Author: Sharifah Williams

J.K. Rowling Responds To Johnny Depp Casting

J.K. Rowling released a statement about the controversial casting of Johnny Depp in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. Depp, who will play Gellert Grindelwald, is under fire for allegations of domestic abuse made by his ex-wife Amber Heard. Rowling stated that although fans “had legitimate questions and concerns” about the decision to keep Depp onboard, and that they “considered the possibility of recasting,” she’s not only comfortable, but genuinely happy to keep Depp in the role based on their understanding of the circumstances. Read the full statement here.

We’re Getting A Diverse Superheroes Movie From Marvel

Marvel Rising: Secret Warriors will be a feature-length animated film starring the next generation of Marvel heroes. The superheroes include Ms. Marvel, Squirrel Girl, and Miss America. The multi-platform animated franchise is set to launch in 2018 with six, four-minute digital shorts following Spider-Gwen as Ghost-Spider. Marvel Rising: Secret Warriors will premiere later next year. Check out the article for a look at the cast and a behind-the-scenes video.

BookCon Looks To Broaden Audience

The event’s organizer, ReedPop, is looking to attract fans of literary fiction, mystery/thriller, sci fi/fantasy, and romance. For instance, Chuck Palahniuk will be one of the headliners at the 2018 show. In addition to expanding its programming, new features including access to the “Bookstore of the Future,” a retail environment where readers can browse and purchase titles, will be offered to attendees. Another initiative is a series of writing workshops that will run in conjunction with Sarah Lawrence College.

Today in Books is sponsored by Ever the Brave by Erin Summerill.

The stakes are higher than ever in the sequel to the romantic fantasy adventure Ever the Hunted, as Britta struggles to protect her kingdom and her heart. After saving King Aodren with her newfound Channeler powers, Britta only wants to live a peaceful life in her childhood home. Unfortunately, saving the King has created a tether between them she cannot sever, no matter how much she’d like to, and now he’s insisting on making her a noble lady. If Britta cannot find a way to harness her new magical ability, her life—as well as her country—may be lost.

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden:

Paris Review Editor Resigns Amidst Inquiry Into Conduct

Lorin Stein, editor of literary magazine The Paris Review, resigned from his position amidst an investigation into his conduct with the publication’s female employees and writers. Stein “acknowledged dating and expressing interest in women with whom he had professional connections.” The review followed the appearance of Stein’s name on a list anonymously crowdsourcing allegations of harrasment, created after the Harvey Weinstein scandal. Stein has also resigned from his position as editor at large for Farrar, Straus, and Giroux.

A Slaughterhouse-Five Series Adaptation Is In The Works

Happy showrunner Patrick Macmanus has signed on to write and executive produce the series adaptation of Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five for Universal Cable Productions. One of the most frequently challenged books in the U.S., the non-linear, semi-autobiographical WWII satire follows Billy Pilgrim, a chaplain’s assistant in the U.S. Army and survivor of the firebombing of Dresden. UCP has yet to find a network home for the series, but they expect to shop the project within the NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment group, outside networks, and premium services.

California Faces Literacy Lawsuit

A group of lawyers representing teachers and students from poor performing schools have brought a lawsuit against the state of California demanding that the California Department of Education address its “literacy crisis.” According to the lawsuit, of the 26 lowest-performing districts in the nation, 11 are in California, and assessments found less than half of California students from third grade to fifth grade have met statewide literacy standards since 2015.

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by The House on Foster Hill by Jamie Jo Wright:

2017 Goodreads Choice Awards Winners

The winners are here! Some highlights: Best Fiction went to Celeste Ng’s Little Fires Everywhere, J.K. Rowling’s Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: The Original Screenplay won in Fantasy, and Lilly Singh’s How to Be a Bawse: A Guide to Conquering Life won for Nonfiction. Check out the full list for the winners in Mystery, Romance, Memoir, and more.

Fox To Adapt Turtles All The Way Down

John Green announced on YouTube that his most recent release, Turtles All the Way Down, will be adapted for film. Fox 2000 and Temple Hill will be behind the adaptation, and Green will executive produce. Turtles follows a 16-year-old girl with obsessive compulsive disorder who attempts to solve the mystery of a missing fugitive billionaire for a lofty reward. Fox and Temple Hill were also behind the adaptations of The Fault in Our Stars and Paper Towns.

NPR’s 2017 Book Concierge Is Go

For more of what to read next, take a look at NPR’s freshly-launched 2017 Book Concierge. Through the Concierge, NPR offers readers the ability to discover more than 350 titles the organization’s staff and critics loved this year. The titles are discoverable through filters for genre and more, including Eye Opening Reads, Book Club Ideas, and Tales from Around the World–you can even combine filters. If you’re a backlist reader, the Concierges for 2008-2016 are still available to view.

