Books category, Page 4

NEW YORK — Prize-winning fiction writer Deesha Philyaw, who struggled to find a publisher for what became her acclaimed debut “The Secret Lives of Church Ladies,” has a seven-figure deal for her next two books. Mariner Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, announced Thursday that it had signed Philyaw, formerly...

“Holly” by Stephen King (Scribner) In half a century of writing horror novels, Stephen King has created some remarkable villains. Who can forget the sing-song voice of Pennywise the clown, the devil incarnate Randall Flagg, or the drooling jaws of Cujo? The big bads in King’s latest novel, “Holly,” aren’t...

CHEYENNE, Wyo. — After parents in a rural and staunchly conservative Wyoming county joined nationwide pressure on librarians to pull books they considered harmful to youngsters, the local library board obliged with new policies making such books a higher priority for removal — and keeping out of collections. But that’s...

Betsy Wentz recalled sitting on the floor of the carriage house of her Edgeworth home as a little girl sorting through colorful swatches. Her mother was an interior designer and the space was filled wall to wall with fabric and wallpaper samples. “My mom was an incredible teacher, a visionary...

NEW YORK — For a vast number of book writers, artificial intelligence is a threat to their livelihood and the very idea of creativity. More than 10,000 of them endorsed an open letter from the Authors Guild this summer, urging AI companies not to use copyrighted work without permission or...

Phil Mickelson has wagered more than $1 billion over the last three decades and wanted to place a $400,000 bet on the 2012 Ryder Cup while playing for Team USA, according to a much-anticipated book by renowned gambler Billy Walters. Mickelson denied ever betting on the Ryder Cup. “While it...

If it ever comes up during Trivia Night, the 58th doge of Venice died on July 18, 1365. OK. So, what’s a doge? And who cares? The first answer is the ceremonial leader of the canal-laden city-state in what now is Italy. The second is Kevin Butler. For his soon-to-be-published...

“Broadway Butterfly” by Sara DiVello (Thomas & Mercer) The unsolved murder of the beautiful Dot King captivated New York. But the hype around the case proved insufficient motivation to catch the killer. So what happened? In “Broadway Butterfly,” a jazzy true crime historical thriller, author Sara DiVello unearths piles of...

NEW YORK — Child star and activist Mia Armstrong has a picture book coming out next year about her experiences with Down syndrome, what her publisher calls “all the joys and challenges.” Random House Children’s Books announced Monday that Armstrong’s “I Am a Masterpiece!” will be released next January. Illustrated...

NEW YORK — A former White House aide to President Donald Trump who became a prominent congressional witness against him and his allies in the wake of the Jan. 6 siege of the U.S. Capitol has a book deal. Cassidy Hutchinson’s “Enough” will be released Sept. 26 by Simon &...

NEW YORK — Melanie Hamrick, who knows her way around a quick pirouette, had to move fast when her 6-year-old son Deveraux recently picked up a copy of her new novel, “First Position,” as she was signing books. “I didn’t realize how well he was reading,” the former ballerina and...

“The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession” by Michael Finkel (Alfred A. Knopf) What is it about stories of transgression that keep us wanting more of them? Tales of heists, con artists and even murders permeate all corners of society, from Dostoevsky to “Tiger...

NEW YORK — There’s nothing that can keep Christian Cooper from enjoying his “happy place,” the bird-friendly Ramble of Central Park — not even his tense, viral video encounter three years ago with a woman walking her dog off leash in his refuge. Cooper is a lifelong birder, and Black,...

Cormac McCarthy, the acclaimed fiction writer whose books were regarded as American masterpieces by critics and legions of fans but who refused to offer insight into what had inspired them or what they might mean, has died. Widely regard as one of America’s greatest living writers, McCarthy died on Tuesday...

“George: A Magpie Memoir,” by Frieda Hughes (Avid Reader Press) Frieda Hughes in an English poet and painter who has built a following on birding Instagram (friedahughes) with her beguiling videos of owls. She has also written several children’s books and a weekly poetry column for The Times of London....

“The Talk” by Darrin Bell (Henry Holt & Company) Seeing the other children at the park playing with water guns, Darrin asks his mom for one. Her immediate response: No. Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist Darrin Bell’s graphic memoir “The Talk” begins around age 6, when his mom first has “the...

Joseph “Joe Joe” Costanzo Jr. slept in restaurant booths at his Primadonna Restaurant in McKees Rocks. He missed family events. His wife, Donna Costanzo, said the best way to see him was to work at the restaurant. He knew most diners’ names, greeting them with a hearty hello and a...

Paola Corso is always looking to take the next step. The Harrison native writes about and photographs staircases not only for their beauty, but for their functional use as a journey to get from one place to another. “I am always looking for steps,” said Corso, who lives in Brooklyn,...

NEW YORK — Oprah Winfrey’s latest book project is one she helped write. Winfrey has teamed with the author, educator and Atlantic columnist Arthur C. Brooks on “Build the Life You Want: The Art and Science of Getting Happier,” to be published Sept. 12 by Portfolio Books. “I started reading...

NEW YORK — The Pulitzer Prize for fiction was awarded Monday to two class-conscious novels: “Demon Copperhead,” Barbara Kingsolver’s modern recasting of the Dickens classic “David Copperfield,” and Hernan Diaz’s “Trust,” an innovative narrative of wealth and deceit set in 1920s New York. It’s the first time the Pulitzers have...

“When the Heavens Went on Sale: The Misfits and Geniuses Racing to Put Space Within Reach,” by Ashlee Vance (Ecco) During the space race of the 1960s that was chronicled by Tom Wolfe in “The Right Stuff,” the era was personified by larger-than-life heroes like John Glenn, Gus Grissom and...

A car is more than steel over an engine and four wheels. To some, it was a vehicle for freedom. That’s the inspiration behind “Pittsburgh and the Great Migration: Black Mobility and the Automobile,” the exhibition opening Saturday at the Frick Pittsburgh in Point Breeze. In the years between the...

Joey Pagano sat on the sidewalk across from the Charleroi police station. The year was 2011. He called his mother, Cindy Pagano, and told her he couldn’t take it anymore. He had just robbed a gas station. He needed drugs. His life was unravelling. “I wanted to die,” Pagano said....