The Open Road Blog

Today marks the ebook release of six notable works of fiction from American novelist and short story writer Laura Z. Hobson. Described in The New York Times as a “zesty woman who grappled with painful, suppressed subjects before their time,” Hobson is best known for her novels Gentleman’s Agreement, a landmark novel that ranked #1 on the New York Times bestseller list for five months straight, and Consenting Adult, about a mother coming to terms with her son’s sexuality.

The following books are now available for digital readers: Gentleman’s Agreement, the million-copy bestseller about a journalist who ...

Open Road Media announces the ebook publication of eight titles by Leon Uris, a writer known for his riveting accounts of modern historical events. An ex-Marine who served valiantly in World War II’s Pacific Theater, Uris was particularly fascinated by armed conflicts. With his blockbuster novel Exodus, he presented a sweeping, fictionalized narrative about the founding of the modern state of Israel. Based on years of research, including thousands of in-depth interviews, the novel quickly became a national bestseller, catapulting Israel to the forefront of the American public’s consciousness. This groundbreaking novel, hailed as a “passionate summary of the ...

In this week’s archival photo, author Erskine Caldwell leans on a sign that alludes to his most famous novel, Tobacco Road. Later adapted to a play, the show ran for nearly eight years, earning Caldwell a hefty sum in royalties. Caldwell will forever be associated with the vast tobacco regions of the American South, which are also known as Tobacco Road.

Caldwell was raised as a child of the South. His family lived in a number of southern cities and rural areas, places that would later help frame his writing. A devout preacher, Caldwell’s father instilled in his son ...

Good news if you’re based in California: there are lots of fantastic upcoming events and opportunities to meet Dr. Ying-Ying Chang, the author of the newly released memoir, The Woman Who Could Not Forget.

The Woman Who Could Not Forget is a moving and illuminating work about the life of world-famous author and historian, Iris Chang, as told by her mother. The Rape of Nanking, Iris Chang’s bestselling book, forever changed the way we view WWII in Asia. Now, Dr. Ying-Ying Chang provides an enlightened and nuanced look at her daughter, cementing Iris’ legacy as one of the ...

Via Boing Boing, I found and enjoyed General Electric's Instagram feed. It's a visual guide of artistic photos inside their technology, research and history.—Lauren

These are some of the cutest images I've seen in a long time. Check out photos from the National Spelling Bee ("the nation's largest and longest-running educational promotion") over on The Atlantic today. Also, learn the definition of C-Y-M-O-T-R-I-C-H-O-U-S.—Laura

The New York Public Library has gone the extra mile with their new app (to be an ongoing series) released on Tuesday, May 31. The first "issue" of their iPad app, NYPL Biblion, focuses on the ...