JK Rowling to unleash three new ‘Harry Potter’ related books

US TV star Trevor Noah pens book on apartheid childhood

South African comedian Trevor Noah, the host of America’s “The Daily Show”, will release a book about being the child of an illegal mixed race relationship under apartheid, his publishers said Wednesday. Noah, who grew up in the township of Soweto, shot to fame last year as the surprise choice to host the nightly satire show, taking over after Jon Stewart’s celebrated 16-year stint. A child of a then prohibited relationship between a black woman and a white Swiss father, Noah has often joked about his upbringing as a mixed-race boy among black children in Soweto where both Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu once lived.

Adult coloring book craze booms in US

Intricate adult coloring books are the latest lifestyle craze to grip the United States, generating millions of fans, booming sales and libraries falling over themselves to host workshops. Walk into any New York bookstore, and you’ll find them artfully laid out on tables or filling entire shelves. Dover Publications, which prints dozens of coloring books, decreed August 2 as National Coloring Book Day, sponsoring parties and hosting an online group discussion board for tips on how to throw a successful bash at home.

‘Alice in Wonderland’ in the spotlight at 49th California International Antiquarian Book Fair

From February 12-14 thousands of book lovers, rare book dealers and scholars will converge at the Pasadena Convention Center in Pasadena, southern California for the 49th California International Antiquarian Book Fair. Recognized as one of the world’s largest exhibition of antiquarian books, this year’s theme will be “A Wonderland of Books” in honor of the 150th anniversary of the publication of Lewis Carroll’s “Alice in Wonderland” with a special exhibition devoted to the author. It feature collections from 200 booksellers from the Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association of America and the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers who will represent five centuries of printing.

New ‘Harry Potter’ book arriving this summer

Published by Scholastic, the latest book in the wizardry series is in essence a script to the upcoming Jack Thorne play of the same name. “As the U.S. print publisher, Scholastic introduced Harry Potter and J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World to American readers nearly 20 years ago and experienced firsthand the anticipation and excitement of the publication of each of the books over the years.

Potter play already a bestseller five months ahead

The script of a new Harry Potter play, which is due to be published on July 31 following its world premiere in London, was already a bestseller on the British version of Amazon on Thursday. “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” will officially open in the West End on July 30, while the script will come out on the following day. The play tells the story of Harry Potter 19 years after the last book, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows”.

Bruce Springsteen memoir coming in September

Rock legend Bruce Springsteen will explain his rise to fame and the struggles behind his songs in a memoir to be released in September, his publisher announced Thursday. The book will be entitled “Born to Run,” named after Springsteen’s 1975 song that both marked his rise to fame and lyrically explained his drive to get out of his home in Freehold, New Jersey. “Writing about yourself is a funny business,” Springsteen, 66, said in a statement.

Jimmy Carter becomes Grammy star again

In the book, Carter describes his rise in politics and his stinging election defeat to Ronald Reagan in 1980. Since leaving the White House, Carter has been an ardent champion of peacemaking efforts and global health and development, and has been increasingly outspoken in support of left-wing causes. Carter also won a Grammy in 2007 for “Our Endangered Values: America’s Moral Crisis,” another audio version of a book on his political views.

‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ author Harper Lee dies: official

American novelist Harper Lee, famous for her masterpiece “To Kill a Mockingbird” and for shunning the fame it brought her, has died aged 89, officials in her hometown said Friday. Lee’s 1960 novel, which earned her a Pulitzer Prize, came to define racial injustice in the Depression-era South and became standard reading in classrooms across the world. “Mockingbird” tells the story of a black man wrongly accused of raping a white woman and the courageous lawyer, Atticus Finch, who defies his community to defend him.

Egypt jails author for two years over sexually explicit novel
An Egyptian court has sentenced an author to two years in jail for public indecency after excerpts of his sexually explicit novel were published in a literary newspaper. A chapter from Ahmed Naji’s novel Istikhdam al-Hayat, or Using Life, was serialized in a state-owned literary newspaper and a case was brought against him last year by a private citizen who claimed the excerpt caused him distress and heart palpitations. In the initial ruling the court said it acquitted Naji because freedom of expression was enshrined in the constitution, adding that morality was subjective.

Umberto Eco’s last book to be released Friday

The last book from Italian literary giant Umberto Eco, who died last week, will be published on Friday, his publishers said. Chronicles of a Liquid Society” is a collection of essays that have appeared in Italian weekly L’Espresso since 2000, publishers La Nave di Teseo said Sunday. The main title is the first three words of Canto 7 of “Inferno”, the first part of Dante Alighieri’s 14th century epic poem “Divine Comedy”.

Scarlett Johansson narrates ‘Alice in Wonderland’ audio book

Scarlett Johansson has lent her voice to an audio version of Lewis Carroll’s “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland”. The Hollywood star teamed up with Audible.com and her sister, narrator and director of the project, Vanessa Johansson, on the audiobook. “Having grown up loving the story of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and reading many books aloud with Vanessa, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to share my love for Alice with an audience,” the actress says.