Book publisher, Penguin, is setting its sights on the digital-only market with their new Penguin Shorts programme. The premise of the move is to focus on short reads that'll be available for $1.99 USD a pop and fertilize its own niche among avid digital readers. Not a bad idea considering music went the route of singles and the iTunes store. And with gadgets like the Kindle Fire and Nook, who's to say the reading market won't adapt just as easily as music has? Smart.

Here's one for all the reading enthusiasts--a list of 100 first lines from some of the most popular novels ever written--The Stranger, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Don Quixote, 1984, and many more. It's pretty interesting to be able to see and juxtapose all of those infamous introductions in one sitting! Check out the entire list for yourself here.

Two of the world's most iconic cities, Paris and New York, go head-to-head in a humorous and visual hardcover. A concept that began with Vahram Muratyan's online travel journal is now a blog and book, Paris Versus New York: A Tally Of Two Cities. Included in the iconic mix are fundamental contrasts between the subway and metro, bagels and baguettes, and The Apple Store (cube) and The L'ouvre (pyramid) among others.

The biography of infamous Jazz musician, John Coltrane, is getting ready to hit bookstands as a graphic novel. The book, aptly titled Coltrane, is illustrated by Italian artist, Paolo Parisi, who's body of work actually includes some album sleeves for Soul Jazz Records. Expect the novel to be released in the UK on January 13th.

Presenting the photography of Bruce Davidson--a 35mm pioneer that sought to capture the underground soul of the New York City subway system of yesteryear. Raw, rugged, candid, and colorful, are just a few of the ways to describe this nostalgic body of work. Davidson's hardcover re-release of Subway ($49.95 USD) features these shots and more:

The Northern Manhattan Arts Alliance (NoMMA) and Community Association of Progressive Dominicans (ACDP) present a day with best-selling author Julia Alvarez this Monday, October 17th at the Malcolm X Betty Shabazz Memorial and Educational Center in Washington Heights, Manhattan. The event is open to the public with RSVP via info@nommanyc.org

Hotel concierge, Amber Jones, knows a thing or two about getting around The Big Apple. But it's not the sights and sounds that she concerns herself about in her upcoming children's book New York, Phew York--it's the smells! Jones says that she got the idea for creating the scratch-and-sniff storybook about the different aromas (and stenches) of the city after she found herself walking towards the scent of nearby pizza, only to accidentally step in horse manure. A slew of publishing proposals and fundraisers later and she's getting ready to release the title this coming November. With 450 pre-orders already placed, we think it's pretty safe to say that this idea smells like success!

Parents, prepare to rejoice as the wildly popular (and educational) PBS series, Reading Rainbow, is returning to a new audience thanks to the iPad. The show's host, LeVar Burton, is spearheading a more interactive version of the series that will be made available via monthly subscription. Burton says that he hopes to capitalize on the popularity of eBooks to encourage an entire new generation of children to explore the wonderful world of reading. Right on!

In support of his recent book release, The Tanning of America, entrepreneur Hip-Hop marketing mogul, Steve Stout sat down with some of the music industry's leading influencers (Pharrell Williams, Jay-Z, Lady Gaga) to discuss their very own "tanning moments"--moments where their Hip-Hop/cultural savvy changed the way business perceived "cool." Check it out!

As President of the United States of America, Barack Obama, geared up for his summer getaway to Martha's Vineyard this year, a report from the UK's Guardian newspaper took keen note of one of the Commander In Chief's most notable habits--his reading. According to them Mr. Obama is currently reading The Bayou Trilogy by Daniel Woodrell and The Warmth Of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson, along with Roden's Debutante by Ward Just, To The End of the Land by David Grossman, and Cutting For Stone by Araham Vergese on his "presidential" waiting list. Sounds to us like someone should start his own bookclub...