Publishing News

Even after 64 hours of interviews and months of editing, North Carolina coach Roy Williams says he still found himself tearing up the first two times he proof-read his autobiography, "Hard Work: A Life on and Off the Court" that was released on Tuesday.

Kohl's online customers would like to get free shipping on all their purchases. And the right people at Kohl's know it.

Here are the best sellers for the week ending Saturday, Oct. 31, compiled from data from independent and chain bookstores, book wholesalers and independent distributors nationwide.

800-CEO-READ, a leading direct supplier of book-based resources, compiles a monthly list of best-selling business books based on purchases by its corporate customers nationwide. Here are the best-sellers for October 2009, plus descriptions of the Top 10.

Can you recall which presidents are depicted on Mount Rushmore? The phrase "We Just Like Rushmore" can give you a clue: it's Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, and Roosevelt. "Thirty Days Has September," by Chris Stevens, is filled with mnemonic tricks - phrases, rhymes, and silly songs - that help make it easier to memorize everything from the order of the planets (with or without Pluto!) to punctuation rules, multiplication tables, and more. Ages 8 and up, Scholastic, $10 - RUTH SPIRO

"American on Purpose: The Improbable Adventures of an Unlikely Patriot" by Craig Ferguson. HarperCollins. 268 pages.

"Last Night in Twisted River" by John Irving; Random (553 pages, $28)

"The Devil's Punchbowl" by Greg Iles, read by Dick Hill; Brilliance Audio. Unabridged, 20 CDs, 24 hours, 14 minutes. $38.99. In print: Scribner. $26.99. 592 pp.

In John Irving's latest novel, the main character shares the author's profession, but that's not the most important similarity.

When browsing online or in a bookstore, one might easily conclude that every third person in the country is actively engaged in writing or reading a memoir.