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Image of an ornate clock showing 2:05 with sculpted male figures sitting on each side of the clock face

‘Twas the Night Before the Night Before Christmas …

Posted by: Jennifer Gavin

… And despite all good cheer, It sized up as “boringest night of the year.” Still 36 hours until Christmas dawning, And reruns of reruns were leaving ‘em yawning. The tree decorating had happened last week The lineup of movies appeared rather bleak. The cookies were eaten; the sprinkles were scattered No Christmas ‘till Christmas! …

Image of an ornate clock showing 2:05 with sculpted male figures sitting on each side of the clock face

Wait … Wasn't That Alan Brady?

Posted by: Jennifer Gavin

Carl Reiner, whose influence on comedy in the U.S. may be unsurpassed, will speak at the Library of Congress’ Madison Building in the 6th-floor Montpelier Room on Monday, Oct. 26 at 1:30 p.m. Doors open one hour earlier! Don’t miss it!

Image of an ornate clock showing 2:05 with sculpted male figures sitting on each side of the clock face

Carl Reiner! In Person!

Posted by: Jennifer Gavin

When it comes to laughter – flat-out, clutch your sides, tears-springing-from-your-eyes laughter – Carl Reiner is an American icon. For something like four generations he’s been cracking us up, from his writing and skit performance on the legendary Sid Caesar’s “Your Show of Shows” (external link) to his creation of “The Dick Van Dyke Show” …

Image of an ornate clock showing 2:05 with sculpted male figures sitting on each side of the clock face

By the Time We Got to Bookstock …

Posted by: Jennifer Gavin

Right now, here and there all over the world, people are sitting down with a good book and enjoying a good read. Sprawled on the lawn, curled up on the sofa, sitting on the steps in the piazza — they’re communing with a great author, or a funny author, or an author who’s telling them …

Image of an ornate clock showing 2:05 with sculpted male figures sitting on each side of the clock face

But Wait … There's More!

Posted by: Jennifer Gavin

This year’s Library of Congress National Book Festival already promises the biggest lineup of literary stars this side of the Crab Nebula. Book-lovers can look forward, on Saturday, Sept. 26, to hearing from David Baldacci, John Grisham, John Irving, Julia Alvarez, Judy Blume, Ken Burns, Gwen Ifill and Jodi Picoult–not to mention celebrity chef Paula …

Image of an ornate clock showing 2:05 with sculpted male figures sitting on each side of the clock face

'Authorama' on the National Mall

Posted by: Jennifer Gavin

The authors’ lineup for the National Book Festival on Saturday, Sept. 26 went public today–what star-power! Bestselling authors David Baldacci, John Grisham, John Irving, Julia Alvarez, Judy Blume, Ken Burns, Gwen Ifill, and Jodi Picoult–as well as celebrity chef Paula Deen–will be among scores of authors and illustrators presenting at the festival, organized and sponsored …

Image of an ornate clock showing 2:05 with sculpted male figures sitting on each side of the clock face

Strong Words in the Manuscript Room

Posted by: Jennifer Gavin

Let’s take a little test. I’m going to say a word, and you’re going to say the next word that leaps into your mind. OK, here goes: Nabokov. You said “Lolita,” right? Of course. Vladimir Nabokov’s “Lolita,” published in 1955 and made into a film directed by Stanley Kubrick in 1962, is the work most …

Image of an ornate clock showing 2:05 with sculpted male figures sitting on each side of the clock face

President, Mrs. Obama Honorary Chairs of Book Festival

Posted by: Jennifer Gavin

Both the President and the First Lady will be Honorary Chairs of the 2009 National Book Festival, to be held Saturday, Sept. 26 on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. between 7th and 14th Streets, from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., rain or shine. This colossal event, heading into its ninth year, lets book-lovers hear …