Book News

9 Inspiring Quotes From Taxi Cab Passengers

Mark Solomon | Posted 05.24.2012

Mark Solomon

I suppose deep down I am a bit of a philosopher, and have always enjoyed hearing or reading inspirational words of wisdom, but had never thought of asking any of my passengers for advice, that was, until now!

PHOTOS: Author Inspired By Elephant Attack

Posted 05.24.2012

The following is an excerpt from "Love, Life, and Elephants: An African Love Story" [Farrar, Straus and Giroux, $27.00]: The day had begun well. My...

Theodore Roosevelt's Controversial Dinner With Booker T. Washington

Posted 05.24.2012

The following is an excerpt from "Guest of Honor: Booker T. Washington, Theodore Roosevelt, and the White House Dinner That Shocked a Nation" [Atria, ...

9 Bizarre Jobs That Can Make You Money Quickly

Abigail R. Gehring | Posted 05.24.2012

Abigail R. Gehring

Here are 9 of the oddest jobs that don't require much (if any) training and could have you making money tomorrow:

Walter Cronkite Biography Reveals His Dark Side

Madeleine Crum | Posted 05.23.2012

A new biography of Walter Cronkite reveals the less trustworthy side of the most trusted man in America. The CBS anchor is remembered as a media gi...

8 Ways We Might Be Causing Our Own Extinction

Fred Guterl | Posted 05.23.2012

Fred Guterl

Our own success as a species has created new a terrifying risks that didn't exist a few decades ago. By our dominating presence on the planet, we are in danger of upsetting climate systems in ways we don't fully understand.

The Origins Of 7 Popular Slang Words

Professor Julie Coleman | Posted 05.22.2012

Professor Julie Coleman

For me, slang is at the social interface of language. Slang words aren't linguistically different from other words, except that they keep on moving. It is my considered opinion that slang is a bag of snakes.

Interview With Elizabeth Wein, Author of Code Name Verity

Monica Edinger | Posted 05.22.2012

Monica Edinger

Set in the landscape of World War II Britain and featuring women pilots and spies, the intricate plot of Code Name Verity involves espionage, Nazis, the Resistance, and occupied France.

9 Fantastic Prep School Novels

Jennifer Miller | Posted 05.22.2012

Jennifer Miller

I've now read 26 school novels and counting. My favorites depict adolescence at its most obsessive and raw. The young protagonists are often gravely misguided, but they struggle with a singular passion we don't often feel as adults.

PHOTOS: 11 Things That Might Be Wrong With You

Paul Kleinman | Posted 05.22.2012

Paul Kleinman

I provide a guide to self-diagnosis that starts at the top of your head and moves all the way down to the bottom of your feet. Finally, all hypochondriacs can have the ability to diagnose all of their visible life-threatening symptoms without the use of an Internet connection!

WATCH: Neil Gaiman Inspirational Commencement Speech

Posted 05.21.2012

Neil Gaiman gave a commencement speech last week, and it was typically inspiring. The fiction author famous for "The Sandman" and "Coraline" was also ...

A New Way To Sell Books?

Posted 05.21.2012

If you're struck by wanderlust but are short a few vacation days this summer, reading can transport you anywhere: the west coast, the Himalayas, Europ...

PHOTOS: Hipsters On Bicycles

Posted 05.21.2012

Originally intended as nothing more than a swift means of transportation, bicycles have morphed into something more. In traffic-heavy urban areas, bik...

11 People You Don't Want To Be Friends With

Tim Lihoreau | Posted 05.20.2012

Tim Lihoreau

Perhaps we all have our own Schadenfreude palette (that is, the desire to gloat and find happiness in the misfortunes of others). Having thought about it, I instantly began to notice the said traits amongst friends, relatives and, indeed, total strangers. So I decided to collect them.

'The Marriage Plot' To Be Adapted For Film

| Posted 05.18.2012

From World & Film Hollywood seems to be getting serious in its on-again, off-again romance with the nineteenth-century novel. Things started heatin...

PHOTOS: Blood, And 9 Other Most Common Phobias

Jordan Smoller | Posted 05.18.2012

Jordan Smoller

So what are the most common irrational fears and phobias? Terrorism? Cancer? Commitment? Nope. According to research studies of the U.S. population, the top fears and phobias are closely tied to the kinds of threats our ancestors had to worry about.

PHOTOS: Graphic Illustrations Of Animal Cruelty

Sue Coe | Posted 05.17.2012

Sue Coe

Hidden in dark sheds, force fed other species body parts and waste, animals exist and die for the propaganda of "meat," that it tastes good, and is good for us. Nothing is further from the truth.

PHOTOS: Poets Ranked By Beard Weight

Jack Passion | Posted 05.17.2012

Jack Passion

The late 1800s marked the height (or length, as the case may be) of beards. Then, in the beginning of the 20th century, facial air fell out of favor, and for a long time it seemed like the collected wisdom of the great bearded age went with it.

PHOTOS: 14 Ambitious Amateurs Who Made It Big

Jack Hitt | Posted 05.17.2012

Jack Hitt

America's amateur status has produced one generation after another of tinkerers and fiddlers--kids in dorms, grownups in garages--poking around with a new idea, some of which occasionally become a pair of bifocals, a desktop computer, or a whole new way to organize human society.

11 Mistakes Writers Make When Approaching Literary Agents

| Posted 05.16.2012

From Writer’s Relief staff: Let’s face it: Writing a book requires different skills than writing a query letter. While there are no “rules”...

Infographic: How A Book is Born

Madeleine Crum | Posted 05.15.2012

There's much romantic talk about a writer's process. An epiphany, some procrastination, an extended trip to an isolated wooded area, immense frustrati...

The Most Well-Read Cities In America

Posted 05.16.2012

Amazon has released their second annual list of the most well-read cities in the country, based on their book, magazine and newspaper sales data in bo...

The First Athletes Ever And 7 Other Moments In Sports History

John G. Fox | Posted 05.15.2012

John G. Fox

"Why do we play ball?" That was the heady question my then 7-year-old son tossed out to me one day during an innocent game of backyard catch. As a father, anthropologist, and sports fan, I couldn't resist the call of duty to set off in search of an answer.

Excerpt: What Would Hugh Hefner Say About Sex In The Afterlife?

Posted 05.15.2012

The following is an excerpt from "Chicago Stories" by Michael Czyzniejewski [Curbside Splendor, $14.99], a collection of humorous, fictional tales "na...

7 Sex Myths Debunked

Agustin Fuentes | Posted 05.15.2012

Agustin Fuentes

Gender is a powerful reality; it is the perception and expectation of differences between males and females and it shapes both our bodies and our society. Gender differences are real and important, but they are not hard wired or even static. So let's bust some of those myths.