The following entry was written by Audra Pace. Audra is our new Associate Editor here at READ and Writing magazines. Hopefully soon we will have a silly caricature and bio for her. For now, just her words will have to do...

Happy birthday, Mary Shelley!

Mary Shelley, author of Frankenstein, turns 210 today.  Even though she's not around to celebrate, we can at least celebrate her groundbreaking body of work.

Most everyone knows the story of Dr. Frankenstein, the mad scientist who attempts to create life but instead realizes he has royally messed with nature. The novel has often been viewed as a comment on the scientists of the Industrial Revolution, who perhaps bit off more than they could chew technologically.

Mary was a writer during the Romantic era, and eventually married a Romantic poet, Percy Shelley. (How Romantic!) She grew up with Romanticism--her academic father was close friends with Samuel Taylor Coleridge and William Wordsworth. It is rumored that she once hid under a couch in her parlor to hear Coleridge read his famous "Rime of the Ancient Mariner." Can you blame her? Who hasn't stayed up past their bedtime to get their fill of Romantic poetry?

Frankenstein was originally published anonymously to protect the story (and Mary) from the nasty criticism that her gender would inevitably earn her. Mary was the daughter of Mary Wollstonecraft, the 18th century proto-feminist who authored "The Vindication of the Rights of Woman." So, I guess we can see where Ms. Shelley got her gumption. It has taken all the way until half way through the 20th century for Mary to be credited as influential a member of the Romantic era as her colleagues (Wordsworth, Byron, her own husband, et al). So thanks for hanging in there Mary; we at READ know who wears the literary pants in your clan. And, once again, Happy Birthday!

I never thought I'd see the day, but MTV is going intellectual on us! Apparently, MtvU (the MTV station for colleges) has picked its first poet laureate.

John Ashbery, 80, will now have his work used as promotional material for the MTV station. This is a really cool honor, but it's certainly not the first for Ashbery. He's won almost every award associated with poetry. He's even won a Pulitzer!

His poems are often filled with humor, which seems perfect for the MTV crowd.

Lines from Ashbery's poems will be used to hopefully get more people interested in poetry.

Well, all of us here at WORD know how cool poetry is. Yay to MTV for realizing it as well.

Last week I was on vacation in Maine (it's this whole other state up north). The water was frigid but the weather was warm. The beach was sandy and the books were... gritty. For some reason, I decided to read two very upsetting novels. Don't get me wrong, they were both entertaining and engaging, but they were also not exactly what you would call "beach books".

A Thousand Splendid Suns
-Khaled Hosseini

I saw Mr. Hosseini speak last year at The National Book Festival in Washington, D.C. Back then, he was talking about his first novel, The Kite Runner. What a book that was! Now, in A Thousand Splendid Suns, Hosseini explores the female perspective of growing up in war-torn Afghanistan.

The day to day suffering of two women, Mariam and Laila, is written with just the right amount of sympathy that the reader feels pity, anger, and sorrow all at once. At the hands of uncaring fathers and violent husbands, Mariam and Laila have this in common: they have suffered greatly in their lives.

Together these two women from different generations bond together to find some solace in a world where women must hide their faces in the presence of men, where rockets fall from the sky and obliterate life, and where few people question the iron fists of dictators and terrorists that rule by spreading death and fear.

So no, it is not what I would call a "happy-time, fun, summer book". But it certainly is an extraordinary read.

Watch a video of Hosseini talking about A Thousand Splendid Suns.

Read an excerpt of A Thousand Splendid Suns.

In Cold Blood
-Truman Capote

Phillip Seymour Hoffman won an Oscar for his portrayal of Truman Capote in the 2005 film, Capote. Before I ever saw that movie, I knew about In Cold Blood. The book has been sitting in my bookshelf for years. I knew what it was about: a murder case from 1959 where a family of four was brutally attacked and killed in their home in the middle of the night. That's about all I knew. But it was enough to turn me away. Why would I want to read something like that? Why would anyone?

Because it is true.

The title alone is enough to chill your bones. If you can get past that to page 1, there's no turning back. Capote brings you immediately into the peaceful town of Holcomb, Kansas and introduces the Clutter family. The father, Herbert is well-respected and owns a prosperous farm. His wife, Bonnie, though prone to bouts of depression was a loving mother to her four children, Eveanna, Beverly, Kenyon, and Nancy. Eveanna and Beverly had moved out in 1959. Kenyon and Nancy were not so lucky.

