3. "Run For Your Life" by James Patterson.
4. "Diary Of A Wimpy Kid 3: The Last Straw" by Jeff Kinney.
5. "Breaking Dawn" by Stephenie Meyer.

From the Associated Press:

Random House Inc., which recently underwent a major consolidation, is expanding again.

The publisher announced today that it acquired Ten Speed Press, which specializes in cookbooks, business and spiritual works, including such favorites as "The Moosewood Cookbook" and "What Color is Your Parachute?" the million-selling job-hunting guide series.

Late last year, Random House announced it was reducing its major divisions from five to three, with an undetermined number of employees laid off.

Ten Speed Press, based in Berkeley, Calif., was founded in 1971 by Philip Wood, who will continue to serve as publisher emeritus.

Random House is owned by the German media conglomerate Bertelsmann AG.

From the Associated Press:

The longtime head of the book publishers' trade association is stepping down.

Former Rep. Pat Schroeder of Colorado, who has served for 12 years as president and CEO of the Association of American Publishers, says it's time for her "to move on."

From the Associated Press:

Fifty years after debuting with "Goodbye, Columbus," Philip Roth is as prolific as ever.

Publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt announced Wednesday that the Pulitzer Prize-winning author will have a novel out this fall, titled "The Humbling," about an aging stage performer. Next year, he'll have another book, "Nemesis," set during a polio epidemic in 1944.

Roth, who turns 76 next month, has been averaging a book a year for the past few years.

His works include "Portnoy's Complaint," "American Pastoral" and "The Human Stain."

An Afghan bookstore owner, displeased with his portrayal in the best-selling novel "The Bookseller of Kabul," has written his own book telling his angry, bewildered side of the story.

To read more, click here.

From the Associated Press:

PERKASIE, Pa -- The long-lost handwritten manuscript of Pearl S. Buck's classic novel "The Good Earth" is set to go on display next month at the late author's home outside Philadelphia.

From the Associated Press:

A Hungarian novel about a writer who lives with his mother and an eclectic, experimental collection of Japanese verse have been named winners of the Best Translated Book Awards for fiction and poetry.

From the Associated Press
Another brand-name writer has joined the e-book party: Danielle Steel.
The prolific, best-selling novelist said Thursday that 71 of her books -- and that's not even all of them -- will be made available digitally Feb. 24, including her latest, "One Day at a Time." Other works include "Sunset in St. Tropez," "The Promise" and "Leap of Faith."
In recent weeks, John Grisham and Tom Clancy also have agreed to allow their novels to come out as e-books, a tiny, but quickly growing market.

Scott Mingus' book "Flames Beyond Gettysburg" is another link in a long chain of Civil War publications dating back to 2000.

That is, books linking York County and the Civil War.

Before 2000, well, the pickings were sparse.

For a working list, see: Stack of books on York County's Civil War past getting higher.

From the Associated Press:

LONDON -- A British author said Monday she has been banned from a Dubai literary festival because her forthcoming novel contains references to homosexuality.

The first International Festival of Literature in Dubai, which runs from Feb. 26 to Mar. 1, has authors including Margaret Atwood, Louis de Bernieres and Jung Chang listed on the program.

Geraldine Bedell, a journalist for the Observer newspaper and the author of several previous novels, said organizers had been discussing launching her book, "The Gulf Between Us," which is set in the Gulf, at the festival.

From the Associated Press:

An early, long-unpublished work by J.R.R. Tolkien is coming out.

"The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrun," a thorough reworking in verse of old Norse epics that predates Tolkien's writing of "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, will be published in May by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

According to Houghton, the book will include an introduction by Tolkien and notes by his son, Christopher Tolkien.

J.R.R. Tolkien, whose fantasy novels have sold millions of copies, died in 1973. "The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrun" was written in the 1920s and '30s, when the author was teaching at Oxford University.

From the Associated Press:

NEW YORK -- The author of a discredited Holocaust memoir is not apologizing.

Herman Rosenblat, who has acknowledged inventing his story of meeting his wife on opposite sides of a concentration camp fence, told "Good Morning America" that he has no regrets and would tell the story again given another chance.

Just in from the Associated Press:

An unauthorized and highly anticipated book about Alex Rodriguez is coming out a month sooner than planned.

From the Associated Press:

The man who published "The Da Vinci Code" has a new job at Random House, two months after his division was dismantled in a companywide reorganization.

From the Associated Press:

NEW YORK -- Diane Keaton is telling all -- about her bond with her mother.

The Academy Award-winning actress, whose films include "Annie Hall" and the three "Godfather" movies, is working on a memoir -- currently untitled -- that the Random House Publishing Group plans on releasing in 2012.

Keaton's mother, Dorothy Keaton Hall, died last fall and had suffered from Alzheimer's. The actress began working on her book shortly after her mother's death.

From the Associated Press:

NEW YORK -- Looking to cut costs, and gain media attention, the book world's annual national convention is staying in New York through 2012.

From the Associated Press

HarperCollins, the publisher of such authors as David Wroblewski and Joyce Carol Oates has closed the Collins division, dedicated to nonfiction books, and laid off a "small percentage" of employees.

The cuts were widely expected after HarperCollins, owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp., reported poor earnings last week for the quarter that ended Dec. 31, 2008.

Random House Inc., Simon & Schuster and MacMillan are among the publishers who have announced layoffs in the past two months.

From the Associated Press:

BOGOTA -- It's a pact they made in the jungle.

The three U.S. military contractors who spent 1,967 days as captives of Colombia's main rebel group agreed they would write their story together.

Now HarperCollins publicist Dee Dee DeBartlo says the publisher's William Morrow imprint will issue their book, "Out of Captivity," on Feb. 26.

Horror maestro Dean Koontz has a new graphic novel and Web site. To visit, click here.

From the Associated Press:

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Elizabeth Edwards plans a new book about facing adversity, recapping an often-tumultuous life that most recently included her husband's public disclosure of an affair, her publisher said Tuesday.

