About Books & Literature: Back to School Books, Goethe, and More!

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Books & Literature From Megan Romer, your About Books & Literature Editor For many of you, sweet, sweet freedom is soon to be yours -- the kids are back in school! Woo-hoo! (At least I'm pretty sure that's how my Mom always felt when I was a kid.) Back-to-School Books for Little Ones This nice collection of picture books might just contain the perfect tome to help ease your young'uns transition back into the school year, and possibly even calm those first-day jitters. Read More... See More About:  childen's picture books  children's books about school  Back-to-School Books for Bigger Kids This short list includes titles for both teen readers and adults, and might just ease your own transition into the school year. Read More... See More About:  back to school  harry potter  a separate peace "Love's Distresses" by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Today would be Goethe's 263rd birthday, and in his honor, I think we should all read a little something. I've chosen this poem (in translation) because it's short and thematically simple, and a nice introduction to a writer whose work can be rather daunting. Give it a try! You can do it! Read More... See More About:  johann wolfgang von goethe  german literature  A New Photograph of Emily Dickinson Famously, there was only ever one picture of Emily Dickinson in existence. Or was there? Looks like another one may have turned up! Read More... Books & Literature Ads Kids Books Books for Children Books for Kids Read Books Online Best Books for Kids Featured Articles Super Grammar Comic Book Review 'Play Dates' by Sam Wolfson International Women's Day Quotes Shakespeare at the Olympic Games The Beauty of Brevity: 10 Principles of Effective Writing The Hunger Games in the News   More from About.com Free Children's Books How would you like to have access to a free online public library of books from around the world for kids 3 to 13? Read more...> Best Water Parks Better pack your bathing suit -- here are our recommendations for the funnest, wettest, splashiest water parks around. 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: 249 West 17th Street New York, NY, 10011 © 2012 About.com   Recent Contemporary Lit Reviews 'Redshirts' by John Scalzi 'A Million Heavens' by John Brandon 'Narcopolis' by Jeet Thayil Advertisement

About Books & Literature: Where'd You Go, Bernadette?

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Books & Literature From Megan Romer, your About Books & Literature Editor Summer is on the way out, but she's got a few good days left in her. Whether you spend them at a beach, in a hammock in the backyard, or just curled up in your favorite chair, bring a book along. 'Where'd You Go, Bernadette' by Maria Semple Our Guide to Bestsellers bestowed her top rating on this epistolary novel, written by Maria Semple, one of the writers of the TV show Arrested Development. She calls it "a quick, fun read that has enough depth for a book club but is light enough for a beach bag." Sounds like the perfect book for my last lazy summer weekend! See More About:  where'd you go bernadette  maria semple  seattle 'Robert B. Parker's Lullaby' by Ace Atkins Though Robert Parker passed away in 2010, the legacy of his Spenser novels is being carried on by writer Ace Atkins. Our reviewer was quite tickled with the results of Atkins's first foray into the character, and says, "Parker's legion of fans can only hope that Atkins will continue his plan to write a new Spenser novel each spring and keep Spenser alive and well." See More About:  robert b. parker  detective fiction  ace atkins 10 Fun Facts About L.M. Montgomery and the "Anne" Books I had just been thinking that it was time for a re-read of Anne of Green Gables when this fun list came down the pipeline. It's another book that, being written for young adults, should make for a quick and delightful read on a beach-going weekend. See More About:  authors of books for kids and teens  classic children's books  canadian authors of children's books and books by canadian authors Ayn Rand Quotations I have less-than-zero desire to bring politics into this newsletter, but I sure have seen a lot of talk in the news about Ayn Rand lately, so I figured now was as good a time as any to encourage readers everywhere to have a look at the author and some of her seminal works, especially if you never have, just for the sheer sake of knowing what the heck everyone is talking about. Whether you love 'em or hate 'em, they're certainly relevant to today's political conversation. Ayn Rand Biography Atlas Shrugged Quotes Books & Literature Ads Book Club Books Published Books Read Books Online Books for Kids Books Featured Articles Carpe Diem: Classic Poems About the Passage of Time RIP Joe Kubert, Comics Illustrator VIZ Media Offers New App, Plus Summer Sale 'Mother Courage And Her Children' Quotes About Moving On Italo Calvino's 'Invisible Cities' - A Study Guide   More from About.com Free Children's Books How would you like to have access to a free online public library of books from around the world for kids 3 to 13? Read more...> Best Water Parks Better pack your bathing suit -- here are our recommendations for the funnest, wettest, splashiest water parks around. 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: 249 West 17th Street New York, NY, 10011 © 2012 About.com   Classic H.L. Mencken Essays "The Hills of Zion" "The Libido for the Ugly" "The Lower Depths" Advertisement

