If you're the type who likes their jewelry dramatic, Jeremy May's pieces will definitely make a statement. And that statement will be legible. You see, May makes a single piece of jewelry from hundreds of pages of a book, laminating the pages in such a way that the words peek out at you from the ring, bracelet or necklace you're wearing.

According to the littlefly website, each "literary jewel" that the British artist creates is completely unique -- and he will create jewelry for you from your own book.

"Jeremy May has captured the beauty of paper via a unique laminating process. Littlefly jewelry is made by laminating hundreds sheets of paper together, then carefully finishing to a high gloss. The paper is selected and carefully removed from a book, and the jewelry re-inserted in the excavated space."

In fact, May got his start by creating a gift for his wife out of her favorite book. Talk about a creative paper anniversary! So whether you're going for romantic or bold, check out littlefly's rings, bracelets and necklaces.

Posted by Nancy Knight at 10:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)
        

If anyone doubts that we're headed for the Rapture, or whatever else The End will be called, just note this: Troy Polamalu of the Pittsburgh Steelers has had his hair insured for $1 million. The policy with Lloyd's of London was taken out by head & shoulders, which he endorses. "As a second year spokesperson for the brand, head & shoulders recognizes the value of Troy's extremely full and thick Samoan locks, so [with Lloyd's] ... they've created the first ever insurance policy to protect his iconic mane for the entire NFL season," the company said in a news release.

No word on what would trigger a payout. But as a test, Baltimore Ravens fans (count me among them) would be happy to have Ray Lewis bring out some clippers when the teams meet on Oct. 3. That would be the REAL Rapture.

Posted by Dave Rosenthal at 9:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

The Oxford University Press' CEO has sent shudders through every ink-stained wretch with his comment that the upcoming version of the Oxford English Dictionary might appear only in digital form. Nigel Portwood told The Sunday Times that the market for print dictionaries was "falling away by tens of percent a year." And when you consider that the OED third edition may be a decade away, you can understand his concern.

Of course, he's just stating the obvious. Plenty of free dictionaries (including the OED) are available in digital form, via computer and phone. And word processing programs commonly include a dictionary and thesaurus. Who has time to traipse over to a multi-volume dictionary to look up a word? And, dawg, who needs dead-tree versions when words change so fast? LOL. Still, there's a certain timelessness to Oxford and the OED -- whose previous editions were completed in 1928 and 1989. The next thing you know, they'll be wearing colored shirts and using electronic line judges at Wimbledon.

Portwood stressed that Oxford University Press has no plans to stop publishing print dictionaries, according to the Associated Press. Schools still rely primarily on printed versions, the publisher said, and demand for its best-seller, the Advanced Learner's Dictionary, is still high among nonnative English learners.

But I'll bet you a pint at The Bear that OED III never sees a printing press.

Posted by Dave Rosenthal at 4:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Author: Suzanne Collins, who also authored The Underland Series and a picture book titled "When Charlie McButton Lost Power."

Synopsis: In the third and final installment of The Hunger Games series, heroine Katniss Everdeen takes on the mantle of the rebellion against the Capitol, becoming the titular Mockingjay. Determined to defeat President Snowe, save her friend and possible love Peeta, and keep everyone she loves safe at all costs, Katniss feels the pressure of keeping the rebels' hopes -- and herself -- alive.

Review: In dystopian Panem -- and for all you scholars of Ancient Rome, yes, that is a wink at the "panem et circenses" that signaled the empire's doom -- the fabled District 13 is leading the other 12 in a civil war against the cruel Capitol. Katniss is still reeling from the destruction of her home district, 12, and the loss of Peeta, a prisoner of the Capitol.

The themes of the series, including physical hardships, loyalty in extreme circumstances and traversing morally ambiguous terrain, are continued at an even larger scale. In past books, Katniss deals with personal acts of violence and betrayal against and by individuals. While those actions may have symbolically touched the lives of thousands, now she is literally leading those thousands to war. While she feels she can't trust the leader of the resistance, President Coin, she knows she wants to kill the Capitol's President Snowe.

Meanwhile, her confused feelings for lifelong friend and sometime-romantic interest Gale are tested further as they butt heads on how far you can go in war. The ethical differences between Gale and Peeta are clearly delineated, as Peeta begs the rebels for a cease-fire and Gale's projects focus on forcing the enemy to surrender through blood and loss.

The series ends on an ostensibly happy note, but the heartbreaking effects of war and loss aren't sugar-coated. This is one YA novel that will leave you thinking about the ramifications of war on society, not just the coming-of-age of a young woman.

If you liked this: You'll want to graduate to Margaret Atwood. While Atwood's works rarely include the fleeting moments of young happiness found in The Hunger Games trilogy, the difference that an indvidual can make on society, and vice versa, are reminiscent of Atwood's best works.

Avoid this if: You're at all squeamish about violence and bloodshed. Literally thousands of people die in this series, and the final book doesn't leave Katniss' inner circle untouched.

Posted by Nancy Knight at 10:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

The tale of Temple Grandin's battle to cope with autism and fit into the modern world may have been the surprise of the Emmy award ceremonies. Sure, everyone knows about Glee, Mad Men and Modern Family, but the show that will open most folks' eyes is the HBO movie about her life. It won five Emmys, and it was touching to see the winners mention the inspiring Grandin.

Doctor/author Oliver Sacks, who is fascinated by the mind/brain mystery, included her story in "An Anthropologist on Mars: Seven Paradoxical Takes." And Grandin delivered her own version in "Thinking in Pictures." As noted on Grandin's website, she "didn't talk until she was three and a half years old, communicating her frustration instead by screaming, peeping, and humming. In 1950, she was diagnosed with autism and her parents were told she should be institutionalized. ... Dr. Grandin later developed her talents into a successful career as a livestock-handling equipment designer, one of very few in the world. She has now designed the facilities in which half the cattle are handled in the United States, consulting for firms such as Burger King, McDonald's, Swift, and others."

Posted by Dave Rosenthal at 9:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Books to Movies
        

This weekend, thousands of comic book fans -- including many in costume -- will head to the convention center for Baltimore Comic-Con, a celebration of all things graphic and boxy. The Baltimore Sun's Chris Kaltenbach spoke with organizer Marc Nathan about the two-day gathering, which is designed for purists rather than for a broader pop culture spectrum. A costume contest with a $1,000 grand prize is set for Sunday. So unleash your inner Flash or Wonder Woman and head downtown. Here's an excerpt from the article:

"Having fringe sci-fi people, from shows that were popular back in 1972, doesn't make that much sense to me," [Nathan] says. "That's not my show, that's not what I want to do."

What he does want to do, Nathan says, is provide area comic-book fans with a forum where they can celebrate their hobbies and their passions. More than 80 dealers have bought space at the show. They'll be selling comics ranging from the 1940s golden-age adventures of Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman (for which collectors can pay thousands of dollars) to the most recent adventures of Gen 13, Wolverine and Watchmen (which can often be found in bargain boxes for a quarter).

Nathan has also booked more than 150 guests for the show, including Todd McFarlane ("Spawn"), Adam Hughes ("Wonder Woman"), Herb Trimpe ("The Incredible Hulk") and Marc Hempel ("Sandman"), many of whom will be doing sketches and signing autographs for fans. Saturday night, the annual Harvey Awards, voted on by comic industry professionals, will be awarded. An artists' workshop, run by comic-book veterans Howard Chaykin and Klaus Janson, is set for 2 p.m. Saturday, just one of dozens of workshops and panels being offered throughout the weekend.