The book entitled "Resilience" is to be published on May 12. It comes less than a year after Edwards' husband John publicly acknowledged having an affair with a video producer in the months before he began his second campaign for president.

David Drake, the publicity director at Broadway Books, declined to discuss in detail the contents of the book but said it would serve as a sort of sequel to her previous memoir, "Saving Graces," that was first published in 2006 and updated in 2007.

From the Associated Press:

Obama campaign manager David Plouffe has agreed to a seven-figure deal to write a book about last year's presidential election.

"The Audacity to Win: The Inside Story and Lessons of Barack Obama's Historic Victory" will be published by Viking next fall.

From the Associated Press

Cable television isn't enough for MSNBC's Joe Scarborough. He has a book coming out in May.

Publisher Crown Forum, an imprint of Random House Inc., says the title is "The Last Best Hope: Restoring Conservatism and America's Promise."

Crown Forum says the book will issue a challenge to Scarborough's own Republican Party to either reform or die.
Scarborough hosts MSNBC's "Morning Joe" news-talk program.

Steve McKee's "My Father's Heart" - a poignant story of growing up in York - is due out soon in paperback.

The York Catholic grad's site, www.steve-mckee.com, gives this summary of the book:

"An extraordinary story of an all-too-ordinary scenario: A father dies, a son remains, and the loss casts a long shadow across a generation. Rich in evocative detail of time, place, and family, it is a powerful memoir of love, forgiveness, and finding oneself."

And for those wanting a taste of its contents, click here.

From the Associated Press:

Officials at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh are upset that best-selling author John Grisham mentions the school in connection with a fictional gang rape in his latest novel.

John Grisham's new novel "The Associate" hit bookstores Tuesday. The book's fictional main character, Kyle McAvoy, is a 25-year-old lawyer from York. McAvoy is recruited as a spy for a large law firm and travels to New York City, where he gets caught in a web of extortion, blackmail and murder.

From the Associated Press:

Historians Robert Dallek and Sean Wilentz and author-essayist Barbara Ehrenreich are among the more than 100 writers who have signed an open letter asking The Washington Post not to shut down its stand-alone Sunday Book World section.

From the Associated Press:

NEW YORK -- Michelle Obama's brother is working on a book, part tribute to his family and part inspirational guide.

"I've been privileged to know some extraordinary people in my life," Craig Robinson, whose "A Game of Character" will be published next year by Gotham Books, said in a statement issued Thursday. "I've watched as my sister Michelle, a rock of a mother, became a leader in her own right. My brother-in law, President Barack Obama, who I knew from the first time I met him had something special, continues to inspire all of us."

Robinson, who coaches men's basketball at Oregon State University, introduced his sister last summer at the Democratic National Convention in Denver.

Gotham is an imprint of Penguin Group (USA).

This just in from the Associated Press:

The boyhood home of Pulitzer-winning author Cormac McCarthy, long abandoned and overgrown, has been destroyed by a fire even as preservationists tried in recent months to save it.

From the Associated Press:

Rebecca Saletan, a highly regarded publisher and editor who quit Houghton Mifflin Harcourt last month, has been named editorial director of Riverhead Books, where authors include Khaled Hosseini and Junot Diaz.

News from the Associated Press:

Oh, the horror: Neil Gaiman has received the top prize for children's literature: The John Newbery Medal.

Gaiman's spooky "The Graveyard Book," about a boy raised by vampire, a werewolf and a witch, was named the winner of the 88th annual Newbery. The Randolph Caldecott Medal, given to the illustrator of the best picture book, went to Beth Krommes for "The House in the Night," written by Susan Marie Swanson.

The Coretta Scott King Award for best author was given to Kadir Nelson, for "We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball. The illustrator award went to Floyd Cooper for "The Blacker the Berry." The King prizes were founded 40 years ago to honor the works of African Americans.

To read more about "The Graveyard Book," click here .

This just in from the Associated Press:

A representative for Patrick Swayze says the cancer-stricken actor plans to write a memoir and his wife, Lisa, will collaborate with him on the book.

Publicist Jayme Phillips says plans for the book are "extremely premature."

Says Phillips: "There's no publisher. There's no dates. There's no anything else."

Swayze, who has battled pancreatic cancer for the last year, spent a week in the hospital earlier this month after contracting pneumonia.

The 56-year-old actor stars in the new A&E drama "The Beast."

York's Visiting Nurse Association just celebrated its 100th anniversary.

And the organization, now VNA Home Health, under Wellspan's umbrella has put forth a booklet recounting its many accomplishments.

Among other things, VNA provided employment and volunteer opportunities for women throughout much of the 20th century. For details, see First York visiting nurse made rounds on bicycle.

Author Tom Bailey signs a copy of "The Grace That Keeps This World" for a reader at Joseph T. Simpson Library in Mechanicsburg.

Southcentral Pennsylvania's One Book, One Community campaign enticed thousands of area residents to read "The Grace That Keeps This World" by Tom Bailey.

The book was borrowed more than 3,300 times according to tracking done by the Cumberland, Dauphin, Lancaster, Lebanon, Perry and York County library systems and HACC academic libraries.

An estimated 1,245 readers participated in 83 library programs, including book discussions. Bailey made 14 appearances.

And more than 2,800 individuals visited the One Book Web site, www.oboc.org.

"In Search of Bill Clinton: A Psychological Biography," by Johns Hopkins University professor John Gartner, has been named one of the best books of 2008 by Booklist, the official publication of the American Library Association.

To read more about Gartner's book, click here.

Which books have most influenced President Barack Obama? Click here.

This just in from the Associated Press;

LONDON -- British writer John Mortimer, creator of the curmudgeonly criminal lawyer Rumpole of the Bailey, has died at 85.

Mortimer's literary representatives, United Agents, announced the death today.

Mortimer combined a career as a lawyer with a prolific literary output that included screen and stage plays and radio dramas. Among his most famous creations was Horace Rumpole, the wine-loving barrister who appeared in a TV series and a series of novels and stories.

