‘Handmaid’s Tale,’ Harry Potter on challenged books list
Stories with gay and transgender themes, a spoof inspired by the family rabbit of Vice President Mike Pence, and classics by J.K. Rowling and Margaret Atwood were among the books that received the most objections last year at schools and libraries. On Monday, the American Library Association released its annual...
Alex Trebek set to publish a memoir while fighting pancreatic cancer
Alex Trebek will soon share his life story with the world. Simon & Schuster announced on Tuesday that the publisher will release “The Answer Is…: Reflections on My Life,” a memoir by the beloved and longtime “Jeopardy!” host that will hit shelves July 21 — one day before his 80th...
‘Shifting America off its constitutional foundations’: Saint Vincent prof critiques progressivism in new bookVideo
The demise of Democratic presidential hopefuls Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren does not mean the end of progressivism in the political spectrum, said a Saint Vincent College professor who has written a new book analyzing the movement in the United States. “Even though both (U.S. Senators) Warren and Sanders have...
Loretta Lynn’s bond with Patsy Cline remains strong
Patsy Cline and Loretta Lynn only knew each other a short time before Cline’s death at the age of 30, but the friendship formed between two trailblazers of country music is enough to fill a book. Lynn’s new memoir, “Me and Patsy: Kicking Up Dust,” which was released this week,...
A tip at Jamison Farm leads Pittsburgh writer to book on organic agriculture pioneer Louis Bromfield
For a man who wrote so many books — 34 in 33 years — not many books have been written about Louis Bromfield. Pittsburgh author Stephen Heyman is remedying that oversight with his new book, “The Planter of Modern Life: Louis Bromfield and the Seeds of a Food Revolution” (W.W....
Oprah Winfrey chooses ‘Hidden Valley Road’ for book clubVideo
Oprah Winfrey’s new book club pick is Robert Kolker’s “Hidden Valley Road,” an in-depth account of a 1950s family in which six of 12 children were diagnosed with schizophrenia. Winfrey says she will continue picking books during the coronavirus outbreak, and will seek new ways to engage readers. In announcing...
James Patterson sets up fund to help indie booksellers
James Patterson has a history of helping independent bookstores. The best-selling novelist has donated millions in recent years to booksellers, while also giving millions to schools and libraries and literacy programs. Now, with stores closed or closing nationwide because of the coronavirus outbreak, Patterson has launched a new initiative. On...
J.K. Rowling starts Harry Potter At Home for housebound families
J.K. Rowling is hoping a dash of Harry Potter will help families confined to their homes during the coronavirus pandemic. The author has launched an online initiative, harrypotterathome.com, which features quizzes, games and other activities. For the month of April, Rowling also has partnered with the audio publisher-distributor Audible and...
‘Strega Nona’ author Tomie dePaola is dead at age 85
CONCORD, New Hampshire — Tomie dePaola, the prolific children’s author and illustrator who delighted generations with tales of Strega Nona, the kindly and helpful old witch in Italy, died Monday at age 85. DePaola died at the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, New Hampshire, according to his literary agent, Doug...
Patrick Stewart, Josh Gad, other celebs read on social media during coronavirus shutdown
Some actors are turning to reading aloud to help fans pass the time as many stay at home and practice social distancing amid the coronavirus outbreak. On Saturday, Patrick Stewart, best known for his work as a Shakespearean actor, Capt. Jean-Luc Picard on “Star Trek: Next Generation” and as Professor...
Woody Allen has new publisher, memoir published Monday
Woody Allen’s memoir, dropped by its original publisher after widespread criticism, has found a new home. The 400-page book, still called “Apropos of Nothing,” was released Monday by Arcade Publishing. “The book is a candid and comprehensive personal account by Woody Allen of his life,” Arcade announced, “ranging from his...
Greensburg author, musician Karen Dietrich publishes ‘dark thriller’Video
Evelyn Gibson, the protagonist in Greensburg author Karen Dietrich’s novel “Girl at the Edge,” is a 16-year-old girl living in Florida with her loving, slightly unconventional family. “I’m into kind of dark stories, darker crime,” says Dietrich, 43. So the fact that Evelyn has always known her father was a...
