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Caitlyn Jenner has signed a deal with the Hachette Book Group division, Grand Central Publishing. She (pictured, via) plans to write a memoir about her transition as a transgender woman.

Entertainment Weekly reports that Buzz Bissinger, the journalist who wrote a Vanity Fair story on Jenner back in June 2015, has agreed to collaborate with Jenner to write this book. The publisher has set the release date for Spring 2017.

Here’s more from The New York Times: “The book will cover Ms. Jenner’s childhood as Bruce Jenner and rise to fame as a gold- medal-winning Olympic decathlete; her first two marriages and her troubled relationship with her children; her marriage to Kris Kardashian, the matriarch of the Kardashian brood; her transition and her experience as the world’s most famous transgender woman. In a statement released by Grand Central, Ms. Jenner said she hoped the book would help her to process all that’s happened to her in the past year, and in the decades leading up to her transition.” (via USA Today)

Alex Clarke, currently publishing director at Michael Joseph, will become publishing director of a new imprint at Headline Publishing Group, a division of Hachete U.K.

Clarke comes to Headline from Penguin Random House where he has been for the past fifteen years. His successes include: Sebastian Faulks’ Devil May Care Conn Iggulden’s Wars of the Roses series, Sylvia Day’s multimillion selling Crossfire series and James Oswald’s Inspector Mclean series, among others.

In his new role, Clarke will report to Mari Evans, deputy managing director, Headline Publishing Group. “2016 is Headline’s 30^th birthday year and I’m thrilled it’s launching with such an exciting new appointment. I worked alongside Alex for ten years at Michael Joseph and at first hand watched him innovate with his publishing time and time again,” Evans said in a statement. “I’m delighted we’ll be renewing our working relationship. The creation of this imprint heralds a new phase of growth for Headline and should usher in a bold and ambitious new strand to our already impeccable commercial publishing.”

Have you ever wanted to experience a romantic moment at Hogwarts? The movie studio behind the Harry Potter film franchise has decided to host a Valentine’s Day banquet inside the Great Hall of the famous wizarding school.

TIME reports that this event will take place on Feb. 13 and Feb. 14. Guests will be greeted with canapés and a special Love Potion cocktail before moving on to a three-course dinner. Click here to download the dinner menu.

According to the Warner Bros. Studio Tour London website, dinner will be followed by an “exclusive after-hours access to the Studio Tour with the chance to see sets such as the Gryffindor common room, Dumbledore’s office, the Weasley kitchen at The Burrow and the Malfoy Manor dining table, before enjoying a drink on Platform 9 3/4. Following a tankard of Butterbeer in the backlot cafe, you will be able to wander up the wizarding shopping street of Diagon Alley, before arriving at the breathtaking Hogwarts castle model for after-dinner tea, coffee and chocolates. The evening concludes when you return to the Studio Tour lobby to collect your chosen wand.” (via Cosmopolitan)

Alan Rickman, the actor who played Professor Severus Snape in the Harry Potter films, has died.

According to a family statement: “The actor and director Alan Rickman has died from cancer at the age of 69. He was surrounded by family and friends.”

The British actor got his start in acting at the age of 26 at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), after a short stint as a graphic designer, according to IMDB. He worked in theater, film and television for more than forty years. His film credits also include working alongside Bruce Willis in Die Hard and he played Colonel Brandon in the 1995 adaptation of Sense and Sensibility.

Amazon Studios will produce filmmaker Jim Jarmusch‘s latest project.

The film is a love story about a bus driver in Paterson, NJ. It is called called Paterson and stars Adam Driver and Golshifteh Farahani. The production crew recently wrapped shooting and the film hits theaters later this year.

“Paterson is a funny, philosophical and moving story that only Jim can tell. We look forward to working closely with him and supporting his vision in bringing the film to life,” stated Ted Hope, Head of Motion Picture Production at Amazon Studios. “Adam Driver is one of this generation’s most gifted actors. It’ll be exciting to see what he and Jim unearth as they explore the intimate and richly textured world of Paterson.”

Authors and celebrities have opened up to New York magazine to discuss how they got their start.

