This sounds crazy, but it's true: The Charlotte-Mecklenburg library's Michele Gorman teaches other librarians how to read books.

FICTION

With his fourth novel, “Serena,” Ron Rash has produced a work that should secure his place among not just Southern writers but American novelists.

Just a few years ago, Khaled Hosseini was a physician living a quiet life with his family in California. That changed almost overnight in 2003 with the publication of “The Kite Runner,” the story of two boys living in Afghanistan before the Soviet invasion.

Best-selling authors tend to be busy people. It goes with the turf. Writing books is tough enough, and these days successful authors are expected to be touring celebs, too.