About Books & Literature: Spooky, Scary...

If you can't see this email, click here

Books & Literature From Megan Romer, your About Books & Literature Editor "Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary, Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore, While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping, As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door." So begins Poe's "The Raven", one of the eeriest poems ever written, and the perfect one with which to start your Halloween reading. Washington Irving - 'The Legend of Sleepy Hollow' I've got a couple dozen relatives, from several generations back, buried in the old Sleepy Hollow Cemetery -- in the Old Dutch Churchyard, to be more specific. Thus, I have a particular fondness for this story -- in the absence of much actual information about my ancestors, I just pretend that this is a family tale. A really, really, really scary family tale. See More About:  washington irving  legend of sleepy hollow  american literature Photo Gallery of Haunted Theaters Theater folk anywhere will tell you spine-tingling tales of theater hauntings (and if you're a thespian with a story to tell, don't hesitate to share it with us, we can't get enough). Theater hauntings seem to be, in fact, one of the more treasured aspects of stage culture... could that be because the stories are true? See More About:  haunted places  ghosts  true ghost stories Spooky Poems for Halloween Back to the topic of Poe and his fellow spooky scribes: there's something horrifyingly special about horror poems and the way that, long after you've finished reading them, they repeat their scary selves in your head, over and over, in a way that prose doesn't always quite do. It's an infiltration, of sorts. Rap, rap, rap. See More About:  halloween poems  william shakespeare  robert herrick Halloween Costumes From Children's Books If your plan is to keep Halloween on the lighter, less spooky side, here's a fun idea: children's book-inspired Halloween costumes. These ideas are good for kids and adults, and they'll hopefully help inspire anyone out there who still hasn't made the big costuming choice this year. Books & Literature Ads Scary Halloween Scary Ghost Stories Scary Haunted House English Literature Spooky Featured Articles Complete List of Stephen King Books Comic Book Essential Vocabulary Terms Shonen Jump Alpha at NY Comic-Con 2011 Ten Timeless Writing Tips Quotations From Classic Literature 'Puss In Boots' Previews   More from About.com Food and Mood Indulging a sweet tooth can cause weight gain, guilt and even worsen depression. Here are a few expert tips to help you resist. More> Carb Cravings Ever wondered why you crave carbs (or chocolate and sugar) when you're depressed? Some scientists say it may be chemical. 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 © 2011 About.com   Reviews of Recent Releases 'Aleph' by Paulo Coelho 'Reamde' by Neal Stephenson 'If Jack's in Love' by Stephen Wetta Advertisement

About Books & Literature: Focus on Fairy Tales

If you can't see this email, click here

Books & Literature From Megan Romer, your About Books & Literature Editor They say that this time of year, the thin veil between the spirit world and the human world is lifted, and beings from the other side -- be they ghosts, goblins, or fairies -- slip on over and cause mischief and mayhem. (Note to all 12-year-old boys who are reading this: no one will believe you if you try to blame the neighborhood's smashed pumpkins on pixies.) Grimm's Fairy Tales Grimm's classic fairy tales are the perfect ones to read during the spooky Halloween season: far from their Disney-fied descendants, they tend to be scary, bordering on horrifying. Hans Christian Andersen and his Fairy Tales Andrew Lang's The Blue Fairy Book See More About:  fairy tales  brothers grimm  children's books Celtic Fairy Tales Fairy tales and other stories of supernatural beings occur in cultures around the world. I think it's great fun to read foreign ones and compare them to the ones I already know -- it's amazing to discover how many common themes and plots occur in the stories of far-removed cultures! Yoshitoshi Taiso's Ghosts and Demons The Arabian Nights, Translated by Sir Richard Burton Different Shades of Snow White Over the years, Snow White has remained a favorite fairy tale character, particularly for film producers. Check out some of these different Snow Whites (or is that "Snows White?") who've made their presence known in literature and film in the last 150 years. Cinderella, Cinderella Modern Fairy Tales for Teen Girls 60 Second Fairy Tales Bored? Here's a fun improv game that anyone can play. If you're looking for a fun idea for a Halloween party game, this is a great one that fits right in with the theme. Top 5 Animated Films Based on Fairy Tales Travel The German Fairy Tale Road ' See More About:  improv games  fairy tales  drama activities Books & Literature Ads Books Fairy Tales Children S Books Buy Books Online Book Club Books Featured Articles Review: 'The Stranger's Child' by Alan Hollinghurst How To Put Together a Poetry Manuscript for Publication Ways To Read Digital Comic Books 10 Suggestions for JManga.com Ancient Chinese Proverbs Monkeys (Nearly) Write Shakespeare's Complete Works   More from About.com Food and Mood Indulging a sweet tooth can cause weight gain, guilt and even worsen depression. Here are a few expert tips to help you resist. More> Carb Cravings Ever wondered why you crave carbs (or chocolate and sugar) when you're depressed? Some scientists say it may be chemical. 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 © 2011 About.com   Read Some Lesser-Known Fairy Tales Munachar and Manachar Brides On Their Trial March's Ears Advertisement

About Books & Literature: The Nobel Prize, The Pura Belpre Award, and More!

