The latest in Books And Literature

Soldier echoes Arabian Nights with Iraq novel

2011-12-22T02:30:34Z

TOKYO (Reuters) - On Benjamin Buchholz's second day in Iraq as a U.S. army officer, a young Iraqi girl was struck and killed by a military convoy while trying to catch a bottle of water thrown to children by the roadside as a gift.

The tragedy and its aftermath -- wailing women, townspeople up in a...

Atheist intellectual Christopher Hitchens dead at 62

2011-12-16T04:00:11Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - British-born journalist and atheist intellectual Christopher Hitchens, who made the United States his home and backed the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq, died on Thursday at the age of ...

Polemical journalist and atheist Christopher Hitchens dead at 62

2011-12-15T23:30:12Z

Read for success? India's business books take off

2011-12-13T20:30:31Z

Whether it's a large chain retailer or the smallest bookstall at an airport departure gate, Indian bookshops all have one thing in common -- the predominance of business and management titles.

English-language biographies of leading business figures and self-help books about how to make a fortune pack the shelves, tapping an apparent thirst for success and self-improvement in the fast-growing South Asian nation.

"Business books are very important to us," said Sonal Gand...

Italy winemaker sends literary message in the bottle

2011-12-13T12:01:22Z

MILAN (Reuters) - Nowadays when people spend more and more time exploring the depths of cyber space or just watching TV, every effort counts to bring them back to the traditional pleasure of reading.

A leading Italian book store chain Feltrinelli and wine-makers Santa Margherita from northern Italy decided six years ago to join forces to promote read...

Traitor Philby hailed as 'great spy' in Russia

2011-12-12T15:30:49Z

Notorious British double agent Kim Philby may be regarded as a traitor in his home country but twenty years after the collapse of the Soviet Union he remains a hero in Russia for divulging Western secrets.

A Russian publisher has unveiled a major new biography of Philby, including interviews with his Russian widow and declassified documents...

Cain may find pot of gold at end of campaign trail

2011-12-08T12:30:12Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The campaign trail did not end at the White House for Herman Cain, but it might yet lead him to a pot of gold.

The former restaurant executive and motivational speaker could translate his sudden fame into hefty speaking fees and ...

Reading is alive and increasingly electronic

2011-12-08T09:30:30Z

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Times may be tough for neighborhood bookstores, but people are reading more than ever and e-books are nurturing bookworms who hunger for everything from blockbuster biographies to literary fiction.

"It's really been all good news this year. Reading is becoming more popular in general," said Chris Schluep, senior books editor at Amanda Knox has hired a top lawyer used by politicians including Barack Obama and Tony Blair to negotiate a book deal about her four years behind bars in Italy, her spokesman said.

The 24-year-old, who flew home in October after being acquitted over the gruesome 2007 kil...

EU opens antitrust probe into Apple's e-book deals

2011-12-06T14:30:29Z

European antitrust officials launched a probe on Tuesday to determine whether iPad maker Apple and five international publishers struck illegal deals to fix the price of e-books in Europe.

The European Commission will look at deals between the US gadget g...

Europe probes publishers, Apple on e-book pricing

2011-12-06T08:30:08Z

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Commission is investigating whether e-book publishers owned by Lagardere, Pearson Plc, News...

EU Commission in e-books antitrust probe of 5 publishers, Apple

2011-12-06T05:00:11Z

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Commission is investigating whether e-book publishers owned by Lagardere, Pearson Plc, Reuters) - Amanda Knox, who was cleared of murder and freed from prison by an Italian court in October, has hired a prominent Washington, D.C.-based lawyer as she considers possible book deals, her spokesman said on Monday.

Knox, 24, has retained attorney Clark Gable and Loretta Young, has died at the age of 76, according to her daughter.

Young became pregnant with Lewis during the filming of "The Call of the Wild" (1935), concealed the pregnancy to avoid scandal and then raised the child as her adopted daughter.

Gab...

Fahrenheit 451 to be available as digital book

2011-11-30T20:30:37Z

Publisher Simon & Schuster is releasing an electronic edition of Ray Bradbury's classic science fiction novel "Fahrenheit 451" after the 91-year-old author lifted his objections to a digital version.

"The publication in digital form comes as part of a new publishing agreement that includes all English language print and digital formats of Fahrenheit 451 in <...

