Author: Sharifah Williams

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Plagiarism Software Discovers New Source For Shakespeare’s Plays

Scholar Dennis McCarthy and LaFayette College professor June Schlueter discovered source material for Shakespeare’s plays using WCopyfind. Through the software, they compared Shakespeare’s plays with George North’s 1576 unpublished work, A Brief Discourse of Rebellion, and traced more than 20 passages back to Discourse. These passages included Gloucester’s opening soliloquy in Richard III, Macbeth’s comparison of dog breeds to different classes of men, and the Fool’s Merlin prophecy in King Lear. In their upcoming book, A Brief Discourse of Rebellion and Rebels by George North, McCarthy and Schlueter wrote that Discourse “is one of the most influential Shakespearean source texts in any form.”

Cassandra Clare Will Launch A One-Off Publishing House

The Mortal Instruments author Cassandra Clare announced the launch of her one-off publishing house, Shadow Market Enterprises. Through it, Clare will release a collaborative anthology, Ghosts of the Shadow Market, which will feature short stories from Maureen Johnson (Shades of London series), Robin Wasserman (Girls on Fire), Sarah Rees Brennan (Demon’s Lexicon series), and Kelly Link (Get in Trouble), set within the Shadowhunter canon. Beginning in April, Clare will digitally release the stories on a monthly basis for $2.99 each. A print edition from Simon & Schuster, which will include two additional stories, will be available next year.

Stephen Chbosky’s Second Novel Will Be A Horror Story

The Perks of Being a Wallflower author has announced his second novel, almost 20 years after his debut. Described as literary horror, Imaginary Friend follows a single mother trying to start over in a new town with her son after fleeing an abusive relationship. Her son disappears in the woods, to return days later with a voice only he can hear, and a warning. Chbosky’s second book will be out fall of 2019.

Firefly Canon To Expand With Original Book Series

Titan Books and Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products will publish an original series of books tied in to Joss Whedon’s TV series Firefly. According to Entertainment Weekly, the books will be official titles within the Firefly canon. Whedon will serve as consulting editor. The first three books will be Firefly: Big Damn Hero by Nancy Holder (October 2018), Firefly: The Magnificent Nine by James Lovegrove (March 2019), and Firefly: Generations by Tim Lebbon (October 2019). Learn more about each title here.

Penguin Young Readers Announces Diverse Books Imprint

The new imprint, Kokila, will focus on publishing diverse books for children and young adults. Penguin Young Readers has named Namrata Tripathi, previous associate publisher and editorial director of Dial Books for Young Readers, to head the imprint as publisher. Kokila’s debut list will launch in the summer of 2019, and will release about 15–20 fiction and nonfiction titles annually. Their list will include picture books, middle grade and young adult books, and graphic novels.

1,600 Occult Books Now Digitized And Online

A while back, we mentioned Dan Brown’s sizeable donation to Amsterdam’s Ritman Library, enabling the library to digitize thousands of occult texts. Well, 1,617 of the texts from the digital education project (“Hermetically Open”) are now available online. Have at it (or, maybe, proceed with caution?).

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Diversity In UK Children’s Books Will Be Examined

Two Arts Council England-backed studies into representation in children’s literature will examine the dearth of diversity in UK children’s books. The Centre for Literacy in Primary Education (CLPE) will, for the first time, chart the extent and quality of ethnic representation among characters in UK children’s books, while BookTrust will evaluate the number of children’s books created by authors and illustrators of color. Look out for the study from CLPE in July, and the one from BookTrust in September. These studies may also become annual events.

Jesmyn Ward Announces 2 New Books

The National Book Award-winning author of Sing, Unburied, Sing announced that she’s working on a novel for adults set in antebellum New Orleans, following an enslaved woman from the Carolinas. Ward is also working on her first novel for middle graders about a magical adventure featuring a black Southern female protagonist with special powers. “I’ve wanted to write a middle grade book for years, a book that might reach the child I once was and expand that child’s sense of self,” said Ward. The publishers have yet to announce titles or release dates.

Bill Gates Has A New Favorite Book Of All Time

The Microsoft co-founder chose Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress by Steven Pinker. The book is described as one that “shows that life, health, prosperity, safety, peace, knowledge, and happiness are on the rise, not just in the West, but worldwide.” Pinker said he and Gates met in 1995 via email, and that they have since bonded over their shared optimism about humanity.

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And The Oprah Book Club Pick Is…

An American Marriage by Tayari Jones. Oprah announced her latest book club pick on CBS This Morning. Speaking on why she chose this particular book, Winfrey said, “It’s a love story that also has a huge layer of suspense.” She added that Jones’s novel is current and “now,” that she couldn’t put the book down and has already passed it on to many of her friends. She believes the story will resonate with many. Jones, who expressed excitement about receiving the call, discussed the surprising inspiration behind her book (a couple she overheard while at the mall) during her CBS This Morning interview.

