About Books & Literature: Catching Up on New and Noteworthy Fiction

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Books & Literature From Megan Romer, your About Books & Literature Editor In a rare twist of events, I'm having a not-that-busy week so far, and the outlook is promising right up until Sunday. Though it's tempting to spend all of my free time stalking people on facebook, I think I'll make a goal of a three-book week instead. Review: 'The Surrendered' by Chang-rae Lee This book, by PEN Award Winner Chang-rae Lee, takes place in war-ravaged 1950s Korea, and follows the story of a young orphan, a disillusioned soldier, and other tragic figures. Cheerful? Hmm... maybe not, but it looks to be worth a read anyway. Now in Paperback: 'Nobody Move' by Denis Johnson I sort of had to wait for paperback for this release, as it just seems inappropriate to read pulpy noir crime thrillers in hardcover. Also, according to this review, it may not have been worth the money for a hardcover copy. Worth my time? We'll see. E-Text: 'The Murders in the Rue Morgue' Every time I think about detective stories and crime thrillers, I think about Rue Morgue, which was the first modern detective story ever written. It's dark and fantastic, not to mention short, and always worth another read. 11 Poems That Everyone Should Know This list contains 11 poems that you should definitely know... but you might not. As National Poetry Month draws to a close, this is a nice concise grouping that might just remind you (and me) that poetry always makes for good reading, no matter the month. Books & Literature Ads Fiction Horror Literature Horror Fiction Books How to Write Fiction Time Travel Fiction Featured Articles The Wimpy Kid Movie Diary Shakespeare's Plays: The Complete List The Best of Henrik Ibsen Whack Open an Essay... and Snap it Shut Quotations About Rain The New Comic Creator   More from About.com Disney Trip Planner Everything you need to plan the perfect Disney vacation -- from when to go and what to do, to saving money and picking a hotel. More > Join About.com's User Panel! Share your opinions and help us make About.com more relevant, informative and enjoyable to use. More>   Sign up for more free newsletters on your favorite topics You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to the About Books & Literature newsletter. If you wish to change your email address or unsubscribe, please click here. About respects your privacy: Our Privacy Policy Contact Information: 249 West 17th Street New York, NY, 10011 © 2010 About.com   New and Noteworthy Manga My Darling Miss Bancho Ratman Portrait of M & N Advertisement

About Books & Literature: Turn Off Your Television!

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Books & Literature From Megan Romer, your About Books & Literature Editor It's National Turn-Off Week. My turn-offs include intolerance, excessive grumpiness, and socks worn with sandals. Wait... is that not the kind of turn-off they meant? 'Beatrice and Virgil' by Yann Martel After you've turned off your TV and computer and other screen-bearing devices (the actual purpose of the week's name, from what I gather), you're going to either need something to plant or something to read. If you're looking for ideas for the latter, consider this acclaimed second novel from Yann Martel (Life of Pi), a story that tackles the Holocaust in a way that no fictional story ever quite has. 'Lunch in Paris' by Elizabeth Bard ... or perhaps a touch of food-and-travel-based nonfiction is what you seek? If so, Lunch in Paris might satisfy your envie. Bonus points: this book includes recipes, and if you seriously need to pass some time without electronic interference, you can't beat French cooking. Celebrate Shakepeare's Birthday! Trivia: Shakespeare died on his birthday, April 23. Coincidence: April 23 falls on a Friday this year. As Friday night is party night, it appears that the stars have aligned here, and a birthday party is in order! Though the guest of honor is probably not going to show up, you can still have plenty of fun in his honor. Setting an Assignment: Read the Dictionary Reading the Oxford English Dictionary -- the whole thing -- is not something that I'll likely be doing anytime soon, regardless of how bored I get without my computer. I may, however, be convinced to read Reading the OED, by Ammon Shea, who actually did read the whole thing. If you're a lazy logophile like me, you'll very likely enjoy this one. Books & Literature Ads Books Books & Literature Kids Stories Books Top Children Books Fiction Books Review Featured Articles 'The Baltimore Waltz' - Themes and Characters 'Economy' - Thoreau's Walden Manga Review: 'Nabari no Ou Volumes 1&2' Sylvia Plath Speaks in her Own Voice Ramona and Beezus Movie on the Way! Kick Ass - The New Comic/Movie Model?   More from About.com Disney Trip Planner Everything you need to plan the perfect Disney vacation -- from when to go and what to do, to saving money and picking a hotel. More > Join About.com's User Panel! Share your opinions and help us make About.com more relevant, informative and enjoyable to use. More>   Sign up for more free newsletters on your favorite topics You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to the About Books & Literature newsletter. If you wish to change your email address or unsubscribe, please click here. About respects your privacy: Our Privacy Policy Contact Information: 249 West 17th Street New York, NY, 10011 © 2010 About.com   Books for Holocaust Awareness Month 'Night' by Elie Wiesel 'Day After Night' by Anita Diamant 'Madonnas of Leningrad' by Debra Dean Advertisement

About Books & Literature: Happy National Library Week!