The quintessential Las Vegas novel has yet to be penned To read more columns by J. Patrick Coolican, visit lasvegassun.com/coolican.

2011-11-30T02:30:11Z

Like God before it, the novel is dead, or so we are told.

"The book can't compete with the screen," Philip Roth, the old master, has said.

The hegemony of digital media is now assured - our culture given over to what the novelist Jonathan Franzen once called "attractively priced electronic panderings."

And yet in that same essay...

Star role for Sweden in Stieg Larsson film: Director

2011-11-21T12:00:50Z

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Sweden is the only place the new Hollywood version of best-selling crime novel "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" could have b...

Cuban dissident slams censorship, travel restrictions

2011-11-18T18:30:32Z

Blogger Yoani Sanchez denounced the travel restrictions and censorship imposed on dissidents like her in communist Cuba, as she introduced her latest book at a Miami book fair via telephone.

Sanchez, named by Time magazine as one of the world's 100 most influential people in 2008, c...

Tale of many cities as Dickens anniversary nears

2011-11-17T10:00:19Z

LONDON (Reuters) - Charles Dickens will be feted around the world next year in literature, film, theater, music and art, underlining his international cultural impact 200 years after his birth.

The author of classics like "Oliver Twist," "Reuters) - Jesmyn Ward won the National Book Award for fiction on Wednesday for "Salvage the Bones," about a poor Mississippi family confronting ...

'Things Fall Apart' author rejects Nigerian award

2011-11-14T12:30:21Z

Nigerian writer Chinua Achebe, renowned for his classic novel "Things Fall Apart," has rejected a government offer to honour him with one of the nation's highest awards.

The 80-year-old novelist was to be awarded the "Commander of the Federal Republic" title on Monday, but he has refused it, reportedly citing the state of the country, which has long been held back by corruption a...

Long-lost Woolrich crime story published again

2011-11-11T10:30:12Z

LONDON (Reuters) - A long-lost story by American crime writer Cornell Woolrich, best known for film adaptations of his works including Alfred Hitchcock's "Rear Window," appeared in print this week for the first time in 73 years.

"Never Kick a Dick," which use...

If Jane Austen lived today, she'd be a blogger

2011-11-11T06:31:23Z

TOKYO (Reuters) - Dear reader, if Jane Austen lived today, she'd be an avid blogger, she'd be on Facebook, and of course she'd also be tweeting away -- but mostly about other people, not herself.

That's because Austen had a pas...

Italy's Umberto Eco longs for Berlusconi's fall

2011-11-07T14:00:11Z

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Italian novelist and philosopher Umberto Eco hopes embattled Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi will be gone from office within a week in a welcome end to a long nightmare.

"In a week, Berlusconi will probably be obliged to resign. It...

Sister remembers Steve Jobs in touching eulogy

2011-11-07T10:01:48Z

Steve Jobs' sister hailed him as a loving, tender soul in her touching eulogy for the Apple co-founder, which was published in The New York Times on Sunday.

Jobs, revealed novelist Mona Simpson, was "like a girl in the amount of time he spent talking about love."

Love, for the l...

Steve Jobs book jumps to top of bestseller lists

2011-11-04T04:00:22Z

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Walter Isaacson's biography of Apple Inc co-founder Steve Jobs leapt to the top of bestseller lists in its first week in book stores, flying off shelves to the tune of 379,000 copies, acc...

Steve Martin turns tweets into book

2011-10-28T12:30:13Z

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Veteran actor and comedian Steve Martin is writing a book based on his Twitter posts, with all profits going to charity, the book's publishers said on Friday.

Martin announced the book via Tw...

Steve Jobs Says His First Gay Friend Set Him Straight On Sexual Orientation

2011-10-25T06:00:10Z

In his new biography, Steve Jobs says his first gay friend set him straight on sexual orientation

In his new biography, Steve Jobs says his first gay friend set him straight on sexual orientation.

Gay blog Towleroad has posted bits of the just-published Jobs biography by Walter Isaacson<...

Apple in-house tribute to Jobs goes online

2011-10-24T16:30:34Z

Apple's website on Monday featured video of a moving, music-laced tribute to Steve Jobs held last week at the company's California headquarters.

Visitors to apple.com could watch a recording of the in-house memorial service, which featured touching remembrances from Apple executives, praise from former US vice presi...

