Fuentes was one of the premiere and most prolific authors in the Spanish language. Along with contemporaries like Gabriel García Márquez, Fuentes shone a global spotlight on Latin American culture.

Some of the most popular culinary creations — Granny Smith apples, Caesar salad and nachos — are products of fortuitous discoveries. Josh Chetwynd's new book, How the Hot Dog Found Its Bun, chronicles the quirky history of kitchen favorites.

Once upon a time, tacos were a Mexican snack. Now they're an all-American institution. Gustavo Arellano leads us across Southern California in search of the roots of the American taco.

When it comes to learning an instrument, children have the edge in many respects. Using himself as a guinea pig, psychology professor Gary Marcus resolved to find out whether nonmusical adults have any chance of turning things around.

Gil Scott-Heron's posthumously published memoir, The Last Holiday, is a triumphant and moving account of a life dedicated to art and activism.

The "New Chapter" initiative lifts overdue fines for patrons under 18 at New York Public Library, Brooklyn Public Library and Queens Library branches through October 31.

St. Mark's Bookshop may be reaching its last chapter. The sluggish economy has taken it's toll on the retail business, but an online petition is hoping to help convince the book store's landlord to give the shop a new lease on life,  both figuratively and literally.

Gumshoe fans got some good news this week. Titan Books has plans to publish three unfinished Mickey Spillane crime novels, all of them starring the hard-boiled vigilante P.I. Mike Hammer.

It looks like the final chapter for Borders, the Michigan-based big-box book, music and media seller. The company could begin closing its remaining 399 stores, five of which are in New York City, as early as Friday.

The idea for the new novel "The Tragedy of Arthur" came to author Arthur Phillips when he was walking down the street and thought to himself: "I wonder if I could write a Shakespeare play." His book is in the form of a memoir that serves as the introduction to an undiscovered play by William Shakespeare.

Workshops about sex throughout history. Lessons about 19th century undergarments. Research presentations on body language during the act of flirtation. The Romance Writers of America conference is currently underway at the Marriott Marquis in Times Square.

On Thursday, Joyce enthusiasts around the world will convene for Bloomsday, an annual celebration of the novelist and "Ulysses." Take a peek at a marathon at Symphony Space’s reading featuring more than 100 actors and all 18 episodes of Joyce's classic novel.

Bookstores may be host to more handshaking than page-turning this week. That's because bigwigs from the publishing industry are in town this week for the BookExpo America trade show. For bookworms, that's good news -- it means free readings and events citywide. Here's a short list of New York Book Week events where you can show off your most impressive literary airs.

Listen to the Nigerian author's "Arthur Miller Freedom to Write Lecture" talk here.

The Pen World Voices Festival opens in New York on Monday. The annual event is a bold reminder that writing is not just a leisure art resulting in a commodity, but an instrument of change, a tool for probing everything from revolution to the human psyche, and a vital bridge between nations and individuals.

On Wednesday, Maya Soetoro-Ng, Obama's half-sister, read passages of her new children's book "Ladder to the Moon" to a packed hall at Columbia's Teachers College.

In honor of St. Patrick's Day, the Irish Arts Center is giving out 10,000 free books penned by Irish and Irish-American writers on Thursday.

If you're going to take on books, you might as well start with the good book. At least that's what New York-based author James Frey is doing with his latest novel "The Final Testament of the Holy Bible."

The centennial of Williams' birth was honored in a three-part series at the Museum of Arts and Design called The Kindness of Strangeness.

On Wednesday night, November 17, Patti Smith won the 2010 National Book Award in the Non-fiction category for her memoir, "Just Kids."