a-777 By HILLEL ITALIE NEW YORK (AP) — Even through a year of nonstop news about elections, climate change, protests and the price of eggs, there was still time to read books. Related Articles Books | Wonder and joy at the light that breaks the dark: more holiday books for younger readers Books | Right on time for holiday shopping: big names in new bestselling books Books | In bestsellers for young readers, ways to stay occupied on winter break Books | Percival Everett, 2024 National Book Award winner, rereads one book often Books | Gift books for 2024: What to give, and what to receive, for all kinds of readers U.S. sales held steady according to Circana, which tracks around 85% of the print market, with many choosing the relief of romance, fantasy and romantasy. Some picked up Taylor Swift’s tie-in book to her blockbuster tour, while others sought out literary fiction, celebrity memoirs, political exposes and a close and painful look at a generation hooked on smartphones. Here are 10 notable books published in 2024, in no particular order. Asking about the year’s hottest reads would basically yield a list of the biggest hits in romantasy, the blend of fantasy and romance that has proved so irresistible fans were snapping up expensive “special editions” with decorative covers and sprayed edges. Of the 25 top sellers of 2024, as compiled by Circana, six were by romantasy favorite Sarah J. Maas, including “House of Flame and Shadow,” the third of her “Crescent City” series. Millions read her latest installment about Bryce Quinlan and Hunter Athalar and traced the ever-growing ties of “Maasverse,” the overlapping worlds of “Crescent City” and her other series, “Throne of Glass” and “A Court of Thorns and Roses.” If romantasy is for escape, other books demand we confront. In the bestselling “The Anxious Generation,” social psychologist Jonathan Haidt looks into studies finding that the mental health of young people began to deteriorate in the 2010s, after decades of progress. According to Haidt, the main culprit is right before us: digital screens that have drawn kids away from “play-based” to “phone-based” childhoods. Although some critics challenged his findings, “The Anxious Generation” became a talking point and a catchphrase. Admirers ranged from Oprah Winfrey to Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee, who in a letter to state legislators advocated such “commonsense recommendations” from the book as banning phones in schools and keeping kids off social media until age 16. Bob Woodward books have been an election tradition for decades. “War,” the latest of his highly sourced Washington insider accounts, made news with its allegations that Donald Trump had been in frequent contact with Russian leader Vladimir Putin even while out of office and, while president, had sent Putin sophisticated COVID-19 test machines. Among Woodward’s other scoops: Putin seriously considered using nuclear weapons against Ukraine, and President Joe Biden blamed former President Barack Obama, under whom he served as vice president, for some of the problems with Russia. “Barack never took Putin seriously,” Woodward quoted Biden as saying. Former (and future) first lady Melania Trump, who gives few interviews and rarely discusses her private life, unexpectedly announced she was publishing a memoir: “Melania.” The publisher was unlikely for a former first lady — not one of the major New York houses, but Skyhorse, where authors include such controversial public figures as Woody Allen and Trump cabinet nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr. And its success was at least a minor surprise. Melania Trump did little publicity for the book, and offered few revelations beyond posting a video expressing support for abortion rights — a break from one of the cornerstones of GOP policy. But “Melania” still sold hundreds of thousands of copies, many in the days following her husband’s election. Taylor Swift was more than a music story in 2024. Like “Melania,” the news about Taylor Swift’s self-published tie-in to her global tour isn’t so much the book itself, but that it exists. And how well it sold. As she did with the “Eras” concert film, Swift bypassed the established industry and worked directly with a distributor: Target offered “The Eras Tour Book” exclusively. According to Circana, the “Eras” book sold more than 800,000 copies just in its opening week, an astonishing number for a publication unavailable through Amazon.com and other traditional retailers. No new book in 2024 had a better debut. Midnight book parties are supposed to be for “Harry Potter” and other fantasy series, but this fall, more than 100 stores stayed open late to welcome one of the year’s literary events: Sally Rooney’s “Intermezzo.” The Irish author’s fourth novel centers on two brothers, their grief over the death of their father, their very different career paths and their very unsettled love lives. “Intermezzo” was also a book about chess: “You have to read a lot of opening theory — that’s the beginning of a game, the first moves,” one of the brothers