Author: Sharifah Williams

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by Disney Publishing Worldwide.

Romance Novelist Trademarks “Cocky”

This one’s baffling. Faleena Hopkins has been writing to other romance authors whose books use the word “cocky,” telling them she’s been granted the official registered trademark of the word in relation to romance books, and threatening legal action if they don’t change their titles. And the romance community responded. The Romance Writers of America is also on the case with an intellectual property lawyer.

Justin Cronin’s The Passage Gets Series Order

For all of us who, despite the endless nightmares, couldn’t stop reading Justin Cronin’s The Passage series–good news! Fox has given a series order to the adaptation. The TV series is described as an “epic, character‐driven thriller” about a government experiment with a dangerous virus. The story follows young Amy, played by Saniyya Sidney (Hidden Figures), and Brad Wolgast, played by Mark‐Paul Gosselaar (Saved by the Bell–obviously his seminal role).

Parents Are Divided Over Alex Gino’s George

The New York Times wrote about new developments in the story of a district (now two districts) withdrawing from the 2018-2019 Oregon Battle of the Books over the reading list’s inclusion of George. George is Alex Gino’s middle grade book about a transgender child. Parents are divided, but The OBOB is standing by their decision to include the book. Read the full story here.

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This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by Read It Forward Book Recs.

Hamilton: The Exhibition

Chicago gets first crack, lucky ducks. The Hamilton musical writer and creator Lin-Manuel Miranda and his producer Jeffrey Seller are opening “an interactive, immersive, one-of-a-kind, only-in-Chicago attraction designed to tell the story of Alexander Hamilton and the founding of America.” Don’t worry too much about that “only-in-Chicago” part–the exhibition will likely go on tour.

What Happened To FanCon?

If you fell down the rabbit hole of #FanConFallout trying to make sense of what happened to the event poised to be a celebration of marginalized fandom communities, you might want to read this Vulture story. The piece takes us behind the convention collapse so far-reaching and damaging that Roxane Gay accused the organizers of “willful delusion” and “malfeasance,” and LeVar Burton wrote, “I am extremely distressed and disappointed by the sh*t show that #UniversalFanCon has become.”

The Fate of Barnes & Noble

People are talking about Barnes & Noble’s seemingly bleak fate. A New York Times Opinion piece noted that revenue from Nook has fallen more than 85 percent since 2012, physical book sales have plummeted, stores are closing across the country, and staff has been reduced across stores. TechCrunch responded to the Times‘ call for B&N to be saved by posing the question “Why save B&N if writing is doomed?” Which is just…what?

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This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by Gordon: Bark to the Future! by Ashley Spires from Kids Can Press.

Junot Díaz Accused Of Sexual Misconduct

On Twitter, What We Lose author Zinzi Clemmons alleged that author Junot Díaz forcibly kissed her during a workshop on issues of representation in literature. Clemmons added that she’s “far from the only one” he’s done this to. Díaz made a statement through his literary agent in response–not to any specific allegations. He said he takes responsibility for his past actions, and this was why he made the decision to discuss his own history as a victim of sexual abuse in an essay published by The New Yorker last month. Read the full story, and Clemmons’ statement here.

Nobel Prize In Literature Will Not Be Awarded This Year

It has been decided. In light of sexual assault allegations made against an individual who has ties with the Swedish Academy, and the resulting resignations of numerous members of the Academy, the Nobel Prize in Literature will be delayed this year. The winner will be announced and awarded along with the 2019 Prize, instead.

Boy Sells Lemonade To Support Libraries

Here’s a little relief. Five-year-old Ulysses Stoutenburg decided to take action in response to library budget cuts in his local York County. He set up a lemonade stand, handing out free lemonade and asking for donations. The young philanthropist made $98.19.

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This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by Summer Constellations by Alisha Sevigny from KCP Loft.

LGBTQ Book Continues To Be Challenged In School

An Eastern Oregon school district chose to pull out of a statewide reading competition rather than expose their elementary school students to Alex Gino’s book George. George is the story of a child everyone sees as a boy, though George knows she’s a girl. According to the East Oregonian piece on Hermiston’s withdrawal, the district sent a letter to parents stating that the book “was not appropriate for their third- through fifth-grade students, based on their adopted human growth and development curriculum.” In that letter, they did not mention what the book was about.

