The BoomBox - Jay-Z is no stranger to sitting high on the charts when it comes to his music career, which makes the Brooklyn rapper's No. 3 debut on 'The New York Times' Best Sellers list an expected achievement.

The Roc Nation head honcho's memoir 'Decoded' landed on the Hardcover Nonfiction edition of the newspaper's Best Sellers list for the week of December 5. Coming in at the top of the list are George W. Bush's 'Decision Points' and Lauren Hillenbrand's 'Unbroken.'

Hov's book has been received warmly by fans and critics alike. Perhaps 'Decoded's success has much to do with 'The Blueprint 3' creator's

ABC News - Steve Martin glides from acting to music to writing so fluidly that he gives the impression it all comes easily to him.

Martin admits "a certain kind of ease" with writing fiction, as exemplified in his new novel "An Object of Beauty" from Grand Central Publishing, but only now does he feel that way, at age 65, years removed from the "wild and crazy guy" who burst into show business as a stand-up comedian in the 1970s.

"Object of Beauty," which hit bookstores on Tuesday, tells the story of an alluring and ambitious art dealer named Lacey Yeager who climbs from the

Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier - Humorist and best-selling author David Sedaris brings his sardonic wit and incisive social critiques to Davenport's Adler Theatre for one night only at 8 p.m. April 7.

Sedaris has become one of America's pre-eminent humor writers. He is a master of satire and one of the most observant writers addressing the human condition today, slicing through cultural euphemisms and political correctness with his sharp wit.

A playwright and regular commentator for National Public Radio, Sedaris has been nominated for three Grammy Awards for Best Spoken Word and Best Comedy Album. He is also the author of the best-selling "Me Talk Pretty One

UB News Center - Humanitarian, writer and former mountaineer Greg Mortenson will discuss the journey that led him to establish more than 100 schools in some of the most remote regions of Afghanistan and Pakistan when he presents the next lecture in the University at Buffalo's Distinguished Speakers Series at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 10, in Alumni Arena on the UB North Campus.

The 2010 UB Reads selection author, Mortenson is co-author of The New York Times' bestseller, "Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace...One School at a Time."

His work has not been without difficulty, including an eight-day kidnapping by the Taliban.

Co-founder

PR Newswire (press release) - Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush and Harvard University political scientist and best-selling author Robert D. Putnam will discuss their perspective on the steps governments and communities could take to form more successful relationships between immigrants and their new communities.  The remarks will come on Saturday, December 4 during the National League of Cities' (NLC) 2010 Congress of Cities and Exposition in Denver, Colo.

In their "Washington Post" op-ed on July 3, Bush and Putnam suggested that governments and communities provide low-cost English classes, invest in public education including civics and higher education and assist communities experiencing rapid increases in immigration.

Bush served

MassLive.com - Best-selling author Wally Lamb will be among the speakers at the second annual "United in Hope: Celebrating Literacy Through a Community Voice" event.

The two-hour program of entertainment, information and local celebrities will take place on Nov. 14 at 2 p.m. at the High School of Commerce. Admission is free and open to the public.

Lamb, whose works have been selected twice by Oprah Winfrey for her book club, is the author of "She's Come Undone" and "The Hour I First Believed," among other books.

The "United in Hope" event is all about the importance of reading and writing.

"A good story can open

Examiner.com - Let's hear it for the dogs and celebrate those that are working to make things better for them. Rachel Ray, television personality and best-selling author,  is currently in the midst of a book-signing tour.

Along the way, she is making donations to various rescue organizations. The donations are proceeds from Ray's line of premium dog food known as Rachel Ray's Nutrish.

Ray developed Nutrish as a way to not only provide a high-quality food for her own dog, a Pit bull named Isaboo, but also, to help support animals in need.

Ray is known as a go-getter, uber multi-tasker, get things done type

Ultimate Woodlands - Local authors from The Woodlands and surrounding areas will represent a variety of book genres to round out the literary lineup at the sixth Annual Signatures Author Series on Friday, Nov. 12, at The Woodlands Waterway Marriott Hotel and Convention Center.