Reviewers praise new Steve Jobs biography

2011-10-24T14:30:32Z

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The biography of late Apple Inc. co-founder Steve Jobs' hit the bookstores on Monday, and reviewers wasted little time in heaping praise on the much-anticipated book destined for the bestseller list.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice regrets having gone shoe-shopping and out for a night at the theater while Hurricane Katrina ravaged the US Gulf coast, she wrote in excerpts of her memoir released Sunday.

In "No Higher Honor: A Memoir of My Years in Washington," which arriv...

Jobs had Google phones in crosshairs: biographer

2011-10-21T17:30:18Z

Insights into Apple co-founder Steve Jobs's vendetta against Google and his criticisms of fellow high-tech titans spread quickly online ahead of the Monday release of his authorized biography.

Excerpts of the book, "Steve Jobs", went viral -- especially his reported vow to annihilate Google-backed

Jobs refused cancer treatment too long: biographer

2011-10-20T18:00:11Z

(Reuters) - Apple Inc co-founder Steve Jobs refused potentially life-saving cancer surgery for nine months, shrugging off his family's protests and opting instead for alternative medicine, according to the tech visionary's biographer.

When he eventually sought surgery, the rar...

Barnes & Noble expands marketplace beyond books

2011-10-20T08:00:16Z

(Reuters) - Barnes & Noble Inc <BKS.N> is adding new categories including home products and consumer electronics to its online marketplace, the latest move by the retailer to rely less on book sales and compete with e-commerce rivals such as Reuters) - Amazon.com Inc may enter the Japanese e-book market this year and launch its Kindle readers in the market, the Nikkei business daily reported.

The largest intern...

Murakami: Bestselling writer of the Japanese absurd

2011-10-19T10:00:21Z

Haruki Murakami, whose new novel "1Q84" is proving a worldwide phenomenon, describes himself as "the black sheep of the Japanese literary world" for his absurdist take on the spiritual emptiness of modern life.

In Japan the first two volumes of "1Q84", which can be read as "1984" in Japanese, came out in 2009, becoming a bestseller even before hitting the stores on t...

Barnes wins Booker Prize he once named "posh bingo"

2011-10-19T08:30:46Z

LONDON (Reuters) - English author and bookmakers' favorite Julian Barnes finally won the Man Booker Prize for fiction on Tuesday, despite once dismissing the coveted award as "posh bingo."

The 65-year-old triumphed with "The Sense of an Ending," which at 150 ...

Author Julian Barnes wins Booker Prize

2011-10-18T19:30:44Z

Author Julian Barnes has won the Man Booker Prize, one of the highest-profile awards in English-language literature, at the fourth attempt for his novel "The Sense of an Ending".

Barnes picked up the £50,000 ($80,000, 57,000 euros) award, which recognises the best work of fiction by an author from the Commonwealth or the Julian Barnes on Tuesday won the Man Booker Prize, one of the highest-profile awards in English-language literature, at the fourth attempt, for his novel "The Sense of an Ending".

Barnes picked up the £50,000 ($80,000, 57,000 euros) award, which recognises the best work of fiction by an author from the Commonwealth or the Britain were expecting to sell thousands of copies of Japanese author Haruki Murakami's latest novel on Tuesday as excitement built after some stores held special late-night openings.

Hardback versions of the book, "1Q84", went on sale across Britain a week ahead of its eagerly awaited launch in the Reuters) - Young adult novelist Lauren Myracle said on Monday she had withdrawn her latest novel "Shine" from the 2011 National Book Awards after being told it had been short-listed by mistake.

Myra...

Author Barnes backed for Booker amid literary spat

2011-10-17T08:00:20Z

LONDON (Reuters) - English author and four-time nominee Julian Barnes, who once dismissed the Man Booker Prize for fiction as "posh bingo," is favored to win it on Tuesday with his novel "The Sense of an Ending."

Rival award clouds Booker Prize announcement

2011-10-16T16:30:18Z

The winner of Britain's Man Booker prize for literature is announced on Tuesday, but the ceremony has been overshadowed by the launch of a rival award that claims the Booker has become too populist.

Julian Barnes remains the favourite for his novel "The Sense of an Ending", while debut novelists Stephen Kelman and A. D. Miller are also amon...

Saddam daughter 'wants to publish his memoirs'

2011-10-16T13:30:42Z

Raghad, a daughter of executed Iraqi president Saddam Hussein, plans to publish her father's memoirs, her Jordanian lawyer said on Sunday.

