The United States of Arugula: How We Became a Gourmet Nation, by David Kamp

David Kamp’s The United States of Arugula: How We Became a Gourmet Nation is a sprawling, gossipy account of some of America’s most influential post-World War II culinary icons. It doesn’t fully deliver the explanation promised by its subtitle (although I doubt that any single book could), but it works beautifully as a human-interest story, dipping into the careers of everyone from Alice Waters to Emeril Lagasse...
Check out that poncho!
So, the first stills from the upcoming Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix movie have been released, and I am pleased to announce that the windblown Monkees shag appears to be a thing of the...
God bless Jim Henson.
I love the movie Labyrinth. You'd have to be nuts not to, in my opinion. A) It has David Bowie in it, playing a role that would have destroyed the career of any other man, B) it has inspired loa...
Book seven news
Well, according to this, J. K. Rowling is only half-finished with the final Harry Potter novel, which means that our dream* of one day being famous enough to merit an advance reader copy of a Pott...
Wordcandy Weekly Book Snippet
Excerpt from: Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator, by Roald DahlWhy you should buy a copy of your very own:It's just as nasty as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, but even weirder!In this scene....
Delicious Library
Well, I am finally back from my month-long moving/starting school-related absence. I am all moved in (thanks to Julia & Nathan), and I have survived my first two weeks at college. Sadly, the more ...
Wordcandy loves cheap books
For those of you that like to get your Christmas shopping done early, we encourage you to start investigating the clearance sections of online booksellers. It takes a little searching, but you can...
A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian, by Marina Lewycka

The original cover of Marina Lewycka’s novel A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian was extremely tasteful. The background is a lovely grayish blue, and there’s a yellow border running down the edge, dec...
More from Hollywood
Hollywood is having another Wordcandy author lovefest! The new Eragon trailer is out, and it looks like it will be one of the big holiday films.
Movie Update: Fast Food Nation
So, last time we checked, we had a few pictures of this ill-fated project. But guess what, kids: today we have the trailer. Enjoy!
James Bond: The PG version
I've heard some surprisingly positive stuff about the new "Young James Bond" series by Charlie Higson. Still, I can't imagine how these books would work--James Bond novels are all about the sex, g...
Fanfic writers, take note.
The Harry Potter Lexicon, the go-to website for all true Harry Potter geeks, now features a Timeline of the Wizarding World. The timeline features hundreds of events in Wizarding history, ranging ...
Wordcandy loves Christmas books at Halloween
Jennifer Crusie has an all-new novella coming out on October 31st. It's called Hot Toy, and it's part of the collection Santa, Baby (which will also feature novellas by Lori Foster and Carly Phil...
There and Back Again
Aintitcoolnews posted an article this morning about MGM's desire to make a film version of The Hobbit, to be directed by Peter Jackson. Unfortunately, Jackson says that no one has spoken to him ab...
More Austen must-owns!
Along with the doll featured below, all true Jane Austen geeks are going to want to rush out and buy The Jane Austen Cookbook, by Maggie Black and Deirdre Le Faye. Written by a food historian and...
Gaiman movie update
The official homepage for the film adaptation of Neil Gaiman's Stardust is up. There's hardly anything there, but it looks awfully pretty.
Morrigan's Cross, by Nora Roberts

As anyone who’s had the misfortune of hearing me speak recently knows, I’ve been sick. Really sick. I sound like a seal with a lifelong pack-a-day habit. The only upside to the past week and a ...
Wordcandy loves the Bradbury
Ray Bradbury's classic short story "The Homecoming" was first published in Mademoiselle in 1946, and it's been a Halloween treat for readers ever since. HarperCollins has just released a beautiful...
Holy cats!
Yes, my friends, that IS a crocheted Jane Austen doll! Just what every household needs![Source]
Cover art that's practically made of ugly
It's heartbreaking, really:Why does Dover do this? I mean, they've released all kinds of gorgeous stuff--this week, they're putting out a beautiful book of Kay Neilsen's fairy tale illustrations. ...
Girls Most Likely, by Sheila Williams

I confess—I didn’t think that I’d like Sheila Williams’s novel Girls Most Likely, being both turned off by the cover art and actively repelled by the purple prose on the back cover, which made the story sound like something by Danielle Steel. Happily, Girls Most Likely turned out to be far superior to its packaging...