The cover story includes moments of epiphany from Jeffrey Eugenides, George Saunders, Sloane Crosley and Ta-Nehisi Coates, among others. Here is what author Sheila Heti, author of How Should a Person Be?, had to say:

It was the first time, writing, I had a sense for how total a writer’s freedom is. I don’t think that ever completely went away, and it seems the biggest leap I made: from thinking I had to write in a certain way to realizing that nobody was there with me as I was sitting at my desk — and for good reason — because your only obligation is to listen to yourself. Every epiphany I’ve ever had about writing or how to write in the years since has only been an elaboration of that knowledge: that all you have to do is hew closely to how you feel it should go.

Each week I feature a different author portrait in this Seattle Review of Books column "Portrait Gallery."

Who has their book? #OurSharedShelf @GloriaSteinem #mylifeontheroad #bookclub pic.twitter.com/ZX3ze6BAc5

— Emma Watson (@EmWatson) January 11, 2016

Earlier this week, Emma Watson announced the launch of a feminist book club called Our Shared Shelf. The actress and United Nations women goodwill ambassador shared a photo on Twitter (embedded above) with the first read for the group: My Life on the Road by Gloria Steinem.

The Wall Street Journal reports that a new selection will be made on a monthly basis. Thus far, more than 78,000 people have joined this group. Some of the celebrity participants include actress Sophia Bush, soccer star Abby Wambach, and filmmaker Lena Dunham. At this point in time, it is not known if singer Taylor Swift or author J.K. Rowling will also take part.

Over at the Goodreads page for Our Shared Shelf, Watson revealed the origins behind this venture: “As part of my work with UN Women, I have started reading as many books and essays about equality as I can get my hands on. There is so much amazing stuff out there! Funny, inspiring, sad, thought-provoking, empowering! I’ve been discovering so much that, at times, I’ve felt like my head was about to explode…I decided to start a Feminist book club, as I want to share what I’m learning and hear your thoughts too.”

Click here to listen to Watson’s HeForShe campaign speech. (via People)

Barnes & Noble has named Mary Amicucci as Chief Merchandising Officer.

Prior to the appointment, Amicucci was vice president of adult trade & children’s books. In her new role, she will oversee all of the bookseller’s merchandising programs across products including: books, toys, games, gifts and music. She will continue to report directly to Jaime Carey, Barnes & Noble’s Chief Operating Officer.

“We are thrilled to announce that Mary Amicucci has been promoted to Chief Merchandising Officer. Mary has a proven track record of success and leadership of our physical book business, making her the perfect choice for this position,” stated Carey. “She has already made an outstanding contribution to our merchandising efforts and we’re excited to see what she will achieve in this new role.”

Amicucci joined the book retailer as vice president of children’s books in 2010 and was promoted to vice president of adult trade & children’s books in 2013. She came to Barnes & Noble from The Children’s Place Retail Stores.

From history to literature, David Bowie read a lot of books.

In honor of the Thin White Duke, who passed away yesterday, we revisited David Bowie’s reading list, which includes works from Vladimir Nabokov, George Orwell, Martin Amis, Christopher Hitchens and Camille Paglia. Bowie revealed his reading list as part of a traveling art show called, “David Bowie is” from 2013.

The Guardian has the complete list at this link.

Michael D. Hurley, the owner of the Temple Theatre, is hosting an essay contest. This Maine-based businessman will award his 98-year-old movie theater to the winner.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, each participant must send in a 250-word piece and a $100 submission fee. The deadline has been set for Jan. 31. Click here to read all the rules.

Here’s more from Mashable: “Hurley is accepting a minimum of 3500 entries, so he’ll collect the theater’s asking price. But don’t worry—he’s offering refunds to all participants if he doesn’t receive enough submissions. The competition will be stiff, so start drafting your entry now so you’ll have time to edit and polish a winning piece before the end of January.”

Have you been following the United States presidential race? Crystal Valentine has crafted a poem called “Crystal Gets Taken in for Interrogation After Assassinating Donald Trump.” The video embedded above features her performance at the 2015 Individual World Poetry Slam.

Click on these links to listen to three more of Valentine’s works: “Black Privilege,” “Tempest,” and ‘A Voter’s Problem.” For more Donald Trump-themed videos, follow these links to watch “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Trump (Grinch Parody)” and “Donald Trump Children’s Book (ghost written by Jimmy Kimmel).” Have you ever created politically-inspired art work?