Posted by Dave Rosenthal at 2:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

The poem "Desiderata" has been celebrated -- and mocked -- for years because of its Woodstock-era sentiment: "Go placidly amid the noise and haste ... " Its origins have also been misunderstood, with some calling it a 17th Century work attributed it to Baltimore's Old St Paul's Church.

Actually the poem was written by Max Ehrmann of Terra Haute, Ind., in the 20th Century, and yesterday the good folks of his hometown memorialized him with a sculpture. The Terra Haute Tribune-Star noted the occasion with a story as well as a column by Mark Bennett that explains the beginnings of the Baltimore myth. Interesting reading.

Posted by Dave Rosenthal at 2:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

Happy Friday, everyone!

I know I promised you a review of "Mockingjay," and it's coming -- I'm just processing all of the plot twists and character points. It ended up being a bit heartbreaking as well as uplifting, and for now all I can say is go read this series!

And speaking of uplifting, let's give away a book! Congratulations, Julie P., you've won "Dexter is Delicious." We hope you enjoy it.

For the next giveaway, we've got "Washington: A Life," by Ron Chernow. The New York Times Book Review has named it "by far the best biography ever written about the man." Chernow's book paints our first president as a human being, instead of a political figure, to bring life to a man that many people know about, but no one seems to know well.

I mean, I believed that wooden teeth thing for years!

So let us know what you're reading, and this biography could be yours!

Posted by Nancy Knight at 12:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (11)
        

Imagine having prosopagnosia or "face blindness" -- the inability to recognize faces, including those of friends and close relatives. Well, my favorite doctor/author, Oliver Sacks, talks in this week's New Yorker about his struggle with this unusual affliction, which usually results from stroke, traumatic brain injury or certain neurodegenerative diseases, according to the National Institutes of Health.

Throughout his career, Sacks has been fascinated by the brain and perception -- the "mind/brain" interplay -- and he is uncommonly skilled in translating dense scientific issues into terms the general public can understand. One of my favorite books is "The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat," in which he examined the problems that some people have in perceiving the world around them. You may also remember "Awakenings," which was adapted into a movie starring Robin Williams and Rovert De Niro.

Such bizarre afllictions make for facscinating reading, so I'm looking forward to Sacks' latest book, "The Mind's Eye, scheduled for an Oct. 26 release. A description of the book promises "the stories of people who are able to navigate the world and communicate with others despite losing what many of us consider indispensable senses and abilities: the power of speech, the capacity to recognize faces, the sense of three-dimensional space, the ability to read, the sense of sight. For all of these people, the challenge is to adapt to a radically new way of being in the world. And there is Dr. Sacks himself, who tells the story of his own eye cancer and the bizarre and disconcerting effects of losing vision to one side."

This article that Sacks wrote in 2003 for The New Yorker -- also titled "The Mind's Eye," may provide a preview.

p.s. If you're curious about prosopagnosia -- and think you might have it -- try these tests.

Posted by Dave Rosenthal at 5:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Fans (count me among them) of the late Douglas Adams, author of "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy," will be happy to see that the BBC has created the first TV adaptation of his Dirk Gently series.

Here's how the BBC describes Howard Overman's one-off adaptation of "Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency": Anti-hero Dirk Gently operates his eponymous detective agency based on the "fundamental interconnectedness of all things." He is lazy, untidy, dismissive, an awful boss and his methods verge on the criminal. When Dirk sets out to solve an apparently simple and harmless disappearance of a cat from an old lady's house, he unwittingly uncovers a double murder which, in turn, leads to a host of even more extraordinary events.

Anyone who has read Adams' Hitchhiker books (and the post-mortem extension by Eoin Colfer) knows that Adams' mind worked in mysterious ways. I love his wordplay, randomness and the way he could imbue special powers in the most simple objects -- towels, for instance. The Dirk Gently series isn't as well-known, but the BBC adaptation, listed on the autumn/winter schedule, could change that.

p.s. Also on the BBC schedule is an intriguing show called "Poe's Women." More on that later.

Posted by Dave Rosenthal at 11:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Amazon says that the latest version of the Kindle -- dubbed Kindle 3 -- is the fastest selling model yet. (Though, as usual, the company did not release actual numbers.) As it starts shipping today, two days ahead of schedule, the most popular books are Stieg Larsson's Millennium trilogy, "Star Island" by Carl Hiaasen and "The Rembrandt Affair" by Daniel Silva.

"Kindle is the best-selling product on Amazon.com for two years running and our new generation Kindles are continuing that momentum," Steven Kessel, senior vice president, Amazon Kindle, said in a prepared statement.

Kindle3 has a smaller and lighter body than its predecessors and double the storage to 3,500 books, the company says. The Wi-Fi- model costs $139, and the 3G model $189. Amazon apparently has been overwhelmed by demand for the new models -- orders placed today are expected to ship on or before Sept. 17.

Tp help you make your decision -- buy or pass? -- here are some early reviews (I'll update as new ones become available):

New York Times -- [C]ertain facts are unassailable: that the new Kindle offers the best E Ink screen, the fastest page turns, the smallest, lightest, thinnest body and the lowest price tag of any e-reader. It’s also the most refined and comfortable.

CNET -- The third-generation Kindle's winning combination of noteworthy upgrades--an improved screen, better battery life, lighter weight, and lower price--vaults it to the top of the e-book reader category.

PC World -- For those who want the advantages of a dedicated e-reader--namely, long battery life, a paper-like screen that can be read in bright light--right now the third-generation Kindle can't be beat for its mix of price, features, and performance. ... I have to say it's the first e-reader in months that's left me wanting to read more. Its solid build quality, along with its improved design, integrated store, and cross-platform transportability (books are usable on any Kindle reader app, including iPhone, iPad, Android, BlackBerry, and PC) all add up to a winner that shoots to the head of the pack.

Posted by Dave Rosenthal at 10:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

Suzanne Collins' (shown here) most loyal fans will read Mockingjay, the final book in the Hunger Games trilogy, no matter what the reviews say. But for those on the fence, here's a sampling of the first reviews for the book, which was released at midnight. (No spoilers included.) Nancy will be posting a more thorough review later this week.

Los Angeles Times -- Where "The Hunger Games" set the stage for the unusual post-apocalyptic world in which Katniss [Everdeen] first rose up from her inconsequential and impoverished life as an ace archer to win fame as a killer with a heart (and to become an unpredictable antihero for the masses), and "Catching Fire" uses that same stage to prime the pump for a brewing rebellion, "Mockingjay" takes readers into new territories and an even more brutal and confusing world: one where it's unclear what sides the characters are on, one where presumed loyalties are repeatedly stood on their head.

USA Today -- Still torn between two boys who love her, [Katniss] has been cast as the symbol of resistance in a civil war where both sides air televised propaganda and play with reality. The tactics prompt Katniss and other combatants to repeatedly ask each other, "Real or not real?" But it's no game. ... The novel's biggest surprises are found elsewhere. Hope emerges from despair. Even in a dystopian future, there's a better future.

Entertainment Weekly -- Fans will be happy to hear that Mockingjay is every bit as complex and imaginative as Hunger Games and Catching Fire. Collins has kicked the brutal violence up a notch in an edge-of-your-seat plot that follows Katniss as she tries to fulfill her role, protect her mother and sister and, in the end, finally choose between her two greatest loves.

