* Mindy Kaling and B.J. Novak writing a book
According to Vulture, the are-they-or-aren’t-they couple will write a book about their are-they-or-aren’t-they relationship (or as Kaling described it to InStyle earlier this month: romantically charged camaraderie with loud arguments). They may or may not be making $7.5 million from the book, which could or could not be officially announced at Book Con on May 30.
* “Fifty Shades of Grey” in the classroom?
A West Virginia teacher showed a high school class part of the steamy R-rated movie, based on the erotica trilogy by E.L. James, as a reward for good work, the Charleston Daily Mail reports. According to school officials, the teacher didn’t know what the movie was about and the viewing was stopped about 10 minutes in.
* Prince Harry: I’m no Bridget Jones
Wills’ younger bro continues to open up about his love life—but can’t seem to make up his mind about it. After revealing earlier this month to Sky News that he would like to settle down and start a family, Prince Harry reportedly told the Mirror this week that he’s happy being single, in response to comparisons to Bridget Jones, the unlucky-in-love character from Helen Fielding’s books and a pair of movies starring Renee Zellweger.
Said Prince Harry: “Bridget Jones? Where’s that come from? Because I write my own diary or because I don’t have a girlfriend? … That’s sad. No, for me, it’s good—I’m very happy not having a girlfriend. It’s not a case of anything… I’m not, sort of, looking. It’s cool.”
The big take-away: Prince Harry has a diary?
* George R.R. Martin addresses controversial “Game of Thrones” scene
SPOILER ALERT. After uproar from fans over a rape scene in Sunday’s episode in which Sansa Stark is raped by her new husband Ramsay Bolton, “A Song of Ice and Fire” author George R.R. Martin took to his blog (he still uses LiveJournal!) to defend the TV producers’ decision. After reiterating that the books and TV show increasingly will diverge from one another (in the books, it is another character Ramsay marries and rapes), Martin also stressed that “There has seldom been any TV series as faithful to its source material.”
* With “Mad Men” done, go read a book!
After seven seasons, the AMC drama warpped up its run on Sunday, and here are a few literary-ish things to peruse if you’re not yet ready to let go:
Arielle Landau of the New York Daily News used books featured in the series to trace Don Draper’s downward trend from Season 1 to Season 7, from Ayn Rand’s “Atlas Shrugged” to Philip Roth’s “Portnoy’s Complaint.”
The Atlantic published a short story by our favorite one-eyed ad man who secretly wants to be a writer, Ken Cosgrove. It’s titled “Tapping a Maple on a Cold Vermont Morning,” because of course it is.
If you’re really not ready to bid “Mad Men” adieu, there’s always the New York Public Library and AMC’s official “Mad Men” reading list of 25 books.
* F. Scott Fitzgerald mansion on sale for $3.8 million
If you’ve got a few million dollars just lying around, why not buy the house where F. Scott Fitzgerald is believed to have written “The Great Gatsby”? Yahoo reports that the 7 bedroom, 6.5 bath just outside of New York City is up for sale. Fitzgerald lived there from 1922-1924 and published “Gatsby” in 1925.
* Is this what Shakespeare looked like?
Country Life magazine claims that the true likeness of the Bard himself has been found after all these centuries, and no, he doesn’t look like Joseph Fiennes from “Shakespeare in Love.” The discovery of the drawing of a mustachioed man with a great head of hair was made by botanist and historian Mark Griffiths. The publication also claims it will reveal a new play by Shakespeare next week, so stay tuned.
* Bin Laden’s bookshelf
The U.S. government has released a list of the works found in Osama bin Laden’s compound when it was raided, including 39 English-language book, most of them with a political and/or historical bent.
* Chelsea Clinton is following in her parents’ footsteps …
… and publishing a book. Penguin announced Wednesdsay a deal with the former first daughter for “It’s Your World: Get Informed, Get Inspired & Get Going!”, according to the AP. The book aims to explain to young readers challenges the world faces today, Clinton said. It will be released Sept. 15, and all proceeds will be donated to charities, including the Clinton Foundation. Her parents, former president Bill Clinton (“My Life”) and current presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton (“Living History,” “Hard Choices”) have both published memoirs in addition to other books.