explains. “And you’re learning all this for what? Just to get an okay position in the middle game and try to play some decent chess. Which most of the time I can’t do anyway.” Lisa Marie Presley had been working on a memoir at the time of her death , in 2023, and daughter Riley Keough had agreed to help her complete it. “From Here to the Great Unknown” is Lisa Marie’s account of her father, Elvis Presley, and the sagas of of her adult life, notably her marriage to Michael Jackson and the death of son Benjamin Keough. To the end, she was haunted by the loss of Elvis, just 42 when he collapsed and died at his Graceland home while young Lisa Marie was asleep. “She would listen to his music alone, if she was drunk, and cry,” Keough, during an interview with Winfrey, said of her mother. Meanwhile, Cher released the first of two planned memoirs titled “Cher” — no further introduction required. Covering her life from birth to the end of the 1970s, she focuses on her ill-fated marriage to Sonny Bono, remembering him as a gifted entertainer and businessman who helped her believe in herself while turning out to be unfaithful, erratic, controlling and so greedy that he kept all the couple’s earnings for himself. Unsure of whether to leave or stay, she consulted a very famous divorcee, Lucille Ball, who reportedly encouraged her: “F— him, you’re the one with the talent.” A trend in recent years is to take famous novels from the past, and remove words or passages that might offend modern readers; an edition of “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” cuts the racist language from Mark Twain’s original text. In the most celebrated literary work of 2024, Percival Everett found a different way to take on Twain’s classic — write it from the perspective of the enslaved Jim. “James,” winner of the National Book Award, is a recasting in many ways. Everett suggests to us that the real Jim was nothing like the deferential figure known to millions of readers, but a savvy and learned man who concealed his intelligence from the whites around him, and even from Twain himself. Salman Rushdie’s first National Book Award nomination was for a memoir he wished he had no reason to write. In “Knife,” he recounts in full detail the horrifying attempt on his life in 2022, when an attendee rushed the stage during a literary event in western New York and stabbed him repeatedly, leaving with him a blinded eye and lasting nerve damage, but with a spirit surprisingly intact. “If you had told me that this was going to happen and how would I deal with it, I would not have been very optimistic about my chances,” he told The Associated Press last spring. “I’m still myself, you know, and I don’t feel other than myself. But there’s a little iron in the soul, I think.”Why Growth of AI Poses Risk to Environment?

With unwavering allure, China remains top-notch choice for global investorsKelly Clarkson was glowing over the festive season as she showcased a multitude of fun holiday outfits on her talk show, but one frock made her look like the Queen of Christmas herself. The official Kelly Clarkson Show Instagram account posted a slew of Kelly's holiday looks over the festive season, asking fans to vote for their favorite ensemble. There was one clear frontrunner amongst her supporters: a stunning bright red mini dress with a keyhole cutout and puffed short sleeves, featuring star-like metallic embellishments to add a festive touch. Kelly Clarkson highlights miniscule waist in leather skirt and platform heels Kelly Clarkson shares insight into strained relationship with ex Brandon Blackstock in telling video Kelly Clarkson rocks fitted denim jumpsuit as she showcases trim physique The "Breakaway" singer paired the dress with metallic high-heeled sandals, adding elegance to the look. Simple jewelry and a natural hairstyle with bangs kept the focus on the bold, holiday-inspired ensemble. She looked better than ever in the sweet frock, showcasing her slim physique and toned legs in the outfit. Fans flocked to the comments to praise Kelly's style, with one gushing that "the red mini was just beautiful" while another wrote, "I love the short red one with the puff sleeves. Very cute." The host also stepped out in a slew of incredible looks over the holiday period, like an off-the-shoulder red gown which made her look like a 50s dream, and a show stopping red outfit featuring tailored red trousers and a long-sleeved sequined top that showcased her long legs. The mother of two looks radiant two years after her divorce from ex-husband Brandon Blackstock was finalized. The pair have been locked in a lengthy legal battle since their split in 2020 after Brandon sued Kelly for allegedly breaching their agreement when he was her manager. They share kids River, ten, and Remy, eight. While the Christmas queen geared up for the holidays with her hit single "Underneath the Tree" rising to No. 10 in the charts, she made a sly comment about her holiday plans with a video ahead of her new album release. The visualizer for her When Christmas Comes Around...Again album sees four stockings hanging