New York Times best-selling author Nicholas Sparks will deliver the keynote presentation. His books, including A Walk to Remember, The Notebook and Dear John have sold more than 50 million copies in worldwide circulation.

The visiting authors will be available to meet, discuss, sell and sign books from 10 a.m. until noon. At noon, a luncheon will feature presentations from the

MarketWatch (press release) - Millions of jobs will become available in STEM related fields by 2018, but with U.S. children falling behind in STEM education, the next generation of job candidates will be unprepared and unqualified to take advantage of these career opportunities. In response to a pressing need to educate tomorrow's workforce, Danica McKellar, well-known for her roles on "The Wonder Years" and "The West Wing" and now also a mathematician and best-selling author, is teaming with DeVry University for National HerWorld month in November to inspire young women across the country to explore careers in STEM related fields.

Now in its 13th year,

Bourne Courrier - Join New York Times bestselling novelist Tracy Chevalier, author of  “Girl With a Pearl Earring,” as she discusses her newest book “Remarkable Creatures” at the Sandwich High School auditorium at 7 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 3. The evening is hosted by Titcomb’s Bookshop and the Sandwich Public Library. Admission is $2.  A book signing will follow the talk.

For further information or to reserve a signed copy of “Remarkable Creatures” if you cannot attend, contact Titcomb’s Bookshop at 508-888-2331.

jewishinstlouis.org - Best-selling author, Rabbi Harold Kushner will speak on his book CONQUERING FEAR, followed by an audience Q&A and a book-signing.

Rabbi Kushner's book has been selected as the 2010 BIG Community READ.

Rabbi Kushner is the author of the best selling book on the problem of evil, When Bad Things Happen to Good People. Written following the death of his son, Aaron, from the premature aging disease, progeria, the book deals with questions about human suffering, God, omnipotence and theodicy.

Kushner has written a number of other popular theological books, such as How Good Do We Have to Be? (Dedicated to his grandson,

Business Wire (press release) - Thomas A. Stewart is the Chief Marketing and Knowledge Officer of Booz & Company, a global management consulting firm. Prior to joining Booz & Company, he was the editor and managing director of Harvard Business Review as well as editorial director of Business 2.0 and a member of the Board of Editors of Fortune magazine. He is a best-selling author, an authority on intellectual capital and knowledge management, and an influential thought leader on global management issues and ideas.

In his keynote address on Tuesday, November 16 at the KMWorld Conference and Exhibition in Washington D.C., Stewart shares winning strategies for

Penn State Live - "Within 20 years we will understand how the brain works and we'll have artificial intelligence that commands emotional intelligence at human levels. Being a human being is about going beyond our limitations -- we're the only species that can."

Ray Kurzweil, award-winning inventor, futurist and national best-selling author, forecasting the future of technology. Kurzweil spoke in Schwab Auditorium last night (Tuesday, Oct. 26) and was the second lecturer of the 2010-11 Distinguished Speaker Series held by the Student Programming Association.

Minneapolis Star Tribune - Rabbi Harold Kushner, author of "When Bad Things Happen to Good People," will be the keynote speaker at this year's Twin Cities Jewish Book Fair. Kushner will speak at the opening reception at 7 p.m. Wednesday. The fair continues into February, with eight events sprinkled over the next four months.

Other authors include Gregory Levey, Yale Strom, Lucy Rose Fischer, Gal Beckerman, Daniel Levin, Jennifer Gilmore and Sue Fishkoff.

All events are open to the public and will be held at the St. Paul Jewish Community Center, 1375 St. Paul Av. Tickets are available for $6-$15, or a series pass for $45-$65.

Ultimate Bellaire - Best-selling author Jeannette Walls will visit Bellaire High School on Nov. 4 and read to students from her best-selling memoir The Glass Castle. Her visit gets underway at 12:30 p.m.

Nearly 500 students, many who benefit from the Writers in the Schools creative writing program, will hear the journalist tell the story about overcoming her difficult childhood.

"It's not often our students get to meet the authors they've been assigned to read," said Brian Wolf, head of the English Department at Bellaire High. "The Glass Castle is not only a story that's brilliantly written, it teaches young people they don't have to

Centre Daily Times - Inventor and best-selling author Ray Kurzweil will speak at 8 p.m. Tuesday in Penn State’s Schwab Auditorium as part of the 2010-11 Student Programming Association Distinguished Speakers Series.

