Books digest

LOCAL

Boardman writer’s work featured in new book

BOARDMAN — Julie Arduini’s story about a childhood snowplow burial is featured in Kathy Vick’s new Howard/Simon & Schuster book, “Run Like a Girl.”

The gift book includes empowering and uplifting quotes celebrating the freedom that comes in running like a girl. The snowplow story is a main feature of the book.

Arduini, a graduate of the Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writers Guild with fiction and nonfiction published credits and columns, is a freelance writer and public speaker.

STATE

Akron resident releases ‘A Mother’s Wisdom’

Patricia Ross of Akron has released her first book, “A Mother’s Wisdom,” based on a relationship between two people who meet in college.

The book is available at Barnes and Noble, Amazon.com, Borders, and Publishamerica.com.

The author earned a bachelor’s degree in communication from The University of Akron.

ONLINE MATTERS

Barnes & Noble launches eBookstore

Barnes & Noble launched what it calls “the world’s largest eBookstore” on Barnes&Noble.com, to enable customers to buy eBooks and read them on a wide variety of platforms.

The eBookstore offers customers seamless access to more than 700,000 titles, including hundreds of new releases and best-sellers in a variety of categories, including classics works by well-known authors to long-forgotten and obscure titles that are historically much more difficult to access.

The eBook program lets readers buy and read books anywhere, anytime, anyplace — saving time and money by offering books on computers, mobile devices and more.

First-time users of the eReader will have the opportunity to download free eBooks.

Pirated Orwell books pulled from Kindle

NEW YORK — A pirated e-book of “1984” led to an Orwellian moment for Kindle customers. Users of Amazon.com’s e-reader device were surprised to receive notice that George Orwell works they had purchased, including “1984” and “Animal Farm,” had been removed from their Kindle and their money refunded.

The books were added to the catalog on the site’s self-service platform by a third party who did not have the rights to the books, said an Amazon spokesman, adding that upon notification by the rights holder, the illegal copies were removed from the systems and from customers’ devices and customers were refunded.

The ordeal highlights two concerns in the virtual world: that a book already paid for and acquired can be revoked by the long arm of an e-tailer (the Kindle operates on a wireless connection that Amazon controls) and the difficulty of stopping bootlegged texts.

COMING TO BOOKSHELVES

Final words from Carlin

NEW YORK — Some final thoughts are coming from George Carlin.

Free Press, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, announced that the comedian’s book “Last Words” will be published in November.

Carlin died in June 2008 at 71 and worked on the book for the last decade of his life. He collaborated on it with author and humorist Tony Hendra.

Carlin’s other books included “Brain Droppings” and “Napalm and Silly Putty.”

Miss California loses crown, but gains book deal

NEW YORK — The former Miss California who was stripped of her title last month has a book deal.

Carrie Prejean will publish a memoir, “Still Standing.” Conservative book house Regnery Publishing is to release the book.

Prejean believes her crown was taken because she said she opposed gay marriage. California pageant executive director Keith Lewis has said that Prejean was skipping Miss California USA events while speaking out against gay marriage at unsanctioned appearances.

Prejean was replaced by the Miss California pageant’s first runner-up, Tami Farrell.

Combined dispatches