Just in from the Associated Press:

Hortense Calisher, a prize-winning writer known for her dense, unskimmable prose in such works of fiction as "False Entry" and "In Greenwich There Are Many Gravelled Walks," has died. She was 97.

From the Associated Press:

A day after two major divisions at Random House Inc. announced reorganizations and confirmed job cuts, a third division has also reconfigured and reduced.

The Random House Publishing Group, where authors include E.L. Doctorow, Suze Orman and many others, unveiled numerous personnel changes today and acknowledged that "some positions across the division" have been eliminated, according to a statement.

Stephenie Meyer sold more books in 2008 than any other author according to her publisher. To read more, click here.

From the Associated Press:

The French novel that inspired "The Class," one of last year's most acclaimed films, is coming out in English.

Francois Begaudeau's book, which literally translates to "Between the Walls" but will be titled "The Class," is a fictionalized account of the author's time as a high school teacher in France. Begadeau stars as himself in the film, directed by Laurent Cantet, winner of the Palme d'Or at Cannes and a strong candidate among foreign releases for an Academy Award nomination.

Seven Stories Press will publish the book in the United States in April.

To see a book trailer and read excerpts from Stephen J. Cannell's new Shane Scully novel, go to www.onthegrindbook.com.

This just in from the Associated Press:

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- W.D. Snodgrass, a Pulitzer Prize-winning poet who had a nearly 40-year teaching career, died at his upstate New York home after a four-month battle with inoperable lung cancer. He was 83.

His family said he died today at his home in Madison County, just east of Syracuse.

Snodgrass won the Pulitzer Prize for poetry in 1960 for his first book, "Heart's Needle," which grew from heartbreak at losing custody of his daughter in a bitter divorce.

Although widely credited as a founding member of the "confessional" school of poetry, Snodgrass himself dismissed the label.

Snodgrass was the author of more than 30 books of poetry and translations.

From the Associated Press

Jhumpa Lahiri, Tobias Wolff and Joe Meno are the finalists for the fifth annual Story Prize for outstanding short fiction.

From the Associated Press:

Chris Rock is making a comeback, as an author.

Grand Central Publishing says Rock's new book -- not yet titled -- will be full of "comedic observations." It's tentatively scheduled for release next year.

According to a new report, more adults are reading fiction. Could this blog be one of the reasons? Read on at http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/12/books/12reading.html?_r=1&th&emc=th

Baron von Steuben's drilling of Continental Army soldiers prepared George Washington's army during the dark days of the American Revolution in Valley Forge.

But no authoritative biography has been written on Steuben since 1937. Until recently.

Paul Lockhart's "The Drillmaster of Valley Forge" is a fresh look at the Prussian military man and offer glimpses into the York County scene, where the Continental Congress was then meeting.

For more on Lockhart's work on Steuben, see York Town Square post: York-commissioned Baron von Steuben credited with shaping up Continental Army.

WEbook.com, the home of community-sourced books, will publish a collection of inauguration stories, told by real people in their own words. Leveraging the speed and agility of the Internet and digital printing by CreateSpace (an Amazon company), the printed book will be available within two weeks of the inauguration.

"Jan. 20, 2009: True Stories, Real People, One Day" will be sold on WEbook.com and Amazon.com for $9.99. WEbook will donate all profits and ask its authors to donate their royalties to 826 National, a nonprofit tutoring, writing and publishing organization that assists students ages 6 to 18 with their writing skills and helps teachers get their classes excited about writing.

This just in from the Associated Press:

First lady Laura Bush has sealed a deal with Scribner to publish a memoir that will encompass her recollections of personal and historical moments, including her eight years in the White House.

From the Associated Press:

Prolific mystery writer Donald Westlake has died at the age of 75.

Westlake's wife, Abigail, tells The New York Times the author collapsed as he headed to a New Year's Eve dinner while on vacation in Mexico. His wife says he apparently had a heart attack.

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.

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.

"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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

You might want to check out this book by Philadelphia Daily News beer columnist Don Russell.

Perfect gift?

Check.

York Revolution Baseball has launched a "Rev Up Reading" program to entice students to read four books. Books completed will be marked on special bookmarks that also have vouchers for half-price tickets for their school's scheduled game night.

One of my former college roommates is obsessed with something called Book Crossing.

You might have heard of it. Maybe from the stamp inside a paperback in your dentist's waiting room, the stickers on stacks of free books in a local coffee shop.

Here's how it works:

Elizabethtown College Professor Mark Harman has crafted a new translation of Franz Kafka's first novel, "Der Verschollene" ("The Missing Person").

Harman's translation of Kafka's "Das Schloss" ("The Castle") was named best book of the year by the Los Angeles Times.

To read the first two chapters of Dean Koontz's latest book, "Your Heart Belongs to Me," due in bookstores Nov. 25, click here.

"The Hour I First Believed" by Wally Lamb hits bookstores Tuesday.

Lamb is the author of "She's Come Undone," an Oprah's Book Club pick, and "I Know This Much Is True."

To read an excerpt of the book and see a video featuring the author, click here.

Family-Child Resources and Borders are partnering to give families the gift of reading this holiday season.

This just in from the Associated Press:

Michael Crichton, the million-selling author of such historic and prehistoric science thrillers as "Jurassic Park," "Timeline" and "The Andromeda Strain," has died of cancer, his family said.

He died Tuesday in Los Angeles at age 66 after a long battle with the illness.

Carolyn Chute, author of gritty, earthy novels about her native Maine, will release a new one, "The School on Heart's Content Road" on Friday.

To read about Chute, author of the hit "The Beans of Egypt, Maine," click here.

Alice Walker is the latest author to launch her own Web site.

Walker is the author "The Color Purple" (a great book and a great movie).

Alice Walker's Garden (www.alicewalkersgarden.com) features her poetry and writings, photographs, a timeline of her work, a bookstore and a link to her new blog. Walker will use her blog to publish new articles like "Anxiety Soup!" -- her latest article created especially as medicine for this moment in our history.

