J.K. Rowling is Named Entertainer of the Year

Entertainment Weekly magazine has named J.K. Rowling entertainer of the year. Rowling published the final book in her Harry Potter series this past July. Here's what the magazine had to say:

So we'll keep it simple: J.K. Rowling is our Entertainer of the Year because she did something very, very hard, and she did it very, very well, thus pleasing hundreds of millions of children and adults very, very much. In an era of videogame consoles, online multiplayer ''environments,'' and tinier-is-better mobisodes, minisodes, and webisodes, she got people to tote around her big, fat old-fashioned printed-on-paper books as if they were the hottest new entertainment devices on the planet.

Who could argue with that? There is no doubt that she has entertained us, not only this year but for many years with her books and movies. I can't think of another person who deserves the title more than Rowling does. Congratulations JoJo!
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Oprah's Book Club Pick: The Pillars of the Earth

Last week, Oprah Winfrey picked Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth as her latest book club pick. The Pillars of the Earth is a 973 page novel that is set in 12th century England. It was first released in 1989 and still sells 100,000 paperback copies per year in the United States alone. To read more about this book visit Ken-Follett.com.

This book sounds really interesting. I'm going to add it to my reading list. I've read other books that Oprah has recommended and haven't been disappointed yet.

Harry Potter Lexicon Delayed by Publisher

Harry Potter Lexicon is a website that was formally supported by J.K. Rowling, but not anymore. HP-Lexicon.org decided to publish a book based on the websites contents to the effect of a Harry Potter encyclopedia. Ms. Rowling also has similar plans to publish a HP encyclopedia of her own. So she filed a lawsuit to block the publication of the book on October 31st. The publishers of RDR Books has agreed to delay the book's publication, which was set to be released on November 28th, until it is determined if the book is in violation of J.K. Rowling's intellectual property rights, or the copyrights on her books which are held by Warner Bros.

J.K. Rowling has issued the following statement on her website concerning the lawsuit:

I take no pleasure in the fact that publication has been prevented for the present. On the contrary, I feel massively disappointed that this matter had to come to court at all. Despite repeated requests, the publishers have refused to even countenance making any changes to the book to ensure that it does not infringe my rights.

Unless their position changes, we will all return to court next year. Given my past good relations with the Lexicon fansite, I can only feel sad and disillusioned that this is where we have ended up.

Who's edition would you rather read?

The Best Children's Illustrated Books of 2007

One of the things I love about children's books is looking at the illustrations. Some books just have pictures or drawings or nothing fancy. But other books are worth having just for the artwork. The New York Times honors these artists with a slideshow of these works along with some book information. View the slideshow.

Don't Publish Your Book with Regnery!

Five authors are suing Regnery Publishers for running a scheme that deprives them of their profits. Regnery Publishing is a Washington imprint of conservative books and are owned by Eagle Publishing.

In the lawsuit the authors say that Eagle sells or gives away copies of their books to book clubs, newsletters and other organizations owned by Eagle “to avoid or substantially reduce royalty payments to authors.”

The authors argue that in reducing royalty payments, the publisher is maximizing its profits and the profits of its parent company at their expense.

“They’ve structured their business essentially as a scam and are defrauding their writers,” Mr. Miniter said in an interview, “causing a tremendous rift inside the conservative community.”

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I'm glad to see that the authors are not sitting back and taking it from their publisher. There are too many corporations out there that use subsidiaries of their business to conduct shady business dealings. I hope they get their money and the publisher gets hit hard in the financial aspect.

Britney's Mom is Writing a Parenting Book

Britney Spears' mommy Lynne is writing a parenting book. It is going to be called Pop Culture Mom: A Real Story of Fame and Family in a Tabloid World. It is being published by Thomas Nelson, a Christian publisher and has a . The book is due to be out next Mother's Day.

“It’s a parenting book that’s going to have faith elements to it. I don’t think it’s totally been written yet,” says the publisher’s rep, who expects the manuscript by December.

What do you think, will this book be worth reading? Yes, she's Britney's mom but she is also Jamie Lynn's mom. Her life must be filled with all the good and bad that Hollywood has to offer the parents of child stars. And she's going to need all the faith she can muster where Britney is concerned. I wish her the best but I'm not sure I'll be reading her book.

Stephen King's Literary World

In honor of the fact that I'm only several pages from finishing Stephen King's Lisey's Story (look for my review next week), this post is about what's happening in King's literary world.

• If you haven't bought a copy of Blaze by Richard Bachman (Stephen King's pseudonym), then go buy one because the proceeds go to The Haven Foundation. It's nearly Christmas so buy an extra copy for your SK loving friend.
• Stephen King's next novel is called Duma Key and it's coming out on January 22, 2008.
• Steven King's Dark Tower Marvel Comic Books came out yesterday.
• The movie based on Stephen King's The Mist comes to theaters on November 21, 2007.
• Did you know that Stephen King writes a column for EW.com?
  

Another School Wants to Ban Books

When will people understand that banning books only turns them into classics? Seriously, what are parents and school officials so afraid of when it comes to what our children are reading? The most recent offense comes from two of Pat Conroy's books, Beach Music and The Prince of Tides. I've read both of these books and they are very well written and captivating stories. The offending content includes the topics of violence, suicide and sexual assault.

If your child or student is even interested in reading Conroy, they are most likely in High School. What high school aged child has not already encountered these same subjects before? They can read about these very happenings in the newspaper on any given day.

This atrocity is happening in Charleston West Virgina, and now a student group is planning to sue the Kanawha County Board of Education. Finally, a worthwhile lawsuit!

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