Kurzweil is the author of four national best-sellers including “The Age of Spiritual Machines” and “The Singularity is Near.” He is ranked No. 8 on Forbes Inc. magazine’s entrepreneurs and was named one of “16 Revolutionaries Who Made America” by PBS.

Among Kurzweil’s accomplishments is being the principal developer of the first CCD flat-bed scanner, omni-font optical character recognition system and print-to-speech reading machine for the blind.

CharterX - The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) is pleased to welcome world-renowned leadership expert and one of the top 25 best-selling authors of all time, Dr. Ken Blanchard, as a keynote speaker at NBAA's 19th Annual Leadership Conference, February 23 to 24, 2011, in San Diego, CA.

"We are delighted that Dr. Blanchard will join us for our 2011 Leadership Conference," said NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen. "He is well-known as an author, speaker and business consultant on management and leadership of organizations, and truly embodies the conference theme, ‘Engaging Leadership.’”

Blanchard is the cofounder, along with his wife, Margie Blanchard, of

MarketWatch (press release) - the world's number one independent provider of data integration software, today announced that its 11th annual user conference, Informatica World 2010, will feature a special keynote presentation from former Senior White House Advisor, United States Counterterrorism Czar and best-selling author Richard Clarke. On the first day of the November 2-4, 2010 conference to be held at the Gaylord National Hotel and Convention Center in Washington, D.C., Clarke will present a fascinating take on counter and cyberterrorism and what both private and public organizations must do to confront risks today. This premier data integration industry event will also spotlight how to

Ct Post - New Milford resident Don Clady, of Connecticut Cruise News and the Road Poets, will attend the party of the book release for "Verse and Steel" from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Harley-Davidson/Buell on Federal Road in Danbury. Clady will join K. Peddlar, co-author, and several other writers in reading and signing the new book. Limited editions of the book will be available at the event for $16.95.

The Friends of the Danbury Library will hold their annual book sale from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Police Activities League building, 35 Hayestown Road. Admission is free.

The Friends of the

RealEstateRama (press release) - U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Shaun Donovan will deliver the keynote address, Ending Homelessness in Our Time, at an event honoring New York Times best-selling author Barbara Ehrenreich and others for their extraordinary commitment to ending homelessness and poverty in America. The 12th Annual McKinney-Vento Awards, hosted by the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty (NLCHP), will be held at the LEnfant Plaza Hotel ballroom in Washington, DC. A reception will begin at 6 p.m. Secretary Donovan’s address will begin at 7:30 p.m.

Each year, the McKinney-Vento Awards acknowledge the contributions of individuals and organizations to the fight

Marketwire (press release) - David Sedaris, NPR Humorist and Best-Selling Author of the Newly Released Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk: A Modest Bestiary, Me Talk Pretty One Day, and When You Are Engulfed in Flames, is Coming to the Stephens Auditorium in Ames for One Night Only, October 14, 2010 at 7:30Pm. David Sedaris Ames Tickets Are $35-$43 at Ticketmaster or by Phone: 800-745-3000.

With sardonic wit and incisive social critiques, David Sedaris has become one of America's pre-eminent humor writers. The great skill with which he slices through cultural euphemisms and political correctness proves that Sedaris is a master of satire and one of the most

Buffalo News - Dennis Lehane, author of the best sellers “Mystic River,” “Shutter Island” and “Gone, Baby, Gone,” will speak at 7:30 p. m. Thursday in the Montante Cultural Center of Canisius College. The event is free and open to the public.

Lehane, who is appearing as part of the college’s 2010 Contemporary Writers Series, will do a reading and answer audience questions.

A reception and book-signing will follow the event.

Lehane, a native of the Dorchester area of Boston, is the author of nine novels, a collection of short stories and a play.

