Patron Review: The Casual Vacancy – J.K. Rowling

When Barrry Fairweather dies unexpectedly in his early forties while on his way to a lovely night out with his wife Mary, everyone in tiny town of Pagford is shocked. To the casual observer Pagford is your typical idyllic quaint English village with it’s cobbled market square and medieval abbey. But underneath this facade is…

National Book Award Finalists

FINALISTS: Junot Díaz, This Is How You Lose Her (Riverhead Books, a member of Penguin Group USA, Inc.) Dave Eggers, A Hologram for the King (McSweeney’s Books) Louise Erdrich, The Round House (Harper, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers) Ben Fountain, Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk (Ecco, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers) Kevin Powers, The Yellow Birds (Little,…

Patron Review: Delusions In Death – J.D. Robb

Just a typical weekday after work at a happy-hour bar downtown, where people can unwind with a few drinks after a long day. Unbelievably after only twelve minutes eighty people lay dead. And what’s worse, it’s a result of them attacking each other. Surviving witnesses describe headaches right before it started and then horrific hallucinations…

September is Library Card Sign Up Month

Throughout the month: If you sign up for a new card, you will be entered to win a Kindle Fire. Drawing to be held on Sept. 24th. Send us a picture of you with your library card, and we’ll post it to our website. Send your picture to dan@noblenet.org ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Please join us on Monday,…

Staff Recommendation: Once We Were Brothers – Ronald Alson

“Elliot Rosenzweig, a respected civic leader and wealthy philanthropist, is attending a fundraiser when he is suddenly accosted and accused of being a former Nazi SS officer named Otto Piatek. Although the charges are denounced as preposterous, his accuser, Ben Solomon, is convinced he is right. Solomon urges attorney Catherine Lockhart to take his case,…

From the YA Room: Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

From the YA Room is a new Read This! feature that will spotlight titles found in the library’s Young Adult room that have crossover appeal and might just prove to be your next great read. About Code Name Verity: “Oct. 11th, 1943—A British spy plane crashes in Nazi-occupied France. Its pilot and passenger are best…

Hip Working Girl's Fiction

If you’re feeling nostalgic for coming of age stories about gen-xers, here are two books about twenty-something women trying to find their way at the end of the 20th century. Stuck in the office by day, Odile and Sybil, try to express their creative natures during their off hours. Office Girl by Joe Meno “No…

2012 Prometheus Best Novel Winners

First, a brief history of the Prometheus Awards (via the Libertarian Futurist Society’s web site): In 1979, science fiction writer L. Neil Smith created the Prometheus Awards, to honor libertarian fiction. A panel selected F. Paul Wilson’s Wheels Within Wheels as the best novel, and a gold coin then worth $2,500 was presented to Wilson.…

This Week in the Literary World

io9 took on “10 Science Fiction Novels You Pretend to Have Read (And Why You Should Actually Read Them)” in their Daily 10. A few that made the list: Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson Gravity’s Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace Some of the other books that made the cut just might…

Book Trailer: The Long Earth by Terry Pratchett & Stephen Baxter

Publisher’s Summary: “1916: The Western Front. Private Percy Blakeney wakes up. He is lying on fresh spring grass. He can hear birdsong and the wind in the leaves. Where have the mud, blood, and blasted landscape of no-man’s-land gone? For that matter, where has Percy gone? 2015: Madison, Wisconsin. Police officer Monica Jansson is exploring…

Student Documentary: "EPILOGUE: the future of print"

via Shelf Awareness: “Epilogue–The Future of Print is a beautiful documentary short about the world of print and a moving tribute to books, booksellers and book makers. The student project was “built upon interviews with individuals who are active in the Toronto print community and questions whether or not they expect to see the disappearance…

Beach Reads

Summer is officially here. Here are a few beach reads you might want to take with you when you cool off by the sea. Beach House Memories- Mary Alice Monroe “In 1974, America was changing, but Charleston remained eternally the same. Lovie had always done what was expected—marrying the son of a historic Charleston family,…

2012 Locus Awards Winners

Winning titles are in blue. Science Fiction Novel Embassytown, China Miéville (Del Rey; Macmillan) Leviathan Wakes, James S. A. Corey (Orbit US; Orbit UK) 11/22/63, Stephen King (Scribner; Hodder & Stoughton as 11.22.63) Rule 34, Charles Stross (Ace; Orbit UK) The Children of the Sky, Vernor Vinge (Tor) Fantasy Novel A Dance with Dragons, George…