Those of us who can't get enough Food Network can now get a fix at the newsstand.

This just in from the Associated Press:

After dozens of best-selling novels, Danielle Steel still has words to spare: She's starting a blog.

"It's like a letter to a friend, and fun to be able share something and say, 'Gee I did this,'" says Steel, 61, whose run of hits includes three this year alone: "Honor Thyself," "Rogue" and "A Good Woman."

A settlement has been reached in the lawsuit against Google over the Internet search engine's use of copyrighted material, reports the Associated Press.
According to a statement issued Tuesday by the Authors Guild, the Association of American Publishers and Google, the agreement "will expand online access to millions of in-copyright books and other written materials in the U.S. from the collections of a number of major U.S. libraries participating in Google Book Search."

This just in from the Associated Press:

Tony Hillerman, author of the acclaimed Navajo Tribal Police mystery novels and creator of two of the unlikeliest of literary heroes -- Navajo police officers Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee -- died Sunday of pulmonary failure. He was 83.

In conjunction with the publication of its latest book, "Visions of Paradise," National Geographic is inviting the public to submit images that best represent their vision of heaven on Earth to the Visions of Paradise Photography Contest, Oct. 21-Dec. 21.

Local writer Scott Butcher has authored his first coffee table book, "York: America's Historic Crossroads" (Schiffer Publishing). This is the first of three photo books that Butcher is doing. "Delaware Reflections," with 250 photos of the Delaware Coast from Lewes to Fenwick Island, will be released this spring.

York County native Rita Mae Brown and her feline partner, Sneaky Pie Brown, have written a new mystery, "Santa Clawed," which will be released Nov. 4.

To read the first chapter, click here.

This just in from the Associated Press:

NASHVILLE, Tenn.-- As the father of three girls, Tim McGraw understands the challenges that face dads who want to please their daughters.

So the children's book he's co-written with Tom Douglas has some simple advice: As long as you're spending time with them, it doesn't really matter what you do.

"The Horseshoe Curve: Sabotage and Subversion in the Railroad City" by Dennis P. McIlnay of Hollidaysburg received the Gold Medal as the Best Regional Nonfiction Book in the Mid-Atlantic Region from the Independent Association of America.

The children of Coretta Scott King and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. faced off in an Atlanta courtroom Tuesday. Their dispute over their mother's personal papers could derail a lucrative book deal.

This just in from the Associated Press:

LONDON -- Aravind Adiga won the prestigious Man Booker award Tuesday for his first novel "The White Tiger."

Adiga won the $87,000 prize for his book about a protagonist who will use any means necessary to fulfill his dream of escaping impoverished village life for success in the big city.

This just in from the Associated Press:

BOSTON -- The question of whether to choose an official book for the state of Massachusetts made for a whale of a debate.

The state House of Representatives on Thursday passed a bill naming "Moby-Dick" the state's official "epic novel."

This just in from the Associated Press:

STOCKHOLM, Sweden -- France's Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clezio won the 2008 Nobel Prize in literature for works characterized by "poetic adventure and sensual ecstasy" and focused on the environment, especially the desert.

Le Clezio, 68, is the first French writer to win the prestigious award since Chinese-born Frenchman Gao Xingjian was honored in 2000 and the 14th since the Nobel Prizes began in 1901.

Best-sellers at Borders Books & Music in Springettsbury Township for the week that ended Sept. 28"
1. "Brisingr" by Christopher Paolini.
2. "The Story of Edgar Sawtelle" by David Wroblewski.
3. "The Shack" by William Young.
4. "The Grace That Keeps This World" by Tom Bailey.
5. "Haunted Places in York County" by Leo Motter.

Drew Peterson, the former Bolingbrook police sergeant tells all -- or maybe not -- in "Drew Peterson Exposed," from Canadian publisher Kunati Books.

To read the first two chapters of John Lutz's new thriller, "Night Kills," click here.

Jon Scieszka will receive the first National Ambassador for Young People's Literature Medal from Librarian of Congress James H. Billington today in the Montpelier Room of the James Madison Building, as part of the National Book Festival celebration.

Scieszka is the author of several best-selling children's titles, including "The Stinky Cheese Man," which won a Caldecott Honor medal, "The True Story of the Three Little Pigs" and the Time Warp Trio, a chapter book series. He is the founder of Guys Read www.guysread.com.

This just in from the Associated Press:

"Pan's Labyrinth" director Guillermo del Toro is collaborating with crime author Chuck Hogan on a trilogy of vampire novels, starting next summer with "The Strain."

The Women's National Book Association is celebrating National Reading Group Month in October.

We'd like to celebrate by introducing our readers to your group.

E-mail information about your book group to gfogal@ydr.com. Include a photo of your members formatted as a jpeg. We'd also like to hear about what kind of books your group reads, which you liked and which you didn't.

For details about National Reading Group Month, click here

Here's a review from one of our readers, Loretta Martin:

"The Twilight Saga" by Stephenie Meyers

I'm not one who would choose a novel about vampires or werewolves for reading. But if that's the reason you're not devouring "The Twilight Saga" by Stephenie Meyers, you're cutting yourself off from some of the best reading "for kids" out there today.

Oprah Winfrey has chosen David Wroblewski's "The Story of Edgar Sawtelle" as her latest book club pick.

"Sex and the City" author Candace Bushnell is writing a pair of teen novels, "The Carrie Diaries," that "takes readers back to Carrie Bradshaw's formative years in high school, giving an inside look at Carrie's friendships, romances and how she realized her dream of becoming a writer," HarperCollins announced Wednesday.

This just in from the Associated Press:

OKLAHOMA CITY -- A federal judge has dismissed a libel lawsuit filed against best-selling author John Grisham and two other writers over books they wrote about the wrongful conviction of two men in a 1982 murder.

I went to Borders the other day with a 25 percent off coupon clutched in my hand. (Borders Rewards sent me the coupon for my birthday. Aren't they sweet?)

