About Books & Literature: Turning the Page to 2014!

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Books & Literature From Emily Faherty, your About Books & Literature Editor We love the start of the new year! Sure, there's a real letdown at the end of the exciting holiday season, but a brand new (and wide open) calendar usually means there's more free time to catch up on all the books on our never-ending to-read list. I'm wrapping up Sisterland by Curtis Sittenfeld right now and am finally going to start Tenth of December, the George Saunders collection of short stories that had everyone talking this year. I was very happy to see that sitting under the Christmas tree last week! What are you looking forward to reading this year? We wish you a Happy New Year and happy reading in 2014! The Best Bestsellers of 2013 If you're anything like me, you're a little behind on some of 2013's biggest titles. Check this list of the top 10 books of 2013 to make sure you didn't miss any of this year's must reads. I'm adding The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri to my list as we speak. Search Related Topics:  2013 books  book recommendations  2014's First New Books We've got to catch up quickly because the new year brings a whole new batch of books. We'll be watching for these seven January releases to hit the shelves next month. And for the younger readers, we've rounded up the best children's books to read in January. Find Happiness in the Coming Year The new year is all about resolutions and reinvention, right? Get inspired to make some changes with these great inspirational memoirs and these five helpful books about finding true happiness in your life. Search Related Topics:  happiness  emotions  friendship Happy Birthday, J.D. Salinger! We'd be remiss if we didn't also remember the birthday of J.D. Salinger, who was born on January 1, 1919. Did you know the often-controversial The Catcher in the Rye was the only novel the American writer published in his career? And early birthday wishes go out to author J. R. R. Tolkien, best known for The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, and born on January 3, 1892. Search Related Topics:  j.d. salinger  american literature  banned books Related Searches Best Free Books New Books By Book Search Christmas Books Classic Literature Featured Articles Classic Poems About the New Year Review: 'Starting Over' by Elizabeth Spencer 7 Great Books to Read in the Winter 'The Hobbit' Movie Review Teen Reading Trends of 2013 8 Books for Improving Interpersonal Skills   More from About.com Run Your First 5K Even couch potatoes can be ready for a 5K with just a couple months of training. Read more...> Help! I'm Too Busy Time and stress management tips to help you feel as though you have more time. Read more...>   Sign up for more free newsletters on your favorite topics You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to the About.com Books & Literature newsletter. If you wish to change your email address or unsubscribe, please click here. About.com respects your privacy: Our Privacy Policy Contact Information: 1500 Broadway, 6th Floor New York, NY, 10036 © 2013 About.com   Advertisement

About Books & Literature: 'Twas the Day Before Christmas...

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Books & Literature From Emily Faherty, your About Books & Literature Editor 'Twas the day before Christmas, and everywhere you look, Not a person was stressing. They were all reading a book! Well, maybe not. If you're anything like me, you still have a few shopping errands left to do and a Christmas Eve dessert to help prepare! Still, there are so many beloved books, poems, and short stories we love to remember over the holidays. Take some time out between the gift-giving and cookie-swapping this week to cozy up by the fire with one of these picks. Okay, and maybe some eggnog, too. Tiny Tots With Their Eyes All Aglow When I was a kid, I would put on my fleecy Christmas footie pajamas, get tucked into bed, and my dad would read us The Night Before Christmas. Don't miss these other children's Christmas classics, including The Polar Express and How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Our Favorite Christmas Picture Books 8 Children's Books About the Birth of Jesus Search Related Topics:  children's books about christmas  classic books for kids and teens  The Books of Christmas Past Of course, those aren't the only Christmas classics to snuggle up together with this year. How about a retelling of Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens or "The Gift of the Magi" by O.Henry? Search Related Topics:  christmas  holiday  fiction Holly Jolly Poetry Whether you're having "Christmas in the Olden Time" (by Sir Walter Scott, 1808) or "Christmas at Sea" (by Robert Louis Stevenson, 1888), there's a Christmas poem from our collection to suit the festivities. Search Related Topics:  christmas poems  clement clark moore  sir walter scott Laughing All the Way, Ha, Ha, Ha! Sure, the holidays can be a hectic time of the year, but they're also one of the happiest. If major family time doesn't put a smile on your face this Christmas, these funny, best-selling holiday books sure will. Search Related Topics:  christmas books  holiday humor  david sedaris Related Searches Self Help Books Best Free Books Christmas Books A Christmas Carol About Christmas Featured Articles 7 Great Books to Read This Winter The Best Books of 2013 Top 5 'Crawl Into Bed' Books Review: 'Bridget Jones: Mad About a Boy' 8 Popular Self-Help Books Best Children's Picture Books About Winter and Snow   More from About.com Run Your First 5K Even couch potatoes can be ready for a 5K with just a couple months of training. Read more...> Help! I'm Too Busy Time and stress management tips to help you feel as though you have more time. Read more...>   Sign up for more free newsletters on your favorite topics You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to the About.com Books & Literature newsletter. If you wish to change your email address or unsubscribe, please click here. About.com respects your privacy: Our Privacy Policy Contact Information: 1500 Broadway, 6th Floor New York, NY, 10036 © 2013 About.com   Advertisement