About Books & Literature: Baseball in Literature

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Books & Literature From Megan Romer, your About Books & Literature Editor I've been informed that we're in the throes of baseball season. I admit that I don't know much about the sport, but I do love hot dogs and beer with a fiery passion, so the ball park is as good a place as any to spend a sunny day, as far as I'm concerned. Baseball in Poetry There is something very romantic about baseball; a je ne sais quoi that football and basketball don't quite have. It has certainly inspired some beautiful poetry over the years. See More About:  baseball poems  Book Review: 'Baseball: A Literary Anthology' It's not just poets, either. Novelists and essayists, especially American ones, have an ongoing and intimate relationship with baseball. Even I, a self-admitted sports-hater, get excited about the game when I read some of the classic lit-bits about the sport. See More About:  baseball  sports literature  stories 10 Classic Nonfiction Books About Baseball And while we're at it, it's not all fiction and poetry. American baseball has given nonfiction writers plenty of you-couldn't-make-this-stuff-up kinds of moments over the years, and some fantastic books, including Moneyball and the The Boys of Summer, two of the best nonfiction books I've ever read on any topic. See More About:  baseball books  baseball history  baseball gifts Books About Girls Playing Baseball All right, I admit it. Everything I know about baseball, I learned from the movie A League of Their Own, in which Madonna and Rosie O'Donnell and Geena Davis played athletes from the All-American Girls' Professional League, which is featured in several of the books on this list, a collection of stories that will certainly inspire the younger set (both boys and girls). See More About:  women's history books  women athletes  Books & Literature Ads Online Baseball Game Childrens Literature Books Kids Books Authors Baseball Featured Articles Baseball Quotes The History of English in 10 Minutes The Magic Tree House Series: An Intro Interview With F.J. DeSanto of 'Cyborg 900' What is a Pull List? 'The Baseball' by Zack Hample   More from About.com Free Children's Books How would you like to have access to a free online public library of books from around the world for kids 3 to 13? Read more...> Best Water Parks Better pack your bathing suit -- here are our recommendations for the funnest, wettest, splashiest water parks around. 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: 249 West 17th Street New York, NY, 10011 © 2012 About.com   More Books About Baseball 'Blockade Billy' by Stephen King 'Luckiest Man' by Jonathan Eig 'The Art of Fielding' by Chad Harbach Advertisement

About Books & Literature: Remembering Gore Vidal and More

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Books & Literature From Megan Romer, your About Books & Literature Editor We've got all sorts of literary news and new book releases to catch up on this week. We'll zip through them quickly so we can get back to watching the Olympics... er... that enormous and important weighty tome we're reading. Remembering Gore Vidal National Book Award Winner Gore Vidal passed away last week, and here, our Guide to Grammar and Composition takes a look at Vidal's essays and his thoughts about the craft of writing. Movie: 'Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days' If you have a young reader in your house, you may have already been dragged to this movie which opened this week, but if not, there's still time! Based on the book of the same name from the wildly successful Wimpy Kid series, it might make for a nice break in an afternoon of back-to-school shopping. See More About:  diary of a wimpy kid dog days  diary of a wimpy kid  New Books for August August 2012 isn't a major month for book releases; the beach books season is coming to an end but it's not quite the academic year yet, and book clubs often don't start back up until fall, either. Still, there are a few gems coming out this month, so check them out if you need something new to read. See More About:  2012 books  new book releases  Review: 'New Ways to Kill Your Mother' by Colm Toibin This collection of essays, subtitled Writers and Their Families, sees writer Colm Toibin (Brooklyn, The Empty Family) examining the complicated family lives of a number of writers (some you've heard of, some you probably haven't) and the reflections of those relationships in their work. It sounds lofty, but it's actually a beautiful and informative book, and a must-read for Toibin fans. See More About:  essays  irish literature  colm toibin Books & Literature Ads Books Read Books Online Kids Books Kids Books Authors Book Review Featured Articles The Poetry of Olympic Sports The Only Living Boy #1 Review JManga Translation Battle Begins Reasons to Love 'Les Miz' King Lear Act 1 Scene 1 Analysis Sad Quotes About Love   More from About.com Free Children's Books How would you like to have access to a free online public library of books from around the world for kids 3 to 13? Read more...> Best Water Parks Better pack your bathing suit -- here are our recommendations for the funnest, wettest, splashiest water parks around. 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: 249 West 17th Street New York, NY, 10011 © 2012 About.com   More Recent Reviews 'A Hologram for the King' - Dave Eggers 'Sorry Please Thank You' - Charles Yu 'A Death at the White Camellia Orphanage' - Marly Youmans Advertisement