Author: Jamie Canaves

The Booker Shortlist Announced

The Booker Prize announced its shortlist and we have a lot of debuts, Americans, and finally diversity. Out of the six finalists, four are debut authors (The New Wilderness by Diane Cook; Burnt Sugar by Avni Doshi; Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart; Real Life by Brandon Taylor); all authors are either from the U.S. or have dual citizenship with the U.S. except for Tsitsi Dangarembga, who’s shortlisted for the novel This Mournable Body; and the first Ethiopian writer to make the shortlist is Maaza Mengiste for The Shadow King. “’No one wins the Booker prize because of who they are. A book wins because of what it does,’ said Gaby Wood, literary director of the Booker Prize Foundation.”

3-Year-Old Rubik’s Cube Solver Star Of New Book

Khalil Johnson is known as the boy genius who, at the age of three, was solving the Rubik’s Cube. Now he has his own book, Oh Khalil: and the color block bandit, which follows Khalil and his adventures to help children learn and use their imaginations. “Khalil’s journey throughout the book helps readers shape their sense of adventure, tap into their creativity, sharpen their problem-solving skills while unpacking the book’s mystery.”

Ant-Man 3 Gets Lovecraft Country Actor

If you’re currently obsessed with the Lovecraft Country series (Matt Ruff adaptation) then you’ll be thrilled to hear the actor Jonathan Majors has just been cast in Ant-Man 3–and if you are just learning about AM3, congrats, you got double great news. The rumor is that Majors will play the time-traveling villain Kang the Conqueror. Exciting!

And Now Something Fun!

It’s almost Halloween! Pick out your favorite candies in this quiz and we’ll put a horror book in your trick or treat bag.

Crime Author Ann Cleeves Funds Bibliotherapy Service

British crime author Ann Cleeves (Shetland Island series) will fund two “bibliotherapists” in order to help people with mental health issues or chronic pain find books that may help. “General practitioners, nurses and other primary care professionals will be able to refer people to bibliotherapy if they are struggling with chronic pain, anxiety, stress, depression or loneliness.” Cleeves explains her own past need for the service.

Doom Patrol Renewed For Season 3 With New Home

DC Universe adapted Doom Patrol, the superhero team originally created by Arnold Drake and Bob Haney, into a series starring Diane Guerrero, Matt Bomer, Joivan Wade, and Brendan Fraser for their web television streaming service. The second season then streamed on DC Universe but also joined HBO Max’s service. Now we will get a third season, as it was just renewed, but it will only stream on HBO Max in 2021.

Discovered Manuscripts Challenge Oldest Anatomical Texts

According to a new study published by Vivien Shaw, Isabelle Winder and Rui Diogo, in The Anatomical Record, an ancient manuscript discovered in a tomb may be the world’s oldest anatomical text. The Mawangdui manuscripts were written on silk and placed in Chancellor Li Cang’s tomb in 168 BCE. “The Mawangdui texts organize the body into eleven pathways, each of which has particular kinds of disease associated with it.”

What Made Black And Blue Pens Standard? A Colorful Look at Ink

Taking a look at ink, one of the tools we use to write and preserve words, and how the ink colors we choose affect us.

Publisher Sues Lindsay Lohan

In 2014 Lindsay Lohan made a deal with HarperCollins to write a book and was paid a $365,000 advance. Now, in 2020, there is still no book and HarperCollins wants their advance back and has filed a lawsuit. According to the suit, Lohan was given pushed back dates for publications and has had since 2018, when HC finally cancelled the contract, to return the money.

Teacher Removes 2 Books About Black Boys From Reading List

Signal Mountain Middle-High School sent out a required reading list that had two award-winning books about Black boys on the list: All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely, and Monster by Walter Dean Myers. Recently, the 7th grade literature teacher emailed parents stating they were removing the two books from the list, claiming they were doing so for the purpose of “safe classroom community” because “both books contain mature content that not every student will be comfortable reading.” Specifics were not given other than the books have mature language and content.

National Library in Wellington Is Culling Foreign Books

The National Library in Wellington announced in a promotional video that the library’s 600,000 “foreign books” (including almost 2,200 first editions) would be culled (rehomed) to make room for New Zealand works. Many are upset by the decision, but head librarian Bill Macnaught argues that “no other library outside of New Zealand is going to collect all the stories of New Zealand, that’s our job at the National Library, we’re going to make more room for the New Zealand, Māori and Pacific collection.”

Walter Mosley To Receive NBF Lifetime Achievement Award

Walter Mosley, a prolific author who writes in basically every genre, will be honored with the 2020 Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters by the National Book Foundation. You probably know him for his debut detective novel, Devil in A Blue Dress, which launched his career and was adapted into a film starring Denzel Washington, Don Cheadle, and Jennifer Beals. If you’ve yet to discover Mosley’s writing, here’s a Reading Pathways.

The Black Women’s Suffrage Digital Collection

Thanks to a collaborative project, we now have digital access to items like photographs, correspondence, and speeches showing Black women’s roles and experiences in activism, including the Suffrage Movement, from the 1850s to 1960.

Warcross Will Be Adapted Into A TV Series

Warcross by Marie Lu–about a hacker who accidentally glitches herself into a virtual game–will be adapted into a television series. Producer Bruna Papandrea: “…Warcross immersed me on a such an engaging journey. This is going to be a very fun and visually dynamic show to create.”

How the Black Lives Matter Protests Impacted Book Media

What impact have Black Lives Matter movements in 2020 and prior had on book media?

