School library book bans are seen as targeting LGBTQ content
DES MOINES, Iowa — Teri Patrick bristles at the idea she wants to ban books about LGBTQ issues in Iowa schools, arguing her only goal is ridding schools of sexually explicit material. Sara Hayden Parris says that whatever you want to call it, it’s wrong for some parents to think...
Italian novelist: Leonardo’s da Vinci’s mother was a slave
MILAN — An Italian scholar and novelist has provided fresh fodder for an old debate over the identity of Leonardo da Vinci’s mother, proffering a recently unearthed document as evidence that she arrived on the Italian peninsula as a slave from the Caucasus region of Central Asia. Carlo Vecce, an...
Fox’s Benjamin Hall talks survival after nearly dying in Ukraine
NEW YORK — A year after nearly being killed by Russian bombs while covering the war in Ukraine, Fox News’ Benjamin Hall credits a relentless optimism — and what he describes as an unexplained miracle — for getting him through. Truth is, it was probably several miracles that enabled Hall...
Paris Hilton’s path from party girl to icon of ‘extra’
Dubbed the “OG Influencer,” club kid-turned-mogul Paris Hilton pioneered becoming “famous for being famous,” in the early 2000s, a playbook since adopted by everyone from the Kardashians to Housewives and countless social media influencers. Hilton became a staple on the New York City club circuit in her teens in the...
Oprah Winfrey reflects on book club, announces 100th pick
NEW YORK — For her 100th book club pick, Oprah Winfrey relied on the same instincts she has drawn upon from the start: Does the story move her? Does she think about it for days after? In a work of fiction, do the characters seem real to her? “When I...
Review: ‘The Teachers’ shows crisis in America’s schools
“The Teachers,” by Alexandra Robbins (Dutton) The message of “The Teachers” comes into clear focus long before the final words of this 344-page dissection of what’s wrong with American public education, seen principally through the eyes, ears and experiences of three teachers in different areas of the nation. Author Alexandra...
Murrysville woman’s book sales will benefit cat rescue organization
When Nina Damato was searching for a way to raise money for local animal rescue efforts, she didn’t have to look much further than the two cats in her living room. The feline siblings are both blind. Damato, 71, of Murrysville, cheekily named them Louis Braille and Andrea Bocelli. Her...
Christopher Paolini returns to Eragon’s world with ‘Murtagh’
NEW YORK — Christopher Paolini will have new adventures out this fall from Alagaësia and the world of Eragon, featuring the Dragon Rider Murtagh. Random House Children’s Books announced Wednesday that Paolini’s “Murtagh,” a standalone novel that takes place a year after the events of his blockbuster “Inheritance Cycle,” will...
Review: Atwood explores grief in ‘Old Babes in the Wood’
“Old Babes in the Wood” by Margaret Atwood (Doubleday) Comprised of 15 “stories” (applying that term loosely), the heart of Margaret Atwood’s new collection features seven vignettes from the lives of characters named Tig and Nell. Canadians, like the author, these two seem to have had a great life together...
Review: Novel ‘Ruthy Ramirez’ flips true crime on its head
“What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez” by Claire Jimenez (Grand Central) If true crime is your guilty pleasure, you absolutely must find out what happened to Ruthy Ramirez. One cold November day in 1996, 13-year-old Ruthy doesn’t come home from track practice after school. Over a decade later, a woman who...
Murrysville author will host Q&A at Penn Area Library
When Klaudyna Grudowski was searching for inspiration to write a novel about a young woman’s struggle to escape from a dystopian society, she didn’t have to look far. Grudowski, 35, of Murrysville has been in the U.S. for only a couple of years. She grew up behind the Iron Curtain...
Review: The hunt for Shackleton’s ’Ship Beneath the Ice’
“The Ship Beneath the Ice: The Discovery of Shackleton’s Endurance” by Mensun Bound (Mariner Books) That old proverb your mother taught you — “if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again” — applies to marine archaeology just as it does to other aspects of life. That’s the lesson of...
Media drop Dilbert after creator’s Black ‘hate group’ remark
The creator of the Dilbert comic strip faced a backlash of cancellations Saturday while defending remarks describing people who are Black as members of “a hate group” from which white people should “get away.” Various media publishers across the U.S. denounced the comments by Dilbert creator Scott Adams as racist,...