The book explores every detail of the horrible crime. Capote went to Holcomb after the murders and spoke to just about everyone in town, from the chief of police to the regular Joe at the coffee shop. It was the author's intent to paint a picture of the All-American family in the All-American town and show how they were viciously wiped from existence by two, unfeeling killers running from their own unfortunate pasts.

If you're looking for a book with resolution, this is not it. In Cold Blood is a case study, certainly not a "happily ever after". When you're done with it, you'll definitely want to double check the locks on your doors before going to bed, and you'll feel compelled to hold your loved ones even tighter.

So no, it is not what I would call a "happy-time, fun, summer book". But it certainly is an extraordinary read.

It's Friday! Woo! And one of the best parts about Fridays (besides knowing that you have two days to relax) is that new movies come out. I, for one, have been seeing tons of movies this summer. There were pirates (read a review here and an interview with Geoffrey Rush here), wizards (read a review here and an interview with director David Yates here), and our favorite yellow family (read a review here and an interview with director David Silverman here). And don't forget a web-slinging superhero, a grouchy ogre, and a car that was more than meets the eye.

Wow, that's a lot of movies in one summer! So that's where all my paychecks disappeared to. Anyway, today a movie opens that I've been waiting for. It's The Nanny Diaries, based on the novel of the same name by Emma Mclaughlin and Nicola Kraus. As I've mentioned before, I love chick lit. And I found this novel particularly fun, witty, and funny. The hilarious story of the mistreated nanny who must put up with all her employer's demands (such as dressing up as a Teletubby for Halloween) is chick lit at its finest. Which is why I'm a little nervous about the movie.

Last summer, The Devil Wears Prada, the movie based on the book by Lauren Weisberger, came out. It got great reviews, and Meryl Streep even earned an Oscar nomination for her portrayal of the super-mean boss. And I liked the movie, I did. It's just that I liked the book better. There were entire scenes left out of the movie. Characters were completely changed. It just wasn't the same.

I'm afraid the same thing is going to happen with The Nanny Diaries. I don't want the picture in my mind to be tarnished. I don't want my appreciation of the story tainted.

Well, I'll probably go see it though. Because the book is always better than the movie anyway, right? Sure it is. So I might as well just enjoy the movie for what it is. I actually can't think of any movie that I liked better than the book--and I love movies! Can you think of any movies that you liked better than the book versions? I bet you can't!

Anyway, enjoy your weekend. Go see a movie or something. Or read the book.

The United States does not seem like a nation of readers, according to a recently released poll.

Just over 1,000 adults were interviewed by the Associated Press-Ipsos poll. One in four (or 25 percent) of those people said that they had not read ANY books last year. Not a Harry Potter. Not a Hemingway. Nada. The majority of people interviewed said they read up to five books last year. People who had read more than five or fewer than five were just about equal in the poll.

Religious or popular fiction books were the top choices of readers. Women also claimed to be bigger readers.

So what does this all mean for our nation? Can nonreaders learn the love of reading? Are they busy doing something else? What are the differences about readers and nonreaders? Does it come down to time, interest, or other distractions?

Has anyone gotten a nonreader to love a certain book? I gave my copy of The Poisonwood Bible to a  friend like that, hoping she would love it like I did. Never happened. I guess it's difficult to convince someone who's never been lost in a book to give it a try.

Should readers care about what nonreaders do with their time? Maybe. Some people worry that a lack of interest in reading will damage the publishing industry. I don't want this to mean there will be less of a selection for me and my reading allies.

Readers unite! (So what should we do now?)

Hey there, Wildcats. Unless you've been living under a rock, I'm sure that you've heard that High School Musical 2, the sequel to last year's enormously popular High School Musical came out last weekend. Did you catch up with Troy, Gabriella, Sharpay, and the rest of the gang?

Do I have a point, or am I just trying to make conversation? Well, you don't have to be so mean. But yes, I do have a point. Apparently Disney is pulling out all the stops to make sure you get all HSM2 all the time. They've even made it into a book!

Would you want to read this story? Or do you think this is a cheap marketing ploy? Usually, I enjoy anything that gets people reading. And I do love movies, and singing. And that Zac Efron is just so adorable! But still, when you combine all these elements, does it work?

What do you think? Do you want to read HSM2? When you see that "As seen in the movies" section at Barnes and Noble, do you continue walking? Or do books and movies combine to form the most awesome hybrid ever?

