Articles filed under Literature

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'Sleight of Hand' will shock, mislead Apr 27, 2013 12:00 AM
Private investigator Dana Cutler returns in "Sleight of Hand," Phillip Margolin's best book in years. Deception is prominent, and the villain is truly vile.
Book notes: Meet Gabby Douglas at Skokie’s B&N Apr 24, 2013 12:00 AM
Olympic gold-medal winning U.S. gymnast Gabrielle Douglas signs copies of her new memoir, "Raising the Bar," from 6:30 to 8:15 p.m. Thursday, May 2, at Barnes and Noble in Skokie. Free numbered signing tickets will be distributed beginning at 9 a.m. Thursday, May 2, to customers presenting a copy of "Raising the Bar" with proof of purchase from Barnes and Noble at Old Orchard.
T. Jefferson Parker concludes Charlie Hood series Apr 24, 2013 12:00 AM
"The Famous and the Dead" is billed as the final installment in T. Jefferson Parker's six-volume saga about Charlie Hood, an earnest young Los Angeles lawman hellbent on reducing the illegal trade in firearms along the California-Mexico border. As the story opens, Hood is still haunted by a shipment of Love-22s that he let slip into the hands of a Mexican drug lord in an earlier book.
‘Fangs Out’ is suspenseful tale Apr 23, 2013 12:00 AM
After 10 years on California's death row, Dorian Munz is finally about to be executed for murdering the daughter of a Vietnam War hero named Hub Walker in David Freed's "Fangs Out." Does Munz have any last words? "Funny you should ask," he says, and then swears the young woman was actually killed by her employer, a military contractor named Greg Castle, and on goes the mystery.
Mary Higgins Clark active as ever at age 85 Apr 20, 2013 12:00 AM
The desk of Mary Higgins Clark looks remarkably ordered for one of the world's most popular novelists. But the upkeep can be explained by spring cleaning and by a pause between projects as Clark promotes a new novel, and plans her next. "It's a total mess when I'm working, because I have research books here," she says. "And last year, it was getting all dusty from all the books, so we had to take them out. I get allergies easily and it was getting too dusty."
Rita Moreno’s memoir is survivor’s story Apr 16, 2013 12:00 AM
The award-winning actress Rita Moreno opens up — way, way up — in a memoir driven less by recollections from her career than by her effort to overcome crippling self-doubts. Moreno wasn't shaped by the roles she played. She focuses her story on a journey of self-discovery, and it's that introspection that gives her memoir its punch. Plus, her success story is so American.
’Fifty Shades’ makes list of challenged books Apr 15, 2013 12:00 AM
Here's a list "Fifty Shades of Grey" was destined to make: The books most likely to be removed from school and library shelves. E L James' multimillion selling erotic trilogy placed No. 4 on the American Library Association's annual study of "challenged books," works subject to complaints from parents, educators and other members of the public.
‘All That Is’ is masterpiece for writers Apr 13, 2013 12:00 AM
James Salter is a brilliant writer. But “All That Is,” his latest work and his first full-length novel since 1979, feels written more for writers than for readers. “All That Is” tells the story of the life and loves of Philip Bowman, a World War II veteran who spends a career in publishing. But what happens to Bowman — whom he loves, whom he loses — feels less important than the wisdom Salter leaves behind.
‘No Way Back’ is suspenseful tale Apr 12, 2013 12:00 AM
“No Way Back” is the latest high-octane thriller from Andrew Gross, the best-selling author of “15 Seconds.” One woman’s life is destroyed and another hides a secret from her past. Gross is a master of suspense, and “No Way Back” will put him on the best-seller lists once again.
Sports guy shows sensitive side in novel Apr 10, 2013 12:00 AM
ESPN radio host Mike Greenberg makes his living on guy talk, but who knew he had a gift for girl gab, too? The best-selling author creates three authentic female voices in his first novel, “All You Could Ask For,” about women learning life lessons through a devastating experience. Greenberg introduces three strong, intelligent, relatable characters in a book that’s easy to read.
‘The Interestings’ vividly charts lives of 6 teens Apr 9, 2013 12:00 AM
A little talent is a dangerous thing. Meg Wolitzer examines the implications of that sad truth in her latest work, "The Interestings," a sprawling, marvelously inventive novel that tracks the friendships of six teenagers over nearly four decades who met for the first time in the summer of 1974 at an arts camp in Massachusetts.