I knew just what I wanted to get -- "The Zookeeper's Wife." It's about a Polish zookeeper and his wife who hid several hundred Jews from the Nazis during World War II. It got very good reviews.

Amazon.com has introduced an interactive map of the U.S. showing which states are "red" or "blue" based on their online book purchases.

According to the Seattle Times:

Although it's not meant to predict the next president, it suggests that the Right's slant on the Obama-McCain matchup is more widely read than the Left's.

For now, 36 states are pink or red. Six are blue. And eight, including Washington and Oregon, are purple, meaning residents are virtually split in their political book purchases between Republican and Democratic viewpoints.

The map, (click here) updated daily, is based on sales of books with a political perspective, as identified in promotional material and customer classifications.

York County Library System is embarking on a county-wide membership campaign to encourage first-grade students to get and use a library card.

The initiative, Grade One At the Library: Shoot for the GOAL, runs today through Oct. 3.

The following were best-sellers at Borders Books & Music in Springettsbury Township for the week ending Sept. 7.
1. "Dark Curse" by Christine Feehan.
2. "The Last Lecture" by Randy Pausch.
3. "Devil Bones" by Kathy Reichs.
4. "Book of Lies" by Brad Meltzer
5. "Just Breathe" by Susan Wiggs.

By BETH VRABEL
For the Daily Record/Sunday News

The smiling face on the cover of "My Favorite American" is the picture of youth and vitality.

Those who know Valen Cover also know how hard-won that seemingly easy smile is. At 25, over has endured an organ transplant, polycystic kidney disease (PKD), a seizure disorder, coliosis, pancreatitis and a motorcycle accident.

Actress Lauren Conrad is adding "author" to her resume.

According to the Associated Press:

The 22-year-old star of MTV's nonfiction series "The Hills" will pen a young adult fiction book series for HarperCollins, the publisher announced Thursday. The three-book series will be titled "L.A. Candy" and will be loosely inspired by Conrad's transformation from teenager to reality TV star and fashion designer.

"I've always loved books that I could lose myself in, ones that would transport me to another place, but had characters I could relate to," Conrad said. "I'm so excited to have this opportunity to write books like that for other readers."

The first book in the series will be published summer 2009.

On Sept. 10, 2001, Alissa Torres was nearly eight months pregnant with her first child. Her husband, Eddie Torres, a Colombian immigrant who worked his way up from being a delivery boy, began a job as a currency broker for Cantor Fitzgerald at the World Trade Center.

Alissa became a widow the next day.

Seven years later, she has written a 210-page graphic memoir, or as she calls it, "an adult, literary comic book," about her marriage and first year as a widow and single mother. "American Widow" (Villard, $22) is illustrated by Sungyoon Choi.

Click here to read more about her book.

"Proust Was a Neuroscientist" by Jonah Lehrer was recently released in paperback.

The author, a Rhodes scholar who worked in the lab of a Nobel Prize-winning neuroscientist and was a line chef at Le Cirque 2000 and Le Bernardin restaurants, is also the son of York County native Jean Hively, a 1970 graduate of Red Lion Area Senior High School. When she converted to Judaism and got married about 30 years ago, her name became Ariella Lehrer. She lives with her family in Los Angeles.

In his book, Lehrer explores how artistic insights predicted scientific breakthroughs, particularly how Proust penetrated the mysteries of memory decades before neuroscientists.

Barney Rosset, the publisher and First Amendment defender whose battles on behalf of Henry Miller's "Tropic of Cancer" and other explicit works helped overturn U.S. censorship laws, has won an honorary National Book Award for "Outstanding Service to the American Literary Community."
Maxine Hong Kingston, the Chinese-American author best known for "The Woman Warrior," a fictionalized memoir that became a model for other immigrant writers and is taught on campuses nationwide, was awarded a medal for "Distinguished Contribution to American Letters."
The prizes were announced Wednesday by the National Book Foundation, a nonprofit organization that presents the National Book Awards.

A judge says "Harry Potter" author J.K. Rowling has won her claim that a fan violated her copyright with his plans to publish a Potter encyclopedia, according to the Associated Press.

Judge Robert Patterson said in a ruling Monday that Rowling had proven that Steven Vander Ark's "Harry Potter Lexicon" would cause her irreparable harm as a writer. Vander Ark runs the popular Harry Potter Lexicon Web site.

Because of high demand, Epicenter Press has rushed to produce a paperback edition of the biography of Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska, The New York Times reports.
Selected by Sen. John McCain as his running mate on the Republican presidential ticket, Palin's story is told in "Sarah" by Kaylene Johnson.
After producing the books in an 18-hour digital printing job, the publisher delivered 40,000 copies to its distributor on Tuesday. By midafternoon, the hardcover edition of "Sarah" ranked 54th on Amazon.com.

Martin Library will be open on Sundays from 1 to 5 p.m. from Sept. 21 through Dec. 21.
The library, 159 East Market St. in York, will provide all services on Sundays, including free Internet. Also, parking is free in York on Sundays.

Some Sunday events planned:
Sept. 21 -- Story time with Mouse from "If You Give A Mouse A Cookie" at 1:30 and 3:30 p.m., live music from Mark DeRose, and a cake decorating demonstration from Brown's Orchards and Farm Market at 2:30 p.m.

Sept. 28 -- Hispanic heritage celebration.
Oct. 5 -- First grade membership welcome party with appearances by Lyle Lyle Crocodile.

Oct. 19 -- Cartoon Flashback Extravaganza and meet Corduroy.

Oct. 26 -- "Step into now" makeover contest reveal.


For details, call 846-5300 or visit www.yorklibraries.org

I expanded my garden this year. I planted six tomato plants instead of two.

And after doing battle with a relentless groundhog and a legion of green hornworms, I managed a very nice harvest. (OK, I'm not ready to open a roadside stand, but there have been more than a few BLTs.)

Anyone who has ever tried to grow their own vegetables will get a chuckle from William Alexander's "The $64 Tomato: How One Man Nearly Lost His Sanity, Spent a Fortune and Endured an Existential Crisis in the Quest for the Perfect Garden." (This book would make great winter reading. You know, right before the seed catalogs arrive.)