Fifty Shades of Grey – E.L. James

Reviewed by Kim Anastasia is a 21 year old virgin who is finishing up her senior year at college at the end of which she hopes to get a job at a publishing house. As a favor to her best friend who is sick, she takes over her assignment which is to interview 27 year…

A Note About Links to the Catalog

Please scroll past this post to see new reviews, recommendations, and for news from the literary world. All reviews and posts that are dated from June 1st on will have links that direct you to the new Evergreen catalog. Reviews published before that date will continue to be linked to the old catalog; in order…

NPR and Summer Book Lists

If you like to be on top of your summer reading plans, take a look at NPR’s summer book lists for possible beach and hide-inside-on-warm-weather-days reads: 15 Summer Reads Handpicked By Indie Booksellers Literary Look Ahead: 13 Great Books On The Horizon Nancy Pearl Unearths Great Summer Reads Plant Eater’s Paradise: 2012’s Best Summer Cookbooks

Bookish Sites of Interest

First up: Writers No One Reads From the site: “Highlighting forgotten, neglected, abandoned, forsaken, unrecognized, unacknowledged, overshadowed, out-of-fashion, under-translated writers. Has no one read your books? You are in good company. ” And, indeed, most of these authors induced a Who Is That Now? response. (Aleksei Mikhailovich Remizov, anyone?) You can browse the site a…

Celebrity In Death – J.D. Robb

Reviewed by Kim Celebrity in Death picks up right where the previous book New York to Dallas left off. Eve, with the help of Rourke is still recovering from those events, and she is now the subject of a “vid”, (movie) based on the Icove case written by her friend Nadine. They along with the…

Book Trailer: The Family Corleone – Ed Falco

Publisher’s Summary: “New York, 1933. The city and the nation are in the depths of the Great Depression. The crime families of New York have prospered in this time, but with the coming end of Prohibition, a battle is looming that will determine which organizations will rise and which will face a violent end. For…

The Evening Hour ~ Carter Sickels

Raised by his grandmother and grandfather, an overly zealous, snake handling preacher, Cole Freeman is a 27 year old nursing home aide in Dove Creek West Virginia. He is also a drug dealer, selling prescription medications initially as a way of helping his grandparents pay their medical bills. The Evening Hour puts the reader in…

The Rook – Daniel O'Malley

Reviewed by Kim Myfanwy (rhymes with Tiffany) Thomas wakes up badly beaten and with no memory. The only reason why she knows her name is that there is a letter in her pocket from the original Myfanwy with her name on it telling her what she needs to do next. Slowly over this almost 500…

Nightwing: The Great Leap – Peter J. Tomasi

From the Publisher: “Stepping out of Batman’s shadow, the original Boy Wonder now breaks the circle of crime and corruption on the mean streets of New York City as Nightwing. When the Dark Knight’s adversary Two-Face steps in to take a bite out of the Big Apple, it’s up to Nightwing to pluck the city…

Oath of Office – Michael Palmer

Reviewed by Kim Dr. John Meacham inexplicably goes on a murderous rampage, shooting two patients, his business partner, and staff before finally turning the gun on himself. The role of scapegoat falls on his friend and colleague Dr. Lou Welcome. Dr. Welcome had advocated for Dr. Meacham years ago after his medical license had been…

Stay Close – Harlan Coben

Reviewed by Kim Megan seems like your typical small town soccer mom. She has a great husband, two wonderful kids, and even the white picket fence. But 17 years ago Megan walked the wild side which ended in a murder and it is now about to come crashing back in on her. Ray is a…

The Quest ~ Daniel Yergin

An exhaustive explanation of the history of consumable energy in the industrialized world, from animal oils to petrochemicals to nuclear power to renewables (solar, wind etc.). Daniel Yergin somehow manages to cram an improbable amount of information into a considerable amount of pages (804 in all!). “The Quest” delivers an illuminating (and, often, surprisingly entertaining)…

The Dressmaker – Kate Alcott

Reviewed by Kim Tess Collins is a young aspiring dressmaker who is desperate to get on the Titanic in order to make her way to America where she’ll hopefully have better luck. Fortuitously she happens upon Lady Lucille Duff Gordon who herself is a famous dressmaker and is on her way to an upcoming spring…