Penguin to publish ‘classic’ Roald Dahl books after backlash
LONDON — Publisher Penguin Random House announced Friday it will publish “classic” unexpurgated versions of Roald Dahl’s children’s novels after it received criticism for cuts and rewrites that were intended to make the books suitable for modern readers. Along with the new editions, the company said 17 of Dahl’s books...
Dr. Seuss’ ‘How the Grinch stole Christmas!’ gets a sequel
BOSTON — Dr. Seuss fans might find their hearts growing three sizes this coming holiday season with the release of a sequel to the 1957 classic children’s book “How the Grinch Stole Christmas!” The new book picks up one year after the original, and like the first, teaches a valuable...
Critics reject changes to Roald Dahl books as censorship
LONDON — Critics are accusing the British publisher of Roald Dahl’s classic children’s books of censorship after it removed colorful language from works such as “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” and “Matilda” to make them more acceptable to modern readers. A review of new editions of Dahl’s books now available...
Review: Thunberg aims to educate with ‘The Climate Book’
“The Climate Book,” by Greta Thunberg (Penguin Press) Skipping school to sit outside the Swedish Parliament in 2018 with a sign reading “School Strike for Climate” at the age of 15, Greta Thunberg promised she would never stop calling out leaders and governments for refusing to take strong enough actions...
Florida school district pulls children’s book about Roberto Clemente off shelves
A large Florida school district has pulled an illustrated children’s biography of Pittsburgh Pirates legend Roberto Clemente off its shelves to determine whether it is “developmentally appropriate for student use.” Duval County Public Schools, which includes the city of Jacksonville, said in a news release it is “taking further steps...
From ‘Blacula’ to ‘Get Out,’ the evolution of Black horror films
“The Black Guy Dies First: Black Horror Cinema from Fodder to Oscar” by Robin R. Means Coleman’s and Mark H. Harris; Gallery/Saga Press (327 pages, $27.99) If you want to survive a horror movie, there are a few things to remember. Always make sure your phone is charged. Avoid abandoned...
Streisand memoir ‘My Name is Barbra’ coming Nov. 7
NEW YORK — Barbra Streisand’s very long and very long-awaited memoir, a project she has talked about for years, is coming out this fall. Viking, a Penguin Random House imprint, will release “My Name is Barbra” on Nov. 7. Her memoir, fitting for a superstar of the grandest ambitions, is...
Salman Rushdie gives 1st interview since 2022 stabbing
NEW YORK — Months after being stabbed repeatedly as he prepared to give a lecture, Salman Rushdie is blind in his right eye, struggles to write and, at times, has “frightening” nightmares. But, he said during his first interview since the attack, he still has a feeling of gratitude. “Well,...
‘Tiger Mom’ Amy Chua writes first novel, ‘The Golden Gate’
NEW YORK — Amy Chua, the Yale Law School professor and author sometimes known as “Tiger Mom,” has written her first novel. “The Golden Gate,” a murder mystery centered around a wealthy family in Berkeley, California in 1944, will come out Sept. 19. Chua said in a statement released Monday...
Book Review: ‘Looking for Jane’ is gripping, historical, relevant
Gripping from the moment it begins, Heather Marshall’s novel “Looking for Jane” is getting a well-deserved re-release to hit the post-Roe v. Wade United States market. The story kicks off with a striking prologue: A letter informing Nancy that she was adopted is misdelivered, then misplaced. Years later, when Angela...
Julie Andrews teams with daughter on new picture book
NEW YORK — The latest picture book collaboration between Julie Andrews and daughter Emma Walton Hamilton was inspired by an unusual musical performance in Spain. Abrams Children’s Books announced Monday that “The Enchanted Symphony” will be published Sept. 12. Andrews and Walton Hamilton thought of the book during the first...
Review: Making of ‘The Way We Were’ is a rich, gossipy tale
“The Way They Were: How Epic Battles and Bruised Egos Brought a Classic Hollywood Love Story to the Screen” by Robert Hofler (Citadel) Most people seem to like their screen romances a little on the sad side. When the American Film Institute listed its top romantic movies, the first four...