About Books & Literature: This Week in Literary History

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Books & Literature From Emily Faherty, your About Books & Literature Editor There's always a lot to do the week before Christmas — presents to buy, trees to decorate, cookies to bake — but this week is also packed with significant events in literary history. From a beloved English novelist's birthday to the introduction of a Scrooge and a Grinch, let's take a look back at the week before Christmas past. And because we're in the gift-giving holiday spirit, don't miss your chance to win a shiny, new Samsung Chromebook from About.com Education on Facebook! Click here to enter. Happy Birthday, Jane Austen! We celebrated Jane Austen's birthday yesterday, December 16! Born in 1775, the popular British author was best known for her romantic novels including Sense and Sensibility and Mansfield Park among many other works — and for giving women everywhere swoon-worthy characters like Mr. Darcy. How well do you know Austen? Take this quiz to find out! Search Related Topics:  jane austen  british women writers  british women Remembering Rumi Today, December 17, marks the 740th anniversary of the death of Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Rūmī, better known as simply Rumi. Get to know the writing of this great Afghanistan-born Persian poet, mystic and Sufi apostle with The Book of Love: Poems of Ecstasy and Longing, a collection of his poems included in our list of best love poetry. Bah, Humbug! Beginnings Also today in literary history, the world met perhaps the most famous fictional character who despised Christmas: Ebenezer Scrooge! Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol was first published on December 17, 1843 and became an instant classic. Today, there are many adaptations of the book, but we say there's nothing like a reading of the original to ring in the holidays. Search Related Topics:  a christmas carol  charles dickens  victorian literature You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch And now for a little more Christmas trivia! The 26-minute animated television special of Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! first premiered on CBS on December 18, 1966. It was based on the treasured children's book about the heartless green hermit's hatred for Christmas. Even today, "all the Whos down in Whoville" (and beyond) still make the movie and book a part of their annual holiday traditions. Search Related Topics:  children's books about christmas  classic books for kids and teens  dr. seuss Related Searches Literature DR Suess Books Holiday Books English Books Chrome Books Review Featured Articles Best Books to Read This Winter Review: 'The Ocean at the End of the Lane' by Neil Gaiman 5 Favorite Books for Teen Boys Read Now: 'The Hobbit' by J.R.R. Tolkien 'Tenth of December' Analysis Review: 'The Goldfinch' by Donna Tartt   More from About.com Run Your First 5K Even couch potatoes can be ready for a 5K with just a couple months of training. Read more...> Help! I'm Too Busy Time and stress management tips to help you feel as though you have more time. Read more...>   Sign up for more free newsletters on your favorite topics You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to the About.com Books & Literature newsletter. If you wish to change your email address or unsubscribe, please click here. About.com respects your privacy: Our Privacy Policy Contact Information: 1500 Broadway, 6th Floor New York, NY, 10036 © 2013 About.com   Advertisement

About Books & Literature: All Eyes on the 'Tenth of December'

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Books & Literature From Emily Faherty, your About Books & Literature Editor In last week's Books & Literature newsletter, we shared our Bestsellers Expert's top 10 books of 2013. This week, we present our Contemporary Literature Expert's favorite books of the year. The two lists feature lots of great picks, but there is one especially interesting choice they both have in common. It seems only fitting (given today's date) that we highlight the book that had everyone talking this year: Tenth of December by George Saunders. Review: 'Tenth of December' What made Saunders' collection of short stories so appealing to readers (and our Experts)? "He's perfected the art of subtle development and does so almost behind his own character's backs," says one of our reviews of the book. "Saunders is a calculated, skilled writer with some of the most original slight-of-hand around, capable of packing a reverberant punch within a whimsical mitt." Tenth of December Book Club Discussion Questions Critical Analysis From Our Short Stories Expert Search Related Topics:  george saunders  short fiction  funny books By George! We're not the only ones who think highly of Saunders. The acclaimed American short story writer was recently named one of TIME's 100 most influential people in the world and a finalist for the 2013 National Book Award for Fiction. If you're not familiar with his writing, get familiar with it. Now. Review: In Persuasion Nation Saunders on His Unique Writing Style More Great Short Stories Sources Tenth of December first appeared in the October 31, 2011 issue of The New Yorker. The magazine is renowned for its fiction and is the go-to place for many readers to discover the next big thing in literary culture. Top 3 Places to Hear Short Stories on the Web Free Short Stories From Project Gutenberg Search Related Topics:  literary magazines  short stories  The Only Other Book on Both Lists... Our Experts agree on just one other book when it comes to the best of the year. That would be The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri. Our reviewer calls it a "powerful and unforgettable book" and says Lahiri "builds a world that is so real we feel that we can reach out and touch it. The pain caused by untold truth, hidden for years, is palpable as Lahiri breathes life into her characters and the milieu in which they exist." Just because it's the "Tenth of December" today doesn't mean you can't also pick this one up, too. Search Related Topics:  jhumpa lahiri  women authors  literary fiction Related Searches Best Free Books Talking Books Great Books Literature Top Books Featured Articles 5 Funny Books for the Holidays The New Yorker's 20 Best Writers Under 40 Review: 'Unaccustomed Earth' by Jhumpa Lahiri 5 Great YA Adventure Books The 2013 National Book Award Fiction Winner Is... The Best December Children's Books   More from About.com Run Your First 5K Even couch potatoes can be ready for a 5K with just a couple months of training. Read more...> Help! I'm Too Busy Time and stress management tips to help you feel as though you have more time. Read more...>   Sign up for more free newsletters on your favorite topics You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to the About.com Books & Literature newsletter. If you wish to change your email address or unsubscribe, please click here. About.com respects your privacy: Our Privacy Policy Contact Information: 1500 Broadway, 6th Floor New York, NY, 10036 © 2013 About.com   Advertisement