Book News, In Brief

When it comes to quote/unquote "serious literature," the subject of love has always had its critics. Is the capital-L simply too saccharine a topic for intelligent, relevant discourse, or do the critics just need to get laid? The Australian investigates.

Quick, before he breaks them! The Washington Post's Michael Dirda has outlined the The 10 Commandments of Book Giving. Even if the list seems sorta obvious to you, forwarding it to your friends and family might make the difference between a good gift...and the kind of gift you have to fake a smile over.

Malcolm Gladwell, author of The Tipping Point and Blink, has a new book out, Outliers. In it, Gladwell attempts to figure out what makes some people success stories, and the rest of us bums. His basic finding: Outliers are those given opportunities who have the strength and presence of mind to seize them. For an interview with the afro-ed author -- and to read what "opportunities" Bill Gates and Canadian hockey players took advantage of -- click here, ya bums.