YouTube Star Kian Lawley Fired From The Hate U Give Movie

Twentieth Century Fox fired cast member Kian Lawley from the upcoming film adaption of Angie Thomas’s YA novel The Hate U Give. The studio made the decision in response to a video that resurfaced showing Lawley, a YouTube celebrity, using racial slurs. Lawley was cast as the boyfriend of the film’s star, Amandla Stenberg, in a movie that centers on race and police brutality. Fox plans to recast the role and reshoot scenes as needed.

Scribd Returns To Unlimited Access

Scribd is returning to its original terms, which gave subscribers unlimited access to titles. Scribd abandoned its unlimited access model in 2016, but the company’s co-founder and CEO Trip Adler said current profitability and stability has made the original business model possible once more. That said, the company can detect whether “over-consumption” is occurring, and new controls will limit power readers’ access to the most expensive and popular titles.

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by Wires and Nerve, Volume 2 by Marissa Meyer.

Solo: A Star Wars Story Trailer Released

Good Morning, America aired the first full trailer for Solo: A Star Wars Story. On Sunday during the Super Bowl, Lucasfilm released a teaser, promising and delivering a full trailer today. The movie will follow Han Solo, played by Alden Ehrenreich, as he meets Chewbacca and encounters Lando Calrissian, played by Donald Glover, years before he joins the Rebellion. The movie is out May 25, and you can watch the trailer here.

DC’s New YA And Middle Grade Imprints

DC Entertainment announced two new original graphic novel publishing imprints: DC Ink for YA readers, and DC Zoom for middle grade readers. The stories will be built around characters like Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman, with the first titles from DC Ink and DC Zoom to be released this fall. The first DC Ink titles include Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass by Mariko Tamaki (This One Summer) and Steve Pugh, and Mera by Danielle Paige (Dorothy Must Die). The first DC Zoom title will be DC Super Hero Girls: Search for Atlantis by Shea Fontana (Wonder Woman Rebirth) and Yancey Labat.

Jason Reynolds To Serve As National Spokesperson For School Library Month

This April, Jason Reynolds will serve as the national spokesperson for the American Association of School Librarians’ 2018 School Library Month. The event “celebrates school libraries as approachable, equitable, and personalized learning environments necessary for every student’s well-rounded education.” The Ghost author recently spoke at the AASL National Conference in Phoenix.

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by All the Women in My Family Sing: Women Write the World: Essays on Equality, Justice, and Freedom edited by Deborah Santana.

Publishers Call On Man Booker To Drop Americans

A letter, still in draft form, from 30 members of the publishing industry is urging the Booker Foundation to reverse its 2014 decision to include U.S. authors. Prior to the decision, the prize only allowed entry to citizens from Commonwealth countries and the Republic of Ireland. The petitioners argue that the inclusion of the U.S. has allowed the domination of Anglo-American writers, and could result in “a homogenised literary future.” The letter, which was intended to be private while in draft stage, has not been sent to the Booker Foundation, but the Booker responded, saying there’s no evidence that diversity has been affected.

The New York Times Gets A Romance Novel Review Column

New York Times Book Review Preview Editor and columnist Tina Jordan announced The New York Times‘ first romance novel review column. The Times‘ Book Review has been criticized for ignoring the genre as a whole. Late last year, the section inspired anger and disappointment in many romance readers who found a rare romance novel roundup, written for the Times by former Simon & Schuster editor-in-chief Robert Gottlieb, dismissive. Jordan, who covers romance as well as other genre fiction and literary fiction, did not mention the Book Review’s history with romance or the approach it would take with the new column in her original Twitter post, but you can judge it for yourself.

Disney’s Hocus Pocus Gets A Book Sequel

Take this fun news into the weekend with you. We’re getting a sequel to Disney’s Hocus Pocus, but instead of a movie, the story will be published as a book. Hocus Pocus and the All-New Sequel will be out in time for the 25th anniversary of the film, on July 10, 2018. Part one of the book will be a retelling of the original film, and part two will be a sequel that continues the story of familiar and new characters.

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Rowling Responds To Criticism About Dumbledore’s Sexuality

J.K. Rowling expressed her displeasure about the criticism she received in response to news that Dumbledore’s sexuality will not be explicitly addressed in the Fantastic Beasts sequel. The film’s director David Yates made that clear in an Entertainment Weekly interview. The piece was updated with Rowling’s tweet and a comment that she’s suggesting angered fans are jumping the gun without knowing what will happen in the story long-term. But fans, including some high profile types, remain skeptical.

