Feb 16 2012 02:40 PM ET

'Batman: The Dark Knight #6': Meet the new Bane, same as the old Bane -- EXCLUSIVE PREVIEW

by Darren Franich
Filed under: Books and tagged: Batman
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Image Credit: DC Comics

The supervillain known as Bane occupies a curious place in the Batman mythology. On one hand, his first appearance coincided with one of the most memorable story arcs of DC’s early-’90s campaign to kill or maim their most iconic characters. On the other hand… well, Bane is a big strong man wearing a Mexican wrestling mask. But the redemption of Bane officially kickstarted when Christopher Nolan announced him as the big bad in the upcoming Dark Knight Rises. Now Batman: The Dark Knight #6 comes with the promise “The Rise of Bane!” In four pages debuting exclusively on EW.com, Superman also swings by to say hello. It’s like old home week in Gotham! READ FULL STORY »

Feb 16 2012 02:33 PM ET

Amanda Knox signs a massive book deal with HarperCollins

by Stephan Lee
Filed under: Books and tagged: Amanda Knox, Controversy, Memoirs, Nonfiction, Publishing Biz
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Image Credit: Ted S. Warren/AP Images

Amanda Knox, the 24-year-old American who was imprisoned on murder charges for four years in Perugia, Italy, has signed a book deal with HarperCollins for close to $4 million, the New York Times reports. A heated auction for the book rights had been ensuing for four days.

Four months ago, Knox was released from Italian prison and acquitted of charges that she murdered her roommate Meredith Kercher. During her incarceration, Knox, who studied creative writing, kept a diary that will now help shape the book.

Said HarperCollins in a statement: “Knox will give a full and unflinching account of the events that led to her arrest in Perugia and her struggles with the complexities of the Italian judicial system. … Aided by journals she kept during her imprisonment, Knox will talk about her harrowing experience at the hands of the Italian police and later prison guards and inmates. She will reveal never before-told details surrounding her case, and describe how she used her inner strength and strong family ties to cope with the most challenging time of her young life.” READ FULL STORY »

Feb 16 2012 11:52 AM ET

Bill O'Reilly book on JFK assassination coming this fall. A children's book is also in the works

by Stephan Lee
Filed under: Books
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Following the success of Killing Lincoln, which has been sitting comfortably on the best-seller charts since its publication, Fox News anchor Bill O’Reilly is teaming up with Martin Dugard once again to write another account of a presidential assassination, Killing Kennedy: The End of Camelot. O’Reilly claims in a press release that his book, due out in Aug. 2012, will “answer many questions about the president and why his life was cut short.”

Also announced today: a young readers’ version of Killing Lincoln, complete with illustrations, shorter text, and more photographs, which are meant to appeal to children age 10 or older, due out in Feb. 2013.

Are you anxiously awaiting these new O’Reilly titles? Do you think Killing Kennedy be less or more believable than Stephen King’s Kennedy-inspired book, 11/22/63?

Read more:
Glenn Beck to helm a new book publishing imprint with Simon & Schuster
Soundbites from Donald Trump’s new book ‘Time to Get Tough’

Feb 15 2012 11:12 AM ET

'Charlotte's Web' tops list of '100 great books for kids'

by Stephan Lee
Filed under: Books and tagged: Charlotte's Web, Children's Books, Classic Novels, E.B. White, Harry Potter, Hunger Games, J.K. Rowling, Suzanne Collins
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Scholastic Parent & Child magazine released a new list of 100 great books for kids and gave the top spot to Charlotte’s Web, E.B. White’s classic children’s novel about a girl and a talking spider who join forces to save a pig from slaughter. Charlotte’s Web edged out the ubiquitous picture book Goodnight Moon. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone represented J.K. Rowling’s entire series in the No. 6 spot, and The Hunger Games, one of the newer titles on the list, claimed No. 33. I do applaud the exclusion of the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer — not all wildly popular franchises deserve to make the cut.

The list is meant to “generate controversy and conversation,” said Parent & Child editor-in-chief Nick Friedman, so if they’re inviting gripes, I have to complain about the placement of Norton Juster’s The Phantom Tollbooth (referred to as “Phantom T” on last night’s episode of New Girl) outside of the top 10 and the relative scarcity of Dr. Seuss. But mostly I appreciate being reminded of some great children’s books I haven’t thought about in a while, like Frog and Toad Are Friends and Hatchet.

Let’s “generate controversy and conversation!” What do you think of Scholastic’s list? Any surprise inclusions or exclusions?

Feb 14 2012 08:19 PM ET

Famed 'MAD' and 'CRACKED' magazine illustrator John Severin dies at 90

by Adam B. Vary
Filed under: Books and tagged: Comic Books, In Memoriam
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John Severin, a prolific illustrator and comic book artist who was instrumental in creating the initial look of both MAD and CRACKED magazines, passed away on Feb. 12, according to a statement released by his family. He was 90.

Along with his work with MAD and CRACKED — both of which Severin helped to found in the 1950s — the World War II veteran also worked on Marvel comics like The Incredible Hulk and Kull the Conqueror. He was also a highly regarded illustrator of several western and historical titles for EC Comics. He was still working as recently as 2003, on a limited-run series that re-imagined Marvel’s western hero the Rawhide Kid as gay. That same year, Severin also was inducted in the Hall of Fame of the Eisner Comic Industry Awards.