Emma Watson has decided to launch a feminist book club. The actress and United Nations women goodwill ambassador posted a message on Twitter asking for help on figuring out a name for it.

Here’s more from The Guardian: “After suggestions including ‘Wats Up Fems’, ‘Watson Your Shelf’ and ‘Hermione’s Army’, Watson announced today that she ‘absolutely loved’ Twitter user @emilyfabb’s suggestion: ‘Our Shared Shelf’ and foreshadowed further information about the book club was still to come. Twitter’s response has been enthusiastic: alongside punters, retired American footballer Abby Wambach, actor Sophia Bush, and singer Kate Voegele have all tweeted they would take part in the club, with Watson agreeing to ask Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling and singer Taylor Swift to join in.”

Wambach, a world-renowned soccer champion, might have given Watson the inaugural title for the book club: My Life On the Road by Gloria Steinem. Steinem herself tweeted back at Bush, Watson, and Wamback with this proposition: “After we do this digitally we’ll have to do this in person!”

Click on this link to listen to Watson’s HeForShe campaign speech. (via USA Today)

Julian Fellowes has signed a deal with the Hachette Book Group division, Grand Central Publishing. Fellowes (pictured, via) has become well-known as an Academy Award-winning screenwriter and the creator of the Downton Abbey television show. He plans to write a serialized novel entitled Belgravia.

Readers can access each part of the story through a special app; the app itself will be available for download at http://julianfellowesbelgravia.com. In April 2016, the publisher will release the prologue and afterwards a new section of the story will be unveiled on a weekly basis. A hardcover print edition of the book will hit bookstores on July 5.

Here’s more from the press release: “Each of the 10 installments can then be purchased individually for $1.99 via the website or e-book retailers, and the entire series can be purchased through the website for $13.99 with the reader receiving an alert as soon as the next installment is available. The installments can also be listened to as audiobooks, available via the website, and the reader will be able to switch between reading and listening at any stage. There will be extra content, videos, and other bonus features such as music, character portraits, maps of Belgravia, family trees, and period fashions included within each installment.”

Do you plan to get a lot of reading done in the new year? The We Are Teachers team has developed a useful infographic called “Read Like a Detective.”

It features advice on how to “look for clues,” “ask questions,” and “making your case.” We’ve embedded the full image below for you to explore further—what do you think? (via Ebook Friendly)

What role does reading play in Bill Gates’ life? For him, reading serves as a method of learning and exploration.

In an interview with The New York Times, Gates describes reading as “one of the chief ways that I learn, and has been since I was a kid. These days, I also get to visit interesting places, meet with scientists and watch a lot of lectures online. But reading is still the main way that I both learn new things and test my understanding.”

During this conversation, Gates also talked about his reasons for writing reviews and how he makes his selections. For the past few years, the Microsoft co-founder and renowned philanthropist has shared reading lists on his blog. Follow these links to check out his picks for the best books of 2015 and his 2015 summer reading list.

President Barack Obama and his family will be spending some time in Hawaii for a winter vacation. The Washington Post reports that the White House has unveiled his vacation reading list. If you want to take on this presidential reading challenge, we’ve put together the commander-in-chief’s four books with links to free samples of each title. (via Entertainment Weekly)

1. The Whites by Richard Price
2. Purity by Jonathan Franzen
3. The Three Body Problem by Liu Cixin
4. The Wright Brothers by David McCullough

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg challenged himself to read two books a month last year. He found the experience “intellectually fulfilling.”

His reading list for the year included: World Order by Henry Kissinger; The Idea Factory by Jon Gertner; Why Nations Fail by Daron Acemoğlu; and The Beginning of Infinity by David Deutsch. Zuckerberg reflected on the year in a Facebook post. “Reading has given me more perspective on a number of topics — from science to religion, from poverty to prosperity, from health to energy to social justice, from political philosophy to foreign policy, and from history to futuristic fiction,” he wrote.

“This challenge has been intellectually fulfilling, and I come away with a greater sense of hope and optimism that our society can make greater progress in all of these areas,” he continued. He didn’t say what he plans to read this year.

