‘The City of Falling Angels’ is subject of next One Westmoreland book discussion
A fire that consumed an historic Venetian performance venue sparked the creation of an atmospheric tale featured in the latest edition of the Westmoreland Library Network’s One Book, One Westmoreland book discussion program. Area residents are invited to stop at one of several county libraries to pick up a copy...
Steelers’ James Conner announces autobiography ‘Fear is a Choice’
Pittsburgh Steelers running back James Conner has a book coming out this year. Conner announced his autobiography “Fear is a Choice: Tackling Life’s Challenges with Dignity, Faith, and Determination” on Thursday. The book will be released June 16 via Harper Collins. pic.twitter.com/hlzlMDfX97— James Conner (@JamesConner_) January 23, 2020 According to...
Everyone invited: ‘Great Gatsby’ copyright to end in 2021
NEW YORK — For decades, Jay Gatsby, Daisy Buchanan and other characters from “The Great Gatsby” have been as real to millions of readers as people in their own lives, exemplars and victims of the American pursuit of wealth and status. Starting next January, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic Jazz Age...
Murrysville author’s book discusses signposts on his journey of grievingVideo
One of the many historical uses of the cairn, a man-made stack of stones, is to mark a trail, as a means for travelers to find their way. For Joe Walko, 53, of Murrysville, the cairn served as a perfect metaphor for the grieving journey he began when his wife...
Author of ‘Indianapolis’ to speak on World War II sinking, aftermath
Most people know the story of the USS Indianapolis from the movie “Jaws.” To them, it’s a story about sharks. But to best-selling author Lynn Vincent, the sinking of the USS Indianapolis is more a story of faith and leadership. On March 10, she will tell that story in Pittsburgh...
Pittsburgh native Bari Weiss wins book award for work on anti-Semitism
Pittsburgh native Bari Weiss won a 2019 National Jewish Book Award for her book “How to Fight Anti-Semitism.” Weiss, who grew up in Squirrel Hill and graduated from Shady Side Academy, won the Myra H. Kraft Memorial Award in the category Contemporary Jewish Life and Practice. Hers was one of...
Chip Bell is an Arnold attorney, but his adventure novels take you to the tropicsVideo
Editor’s note: This is part of an occasional series that features Alle-Kiski Valley residents and the notable things that they do. People who step into Charles “Chip” Bell Jr.’s office in Arnold are transported to the tropics. Images of palm trees, Key West, the Caribbean and even pirates are scattered...
‘Prozac Nation’ author Elizabeth Wurtzel dies at age 52
NEW YORK — Elizabeth Wurtzel, whose blunt and painful confessions of her struggles with addiction and depression in the best-selling “Prozac Nation” made her a voice and a target for an anxious generation, died Tuesday at age 52. Wurtzel’s husband, Jim Freed, told The Associated Press that she died at...
T.S. Eliot letters show love for muse but poet downplays it
PHILADELPHIA — Recently unveiled letters from T.S. Eliot to his muse Emily Hale show how much he loved his longtime friend, but a statement from beyond the grave by the poet himself dismisses his feelings and shows how Eliot tries to rewrite the narrative of their relationship, scholars say. Hale...
3 female authors will discuss their writing, friendship in Seton Hill program
Three bestselling female authors who hail from the West Coast will discuss their writing and today’s publishing industry during a presentation Tuesday at Seton Hill University in Greensburg. “An Evening with Juliet Blackwell, Rachael Herron and Sophie Littlefield” is set for 7 p.m. in the Carol Reichgut Concert Hall at...
National Science Fiction Day celebrates Asimov, speculative literature
With “The Rise of Skywalker,” the latest “Star Wars” sequel, currently blasting the competition at the box office, science fiction films are enjoying as high a profile as ever since the original movie in the franchise debuted in 1977. Today, fans of the genre are encouraged to take a deeper...
Pitt library digs into its archives to celebrate Science Fiction Day
National Science Fiction Day was the perfect opportunity for Ben Rubin, horror studies collection coordinator at the University of Pittsburgh Library System, to show people that the library offers even more resources than they realize. “People think archives and think it’s inaccessible,” Rubin said. “We want to demystify the collections...