Posted by Dave Rosenthal at 4:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

This is it! The final book in the Hunger Games trilogy was made available at midnight, and that non-noise you're hearing is millions of people reading their way through it.

I've got the book in my possession, and now I'm just waiting for a free day to read. But for those of you who want a review now, our sister paper, The Los Angeles Times, published a review yesterday, breaking the embargo.

While I refuse to read it myself, the headline does say that it is a "wrenchingly satisfying conclusion."

I'll have my own review before the end of the week, I hope! Happy reading, all.

Posted by Nancy Knight at 9:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

The towering chestnut tree that provided some cheer to Anne Frank has fallen, the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam reports. The tree, estimated to be 150 years old, had been weakened by insects and fungus, and two years ago was encased in a steel tripod as a precaution, the AP reports. But in Monday's wind, the trunk was shorn off just a few feet from the ground.

Anne wrote in her diary on several occasion about looking into the rear courtyard, where the tree stood. One example, from Feb. 23, 1944: "The two of us looked out at the blue sky, the bare chestnut tree glistening with dew, the seagulls and other birds glinting with silver as they swooped through the air, and we were so moved and entranced that we couldn’t speak."

I got a chance to visit the house a couple of years ago, and I recommend it highly. The walk through the family's hideout is frighteningly sad, yet inspiring, too. Little by little, the remnants of her life are fading away -- Miep Gies, who helped hide the Frank family and preserved the diary, died in January. But, thankfully, Anne's brave tale will live on.

Posted by Dave Rosenthal at 6:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

I'm all for being a lifelong learner -- most readers are -- so I will use Read Street to occasionally pass on my newest lessons.

Here's what I learned last week: Never put a poorly wrapped apple Danish in your briefcase to take home.

Posted by Dave Rosenthal at 10:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

As college campuses get lively again, professors and students are experimenting with a new piece of technology: Apple's iPad. Professors are still trying to figure out how to incorporate the tablet computer into their classes, and a group at the University of Maryland is in the vanguard, as this story in today's Baltimore Sun notes.

We've discussed the iPad's potential for changing our reading experience -- by mixing a biography of Louis Armstrong with videos of his trumpet solos, for example. So the opportunities on a college campus seem limitless. I would have loved the iPad -- especially the prospect of bypassing the chaos of the college bookstore each semester, and of eliminating all those heavy textbooks that I carried in a huge backpack.

Here's an excerpt from the Sun story: According to a survey this year by the National Association of College Stores, which represents campus bookstores, digital textbooks accounted for only 2.8 percent of $5.8 billion in sales of new, used and electronic textbooks last year, and that's expected to grow to more than 10 percent by 2012. About 15 percent of college courses offered digital textbooks last year, according to NACS.

"This is not the year of the e-textbook," said Charles Schmidt, spokesman for the association. "But we're reaching a tipping point soon."

Other challenges complicate the integration of the iPad and similar devices into university learning. Institutional budgets have been strained during the recession, for instance. And anti-technology attitudes among both older teachers — and even some younger faculty — are a hurdle, Brown said.

"There's still a pretty substantial old guard of faculty, of tenured professors who came up in a system that worked well for them, and there's no incentive to change, and that includes attitudes in use of technology," [said Gary Brown, of Washington State University's Center for Teaching, Learning & Technology.] "The tension is still there in academia: Will we use technology effectively?"

Posted by Dave Rosenthal at 9:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

If your kids ever needed any prodding to do their English homework, just show them this Forbes list of the 10 highest-paid authors. 

James Patterson, the one-man publishing conglomerate, sits atop the list, with an estimated $70 million in earnings from books, film rights, television, gaming deals and other income from June 1, 2009, through June 1, 2010.

That's understandable because he acts more like a CEO, building a staff of writers. Still, the sheer numbers are staggering: One out of every 17 novels bought in the U.S. are authored by Patterson, Forbes says.

Rounding out the top three are Stephenie Meyer ($40 million) and Stephen King ($34 million).

Photo courtesy of Little, Brown

Posted by Dave Rosenthal at 12:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Happy Friday, everyone!

I'm looking forward to this weekend's festivities: enjoying Restaurant Week, watching a little preseason football and reading The Countess, by Rebecca Johns. "The Countess" relates the horrific story of Countess Erzsebet Bathory, whom history remembers as the Blood Countess and one of the world's most prolific female serial killers.

Bathory is the narrator of her own story, as she keeps a diary while she is literally imprisoned in her own home. The cover itself is pretty chilling in that regard.

And speaking of chilling, how about that Laura Lippman? Congratulations, Michelle, you've won "I'd Know You Anywhere." We hope you enjoy it.

So now that summer is winding down, it's time to look forward to September's offerings. In other words, all of our favorite TV shows are about to return!

So to celebrate, we're offering up the latest installment in Jeff Lindsay's Dexter series, which inspired the hit show of the same name on Showtime. "Dexter is Delicious" is an original story, not yet seen on-screen, and fans of both the books and the show already know that the plots of the two media are only loosely related -- so don't worry about any spoilers.

So tell us what you're reading, and it could be yours!

Posted by Nancy Knight at 11:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (11)
        

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 won't get to theaters until November, but The Baltimore Sun has put together a slideshow of stills from the set to whet your appetite.

Deathly Hallows Part 1 is scheduled for release Nov. 19, with Part II coming July 15, 2011. And that will be it for the Potter series in print and on screen -- unless author J.K. Rowling can be enticed from retirement.

Meanwhile, fans can enjoy these photos of stars Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and others.

Posted by Dave Rosenthal at 12:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Books to Movies
        

While most us were absorbed this summer in Stieg Larsson's latest conspiracy tale, Fidel Castro had his own favorite: "The Secrets of the Bilderburg Club." The 2006 book by Daniel Estulin posits that a secret group of politicians and business leaders runs the world, advancing its agenda at an annual conference.

Castro published an article Wednesday that used much of a Communist Party newspaper to quote from the book, according to this AP report. The book, he said, described "sinister cliques and the Bilderberg lobbyists" manipulating the public "to install a world government that knows no borders and is not accountable to anyone but its own self."

The group was founded in 1954 at the Hotel Bilderberg in Holland. Note the chess board in the website photo -- I bet the leaders used it to decide who got the chance to start wars each year. And really, if a group of zillionaires and pols was plotting to control the world, would they hold an annual meeting in a hotel?

Conspiracy theories are always appealing -- from the Illuminati to the Trilateral Commission -- and the public's appetite for such tales has made Dan Brown a rich man. Be forewarned: If you read some of the sites about the Bilderberg club, including this post by Estulin, you might be too scared to go to sleep tonight.

Posted by Dave Rosenthal at 5:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (18)
        

For those of you who scoff at the idea of taking your Kindle to a book signing, here's a video to teach enterprising authors how to sign their e-book "covers." (And it's pretty good advertising for that book, as well.)

But honestly, why don't we just have a Kindle cover that you can sign? I guess this Moleskin cover comes closest.

Posted by Nancy Knight at 1:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Sex sells, baby, so you can expect Rolling Stone's "True Blood" cover to spark a big jump in newsstand sales. Or at least a big jump in visits to the Rolling Stone website. Stars of the HBO show, which is adapted from Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse vampire series, are pictured naked and dripping with blood. (The magazine assures me that no humans were sacrificed in the shoot.) Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer and Alexander Skarsgard make for a hot trio.