"Raghad is looking for an international publishing company to publish her father's memoirs, which he himself wrote," Haitham Herish told Al-Ghad newspaper.

"These are the real and authentic memoirs, and Raghad is open to any offer that would preserve the rights of her...

Pakistan badlands inspire belated literary success

2011-10-16T02:30:09Z

A retired Pakistani civil servant nearing 80 may not sound like the most obvious debut author to take the international publishing world by storm, but Jamil Ahmad has done precisely that.

Over a cup of tea and a glass of lime juice, he talks about a career as an administrator along Pakistan's desolate borders with Afghanistan<...

'Anne Frank' in Arabic seeks publishers

2011-10-13T15:30:28Z

A group which has translated nine books about the Holocaust both into Arabic and Farsi for the first time appealed Thursday for publishers, saying "young people are yearning for this".

Launched in 2009, the Aladdin Project has already translated "The Diary of Anne Frank" and Primo Levi's "If This Is a Man", among others, which can now be downloaded for free from thei...

Amy Winehouse father plans memoir

2011-10-12T06:30:16Z

The father of Amy Winehouse will write a memoir about the late British soul star to be released in the summer of 2012, with all proceeds going to charity, according to the publisher.

In the memoir, to be entitled "Amy: My Daughter," Mitch Winehouse will "tell the incredible story of the Amy the public never got to know and understand" prior to her dea...

World's biggest publishers' fair eyes safe future for books

2011-10-11T15:30:29Z

The world's biggest book fair, which opened Tuesday, wants to put paid to fears for the survival of the book in its traditional, bound form in the face of its digital rival's growing popularity.

While electronic books and other gadgets have been all the talk of the Frankfurt Book Fair in recent years, industry movers and shakers say the future of ebooks and printed books is safe.

"The printed book and the digital ...

Actress, director Penny Marshall to write memoir

2011-10-11T11:30:10Z

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Actress and filmmaker Penny Marshall, who transitioned from her role as tough-talking Laverne in hit TV show "Laverne and Shirley" to become a pioneering female director, is releasing a memoir about he...

Publisher pushes up Jobs bio release to October 24

2011-10-06T15:30:33Z

The release date for the first authorized biography of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs has been pushed forward to October 24 following his death, publisher Simon & Schuster said Thursday.

The 656-page book by Walter Isaacson, entitled simply "Steve Jobs," had been scheduled for release on November 21, acco...

Steve Jobs biography pushed up for release

2011-10-06T10:30:24Z

(Reuters) - The release date for a Steve Jobs biography has been pushed up to October 24, according to a spokesman for Simon & Schuster, the publishing house behind the long-awaited book.

This marks the second time that the publisher, owned by CBS Corp, has moved the publicat...

Bob Dylan, Syrian poet tipped for Literature Nobel

2011-10-06T06:30:16Z

Feverish speculation marked the hours before Thursday's Nobel Literature Prize announcement, with some suggesting the Arab Spring uprising could inspire an award to Syrian poet Adonis -- and one betting site tipping Bob Dylan as the favourite.

Sweden's leading newspaper even let a cat predict this year's laureate.

<...

Speculation swells ahead of Nobel announcement

2011-10-06T01:30:21Z

Speculation is rife before the Nobel Literature Prize announcement Thursday, with some tipping the Arab Spring uprising to inspire an award to Syrian poet Adonis, while one betting site making Bob Dylan the favourite.

The Swedish Academy that awards the prize never reveals the names of the nominees...

Poets lead running for Nobel Literature prize

2011-10-04T18:30:20Z

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Two poets, one Swedish and the other Syrian, are leading the betting to win the 2011 Nobel Literature prize, a bookmaker said on Tuesday, though past prizes have often defied the predictions.

British betting firm Ladbrokes have the 81-year-old Syria...

"Wolf of Wall Street" says his story offers lesson

2011-10-04T00:00:06Z

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Jordan Belfort, a former trader who ended up in jail in the 1990s for defrauding investors out of millions of dollars, is now an author and motivational speaker, with a movie about him starring Leonardo DiCaprio set to start filming soon.<...

Abuzz over Adonis for Nobel Literature Prize

2011-10-01T17:30:19Z

Predicting the Nobel Literature Prize winner is near-impossible as the Swedish Academy stays tight-lipped and often honours writers off the beaten path -- so could it be Syrian poet Adonis this year?