Kiernan Sjursen-Lien hopes to raise $2,950 on Kickstarter for an anthology entitled A Gay Ol’ Time. We’ve embedded a video about the project above.

Here’s more from the Kickstarter page: “A Gay Ol’ Time will be an approximately 110 page anthology of 48 portraits of LGBTQIA+ and Two Spirit Americans born in the 1800s, with accompanying short biographical quatrains. It aims to shed a little more light on these people history tends to forget, memorialize them in watercolor portraits, and invite its readers to research them further.”

Welcome to our Kickstarter Publishing Project of the Week, a feature exploring how authors and publishers are using the fundraising site to raise money for book projects. If you want to start your own project, check out How To Use Kickstarter to Fund Your Publishing Project.

Do you plan to make a New Year’s resolution to read more? Scholastic rounded up a group of kids to share the reasons why they read.

Follow these links to watch two more bibliophile-themed videos: “Kids Tell Us: Why I Read” and “Because I Read…” Click here to check out an infographic that explores the various classifications of readers.

Reality star Khloé Kardashian has shared her favorite self-help books for 2016.

Steve Harvey’s Act Like a Success, Think Like a Success and Norman Vincent Peale’s The Power of Positive Thinking both made the list.

“My name is Khloé, and I’m a self-help book addict,” she explains on the site. “Seriously! I think everyone has room to grow and improve, and I’m constantly reading and rereading my fave self-help books to boost the positive vibes. With a new year starting — I’m SO ready for 2016!!! — it’s the perfect time to revisit my bedside table staples. Trust me — you’ll understand after you read these!!!” (Via US Weekly).

Don’t want to let go of the Christmas magic just yet? Listen to Ja Rule as he recites How the Grinch Stole Christmas! for BBC Radio 1.

The video embedded above features the hip hop star’s reading. Follow this link if you prefer a more traditional interpretation of this Dr. Seuss picture book.

Here’s more from Jezebel: “Everyone knows Ja Rule is a wonderful storyteller, as evidenced by classics like ‘Put It On Me’ and ‘Always on Time,’ a song about always being on time. Well, Ja Rule is also for the kids. Or is it Ja Yule?” (via Entertainment Weekly)

Torno Debus has launched a Kickstarter campaign for Coloring Made Yeasy. We’ve embedded a video about the project above.

According to the Kickstarter page, this 24-page coloring book features Kanye West “dressed like famous historical peoples and fictional characters.” In this book, the popular hip hop artist can be seen in outfits inspired by Santa Claus, the Easter bunny, and Che Guevara.

Welcome to our Kickstarter Publishing Project of the Week, a feature exploring how authors and publishers are using the fundraising site to raise money for book projects. If you want to start your own project, check out How To Use Kickstarter to Fund Your Publishing Project.

Did you know that reality TV star Donald Trump wants to write a children’s book? Late night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel the took the liberty of ghost writing one for him.

In the video embedded above, Kimmel reads aloud from the Dr. Seuss-style verse story, entitled Winners Aren’t Losers, during a conversation with the GOP presidential candidate. Throughout his lifetime, Trump has been credited with authoring more than a dozen books.

Juan Martinez has signed a deal with William Morrow, a HarperCollins imprint, for Conviction: The Untold Story of Putting Jodi Arias Behind Bars. Martinez has become well-known for serving as one of the leading prosecutors on the Jodi Arias murder trial.

Here’s more from the press release: “Over the course of almost seven years, America watched as determined prosecutor Juan Martinez fought relentlessly to convict Jodi Arias of Murder One for viciously murdering her ex-boyfriend Travis Alexander. What emerged at the trial was a story wrought with sex, manipulation, and deceit that stunned the public. Arias, always playing the wronged and innocent woman, changed her story continually as her bizarre behavior surrounding the crime and its aftermath came to light.”

Lisa Sharkey, a senior vice president and director of creative development, negotiated the deal with Steve Troha, an agent at Folio Literary Management. Matt Harper, an executive editor, will edit the manuscript. The finished book will feature 16 pages of photographs. The publication date has been scheduled for Feb. 16, 2016.