By BETH VRABEL
For the Daily Record/Sunday News

Area libraries are challenging readers to trade the muggy, late-summer days of central Pennsylvania for the bitter cold of winter in the Adirondacks as part of the annual One Book, One Community program.

This year's book selection, announced Wednesday afternoon at Pequea Valley Public Library in Intercourse, Lancaster County, is "The Grace That Keeps This World" by Tom Bailey.

Learn about the myths, legends and ghost stories of York in "Spooky York, Pennsylvania," by Scott D. Butcher and former York resident Dinah P. Roseberry.

The book includes a walking ghost tour of York and more than 50 haunted locations throughout the county. Stories include a regular guest at the William Goodridge House, the apparition of a former manager at the Lafayette Club, a cigar-smoking spirit at the Capitol Theater, and the ghosts known as George and Martha at York Little Theater.

It is published by Schiffer books and sells for $14.99. For details, click here.

Fans of Stephenie Meyer's "Twilight' series won't have to wait much longer to see their favorite novel on the big screen.

"Twilight," the film adaptation of Meyer's best-seller, will now open Nov. 21.

Directed by Catherine Hardwicke ("Lords of Dogtown"), the big screen "Twilight" will introduce Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart), a 17-year-old girl who falls in love with the utterly dreamy Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson). She's a mortal. He's a
vampire. Swooning ensues.

A memoir by Sen. Joe Biden is now a best-seller.

According to the Associated Press:

A day after Sen. Barack Obama chose Biden as his running mate for the Democratic ticket, Biden's "Promises to Keep: On Life and Politics" was in the top 10 on Barnes & Noble.com and in the top 40 on Amazon.com.

It was so in demand that on Sunday it was listed as out of stock by both booksellers.

"We'll be reprinting," said Tom Perry, deputy publisher of the Random House Publishing Group, which released the memoir in the summer of 2007, several months after Biden announced his candidacy for president.

This just in from Associated Press:

Olympic superstar Michael Phelps will write a book telling the story behind his historic eight gold medal swims just in time for the holiday season, Free Press, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, announced today.

He's baacck!

Yes, Michael Moore is in the news again with a new book, "Mike's Election Guide 2008" (Grand Central, 260 pp., $13.99, paperback original), in stores Tuesday.

To read more about it, click here.

By Gloria Fogal
Daily Record/Sunday News

The book: "Secrets on St. Croix" (PublishAmerica, $19.95)
The author: Joan Mallgrave, 68, of Manchester Township has lived in York for 13 years. She was vice president of the Pennsylvania State Employees Credit Union before retiring.

Quote: "The book is targeted to older women who can identify with a mystery novel heroine who is over 65, has wrinkles and age spots and possibly even replacement parts."

Scott Butcher's "York's Historic Architecture" contains more than just pretty pictures about York County's intriguing buildings.

It puts forth all kinds of interesting factoids in the captions of its many photos.

For example, did you know that The Hermit House near Pleasant Acres in East York is so named because reclusive Curvin Houser subsisted there for years. He lived without modern amenities until well into the 20th century. The house 18th-century house is a private home today - with running water, plumbing and heat.

For more such tidbits from Butcher's book, see: Did you know? New photo book on York County's architecture gives fun facts, too.

By JOSEPH MALDONADO
For the Daily Record/Sunday News

It shouldn't surprise anyone that York County's architecture is as varied as the people who have made up its population over the years.

After all, York Town, as the city was known in 1741, predates this country's Declaration of Independence in 1776 by almost 35 years.

And yet, the 160 pages that fill Scott Butcher's new book, "York's Historical Architecture," are exactly that -- a surprise.

Bantam Dell has officially launched the audiobook podcast of New York Times best-selling author Karen Marie Moning's "Darkfever." This the first joint effort between Bantam Dell and one of its authors to release the full version of a book for free as a podcast.

The book will be presented in its entirety, with four episodes per week available for download. "Darkfever" is the first book in Moning's "Fever" series which features protagonist MacKayla "Mac" Lane, a woman who possesses the gift to see beyond the world of man and into the dangerous realm of the Fae.

Click here.

The final book of Stephenie Meyer's "Twilight" series managed a million-selling debut.

"Breaking Dawn," the fourth of Meyer's sensational teen vampire series, sold 1.3 million copies in the first 24 hours after its midnight, Aug. 2 release, the Associated Press reported.
It was also the top-selling book at Borders Books & Music in Springettsbury Township this past week.

The numbers for "Breaking Dawn" don't approach the unveiling of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows." The seventh and final volume of J.K. Rowling's fantasy series sold 8.3 million copies in its first 24 hours in the United States alone.

Author Salman Rushdie is threatening to sue a publisher over a book by a former bodyguard that he says portrays him as cheap, nasty and arrogant and depicts his police guards as drinking on duty.

Alexander Solzhenitsyn, the Nobel Prize-winning author whose books exposed and chronicled the vast network of Stalin's slave labor camps, died late Sunday of heart failure at 89.

"The Tales of Beedle the Bard," the book J.K. Rowling wrote and illustrated and auctioned off to benefit the charity she co-founded, the Children's High Level Group, will be available to all Harry Potter fans beginning Dec. 4.

This review is by staffer Teresa Cook:

My Stroke of Insight by Jill Bolte Taylor, Ph.D.

Jill Bolte Taylor was a brain scientist, when, at the age of 37, she suffered a massive stroke. But as part of her brain shut down, the other part allowed her to feel a deep inner peace.

Stephenie Meyer is being called the "heir apparent to J.K. Rowling."

To find out why, click here.

