books

Milo Manara is one of Europe's most famous artists, known for his beautiful women, meticulous craftsmanship, sweeping landscapes, storytelling skills and even pornography. He's been reprinted in America before, but Dark Horse is doing it in a huge and comprehensive way, commensurate with the Italian artist's international stature.

In the past 25 years, they've created more than two-dozen CDs for kids and adults and won two Grammy Awards.

Now singers/songwriters Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer have turned to a different audience: babies and their parents.

For those who have only heard about "Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother" and decided you hated it, the Tiger Mother has a request: Read it. All of it. And then decide.

The memoir, a global best seller that has prompted anger, scorn and vitriolic emails, is Amy Chua's account of raising her two daughters "the Chinese way."

TAMPA, Fla. - Banking pioneer Bob Samuels was ready for sun and relaxation by the pool. He told all his friends he was retiring to Tampa to write his memoirs.

That was 20 years ago. He self-published the book in November.

If you could live your life over, you undoubtedly would do a better job simply because experience has a way of revealing what works, or at least what doesn't.

Shalom!

Jack Gantos kept his hopes for winning a Newbery Medal -- given annually by the American Library Association to the best-written children's book -- in "lockdown mode" over the past few months.

WASHINGTON - William Howard Taft was a supersized man who many contend left a puny legacy, but the nation's 27th president changes the shape of things to come in the world imagined by Jason Heller in "Taft 2012: A Novel."

While comic-book-industry news is usually all about characters, creators and circulation, sometimes the real world intrudes -- for good or ill. This week we have an example of each.

Heroes Against Hunger

On Jan. 23, DC Entertainment unleashed its superheroes on a real-world crisis: hunger in the Horn of Africa.

DALLAS - A wordless story of a dog and her beloved ball and a hilarious historical tale of a boy's unforgettable summer have captured the most prestigious awards in the world of children's literature.