Author: Jamie Canaves

Our Next Catwoman!

The next Batman film has cast its Catwoman: Zoe Kravitz! I’ll be honest, The Batman starring Robert Pattinson wasn’t an adaptation I was paying much attention to until this casting, and now they have my full attention. Learn more here, including the other actresses who tested for the part.

Netflix Wants MOAR Adaptations

Netflix will not only be at the Frankfurt book fair, it’ll be giving its first keynote session there. Honestly I just wanted to share this quote dripping in shade: “The difference with Netflix, Luegenbiehl said, is that it means business when it options a book. She told Deadline: ‘Where we go on a different path is that when we option, we option with an eye toward making it and not so it just sits in option. We love to make great stories.’”

Calling All Animal Lovers!

And Robert Downey Jr. lovers! The newest film based on Hugh Lofting’s 1920’s books starring Doctor Dolittle has a trailer! Watch Downey Jr. and a ton of animals–voiced by a ton of great actors–in the Dolittle trailer here.

Hiking The Appalachian Trail To Raise Library Funds

The Dorcas Library in Maine is only able to open for 24 hours every week due to lack of funding, so the library director Faith Lane has come up with a plan: hike the entire Appalachian Trail to raise funds. While I commend her efforts, I always find stories like these frustrating because all public libraries should be properly funded for the community. You can check out all the details here.

Read, Then Watch

Or watch, then read–whichever order you prefer. The New York Public Library has put together a great list of author’s books and their Ted Talks. I don’t know about you but I find Mondays to be a perfect day to watch some inspirational, smart, interesting videos and to make my TBR stack even higher. It’s gotta reach the sky!

Fun!

Haworth, known as the home to the Brontë sisters, held a two-day steampunk festival and the attendees sure know how to dress for an event! Check out the amazing costumes, tea duelling(!), and learn more about the science fiction subgenre here.

Fairy Godmother Billy Porter–Yes, Please!

The Hollywood Reporter dropped a hot exclusive that Billy Porter (Pose–and the most fabulous dressed on every red carpet) is in talks to play the fairy godmother in Sony’s musical Cinderella. Bring me all the wish-granting Genie’s I want this to be true so bad! You can read what is known so far here.

Cecile Richards’ Young Readers Edition

Cecile Richards, former president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America and of the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, wrote a memoir and call to action that is now being adapted for a younger audience. Make Trouble–adult and young reader edition—talks about her upbringing, career, and encourages readers to look at their own lives. You can read on here for more about the books, Richards, and how young activists’ enthusiasm inspired her to create the edition for younger readers. I’m obsessed with the cover design on the young reader edition.

A Wintry Adaptation

Let It Snow: Three Holiday Romances by John Green, Lauren Myracle, Maureen Johnson got the film adaptation treatment by Netflix. The YA romance will be streaming November 8th and you can check out the adorable poster here.

Author Sneakily Changes Book Cover

Self-published author Mike Monteiro has his book, Ruined by Design, up for sale on Amazon and realized that he could change the cover art of the book after it had uploaded. So he did. It now urges Amazon employees to unionize: “ATTENTION AMAZON WORKERS: You have the right to decent working conditions. You have the right to bargain collectively. You have the right to form a union.” And Amazon doesn’t plan to remove it.

Flint, Michigan Names Its First Poet Laureate

All the congratulations to Semaj Brown, Flint’s first poet laureate! Pamela Pugh, Flint’s Chief Public Health Advisor: “Brown will work in conjunction with the city’s public health department, recognizing literature and literacy to be an integral component of a healthy vibrant society.”

Wayne Brady’s New Gig

Wayne Brady, who you know from TV’s Let’s Make a Deal and Whose Line Is It Anyway? and Broadway’s Kinky Boots and Hamilton, will be joining the superhero world! He’ll be the Gravedigger on CW’s adaptation of the comic Black Lightning. You can look forward to seeing him as the superhuman fighting machine (of course blame secret lab experimenting) in early 2020.