Bookish Sites of Interest

First up, The Composites: “Images created using law enforcement composite sketch software and descriptions of literary characters…Read more on the project at The Atlantic.” The site is new, having launched earlier this month, and is currently taking suggestions for characters site-goers would like to see sketched out using the aforementioned software. Some of those already…

A Walk Across the Sun ~ Corban Addison

Reviewed by Charlotte “When a tsunami rages through their coastal town in India, 17-year-old Ahalya Ghai and her 15-year-old sister Sita are left orphaned and homeless. With almost everyone they know suddenly erased from the face of the earth, the girls set out for the convent where they attend school. They are abducted almost immediately…

While You're Watching: Downton Abbey

If you can’t get enough of the upstairs/downstairs life portrayed in Downton Abbey, try one of these: Below Stairs – Margaret Powell “Arriving at the great houses of 1920’s London, fifteen-year-old Margaret’s life in service was about to begin. As a kitchen maid, the lowest of the low, she entered an entirely new world; one…

Copper Beach – Jayne Ann Krentz

Reviewed by Kim Abby Radwell has an unusual psychic talent. She’s able to find, unlock and channel psychic energy from so called “hot books” and use it to disable people. After a near deadly incident in a client’s library, Abby receives a blackmail threat, and decides to hire an investigator and bodyguard named Sam Coppersmith…

Book to Movie: John Carter (of Mars)

Disney’s John Carter, which stars Taylor Kitsch in the titular role, is based on Edgar Rice Burroughs’ John Carter of Mars stories. Why not check out the book before the movie is released on March 9th? Publisher’s summary: “Let the adventures begin, as Captain John Carter finds himself transported to the alien landscape of Mars–where…

Iron Man Noir – Scott Snyder, Manuel Garcia (Illustrator)

Publisher’s Summary: “Finally, IRON MAN enters the world of MARVEL NOIR, with an action-packed pulp reimagining like you’ve never seen before! In 1938, Tony Stark is a daring adventurer, traveling the world in search of its mythological treasures and trying to forget the responsibilities of an iron magnate. From the Fountain of Youth to the…

Third Grave Dead Ahead – Darynda Jones

Reviewed by Kim Charley Davidson is back! Along with “Danger” and “Will Robinson”, and of course her trusty sidekick and best friend Cookie. In this third installment of the series, Charley is hired to find a missing wife of a suspicious yet seemingly perfect Doctor, and has to take on motorcycle gang and their rottweiler…

Death Comes to Pemberley – P.D. James

Reviewed by Kim In P. D. James’ latest novel it’s 1803, six years after where Jane Austen ended Pride and Prejudice. Elizabeth and Darcy are blissfully ensconced in Pemberley with their two young sons. As they prepare for the annual Autumn Ball, what could possibly happen to shatter their happiness? Of course, more drama from…

Elmore Leonard on Raylan

It’s no secret ’round these parts that I love the show Justified, which is based on a character, namely one US Marshall Raylan Givens, who appears in several of Elmore Leonard’s short stories/novels. Apparently, Lenoard became re-enamoured with his creation after seeing what Timothy Olyphant did with him, and decided to resuscitate the the shoot-first-ask-later…

11/22/63 – Stephen King

Reviewed by Kim John F. Kennedy, Lee Harvey Oswald, Jack Ruby. Names that shall ever live in our collective memories, even for those of us who weren’t born yet. Have you ever wondered about the many what ifs regarding that infamous day? Well, Stephen King takes us back via time travel to discover just that,…

December's Most Wanted Downloads – Audio & Ebooks

So which books topped the list of most downloads across the country in audio and ebook formats? According to OverDrive, these: Download Audiobooks – Adult Fiction Months On List 1. Explosive Eighteen by Janet Evanovich 2 2. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson 15 3. The Help by Kathryn Stockett 15 4.…

Staff Recommendation: Mice by Gordon Reece

Publisher’s Summary: “An electrifying psychological thriller about a mother and daughter pushed to their limits. Shelley and her mom have been menaced long enough. Excused from high school where a trio of bullies nearly killed her, and still reeling from her parents’ humiliating divorce, Shelley has retreated with her mother to the quiet of Honeysuckle…

Anne McCaffrey

Popular fantasy writer Anne McCaffrey passed away this past Monday. She was 85 years old. From The Guardian: “McCaffrey, who went on to publish almost 100 books, began her career in 1967 with Restoree, which she described as a “jab” at the way women were portrayed in science fiction. Later that year, she had the…

