On the Books: 'Hot Dudes Reading' Instagram account goes viral

The latest Instagram trend honors men who are both attractive and well-read. Appropriately titled Hot Dudes Reading, the New York City-based account is just as it sounds – a collection of photos of good-looking men reading books. Twelve pictures have been posted since Feb. 1, and so far all of the photos are of men riding or waiting for the subway. The fad has already attracted more than 81,000 followers, and inspired many to do some lurking during their commute. (Huffington Post)

Author Helen Harris wrote an op-ed piece for The Guardian that posed the question: Where are all the grandparents in modern fiction? She published Sylvia Garland’s Broken Heart in late 2014, which examined the relationship between a grandmother and her young grandson, and she’s hoping to see more hit shelves. Harris argues that while there are plenty of novels focused on baby boomers finding self-fulfillment or falling in love at 60, there are not enough books focused on the relationship between grandparents and their grandchildren. She said that while her expectations were low for her novel, she received “extraordinary” reactions almost immediately following the book’s release. Read her full piece here. (The Guardian)

Among all of the hype of Harper Lee’s second novel, the sales of her first book To Kill A Mockingbird have increasingly skyrocketed. Nielsen BookScan, which tracks an estimated 80 percent of print sales, showed a 187 percent increase in just one week. For the week ended Feb. 1, the paperback edition sold 1,076 copies. The following week, it sold 3,084 copies. (Publisher’s Weekly)

Daniel M. Ruland of Elmira, N.Y., has been arrested in the theft of Mark Twain’s plaque from his grave. The plaque of the famed author was reported missing on Jan. 2 and was recovered in a vehicle leaving Ruland’s home on Feb. 6. Ruland has been charged with two misdemeanors: petit larceny and criminal possession of stolen property in the fifth degree. Based on the appraised value of the plaque, he may incur additional charges. (LA Times)

German prosecutors said Wednesday that they will be returning more than 500 historic books that were stolen from Italian libraries and seized in Munich in 2012. The books include original copies of pieces by Galileo Galilei and Nicolaus Copernicus and date back to the 16th and 17th centuries. They are estimated to be worth at least $2.8 million and will be given to Italian judicial authorities on Friday. (San Luis Obispo Tribune)

Oprah selected her latest book club pick, Cynthia Bond’s Ruby, on Tuesday. Ruby is a fiction novel described on Bond’s website as the “story of a man determined to protect the woman he loves from the town desperate to destroy her.” Oprah loved it so much, she has already acquired film and television rights for Ruby through Harpo Films. (USA Today)