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Best-selling Civil War author Jeff Shaara brings new trilogy starting with Battle of Shiloh
The story of what becomes one of the defining battles of the Civil War is recounted in "A Blaze of Glory: A Novel of The Battle Of Shiloh" (Ballantine 2012; $28), the first book of a trilogy by famed author Jeff Shaara.
Best-sellers for May 27
NONFICTION
Two new books tell Nelson Mandela's story through the prism of food
What do you feed a man who spent decades eating prison food in the name of freedom and reconciliation?
Revisiting the 1933 crash of United Flight 23 in Chesterton
In 1933, Melvin Purvis — who in less than a year would become famous for the capture of bank robber and escape artist John Dillinger —stepped in to investigate the downing of United Flight 23. On a transcontinental flight, the Boeing 247 was …
Evanston author explores what's for dinner in the future
While many of us are moving backwards foodwise, reveling in heritage vegetables, foraging woods for forgotten greens and enjoying farmhouse dinners, Josh Schonwald is looking toward what we'll be putting on our tables in the years to come.
Best-sellers for May 20
NONFICTION
Here's how to travel 25,000 miles without a penny
Michael Wigge left Berlin without a penny and traveled 25,000 miles to Antarctica, hitchhiking, bartering and working his way by ship, plane, car and foot, from Europe to Canada and the U.S. and then through Latin America.
Dyer mother shares bond with daughter in latest 'Chicken Soup' book
Sometimes it's a case of daughter knows best. When Patricia M. Rompca, of Dyer, planned a trip overseas, she was nervous about traveling alone and the long flight. A gift from her only daughter eased her fears and inspired a story featured in…
Local author uses zombies as a metaphor for creating disaster preparedness
The title of Alex Newton's recently released "Plan and Prep: Surviving the Zombie Apocalypse" sounds like the latest in a long line of zombie, werewolves and vampire books lining the fiction shelves at local bookstores.
Best-sellers for May 13
NONFICTION
'Where Wild Things Are' author Maurice Sendak dies
NEW YORK (AP) - Maurice Sendak didn't think of himself as a children's author, but as an author who told the truth about childhood.
SHELF LIFE: 'A Difficult Woman' introduces readers to one of the mid–century's most famous, complex women
For those who think that making it in a man's world is something this generation thought up, meet playwright Lillian Hellman, one of the most successful Broadway playwrights of either gender, a woman once described as a "tough broad ... the k…
Best-sellers for May 6
NONFICTION
Bethenny Frankel's 'Skinnydipping' makes a splash
Bethenny Frankel has worn many hats in her rise to success. The reality TV star and self-help author has also designed everything from sangria to shapewear ... so why not novelist?
George Harrison's widow hopes new book fills in blanks
George Harrison's widow Olivia hopes to add more perspective on the reticent Beatle with her new digital book, and fill in the blanks left by Martin Scorsese's recent documentary.
Kid Picks with Philip Potempa for Thursday, May 3, 2012
Our weekly round-up of new children's media.
Best-sellers for April 29
NONFICTION
TV producer uses her career as a basis for a new Chicago murder series
Born and raised on Chicago's south side before moving to Los Angeles and New York, mystery author Clare O'Donohue decided to set her new murder series in the city where she grew up.
Best-sellers for April 22
NONFICTION
'Heroes for My Daughter' is deeply personal book
Brad Meltzer's follow-up to his amazing "Heroes for My Son" features more talented individuals who prove one person truly can change the world.
Best-sellers for April 15
NONFICTION
J.K. Rowling's next book: 'The Casual Vacancy'
It may lack wizards and witches, but J.K. Rowling and her publisher are hoping her first novel for adults, "The Casual Vacancy," will have the magic touch.
Titanic a magnet for kids, fine line for educators
Eleven-year-old John Payne has been a student of the Titanic since kindergarten.
Anne Tyler, still making it up
In the living room of Anne Tyler, you could shelve virtually all the books under a single heading: fiction.
Best-sellers for April 8
NONFICTION
Shelf Life: Author helps others understand autism
Despite having an IQ of 158, Aaron Likens often skipped school.
Kid Picks with Philip Potempa for Thursday, April 5, 2012
Our weekly round-up of new children's media.
Frank Langella dishes about the famous in memoir
The phone at Frank Langella's home rings and rings, unanswered. The very private three-time Tony Award winner apparently is not willing to answer questions about his debut book.
SHELF LIFE: Chicago author living the 'Wilder Life'
During her book tour last year, Wendy McClure estimates that she churned four pounds of butter during the events and flushed about 20 percent of it down the toilet in her hotel room. But when you're trying to create life as it was lived in "L…
Harry Potter adventures go on sale in e-book form
At last, Harry Potter's adventures are available electronically.
Best-sellers for April 1
NONFICTION
'Girl Scout Handbook' shows way to better life
Rory Dawn Hendrix is not your typical Girl Scout. Smart and sassy, she is growing up in a Reno, Nev., trailer park with a bartender as a mom who only likes the wrong men and neighbors who may be lively but are also seriously self-destructive.…
Best-sellers for March 25
NONFICTION
R.J. Smith dissects James Brown in 'The One'
When James Brown was imprisoned in 1988 after leading police on a two-state car chase that ended only when his tires were shot out, many people felt he was guilty of nothing more than driving-while-black and called on authorities to free the …
Best-sellers for March 18
NONFICTION
Celebrating three decades of Chicago gumshoe V.I. Warshawski
It was 30 years ago that V.I. Warshawski, a private investigator in the manner of Philip Marlowe and others like him — not afraid to brawl and always with a wise–crack or two — first burst upon the literary scene.
Determination, hard work help Lake County woman through adversity
For half a century, Erminia Lopez Rincon kept her writing — poems and notebooks filled with her thoughts, her memories and her dreams — in boxes. Then about four years ago she started to put her work in order.
Best-sellers for March 11
NONFICTION
Ian Fleming's magical Chitty car flies again
Most cars are just that: Four tires and an engine. And then there's Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, the flying version born of Ian Fleming's imagination and the namesake of the James Bond creator's only book for children.
Urban historian writes about Chicago brews
For Denise Neu, "Chicago by the Pint: A Craft Beer History of the Windy City" (The History Press 2011; $19.99), it wasn't just about the beer. Instead, it was about beer, the buildings and the history.
Best-sellers for March 4
NONFICTION
Kid Picks with Philip Potempa for Thursday, March 1, 2012
Our weekly round-up of new children's media.
Projectionist sheds light on crime
If you'd been asked to take a guess at what the future held for Kent Dickinson when he was growing up in Highland the answer might have been theater owner because, after all, his parents — Kenneth and Irene — owned the Town Theatre from 1946 …
Do French parents have a certain je ne sais quoi?
So you're visiting someone's home with your child and hot chocolate is served. As the hostess' kids sip the delicious concoction politely and silently, your own little dear takes a gulp and promptly spits it back into the mug.
Feminist Fanny Fern's life recounted in new novel
Though she sold more books than her contemporary Harriet Beecher Stowe and was the highest paid and most published writer in the 1850s and 1860s, few outside of academia have ever heard of Fanny Fern while almost everyone recognizes the name …
Best-sellers for Feb. 26
NONFICTION
J.K. Rowling has deal for new novel for adults
J.K. Rowling is back, and writing for adults.
Author's new book takes readers inside Bonaparte's summer home
Wanting to spend time in a different country and century, New York Times best-selling author Lauren Willig decided to write a novel set in the early 1800s. For Willig, who at the time was working on a Harvard doctorate in Tudor/Stuart England…
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