Feb 14 2012 01:32 PM ET

Love Lessons from StoryCorps: 'All There Is' by Dave Isay

by April Daley
Filed under: Books and tagged: Book, love lessons, Nonfiction
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Fickle. That’s probably the best description of my feelings about Valentine’s Day. There are years when I’m thrilled to celebrate love with chocolate, that fat little cherub, and his matchmaking arrows. Then, there are other years when it feels as if I’ve saved up all my bitterness for this one special day.

No matter what category you fall into this year, it is almost impossible not to smile while reading Dave Isay’s All There Is. The compilation of stories from Storycorps’ oral history project share anecdotes of love found, lost, and regained. The short and sweet transcriptions of conversations between two lovers, friends, or family members make you feel like you’re eavesdropping on a genuine moment. Each story only takes minutes to read, making it the perfect anecdote for an especially gloomy day. It’s sweet, sometimes silly, and often heartwarming. Mostly, it’s inspiring.

But even if have an icebox where your heart used to be, All There Is can at least teach you a few lessons. No wonder it’s a Valentine’s Day gift “more meaningful than any box of chocolates.”

5 Lessons Even The Bitter Can Appreciate (or at least laugh at): READ FULL STORY »

Feb 14 2012 12:52 PM ET

Valentine's Day: Suggestions for romantic reading from EW's staff

by Stephan Lee
Filed under: Books
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It’s Valentine’s Day, and whether you’re lucky in love or jaded and cynical, there are plenty of romantic novels out there to fit your mood. I asked some esteemed EW writers and editors for their favorite love stories, and as expected, we got some earnest responses and a couple of oddballs.

To start out, two of my favorites would be Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë (passionate and seriously screwed up — just as romance should be, right?) and Call Me by Your Name by André Aciman (an erudite story made accessible by a raw portrait of young love).

Here are a few picks from EW’s books editor Tina Jordan:

Dr. Zhivago by Boris Pasternak: Is this tale of a physician and poet and the woman he loves (who’s not his wife, btw) made romantic by the sweep of the Russian Revolution and Pasternak’s glorious writing? Or because the face of young Omar Sharif is imprinted upon Yuri’s?

Persuasion by Jane Austen: I’m sure there will be lots of votes for Pride and Prejudice, but I’d like to put in a word for my favorite Austen novel, which could be the textbook example of a moving love story (intelligent, long-ignored, slightly long-in-the-tooth middle daughter finds love despite her obnoxious father and annoying sisters).

NEXT: Kristen Baldwin on a Dickensian romance…

Feb 13 2012 01:43 PM ET

'Snow White and the Huntsman' novelization cover reveal -- EXCLUSIVE

by Stephan Lee
Filed under: Books, Movies and tagged: Cover Peek, Exclusive!
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In a kind of reverse-adaptation, Snow White and the Huntsman, the second of two major Snow White movies this year, will be getting a novelization by Lily Blake on Apr. 17 leading into the film’s June 1 release. The book cover — a repackaged version of one of the film posters — features Kristen Stewart as a knife-wielding warrior princess who couldn’t be more different from the fluttering damsel from the 1937 Disney film or the wide-eyed ingenue from the upcoming Lily Collins-starrer Mirror, Mirror. Check out the cover below: READ FULL STORY »

Feb 13 2012 12:28 PM ET

Composite sketches of famous literary characters

by Stephan Lee
Filed under: Books and tagged: Blogs, Humor, You're kidding me!
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If Law & Order: Literary Crimes existed — and hey, it doesn’t seem that far off — it might star some of the faces found on The Composites, a blog by Brian Joseph Davis. Using descriptions found in novels, Davis utilized law enforcement composite sketch software to render the faces of literary figures like Judge Holden from Cormac McCarthy’s Blood Meridian, Aomame from Haruki Murakami’s 1Q84, and Edward Rochester (pictured left) from Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë. Some of the mugs, like Keith Talent’s from London Fields by Martin Amis, look appropriately creepy, and the sketch of Humbert Humbert from Lolita is especially interesting, as it’s based on character description that’s inherently unreliable.

Are these accurate depictions of your favorite literary characters? Who else do you want to see get the police sketch treatment?

Feb 10 2012 02:00 PM ET

Erin Duffy on her Wall Street roman a clef 'Bond Girl'

by Stephan Lee
Filed under: Books and tagged: "Chick lit?????", Controversy, Fiction, Interview
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bond-girl

After she was laid off from Merrill Lynch in 2008, Erin Duffy decided not to jump back into the Wall Street game. Instead, she used what she saw in the workplace to write Bond Girl, a roman à clef that reveals the behind-the-scenes story of a young woman working in a male-dominated industry. Just before the 2008 financial collapse, 22-year-old Alex Garrett joins the bond sales team at Cromwell Pierce, where she encounters unwanted sexual advances, office pranks, and the type of truly odd behavior that can only be found on Wall Street (wheeling a $1,000 block of cheese across New York; a secretary who throws weekend slumber parties in the office). EW’s Sara Vilkomerson wrote, “Bond Girl is a sparkling debut, smart and snappy but never weighed down by financial terminology. Who knew Wall Street could be this much fun?” Read below for Duffy’s thoughts on the book and women in finance. READ FULL STORY »

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