The following new books recently arrived at my desk:

"Wide Awake" (Thomas Nelson, 240 pages, $19.99) by Erwin McManus: Feel like you are sleep walking your way through life? McManus wants you to wake up and live the life of your dreams by using five tools: dream, discover, adapt, expect, focus, create, enjoy and invest. The book is packed with stories from the Old and New Testaments that illustrate how and why each technique works. McManus also uses examples from his own very successful life as lead pastor and cultural architect of Mosaic, a Christian community in Los Angeles. Favorite quote: "God created the world for our enjoyment. We took the fun out of it."
"Wide Awake" is available at Borders Books & Music, 3000 Whiteford Road, Springettsbury Township, and from online booksellers.

Patriot Press has announced that "Shades of Gray: A Novel of the Civil War in Virginia," by Gettysburg author Jessica James, has won a gold medal for Best Regional Fiction in the Indie Book Awards contest and was a finalist in the Historical Fiction category. The book also garnered a silver medal for Best Regional Fiction in the 2008 Independent Publisher Book Awards.

Signed copies of "Shades of Gray" can be purchased from James through her Web site www.jessicajamesbooks.com.

Barnes & Noble.com is featuring a special episode of Barnes & Noble Tagged!, the book video series. The episode is dedicated to the best-selling "Twilight Saga" and precedes the Aug. 2 publication of "Breaking Dawn," Stephenie Meyer's fourth and final novel in the series.

In this special episode, Barnes & Noble Tagged! host Molly Pesce explores the excitement surrounding Stephenie Meyer's world of vampires, adventure and passion. She is joined by "Twilight Saga" fans from the New York-area and a bookseller from Barnes & Noble's Lake Grove store on Long Island.

During the episode, Molly challenges fans with a quiz designed to test their knowledge of the Twilight Saga.

To join in the fun, go to www.bn.com/tagged

If you're planning to travel at all this summer, you may want to check out these books to help get you through the journey.

For more travel tidbits, tips and tales, visit Explorer's Backpack.

Andre Norton, one of science fiction's most prolific female writers until she died three years ago, intrigued her readers by creating hundreds of fantasy worlds during her 70 years of writing.
And in a decision that may have been accidental or calculated, she left her friends and fans a final puzzle: Who should control the rights to her more than 130 books, including the popular "Witch World" series, according to the Associated Press.

Voni Grimes recounts his long life in his autobiography "Bridging Troubled Waters."

Voni B. Grimes, respected community leader, has labored for months to write about his long life.

The result is a 90-page book with more than 20 photos of a life well lived.

For details, see: New book gives insight into community leader Voni B. Grimes at York Town Square blog.

Those who fell in love with John Grogan's "Marley & Me" will be happy to learn the author is planning a prequel.

A while back I wrote about downloading free audio books. Remember? Go here

Other than reading a favorite storybook to a child, most of us seldom read aloud. Reading is a private, relaxing time when our minds leave the room and enter the world created by our author of choice.

Speaking of summer reads, here are the top book-related searches on Yahoo!

Barnes&Noble.com has added three new features to its Barnes & Noble Studio multimedia site that are well worth a look.

In Guest Books, found out what writers read as authors talk about their top three favorite books. David Sedaris is featured this week.

5 Books selects five titles that will help readers sharpen their skills on a particular topic. Read all about wine.

The Book Files tells the story behind the book. This week’s featured book is James Joyce’s “The Dubliners.” Upcoming are Jerzy Kosinski’s “The Steps” and Dr. Seuss’ “Green Eggs and Ham.”

Visit http://www.barnesandnoble.com/bn-studio/videos-podcasts/index.asp?.

Got your attention, right? I heard about this on the Today show last week. Go here.

Daisy Myers' "Sticks 'N Stones," Mary Hamilton's "Rising from the Wilderness," and Carol McCleary Innerst's "York College of Pennsylvania" are three books that merit reading this summer - or any time of year.

For more details, see: Central Pennsylvania histories make smart part of summer reading stack over at sister blog, York Town Square.

While publishers pray for a new children's series as popular as Harry Potter and anxiously await Dan Brown's follow-up to "The Da Vinci Code," a report released today predicts a tight market for at least the next few years.

Those of you of a certain age (and you know who you are) who are members of AARP will want to check out Borders’ latest promotion.

Just go to www.borders.com and click on “Exclusive offer for AARP members.”

You can save from 10 to 35 percent on books purchased both online and at the store. And if you’re not a member, they will sign you up on the spot.

Occasionally getting older has its advantages.

Readers would rather curl up with a printed book than go online or read an e-book, a new Random House/Zogby poll finds.

An 800-word Harry Potter prequel is one of 13 card-sized works to be sold at a charity auction in London.

While all major book publishers have announced environmental goals, such as using recycled paper, they haven’t completely arrived, according to the Associated Press.
For this week’s BookExpo America, about 30,000 event guides, just over 40 pages long, will be distributed at the Los Angeles Convention Center, along with 19,000 copies of the 700-page program guide. More than 10 million pages in all will be printed, none on recycled paper.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich's latest book, "Days of Infamy," written with historian William Forstchen, debuted at No. 11 on the New York Times Fiction Best-seller list this week.

This comes on the heels of the success of Gingrich’s non-fiction work, "Real Change: From the World that Fails to the World that Works," which spent 12 weeks on the NY Times Non-Fiction Best-seller list.

Gingrich joins the ranks of only a handful of authors who made the fiction and non-fiction list in the same year.

If your child has just started to learn to read, or if he could use a little encouragment to read, Pippa, Buster and Jackson can't wait to hear a good story!

The Children’s Book Council has announced the winners of the first annual Children’s Choice Book Awards at a gala in New York City, hosted by Jon Scieszka, national ambassador for young people’s literature.

Children across the country voted for their favorite books, author and illustrator at bookstores, school libraries and at www.BookWeekOnline.com. Close to 55,000 votes were received.

The winners are:

Fred Rosenmiller made the news recently for his donation of scores of valuable bottles, a vintage vehicle and other items to the York County Heritage Trust.

It might not be as well know that he and other bottle collectors wrote the book on bottles, York County bottles: "Bottles & Jugs".

A novel about space invaders and body snatchers isn't typically my cup of tea. But then again, neither is a love story between a 100-year-old vampire and his teenage would-be prey.