The First Black Author To Win James Beard Awards’ Book Of The Year

Michael W. Twitty, author of The Cooking Gene, announced that he’s the first black author to win the James Beard Awards’ Book of the Year, and one of only two non-cookbooks to win. A culinary historian, Twitty discusses race through the lens of Southern cuisine, food culture, and his ancestry in his memoir.

Robin Hood Teaser Trailer Drops

The teaser trailer for the upcoming modernized adaptation of the classic tale dropped. Robin Hood, directed by Otto Bathurst, stars Jamie Foxx as Little John and Taron Edgeron as the titular character. The film is out November 21st, and you can watch the teaser here.

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This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by The Cactus by Sarah Haywood.

The Black Women Who Are Changing Romance

The romance genre has recently come under fire for its bleak diversity stats. BuzzFeed’s feature on the black women working to change the genre’s predominantly white narratives was welcome. The piece highlighted some of the movers and shakers at Kensington Publishing Corporation who spoke on the work they’re doing and the challenges of diversifying publishing from the inside.

The Shipping News Author Wins The Library Of Congress Prize For American Fiction

Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden announced that E. Annie Proulx, author of The Shipping News, will receive the Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction. Proulx, who said she was surprised by the news because she writes about “poor people plagued with bad luck” added, “I want to believe the people in my writing will step up with me to receive this award, for they are as real as history.”

Win Big $$ At The Poker Table Or Write The Poker Book? Hmm…

New Yorker writer Maria Konnikova got into poker to write about her experience; now, she’s pushing back the writing of that book to go all in on the game because it turns out she’s really good at it. Konnikova, who came to the game as a complete outsider recently finished second in an Asia Pacific Poker Tour Macau event for $57,519. Sorry, book–you’ll have to wait until summer or fall of 2019.

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This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by Circe by Madeline Miller.

Michelle McNamara’s Golden State Killer Book Gets Docuseries

HBO gave the green light to a docuseries based on Michelle McNamara’s true crime book, I’ll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman’s Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer. The project, which has had a quick turnaround, will be directed by Liz Garbus (What Happened, Miss Simone?). Production is likely in high gear due to the very recent arrest of the Golden State Killer suspect.

Books, Coffee, And Conflict

Mokhtar Alkhanshali, coffee industry entrepreneur and the subject of Dave Eggers’ recent book, The Monk of Mokha, is being taken to court by colleagues, including Alkhanshali’s uncle, who allege that their former Mocha Mill CEO used racketeering to supplant their company with his own. Eggers’ book follows Alkhanshali’s journey to Yemen, his work to bring beans from Mocha Mill to market, and his narrow escape from Yemen’s violent civil war.

The Harper Lee Trial Gets A Court Date

Speaking of lawsuits, who else is enthralled by the legal drama that’s been unfolding between the players in Aaron Sorkin’s (maybe) Broadway-bound stage adaptation of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, and Tonja B. Carter, the lawyer representing Lee’s estate? Well, the request to dismiss the estate’s initial suit has been denied, and a Manhattan Federal District Court Judge said the trial should take place in Alabama. If the case is dismissed there, the parties will convene in a Manhattan courtroom on June 4. For more on the lawsuit, and why we might see a TKAM stage adaptation performed in the courtroom, click here.

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This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by Exit Strategy by Charlton Pettus, new from Hanover Square Press.

Guillermo del Toro’s Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark

Guillermo del Toro’s passion project, an adaptation of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, got financial backing and is go. André Øvredal (The Autopsy of Jane Doe) will direct, and del Toro will co-write and produce. I’m guessing that everyone who remembers the Alvin Schwartz books (and the original illustrations) will either be impatient to see the adaptation, or choose sleep and avoid it like the plague (#teaminsomnia).

Reese Witherspoon’s New Lifestyle Book

She of the popular book club and anticipated Little Fires Everywhere adaptation is penning a book in addition to championing them. Witherspoon said Whiskey in a Teacup is “all about Southern living and my Southern heritage, and how that sort of informs pretty much everything I do, from what I eat, to how I decorate, to how I celebrate family traditions, even how I do my hair.”

