Articles filed under Literature

• Agent: ‘OMG’ diet book subject of 7-figure deal May 26, 2012 12:00 AM
  The author of a self-published diet book that advocates skipping breakfast and taking cold baths has agreed to lucrative deals with British and U.S. publishers.
  

   
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  'Flat Spin' has riveting plot and fine prose May 25, 2012 12:00 AM
  "Flat Spin," the title of this debut thriller by Pulitzer Prize winner David Reed, is the name of a complex and risky flight maneuver that only the most accomplished pilots should attempt, so it's no surprise that the hero of the story, Cordell Logan, is a first-rate aviator. He's also a former assassin for a top-secret military squad that specializes in making terrorists disappear.
  

   
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  Book notes: Kerry Wood signs his new kids' book May 25, 2012 12:00 AM
  Recently retired Chicago Cubs pitcher Kerry Wood signs his new children's book, "All You Can Be: Learning and Growing Through Sports," at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 29, at Barnes and Noble — Old Orchard in Skokie. Free numbered tickets for the signing line will be distributed at 9 a.m. Tuesday to customers with a copy of Woods' book and a proof of purchase from Barnes and Noble.
  

   
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  Sheen and Estevez memoir explores father-son bond May 23, 2012 12:00 AM
  First see their movie, "The Way," then read their book, "Along the Way: The Journey of a Father and Son," the engaging dual memoir by Martin Sheen and Emilio Estevez that explores their lives and their intense relationship. Punctuated with humor and unusual frankness, the emotional highs and lows they share will resonate with fathers and sons.
  

   
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  Slow economy sparks wave of Occupy books May 23, 2012 12:00 AM
  With a Democrat in the White House, a wave of books are coming out this year lamenting the slow economy and calling for substantial change. And those books are by liberals. "It's the story of the moment right now," says Patricia Bostelman, vice president of marketing for Barnes & Noble Inc. "We have a real disparity-of-wealth issue and that tends to be a subject for books from the left, especially after Occupy Wall Street."
  

   
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  'Columbus Affair' filled with twists and turns May 22, 2012 12:00 AM
  Steve Berry's latest novel, "The Columbus Affair," is a thrill ride — and his best book to date. It involves Pulitzer Prize winner Tom Sagan, who was considered one of the best writers in the world. His hard-hitting pieces were legendary. But when a thoroughly researched article appears to be fabricated, Sagan's career and reputation are shattered. Berry is a master at blending fact and fiction — readers won't be disappointed.
  

   

• ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’ coming out as e-book May 20, 2012 12:00 AM
  Welcome, Holly Golightly, to the digital revolution. Vintage Books has announced that "Breakfast at Tiffany's," Truman Capote's classic New York City novella, is coming out this week as an e-book for the first time.
  

   

• ‘Three Cups’ readers take case to appeals court May 19, 2012 12:00 AM
  Four people who bought Greg Mortenson's books are taking their claims of fraud against the humanitarian to a federal appeals court.
  

   
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  Mitch Albom’s latest book set for release Aug. 28 May 17, 2012 12:00 AM
  Mitch Albom's publisher says the best-selling author's latest book will be released this summer. Hyperion announced that "The Time Keeper" comes out Aug. 28.
  

   

• Book notes: Meet media sensation Ted Williams May 17, 2012 12:00 AM
  Meet Ted Williams, the former homeless man with the voice that made him a media sensation in 2011, as he reads from and signs copies of his new book, "A Golden Voice: How Faith, Hard Work and Humility Brought Me From the Streets to Salvation," at 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 22, at Anderson's Bookshop in Naperville.
  

   
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  Bacigalupi back with another dark vision May 15, 2012 12:00 AM
  A new Paolo Bacigalupi novel is reason to celebrate — no matter how old you are. Bacigalupi's latest, “The Drowned Cities,” is his second straight young adult release, but that shouldn't deter the writer's older fans from picking up the book (even if you have to do it on the sly). It's packed with the same kind of entrancing insight that made Bacigalupi's previous works so unforgettable.
  

   
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  Anne Lamott loses none of her wit as a grandma May 14, 2012 12:00 AM
  Anne Lamott? A grandmother? Didn't we just read and fall in love with “Operating Instructions,” her hilarious 1994 memoir about pregnancy and childbirth? In a word — yes. Now she writes about becoming a grandma earlier than she expected in “Some Assembly Required: A Journal of My Son's First Son.”
  

   
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  Mount Prospect writer's new novel getting positive reviewsMay 13, 2012 12:00 AM
  Improvisation is a concept usually associated with the performing arts, like sketch comedy or music. But what if that approach was applied to a novel? Mount Prospect resident Rick Kaempfer decided to find out. He and Brendan Sullivan, a longtime friend and former colleague, spent more than two years brainstorming and improvising the chapters of a novel.
  

   

• Book notes: Meet Dee Snider at Skokie's B&N May 11, 2012 12:00 AM
  Former Twisted Sister frontman and recent "Celebrity Apprentice" contender Dee Snider signs copies of his new autobiography, "Shut Up and Give Me the Mic," at 7 p.m. Monday, May 14, at Barnes and Noble — Old Orchard in Skokie. Free numbered tickets for the signing line will be given out at 9 a.m. Monday.
  

   
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  ‘Solitary House' a mystery with a dose of Dickens May 9, 2012 12:00 AM
  The star of Lynn Shepherd's intriguing mystery novel is midcentury Victorian London, depicted in all its filthy glory and without a hint of the jolly charm that found its way into the tales of Charles Dickens. But then charm is hardly the point in “The Solitary House.” Shepherd artfully mixes a tale of murder with elements common to Dickens' writing.
  

   
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  ’Fifty Shades’ too steamy for some library shelves May 9, 2012 12:00 AM
  Public libraries in several states are pulling the racy romance trilogy Fifty Shades of Grey from shelves or deciding not to order the best-seller at all, saying its too steamy or too poorly written.
  

   
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  Bethenny Frankel's ‘Skinnydipping' makes a splash May 8, 2012 12:00 AM
  Bethenny Frankel has worn many hats in her rise to success. The reality TV star and self-help author has also designed everything from sangria to shapewear ... so why not novelist? In her new book, “Skinnydipping,” Frankel takes the advice “write what you know” seriously with a thinly veiled protagonist who closely resembles herself.
  

   
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  Lucy Kincaid is back in compelling ‘Silenced' May 8, 2012 12:00 AM
  An FBI trainee ends up over her head when she helps investigate a congressional sex scandal in “Silenced,” the latest in the Lucy Kincaid series by Allison Brennan. Brennan throws a lot of story lines into the air and juggles them like a master. The mystery proves to be both compelling and complex. And previous knowledge of Lucy Kincaid books isn't necessary to enjoy this chilling and twisty romantic suspense gem.
  

   
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  ‘Where Wild Things Are’ author Maurice Sendak dies May 8, 2012 12:00 AM
  Maurice Sendak, the children's book author and illustrator who saw the sometimes-dark side of childhood in books like "Where the Wild Things Are" and "In the Night Kitchen," died early Tuesday. He was 83. Longtime friend and caretaker Lynn Caponera said she was with him when Sendak died at a hospital in Danbury, Conn. She said he had a stroke on Friday.
  

   

• Libraries join in Free Comic Book Day May 3, 2012 12:00 AM
  The first Saturday in May each year is Free Comic Book Day, and besides local comic book shops, in the Northwest suburbs the Mount Prospect, Indian Trails and Gail Borden libraries are also participating.