And even as Rolling Stone unveils (literally) a cover worth of Playboy, that venerable sex mag's September edition is excerpting a new translation of Gustave Flaubert’s "Madame Bovary" by Lydia Davis. In announcing the literary feature, Playboy noted that in recent years, it has featured works from Vladimir Nabokov, Chuck Palahniuk, Stephen King, Dennis Lehane and others.

I doubt that the excrpt will move any copies of Playboy, but it's nice to see the magazine's support for writers continue.

Posted by Dave Rosenthal at 12:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

To mark the death of former New York Giant Bobby Thomson, whose 1951 playoff home run has become an iconic moment, I headed for my shelf of baseball books. I was looking for my copy of Doris Kearns Goodwin's "Wait Til Next Year," her touching memoir about a childhood as a long-suffering Brooklyn Dodgers fan, but I must have loaned it out. (If you have it, give it back!) So instead, I re-read a piece from Roger Kahn's great book, "How the Weather Was." A fitting tribute that recalls a simpler time.

Here's an excerpt from Kahn's "The Day Bobby Thomson Hit His Home Run": Then the ball was gone, under the overhanging scoreboard, over the high wall, gone deep into the seats in lower left, 320 feet from home plate. For seconds, which seemed like minutes, the crowd sat dumb. The came the roar. It was a roar matched all across the country, wherever people sat at radio or television sets, a roar of delight, a roar of horror, but mostly a roar of utter shock. It was a moment when all the country roared and when an office worker in a tall building on Wall Street, hearing a cry rise about her, wondered if war had been declared.

Rest in peace, Bobby.

Posted by Dave Rosenthal at 8:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

Here's a shout out to Abigail Sullivan Moore, co-author of "The iConnected Parent," which examines how technology is changing the way parents relate to their kids in college. Abby, a friend whose freelance work has appeared in The New York Times and other publications, teamed up with Dr. Barbara K. Hofer, a Middlebury College psychology professor. Believe me, their findings about the era of cell phones, email, Facebook and other forms of communication are a world away from my college experience, when a single pay phone served the entire hall of my freshman dorm and a weekly call home was the norm.

These days, the authors noted, college students communicate with parents more than 13 times a week. That stream of words can help ease the transition to college -- for both parents and kids. But it can limit a child's ability to gain independence and learn how to make decisions. And it can cross accepted boundaries, as parents get involved proofreading homework or intervening with professors. Here's an excerpt from a Hartford Courant Q&A with Abby:

Q: Many of the students you describe in the book don't really seem to mind getting their parents' advice and even seek it out. If parents like giving help and the kids don't mind the advice, what's the problem?

A: In the past, students at this age typically made many decisions on their own, after talking with friends, roommates, advisers and so on. That was part of growing up. Sometimes they made poor decisions, but they learned from them. But today with cellphones, many students are calling their parents to make those decisions. Or the parents are calling them. The bottom line is that students are losing opportunities to learn to make decisions on their own, and this is an essential part of growing up.

And we also found students who were conflicted about so much contact with their parents. On the one hand, they wanted their parents' support. On the other, they felt inadequate because they wanted to be more independent. Students who have the most frequent contact with their parents are less autonomous than other students. \

p.s. If you'd like a copy of the book, leave a comment about your own experience with college communication -- as a student or parent or onlooker. One lucky commenter will win.

Posted by Dave Rosenthal at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

One of the most popular, but unofficial, items on summer reading lists for high schoolers and college kids is the U.S. News college rankings, which were released today. I bet more juniors and seniors read that list than "The Catcher in the Rye" or "To Kill a Mockingbird." There aren't a lot of surprises: Harvard, Princeton and Yale sat atop the university list and Williams, Amherst and Swarthmore led the college rankings.

The U.S. News list and other rankings such as the Princeton Review also give students and alums plenty to talk about. I'm sure everyone in New Haven thinks the list is wrong, while students who pass the John Harvard statue every day wouldn't change a thing. (And I'm appalled that the ranking criteria put my alma mater, Wesleyan University, in a tie for #12 among colleges. Go Wes!)

In Maryland, the good news is that the University of Maryland, Baltimore County was at the top of U.S. News' "up-and-coming" list, and the flagship College Park campus was 20th on that list.

Posted by Dave Rosenthal at 11:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

Looks like David Fincher has found his tattooed hacker extraordinaire: Rooney Mara will play the titular role in the new "Girl with the Dragon Tattoo."

The 25-year-old Mara was most recently in "Youth in Revolt" with Michael Cera, and played Nancy in the "Nightmare on Elm Street remake."

Production begins next month, with Daniel Craig cast as Mikael Blomkvist, and the movie is set to open Dec. 21, 2011.

No matter what you think of the plot, that is one pretty, pretty cast.

(AP photo)

Posted by Nancy Knight at 2:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Books to Movies
        

James J. Kilpatrick the conservative political commentator who also had a real love of the language, died Sunday in Washigton. He was 89.

According to this obit from AP, he also was the author of a dozen books and numerous magazine articles. He wrote columns on the U.S. Supreme Court and "The Writer's Art," on the use and abuse of the English language, which appeared in hundreds of daily newspapers. "Be clear, be clear, be clear!" he said in his book "The Writer's Art" (1984). "Your image or idea may be murky but do not write murkily about it. Be murky clearly."

When I lived in Virginia in the 1970s, Kilpatrick was a prominent voice of the conservative movement, and was remembered for his harsh criticism of the 1954 Supreme Court decision that overturned school segregation -- and led to the state's era of "Massive Resistance." Later, he apologized for that stance, while still maintaing his conservative street cred. Many will remember his spirited duels on "60 Minutes" with Shana Alexander -- or better yet, the SNL spoofs that had his doppelganger, Dan Akroyd, saying to Jane Curtin: "Jane, you ignorant slut."

Posted by Dave Rosenthal at 1:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

To promote "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth" -- book five in the hugely popular series -- the official 2010 Ice-Treat Truck Bookstore Tour is headed to Baltimore.

Tomorrow, Aug. 17, the treat truck is scheduled to make two stops in the area. At noon, it will be at the Ellicott City Barnes & Noble, in the Long Gate Shopping Center 4300 Montgomery Road. At 4 p.m. it will stop at the The Children’s Bookstore, 737 Deepdene Road in Roland Park. You can stop by from 4 to 5:30 p.m. (If you don't live in the Baltimore area, here's the complete U.S. schedule for the truck tour.)

Book five in the series featuring middle schooler Greg Heffley comes out Nov. 9, and is likely to quickly jump into the best-seller ranks. The first Wimpy Kid book was published in 2007; now more than 35 million are in print in the U.S. And as you know, the Wimpy Kid series is written by University of Maryland alum Jeff Kinney, so toast the Terp with your popsicle or other treat!

Posted by Dave Rosenthal at 1:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Books to Movies
        

Go figure. Although last week's buzz surrounded the screen adaptation of Elizabeth Gilbert's "Eat, Pray, Love," it was soundly defeated in weekend revenue by "The Expendables." The shoot-em-up starring a bunch of Hollywood toughs including Sylvester Stallone (think "The Dirty Dozen," if you can remember that far back) brought in $35 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Julia Roberts in the comma-less "Eat Pray Love" was No. 2 with $23.7 million, and "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World," based on the graphic series, could do no better than No. 5, with $10.5 million. But "EPL" will no doubt lead thw way in jewelry, vacations and other merchandise tie-ins, as the Hollywood Reporter notes. 

meanwhile, there is an Expendables connection for readers: a comic book prequel written by Chuck Dixon and illustrated by Esteve Polls.