His most recent novel, “Moonlight Mile,” a sequel to “Gone, Baby, Gone,” will

Benzinga - Aprimo Inc., a global leader in integrated, on-demand marketing software solutions, today announced the keynote speakers for the Aprimo Marketing Summit 2011, which will take place February 28 - March 2, 2011, in Amelia Island, Florida. The Summit is one of the largest events in the U.S. focusing on the business results that can be achieved with integrated, interactive online marketing technology and will feature keynote addresses from “America's Greatest Marketer” and best-selling author, Seth Godin; “Celebrity CMO” and former Kodak CMO, Jeffrey Hayzlett; and Chief Content Officer for MarketingProfs, Ann Handley.

Each year, the Aprimo Marketing Summit brings together Aprimo

Business Journal - A best-selling author and noted behavioral economist is slated to speak at 8 p.m. today at Rochester Institute of Technology.

Dan Ariely has earned national recognition for his examination of human behavior and how it impacts economics, politics and society in general. He will discuss his activities in the field and provide insights on why and how we act the way we do.

The James B. Duke Professor of Psychology and Economics at Duke University, Ariely will present “Who Put the Monkey in Driver’s Seat?” in the James E. Booth Hall’s Webb Auditorium.

The event is part of RIT’s Visionaries in Motion IV

The Chattanoogan - Malcolm Gladwell, author of "The Tipping Point: How Little Things Make a Big Difference," (2000), "Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking" (2005), and "Outliers: The Story of Success" (2008) all of which were number one New York Times bestsellers, will be the debut speaker of the 2010–2011 George T. Hunter Lecture Series next Tuesday, Oct 5.

The lecture will begin at 7 p.m. in the Roland Hayes Concert Hall located inside the Fine Arts Center on the UTC campus. All lectures in the series are free and open to the public. Seating is limited and is on a first-come first-serve

Sioux City Journal - Distinguished journalist and best-selling author Tom Brokaw will sign copies of his best-selling book, "BOOM! Voices of the Sixties," after his 7 p.m. address "Uncle Sam Needs Us" at The University of South Dakota on Wednesday at the ballroom of the Muenster University Center.

Brokaw is currently a special correspondent for NBC News reporting and producing long-form documentaries while also providing commentary during election coverage and breaking news events.

A native of Yankton, S.D., and a 1964 graduate of The University of South Dakota, Brokaw is the former anchor of "NBC Nightly News." Most recently, he was a correspondent during the network's

Vanderbilt University News - Christopher Buckley, hailed as “the quintessential political novelist of his time” by Fortune magazine, will give a public lecture at Vanderbilt University Tuesday, Oct. 19, at 7 p.m.

Tickets for the event go on sale today. Buckley’s talk will be held in the ballroom of the Student Life Center located at 310 25th Ave. S. on Vanderbilt’s campus. Buckley will also sign books at the Vanderbilt Bookstore from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. The university’s Speakers Committee, a student-run organization, is sponsoring the event.

General public tickets will be available through Ticketmaster at 615-255-9600 or www.ticketmaster.com. General admission tickets are $10. Tickets are

Boston Globe - WHO:    Deepak Chopra, a world-renowned authority in the field of mind-body healing, a best-  selling author and the founder of the Chopra Center for Wellbeing.

WHAT:    28th annual Salem State University Speaker Series

WHEN:    Thursday, September 23, 2010
Lecture begins at 8 p.m.
There is no press conference prior to the talk

WHERE:    O’Keefe Sports Center, Canal Street, Salem
Lecture in the Twohig Gymnasium

WHY:    Chopra has written more than 57 books. His book, Peace Is the Way won the Quill Awards and The Book of Secrets: Unlocking the Hidden Dimensions of your Life received the Nautilus Award. Chopra taught at the Tufts University and Boston University

Mississippi State Newsroom - A few media guidelines are in place for best-selling author, humanitarian, and Nobel Prize nominee Greg Mortenson's visit to Mississippi State this Thursday.

Mortenson, author of the New York Times best seller "Three Cups of Tea," will lecture at 7 p.m. in Humphrey Coliseum. The event is sponsored by the university's common freshman reading program, Maroon Edition, and by the Shackouls Honors College and College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

The event is free to the public, but admittance requires a ticket. Tickets are available at the Barnes and Noble customer service desk, Campus Activities Board office in Colvard Union, and the