Playing For Pizza

I really want to read this book. I love John Grisham's writing, American football is my favorite sport to watch on TV, and the story is set in Italy. It doesn't get much better than that!

The story is about Rick Dockery, a football player for the Cleveland Browns. After throwing three interceptions in the closing minutes of the AFC championship game, Rick can only find a pro team to play on by joining the Parma Panthers, from the Italian National Football League. And he's the new quarterback no less. And it's also about Rick in Italy.

If you're a Grisham fan, you'll want to see his mini interview on Amazon where he answers the following questions:

• American football in Italy seems like an unlikely subject for a John Grisham novel. What was the inspiration for Playing for Pizza?

• There is some great football writing in this novel. What kind of research was involved in capturing how this American institution is played in small town Italy?

• Speaking of research, you write lovingly of Italian food and wine in this book. What's your idea of the perfect Italian meal?

• Without giving away too much of the plot, your protagonist falls in love by the novel's end. Did you know when you started writing that Rick would get the girl?

• You have a new legal thriller coming in January 2008. Can you give us any hints about what to expect?

Trump's Think Big and Kick Ass

I never read a book by Donald Trump. I never wanted to. But this one is different. This one looks like it might be interesting if not helpful. It's co-written by Bill Zanker who tells the story how he started The Learning Annex with $5,000 and turned it into a $5 million per year company.

But that's not why I think it will be interesting. It's because it's filled with advice and inspiration, such as:

• Momentum: the Big Mo. How to get it and how to get it back.
• Revenge: how and when to get it (and why it's so sweet).
• "I love you, now sign this!" Why contracts in business and personal life are so important.
• Real-life stories from people who've applied the think BIG formula in their own lives.

Don't you think it's really sweet of Donald to put aside his busy schedule to read and review Rosie O'Donnel's book Celebrity Detox? They really need to just have sex and get it over with. eww!

And check out this video where Trump reveals the secrets of success that he learned from his father:

Watch Donald Trump introduce Think Big and Kick Ass.

Harry Potter Books Banned from MA Catholic School

Reverend Ron Barker removed all of the Harry Potter books from St. Joseph's Catholic School in Wakefield Massachusetts.

"This is a parochial school and I have the moral authority to do this," he said in an interview with FOXNews.com. "For some people, reading those books is a vehicle to become involved in the occult. ... My basic premise is for the spiritual protection of the children."

Some of the parents complained and petitioned Barker in a letter to put the Harry Potter books back in the school's library. From the letter:

"We must allow our children the space to discover how to make correct moral choices on their own," the parents wrote. "While we recognize that some fear that Harry Potter books may lead to the practice of Wicca and Satanism, we respectfully disagree that such fears warrant the removal of reading material from the school library."

Barker responded with these words:

"I’m not preventing people from buying the books," Barker said. "I’m not marching down to the public library demanding that they burn the books. I'm protecting from what could be a danger to some people. Evil is very seductive."... "If there's a possibility for one getting involved, it's good to protect that one," he said.

Source

So why did Reverend Barker wait until the series was complete before he decided that the influence of sorcery and witchcraft was too evil to be allowed in the Catholic school library? Obviously the announcement from J.K. Rowling that Dumbledore was gay had more to do with it then sorcery. But I guess it's safer to blame the witchcraft element than to admit to being a homophobic.

Alice Sebold's New Book: The Almost Moon

I have to read this book! I read both Lucky and The Lovely Bones and they were wonderfully tragic books. And from the description of The Almost Moon, we can expect some more of that with this book too.
Alice Sebold tells us herself what the book is about in this letter:

"I hope you'll like The Almost Moon. I also hope it produces that feeling of discomfort. It's about Helen Knightly who is a mother, a daughter, a lover, and—beginning the night you meet her—a woman who has killed her mother. Obviously I want you to follow her into all the dark places she's going because I believe it's in those dark places where we often see most clearly the truth about how to live or how not to." [Read the whole letter]

The Kite Runner: the Book, the Movie

Khaled Hosseini, author of The Kite Runner, commends the delayed release of the movie that is based on the book. It was delayed for six weeks so that Paramount Pictures can move three of the boys who star in the film and their families from socially conservative Afghanistan where they fear that the boys would be targeted due to a scene in the movie. In this scene one boy becomes a victim of a homosexual rape and his best friend witnesses it but does nothing to stop it.

I read The Kite Runner a couple of years ago and it is written in such a captivating and engrossing manner that makes you feel a part of the story in such a way that when it ends, it continues in your heart for a long time to come.

The movie is expected to debut on December 14th.

Eric Clapton Writes a Memoir

If you are a fan of Eric Clapton's you're sure to love his book titled Clapton: The Autobiography. The rocker, who has managed to keep his private life, well...private, has decided to bar none and bare it all in this memoir. He covers his own intimate life experiences such as drug and alcohol addiction, an affair with Patty Boyd and the death of his four-year-old son. His music was his salvation. Readers rated this book 5 out of 5 stars.

What The Dickens: Gregory Maguire's New Children's Book

Gregory Maguire, author of Wicked, has written a children's book called What The Dickens. What The Dickens is the name of a tooth fairy who came to life in a tin can and discovers he has an affinity for teeth!

Watch an interview video with Gregory Maguire where he talks about this book and his return to writing children's books. Plus there are a lot of other video interviews with him on this page as well.

Second Most Valuable Comic Found in PA Attic

The comic book, which features Batman's debut, is a pre-WWII Detective Comics No. 27. It is worth about $250,000. It was in near-mint condition when it was found in an attic in Pennsylvania and sold to Todd McDevitt, owner of the Pittsburgh region's five New Dimension Comics stores.

When the seller walked in with the Batman issue, "my eyes almost popped out of my head," McDevitt said. I guess I should have been more reserved, but I'm not a very good poker player," he said. Experts estimate there are between 20 and a few hundred copies of the Batman debut. McDevitt's comic now sits safely in an airtight bag in a bank vault. On occasion, he takes it out to show friends and customers. "I've been toying with the idea of reading it, but I haven't yet," he said. "I'm going to savor it."

Source: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,300650,00.html

Oprah's Book Club Pick

Oprah's Book Club pick is Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It is a romantic love story about Florentino Ariza and Fermino Daza, who fall in love. But Fermino marries someone else and Florentino, an incurable romantic, who waits a lifetime for her.

This sounds like a really good story. I think I'm going to have to read this one.

Jenna Bush Starts Book Tour

Jenna Bush's book, Ana's Story, is about a 17 year old single mother in Panama who is H.I.V. positive. Ms. Bush met Ana while she was in Panama as a Unicef intern. The book tour will cover 25 cities across the United States and it's first run will be 500,000 copies. The book is approximately 300 pages long.

Steven King's Dark Tower Marvel Comic Books

As you may already know, Stephen King's Dark Tower series is being made into Marvel comic books. They started with the first prequel miniseries, The Gunslinger Born, came out in periodicals last February. It sold over 100,000 copies and the hardback collection is being released for sale on November 7, 2007. The second miniseries, The Long Road Home, is scheduled to begin next February 2008. The Gunslinger Born is by Robin Furth, Peter David, and Jae Lee and they are expected to also collaborate with the remaining series as well.

I would think The Gunslinger Born - The Complete Comic Collectionis a must-have for any Stephen King fan or collector's enthusiast.