Posted by Dave Rosenthal at 10:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

With Laura Lippman's new book, "I'd Know You Anywhere," out this week, The Baltimore Sun took a look one of its most famous alums. Lippman talks about the jump from novels to Hollywood -- "Every Secret Thing" is being adapted for film and a TV series pilot is being written for her Tess Monaghan books.

Lippman also discussed her writing style with reporter Michael Sragow. (And don't forget that Read Street is giving away a copy of Lippman's latest, about a child kidnapping victim who is contacted by the criminal years later.) Here are some excerpts from his article:

"The characters that I make the most fun of are usually the closest to me. I have learned that about myself as a writer. If a character is gently mocked in a book, it's because I share something with that character and I feel quite free to do that."

Lippman says the one who contains the most self-satire is Eliza's older sister, Vonnie, who is frank and cosmopolitan but also insensitive and opinionated. "That's me having fun with myself, as a sister who's so self-important and so histrionic, and everything that happens to her is so huge. Eliza is not at all like me. I always saw her as quietly heroic. She has acquired strength. … The incredible sadness of her life is that she hasn't let anyone else in since she was 15 years old."

Baltimore Sun photo by Karl Merton Ferron 

More from the article: At times like that you can see why Lippman would connect to the exuberant side of her girl characters. But why is she hard-wired to troubled young characters like Elizabeth? She says she often gives the "glib, flippant" explanation that "I'm one of those people who never forgave or never forgot any of the humiliations of childhood," even though she had "a very happy ordinary childhood." She also thinks young people are fascinating because "they aren't very good at being disingenuous. They're much more interesting when they're inept." ...

Lippman says she would never try her hand at "broad, larger-than-life, Hannibal Lecter types … that's just not what I do. I can't pull that off. So I kind of go the other way. [Husband David Simon] and I have actually joked that we're drawn to characters who are smaller than life. That's just what I know: people whose dreams are bigger than they are. I'm thinking of Walter now. I get that kind of person, I really do, and I feel for him in an odd way."

Posted by Dave Rosenthal at 1:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

Now that the movie adptation of Elizabeth Gilbert's "Eat, Pray, Love" is out in wide release, the reviews are flooding in. Our first look listed some of the early reviews, but today the heavy hitters have weighed in. So in the interest of full disclosure, here are a few more excerpts from reviews. As someone who hates to read reviews -- or watch trailers -- I hope there is something left when folks actually go to see the movie, which stars Julia Roberts.

Los Angeles Times -- Just as the book turned out to be a perfect vehicle for Gilbert to work through all manner of emotional highs and lows, the movie creates space and a place for Roberts to give into wave after wave of feelings as she moves through resentment, guilt, regret, forgiveness, joy and hope to change her life.

Washington Post -- The film's most crucial constituency -- the book's rabid fans -- are likely to feel well served by [director Ryan] Murphy's adaptation, which hews pretty faithfully to Gilbert's story.

New York Times -- “Eat Pray Love” is unlikely to change anybody’s life or even to provoke emotions anywhere near as intense as those experienced, early and late, by its intrepid heroine. Its span may be global, but its scope is modest, and it accepts a certain superficiality as the price of useful insight. Watch. Smile. Go home and dream of Brazilians in Bali.

Posted by Dave Rosenthal at 3:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Happy Friday the 13th, everyone! I hope your good luck is holding out. I'm going to spend it watching "Scott Pilgrim vs The World" tonight. And for those of you who might be interested in reading the series on the go -- there's an app for that.

As for books, I'm re-reading Donna Tartt's "The Secret History." (WARNING! Don't click the link unless you've already read this 1992 best-seller!) It's our next book club book, and I am super excited.  Tartt's own experience at a small New England college informs much of the atmosphere, and she based part of the plot that follows a group of six classics students on the real life disappearance of Bennington College student Paula Jean Weldon.

But on to our winner! Congratulations, Mila, you've won "Dick and Jane and Vampires." We hope you enjoy it!

On to the next giveaway: Laura Lippman's latest, "I'd Know You Anywhere." In it, wife and mother Eliza Benedict is haunted by her past when the man who kidnapped her -- and killed at least two other girls -- writes to her from prison, seeking communication. This jumpstarts the story, where Eliza has to confront the long-ago ordeal, and tries to find out why it was that Walter Bowman let her live.

Tell us about what you're reading, and it could be yours!

Posted by Nancy Knight at 10:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (16)
        

Read Street is always looking to recommend special offers, and here's a great one: a chance to win a Droid cell phone worth $200. In a promotion for its text alert program -- which delivers the latest news, sports, entertainment, weather and more to your phone -- the Baltimore Sun is giving away a Droid X. To enter to win, just sign up here for text alerts in any (or all) of eight categories.

It's an easy way to keep abreast of news on the governor's race, Ravens results or a thunderstorm watch. And don't forget to call me on your slick new phone if you win.

Posted by Dave Rosenthal at 8:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Sad to hear that Cathy Guisewite, creator of the "Cathy" comic strip, is stepping away from the drawing board. The strip, which is perched atop the Baltimore Sun's comics page, will end on Sunday, October 3.

Guisewite's strip started in 1976 (yes, I was amazed that it has been that long, too) and readers laughed along with a character who was chronically worried about relationships, weight and getting organized. When she strayed, her mother was always there to offer for advice -- even if it was the last thing Cathy wanted.

Guisewite's syndicate, Universal Uclick, said she wants to "spend more time with family and pursue new creative venues."

“After almost 34 years of meeting newspaper deadlines,” Guisewite said in a statement, “I’m facing some personal deadlines whose requirements simply exceed my ability to procrastinate any longer: an 18‐year‐old daughter who needs a full‐time mom to help her through her last year of high school and beyond ... beloved parents I want to be able to visit more often … and a creative biological clock, which is urging me to try something else while I can.”

We can all identify with those feelings. Though I'll miss her strip -- as I've missed other favorites such as "The Far Side" and "Calvin and Hobbes" -- I wish her all the best.

Posted by Dave Rosenthal at 11:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)
        

What are kids reading these days?

When I was young, nothing creeped me out more than a good ghost story. Alvin Schwartz' "Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark" series was pretty much perfect: Classic, bare-bones tales that scared or surprised you at different turns -- and don't even get me started on those creepy illustrations by Stephen Gammell. I mean, just LOOK at that picture!

Of course, that series ended in 1991, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised that today's spooky books are quite a bit different. Beyond the classics-turned-horror stories, ala "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and the Undead," we've got the Skeleton Creek series.

Aimed at kids in sixth grade and up, these books aren't so scary on their own. But when paired with the official website, which provides video footage of the story's creepier plot points ... well, let's just say I jumped a time or two. While reading the book, in this case "Skeleton Creek: The Crossbones," you're given passwords to access the short films. While the book is written as the journal of one character, the clips are made by another.

The videos themselves use tried-and-true methods for those scares, of course: Quiet scenes to amp up the tension, followed by fast cuts to a ghostly visage, underscored by screeching music and panicky breathing. Still, it's a lot of fun, if you don't mind reading your book in front of a computer. 