Book tells of fight over WWII intervention Apr 7, 2013 12:00 AM
Fewer Americans recall the passionate debate over our stance toward Nazi Germany during the first two years of World War II. That tumultuous time between the invasion of Poland and the attack on Pearl Harbor gave rise to a conflict at home that pitted isolationists against interventionists. Larger-than-life figures, from President Franklin D. Roosevelt to aviator Charles Lindbergh, were leading players in that ferocious battle in which the stakes couldn't have been higher. In "Those Angry Days," journalist-turned-historian Lynne Olson captures that period in a fast-moving, highly readable narrative punctuated by high drama.
Chicago attorney to discuss his book in Long Grove Apr 7, 2013 12:00 AM
"Once We Were Brothers," the tale of two boys and a family that struggles to survive in war-torn Poland is a legal thriller written by Chicago trial attorney and educator Ronald H. Balson. The sisterhood at Congregation Beth Judea is holding a book discussion with the author at 8 p.m. Wednesday, April 10, at Route 83 and Hill Top Road, Long Grove.
‘Burgess Boys’ weaves a story about mercy and a family Apr 4, 2013 12:00 AM
Jim and Bob Burgess, the brothers who are the title characters of Elizabeth Strout’s new novel, “The Burgess Boys,” grew up fatherless in a small Maine town after an accident in the family car when they were young.They were smart, though, and became lawyers in New York City. As the novel unfolds, they are drawn back to their hometown, revisiting old scars while struggling with a new shock to the family psyche.
Book notes: Jamie McGuire signs in Round Lake Beach Apr 4, 2013 12:00 AM
Best-selling author Jamie McGuire discusses and signs copies of her newest book, "Walking Disaster," from 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, April 10, at the Cultural and Civic Center of Round Lake Beach. The event is co-hosted by the Lake Forest Bookstore. Registration is required.
New food book gives readers a lot to digest Apr 3, 2013 12:00 AM
A can of Coke contains roughly nine teaspoons of sugar. Lunchables were created as a way to revive a flagging interest in bologna. Those are just some of the nuggets Michael Moss feeds readers in "Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us." But while the book is sprinkled with food facts, Moss shows readers how processed food makers manipulate their goods to get consumers to buy, often at the expense of their health.
Book provides an entertaining look at digestion Apr 2, 2013 12:00 AM
We love food. We savor it, digest it, absorb the best and pass the rest. That journey between the tip of your tongue and the seat of your pants might seem like a humdrum subject for a science book. But Mary Roach manages to make it not only fun, but also funny. The wonders of digestion are a launching point for Roach to explore all sorts of oddities.
New book shares insights from Steve Jobs’ 1st boss Mar 30, 2013 12:00 AM
When Steve Jobs adopted "think different" as Apple's mantra in the late 1990s, the company's ads featured Albert Einstein, Bob Dylan, Amelia Earhart and a constellation of other starry-eyed oddballs who reshaped society. Nolan Bushnell never appeared in those tributes, even though Apple was riffing on an iconoclastic philosophy he embraced while running video game pioneer Atari in the early 1970s. Bushnell was the first guy to give Steve Jobs his first full-time job in Silicon Valley at Atari.
Book notes: Caroline Kennedy reads poetry collection at NCC Mar 28, 2013 12:00 AM
Caroline Kennedy discusses and signs copies of her new book, "Poems to Learn By Heart," at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 4, at Pfeiffer Hall at North Central College in Naperville. The event is sponsored by Anderson's Bookshop of Naperville. Tickets for the event are available with the purchase of Kennedy's book from Anderson's at 123 W. Jefferson Ave., Naperville.
‘Ice Cold Kill’ is hot thriller Mar 26, 2013 12:00 AM
Dana Haynes departs from his previous thrillers involving the aeronautics industry and takes on the alphabet agencies in "Ice Cold Kill," a surprising and intriguing page turner. Daria Gibron takes center stage in this new novel. The former Shin-Bet agent now works as an interpreter, but when her old handler arranges to meet her at Grand Central Station in Manhattan, she drops everything to see him. When she lands in New York, a coded message warns her of a trap.