2011 National Book Award Winners & Finalists

Learn more about the National Book Awards here. FICTION WINNER: Jesmyn Ward, Salvage the Bones (Bloomsbury USA) FINALISTS: Andrew Krivak, The Sojourn (Bellevue Literary Press) – Interview Téa Obreht, The Tiger’s Wife (Random House) Julie Otsuka, The Buddha in the Attic (Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of Random House) – Interview Edith Pearlman, Binocular Vision…

Book Trailer: Moby Dick in Pictures by Matt Kish

Publisher’s Summary: “Inspired by one of the world’s greatest novels, Ohio artist Matt Kish set out on an epic voyage of his own one day in August 2009. More than one hundred and fifty years following the original publication of Moby-Dick, Kish began illustrating Herman Melville’s classic, creating an image a day over the next…

Top Book Club Picks of the Month (Oct)

via Book Movement 1. Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand “On a May afternoon in 1943, an Army Air Forces bomber crashed into the Pacific Ocean and disappeared, leaving only a spray of debris and a slick of oil, gasoline, and blood. Then, on the ocean surface,…

Tap, Tap: NaNoWriMo is Knocking

It’s November: Happy National Novel Writing Month! NaNoWriMo urges writers at every stage in the grand game to complete the first draft of a 50,000 word novel. In a month. Think it can’t be done? Erin Morgenstern’s recently published The Night Circus began as a NaNoWriMo project; look where it is now. On the New…

Bookish Hunger Pangs

From The Boston Globe: “Engrossing works of fiction inspire all manner of reader reactions. But hunger? That’s a surprisingly common takeaway for obsessed fans of George R.R. Martin’s best-selling series, “A Song of Ice and Fire,’’ the fifth book of which, “A Dance With Dragons,’’ hit shelves this summer after HBO’s adaptation of the first…

The Taker – Alma Katsu

Reviewed by Kim “On the midnight shift at a hospital in rural Maine, Dr. Luke Findley is expecting another quiet evening of frostbite and the occasional domestic dispute. But the minute Labore McIlvrae-Lanny-walks into his ER, she changes his life forever. A mysterious woman with a past and plenty of dark secrets, Lanny is unlike…

Those Across the River – Christopher Buehlman

Reviewed by Kim Publisher’s Description: “Failed academic Frank Nichols and his not-quite wife Eudora, have arrived in the sleepy Georgia town of Whitbrow, where Frank hopes to write a history of his family’s old estate-the Savoyard Plantation-and the horrors that occurred there. At first the quaint ways of their new neighbors seem to be everything…

Nobel Prize Winner: Tomas Tranströmer

Swedish poet Tomas Tranströmer has won the 2011 Nobel Prize in literature. From the Huffington Post: Tomas Tranströmer is a poet who, according to Peter Englund, the permanent secretary of the Swedish Academy, writes about “death, history, memory and nature. A lot about nature.” He is the first poet to win the prize since 1996.…

Book to Movie (Trailer): One For the Money

Publisher’s Summary: “Welcome to Trenton, New Jersey, home to wiseguys, average Joes, and Stephanie Plum, who sports a big attitude and even bigger money problems (since losing her job as a lingerie buyer for a department store). Stephanie needs cash—fast—but times are tough, and soon she’s forced to turn to the last resort of the…

"A gift in support of libraries, books, words, ideas….."

Intricate paper sculptures have been mysteriously turning up at bookish locations around Scotland, including the one to the left (entitled “Poetree”). With each, a note that begins “A gift in support of libraries, books, words, ideas…..” has been attached. Read the full article here; each new edit is exciting, especially as each new sculpture discovered…

The Emmy Awards Got Their Book On

Watching last night’s Emmy Awards, this librarian had her heart set on hearing Timothy Olyphant’s name called when the award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series was handed out. It didn’t happen (but it will, one day). But my disappointment affirmed one thing: There are shows that can do a book or short…

Book to Movie (Trailer): The Rum Diary

“Begun in 1959 by a twenty-two-year-old Hunter S. Thompson, The Rum Diary is a brilliantly tangled love story of jealousy, treachery, and violent alcoholic lust in the Caribbean boomtown that was San Juan, Puerto Rico, in the late 1950s. The narrator, freelance journalist Paul Kemp, irresistibly drawn to a sexy, mysterious woman, is soon thrust…

The American Heiress – Daisy Goodwin

Reviewed by Kim Beautiful Cora Cash (yes, that is really her name), is a wealthy Nouveau Riche American who has everything but a titled husband. Set in the 1890s, appearance is everything when you’re acquaintances with the likes of the Vanderbilts. Unfortunately for the Cash family, although they are the wealthiest, they are still looked…

