Ignore Potter, and Be Doomed to Irrelevance?

(NEWSER) - JK Rowling cleared up any fuss about her Harry Potter villain’s French name today, as she accepted that country’s Legion d’honneur for her contribution to the arts, Reuters reports. “I can assure you that the decision did not come from any anti-French sentiment,” Rowling said of naming the evil Voldemort, which means “flight of death” in the language. “I needed a name that evoked both power and exoticism.” More»

'Pathetic' closeted wizard does nothing for equality, writer argues

(NEWSER) - The outed Dumbledore is loveless and pathetic, says Time’s John Cloud. He sees no progress for gay equality in JK Rowling's revelation, but rather a role model as problematic as Larry Craig. Shouldn’t the writer be happy with the news about Harry Potter’s heroic mentor? “Yes, except: Why couldn't he tell us himself?” More»

For sale on Pottermore website

(NEWSER) - Finally, e-reader users can be reunited with Harry Potter. For the first time, e-books of the entire series went on sale today on the Pottermore website, with the first three books costing $7.99 apiece and the last four $9.99 each. The books are compatible with most e-readers, but the Telegraph notes that Apple didn't make a deal with the publishers. Even so, the books can be read on Apple devices because they can be imported as ePub files. More»

Including 'To Kill a Mockingbird' and 'Catcher in the Rye'

(NEWSER) - The e-book market has spiked from 0.6% in 2008 to 6.4% in 2010, or $878 million in sales, yet you still won't be able to find certain hugely popular books in the new format. The Street rounded up a list of eight classics that can be found only on dead trees. More»

It will be 'very different' than Harry Potter

(NEWSER) - JK Rowling is back, but if you're hoping for more adventures starring a certain boy wizard—or anything along the lines of those books—you're out of luck. Little, Brown and Company announced today that it had acquired the rights to publish a new book by Rowling, but this one will be aimed at adults, the New York Times reports. More»