Attention Fellow Book Lovers: HuffPost's New Books Section Is Here

During my life, I have experienced just about every emotion. But I have never been bored. And that's because of books.

If I have a book with me (and I never leave home without one), I don't mind having to wait. Plane delayed? Doctor running behind? Friends forget about lunch? No problem, more time to read.

Give me a book -- hardback, paperback, eBook -- and I'm all set. I used to worry, especially on long-distance flights, about not having lugged enough books with me, but my Kindle has solved that dilemma. The only problem is that I love underlining books as I read them, and though the Kindle lets you mark things, you can't just collect your underlined passages and print them (help a girl out, Amazon!).

My love affair with books is a long one. As a little girl growing up in Athens, I remember sending my friends home early from my fifth birthday party because all that celebrating was keeping me away from my books. Who needed friends and cake? I had my books!

My entire career path was set by being asked to write my first book. I was 21 and ready to leave Cambridge for Harvard and the Kennedy School of Government. Then fate intervened. After seeing a debate I took part in at the Cambridge Union, a publisher asked me if I'd be interested in writing a book based what I had said in the debate. "I can't write," I replied. "Can you have lunch?" he asked. That I could do -- and over lunch he won me over.

That was twelve books ago. Since that lunch, I can't remember a time when I wasn't researching or writing a book, until now, when instead of my signing another book contract, we are launching a Books section. I couldn't be more excited.

From the beginning, HuffPost has sought to combine the best of the traditional media with the best of the new media. And that's what we've done with Books.

I've always been an avid reader of the New York Review of Books. For going on 50 years, it has been the premier source of thoughtful, penetrating articles on books -- as well as politics, culture, and current events.

So when we decided to start a book section, the first call I made was to the Review's legendary founder Bob Silvers, asking if he'd be interested in partnering with us. To my great joy, he was. As part of this partnership, the Huffington Post will be hosting Review articles before the print version comes out as well as giving readers access to other NYR articles within a branded space in our section.

Our Books section will be edited by Amy Hertz. When I was making the rounds of publishers, talking about my idea for a book on fearlessness, Amy was one of the editors I met with. We hit it off immediately; our views of the world (especially the publishing world) were completely in sync.

I ended up writing On Becoming Fearless for a different publishing house, Little, Brown. But Amy and I stayed in touch and when it came time to pick an editor for Books, she was our first choice. She is still editor-at-large at Penguin, but we've managed to work it out so she can bring her drive, passion, taste, and love of books to our new section.

So if you love books, and reading, and good writing, please check out HuffPost Books. You'll find all the latest book-related news and blog posts, book reviews, and all sorts of special features, including one today where HuffPost editors weigh on the books that changed their lives. Plus those articles and reviews from the New York Review of Books.

And, of course, we want to hear from you about the books you are reading, the authors you love, and the books you are thinking of writing (I know you have at least one in you!).

As Amy recently said about the section: "We want to get people excited about books again, to remember why they are so important, and to spark a thousand conversations -- about everything from 'Is Google the best thing that's ever happened to books or the worst?' to 'Who will sell more books, Sarah Palin or Dick Cheney?'"

So check it out. And let us know what you think.

 

 

Follow Arianna Huffington on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ariannahuff

Comments

[DomainDiva]

You forgot Republican Gomorrah by Max Blumnethal and Closing of the American Mind by Allan Bloom.

[rr52]

My degree is in English, and if nothing else, I've learned that through books there is opportunity to experience the full human gamut of thoughts, emotions, and events affecting people throughout the ages only to find that there is virtually nothing new under the sun. People, despite being individuals in every array of color and background, experience joy, renewal, despair, and sadness, and that history does indeed have a tendency to repeat itself. When Mary Shelley, author of Frankenstein, remarked at the age of 19 that she thought her generation of people were "awash" in it, referring to the use of laudanum or heroin, it was a comment that echoes our current civilization relative to drug use. And Ralph Ellison's "Invisible Man" or "Battle Royal" are absolutely timeless stories relative to race in our country.

As a result, to read a book is comforting. We feel less alone in a big world realizing that no human being escapes the downside of life, and hopefully all of us get a little glimpse of joy somewhere along the line to make life worthwhile. Whether drama or comedy, stories have a rise, fall, and resolution, like our everyday lives.

[jenni purrr]

I love the new book section. The stories are fresh. I did notice that one of my favorite book blogs was missing from the bottom section. The New Yorker's Book Bench is one of the best...unt­il yours came along. Thanks for giving us a quality place to get all the latest book news.

Jo-Ann Burton

[Plissken]

I don't see why it has to be an either or situation. I enjoy some TV programs and I also read. Currently reading Anathem by, Neal Stephenson. But, to the larger point. TV is not evil. I have seen some great programing, such as the work of Ken Burns. His Civil War series is one of the top 10 items I've been exposed to in any media form. But then not every thing has to be for your improvement now does it. Loved the Sopranos and there have been many other great programs. In short, as the Greeks said, all things in moderation my child... Live long and prosper.

[alumcreek]

I learned to read when I was 3 years old. I had to fight against my military leaders because the drill sargeants asserted that carrying a book in my pocket affected the way my fatigues looked. I found an officer who countermanded this stupidity. He was carrying a book in his pocket.

I am a book dealer and I never go anywhere without carrying some sort of reading matter. TV for me has never quite yet risen to the level of vast wasteland.

[laloggia56]

Sheri Lawson's "The Spell of Religion and the Battle Over Gay Marriage" is a compelling and heartfelt discourse of this subject and should be a serious contender for the list.

[robbrian]

Congrats, it will be a welcomed addition to the site.

I would include books by Ellen H. Brown, a frequent contributor to your financial blogs, particularly, The Web of Debt. She also has a few of her best sellers listed on her site, www.webofdebt.com that your fans who want unbiased information on nutrition may like.

[Janonda]

Dear Arianna, This is a GREAT idea. I am new to the political scene and have become a fierce Ally and Advocate for the GLBT community. I left my conservative Christian church over their involvement in the politics of gay marraige and now spend most of my time advocating for gay rights. I've written a book titled "The Spell of Religion and the Battle Over Gay Marriage" which is now available. So far it's getting GREAT reviews, but I would love to see it in more hands. My drive is to support the gay community in feeling like they are not 2nd class citizens, but indeed, are very much a part of main stream society.

Warmes wishes on your continued success with this wonderful site.

Sheri Lawson

[SherryinNY]

Now you solved what book I can get for my multitasking daughter who works at breakneck speed.
Thanks!
PS I guess I'll read it as well....so­unds intriguing anyway.

[gems]

Thanks Arianna. i wish I had more time to read. I do. I'm reading Einsteins biography, 500 pages long. I bought it 2 months ago.

[blogattelle]

is scheduled a foreign section?

[dahpunkster]

I always felt the same way about books,too. I am usually never bored cuz I have a book with me.

[dahpunkster]

thank you ariana! I am all excited their is a book club for all us now too.

[crypticpro]

Reading is one of the most powerful human experiences. Where else can we so easily substitute (and thus elevate) our thoughts and experiences? When reading Emerson I get to be Emerson. In this way we may each briefly live as Tolstoy, Dickens, Tolkien, King ... and yes - even Huffington. How nice! Keep it coming!

[tandrmcdonald]

Too many outstanding books to name a favorite. I like Zora Neal Hurston's "Their Eyes were Watching God", primarily because of the quiet dignity and soul-deep strength of the heroine. The "dialect" confuses me but after a couple of chapters is invisible.
I'm working on Dan Brown's "The Lost Symbol", who thought noetics could be interesting?
I'm sure there are more but there are too many to list.