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...
Patrick Stewart’s Shakespearean sonnet readings shine light during crisis
When the time comes to tell our grandkids about the pandemic of 2020, there will be no shortage of stories. It was scary. Everything shut down, and tens of thousands died. People were so panicked, you couldn’t find toilet paper or flour on store shelves. Schools closed. All you could...
Author urges gardeners to form 1 big ‘national park’
Imagine if all the back and front yards — and even patio container plants — across the country were seen as one magnificent patchwork quilt, a “Homegrown National Park.” Home gardeners would join forces to bring back a variety of native plants to protect and nurture struggling birds, bees and...
Pittsburgh creator makes 1st fluorescent, black-light comic bookVideo
Pittsburgh comic book creator Jim Rugg set out to make a book that would shine — literally. “Octobriana 1976” will be what he called the world’s first fluorescent, black-light comic book. Rugg, known for his work on “Street Angel,” “Afrodisiac” and “The PLAIN Janes,” based his comic on Octobriana, a...
New book: ‘Mister Rogers’ actor stayed in closet to remain on show
Francois Clemmons vividly recalls a come-to-Jesus meeting with Fred Rogers 52 years ago, as if it happened yesterday. Clemmons, who had spent a good portion of his life struggling with his sexuality, was coming into his own as a gay man. He was frequenting a gay club behind the Greyhound...
Naomi Campbell’s self-shot photo will grace cover of ESSENCE’s 50th anniversary editionVideo
ESSENCE magazine will have the honor of having the cover of its 50th Anniversary issue feature an icon who is gracefully hitting the half-century mark herself. Supermodel Naomi Campbell made history for the publication’s Special Collector’s Edition by producing her own portraits for the edition while she is in isolation...
Daniel Radcliffe, other celebs reading ‘Harry Potter’ on videoVideo
Harry Potter will be reading Harry Potter in a new video series announced Tuesday. Actor Daniel Radcliffe, who came to fame playing the young wizard, is reading the first chapter of “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” on the Wizarding World website. It can also be found in audio format...
Author says prequel to ‘Twilight’ series will arrive Aug. 4
“The Midnight Sun” will finally appear. Stephenie Meyer’s long-awaited prequel to her “Twilight” series is coming out Aug. 4, the author announced Monday. “The Midnight Sun” is narrated from vampire Edward Cullen’s perspective. Meyer had kept her fans in suspense all weekend with a countdown clock on her site that...
Comics industry providing plenty of content during coronavirus shutdown
The long drought is broken. Diamond Comic Distributors, which delivers most comics to retailers in North America, announced April 28 on Twitter that it would resume full services on May 20. Diamond had previously announced in late March that it was halting all deliveries, which left comic shops with no...
Producer’s memoir talks life of hits, magic of Eddie Van Halen
In a life full of magical musical moments, few compare for Ted Templeman to the night he first saw Van Halen in a mostly empty Hollywood club. The elite record-maker and Warner Bros. record executive who had spent the decade producing albums for The Doobie Brothers, Van Morrison, Carly Simon...
Prince Harry records message for Thomas the Tank Engine
Prince Harry has recorded a special message to celebrate the 75th anniversary of children’s favorite Thomas the Tank Engine. The Duke of Sussex introduces a new program called “Thomas and Friends: The Royal Engine,” which has a storyline that includes Harry’s father and grandmother, Prince Charles and Queen Elizabeth II,...
Makers finding solace, joy in dangerous times
Their reasons may differ, but crafters agree: Makers gotta make. Those who create things by hand — who weld, weave, play in clay or paints — are pursuing their passions the best they can during the coronavirus pandemic. The creative arts are soothing, fill time, and keep our minds and...
Book, Zoom sessions take a new look at Henry Clay Frick
Coal and coke magnate Henry Clay Frick is the topic of two upcoming Zoom discussions hosted by the Fayette County Cultural Trust and author Cassandra Vivian. The discussions are planned for 11 a.m. April 28 and 4 p.m. April 30. Mt. Pleasant resident Vivian is the author of a new...
‘Hunger Games’ prequel in the works
It appears “Hunger Games” fans eager for more Panem action have the odds in their favor. A prequel to the franchise that took in almost $3 billion at the box office is officially in the works, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Author Suzanne Collins’ new book “The Ballad of Songbirds...