Critics of Oprah book club title put new novel, ‘American Dirt,’ on trial
When Oprah Winfrey chose the novel “American Dirt” for her book club, she imagined engaging in an impassioned television dialog about the narrative, which follows a Mexican mother and her son fleeing to the United States. Instead, Winfrey ended up organizing a show that put the book, author Jeanine Cummins...
Publisher pushes back release date for John Bolton’s book
NEW YORK — The publisher of John Bolton’s highly anticipated memoir has pushed back the release date from March 17 to mid-May. Simon & Schuster cited the ongoing government security review of the former national security adviser’s “The Room Where It Happened.” The new date is May 12, the publisher...
‘Into the Wild’ lures the unprepared to Alaska wilderness
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — For nearly a quarter-century, the old bus abandoned in Alaska’s punishing wilderness has drawn adventurers seeking to retrace the steps of a young idealist who met a tragic death in the derelict vehicle. For many, Christopher McCandless’ legend was cemented in the 1996 “Into the Wild” book...
Clive Cussler, million-selling adventure writer, dies at 88
NEW YORK — Clive Cussler, the million-selling adventure writer and real-life thrill-seeker who wove personal details and spectacular fantasies into his page-turning novels about underwater explorer Dirk Pitt, has died, his publisher said Wednesday. Cussler died Monday at his home in Scottsdale, Arizona, said Alexis Welby, spokeswoman for publisher Penguin...
Former Ukraine diplomat Marie Yovanovitch has book deal
NEW YORK — Former Ukraine ambassador Marie Yovanovitch, the career diplomat who during the impeachment hearings of President Donald Trump offered a chilling account of alleged threats from Trump and his allies, has a book deal. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt confirmed Friday to The Associated Press that it had acquired Yovanovitch’s...
Pitt-Greensburg will feature readings by pair of Western Pennsylvania authors
Trafford resident Dave Newman and Greene County native Sarah Elaine Smith will read from their works of fiction as part of the Written/Spoken Series on Thursday on the Pitt-Greensburg campus. The program, which is free to the public, begins at 7 p.m. in Powers Hall, Room 100. A book sale...
‘Seculosity’ author to speak on future of American religion, spirituality
Author, editor and podcaster David Zahl will speak at Ligonier Town Hall on March 12 on the decline of organized religion and the rise of “replacement” religions. Zahl is the author of “Seculosity: How Career, Parenting, Technology, Food, Politics, and Romance Became Our New Religion and What to Do about...
Former Greensburg lawyer pens political thriller set in Westmoreland
“Settlers’ Cemetery,” a former Greensburg lawyer’s debut novel, may have tongues wagging in Greensburg. The novel, by attorney and political gadfly Gary Fine, is peppered with the kind of scandalous tales I heard as a courthouse reporter in the 1980s, and then some. Fast forward 40 years. Add a political...
Award-winning writers kick off Pitt-Greensburg series
Writers curious about publishing, performing and getting their work into print can learn more on Feb. 4 as the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg opens its Written/Spoken Series. The program at 7 p.m. in the Hempfield Room at the 150 Finoli Drive campus includes several award-winning writers and the editors...
Small home living: Not ‘downsizing’ but ‘right-sizing’
With the current trend toward decluttering and downsizing, there are plenty of books about how to winnow down possessions to the few that are truly necessary and loved. This book shows how you can live well once that’s done. In “Downsize: Living Large in a Small House” (2019, The Taunton...
Stephen King quits Facebook over political ads
Horror writer Stephen King has quit Facebook, saying he is not comfortable with the political advertising on the platform. In a post on Twitter on Friday, King stated, “I’m quitting Facebook. Not comfortable with the flood of false information that’s allowed in its political advertising, nor am I confident in...
Author Mary Higgins Clark, ‘Queen of Suspense,’ dead at 92
NEW YORK — Mary Higgins Clark, the tireless and long-reigning “Queen of Suspense” whose tales of women beating the odds made her one of the world’s most popular writers, died Friday at age 92. Her publisher, Simon & Schuster, announced that she died of natural causes in Naples, Florida. “Nobody...
Salma Hayek apologizes for praising controversial new novel
NEW YORK — Salma Hayek is apologizing for promoting a controversial new novel, Jeanine Cummins’ “American Dirt,” without actually reading it. “American Dirt,” published Tuesday, tells the story of a Mexican woman and her 8-year-old son fleeing to the U.S. border after numerous family members are murdered in drug cartel-related...