Apparently, there's no rest for the weary. 

That's right, kids. J. K. Rowling, who just finished the Harry Potter series, and who, in my opinion, should be relaxing on a tropical island (her own private one) and sipping fruity drinks with little umbrellas, is writing again.

All of you Potter-philes take note: I know you're hoping upon hope that Ms. Rowling is writing an eighth Potter book. Well, I'm sorry to break it to you, but she's not. Harry is finished. (I'm talking about the book series. I don't know if Harry survived or not in The Deathly Hallows; I haven't had a chance to read it yet. But if I knew, I wouldn't tell you, so don't come back yelling to me about how I spoiled the ending.)

Rowling's new book is going to be a detective novel. And the really cool thing is that she's writing it in the same Scottish café she wrote the Potter books when she was a struggling writer. So now Rowling is officially the richest aspiring novelist out there. It's just like when Jerry Seinfeld goes to comedy clubs and does his stand-up routine. He certainly doesn't need the money, but he does it anyway. Well, good for them.

So, will you read J. K. Rowling's new book when it comes out, or has Rowling fever died? (Possibly like a certain wizard? Did Harry die? Wait ... no, don't tell me. I'm going to read it eventually.) If you were a billionaire, would you continue working? Will you please get me a fruity drink with an umbrella in it?

Editor's Note: It was just brought to our attention that the J. K. Rowling sighting was made up by an over-eager fan. I guess we'll just have to be happy with Harry. For now ...

Legend had it that every year, a figure, cloaked in black with a wide-brimmed hat, sneaked into the graveyard and placed three roses and a bottle of cognac on Edgar Allan Poe's grave. And every year, crowds have gathered at the grave, hoping to catch a glimpse of the mystery man or woman who was honoring the master of the macabre.

But the truth has been revealed. What is that, you ask? It's--the beating of his hideous heart! Ha. No, no. the truth is that it was all a hoax. Turns out, Sam Porpora, a former ad executive, wanted to drum up some publicity for the cemetery. (Wait, you mean tourists aren't usually clamoring to spend their vacations in a dreary cemetery? Shocker!) So old Sam and his tour guides came up with the Poe toaster.

What a disappointment!

It was such a romantic notion. So chilling. So Gothic. So totally Poe.

Well, to express my outrage at the Poe toaster being a complete lie, I thought I'd write a stanza ala Poe's "The Raven."

Once there was a story that was not really gory,
About a man who paid tribute to a famous guy.
Turns out he was faking, leaving us really aching.
He claimed someone came in the dead of night.
But it was just to get the cemetery in the spotlight.
This whole thing was just a lie.

 OK. So I'm no Poe. Here's a better re-imagining of "The Raven," courtesy of The Simpsons. Enjoy!

Stephen King, author of over 58,000 novels about things that go bump in the night, recently went to a bookstore in Australia and vandalized copies of his own books!

What happened was, he went over to the "King section" (a room in the back that is twice the size of the moon) and started etching his signature in blood across the inside front covers.

When employees of the bookstore realized what was happening, they approached King hesitantly (it is common knowledge, you see, that Stephen King is a Werewolf-Vampire-Chupacabra that feeds on the flesh and souls of the innocent.)

"Excuse me," said the first scared-to-near-death employee, "may I ask you what you are doing defacing our property, Mr. King?" Instead of answering her with words, the popular novelist's eyes turned to fire and his hair transformed into a nest of venomous snakes. The employee ran for her life. Unfortunately, King was too quick for her. He sprouted wings and overtook the poor woman in the How-To section of the bookstore. Witnesses at the scene stood in shock as he temporarily satisfied his demon appetite.

As for the books that Mr. King defaced with his bloody John Hancock, they are now listed on eBay.

Caveat Emptor: The books are cursed. Well duh!

At least that's how I heard it anyway. Some other guy tells a different story of what happened here.

Read Stephen King's review of Harry Potter here.

Read an exclusive interview with Stephen King here.

Are you one of the lucky ones who bought an iPhone? (If you are, I'm so totally jealous. Can I borrow it sometime? Or maybe just hold it?) Well, the iPhone is soon going to have a new feature.

The publishing company HarperCollins is setting up a link that will allow iPhone users to read excerpts from some of their upcoming books.

So you can talk on the phone, text, listen to music, browse the Internet, and read--all on the same gadget.

