About Books & Literature: Honest Abe, Vampires, and Superman

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Books & Literature From Megan Romer, your About Books & Literature Editor It's too hot where I am for serious literature this week -- let's check out what's happening on the lighter side, shall we? 'Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter' by Seth Grahame-Smith From the bestselling author of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies comes this gothic thriller, featuring that most austere of American Presidents, Mr. Lincoln, as the Buffy of his generation. Or something. 'Twilight: Eclipse' Premieres June 30 The vampires in the Twilight series are generally at war with each other and the occasional werewolf... no world leaders in sight. Not that I would know, because I'm a very serious grown-up variety of person who would never read such things. Superman Strolls Across America Are you bored with vampires, who really have taken over 90% of pop culture? Would a good old-school superhero cheer you up? If so, and you happen to live somewhere between Philadelphia and Washington State, you just might be able to have Superman walk through your town sometime next summer, and subsequently have your town featured in a special edition comic book. All you need to do is write an award-winning essay, but I know you can do it. Comic-Con Documentary Seeking Awesome Cosplayers Morgan Spurlock, of Super-Size Me fame, is putting together a documentary about the San Diego Comic-Con, and is seeking some awesome cosplayers (people who dress as their favorite characters from comics and manga). Could that be you? Books & Literature Ads Romance Books Best Children Books Reading Books Online Good Fantasy Books Steampunk Books Featured Articles 'Annie' and the Orphans To Live Forever via Books... July 2010 Book Releases What Makes a Great Shakespeare Character? Children's Books to Cool you Down More Than Poems for the Gulf of Mexico   More from About.com Plan a Unique Vegas Wedding The minister, music and champagne are just the beginning -- why not get married aboard a helicopter or have a pirate swing in to deliver your rings? Arrrr! 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   Quotations for Summertime Quotes About Swimming Quotes About Sunshine Quotes About Golf Advertisement

About Books & Literature: Death by the Numbers, Scary Baseball, and More

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Books & Literature From Megan Romer, your About Books & Literature Editor The school bus did not roll down my street yesterday morning, and a mystery baseball landed in my yard yesterday afternoon. (Kid, it's okay. I'm a nice lady. You can come claim it.) It is now officially summer. Time to get reading. 'Blockade Billy' by Stephen King Stephen King is known best for his horror writing, but he's also written a heap of sports literature. This novella combines the two, but according to our reviewer, it falls a bit flat. At only 144 pages, it might still be worth it if you're a serious King fan. 'Sum: Forty Tales from the Afterlives' by David Eagleman If there is life after death, what does it look like? David Eagleman created 40 possible scenarios, from the macabre to the quirky to the profound, and created a short work of fiction about each. An odd concept, perhaps, but one that earned a five-star review and sounds rather engrossing to me! 'Afterschool Charisma: Vol. 1' by Kumiko Suekane This new manga caught my attention with its clever premise: a high school wherein all of the students are clones of historical figures. The brain of the class shares the DNA of Albert Einstein, and the gal voted most likely to succeed is a clone of Queen Elizabeth I. Mozart is, hilariously, the bully. I'm intrigued! Poems for the Gulf of Mexico On a somber note, I live on the Gulf Coast, and I can attest firsthand that, politics aside, this oil spill is conjuring up strong emotions in everyone. Strong emotions are the core of excellent poetry, and our Guides to Poetry, Bob Holman and Margery Snyder, point us to Poets for Living Waters, a project that is collecting poems about this very tragedy. Learn more, and add your own, if you're so inclined. Books & Literature Ads Books Best Children Books Sci Fi Literature Literature Fiction Fiction Novel Books Featured Articles Shakespeare on Love Quotations About Babies The Story of Beowulf Add a Comics Convention to Your Summer To-Do List Test Your AP Style David Mamet on "Theatre"   More from About.com Plan a Unique Vegas Wedding The minister, music and champagne are just the beginning -- why not get married aboard a helicopter or have a pirate swing in to deliver your rings? Arrrr! 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   Children's Books for Summer 'One Crazy Summer' by Rita Garcia-Williams 'The Dangerous Book for Boys' by Hal and Conn Iggulden 'Rapunzel's Revenge' by Shannon and Dean Hale Advertisement

