Author: Sharifah Williams

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by Tomorrow by Damian Dibben, new from Hanover Square Press.

A Comics Anthology Benefiting The Vegas Shooting Survivors

Image Comics announced a comic anthology about the trauma of gun violence in America, titled, Where We Live: A Benefit for the Survivors in Las Vegas. The proceeds from sales of the anthology will go towards the Las Vegas Victim Fund’s official GoFundMe campaign, which supports survivors of the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history. Contributors (there are many) include Gail Simone, Neil Gaiman, Amy Chu, and Kelly Sue DeConnick, and the title will be out May 30.

Ursula K. Le Guin’s Electronica Album

No joke. Ursula K. Le Guin, author of The Left Hand of Darkness and so many more science fiction classics, made an electronica album. The musical work was created with electronic musician and composer Todd Barton to accompany her book Always Coming Home. The album was reissued after Le Guin’s death in January, and you can listen to it here.

Bookseller Convicted Of Stealing Rare Harry Potter Copy

A British bookseller was found guilty of stealing a copy of Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire, signed by JK Rowling. Rudolf Schonegger swapped the rare edition worth £1,675 (almost $2,400) with another book; he was arrested after booksellers who had made purchases from Schonegger recognized him from CCTV images.

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by The Gods of Winter by Gerald G. Griffin.

Black Panther Becomes Highest Grossing Superhero Movie

Over the weekend, Black Panther became the highest grossing superhero movie in the U.S., surpassing The Avengers. The comic adaptation is now also the fifth highest-grossing movie ever in the U.S., passing the $1 billion mark at the global box office to bring its total worldwide gross to $1.23 billion.

Amazon Keeps Policy Allowing Third-Party Sellers To Win Buy Buttons On Book Pages

Amazon’s hotly contested third-party buy button is here to stay, according to industry professionals. The year-old feature allows third-party sellers to “win” the buy button. In effect, orders placed through some buy buttons are sourced from third-party sellers. Authors and publishers protested the change because they get cut out of those transactions.

Butterbeer Hair Is Trending

For those of you who keep an eye out for the latest in literary fashion and beauty trends, break out the dye: Butterbeer hair is trending. Based on Hello Giggles’ roundup of Butterbeer-inspired dye jobs, the actual color (combo) is up to interpretation, but heavy on the oranges, reds, and yellows. So, don’t be surprised when #butterbeerhair sneaks into your feed.

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by Disarmed by Izzy Ezagui, from Prometheus Books.

Margot Robbie Creating Female-Focused Shakespeare TV Series

Actor Margot Robbie is creating a television series based on Shakespearean works, told from female perspectives and led by an all-female creative team. Robbie is working with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation to produce 10 standalone episodes, updated to both comment on modern society and highlight Australia’s cultural diversity.

Matt Bomer Buys Out Theater For Love, Simon

The actor posted an Instagram announcement that he and his husband had bought out a screening of the Love, Simon film adaptation in his hometown of Spring, Texas. Love, Simon follows a gay high schooler who falls for an anonymous classmate over email but struggles to come out.

An Edible Book Festival

The International Edible Books Festival “unites bibliophiles, book artists and food lovers to celebrate the ingestion of culture and its fulfilling nourishment. Participants create edible books that are exhibited, documented then consumed.” The festival is held every year on the birthday of the French gastronome Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin. Hopefully, they’ll step it up a notch this April 1st.

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by Alfred A. Knopf, publisher of Madness is Better than Defeat by Ned Beauman, available now wherever books are sold.

Charlotte Brontë’s Lost Manuscripts To Be Published

The Brontë Society will publish two unpublished manuscripts by Charlotte Brontë, found in a book belonging to her mother and sold to the society in 2015. The manuscripts will be published in a book, along with annotations, a sketch by Charlotte Brontë’s brother, and contributions from four Brontë specialists who will “reveal important new information” relating to her mother.