Driver On The Bus Says “Read, Read, Read”

Now that I’ve gotten the Wheels On The Bus stuck in your head, thus out of mine, here’s a great initiative: “Books on Bus.” In hopes of promoting literacy Todd Elementary School will place a bag with at least 20 books on each of their nine buses for kids to select a book to read upon boarding and hand back before getting off. Read more here.

Sad And Scary

Author Jennine Capó Crucet spoke at a planned event to students at Georgia Southern University where her novel Make Your Home Among Strangers was required reading in some classes. Speaking from experience as a Cuban American woman, and a major point of her writing, she spoke about navigating in white spaces. This led some students who believed the topic of white privilege to be an attack on white people to angrily respond during the Q&A, which then led to students burning her books. May these students find the sense to realize they proved Capó Crucet’s point and ultimately made their campus feel less safe and inviting to students of color and marginalized voices.

This Sounds Amazing!

And publishing seems to think so too because there was a 12-bidder auction that is rumored to have ended in the seven figures for The Firekeeper’s Daughter. The novel is written by Angeline Boulley, an enrolled member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, and focuses on a mixed heritage woman who witnesses a murder and “is forced to choose between saving those she loves, helping the FBI, and protecting the tribal community.” I want to read this right now!

Tiny Library Toolkit

For anyone with minimal space wanting to install a library and services using an upcycled shipping container, the Meridian (Idaho) Library District has created a Tiny Library Toolkit. You can get all the info here, and I’ll await someone to create a tiny house type show about building these across the country, thank you very much.

This Cover!

Elizabeth Acevedo (The Poet X; With the Fire On High) revealed the cover image for her upcoming book Clap When You Land and I am sorry but there are no heart-eye emoji’s left in the world because they have all congregated around this cover. You can see it, and read about the book (I’m going to cry!) and Acevedo here.

The President Is Missing Adaptation

I will skip all very obvious jokes–the book that Bill Clinton and James Patterson coauthored, The President Is Missing, is being developed into a Showtime show and we have our lead: David Oyelowo will play the Vice President who becomes President. You can read all the details here.

Rihanna Announces Visual Autobiography

Rihanna has announced a visual autobiography that will be 1,000+ images of her living her life. So basically just one gorgeous page after another. And now she can add published author to her forever unrolling resume. Rihanna will publish on October 24th and you can see some of the 500 pages in her video preview and learn about the three limited editions here.

50 New Literary Recordings Now Available to Stream Online

Keeping up a recent tradition, the Archive of Hispanic Literature on Tape (AHLOT) has 50 new literary recordings available online in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month. The collection, which has almost 800 recordings, is comprised of “audio recordings of poets and writers from Latin America, the Iberian Peninsula, the Caribbean, and the LatinX community in the United States reading from their works.” Check out this amazing collection here.

PLA Encourages ACA Enrollment

Open enrollment for the 2020 Affordable Care Act (ACA) Health Insurance Marketplace will begin November 1st and the Public Library Association has announced it will award $500 mini-grants to 57 public libraries in the U.S. to help librarians assist patrons and community members in learning about it and enrolling. You can check out the list of libraries here.

Library’s Most Stolen Book

I love these stories–no, I don’t support stealing, and no one should do this. It’s just always interesting to see what and why for a specific community. And in Buncombe County, North Carolina it seems that the most stolen book from public libraries is the 1996 book Haunted Asheville by Joshua P. Warren. Check out how many missing copies there are and the book details here. Now stop stealing from libraries, people!

The Little Mermaid Live!

ABC released a “meet the cast” video for their upcoming The Little Mermaid Live and I don’t want to spoil the chef which was a reveal for me so watch the 30 second video here. Half of this looks beautiful and the other half totally ridiculous and I think they may have just sold me on watching on November 5th.

If You Like To Vote!

The 2019 Not the Booker prize is down to its shortlist and you can vote to help select the winning novel. You can check out the six choices, learn more about the award, and vote by leaving your choice in the comments here.