Each year the names of popular authors are tossed about -- US novelists Philip Roth

Hacked off: Assange moans about unofficial "autobiography"

2011-09-28T16:30:11Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - He laid bare the secrets of governments and corporations. But until now, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange fiercely fought demands for more transparency in his own personal and financial affairs.

But a bizarre dispute between As...

Jon Katz new book explores life after pets die

2011-09-25T11:00:16Z

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Best-selling author and animal advocate Jon Katz has been writing about dogs for over a decade. Many of his own, past a present, have taken center stage fiction and nonfiction books such as "The Dogs of Bedlam Farms," "A Dog Year," "Izzy and Lenore" and "Rose in a Storm."

Arnie to publish memoirs, vows 'Total Recall'

2011-09-22T15:30:34Z

Arnold Schwarzenegger is writing his memoirs with the title "Total Recall," the actor-turned-politician's publisher said Thursday, but it is unclear if it will cover his recent marital troubles.

The book, subtitled "My Unbelievably True Life Story," presents "a larger-than-life portrait of his illustrious, controversial and ever-entertaining life in and ...

Schwarzenegger to write "unbelievably true" memoir

2011-09-22T09:00:09Z

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Arnold Schwarzenegger is writing a memoir about his unlikely life story from Austrian-born champion bodybuilder to Hollywood action star to California governor, his publisher said on Thursday.

Schwarzenegger, 64, who in M...

Nepal holds first international literary festival

2011-09-18T17:30:31Z

Nepal's first international literary festival drew authors from around the world and hundreds of book lovers to the historic city of Patan over the weekend.

The three-day Kathmandu Literary Jatra featured best-selling British historian William Dalrymple, Pakistani novelist Mohammed Hanif and ...

3D Hitler album goes on sale in Germany

2011-09-16T15:30:31Z

A new album of images of Adolf Hitler captured in 3D, once used as a propaganda tool by the Nazi regime, went on sale in Germany on Friday.

In "The Face of the Dictatorship: the Third Reich in 3D", the historian and journalist Ralf Georg Reuth has assembled around ...

Amazon in talks to launch digital book library: WSJ

2011-09-12T02:00:11Z

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Amazon.com Inc is in talks with book publishers about launching a media library service similar to Netflix Inc for tablets and other digital books, The Wall Street Jour...

John Wiley eyes greater share of e-book sales: CEO

2011-09-09T14:00:28Z

(Reuters) - Publisher John Wiley & Sons Inc said it is planning a major digital push to grab a bigger slice of the lucrative e-book market, which is witnessing an explosive growth, fueled by the popularity of tablets and e-readers.

"Some of the larger publishing houses have 25-30 percent of sales from e-books. We hope to achieve those levels,"

Giffords, Kelly memoir to be published November 15

2011-09-07T15:00:05Z

PHOENIX (Reuters) - A memoir penned by wounded Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and her retired astronaut husband, Mark Kelly, will be released on November 15, the book's publisher said on Wednesday.<...

Writers take time to absorb September 11 impact

2011-09-06T23:00:12Z

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Norman Mailer once advised another author to wait 10 years before writing about the attacks of September 11 because "it will take that long for you to make sense of it."

The estimate by the prominent New York novelist and journalist, who died in 2007, ma...

Barnes nominated on Booker Prize shortlist

2011-09-06T09:30:16Z

Julian Barnes remains the favourite to win Britain's prestigious Man Booker Prize for literature after his "The Sense of an Ending" was nominated on the shortlist announced Tuesday.

Debut novelists Stephen Kelman and A. D. Miller are also among the six finalists, made up of four Britons and...

Virtual book club brings author into homes

2011-08-29T02:30:13Z

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The traditional book club has gone virtual, thanks to technology that spans geographic boundaries and can bring authors into readers' living rooms.

Nine book clubs across the United States took part in an hour-long discussion earlier this month with Reuters) - Condoleezza Rice will release a follow-up memoir on November 1 that promises to address her top political roles and give new details about the contentious debates in the lead up to the wars in Afghanistan and Ira...

Rwandan genocide author Courtemanche dies

2011-08-19T17:30:28Z

Quebec journalist and author Gil Courtemanche, who documented the 1994 Rwandan genocide, has died of cancer, his editor said Friday. He was 68.