And I'm currently reading that book for (I'm a little ashamed here) the third time. I'm talking, of course, about "Twilight," the young adult series that has made stay-at-home mom Stephenie Meyer a best-selling author.

Billionaire Mayor Michael Bloomberg will share what he has learned in business and government in a new book due out later this year.

Carol McCleary Innerst has written a book "York College of Pennsylvania" via Arcadia Publishing.

The title of pretty well explains the contents of this $19.95 picture book.

For a mini-reviews, see: New York College book provides insight into school, community on Yorktownsquare.com.

The book: “Tankman in America.”

The author: Robert F. Merrill, 65, is a retired Navy pilot and York City schoolteacher. He was a member of a support group to help Golden Venture asylum seekers and wrote and sang freedom songs at the Sunday vigils held for the prisoners. He and his wife, Jane, have three children and six grandchildren.

It’s rare that I take great pleasure in proofreading pages. But the other day I was asked to tackle our newest publication, “All In One Room: York County’s Schoolhouses.”

I have always loved looking at old photos — even when I didn’t know a soul in them. But “All In One Room” proved to be a gold mine of memories for me, someone too young to have attended one.

Allyson A.W. Lyga will show how comics foster literacy and model graphic-novel lessons connected to national and state standards at 7 p.m. May 15 at Dillsburg Area Public Library, 17 S. Baltimore St., in Dillsburg.

Jodi Picoult, New York Times best-selling author of "Plain Truth," "My Sister's Keeper" and "Nineteen Minutes," will speak at 7 p.m. Sept. 11 at the Scottish Rite Cathedral, 310 S. 7th Ave. in Reading.

Dean Koontz fans will be happy to hear that his novel "The Good Guy" will be issued in paperback on April 29.

To learn more, visit his Web site at www.deankoontz.com.

Winners of the Your Voice contest that was part of Street Lit, Hip-Hop, Reading and Writing @ Martin Library are:

Keyona Bennett, 15, Hannah Penn Middle School, for “Starting Pains.”

Joshua Pagan, 16, William Penn Senior High School, for “Like a Cloud.”

Jarayssa Johnson Punter, 18, William Penn Senior High School, “My Angel.”

Cateisha Fells, 16, West York Area High School, “You Don’t Know Me.”

Latisha Murray, 17, William Penn Senior High School, “To Those Who Love Not.”

The book: “Sonata for Rain” (Iris G. Press, $10)

What it’s about: The 64-page book is a collection of Gonzalez’s poetry, accompanied by her artwork.

This summer the East Berlin Community Library is looking for responsible teens to give 2 hours of their time each week to volunteer in the library.

Author J.K. Rowling will testify today against a fan who plans to publish a "Harry Potter" encyclopedia.

The Pulitzer Prizes in literature, announced Monday, went to:
Fiction: “The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao,” by Junot Diaz (Riverhead Books)
General Nonfiction: “The Years of Extermination: Nazi Germany and the Jews, 1939-1945,” by Saul Friedlander (HarperCollins)

"If You Want Closure in Your Relationship, Start With Your Legs."

Yikes! That's right. That's the title that won London's Diagram Prize for the oddest title of the year.

Massachusetts' first black governor, Deval Patrick, is writing a memoir that will be published by Broadway Books in 2010.

Her other books include "Sullivan's Island" and "The Land of Mango Sunsets."

‘Goosebumps,’ the children’s horror series by R.L. Stine will be reborn this spring with a new series of 12 stories called ‘Goosebumps HorrorLand.’

To read about the new books and their author, http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/25/books/25stin.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

While my husband watches basketball on television, my nose is in a book.

But now I’ve discovered that we literary types can get hyped with a March Madness of our own.

A student's view of comics and a professor's view of graphic novels will be the last two programs in Dillsburg Library's "Comics From the Classics to the Graphix" series.

"Up, Down, and Around," written by Pennsylvania author Katherine Ayres and illustrated by Nadine Bernard Westcott, has been named this year's selection for the third annual Pennsylvania One Book, Every Young Child early literacy program.

York's Otterbein United Methodist Church has announced the publication of CrossWords, a new literary journal for Christian writers. The first edition of CrossWords contains the prose and poetry of more than 30 Central Pennsylvania writers.

"The Great Man" by Kate Christensen was named winner of the 2008 PEN/ Faulkner Award for Fiction.

York County poet Rebecca Gonzalez has published her first book of poetry. "Sonata for Rain" sells for $10. For details and ordering information, visit www.irisgpress.org.

Following in the footsteps of James Frey and Laura Albert, yet another writer has admitted her memoir is just a bit of creative writing.

Margaret Seltzer says her book, "Love and Consequences,'" was made up.

Read more by clicking here:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/05/books/05fake.html?th&emc=th

Oprah can indeed work wonders when it comes to selling books. And Eckhart Tolle’s "A New Earth" is her hottest book pick yet.

By MEGAN ERICKSON
For the Daily Record/Sunday News

Alex Martin is an Eagle Scout and is interested in astronomy and physics. The 15-year-old sophomore at Susquehannock High School is currently working on a 30-square-foot hand-drawn maze, and hopes to attend college for astrophysics.

And there’s another accomplishment he’s got in the bag — he’s a published author.

“Shadows: The Narlan Wars” is the first of four books in the “Shadows Cycle.” Alex said the book is science fiction, along the lines of “Star Wars” and “Lord of the Rings.” He first became interested in writing a book when the “Eragon” series by Christopher Paolini came out in 2003. Paolini himself was a young writer, and Alex was inspired by him.

Steve McKee

Steve McKee is a York Catholic grad and an editor for the Wall Street Journal.

His "My Father's Heart, A Son's Story" covers a lot of ground. It's a story about heart disease, the relationship between father and son, the painful aftermath of a loved one's death and a story about growing up in York in the 1960s... .

Phyllis A. Whitney, whose romantic suspense tales sold millions of copies, has died. She was 104.