Mary Trump book already nearing 1 million sales
Mary L. Trump’s scathing memoir about her uncle, President Donald Trump, is nearly a million seller on preorders alone. Simon & Schuster said Thursday that Mary Trump’s “Too Much and Never Enough” had sold a company record 950,000 copies in combined print, digital and audio editions as of its date...
Back to the ’80s: Andrew McCarthy writing ‘Brat Pack’ bookVideo
Actor-writer-director Andrew McCarthy, a 57-year-old father of three, keeps getting asked about his “Brat Pack” years in the 1980s. He is now ready to answer. Grand Central Publishing announced Tuesday that McCarthy’s “Brat: An ’80s Story” will come out next spring. Grand Central is calling the book “a revealing look...
Judge rules Mary Trump can publicize book about her uncle
Mary Trump can talk about the highly critical book she wrote about her uncle, President Donald Trump, over the objections of the president’s brother, a judge ruled Monday as he lifted an order that had blocked her from publicizing or distributing her work. Judge Hal B. Greenwald in Poughkeepsie, N.Y.,...
‘The Far Side’ cartoonist Gary Larson debuts new comics for 1st time in 25 years
Cartoonist Gary Larson has returned to the world of mad scientists, the absurd, cows (of course) and more. But this time, it’s going to be on his schedule. After 15 years of daily and Sunday “The Far Side” strips, Larson’s final syndicated cartoon published on Jan. 1, 1995. But on...
City Books on Pittsburgh’s North Side to reopen
City Books on Pittsburgh’s North Side is reopening Wednesday. “It is both exhilarating and petrifying,” said Arlan Hess, owner. “I’ve been taking things slow. I did not rush to reopen June 5 (when allowed by Gov. Tom Wolf). I feel like with just two days being open a week that...
Mary Trump’s book offers scathing portrayal of President Trump
NEW YORK — President Donald Trump’s niece offers a scathing portrayal of her uncle in a new book obtained by The Associated Press Tuesday that blames a toxic family for raising a narcissistic, damaged man who poses an immediate danger to the public. Mary L. Trump, a psychologist, writes that...
Tell-all book by Trump niece Mary Trump to be released next week
NEW YORK — A tell-all book by President Donald Trump’s niece that has been the subject of a legal battle will be released next week. Publisher Simon & Schuster cited “high interest and extraordinary interest” in the book by Mary Trump titled “Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family...
Appeals court lifts restraint against Trump book publisher
A New York appeals court cleared the way Wednesday for a publisher to distribute a tell-all book by President Donald Trump’s niece over the objections of the president’s brother. The New York State Supreme Court Appellate Division said it was lifting a restraint that a judge put on Simon &...
Bialik and Batman: Actor teams up with DC for science books
“The Big Bang Theory” actor Mayim Bialik is teaming with DC Entertainment on a project that joins superhero power to the power of science. DC Entertainment announced Thursday that Bialik will collaborate with popular comic writers and illustrators on a story collection that features Batman, Superman, the Flash and others...
Makers of Dungeons & Dragons vow to be more inclusive, in fantasy world and the real one
Even in a fantasy world, words have real impact. The developers of Dungeons & Dragons, the classic fantasy adventure game, acknowledge that in a recent blog post and vow to be more inclusive, in the fantasy realm and in this one. The Wizards of the Coast and D&D team acknowledges...
Trump’s brother sues over niece’s book about ‘toxic’ family
President Donald Trump’s brother sued to block publication of a book by their niece Mary Trump, saying portions of the memoir violate confidentiality provisions of a settlement reached among family members almost two decades ago in a fight over money. Robert S. Trump filed the complaint Tuesday in state court...
Cardinal Pell to publish prison diary musing on sex abuse case, church, sports
Cardinal George Pell, the former Vatican finance minister who was convicted and then acquitted of sexual abuse in his native Australia, is set to publish his prison diary musing on life in solitary confinement, the Catholic Church, politics and sports. Catholic publisher Ignatius Press told The Associated Press the first...
