Bruce Springsteen runs it all down for you in his rewarding new autobiography
Anyone who has ever experienced the uniquely soul-stirring amalgam of musical celebration, spiritual rejuvenation, intellectual provocation and physical release-to-the-point-of-exhaustion that is a...
View ArticleTom Jones: ‘Singing is saving my life now’ since wife’s death
In 1964, Tom Jones was just about broke, forcing his wife, Linda, to work at a factory, when he released a rock ‘n’ roll song called “Chills and Fever.” The Rolling Stones-like single is full of bluesy...
View ArticlePike County man spends retirement sifting through old books
Howard Caine vividly remembers his greatest find.The 87-year-old Pike County book buyer bought it for $20. It sold for $8,000.It was a first edition of Security Analysis by Benjamin Graham and David...
View ArticleBooks teach kids to think before making decisions
Every day each of us makes countless decisions and choices, and children are no exception. We make choices about what we say or fail to say, we choose to act in a certain way or not to act and we...
View ArticleSteinem talks about life on the road
Gloria Steinem was under the weather.Her famously level gaze that for decades could silently convey "Really?" looked only weary as she sipped pomegranate juice to ease a cough.Always svelte, Steinem...
View ArticleCouple pour love for winemaking into pages of new book
DALLAS —When Craig and Kathryn Hall decided to write a book about their winemaking journey, the couple agreed that every word, every passage had to be blessed by both of them.Craig, the 66-year-old...
View ArticleTurn a reluctant reader into a bookworm with the right book
Humans are hard-wired to listen to stories; we always have been. When it comes to reading, however, that’s a little trickier.There will always be some children who aren’t fans of reading. Some kids...
View ArticleA stranger-than-fiction tale of a murder conspiracy, among posh Brits
“A Very English Scandal: Sex, Lies and a Murder Plot at the Heart of the Establishment” by John Preston; Other Press (352 pages, $27.95)Suppose you had a secret. A secret that would cost you your...
View ArticleBehind the screams: ‘Ghostland’ an engrossing look at history of haunted places
“Ghostland: An American History in Haunted Places” by Colin Dickey; Viking (320 pages, $27)Should you be troubled by things that go bump in the night, do not settle in for a bedtime read with Colin...
View ArticleBooks contain dreams, courage for the future
We all have things we worry about. We all yearn for acceptance and have to learn how to accept others. We all have to find courage when faced with difficult situations. And everyone has dreams and...
View ArticleThomas Dolby’s new memoir reflects on unique career in music, technology
With a book deal in place, Thomas Dolby went digging through his personal archives of diaries, PalmPilots and yellow notepads. The exercise was enlightening, and even a bit frustrating for the now...
View ArticleJennifer Weiner unafraid to talk about messy stuff
With the fluid, feisty and funny voice she cultivated as a feature writer before turning to novels, Jennifer Weiner’s first nonfiction book could have been a punchy collection of essays and...
View ArticleBiography explores real-life Victorian horror behind ‘Dracula’
“Something in the Blood: The Untold Story of Bram Stoker, The Man Who Wrote “Dracula’” by David J. Skal; Liveright (652 pages, $35) Several years ago, I read the book “Dracula” for the first time,...
View ArticleHow a fed-up group of 'Good Girls' beat the 'Mad Men'-era sexists
In the late 1960s, the researchers at Newsweek magazine were known as "the Dollies." The Dollies were all women, and when they handed over the results of their work to their male bosses, they were apt...
View ArticleForty-five tales of jukebox genius
Ever wonder what the real "Carey" thought when Joni Mitchell called him a "mean old Daddy" in the song written during their short, but strange relationship? (Rebounding from Graham Nash, Mitchell, in...
View ArticleJournalist loses his ‘Magic’ in new novel
Author Jeff Widmer, a former Pocono resident, recently released “Mr. Magic,” a sequel to his debut novel “Mr. Mayhem.”“Mr. Magic” (Allusion Books, paperback, $10.95; eBook, $5.99) is the second in...
View ArticleFor these authors, it's not so easy to get it write
WASHINGTON — At a lively event last week, Jason Reynolds said he picked up a habit from a novelist he fondly calls the "late, great Walter Dean Myers.""I write every single day," said Reynolds, sharing...
View ArticleFormer commissioner McCool pens her memoirs
Suzanne McCool is her family’s historian, unofficially. Sitting in her antique-laden Stroudsburg living room and sifting through grayed, framed photos, McCool describes herself as a mixture of...
View ArticleFeeding curious minds with books
The dictionary defines “curious” as “having a desire to investigate and learn.” I think that pretty much describes all of us. We see this in early childhood, for example. Children are curious about...
View ArticleThe election is over — who'll get the big contract to write the book about it?
The endless election, finally, has ended. Let the books, and the rehashing of the election, begin. Publishing executives say that few campaign-related book proposals had circulated prior to Tuesday's...
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