Would you want to read on your iPhone? Personally, I think I would. I love reading, especially when I travel or when I'm eating alone. But sometimes it's just a pain to lug a big fat heavy novel around. Reading on the iPhone (even if it is just an excerpt of a novel) would be much more convenient. Hopefully other publishing companies will follow suit, and we'll have a larger choice of what to read--that is, if you can get your hands on an iPhone.

Then again, I don't know if I would want to pay $500 plus just to read part of a book. I can read a whole book for free at the library! I guess going to the library just doesn't have the same coolness factor as holding an iPhone.

Well, since I don't have an iPhone, I guess I'll just keep reading books the normal way. But do you think putting book excerpts on the iPhone is a good idea? Do you think you could get me an iPhone?

I really want an iPhone.

What do you like about emo? The emotional lyrics? The catchy riffs? The eyeliner? (Definitely the eyeliner!) Well, what about the comic books?

That's right, comic books. In September, Gerard Way, lead singer of My Chemical Romance, will be publishing his own comic books called The Umbrella Academy. The basic storyline, from what I can gather, is about a superhero troupe called the Umbrella Academy, who had a sort of falling out. But now their adoptive father has died, and they must band together to save the world.

Even the characters have cool rock star-ish qualities. There's The Horror, who can possess monsters. There's The Rumor, who can make lies come true (so could my younger brother, now that I think about it). And don't forget Spaceboy, the leader, who, for some reason, has the body of a Martian gorilla. (Also like my younger brother! Joking.) Hey, I just report the news. I don't make this stuff up!

I don't know about the concept, but still, I'm intrigued. Comic books are huge now, and they are a great way to get reluctant readers to take the plunge and start enjoying reading. And anything that gets people to read is good in my book. (Get it? Read? Book? OK, even I'm groaning at that one.) Plus My Chemical Romance is huge now as well. So add the hugeness of comic books with the hugeness of the band and you get ... something very, very big.

So, are you excited about the adventures of Spaceboy and friends? Do you think rock stars can write comic books (after all, they do write lyrics)? I guess we're going to have to wait until September to find out!

Last week, I saw The Simpsons movie. I've been meaning to tell you about it... actually, I've been meaning to do a lot of things... but that's neither here nor there... nor there... nor even there.

CAN WE GET ON WITH IT, PLEASE?

The Back Story
I've been watching The Simpsons since Day One. Actually, it was since even before Day One because I was actually one of the many who was lucky enough to catch them when they were nothing but rudimentary sketches on The Tracy Ullman Show.That was way back in the day. Back when Homer at least tried to give some kind of fatherly advice:

"Relax. What is mind? No matter. What is matter? Never mind!"

So to say that I'm a fan of this animated family is, at the very least, an understatement.

The Creators
(Read an exclusive interview with Director David Silverman)
The people behind The Simpsons took a big risk making this movie. Many of their diehard fans are about as serious as Comic Book Guy. Impressing them after 18 seasons is not an easy task. However, the 90 or so minutes of yellow-skinned shenanigans (though they are not the funniest 90 or so minutes ever recorded on film it was still hilarious) are impressive.

The Laughter & The Heart
I laughed. A lot. The audience was filled with a crowd of all ages. People were enjoying it, sure. But at times, I think I laughed a little too loudly at jokes that, apparently, only I found amusing. It was a good, solid movie. And it wasn't only funny, it was touching. Believe it or not, the Simpsons can actually pull on a heartstring or two when they really want to. Being that that is not their ultimate goal, however, it makes the gooseflesh even more sensitive when it breaks.

The Plot
After Homer adopts a pig (yes, Spiderpig), he dumps all of said pig's... um... waste in the Springfield River. This causes the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) to come down hard on the town. Springfield's level of pollutants is so great that the EPA decides to encase the entire town in a giant, unbreakable, glass dome. Makes perfect sense right? Well, that's the government for you. Zing! Where was I? Oh yes. Spoiling the movie for you... ok well that's the premise and I'll stop right there because I don't want to give anything else away. Except this: Homer ruins everything. And Homer inevitably has to try to fix what he has ruined. Basically, it's everything you love about classic Homer mixed with a more complex, introspective (yet still careless and carefree) Homer. It's good stuff.