Gone With A Handsomer Man – Michael Lee West

Teeny Templeton is having a pretty bad week. 1) She’s cancelled her wedding – having just discovered the skanky pastimes of her philandering fiance. 2) She’s just been bailed out of the slammer – having been arrested for assaulting said fiance and his naked paramourS with unripe peaches.   And… 3) She’s now a prime murder…

Patron Recommendation: Tiger Hills by Sarita Mandanna

Publisher’s Summary: “As the first girl to be born into the Nachimanda family in over thirty-five years, the beautiful Devi is the object of adoration of her entire family. Spirited and strong-willed, she befriends the shy Devanna, a young boy whose mother has died in tragic circumstances. Together they grow up amidst the luscious jungles,…

Staff Recommendation ~ The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

Publisher’s Summary: “An international publishing sensation, Stieg Larsson’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo combines murder mystery, family saga, love story, and financial intrigue into one satisfyingly complex and entertainingly atmospheric novel. Harriet Vanger, a scion of one of Sweden’s wealthiest families disappeared over forty years ago. All these years later, her aged uncle continues…

Book Trailer: Pirate King by Laurie R. King

Publisher’s Summary: “In England’s young silent-film industry, the megalomaniacal Randolph Fflytte is king. Nevertheless, at the request of Scotland Yard, Mary Russell is dispatched to investigate rumors of criminal activities that swirl around Fflytte’s popular movie studio. So Russell is traveling undercover to Portugal, along with the film crew that is gearing up to shoot…

The Personal Libraries of Celebrities

For book lovers, this is voyeurism at its best: a chance to peak into the home libraries of 20 celebrities, including Diane Keaton (whose library is featured above). If only we could read a few of those spines! Click here to see the 19 other libraries that made the list.

2011 Hugo Award Winners

This past Saturday saw the presentation of the 2011 Hugo Awards. The winners were as follows: (Title links will take you to the NOBLE catalog) BEST NOVEL Blackout/All Clear by Connie Willis BEST NOVELLA The Lifecycle of Software Objects by Ted Chiang BEST NOVELETTE “The Emperor of Mars” by Allen M. Steele BEST SHORT STORY…

Ghost Story – Jim Butcher

Reviewed by Kim MAY INCLUDE SPOILERS FOR PREVIOUS BOOKS IN THE SERIES. When Changes ended Harry Dresden had surpassed his personal best for getting beat up, hurt, and tortured. Not enough, the closing chapter ended with him being murdered by an unknown assassin. But of course, being dead isn’t going to stop the mighty Harry. Especially…

Patron Recommendation: The Killer of Little Shepherds

Publisher’s Summary: “A riveting true crime story that vividly recounts the birth of modern forensics.At the end of the nineteenth century, serial murderer Joseph Vacher, known and feared as “The Killer of Little Shepherds,” terrorized the French countryside. He eluded authorities for years—until he ran up against prosecutor Emile Fourquet and Dr. Alexandre Lacassagne, the…

While You're Waiting on…The Hobbit (Part 1)

Peter Jackson knows how to tease. Case in point: the third of his production videos (below) showcases the initial stages of whipping the Dwarves into fighting shape (or looks-to-be-more-out-of-shape, as the case may be), and gives us a brutally brief glimpse of Martin Freeman as Bilbo interacting with Andy Serkis’ Gollum. And, please, don’t get…

Excerpts from Jeaniene Frost & J.D. Robb

Publisher’s summary: “Having narrowly averted an (under)world war, Cat Crawfield wants nothing more than a little downtime with her vampire husband, Bones. Unfortunately, her gift from New Orleans’ voodoo queen just keeps on giving-leading to a personal favor that sends them into battle once again, this time against a villainous spirit.” Jeaniene Frost has posted…

The Dark Enquiry – Deanna Raybourn

Reviewed by Kim Brisbane to Julia: “We simply must do something about your penchant for blowing things up, my Lady.” Yes, The Dark Enquiry starts off with a bang. Literally as well as figuratively. Having been married now for fifteen months, Lady Julia and her fascinating husband Nicholas Brisbane continue to clash even though their…

