Mental Floss

BOOKS

Warner Bros.

This isn’t a trick: J.K. Rowling has a very special treat in store for Harry Potter fans this Halloween. A series of games and riddles posted to Rowling’s website Pottermore.com this week culminated in Friday’s big reveal that the Rowling will release a n

Abbey Stone


The cover of Vonnegut's 'Slaughterhouse-Five.'

Based on his experiences as a POW during the Allied bombing of Dresden in 1945, 'Slaughterhouse-Five' propelled author Kurt Vonnegut, who had been largely ignored and classified as a sci-fi paperback writer, to fame and literary acclaim.

Nick Greene




Hans Christian Andersen (Left), Culture Club/Getty Images // Charles Dickens (Right), Rischgitz/Getty Images

No matter which popular author you disdain, you're bound to find yourself in good company: There's no love lost between these writers.

Stacy Conradt


Getty Images

Whether you're a wizard, squib, or just plain muggle, you're probably celebrating the Chosen One's birthday today. And what better way to do it than by examining the origins of some of the wonderful words J.K. Rowling used to create the world of the Boy W

Erin McCarthy
joy grabiec

If you’ve ever been on the Internet, chances are you’ve stumbled across a thought-provoking essay by hyperprolific writer and English professor Roxane Gay. We wanted to find out how she finds time to watch Law & Order.

Jen Doll


Cimmerian // iStock via Getty Images Plus

“It was not my first published story, nor my last,” the writer recounted in a 1960 lecture, “but I have been assured over and over that if it had been the only story I ever wrote and published, there would still be people who would not forget my name.”

Erin McCarthy






PECK: AF ARCHIVE/ALAMY ; WHALE: STEPHEN FRINK COLLECTION/ALAMY

Herman Melville had everything a young author could dream of. Then he wrote Moby-Dick and ruined everything.

Lucas Reilly








Amazon.com

When a book’s sole purpose is to help the reader change their life, it is only a matter of time before someone finds problems or inaccuracies within the text. And where there are problems, there is comedy. Here are 11 parodies of self-help books that (sho

Shanna Yehlen
Focus Features

While the current box office is positively glutted with remakes, reboots, re-imaginings, and a healthy dose of adapted material, not every book is rushed to the silver screen.

Kate Erbland