About Books & Literature: Father's Day Gift Ideas

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Books & Literature From Megan Romer, your About Books & Literature Editor Father's Day is this weekend, and unless you're six years old or your father is hopelessly sentimental, a framed picture of your handprints just isn't going to cut it this year. A good book, on the other hand, might do the trick. Books for Dads The final book on this list, You Are Here by Colin Ellard, is definitely going in the Father's Day gift bag this year. The book, a scientific exploration of why humans get lost so darn much (in contrast to our navigationally gifted animal brethren) will be adorned with a smart-alecky inscription mentioning the hours and hours of my childhood that were wasted by getting lost on road trips. Even More Books for Dads Is your Dad a fiction guy? A history buff? A fan of The Sopranos? (Ding ding ding! We have identified my father!) Here are a few specific ideas for all different sorts of Dads. Children's Books for Father's Day For the first time this year, another man in my life will be needing a Father's Day present, and the kid, seeing as how he can't even figure out how to suck his thumb yet, is going to be no help in picking it out. I'm pretty sure that any one of the books on this list will make sniffles and "awws" abound in my house, though. Happy Bloomsday! Not a fan of Father's Day? Perhaps Bloomsday (which happens to be tomorrow, June 16th) is the holiday for you! Irish friends tell me that this celebration of James Joyce's Ulysses is quite the to-do in Dublin, but there's no reason you can't celebrate it wherever you are. Books & Literature Ads Books Best Children Books Literature Sci Fi Literature Non Fiction Books Featured Articles Quotations for Father's Day "Memphis" Wins Best Musical 800 Years of Holy Trinity Church Jonah Hex Movie Gallery Neko Ramen Vol. 1 Manga Review Annie Dillard Says, "Tear Up the Runway"   More from About.com Plan a Unique Vegas Wedding The minister, music and champagne are just the beginning -- why not get married aboard a helicopter or have a pirate swing in to deliver your rings? Arrrr! 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   Classic Poems About Fathers 'On the Birth of His Son' - Su Tung-p'o (c. 1070) 'Epigrams: On my First Son' - Ben Jonson (c. 1616) 'Only a Dad' - Edgar A. Guest (1916) Advertisement

About Books & Literature: Literary How-Tos

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Books & Literature From Megan Romer, your About Books & Literature Editor Interacting with literature doesn't only mean sitting down in front of a book that someone has already written. There are all sorts of other ways to work words into your life. Need ideas? Read on! How to Make a Story Book With Your Kids Making your own literature can be lots of fun. Watching and helping kids do it? Guaranteed hilarity. Keep this project up your sleeve for one of those rainy summer days when everyone is restless and stir-crazy. How to Convert New Comic Book Fans Perhaps you'd like a more challenging project? If you're a comic book fan, you know that not everyone is enthusiastic about the medium. Generally, that's because they have silly preconceived notions, or they're just not sure where to start. That is, of course, where you come in. Improv Party Games Improv is an important aspect of theatre, but like all of the arts, there's no need to leave it to the professionals. Here are a few improv games that even theatrically challenged folks like myself can play and enjoy. FanimeCon 2010 Photo Gallery Perhaps you're not planning on taking up cosplay any time soon, but at the very least, you can live vicariously through the fantastically costumed folks at conventions like FanimeCon. If you're feeling brave and wonderfully creative, though, think of these photos as inspiration. Books & Literature Ads Books Literary Agents Chic Lit Books Literature E Books Novels Featured Articles 'The Dream of Perpetual Motion' by Dexter Palmer New in Paperback: 'The Angel's Game' by Carlos Ruiz Zafon How to Keep Track of Characters Poetry About Sports from Around the World How Many Sonnets did Shakespeare Write? Alternative Dictionaries   More from About.com Plan a Unique Vegas Wedding The minister, music and champagne are just the beginning -- why not get married aboard a helicopter or have a pirate swing in to deliver your rings? Arrrr! 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   Quotations from Children's Books Alice in Wonderland Winnie the Pooh Harry Potter Advertisement