WQED seeks storytellers for annual PBS KIDS Writers ContestVideo
Young authors are invited to take up their pens, or fire up their devices, and spin yarns for WQED’s annual PBS KIDS Writers Contest. WQED has partnered with the EQT Foundation for 11 years to present the contest to children throughout the region, encouraging them to submit original stories and...
Book details history of Allegheny County’s legal community
Long before headline-grabbing attorneys basked in the spotlight of television cameras, there were lawyers like Thomas Mercer Marshall. In the early 19th century, Marshall traveled the Perrysville Plank Toll Road between present day West View and Pittsburgh’s North Side nearly every day. Dismayed that the road was deteriorating, took matters...
Barack Obama names Dan Rooney book as a favorite of 2019
Barack Obama included a Pittsburgh gem in his list of top books from of the year. The former president and avid reader shared via Twitter 19 titles that impressed him. One of his sports favorites was Jim Rooney’s “A Different Way to Win: Dan Rooney’s Story from the Super Bowl...
Nora Roberts pens tale of survivors after shooting
Nora Roberts has crafted a chillingly timely piece of fiction with her book “Shelter In Place,” released in 2018. The prolific author has taken on an active shooter scenario, with a plot frighteningly reminiscent of the 2012 theater shooting in Colorado. That’s where all similarities end. Roberts sets her book...
30-plus years of ‘Garfield’ comic strips to sell at auction
DALLAS — Cartoonist Jim Davis is offering up more than 11,000 “Garfield” comic strips hand-drawn on paper in an auction that will stretch into the coming years, with at least a couple of strips featuring the always-hungry orange cat with a sardonic sense of humor available weekly. “There are just...
‘Sophie’ biography explores struggles, success of Pittsburgh’s Mayor Masloff
For historian Barbara Burstin, researching the life of Sophie Masloff, Pittsburgh’s first female and Jewish mayor, was a fascinating and rewarding project. She sees Masloff’s story of overcoming poverty, sexism and anti-Semitism as inspiring to everyone. Masloff served as mayor from 1988 to 1994. “Her story is a reflection of...
Unauthorized biography of first lady Melania Trump offers lurid details of life in the White HouseVideo
The unauthorized biography of first lady Melania Trump by CNN correspondent Kate Bennett that was released Tuesday provides details of her marriage of President Donald Trump. The title “Free, Melania: the Unauthorized Biography,” offers details of life inside the White House such as Melania and the president not only sleep...
First Marvel Comics issue sells in Texas for $1.26 million
DALLAS — A rare near-mint condition copy of the first Marvel Comics comic book has sold at auction in Dallas for $1.26 million. Heritage Auctions says the Marvel Comics No. 1 from 1939 sold Thursday. Heritage says the buyer wished to remain anonymous. Ed Jaster, senior vice president at Heritage,...
Sewickley’s Penguin Bookshop celebrates 90 years
The smell of freshly printed books greets you as you enter the Penguin Bookshop, located in the heart of Sewickley. Friendly faces offer assistance to the steady flow of customers that enter the cozy space, quickly helping them find their next read or wrapping the perfect present to give to...
John Bolton has book deal, publishing officials say
NEW YORK — Former national security adviser John Bolton has a book deal, The Associated Press has learned. The hawkish Bolton departed in September because of numerous foreign policy disagreements with President Donald Trump. He reached a deal over the past few weeks with Simon & Schuster, according to three...
Former Steeler Merril Hoge appearing at The Tiny Bookstore in Ross
Before hosting the 2019 Steelers Alumni Weekend Dinner at Heinz Field, Merril Hoge will be appearing at The Tiny Bookstore in Ross Township on Saturday, Nov. 9, from 1 to 3 p.m. Hoge will be at the store to promote his most recent book, “Brainwashed: The Bad Science Behind CTE...
Marie Kondo’s doing what she can to make your kids tidyVideo
Not even Marie Kondo can follow all her rules for tidying all the time. “Of course, when things get very busy, I need to let go of some of my standards and methods, and I think that’s a completely natural thing,” the decluttering guru, Netflix realty star and mother of...
‘Echoes from the Hollow’ author Don Roberts to hold 2 book discussions
Don Roberts said it was a breath of fresh air to have found a creative outlet such as writing fiction shortly after retiring. The Monroeville resident, 76, had a 35-year career in education with Pittsburgh Public Schools. He concurrently taught at the University of Pittsburgh as a history lecturer. “As...