Octavia Spencer and Little Miss Flint Mobilize For #BlackPantherChallenge

Mari Copeny, crowned Little Miss Flint, and her cousin, Felicia Copeny, are mobilizing for kids in their city of Flint, Michigan to see the comic adaptation Black Panther. Felicia created the Help Flint Kids See Black Panther GoFundMe page as part of the #BlackPantherChallenge. In the same vein, Octavia Spencer is planning a free Black Panther screening to help brown children see themselves as superheroes.

Rose McGowan Confronted About Trans Rights At Book Event

At a promotional event for her new autobiography, Brave, Rose McGowan got into an argument with someone in the audience. The audience member brought up comments McGowan made on RuPaul’s “What’s the Tee?” podcast in July 2017, and said, “Trans women are dying and you said that we, as trans women, are not like regular women.” According to Variety, the conversation turned into a shouting match, and the guest was escorted out by security. Read the full story here.

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National Book Foundation Announces Award for Translated Literature

The National Book Award for Translated Literature will be awarded at the 69th National Book Awards this November, honoring both author and translator. The National Book Foundation’s statement said the award “aims to broaden readership for global voices and spark dialogue around international stories.” The Foundation came to the decision to add this new award category through a unanimous vote by its Board of Directors.

Russell Simmons Dropped From Oprah’s Spirituality Book

Oprah Winfrey and the publisher of The Wisdom of Sundays decided to drop Russell Simmons’ contributions to the spirituality book. Simmons was recently accused of sexual misconduct by multiple women. The book was originally published last fall; future editions will not include Simmons’ passages on meditation, the soul, and abundance and wealth. Ms. Winfrey recently delivered, and received praise for, her speech on the #MeToo movement at this year’s Golden Globes.

Sean Spicer Will Write A Book To “Set The Record Straight”

…This summer, former White House press secretary Sean Spicer will release The Briefing, a book about his tenure with the Trump administration. Spicer served as the White House press secretary for the Trump administration until July when he resigned; he was later replaced by current White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders. The book’s tagline promises to shed “new light on the headline-grabbing controversies of the Trump administration’s first year.”

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First Look At The Hate U Give Adaptation

Photos from the film adaptation of Angie Thomas’s critically-acclaimed debut novel, The Hate U Give, were released by director George Tillman, Jr. The cast includes Amandla Stenberg, Regina Hall, Russell Hornsby, Lamar Johnson, Algee Smith, Issa Rae, Sabrina Carpenter, Anthony Mackie, Kian Lawley and Common. Click here to check out the photos.

Kwame Alexander Launches Imprint Highlighting Diverse Stories

The Crossover author has launched Versify to support stories that other publishers might not consider commercial enough to pick up. Some forthcoming titles from the Houghton Mifflin Harcourt imprint include White Rose, a YA novel in verse telling the true story of the Nazi resistance leader Sophie Scholl, and Vamos!/Let’s Go! the first in a bilingual picture book series by illustrator Raul Gonzalez.

Boston Public Library Crowdsources Digitization Of Anti-Slavery Collection

The Boston Public Library is calling on the public to help catalog and digitize 40,000 documents from their Anti-Slavery collection. The manuscript correspondences document the abolitionist movement throughout New England. The BPL launched a website to make handwritten items from the collection available for volunteers from the public to transcribe into machine readable text. Check out the full article to find out more about how you can help.

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Carrie Fisher Wins Grammy for Best Spoken Word

At Sunday’s Grammy Awards, Carrie Fisher won her first Grammy. She was honored in the category of best spoken word album for her memoir The Princess Diarist. The memoir was released five weeks before her death in December of 2016. Also nominated in the category were Neil deGrasse Tyson, Bruce Springsteen, Shelly Peiken, and Bernie Sanders and Mark Ruffalo. She had previously received a nod for spoken word for Wishful Drinking.

Are There Bookshops In Nigeria?

Was the tone deaf question a French journalist asked Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie during an interview at the Institute Français’s La Nuit des Idees (The Night of Ideas). Adichie’s response? “I think it reflects very poorly on French people that you have to ask me that question.” The Americanah author later expanded upon her response on Facebook, writing that the question legitimized entitled, base ignorance about Africa.

Valiant Comics Sold To DMG Entertainment

DMG Entertainment acquired Valiant for opportunities to bring Valiant’s comics to movies and television. DMG formerly had a 57% stake in the comics publisher. Valiant’s roster of comics, which includes Harbinger and Bloodshot, will remain unchanged, but DMG CEO Dan Mintz told The Hollywood Reporter that he’s “looking forward to bringing the writers close to the filmmaking process.”