over the fireplace, with the names reading, "Mom", "River", "Remy", and "Nope". This appears to exclude Brandon from her family's Christmas plans in light of their bitter legal battle. The mom of two got candid about the difficulties of dating with young kids in an interview on KOST 103.5 in November. "They constantly bring it up, 'Please, we don't want you with anybody else.' They're young. It's hard to picture their mom with someone else other than their dad. " " I have expressed like, 'Hey, I love you guys but Mommy needs lovings too, '" she said, before adding that she was not looking to settle down anytime soon. "I've got a lot on my plate. I'm a magnet for people who are really all-in right off the bat, " she continued. "It's not that I'm the type to go and kiss a bunch of people, I just don't - I'm very noncommittal at the moment."HOUSTON (AP) — HOUSTON (AP) — Quanex Building Products Corp. (NX) on Thursday reported a loss of $13.9 million in its fiscal fourth quarter. The Houston-based company said it had a loss of 30 cents per share. Earnings, adjusted for non-recurring costs, came to 61 cents per share. The housing materials maker posted revenue of $492.2 million in the period. For the year, the company reported profit of $33.1 million, or 90 cents per share. Revenue was reported as $1.28 billion. This story was generated by Automated Insights ( http://automatedinsights.com/ap ) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on NX at https://www.zacks.com/ap/NX

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Viral Ring Girl Sydney Thomas Bombarded With Business Offers After Paul Vs. TysonA partnership to grow Rwanda’s green economyFBI Director Christopher Wray announced he will resign in advance of President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration — meaning he will depart from the bureau about three years before his term ends. Wray’s decision, which was revealed on Dec. 11, came shortly after Trump nominated Kash Patel — a strong supporter of his — to lead the FBI. “In my view, this is the best way to avoid dragging the bureau deeper into the fray, while reinforcing the values and principles that are so important to how we do our work,” Wray, who was nominated by Trump in 2017, told his colleagues, according to The Associated Press. Trump celebrated the move, writing in a post on Truth Social that Wray’s resignation “is a great day for America as it will end the Weaponization of what has become known as the United States Department of Injustice.” Amid these developments, here is what to know about FBI directors and their tenureships. Who appoints the FBI director? During the early years of the FBI, the attorney general was charged with choosing the bureau’s director, who was not constrained by term limits . However, in 1968, Congress passed a law establishing that the president would appoint the director, who would require Senate confirmation. “By that point the FBI was considered important enough to warrant an executive appointment,” Douglas Charles, a history professor at Pennsylvania State University Greater Allegheny, who researches the FBI, told McClatchy News. “Before then, attorneys general hired and fired them.” How long is the FBI director’s term? In 1976, Congress passed a law permitting the FBI director to serve one 10-year term. The law “stemmed directly from the fact that J. Edgar Hoover was entrenched as director for 48 years,” Charles said. Hoover led the intelligence agency from 1924 to 1972 , during which time he amassed significant powers, he said. As a result, the law sought to prohibit anyone else from following in his footsteps. Hoover wasn’t the only impetus for the term limit, though. “This law came, as well, in the wake of Watergate where President Nixon tried to have his own man, his own lackey, L. Patrick Gray, become FBI director,” Charles said. So, the law “sought to isolate the FBI from White House political influence.” Do most directors stay on for 10 years? There have been 12 directors — including acting directors — since the 10-year term limit was established, and nearly all of them left office before their term ended, according to FBI records. For example, Clarence Kelley , who was nominated by Nixon, led the agency for about five years between 1973 and 1978. Similarly, Louis Freeh , who was nominated by President Bill Clinton, helmed the agency for about eight years between 1993 and 2001. The only director to stay on for a full term was Robert Mueller , who was in office for 12 years. President George W. Bush nominated Mueller to head the FBI in 2001, and in 2011, before his term ended, President Barack Obama asked Congress to pass legislation extending his term for two more years — which it did. “The United States faces ongoing threats from terrorists intent on attacking us both at home and abroad, and it is crucial that the FBI have sustained, strong leadership to confront that threat,” Attorney General Eric Holder said at the time. “There is no better person for that job than Bob Mueller.” More politics news → How does Senate confirmation process