Don Quixote Used To Make Banned Book Available Online

The Booksellers Guild of Madrid highlighted 80,000 words in Don Quixote to give readers online access to the text of a recently banned book about drug smuggling. The book is Nacho Carretero’s Fariña. The former mayor of O Grove in Galicia halted sales of the book and brought legal action against the author and his publisher over details in the book about his alleged involvement in drug shipping.

Short Story Dispensers Introduced to U.S. Libraries

The Public Library Association and community publisher Short Edition will introduce a Short Story Dispenser, allowing readers to print one-, three-, or five-minute stories, to four libraries. The partnership and project is being launched with the intention of promoting reading and literary joy through public libraries, and to encourage diverse writers to share their work through Short Edition’s digital content platform.

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by The Curse of the Boyfriend Sweater by Alanna Okun, from Flatiron Books.

Pottermore Sacks Editorial Staff

The Wizarding World website sacked both senior and junior editorial staff who were creating original content for Pottermore, according to BuzzFeed. A source said editorial writers struggled with writing freely about the Potter universe, especially when Johnny Depp was cast for the Fantastic Beasts films. The casting was controversial among fans due to domestic abuse allegations against Depp.

Netflix Acquires Rights to To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before

The streaming service has acquired global rights to the adaptation of Jenny Han’s bestselling YA novel, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before. The story follows Lara Jean Song Covey whose love letters are mysteriously mailed out to all of her crushes. The film stars Lana Condor, who played Jubilee in X-Men: Apocalypse, and is directed by Susan Johnson. Netflix will release the film this summer.

Richard Dawkins Targets Islamic Countries With Free Atheist eBooks In Translation

The atheist and scientist plans to make ebook versions of his works available in Arabic, Urdu, Farsi, and Indonesian, free for download. Dawkins said he was encouraged by the news that the unofficial Arabic version of his book had been downloaded 13 million times, describing it as a “stirring towards atheism.” Dawkins has called Islam “the most evil religion in the world.”

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by Penguin Teen, publisher of If You Come Softly by Jacqueline Woodson.

Amazon’s LOTR Series Reportedly Costs $500 Million

This, according to Reuters. The rights alone cost $250 million. A production and marketing costs estimate for Amazon’s two-season deal makes up the other $250 million. If they actually spend as much as predicted, The Lord of the Rings series will be the most expensive TV series ever made. Smaug would be jealous of that coin.

314 Items Stolen From Carnegie Library Rare Books Room

Detectives are on the case, and the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America has alerted its members. Rare book dealer Michael Vinson valued the missing items at a total of $5 million, and called the theft an “immense cultural crime.” Vinson believes that the thief may have been one or more employees of the library. You can filter the full list of more than 300 stolen items here.

Booksellers Support University Press Under Threat of Defunding

In light of Governor Matt Blevin’s proposal to cut the University Press of Kentucky’s entire $672,000 allocation from the state budget, the Great Lakes Independent Booksellers Association and the Midwest Independent Booksellers issued a joint statement in support of the press. The $672k covers the salaries and benefits of almost half of UPK’s 16 employees, and the cut would force the closure of the press, which is actually a consortium of scholarly presses in the state.

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by The Neighbors by Hannah Mary McKinnon.

LibraryThing Acquires Litsy

An interesting development from the world of bookish apps. LibraryThing, a provider of library software and social cataloging app, has acquired Litsy, an app marketed as “Instagram for book lovers.” So far, it doesn’t sound like much will change on either platform, although LibraryThing’s press release mentions a plan to upgrade Litsy’s book data using LibraryThing information, and an intention to give Litsy members access to LibraryThing’s Early Reviewer program, connecting them with publishers for ARCs.

Racism And The Dearth Of Diversity In Romance

The Guardian published a piece about the recent spate of stories circling the Romance genre, particularly those regarding racism and a decline in works by writers of color from publishers of the genre. One of the telling and damaging stories related an interaction between a romance writer of color and a former Riptide editor, where the editor wrote in an email to the writer: “We don’t mind POC But I will warn you – and you have NO idea how much I hate having to say this – we won’t put them on the cover, because we like the book to, you know, sell :-(.” The piece is worth a read for a broader picture of the numerous issues that have surfaced.

