Author Laura Mercier and actress Sarah Jessica Parker arrive for the book launch party for Mercier's "The New Beauty Secrets: Your Ultimate Guide to a Flawless Face" at Bergdorf Goodman in New York on Nov. 8, 2006.
Mini Memoirs
John Edwards, before he got the Democratic vice presidential nominination, works in the backyard of his home in Raleigh, N.C., on July 26, 2004. "The home, family and the environment in which you grew up never goes away," Edwards said in an interview with The Associated Press prior to the release on Nov. 14, 2006, of "Home: The Blueprints of Our Lives," a coffee-table collection of mini-memoirs he edited.
King In England
Stephen King attends a signing session for his new novel "Lisey's Story" at Borders on Oxford Street in London on Nov. 7, 2006.
Alluring Confessions
Allure editor in chief Linda Wells, left, and actress Gina Gershon arrive at a party to celebrate the publication of Wells' book "Allure: Confessions of a Beauty Editor" in New York on Nov. 2, 2006.
Keillor's Common Good
Stephen Borer of St. Paul, Minn., is the first in line on the opening day of Garrison Keillor's new bookstore, Common Good Books, in St. Paul on Nov. 1, 2006. The man behind "A Prairie Home Companion" wasn't around when the store opened in a basement nook in the St. Paul's Cathedral Hill neighborhood, but his literary tastes were on display.
Food For Thought
Cornell University marketing professor Brian Wansink, left, author of the book "Mindless Eating, Why We Eat More Than We Think We Eat", observes a subject through a two-way mirror for research on eating at Cornell University Food & Brand Lab in Ithaca, N.Y., Oct. 9, 2006.
New From Sparks
Author Nicholas Sparks, rights, signs copies of his new book, "Dear John," for Beverly Whaley, left, at the kickoff of his book tour, held at a shopping mall in New Bern, N.C., on Oct. 31, 2006. Sparks, who resides in the coastal town, bases many of his stories in the area.
An Open Book
Singer Courtney Love signs copies of her book, "Dirty Blonde: The Diaries Of Courtney Love" at Barnes & Noble in New York on Oct. 31, 2006.
McCourting Votes
Author Frank McCourt, left, speaks during a Democratic rally at the Maple Cafe in Hartford, Conn., on Oct. 30, 2006, for Rep. John Larson, D-Conn. Larson eaily won his fifth term on Nov. 7.
Killer Success
Author Jed Rubenfeld poses at his home in New Haven, Conn., on Sept. 21, 2006. Before writing the best-selling novel "The Interpretation of Murder," the Yale Law School professor hadn't written a page of fiction in his life. The thriller features Sigmund Freud and the search for a diabolical killer in turn-of-the-century New York.
Not Lost in Translation
Robert Fagles, a retired Princeton University comparative literature professor, peruses a copy of his translation of Virgil's "The Aeneid," at his home in Princeton, N.J., on Oct. 17, 2006. The 73-year-old Fagles has become one of the most popular translators in the world, praised for making ancient texts timely and vivid.
Award Winners
Books of Nobel literature prize winner Turkish novelist Orhan Pamuk are displayed at the 25th Istanbul Book Fair in the TUYAP Fair, Convention and Congress Center in Istanbul, Turkey, on Nov. 5, 2006. Pamuk, whose uncommon lyrical gifts and uncompromising politics have brought him acclaim worldwide and prosecution at home, won the Nobel literature prize for his works dealing with the symbols of clashing cultures.
Venezuelan writer Alberto Barrera poses at his home in Caracas on Nov. 8, 2006. Barrera was awarded Spain's Herralde book prize for his work "La Enfermedad" ("The Sickness") in a unanimous jury decision, Anagrama publishing house said. Barrera's work was chosen from 172 entries to the 24th annual edition of the prize, which carries a cash award of $18,000.
Congolese-born author Alain Mabanckou smiles after being awarded the Renaudot literary prize for his book "Memoires de porc-epic" ("Memoirs of a Porcupine") in Paris on Nov. 6, 2006.
Irish author Nuala O'Faolain, 64, winner of the Prix Femina for non-French writing for her "The Story of Chicago May," poses in Paris on Oct. 30, 2006, after the announcement of the prizes.
Nancy Huston, a 53-year-old Calgary-born writer who has lived in Paris since 1973, poses in Paris with her book written in French, "Lignes de Faille," on Oct. 20, 2006, after winning the Prix Femina.
Romanian writer Norman Manea poses at the Hotel Crillon in Paris with his novel "The Return of the Hooligan" on Oct. 30, 2006, after he was awarded with the Medicis literary prize for foreign authors.
Japanese author Haruki Murakami listens to a question during an interview upon his arrival at Prague's airport Ruzyne on Oct. 29, 2006. Murakami, 57, one of the outstanding contemporary Japanese writers, gained popularity in Japan and worldwide with his novel "Norwegian Wood." A candidate for the Nobel Prize for Literature this year, he was awarded the Franz Kafka Prize at the Old Town Hall in Prague.
'The Blog Of War'
Author Matthew Currier Burden poses in the Pritzker Military Library with a copy of his book containing a collection of entries from bloggers who served in the war called, "The Blog Of War," in Chicago on Oct. 26, 2006. From the front lines of Iraq and Afghanistan to here at home, soldiers are blogging about military life under the watchful eye of some of their own.
Family Legacy
Cindy Post Senning holds the new manners book on Oct. 19, 2006, at the Post Institute's office in Burlington, Vt. Cindy co-authored the book with her sister Peggy Post. A writing desk, at left, features other historical memorabilia from Emily Post.