If you can't see this email, click here

Books & Literature From Megan Romer, your About Books & Literature Editor This week, we're having a look at literature in the news. Read on! And the Nobel Prize in Literature Goes To... The 2011 Nobel Prize in Literature goes to Tomas Transtromer, an influential Scandinavian poet who has been translated into over 60 languages. According to the Nobel Committee, the prize was awarded to Transtromer "because, through his condensed, translucent images, he gives us fresh access to reality." 2011 Pura Belpre Award Winners The 2011 Pura Belpre Award Winners were also announced this week. This prestigious award honors "a Latino/Latina writer and illustrator whose work best portrays, affirms, and celebrates the Latino cultural experience in an outstanding work of literature for children and youth," and this year, it was awarded to illustrator Eric Velazquez (Grandma's Gift) and author Pam Munoz Ryan (The Dreamer). Several books were granted Pura Belpre honors, as well. See More About:  children's book awards  latino culture  bilingual children's books One Million Tickets for the World Shakespeare Festival Tickets for the World Shakespeare Festival, part of the United Kingdom's 2012 Cultural Olympiad that will lead up to the 2012 Olympic Games, went on sale yesterday. Precisely one million tickets were offered up -- will you be making your way to London for this record-breaking event? See More About:  world shakespeare festival  Now in Paperback: 'Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk' by David Sedaris And from the publishing world, some new hilarious paperbacks are now on shelves, including David Sedaris's oddball collection of animal-themed stories and Chelsea Handler's hilarious for-grownup-eyes-only collection Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang. See More About:  squirrel seeks chipmunk  david sedaris  Books & Literature Ads Books Nobel Prize Winners Famous Literature Literature CD New Literature Featured Articles Steve Jobs Quotes 5 Great Stage Thrillers Your Language Isn't Any Better (or Worse) Than Mine 11 Poems Everyone Should Know Get a Real-Time Value of Your Comic Book Review: 'Succulent Container Gardening'   More from About.com Food and Mood Indulging a sweet tooth can cause weight gain, guilt and even worsen depression. Here are a few expert tips to help you resist. More> Carb Cravings Ever wondered why you crave carbs (or chocolate and sugar) when you're depressed? Some scientists say it may be chemical. 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 © 2011 About.com   Free E-Texts of Classic Shorts "The Gamekeeper" by Guy de Maupassant "Misery" by Anton Chekhov "Tennessee's Partner" by Francis Bret Harte Advertisement

About Books & Literature: Pick Up a Page-Turner!

If you can't see this email, click here

Books & Literature From Megan Romer, your About Books & Literature Editor Hopefully, you spent some of the summer plowing through your enormous must-read list. Which means, of course, that it's time to add some new books to the stack. Let's see if we can help! 'The Marriage Plot' by Jeffrey Eugenides Though plot and character-wise, it's nothing at all like Middlesex, Eugenides's most famous novel, The Marriage Plot does share one important element: outstanding prose. Eugenides is just a phenomenal wordsmith, making his books a real joy to read... especially for word-nerds like me. 'Sanctus' by Simon Toyne Our reviewer describes Toyne's storytelling as containing "...elements of Dan Brown, Lee Child, Harlan Coben, John Grisham, Robert Harris, Stieg Larsson, and James Patterson." Sanctus is the first in what promises to be a bestselling and much-talked-about trilogy, and probably also a major motion picture and a line of action figures. Okay, I'm just guessing at that last part. See More About:  suspense  simon toyne  'Cross Currents' by John Shors John Shors (Beneath a Marble Sky, Beside a Burning Sea, Dragon House) is fast becoming a contemporary favorite. His latest novel, set in Thailand in 2004 (when the massive Tsunami hit) is sure to please fans and perhaps win some new ones with its high-action story. See More About:  tsunami  historical fiction  john shors 'I, Vampire' by Joshua Hale Fialkov, Ill. Andrea Sorrentino For those among us who love comic books and other graphic storytelling, this new retelling of the D.C. classic comes highly recommended by Aaron Albert, our Guide to Comics. As he says, "I loved this interpretation of the vampire creature [...] mixing classic vampire mythology with current thoughts on the creature that walks the night." See More About:  i vampire  horror comic books  Books & Literature Ads Books Free Vampire Books Literature Fiction Novel Books Top Thriller Books Featured Articles Femme Fan Fury at DC 52 Romeo and Juliet Prologue Emily Dickinson - Scary Shakespeare Monologues 'The Notorious Benedict Arnold' The Rhetorical Tradition   More from About.com Food and Mood Indulging a sweet tooth can cause weight gain, guilt and even worsen depression. Here are a few expert tips to help you resist. More> Carb Cravings Ever wondered why you crave carbs (or chocolate and sugar) when you're depressed? Some scientists say it may be chemical. 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 © 2011 About.com   E-Texts of Action-Packed Classics 'The Scarlet Pimpernel' by Baroness Orczy 'Kidnapped' by Robert Louis Stevenson 'Robinson Crusoe' by Daniel Defoe Advertisement