Literature

When it comes to book publishing, all we ever seem to hear about is online sales, the growth of e-books and the latest version of a digital book reader. But the fact is, only 20 percent of the book market is e-books; it's still dominated by print. And a recent standoff in the book business shows how good old-fashioned, brick-and-mortar bookstores are still trying to wield their influence in the industry. You might even call it brick-and-mortar booksellers' revenge.

On this week’s Shelf Discovery, Kristin searches for the reality in Heather Thurmeier’s reality TV romance, Falling for You

Title: Falling for You

Author: Heather Thurmeier

Pages: 200

Publisher: Crimson Romance     

ISBN: 978-1440552045

And read Kristin's full review on NightsAndWeekends.com.

What makes Jeff Kinney look down and close his eyes because he can't bear what he's done? Check out his answer in our interview ahead of the November 5 publication of the 8th book in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, Hard Luck.

On this week’s Shelf Discovery, Kristin travels back in time to the Roaring Twenties with Mary Miley’s The Impersonator.

Title: The Imperstonator

Author: Mary Miley

Pages: 354

Publisher: Minotaur Books          

ISBN: 978-1250028167

And read Kristin's full review on NightsAndWeekends.com.

The daily lowdown on books, publishing, and the occasional author behaving badly.

On this week’s Shelf Discovery, Kristin looks through Jane Green’s Family Pictures.

Title: Family Pictures

Author: Jane Green

CDs: 8 (10 hours)

Publisher: Macmillan Audio        

ISBN: 978-1427229069

And read Kristin's full review on NightsAndWeekends.com.

This post was updated at 9:30 a.m.

The daily lowdown on books, publishing, and the occasional author behaving badly.

  Ohio author Louise Borden will receive the 2013 Ohio Book Award for Juvenile Literature for her book His Name Was Raoul Wallenberg. Listen above as she describes the story that inspired the book and her belief that one person can make a difference.

On this week’s Shelf Discovery, Kristin returns to the Mississippi Delta with Rick Gavin’s Beluga.

Title: Beluga

Author: Rick Gavin

Pages: 298

Publisher: Minotaur Books          

ISBN: 978-1250028761

And read Kristin's full review on NightsAndWeekends.com.

The daily lowdown on books, publishing, and the occasional author behaving badly.

Movie lovers have Netflix, music lovers have Spotify — and book lovers (whether they read literary fiction or best-selling potboilers) now have Scribd. The document sharing website has been around since 2007, but this week it launched a subscription service for e-book lending.

Young adult literature is big business right now; bookstores and movie theaters are full of titles like The Hunger Games, Divergent and The Fault in Our Stars.

On this week’s Shelf Discovery, Kristin goes on a deadly expedition in the jungle with Hollow Bones by C. J. Lyons.

Title: Hollow Bones

Author: C. J. Lyons

Pages: 294

Publisher: St. Martin’s Paperbacks        

ISBN: 978-1250015372

And read Kristin's full review on NightsAndWeekends.com.

On this week’s Shelf Discovery, Kristin investigates crime in the Cotswolds with M. C. Beaton’s Hiss and Hers.

Title: Hiss and Hers

Author: M. C. Beaton

Pages: 294

Publisher: St. Martin’s Paperbacks        

ISBN: 978-1250021618

And read Kristin's full review on NightsAndWeekends.com.

Earlier this month, Jhumpa Lahiri rejected the idea of immigrant fiction. "I don't know what to make of the term," she told The New York Times. "All American fiction could be classified as immigrant fiction."

While NPR's Melissa Block is in Brazil, we'll be showcasing the work of several Brazilian writers. On Tuesday we heard Tatiana Salem Levy's love letter to Rio. Now we turn to 20-year-old Yasmin Thayná, who discovered her love for writing as a teenager when she participated in a local program aimed at cultivating artistic talent in low-income communities.