Rare books are now easier to find at Alibris

Interested in an $8,000 edition of To Kill a Mockingbird (inscribed by Harper Lee)? Or how about a hard-to-find $38,000 copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (U.K. edition)? You can find them via the new rare books gallery at Alibris. Of course, books at these prices are likely to interest only serious book […]

Food for thought: Give cooking books for the holidays

It seems books for foodies are everywhere nowadays—and I’m not just talking cookbooks! From the wonderfully written and journalistic Heat to the off-kilter comedy of Amy Sedaris to collections of recipe favorites, here’s a short list of books that are sure to be holiday hits with the food lovers in your life. (Warning: You may […]

Award-winning books make prized holiday gifts

Leaves are turning color. Halloween is upon us. And, unless you’re somewhere like Florida, there’s a chill in the air. But there’s another way to determine that fall is here: It’s high award season in the book world. From the prestigious Nobel Prize in Literature to the populist Quill Book Award for General Fiction—presented this […]

Kiran Desai wins Man Booker Prize for Fiction

Author Kiran Desai has won the Man Booker Prize for Fiction. Announced on live television only moments ago in London, this prestigious award has been presented to the youngest-ever female recipient. Desai, who is 35 years old, received the £50,000 award for The Inheritance of Loss. Hermione Lee, chair of the judging panel, praised the […]

What is your favorite banned or challenged book?

This is Banned Books Week. It’s the perfect time to acknowledge the books in your life that others have banned, censored, or challenged for removal from bookshelves. For instance, can you imagine ever being prohibited from reading A Wrinkle in Time or Of Mice and Men? Would you mind if Beloved—recently judged the best book […]

A book-loving blogger blogs about book blogs

During the last several years (and still gaining momentum), the blogosphere has exploded with incredible richness and variation. Included as a subculture of the World Wide Web are explorations into the bookish experience, from reviews on modern literature to opinions regarding book fairs; from glimpses of exquisite incunabula to discoveries of fine and unusual bindings. […]

Steinbeck, Faulkner, and Whitman: legendary authors of banned classics

A promise is a promise is a promise, and we’re a blog of our word. We pledged to feature banned and challenged books this month, in celebration of free speech and next week’s Banned Books Week, and we’re enjoying doing just that.
We also hope you’ve enjoyed Cuppa Joad so far this September. Read our […]

The Man Booker Prize shortlist opens new reading horizons

The recently announced shortlist for the United Kingdom’s preeminent literary award, the Man Booker Prize for Fiction, includes some real surprises. Of the nominees, only Sarah Waters remotely approaches literary-household-name status, and for the first time in the award’s history, the judges will be influenced by blogging members of the general public selected from ordinary […]

British Library puts the world’s rarest books in your grasp

Don’t read this post if you’re a recovering book addict. If you have responsibilities, appointments, or even bathroom breaks on your schedule today, we suggest that you stop reading this right now. But if you’re a bibliophile with a good Internet connection and a while to while away, read on to discover one of the […]

Shortlist announced for children’s fiction prize

Kids read the darndest things. Judging by the Guardian children’s fiction prize shortlist, which was announced over the weekend, young readers are enjoying books about cloning, art history, subversive printing presses, and environmental devastation. These heady subjects are, of course, explored through captivating characters and thrilling story lines. It’s quite the list of outstanding juvenile […]