2 Garrison Keillor books set for release this fall
Garrison Keillor will have two books out this fall — a novel and a memoir — marking his first releases since sexual harassment allegations were made against the author and humorist three years ago. Arcade Publishing announced Thursday that Keillor’s “The Lake Wobegon Virus,” which continues his popular “Lake Wobegon”...
Online children’s story sessions feature Westmoreland Symphony musicians
Children are invited to learn about composer Ludwig van Beethoven during online story times presented by the Westmoreland Library Network, featuring musicians from the Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra. “Beethoven Lives Upstairs,” by Barbara Nichol, will be read during sessions at 11 a.m. Wednesday and Friday, and on July 13 and Aug....
Oprah picks James McBride’s ‘Deacon King Kong’ for book club
Oprah Winfrey has chosen James McBride’s “Deacon King Kong” for her book club. McBride’s novel is set in a Brooklyn housing project in 1969 and centers on the shooting of a drug dealer by an aging and tipsy church deacon. But it also pays tribute to community and to McBride’s...
‘Top Chef’ host Padma Lakshmi working on picture book
Padma Lakshmi’s next book is designed for the children’s table. The “Top Chef” host and best-selling author is working on her first picture book, “Tomatoes for Neela.” Viking Children’s Books announced Tuesday that the book is scheduled for fall 2021. According to the publisher, “Tomatoes for Neela” is an intergenerational...
Review: Identical twins veer apart in moving ‘Thin Girls’
Dark, poignant and gripping, Diana Clarke’s “Thin Girls” is sure to be unlike anything else you’ve read. Identical twins Rose and Lily Winters are deeply connected, but in high school their relationship begins to grow complicated. Rose’s desperation to be cool leads her down a dangerous path of extreme dieting....
Review: Ottessa Moshfegh offers an eccentric murder mystery
Dark doesn’t even begin to describe Ottessa Moshfegh’s latest novel, “Death in Her Hands.” Try horrifying, macabre, fashionably self-referential and exceptionally well-written — a book, as the publisher’s blurb says, that asks us to consider how the stories we tell ourselves both reflect the truth and keep us blind to...
JK Rowling responds to critics over her transgender comments
LOS ANGELES — “Harry Potter” creator J.K. Rowling said she refuses to “bow down” to criticism about her recent comments on transgender people. Rowling published a lengthy post on her blog website Wednesday in response to the backlash and her concerns over “new trans activism.” She has been under hefty...
Emily Giffin releases 10th novel, apologizes for Meghan Markle criticisms
Best-selling author Emily Giffin is apologizing for recent negative comments she made about Meghan Markle. The “Something Borrowed” author frequently posts about the British royal family on her social media. When Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, released a video last month for her son Archie’s first birthday. Giffin posted a...
JK Rowling’s tweets on transgender people spark outrage
LOS ANGELES — “Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling is facing hefty backlash after she posted a series of tweets about transgender people. Rowling drew outrage Saturday on Twitter when she criticized an opinion piece from Devex that used the phrase ” people who menstruate.” “I’m sure there used to be...
Review: New novel explores race, identity, belonging
A new novel explores the construct of race in the diverging lives of light-skinned black twins, one of whom transitions into a life as a white woman. “The Vanishing Half” by Brit Bennett is beautifully written, thought-provoking and immersive. It follows Desiree and Stella, who hail from the town of...
Books on race and criminal justice top bestseller lists
As nationwide protests against racism and police violence continue, readers are seeking out books old and new on race and criminal justice. Robin Diangelo’s “White Fragility,” Michelle Alexander’s “The New Jim Crow” and Bryan Stevenson’s “Just Mercy” were among the works high on the bestseller lists Tuesday of Amazon.com and...
New ‘Hunger Games’ book sells more than 500,000 copies
A decade after the “Hunger Games” series had apparently ended, readers were clearly ready for more. Suzanne Collins’ “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” sold more 500,000 copies last week, even as many of the country’s bookstores were closed or offering limited service because of the coronavirus pandemic. The total...
JK Rowling publishes first chapters of new story online
LONDON — JK Rowling is publishing a new story called “The Ickabog,” which will be free to read online to help entertain children and families stuck at home during the coronavirus pandemic. The “Harry Potter” author said Tuesday she wrote the fairy tale for her children as a bedtime story...