work? What to know as Trump makes Cabinet picks → Trump to return to White House after 4 years. Only one past president has done that → How did LGBT Americans vote in election? Exit poll finds significant shift from 2020 Have any FBI directors been fired? “Only two FBI directors were outright fired,” Charles said. The first was William Sessions, whom Clinton dismissed in 1993 after learning the director had been accused of misusing FBI resources. Specifically, he had been accused of using a government airplane for personal reasons, installing a fence around his house using government funds and failing to pay taxes on an FBI limousine, according to ABC News. Twenty-four years later, in 2017, Trump fired FBI Director James Comey amid a bureau investigation into whether Trump’s campaign had colluded with the Russian government. At the time, Trump said Comey’s ouster was required to bring back “public trust and confidence” in the FBI, according to The Associated Press. “There have been other FBI directors who resigned in the past after improprieties or scandals surfaced,” Charles said. “I call these Washington, D.C., ‘firings’ where they were quietly asked to resign or just stepped aside.” One of these was L. Patrick Gray, who became acting director following the death of Hoover in 1972. He resigned in 1973 after it was disclosed that he had destroyed incriminating White House documents related to the Watergate scandal , according to The Guardian. Gray’s successor, Kelley, also left office early following a scandal. Following the election in 1976, it was revealed that FBI carpenters did construction on his home, costing a total of $355, Charles said. “In the wake of Hoover and Watergate this was seen as a scandal,” he said. “By our standards today it is small potatoes.” President Jimmy Carter, who was inaugurated in 1977, ended up making a deal with Kelley, in which he would step down after one year, Charles said. Who do Americans trust for health information? Poll finds gap between FDA and RFK Jr. Most Americans approve of Trump transition phase, poll finds. What about past presidents? Can Donald Trump actually end birthright citizenship? Legal experts weigh in

Brock Purdy will miss Sunday's game for the 49ers with a shoulder injuryNoneNFL world reacts with excitement, surprise, questions after Bill Belichick is hired to coach UNCBy HILLEL ITALIE NEW YORK (AP) — Even through a year of nonstop news about elections, climate change, protests and the price of eggs, there was still time to read books. U.S. sales held steady according to Circana, which tracks around 85% of the print market, with many choosing the relief of romance, fantasy and romantasy. Some picked up Taylor Swift’s tie-in book to her blockbuster tour, while others sought out literary fiction, celebrity memoirs, political exposes and a close and painful look at a generation hooked on smartphones. Here are 10 notable books published in 2024, in no particular order. “House of Flame and Shadow,” by Sarah J. Maas Asking about the year’s hottest reads would basically yield a list of the biggest hits in romantasy, the blend of fantasy and romance that has proved so irresistible fans were snapping up expensive “special editions” with decorative covers and sprayed edges. Of the 25 top sellers of 2024, as compiled by Circana, six were by romantasy favorite Sarah J. Maas, including “House of Flame and Shadow,” the third of her “Crescent City” series. Millions read her latest installment about Bryce Quinlan and Hunter Athalar and traced the ever-growing ties of “Maasverse,” the overlapping worlds of “Crescent City” and her other series, “Throne of Glass” and “A Court of Thorns and Roses.” “The Anxious Generation,” by Jonathan Haidt If romantasy is for escape, other books demand we confront. In the bestselling “The Anxious Generation,” social psychologist Jonathan Haidt looks into studies finding that the mental health of young people began to deteriorate in the 2010s, after decades of progress. According to Haidt, the main culprit is right before us: digital screens that have drawn kids away from “play-based” to “phone-based” childhoods. Although some critics challenged his findings, “The Anxious Generation” became a talking point and a catchphrase. Admirers ranged from Oprah Winfrey to Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee, who in a letter to state legislators advocated such “commonsense recommendations” from the book as banning phones in schools and keeping kids off social media until age 16. “War,” by Bob Woodward Bob Woodward books have been an election tradition for decades. “War,” the latest of his highly sourced Washington insider accounts, made news with its allegations that Donald Trump had been in frequent contact with Russian leader Vladimir Putin even while out of office and, while president, had sent Putin sophisticated COVID-19 test machines. Among Woodward’s other scoops: Putin seriously considered using nuclear weapons against Ukraine, and President Joe Biden blamed former President Barack Obama, under whom he served as vice president, for some of the