Bart & Homer
They've never really had what you would call "a healthy father/son relationship." But in this movie... well, they still don't. But they do have their moments. There is a well-hidden love there that does exist between them. Neither of them would ever admit it of course, but it's there. You can find it in Bart's full-faced laughter when his father hits himself in the head with a hammer for the umpteenth time. Or when Homer calls his son "the boy", he sometimes gets a distant look in his eye. Could it be pride? After all, Bart is nothing if not the spitting image of his dad.

The Town
Yes, every single character in Springfield is in this movie. But if you're looking for side-stories, look to FOX Sunday nights at 8:00pm. This feature film is all about Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, Maggie, Spiderpig... and sometimes Grandpa. I'm glad the creators didn't stray from the family's storyline too often. It made for a much fuller movie-going experience.

The Vulgarity
The movie is rated PG-13 and there are a few instances where I was thrown for a loop. I won't go into them here, but if you saw the film, you know what I'm talking about. I'm not quite sure how I felt about those, shall we say, deviations from what you would expect from the Simpsons. Not that they were ever a wholesome family. Heh. Not at all. But there were certain times in the movie where I think the writers might have gone over the top a little. Still funny though. :)

All in all, it was an entertaining ride. The Simpsons never fail to tickle my smile. Here's to another 18 years... and as the least likely character said during the credits, possibly a "sequel".

The Oopsie Daisy
Oh wait, this is supposed to be a literary blog, huh? Ehhhhhhhh.... um.... ok, go read a book.

Ah, and you thought we were done with our Harry Potter entries. Well, my friend, you were wrong. The final book might have already come out (we have a great review here), but the boy wizard is still making headlines.

A 16-year-old in France posted his own translation of The Deathly Hallows on Monday. Problem is, the French version of the book won't be out until October 26. So the boy was arrested.

I'm all for taking action against those who transgress against laws. And we all know that plagiarism is bad. And immoral. And not cool. But was this boy really doing something so bad? OK, he did take J. K. Rowling's words without her permission. If he was trying to make money off of this, than that's even worse. Was he trying to make money? I don't know. Probably.

But if you take it at face value, he is just a fan of Harry Potter who wanted his French peers to be able to enjoy the book right now. That's not so bad. It's kind of noble actually, if you ignore the breaking the law part. (Please note, Weekly Reader does not endorse breaking the law, even if it is in the name of literature.)

Well the boy's translation was removed. But it's clear that even after so many books, people still have a fever for Harry. And what's the cure for that fever? More cowbell! Just kidding. Keep on reading Harry Potter!

The following book review was written by Miss Erin, Grade 11.

 - by Gary D. Schmidt

Taking place during the 1960's, The Wednesday Wars tells the story of Holling Hoodhood, an average teenage boy dealing with school, family, friends, and Shakespeare. Mrs. Baker, his teacher, has assigned him a play to read. And the surprising thing is, Holling finds himself enjoying the work of the bard!

Mix Shakespeare and wonderful writing and absolutely great characters, and the result is something to fall in love with. I had fun catching certain Shakespeare allusions and reading Holling's interpretations and reactions to different plays. The author brings the schoolboy's day-to-day life alive in a brilliant style. All-in-all, an extremely delightful read. Very highly recommended.

Visit Miss Erin at her literary blog.

It was a dark and stormy night ...

Clichéd? Yes. Hackneyed? You betcha! Bad writing? Well now, that's the point!

That famous line is the inspiration for an annual contest that salutes bad writing. The contestants must come up with a really bad first line to a non-existent novel. This year's winner combined awkward syntax and bathroom humor, among other things.

This is the winning entry: "Gerald began -- but was interrupted by a piercing whistle which cost him ten percent of his hearing permanently, as it did everyone else in a ten-mile radius of the eruption, not that it mattered much because for them 'permanently' meant the next ten minutes or so until buried by searing lava or suffocated by choking ash -- to pee," Gleeson wrote.

What a novel idea! (Get it? Oh, and on that same note, contestants can get awards in several categories, one of which is "vile puns." I could totally win that!)

No, seriously, I think this is a really cool contest. There are so many bad writers out there, but to do it purposely, that takes some finesse! And it's definitely harder than it looks.

Here's my attempt:

"Mike looked into Sally's bright blue glowing orbs, her eyes, the windows to her soul (streak-free, no less!), which were as deep and mysterious as the ocean and brought back memories of when he was a lifeguard that summer five years ago and that little girl--why hadn't she listened to him?--had gone out too far and was carried away by a massive riptide; suddenly, Mike no longer wanted to swim in Sally's waters."

Go on, give it a try!