"The Black Box" debuts at top of U.S. bestseller list

NEW YORK (Reuters) - "The Black Box" debuted at the top of the Publishers Weekly's bestseller list on Thursday.The list is compiled using data from independent and chain bookstores, book wholesalers and independent distributors nationwide.Hardcover Fiction Last Week1. "The Black Box" by Michael Connelly (Little, Brown, $27.99) -2. "Notorious Nineteen" by Janet Evanovich (Bantam, $28.00) 13. "Cold...

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Father's shadow looms over Australian billionaire's book launch

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australian mining magnate Gina Rinehart, one of the world's wealthiest people, has displayed a trait rarely revealed publicly among the super-rich: insecurity.Rinehart's first book was eagerly awaited by an Australian public enthralled and sometimes appalled by her story of big business, family feuds and almost unimaginable wealth.But the 58-year-old widow with a fortune estimated...

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Jackson's Hobbit: the journey begins

WELLINGTON (Reuters) - Film maker Peter Jackson wants to scare children with his latest movie - and perhaps even a few grown ups.The first of the Hobbit movie trilogy - "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" - is about to hit theatres, and Jackson says he's tried to hold true to its roots as a children's fantasy story, with scary bits."If they're scared of the trolls great, if they're scared of the goblins...

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Book Talk: Writer completes Churchill bio for late friend

NEW YORK (Reuters) - In the late 1990s, Paul Reid, then a journalist with The Palm Beach Post, became close friends with acclaimed author and historian William Manchester after covering a reunion of Manchester's Marine friends from World War Two.Manchester was struggling to get the third and final volume of his Winston Churchill biography off the ground. The first two installments, released in the...

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World Chefs: Keller shares memories, spotlight in latest book

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Thomas Keller, one of America's most respected chefs, shares the food memories of his childhood and his time in France in his new book "Bouchon Bakery," which is also the name of his chain of pastry shops in the United States.Keller is the only American chef who owns two three-Michelin-star restaurants - Per Se in New York City and The French Laundry in the Napa Valley wine region...

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Uncle Sam to Start Tracking Tobacco Use in Movies Aimed at Kids

Federal health authorities said Friday they will begin monitoring how well movie studios are doing to reduce depictions of smoking and other tobacco use in youth-rated movies.Authorities at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's Office on Smoking and Health said that voluntary efforts by movie studios to reduce tobacco use in youth-rated movies have been unimpressive. Data on tobacco use...

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Study tentatively links flu in pregnancy and autism

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Kids whose mothers had the flu while pregnant were slightly more likely to be diagnosed with "infantile autism" before age three in a new Danish study. But the children's overall risk for the developmental disorder was not higher than that of other kids.Researchers said it's possible that activation of a mother's immune system - such as by infection with the influenza...

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Nesquik Recall Q and A: Are Your Kids Safe?

 Nestlé announced late last week a recall of Nesquik for possible Salmonella contamination. Promoted by the Nesquik Bunny, the chocolate milk flavoring is consumed primarily by children. Here's what you need to know to make sure your kids are safe from this Salmonella risk.How Do I Know If My Nesquik Is Part of the Recall?The Nesquik recall covers only chocolate powder in 10.9, 21.8 and 40.7...

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Kids with Down syndrome twice as likely to be heavy

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - More than one in four children with Down syndrome in The Netherlands is overweight, a rate double that of Dutch youth without the developmental disability, according to a new study."We were alarmed by the high prevalence of overweight in children with Down syndrome," said Dr. Helma van Gameren-Oosterom, the lead author of the study from the Netherlands Organization for...

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A Good Reason -- Pregnancy, Your Dog, Money, Anything -- is Key to Quitting Smoking

 FIRST PERSON | I remember when I quit smoking one weekend. It was a Saturday night and I was pre-gaming with some friends before going out. Someone suggested taking a smoke break, and I went along to be with the crowd. Last thing I remember was having a great time, surrounded by secondhand smoke  from cigarettes and Black & Milds. Then I woke up the next morning with a fresh pack of...

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