But the nice part is the history that author Patrick Carman stuffs into his book. The Winchester Mystery House, ghost stories by Daniel Defoe and Thomas Jefferson are seamlessly woven into the action, and the nerd in me really enjoyed those aspects. So don't be surprised if you catch your kids on Youtube, and they tell you they're reading. It's actually kind of the truth!

Posted by Nancy Knight at 10:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

In Part II of Adaptation Day, here are excerpts from the promised movie reviews for "Eat Pray Love." Somewhere along the line, Hollywood decided to drop the commas from the title of Elizabeth Gilbert's coming-of-New-Age book. I guess all that punctuation cluttered up the posters. If you haven't read the book, here's a snapshot: Gilbert chucks her life (and a painful breakup) in New York to search for happiness while eating and meditating in Italy, India and Bali. Her tale touched a nerve with many, many women and became a surprise best-seller. Here was my take on the book. Now we'll see what Julia Roberts can do with the lead role.

New York Daily News -- In an effort to pack everything in, they rush through the beginning, so we don't really see the dark place from which Liz begins this journey. ... Since Roberts neglects to explore the gritty underside of Liz's emotions, we can't build the same bond Gilbert encourages in her book. ... Still, the locations are lush, the costumes vibrant, the varying moods properly atmospheric.

The Canadian Press -- It provides a gorgeous escape, exquisitely photographed and full of female wish fulfilment. Yet it also offers sufficient emotional heft and self-discovery to make you feel as if you've actually learned something and, perhaps, emerged a better person solely through osmosis.

The Hollywood Reporter -- There is an undeniable attractiveness to all this, however doubtful the self-realization lessons may be. ... The charms of each location and the vigor of the film's supporting players cast a romantic glow. No, travel -- and certainly self-realization -- is quite like this ... But it should be.

Orlando Sentinel -- For a film about a woman whose motto is “I’m through with the guilt,” Roberts ... & Co. have delivered a guilty pleasure. It’s great to see her in something this light again, looking much as she did ten years ago. Eat Pray Love allows Roberts’ longtime fans to travel the world, and back in time with her. If only we all could eat until we pop and age in reverse and still have the glow of amber backlighting.

Posted by Dave Rosenthal at 4:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

As promised, here's a look at reviews for "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World," one of the week's big book-to-movie adaptations. (We'll be back later with reviews of "Eat Pray Love.") I bet that bringing a Bryan Lee O'Malley graphic novel to the screen is easier than adpating pure text, because the original version carries visual clues for the director -- and viewers. Here are exceprts of reviews for the movie, which stars Michael Cera as the supreme slacker.

Village Voice -- For all of Scott Pilgrim's strict adherence to the comic—the stylized video-game imagery, the rock-and-roll and references, the self-conscious merging of chop-socky action and puppy-dog-sweet sentiment—it goes even deeper, conveying the ache pulsating between the lines in O'Malley's original, which was so simply drawn that it looks like the work of a child not even trying very hard.

Variety -- With Michael Cera in the title role, twentysomethings and under will swiftly embrace this original romancer, which treats the subject as if there were nothing more important in all the universe, though anyone over 25 is likely to find director Edgar Wright's adaptation of the cult graphic novel exhausting, like playing chaperone at a party full of oversexed college kids.

New York -- At first the crazy-quilt inventiveness of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World can put you over the moon: Yes, this is how you bring a graphic novel to life onscreen! ... Given these marvels, why ... isn’t it the coolest movie ever? One problem is, well, Scott Pilgrim. Cera dials down his patented semi-castrato hysteria and doesn’t play every scene on the defensive, but our superhero is still a super-cipher: callow, cowardly, morose.

The New Yorker -- The film is alive with bad rock bands and dizzying bit parts, the standout being Kieran Culkin, in the role of Scott’s gay roommate, but we feel them gyrating around a hollow core. Who cares if Scott winds up with Ramona, Knives, or anyone else?

Posted by Dave Rosenthal at 1:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Books to Movies
        

I just received an e-mail from a reader who's looking for a book that was reviewed in The Sun a few years ago. While I search through the archives today, I thought I'd pose the question to you guys, too: Do you know what this book is?

"I would be much obliged if you could help me locate a specific book review published in the Sun during either 2007 or 2008. I've searched the general Sun archives and the Balt Co databases but had not much luck. My hope is that you will recognize the following description and be able to give me an idea of author or title.

"In the review, there is a sizable quotation from the opening paragraphs of the book where the narrator says

"While I have spent many years with my girlfriend, after the physical attraction to her was gone, in spite of how much sharing we did, I realized it was 'time to go.' "

Got an idea? Let us know!

Posted by Nancy Knight at 9:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

This is a big week for movie adaptations, with the release of "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World" and "Eat Pray Love."(Click on either title for the movie trailer; here are Scott Pilgrim movie reviews.)

It's hard to imagine two books -- or movies -- that have more distance between their audiences (or do they?). Scott Pilgrim, a popular series of graphic novels by Bryan Lee O'Malley, appeals to guys who have spent entirely too much time watching TV and playing video games, are angry about all the jocks who torment them, and are yearning for a relationship. It's set to a frenetic pace, as if the camera crew had been on a diet of Pop-Tarts and Froot Loops.

"Eat, Pray, Love," based on Elizabeth Gilbert's book, is aimed at women who are searching for some larger meaning in life, are angry at all the guys who have tormented them, and are yearning for a worthwhile relationship. The movie is heavy on scenic shots that would fit well in a travelogue. I enjoyed Gilbert's sense of humor in the book, and I hope that element carries over to Julia Roberts' character.

We'll bring you more about the movies, including early reviews, as the week goes on. In the meantime -- even though the movies have common themes of anger and yearning -- I bet lots of couples and families are scheduling their weekends at the cineplex, guys to the left for Scott Pilgrim, women to the right for "Eat Pray Love." Am I going to be the only person to see both?

Posted by Dave Rosenthal at 2:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)
Categories: Books to Movies
        

Simmons, an investment banker specializing in the energy industry, theorized that Saudi Arabia's oil reserves were overestimated, oil production had peaked and we were in for a rude shock when the pumps started going dry. (There was no mention of Bella or vampires, which may explaing why the book's popularity waned.) In recent years, he focused on wind and other alternative energy sources.

Even though the mideast oil supply keeps going, Simmons' dire prediction may have helped Americans realize that it was time to start developing alternatives, and changing their lifestyles by conserving and recycling. Not a bad legacy.

Posted by Dave Rosenthal at 2:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

News of the death of actress Patricia Neal has sparked interest in her ex-husband, the late author Roald Dahl. The Brit had a fascinating background, including a connection to the spy world during World War II. He charmed America's society women as he tried to promote British interests -- not a bad gig if you can get it. Dahl was best-known for his fantasic children's books, including "James and the Giant Peach," "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," "Danny the Clampion of the World" and "Fantastic Mr. Fox."

But he also was an accomplished mystery writer, whose tales often carried a bizarre twist. In one, "Lamb to the Slaughter," a woman beats her husband with a leg of lamb, and then roasts it and serves it to the cop investigating the murder. With that tragic sense of humor (or is it humourous sense of tragedy), it's fitting that Dahl was a three-time winner of the Mystery Writers of America's Edgar Award -- named for Baltimore's own Edgar Allan Poe.

Dahl's later work was created from the bedtime stories he told to the five children he had with Neal, his first wife, according to his on-line bio. The death of Olivia at age seven may have heightened his sense of tragedy. He had a good share of that in his life.