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Books & Literature From Megan Romer, your About Books & Literature Editor I'm spending this week and probably most of next doing one of life's more obnoxious tasks: moving. Yuck. Part of moving means packing up all of your stuff, of course, and every time I do that, I come to the realization that I own enough books to open my own private library. Celebrate National Library Week! National Library Week coincides with Pay Your Big Fat Dumb Taxes Day here in the States (I'm pretty sure that's not what it's actually called). It's excellent timing -- writing gigantic checks is a good reminder that saving money is a good thing, and libraries are a great way to save money. They're also a good way to save yourself from packing up 50 boxes of books every time you move. 'The Thing About Life is That One Day You'll Be Dead' Dead... probably crushed under the weight of 7 kerjillion novels and just about every musician biography ever written, in my case. Seriously, though, this new memoir by David Shields looks rather quirky to me, which is hugely appealing, and so now I have to buy it and add it to the collection. See the problem? Poetry Book Giveaway for National Poetry Month 2010 You mean to tell me that there's a concerted effort across the poetry blogosphere to give me even more books? That's outstanding, because only about 14 of these boxes that are currently surrounding me are poetry books, which is fairly disproportionate. My library will be unbalanced if I don't stock up. Time to enter some contests! What Would Shakespeare be Doing if he Were Alive Today? If Shakespeare were alive today, he'd be helping me pack, if he was any sort of friend at all. Okay, but seriously -- this is a fun question. Would he be churning out blockbuster movies, art-house films, wildly popular television shows, stage plays...? What do you think? Books & Literature Ads Books Top Children Books Review of Literature Literature Books & Literature Featured Articles 'An April Day' by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Kick Ass Movie Gallery On Becoming a Great Small Writer 'The Baltimore Waltz' by Paula Vogel Spotlight on Eisner Awards Nominations for Manga Quotes to Kick You Into Action!   More from About.com Disney Trip Planner Everything you need to plan the perfect Disney vacation -- from when to go and what to do, to saving money and picking a hotel. More > Join About.com's User Panel! Share your opinions and help us make About.com more relevant, informative and enjoyable to use. More>   Sign up for more free newsletters on your favorite topics You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to the About Books & Literature newsletter. If you wish to change your email address or unsubscribe, please click here. About respects your privacy: Our Privacy Policy Contact Information: 249 West 17th Street New York, NY, 10011 © 2010 About.com   New Book Releases for April 'Imperfect Birds' by Anne Lamott 'The Lake Shore Limited' by Sue Miller 'Beatrice and Virgil' by Yann Martel Advertisement

About Books & Literature: I Need to Read More Poetry!

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Books & Literature From Megan Romer, your About Books & Literature Editor I do not read enough poetry. That comes clear every time National Poetry Month (April) rolls around and I realize that I've barely read any poetry since the last time it was here. It's not that I don't love it, it's that I honestly forget that it's even an option sometimes. Sound familiar? Well, the least we can do is to make a concerted effort to read some poetry this month, right? The History of National Poetry Month National Poetry Month was created by my beloved high school English teachers to remind me to read at least a few poems per year. Okay, that's not true, but if it hadn't been invented for more far-reaching reasons, I'm sure they would've thought of it. Ideas for Celebrating National Poetry Month For starters, I could celebrate by reading some poetry for a change. Or I could attempt to write a poem or two. Bonus points if I get serious -- though I'm a secret master of cheap verse, I suppose I could have a go at something more substantial. Or I could take any one of the more creative ideas from this list and make a go of it. What are your plans? Recommended Poetry Books for Kids Children, because they are superior to adults in almost every important way, do not seem to have trouble reading and loving poetry. I vividly remember first grade, when I'd sit anxiously through math time (BO-RING!) waiting for poetry time to come around. Maybe in order to get myself reading poetry with excitement again, I should give a try to some children's poetry. What's not to love about Jack Prelutsky, Shel Silverstein, and the other masters of that genre? The Complete Works of Walt Whitman Okay, so you've resolved to read more poetry. But what? Well, you've got to start somewhere, so why not sing the body electric and sound your barbaric "YAWP!" with good old Uncle Walt? We've got the complete poems of Mr. Whitman himself available for your browsing and reading pleasure, so no excuses! Get reading! Books & Literature Ads Children Books Literature Students Books Vocabulary Books Reading Poetry Featured Articles The Endless Decline of the English Language Is Your Theater Haunted? Share! Digital Comics: Marvel's iPad App Review: 'Bokurano: Ours Volume 1' by Mohiro Kitoh Sponsor a Brick at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre Space: The Final Frontier... in Quotes!   More from About.com Disney Trip Planner Everything you need to plan the perfect Disney vacation -- from when to go and what to do, to saving money and picking a hotel. More > Join About.com's User Panel! Share your opinions and help us make make About.com more relevant, informative and enjoyable to use. More>   Sign up for more free newsletters on your favorite topics You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to the About Books & Literature newsletter. If you wish to change your email address or unsubscribe, please click here. About respects your privacy: Our Privacy Policy Contact Information: 249 West 17th Street New York, NY, 10011 © 2010 About.com   Read These Yet? '212' by Alafair Burke 'The Ask' by Sam Lipsyte 'The Host' by Stephenie Meyer Advertisement