Laundering With Fake Books

An author postulated that fraudsters could be using fake books produced through Amazon’s self-publishing arm, CreateSpace, to launder money. Business writer Patrick Reames received a 1099 claiming that CreateSpace paid him tens of thousands of dollars for what turned out to be a highly priced book of gibberish published under his name with his social security number. Reames, who says the book was published fraudulently, has so far been unable to get much response, or a revised 1099, from Amazon. Amazon has removed a number of similar titles.

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This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by Running Press Kids and THE BATTLE OF JUNK MOUNTAIN by Lauren Abbey Greenberg.

Colin Firth To Star In The Secret Garden

Colin Firth and Julie Walters will star in an upcoming film adaptation of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s The Secret Garden. Firth will play Archibald Craven, uncle of 10-year-old Mary Lennox, played by Dixie Egerickx, who’s sent to live with him at Misselthwaite Manor. Walters will play Mrs. Medlock, Misselthwaite’s head housekeeper. The adaptation moves the story from “the Edwardian era to 1947, on the eve of Partition in India, and in the aftermath of WW2 in Britain.”

Reni Eddo-Lodge’s Debut Tops List of Books By Women That Have Changed The World

In a people’s poll of the books by women that have changed the world, Reni Eddo-Lodge’s Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People about Race topped the list. Eddo-Lodge’s debut novel beat out the 10 other shortlisted books, which included Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own and Mary Wollstonecraft’s A Vindication of the Rights of Women. The poll was conducted for Academic Book Week.

2018 Nobel Prize In Literature May Not Happen This Year

This year’s Nobel Prize in Literature may be cancelled for 2018 due to the recent resignations of four members of the Swedish Academy, which determines the Prize, and its permanent secretary. Three members resigned in protest of a vote not to expel member Katarina Frostenson whose husband was accused of sexual assault and of leaking the names of seven past Nobel winners. Whether or not the 2018 prize will be awarded this year or next (alongside the 2019 prize) will likely be determined by the Academy next Thursday.

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This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by Candlewick Press.

Cormoran Strike Adaptation Debuts In June

Cinemax released the trailer for C.B. Strike, the miniseries based on J.K. Rowling’s crime novels, Cormoran Strike. The series stars Tom Burke as veteran-turned-private-detective Cormoran Strike, and Holliday Grainger as Strike’s assistant, Robin Ellacott. The adaptation premieres June 1.

The 2018 Eisner Award Nominations

This year’s Eisner Award nominations for comics and graphic novels were announced. The nominees fall under 31 categories. Topping the nominations are My Favorite Thing Is Monsters by debut graphic novelist Emil Ferris, and Monstress by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda. The winners will be announced on July 20 at Comic-Con in San Diego.

The Next Stephen King Adaptation Is…

The Long Walk. James Vanderbilt (Truth) has written the script for the New Line Cinema adaptation–New Line Cinema brought It to the big screen last year. The Long Walk is a story originally published under King’s pseudonym Richard Bachman, set in a dystopian future where 100 teens compete to be the one winner/survivor of a long, non-stop journey.

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This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by Amazon Publishing.

Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery Launches

For those of us who have been waiting, the Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery mobile game launched today. Jam City released the game on the App Store and Google Play. Players can explore the wizarding world of the 1980s, develop a character, enroll in Hogwarts, and select one of the school’s four houses.

GRRM Announces Release Date Of Next Book

It doesn’t seem like a stretch to say many fans were disappointed to learn that George R.R. Martin’s next book is not The Winds of Winter. Instead, the author of A Song of Ice and Fire announced the November 20th publication date of Fire & Blood. Martin described the book as an “imaginary history,” and very much “not a novel.” It’s the first book in a planned duology.

Michelle McNamara’s Husband Speaks On Arrest Of Golden State Killer Suspect

This news is kinda-sorta book-related and also a big deal: the Golden State Killer primary suspect was arrested after more than 40 years. The arrest comes only a few months after the publication of I’ll Be Gone in the Dark, author Michelle McNamara’s exhaustive journalistic investigation of the serial killer and sexual assaulter. McNamara died in 2016; her husband Patton Oswalt talked about his reactions to the news.

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