HBO Max Is Adapting The Westing Game

Is Ellen Raskin’s The Westing Game the mystery book you hold up all other mystery reads to? Good news (depending on how you feel about adaptations): HBO Max is working on a series adaptation. It’s not the first adaptation of the Newbery Medal winning novel; the Showtime film version in the ’90s changed the plot a lot and fans were not thrilled– so here’s hoping this one nails the landing.

Roadside Poems Around The U.S.

Senryu poems follow the three line 5, 7, 5 syllable pattern of a Haiku, but unlike the Haiku, which are generally about nature, the Senryu focuses on human nature and can be humorous. And I tell you this because Senryu poems are popping up on road signs all over the U.S., which is just delightful!

PRH Report on Diversity Proves What We Know

One of the largest publishers, Penguin Random House, released an internal report on workforce demographics that shows, even with its increase in hiring African American, Hispanic, and Asian employees, its workforce is still very much white. Specifically 80% of its warehouse staff is white and 78% of its non-warehouse staff is white. “…U.S. CEO Madeline McIntosh, said, ‘I don’t think any of us is likely to be surprised by the data, which show that our company, like our industry, is far too homogeneous. But seeing what we generally know to be true documented this way is hard: the distance we have to travel to become a truly diverse company feels all the more daunting when you look at the numbers.’”

Do You Need a Library Science Degree to Work in a Library?

Want to work in a library without an MLS degree? Here’s how.

Oprah’s Apple Book Club Gets Podcast

Oprah’s Book Club, which has an Apple TV+ series, now has a podcast. The eight-part miniseries will be about Caste: The Origins of Our Discontent by Isabel Wilkerson. It will release new episodes twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Trump Downplayed COVID-19 Danger According To Bob Woodward’s New Book & Recordings

Investigative journalist Bob Woodward’s new book, Rage, releases next week and CNN has gotten hold of a copy along with recordings from Woodward’s interviews with Trump. One of the major revelations is that Trump knew “that the coronavirus was maybe five times ‘more deadly’ than the flu” even when he was addressing the nation to say it was “going to disappear.”

Derry Girls Book In Time For Holidays

If you need more Orla, Clare, Michelle, and Erin in your life, great news: Erin’s Diary: An Official Derry Girls Handbook will release in UK stores this November. It looks like the ebook and audiobook will also release in the US in November, while the hardcover will be in the US on April 21, 2021.

What Happens to Books Left Behind?

What actually happens to the books left behind, whether deliberately or inadvertently, by unfaithful readers?

Sales Boom For I HATE MEN After Ban Threat In France

Special adviser to France’s ministry for gender equality, Ralph Zurmély, took issue with Pauline Harmange’s Moi les hommes, je les déteste (I Hate Men) and asked the publisher to pull the book, threatening criminal prosecution for inciting hatred based on gender. “A state official who has a power crisis facing an 80-page book released in 400 copies, I find that very problematic,” said the author—and the release is no longer just 400 copies. The media coverage over the ban threat led to the sale of almost 2,500 copies and a larger publisher (unnamed at the moment) will take over the title.

Dublin Literary Award Shortlist

The 2020 International Dublin Literary Award has announced its 10 novel shortlist featuring authors from all over the world. The list includes one Irish novel (Milkman by Anna Burns); three novels in translation (Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk, Antonia Lloyd-Jones; History of Violence by Édouard Louis, Lorin Stein; Disoriental by Négar Djavadi, Tina Kover); and three works from the U.S. (There There by Tommy Orange; The Friend by Sigrid Nunez; An American Marriage by Tayari Jones). The winner will be announced on October 22nd and will receive €100,000 from the Dublin City Council.

Recapping Independent Bookstore Day

This year’s Independent Bookstore Day was moved from April 25th to August 29th because of the pandemic. Like all things in the pandemic, it underwent many changes for safety reasons; here’s a recap of how bookstores got creative for the book lovers in their community.

What is Gothic Horror? 18 Examples of the Genre

A gothic horror story should fill you with unease in its quieter passages and full-on dread at other times. Here are the best examples, including Crimson Peak by Nancy Holder and Guillermo del Toro.

Author & Organizer Of Occupy Wall Street Has Died

David Graeber–anthropologist, author, and one of the organizers of the Occupy Wall Street movement–passed away in Venice at age 59. While known for the Occupy Wall Street movement, he also wrote Debt: The First 5,000 Years, Bullshit Jobs and other accessible economic justice books. “While Graeber is often credited with the slogan ‘We are the 99%,’ he said on his website it was a communal effort. ‘I did first suggest that we call ourselves ‘the 99%,’ he wrote. ‘Then two Spanish indignados and a Greek anarchist added the ‘we’ and later a food-not-bombs veteran put the `are’ between them. And they say you can’t create something worthwhile by committee!'”

Graphic Novel Inspired by African Mythology

Here’s a fantasy comic that got funded on Kickstarter which sounds awesome! Nani Vol 1 will be getting it’s followup Nani Vol 2, which follows two sisters in a magical world inspired by African myths and legends. The artwork is gorgeous! There’s a £15 (About $ 20) pledge that gets you digital Vol 1 and Vol 2 of Nani, plus your name in the “thank you” section.

Young Son Inspired Parents’ Pop-Up Bookstore

At age eight, Langston Miller was already creating his books and planning their sales, which led to a trip to the bookstore with his mom that resulted in a heartbreaking conclusion: finding Black boys like him in children’s books was not an easy challenge. Now his parents, Victoria Scott-Miller and Duane Miller, run an independent pop-up bookstore, Liberation Station, selling children’s books where Black kids are featured front and center. Because of the pandemic, the mobile part has become an online curated selection of 500 books.