John Oliver Challenges Mike Pence With Children’s Book

The Last Week Tonight host turned his attention to the U.S. vice president, reviewing Pence’s ultra-conservative views on issues such as abortion rights, homosexuality, same-sex marriage, gays and women in the military, and bringing up the Pence’s children’s book about their pet rabbit, Marlon Bundo. In response to the book’s release, Oliver released his own book, titled A Day In The Life Of Marlon Bundo, about a White House rabbit who falls in love with a rabbit named Wesley. The rabbits marry, despite bigotry.

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by She Caused a Riot by Hannah Jewell.

Nnedi Okorafor Will Write Wakanda Forever For Marvel

Binti author Nnedi Okorafor will write Wakanda Forever, a three-part story following Okoye, Ayo, Aneka and the Dora Milaje, with art by Alberto Jiménez Alburquerque and Terry Dodson. The first story, Wakanda Forever: The Amazing Spider-Man, will be out in June. :Muppet Arms:

Marvel Studios Releases New Infinity War Trailer

We got a new Infinity War trailer. Watch it here. The movie that pits the Avengers against the evil Thanos has an April 27 U.S. release date.

The Paris Review‘s Next Editor

The Paris Review is searching for an editor to replace Lorin Stein who resigned amid sexual harassment allegations, and Vulture wrote an investigation piece on the process. Vulture was able to identify eight candidates–all women, mostly white and in their 40s. It’s a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at how an iconic literary establishment rethinks its culture in light of #MeToo, and struggles to find its way forward.

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by The Merry Spinster: Tales of Everyday Horror, Mallory Ortberg. Published by Henry Holt.

Anthony Scaramucci Gets A Book Deal

The former White House Communications Director signed a deal with Hachette for his book, The Blue Collar President: How Trump Is Reinventing the Aspirational Working Class. Scaramucci told the New York Post that the book will tell the story of “an entrepreneur writing about an entrepreneur who has now ascended into the presidency.” His earlier attempt at a book, a tell-all tentatively titled I Did It My Way, had no takers.

Ava DuVernay Will Direct DC’s New Gods

The director of A Wrinkle in Time has come on board to direct New Gods at Warner Bros. First released in 1971, the comic follows natives of two planets, one idyllic and one dystopian, whose people call themselves gods, and who live outside of normal time and space. New Gods is part of the studio’s DC Extended Universe.

When Television Influences Books

Simon & Schuster will publish the fictional novel, Marriage Vacation, from the TV Land series Younger, which is set in the world of publishing. The book is inspired by a tell-all novel one of the characters writes about her ex-husband and boss at a publishing company, which Liza, the main character, has the opportunity to edit. Marriage Vacation “tells the story of a woman who leaves her marriage to go on a journey of self-discovery.”

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by All Grown Up by Jami Attenberg.

Emma Watson Picks Heart Berries For Feminist Book Club

Watson instagrammed the announcement of her most recent pick for her feminist book club: Heart Berries, a memoir by by Terese Marie Mailhot. In the memoir, Mailhot writes about her coming of age on the Seabird Island Indian Reservation in the Pacific Northwest, PTSD, and depression. In her Our Shared Shelf discussion, Watson wrote, “It feels right and vastly overdue to be reading a story from a First Nation woman with her perspective of a colonial world.”

Harper Lee’s Estate Sues Over To Kill A Mockingbird Broadway Production

The Estate claims that Aaron Sorkin’s theatrical adaptation deviates from the original story in a way that violates a contract between To Kill a Mockingbird author Harper Lee and producers. One of the key issues raised is that the play presents Atticus Finch as “a man who begins the drama as a naïve apologist for the racial status quo.” Sorkin said, “I can’t and won’t present a play that feels like it was written in the year the book was written in terms of its racial politics: It wouldn’t be of interest.”

Stephen Hawking Dies, Age 76

Stephen Hawking, world renowned physicist and author of books, including A Brief History of Time and The Theory of Everything, died in his home in Cambridge. Hawking was known for his work with black holes and relativity, and he appeared as himself on television shows including The Simpsons and The Big Bang Theory.