Book News, In Brief

A Washington public library was robbed of 150 books -- all at once. A ninja/robber walked in, picked out a stack of books ranging from 101 Secrets a Good Dad Knows to Don't Sweat the Small Stuff about Money, and then waltzed out the front door. When asked to comment, the oblivious library staff said, "Shh," and pointed to a 'No Talking: Computers in Use' sign.

The biggest literary prize currently out there: The Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award. It's named for the Pippi Longstocking author, awarded to authors of kids' books, and gets the winner roughly $800,000. (Thanks to PW for the initial heads-up.)

I've never heard of Christine Angot (a.k.a. 'The Queen of Auto-fiction') or her supposedly once-famous rapper boyfriend (the delightfully named Doc Gynéco), but the two of them sound ripe for a critical beatdown. Zut alors! The French oblige.