Posted by Dave Rosenthal at 1:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

If you ever find yourself in Bologna, Italy, don't miss the Museum of Modern Art, or MAMbo. Because they have an installation by Slovakian artist Matej Kren: a house made entirely of books.

According to the website,

"The narrow inside space, multiplied and complicated by mirrors, evoke a sensation of sublime terror, an alteration referring to a puzzling infinity itself created to destabilize conventional spatial habits. Mirrors become an instrument to create illusion and, at the same time, to unmask it. Since the public can easily see themselves reflected in a false infinite – thus discovering the illusion – the problem becomes the latency of perception.

"Chosen because of their nature as seat of knowledge, as symbols of intrinsically human free thought, books are here “used” as raw materials for an artistic process existing and communicating on many distinct levels."

As the pictures illustrate, the project is a bit eerie, even if my first reaction is simply "I WANT TO LIVE IN IT!" After all, you may be surrounded by books, but if you ever tried to read one, the whole thing is liable to come toppling down on you.

Posted by Nancy Knight at 11:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

For anyone who lived through the turbulent '60s and early '70s, there were many unforgettable events -- not least among them Aug. 8, 1974, when President Richard M. Nixon announced that he would resign. It's chilling to recall his televised address or to read news stories from that day -- here's the Washington Post coverage -- when our country suddenly carried the whiff of a banana republic.

Of course, the Post led the way in covering the Watergate scandal that triggered Nixon's resignation. And two Post reporters, Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, turned that coverage into the memorable book, "All the President's Men." (It was also adapted into a compelling movie, transforming journalists into stars, if only for an all-too-brief moment.)

That book has been on my shelf for years, and it should be required reading for every journalism student. In fact, it should be required reading for every politician, a reminder that the take-no-prisoners, partisan combat can turn a country upside down. A lesson for today, perhaps?

Posted by Dave Rosenthal at 4:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Today's the anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, and there is no better way to recall the day's impact than to pick up John Hersey's memorable work. "Hiroshima" originally ran in The New Yorker -- it took up the entire August 31, 1946, edition, in fact -- and was later reprinted as a book.

Hersey described the events in simple, but powerful, prose. Here's how his article began in the magazine's "A Reporter at Large" section: "At exactly fifteen minutes past eight in the morning on August 6, 1945, Japanese time, at the moment when the atomic bomb flashed above Hiroshima, Miss Toshiko Sasaki, a clerk in the personnel department of the East Asia Tin Works, had just sat down at her place in the plant office and was turning her head to speak to the girl at the next desk."

His work -- chronicling the bombing's aftermath through the eyes of six survivors: two doctors, two women, a Protestant clergyman, and a German Jesuit priest -- has been recognized as one of the 20th Century's best pieces of journalism. Here's how The New Yorker describes the response: "The magazine sold out at newsstands. Many newspapers republished portions of the article on their front pages or devoted editorials to it. The Book of the Month club distributed “Hiroshima” free of charge to its members. ABC pre-empted its radio schedule to broadcast a reading of the entire piece. Later that year, the article was published in book form by Alfred A. Knopf and has gone on to sell more than three million copies."

Posted by Dave Rosenthal at 1:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

It's Friday, and I'm feeling a little silly.

Maybe it's thanks to the new book I'm reading, "Juliet," by Anne Fortier, which is coming out in October. The book is based on Shakespeare's very own star-crossed lovers, and a descendant named Julie Jacobs. Julie learns that "a plague on both your houses" was no empty threat, and works to unravel the mystery of her ancestors and the old family curse. So far, it's making this Bard fan happy.

Maybe it's because I love announcing new winners, and this week's is Kem White. Congratulations, Kem, and I hope you enjoy "Percival's Planet." 

Or maybe I'm just happy that the weekend is almost upon us.

For whatever reason -- and maybe all of them -- I'm going with some light fare for this week's giveaway: "Dick and Jane and Vampires," by Laura Marchesani. Because really, who decided that vampires were only for swooning teenagers? New readers need options, too, and seeing Dracula climbing trees, serving sweets and wearing an apron made me laugh out loud. Of course, the Dick and Jane series is a bit before my time -- but everyone's familiar with the classic stories, right?

(And don't worry, there are no nefarious happenings. The vampire's more like an indulgent uncle than a monster.)

So tell us what you're reading, and it could be yours.

Posted by Nancy Knight at 11:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

The movie adaptation of Nick McDonnell's acclaimed novel, "Twelve," is out this week, featuring Chace Crawford as a drug-dealer among young, chic New Yorkers. Think of Holden Caulfield gone bad during his Christmas doldrums and you'll get the idea. Here are excerpts of reviews for the movie:

Village Voice -- Famously published when its author was only 18, Twelve the book briskly moves along with the Didion-esque disdain of an insider—material that first-time screenwriter Jordan Melamed transforms into a hand-wringing cautionary tale with a tacked-on moral lesson and visions of a dead, beatific mother.

Variety -- "Twelve" can't decide if it's a cautionary tale or a lifestyle catalog. ... [It] feels like ersatz Bret Easton Ellis watered down for the "Gossip Girl" crowd (it even stars the latter's Chace Crawford, as its drug-dealing antihero).

Rolling Stone -- Joel Schumacher's Twelve, from a much better 2002 novel by Nick McDonell, is a drag-ass slog with GG's Chace Crawford as a sober weed dealer, Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson as his supplier, and a young cast whose work is done by irritating, wall-to-wall voice-over from Kiefer Sutherland. Sorry, no XOXO for this slick, hollow hooey.

Entertainment Weekly -- The movie adaptation, directed by Joel Schumacher, covers all of McDonell's ground. But between page and screen, youthful immediacy has been lost, replaced by effortful art direction that saddles the of-the-moment story with a dated Less Than Zero aesthetic heavy on the wardrobe and decor.

Posted by Dave Rosenthal at 5:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Books to Movies
        

Here's a heart-warming story about a Superman comic's miraculous powers -- and one that makes me feel less guilty for all the hours I wasted reading comics as a kid.

A family packing up belongings in a home headed for foreclosure stumbled on a great find: a copy of Action Comics No. 1. It marks the first appearance by Superman and has sold for as much as $1.5 million, according to this ABC report.

The comic is scheduled for an auction later this month on ComicConnect.com, and based on its condition, is likely to fetch upwards of $250,000. So maybe theree will eb a happy ending.

Says Vincent Zurzolo, co-owner of ComicConnect.com and Metropolis Comics and Collectibles in New York, "You couldn't have asked for a happier ending. Superman saved the day."

Posted by Dave Rosenthal at 12:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

Since I know you've been looking for a way to spend that extra $300 you have just languishing in your bank account, I thought now would be the perfect time to share Kate Spade's latest project: Turning Penguin book covers into classy clutches.

Penguin, which celebrated its 75th birthday on June 30th, is reissuing many classic covers to commemorate their anniversary -- but I've got to say, this partnership is pretty great. And soon there will be more titles added to the three already available: Charles Dickens' "Great Expectations," F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby" and Oscar Wilde's "The Importance of Being Earnest."

Each clutch is decorated by a quote, either from the book or about the book. For instance, the "Great Expectations" clutch has the ever-romantic line "I loved her simply because I found her irresistible."

So what do you think? Are these clutches irresistible?

Posted by Nancy Knight at 10:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

News that Barnes & Noble is considering a big sale -- the entire company -- shouldn't come as a surprise.

