- In honor of World Book Day, 100 “literary luminaries” choose their favorite fictional characters. (Among the more douchebag choices: God, “a character you can immerse yourself in, forever.”)
- George Tenet delays his memoirs, worth $5 million to Crown publishers.
- John McCain pens his own Profiles in Courage.
- Alison Smith’s Name All the Animals and John Dalton’s novel Heaven Lake win Barnes & Noble’s Discover Great New Writers Award. (And that makes one award whose impact Amazon.com sale rankings can’t track.)
- Japan Times reports on “the world’s most beautiful book” in an article sans pictures. (More info — and complaints — at the Lit Saloon.)