Courtemanche had long worked at public broadcaster Radio-Canada and wrote for the Reuters) - It's no secret that good storytelling involves characters who are in opposition to generate controversy -- but author Christine Rose has taken this a step further by developing an opposing second identity as O.M. Grey.

Grey is author of the sexy, paranormal "Avalon Revisited" steampunk novel about English Reuters) - American author and entertainment mogul James Patterson has topped a Forbes magazine list of the world's highest paid authors, earning more than twice that of No. 2 Danielle Stee...

Da Vinci's "Codex" launched on iPad

2011-08-16T07:00:13Z

LONDON (Reuters) - "The Da Vinci Code" may have been a popular e-book for years, but now readers around the world can view the manuscripts of Leonardo da Vinci's Codex Arundel in high definition on

Steve Jobs biography on sale in November

2011-08-15T18:30:21Z

A biography of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs being written by former Time magazine managing editor Walter Isaacson will be released in November, publisher Simon & Schuster said Monday.

Online retail giant Amazon lists the release date for the book, "Steve...

The end of an era?

2011-08-04T02:30:20Z

Borders bookstore closes, marking a shift in the way Americans read

There is a disheartening sign on the nation's Borders bookstores: Going out of business. The company is closing all of its locations and is now liquidating. For people who like to read, the death of a bookstore is sad news, but Borders' closing has been described in broader terms. Some people see it as the end of the era of brick-...

Ex-Gitmo Australian's book assets frozen

2011-08-03T02:30:18Z

An Australian court on Wednesday froze all assets derived from the sales of ex-Guantanamo Bay inmate David Hicks' memoirs ahead of a hearing on whether they were proceeds of crime.

The Australian government has launched a lawsuit against Hicks, who spent five and a half years in the US-run prison, hoping to seize the takings from his tell-all autobiography "Guantanamo: ...

Johnny Weir Ready To Marry?

2011-08-01T05:30:23Z

Two-time Olympian Johnny Weir says he has a wife in his future

Two-time Olympian Johnny Weir says he has a wife in his future.

The three-time U.S. National Figure Skating champion and star of cabler Logo's reality hit Be Good Johnny Weir came out gay in his memoir Welcome to my World, which was released in January.

The 26-year-old Weir lives in LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Grammy Award-winning singer Linda Ronstadt will release a memoir in 2013 called "Heart Like a Wheel," borrowing the title of one of her albums, her publisher...

Revolt-hit Kashmir to hold literary festival

2011-07-28T13:30:30Z

Indian-administered Kashmir will host a major literature festival this September in another sign of easing tensions in the revolt-hit Himalayan territory.

The event is to be staged in Srinagar, Kashmir's main city, by the organiser of Asia's biggest literary festival, held each January in

2011-07-28T06:30:23Z

GIJON, Spain (Reuters) - "Mystic River" author Dennis Lehane attributes the success of his books on the silver screen to his characters, which he says attract the attention of good actors.

Clint Eastwood

India Dirty Old Writer

2011-01-01T08:01:24Z

In this photo taken on Monday, Dec. 20, 2010, Khushwant Singh, 96, drinks tea sitting next to a fireplace in his house in New Delhi. The famously grumpy writer, known for everything from beautifully wrought novels to fart jokes, has been a giant of India's literary world for more than sixty years. The lawyer-turned-diplomat-turned-writer insist...

Curious George's Journey

2010-12-26T11:30:27Z

In this Dec. 17, 2010 photo, the cover of the book "The Journey That Saved Curious George" with an illustration showing Margret and H.A. Rey fleeing Paris on bicycles is seen at the Margret and H.A. Rey Center in George W. Bush greets a person as he signs autographs of his new book "Decision Points" at the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte, N.C., on Monday, Dec. 20, 2010. (AP Photo/Nell Muntadhar al-Zeidi entitled "The Last Salute to President Bush," is seen displayed in a book fair in Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, Dec. 14, 2010. Al-Zeidi who threw his shoes at President George W. Bush in Baghd...

US Books Winfrey

2010-12-05T11:00:16Z

This undated photo provided by Penguin Books shows the soft cover two-book edition of Charles Dickens' classic novels "A Tale of Two Cities" and "Great Expectations." Oprah Winfrey plans to announce Monday, Dec. 6, 2010, that the pair of novels, issued in a single bound paperback edition of around 800 pages, is her lates...