Madame Bovary's Daughter – Linda Urbach

Reviewed by Kim In this fascinating tale of perseverance, Linda Urbach picks up where Flaubert left off, at Charles Bovary’s funeral. A society outcast because of her mother’s actions, twelve-year-old Berthe is forced to live with her bitter and impoverished grandmother. After her grandmother dies Berthe desperately seeks work, finally winding up in a cotton…

The Passage – Justin Cronin

Reviewed by Kim What would happen if the scientific community and the military got together and created a virus which essentially turned people into vampires? This is the basic premise of Justin Cronin’s third novel. Predictably, the origin of the virus has so much potential. A vampire bat virus which could make humans immortal and…

Patron Recommendation: At Home with the Templetons

Publisher’s Summary: “When the Templeton family takes up residence in an imposing and long-empty manor in the countryside of Victoria, Australia, the locals begin to buzz with gossip. The seven Templetons moved from England and seem unusual, peculiar even—especially when they begin to lead tours through the stately home while dressed in period costume. No…

Tunnel Vision – Gary Braver

Reviewed by Kim Grad student Zack Kashian lapses into a coma after a terrible biking accident on an icy Boston street. Three months later he awakens on Easter, muttering the Lord’s Prayer in the original Aramaic. The media, and religious fanatics flock to his bedside, eager to talk to this “Miracle Man” even though Zack…

Literary Tattoos

Tattoos that imprint favorite poems or bookish quotes on the skin fascinate me. Some, like the one above, take it to a whole new, imaginative level. Check out more literary tattoos on Contrariwise and The Word Made Flesh, an extension of the book featured below. Publisher’s Summary “The Word Made Flesh: Literary Tattoos from Bookworms…

Patron Recommendation: Pearl Buck in China

Publisher’s Summary: “One of the twentieth century’s most extraordinary Americans, Pearl Buck was the first person to make China accessible to the West. She recreated the lives of ordinary Chinese people in The Good Earth, an overnight worldwide bestseller in 1932, later a blockbuster movie. Buck went on to become the first American woman to…

I Think I Love you – Allison Pearson

13-year-old Petra is in love with David Cassidy, an obsession she shares with her best friends.  The year is 1974, and Cassidy is the creation of a brilliant marketing campaign that preys on the hearts of teenage girls. Fast forward 25 years.  Petra, separated from a cheating husband and mourning the loss of her mother,…

Book Trailer: The Last Werewolf by Glen Duncan

Publisher’s Summary: “Meet Jake. A bit on the elderly side (he turns 201 in March), but you’d never suspect it. Nonstop sex and exercise will do that for you—and a diet with lots of animal protein. Jake is a werewolf, and after the unfortunate and violent death of his one contemporary, he is now the…

Book Trailer: To Be Sung Underwater by Tom McNeal

Publisher’s Summary: “Judith Whitman always believed in the kind of love that “picks you up in Akron and sets you down in Rio.” Long ago, she once experienced that love. Willy Blunt was a carpenter with a dry wit and a steadfast sense of honor. Marrying him seemed like a natural thing to promise. But…

Huffington Post's "15 Worst Books To Read on a Plane"

“Sure, today’s planes have free wifi and personal televisions to distract you, but some of us still kill the hours with a good book. So when you’re heading to the airport, just make sure you don’t pick up any of the hilarious books below. These titles represent what we imagine are the last things you’d…

From NPR: 3 More Summer Reading Lists

First up is “Nancy Pearl Presents 10 Terrific Summer Reads“: “My office (a spare bedroom in my house) is strewn with books that I’ve gotten for possible review. There are books on the bookshelves, books more or less arranged on the floor and other books stacked high, waiting to be shelved. I probably start 15…

Summer Reading Lists from O Magazine & USA Today

From O Magazine: “What’s your favorite flavor? No matter, because we’ve got ’em all: refreshing histories, nutty novels, and love stories that will make you melt.” See O’s list of summer reads here. From USA Today: “It’s summertime, and that means time to relax — and to read. And whether you prefer hardcovers, paperbacks or…

On the Road Online

Just in time for your summer road trip is this “tricked out” version of Kerouac’s classic. With lots of added features including: family photos documentary footage journal excerpts an interactive map

"9 Surprising Things You Didn't Know About…"

Edgar Rice Burroughs, the creator of Tarzan. [via BuzzFeed] 8. Burroughs is a descendant of Edmund Rice — and is distantly related to Laura Ingalls Wilder and President Calvin Coolidge. “Rice was one of the original settlers of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, and while his own life was modest — founder of Sudbury, deacon in…