The publishing industry has been in turmoil due to the phenomenal growth of e-readers such Amazon's Kindle -- and if folks are buying digital books, that hurts brick-and-mortar retailers in a big way. Barnes & Noble has tried to capture a piece of the e-book market with its nook device, but it's battling a crowded field of competitors, including the Kindle and Apple's iPad. Meanwhile, warehouse stores and all-purpose retailers such as Walmart are selling more and more books these days. All of that brings mounting pressure on B&N. (And publishers. I wouldn't be surprised to see a series of mergers and other corporate changes in the publishing world over the next few years.)

I hope the company can find a way out of its financial miseries, because I find B&N stores attractive and appealling. I love the formula that combines cafes with the books and other merchandise, enlivening the whole store. It's a much more satisfying experience than dropping a book into a shopping cart along with dog food and diapers.

Posted by Dave Rosenthal at 11:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

I got a good laugh from the HarperCollins website promotion for Sarah Palin's upcoming book, "America by Heart."

The site says the book, inspired by everyday Americans she met on her "Going Rogue" book tour, "celebrates the enduring strengths and virtues that have made this country great." The new book, scheduled for a Nov. 23 release, "reflects on the key values -- both national and spiritual -- that have been such a profound part of Governor Palin’s life and continue to inform her vision of America’s future."

All well and good. But what does the website list as "New Books Similar to This One"? How about "The Trillion-Dollar Conspiracy" by Jim Marrs: "America's economy is in shambles. . . . Its citizens are terrified and dissatisfied. . . . Could it all have been planned by a secret elite one hundred years ago? The New World Order. Hitler referred to it in his diaries. President George H. W. Bush foretold of it in his speeches. ... "

So much for the enduring strengths and virtues of everyday Americans.

Posted by Dave Rosenthal at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

Two scientists at the Museum of the Rockies in Montana are challenging long-held views about triceratops, the three-horned dinosaur that has enchanted kids since the Cretaceous era. John Scannella and Jack Horner say the iconic dino is really just an immature version of the torosaurus, according to NewScientist.

Both triceratops and torosaurus (Yale's Peabody Museum has an interesting slide show on the reconstruction of this beast) had three horns and a large neck frill, the NewScientist article notes. Scannella and Horner say that as the animal aged, its horns changed shape and orientation and its frill became longer, thinner and less jagged.

OK, that's fine scientific theory. But for people like me, who grew up reading Oliver Butterworth's "The Enormous Egg," it's heresy. I loved the story about Nate Twitchell, who comes across a giant egg and watches it hatch into a baby triceratops that he names Uncle Beazley. That book helped spark an interest in dinosaurs -- and science -- that has endured for me. It's truly depressing to hear that dear, old triceratops may be on its way to a scientist-imposed extinction.

Posted by Dave Rosenthal at 2:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (12)
        

Though "The Help" and "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest" might elicit tears and chills, do any books capitalize more on raw angst than college guides such as The Princeton Review?

Now that both of my kids are out of college, I'm a bit removed from that highly emotional period, when parents, high school seniors and counselors pore over the guides, searching for the perfect school. Parents are looking for leaders in the Most Well-Behaved and Studious category, while the kids' eyes are drawn to Best Party School. The 2011 Review says that's the University of Georgia (sorry, Johns Hopkins, maybe next year), represented in our photo by mascot Uga VII.

The Review, whose 2011 edition of "The Best 373 Colleges" is released Tuesday, combines student surveys with institutional data for assessments on dozens of categories, including most beautiful campus (Sewanee – The University of the South), best food (Bowdoin College) and best dorms (Bryn Mawr College). And for all us Terps fans, the University of Maryland, College Park was named for best athletic facilities.

For more category winners -- including Least Religious Students and Top Stone-Cold Sober Schools -- keep reading:

Best Classroom Experience – Mount Holyoke College

Most Conservative Students – Texas A&M University

Most Liberal Students – Hampshire College

Most Politically Active Students – American University

Most Accessible Profs – U.S. Air Force Academy

Least Religious Students – Sarah Lawrence College

Happiest Students – Brown University

Lots of Race/Class Interaction– University of Miami

LGBT-Friendly – Emerson College

Top Stone-Cold Sober Schools – Brigham Young University

Everyone Plays Intramural Sports – University of Notre Dame

Best Town-Gown Relations – Clemson University

Posted by Dave Rosenthal at 6:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Justin Bieber, the pop star who is the darling of teenyboppers everywhere, was never going to be confused with Dostoyevsky, but he seems to be creating a new class of book: the illustrated memoir. HarperCollins announced today that it would release "Justin Bieber: First Step 2 Forever: My Story" in October. The company said the hardcover has "exclusive, never-before-seen photos -- a must-have for fans afflicted with Bieber-fever."

The Canadian-born singer and musician has sold more than five million records since 2007, even though he didn't sign a contract until the ripe old age of 13. He said in a statement, "Every day I wake up and count my blessings. My fans have played such a large part in all of this and they help me live my dreams every day. I'm excited to share just a little bit more of my world with them through this book. Between the behind-the-scenes pictures and the story I think this is going to be something they can all enjoy."

Some cynical folks might question the literary value of a memoir by someone who recently had a Sweet 16 party. But in this era of celebrity, it makes perfect sense. Just consider another book headed our way: "Cirque Du Salahi: Be Careful Who You Trust," which tells "the Inside Story of Michaele and Tareq Salahi -- the never before revealed details of what happened before, during, and after their November 2009 appearance at the Obama administration’ first state dinner." Compared to Bieber, the Salahis (despite Michaele's role on The Real Housewives of Washington D.C. are celebrity short-timers. And at least Bieber walks the literary walk: He reportedly has a stylized seagull tattoo -- a reference to "Jonathan Livingston Seagull."

Photo courtesy of HarperCollins

Posted by Dave Rosenthal at 2:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)
        

So you want to try to understand this "Twilight" phenomenon, but you can't bring yourself to read the books? British video blogger (and musician, and culture critic) Alex Day has got you covered -- through the first 19 chapters, anyway.

So put aside an hour or so, and watch as Alex eviscerates Stephenie Meyer's beloved book with a few choice curses thrown in. (So careful before you blast this one.) There are also a couple of asides to things that have nothing to do with vampires or their bland girlfriends -- Doctor Who and drawing a deck of cards, for instance -- but it's definitely worth a view or two.

Of course, it would have been nice if someone had mentioned this Internet gem back in October, before I trudged through the entire series ...

Posted by Nancy Knight at 9:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Leo Marks, the World War II-era British cryptologist, is getting renewed attention this weekend, thanks to Chelsea Clinton. She used his touching poem, “The Life That I Have,” in her wedding Saturday to Marc Mezvinsky.

Marks, a bookworm, became fascinated by cryptography while hanging around his father's Marks & Co. bookshop and learning about Edgar Allen Poe, who dabbled in the science and used it in "The Gold-Bug." During the war, he helped spies use poetry to encode messages, a fascinating practice. But the poem that Chelsea read was not originally designed as a war-time tool -- it was written in memory of a girlfriend who died in a plane crash. "I transmitted a message to her which I'd failed to deliver when I'd had the chance," he wrote, according to Forbes. The poem also was used in the 1958 spy movie "Carve Her Name with Pride."

To read more about Marks, you can pick up his memoir, "Between Silk and Cyanide: A Codemaker's War, 1941-1945."

Posted by Dave Rosenthal at 5:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)