Like the lion is the king of the jungle, Pops is the king of this house. Read More ⇒

Someone was asking about the perfect formula for a middle-grade children’s book. Having been a child once myself, I brought some credentials to the discussion. Read More ⇒

“The Magician” by Colm Toibin; Scribner (512 pages, $28) Read More ⇒

“Matrix” by Lauren Groff; Riverhead (272 pages, $28) Read More ⇒

“The Dreamcatcher Codes” (Green Writers Press) by first-time author Barbara Newman is an eco-fantasy about four girls who come together for a great purpose: to save planet Earth from the destructive forces of climate change. Read More ⇒

FULTON - The writers/actors group “Help Words Come Alive” has announced screenwriter Aaron Williams will return to present two TV show spec scripts that he has written at the monthly table read, from 7-9 p.m. Monday, Sept. 13 at CNY Arts Center, 121 Cayuga St., Fulton. Read More ⇒

“Billy Summers” by Stephen King; Scribner (517 pages, $30) Read More ⇒

“The Women of Troy: A Novel” by Pat Barker; Doubleday (304 pages, $28) Read More ⇒

CARTHAGE — The Carthage Free Library has begun holding daily drawings for its second Month of Raffles during the month of September. According to organizers, each prize will have at least a $100 value. Read More ⇒

Astro the astronaut is lost and alone, adrift in space with no way to get home. Luckily for him, though, by opening the pages of “The Lost Astronaut” by Diana Escobar, you can gain some measure of control over Astro’s world and help him find his spaceship. Read More ⇒

“Another Kind of Eden” by James Lee Burke; Simon & Schuster (243 pages, $27) Read More ⇒

If you drew up a schematic diagram showing the relationships between the characters in Orion Gregory’s “Faults,” your head would spin. But then step back, admire this literary spider’s web, and picture it as the storyboard for a fun, fast-paced mystery of whodunnit and who is still trying to do it. Read More ⇒

“All the Frequent Troubles of Our Days” by: Rebecca Donner; Little, Brown (576 pages, $32) Read More ⇒

“Power Play: Tesla, Elon Musk, and the Bet of the Century” by Tim Higgins; Doubleday (400 pages, $30) Read More ⇒

NORFOLK — The Hepburn Library of Norfolk is celebrating 100 years of service to the community, and the party is scheduled for Saturday. Read More ⇒

Do you believe in magic? Etan Hirsch does. So does the writer who created him. Read More ⇒

In 2009, when David Kimball is 8 years old, his world crumbles. After a happy afternoon playing baseball and basketball, David comes home to learn that his father has had to close his restaurant. Officially poor overnight, the family soon becomes homeless. Read More ⇒

MINNEAPOLIS — A career as a political reporter took Hank Shaw to five newspapers across the country, including, in the early 2000s, the St. Paul Pioneer Press. Read More ⇒

“Razorblade Tears” by S.A. Cosby; Flatiron Books (336 pages, $26.99) Read More ⇒

“China Deception, Part 1” (Gatekeeper Press) by Leroy Field provides a chilling perspective on the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States and around the world through the medium of dystopian fiction. During a time characterized by worldwide fear and placing blame on various members of the gl… Read More ⇒

“What Strange Paradise” by: Omar El Akkad; Alfred A. Knopf (256 pages, $25.95) Read More ⇒

OSWEGO — A SUNY Oswego faculty member recently played a direct role in the worldwide growth of the study of cultural anthropology. Read More ⇒

POTSDAM — During his time as a politics faculty member at SUNY Potsdam, Dr. John Massaro became known for his unconventional college courses — even drawing national attention for his semester-long class exploring political themes in the music of Bruce Springsteen. Read More ⇒

Grammy Award-winning and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Graham Nash is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the timeless song “Our House” with a just-released illustrated children’s book. Read More ⇒

Recalling his years behind bars recently, the actor Danny Trejo sometimes snorted or rubbed his face with both hands, as if bracing himself against traumas a half-century old. Read More ⇒

LISBON — Lisbon Hepburn Library is offering a variety of summer programs for the community, both virtual and in person. Read More ⇒

Morristown native Jackie Woodside has been named a USA TODAY bestselling author. Read More ⇒

If you are a woman — and if you’re not, you’re more than welcome here, too — you have relationships of all shapes and sizes, closeness and casualness, complexity and simplicity. Whether you secretly feel lonely, consider yourself rotten at relationships, or feel like you have too many to eve… Read More ⇒

“The Stranger in the Mirror” by Liv Constantine; Harper (336 pages, $26.99) Read More ⇒

Author Pat Fenton went on the road to find the America that singer and songwriter Harry Chapin wrote about. Read More ⇒

An online summer reading program is being promoted by the New York State Senate for young readers and families throughout New York state. State Senator Tom O’Mara recently announced that he is sponsoring the program. Read More ⇒

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Gathered around the stage in the Westgate Community Recreation Center’s auditorium, a dozen kids were asked to finish the sentence, “I can choose kindness by ...” Read More ⇒

Summer is now officially upon us ... but summer reading started a while ago (at least, mine did). Should you be in need of a new paperback to celebrate the season, here are a half-dozen fresh picks. Read More ⇒

Quentin Tarantino has said he’s got one movie left in him before he retires. He also had the bandwidth for a novel based on his most recent film, “Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood.” Read More ⇒

MINNEAPOLIS — The Bible was stained and worn, with missing pages and detached covers and an exposed spine. Read More ⇒