problems with Russia. “Barack never took Putin seriously,” Woodward quoted Biden as saying. “Melania,” by Melania Trump Former (and future) first lady Melania Trump, who gives few interviews and rarely discusses her private life, unexpectedly announced she was publishing a memoir: “Melania.” The publisher was unlikely for a former first lady — not one of the major New York houses, but Skyhorse, where authors include such controversial public figures as Woody Allen and Trump cabinet nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr. And its success was at least a minor surprise. Melania Trump did little publicity for the book, and offered few revelations beyond posting a video expressing support for abortion rights — a break from one of the cornerstones of GOP policy. But “Melania” still sold hundreds of thousands of copies, many in the days following her husband’s election. “The Eras Tour Book,” by Taylor Swift Taylor Swift was more than a music story in 2024. Like “Melania,” the news about Taylor Swift’s self-published tie-in to her global tour isn’t so much the book itself, but that it exists. And how well it sold. As she did with the “Eras” concert film, Swift bypassed the established industry and worked directly with a distributor: Target offered “The Eras Tour Book” exclusively. According to Circana, the “Eras” book sold more than 800,000 copies just in its opening week, an astonishing number for a publication unavailable through Amazon.com and other traditional retailers. No new book in 2024 had a better debut. “Intermezzo,” by Sally Rooney Midnight book parties are supposed to be for “Harry Potter” and other fantasy series, but this fall, more than 100 stores stayed open late to welcome one of the year’s literary events: Sally Rooney’s “Intermezzo.” The Irish author’s fourth novel centers on two brothers, their grief over the death of their father, their very different career paths and their very unsettled love lives. “Intermezzo” was also a book about chess: “You have to read a lot of opening theory — that’s the beginning of a game, the first moves,” one of the brothers explains. “And you’re learning all this for what? Just to get an okay position in the middle game and try to play some decent chess. Which most of the time I can’t do anyway.” “From Here to the Great Unknown,” by Lisa Marie Presley and Riley Keough Lisa Marie Presley had been working on a memoir at the time of her death , in 2023, and daughter Riley Keough had agreed to help her complete it. “From Here to the Great Unknown” is Lisa Marie’s account of her father, Elvis Presley, and the sagas of of her adult life, notably her marriage to Michael Jackson and the death of son Benjamin Keough. To the end, she was haunted by the loss of Elvis, just 42 when he collapsed and died at his Graceland home while young Lisa Marie was asleep. “She would listen to his music alone, if she was drunk, and cry,” Keough, during an interview with Winfrey, said of her mother. “Cher: The Memoir, Part One,” by Cher Meanwhile, Cher released the first of two planned memoirs titled “Cher” — no further introduction required. Covering her life from birth to the end of the 1970s, she focuses on her ill-fated marriage to Sonny Bono, remembering him as a gifted entertainer and businessman who helped her believe in herself while turning out to be unfaithful, erratic, controlling and so greedy that he kept all the couple’s earnings for himself. Unsure of whether to leave or stay, she consulted a very famous divorcee, Lucille Ball, who reportedly encouraged her: “F— him, you’re the one with the talent.” “James,” by Percival Everett A trend in recent years is to take famous novels from the past, and remove words or passages that might offend modern readers; an edition of “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” cuts the racist language from Mark Twain’s original text. In the most celebrated literary work of 2024, Percival Everett found a different way to take on Twain’s classic — write it from the perspective of the enslaved Jim. “James,” winner of the National Book Award, is a recasting in many ways. Everett suggests to us that the real Jim was nothing like the deferential figure known to millions of readers, but a savvy and learned man who concealed his intelligence from the whites around him, and even from Twain himself. “Knife,” by Salman Rushdie Salman Rushdie’s first National Book Award nomination was for a memoir he wished he had no reason to write. In “Knife,” he recounts in full detail the horrifying attempt on his life in 2022, when an attendee rushed the stage during a literary event in western New York and stabbed him repeatedly, leaving with him a blinded eye and lasting nerve damage, but with a spirit surprisingly intact. “If you had told me that this was going to happen and how would I deal with it, I would not have been very optimistic about my chances,” he told The Associated Press last spring. “I’m still myself, you know, and I don’t feel other than myself. But there’s a little iron in the soul, I think.”

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