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Researchers Investigate What Makes A Poem Popular

Researchers from New York University and the Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics found that vividness was the best predictor of the aesthetic appeal of a poem. The researchers were investigating what makes a poem aesthetically pleasing, and thereby higher-rated among readers. Four hundred participants read 111 haikus and 16 sonnets, rating the poems on vividness, emotional arousal, emotional valence, and aesthetic appeal, and poems where the reader strongly experienced images while reading ranked highest in their results.

Charlyne Yi Responds To Claims Of Defamation From Former Art Director at Penguin

Over the weekend, writer and actress Charlyne Yi responded to the resignation post Giuseppe Castellano published on his blog, which included a statement that Yi’s allegations of sexual harassment were “defamatory and false.” Giuseppe Castellano resigned from a position as Executive Art Director at Penguin Random House following Yi’s allegations. In response to Castellano’s statement, Yi posted on Twitter screenshots of correspondence related to the night in question, which included an apology for a weak moment, and details about the evening in question.

Bill Gates Recommends His Favorite 2017 Reads

Avid reader Bill Gates wrote about five of the best books he read this year. They included Thi Bui’s graphic memoir about life as a refugee and parent (The Best We Could Do), comedian Eddie Izzard’s memoir (Believe Me: A Memoir of Love, Death, and Jazz Chickens), and 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction recipient The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen. Check out the full list, and his thoughts on each, over at GatesNotes.

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by The Austen Escape by Katherine Reay:

The Hate U Give Banned By School District

Angie Thomas, author of the critically acclaimed Young Adult novel The Hate U Give, announced on Twitter that a Texas school district banned her book. The thread turned up details from one Twitter user who wrote that the superintendent pulled the books due to parent complaints about “inappropriate language,” bypassing the normal review process. Authors, librarians, teachers, and fans have been showing their support, pledging to read, recommend, and distribute The Hate U Give in response to the district’s ban.

Kerry Washington and Rashida Jones To Adapt Goldie Vance

Kerry Washington and Rashida Jones are teaming up to adapt the comic series Goldie Vance for film. Washington will produce and Jones will write and direct the film for 20th Century Fox. Goldie Vance follows an intelligent and daring young woman whose insatiable curiosity and aspiration to become a detective get her into all sorts of capers, and trouble. Think Archie meets Nancy Drew, but starring a queer brown girl. “Goldie is exactly the kind of fearless, curious, and funny heroine we need right now,” Jones told Variety. Agreed!

And The Winner Of The Bad Sex In Fiction Award Goes To…

Christopher Bollen for his book The Destroyers. The Literary Review announced the winner of the 25th annual Bad Sex in Fiction Award at a ceremony on Thursday evening. Not leaving an excerpt of the winner here in case you’re in mixed company, or drinking something you’d rather not eject from your nose while reading this. Needless to say…it’s not good. The competition was pretty stiff too. Read the article for excerpts from the nominees–you won’t regret it. Oh wait, you probably will.

Barnes & Noble Is Pivoting To Books

After a not-great second quarter, with a $30 million net loss, Barnes & Noble’s leadership has decided to rejuvenate stores and bring customers back by switching gears and focusing on books. Which sounds like satire, but isn’t. The company plans to place more emphasis on books over non-book assortments, and shed some under-selling stock in gifts, toys, and games. According to CEO Demos Parneros, a big takeaway from customer research was that people liked interacting with B&N’s human booksellers. Again, not satire.

Emma Cline’s Ex-Boyfriend Sues Her For Plagiarism

Moving on to thrillers, Emma Cline’s ex-boyfriend filed a lawsuit alleging that she plagiarized parts of her debut novel, The Girls, with the help of spyware installed on a computer she sold him. Cline denied the allegations and filed a countersuit, claiming his actions are part of a jealousy-fueled, long-term assault on her mental health and reputation in the literary world. The countersuit does acknowledge that she used spyware to get information on ex Chaz Reetz-Laiolo’s infidelity during their relationship back when they were both aspiring writers, but says she didn’t have access to the software after she sold the computer to him.

American Gods Showrunners Exit Series

And finally, unexpected news from the thrumming world of adaptations: American Gods’ Michael Green and Bryan Fuller have exited the series. There was talk that Neil Gaiman might jump in as showrunner, but this rumor was struck down by Gaiman himself. No word on why Green and Fuller left as of the writing of this newsletter, but Deadline mentioned word that the showrunners’ split may have been over the series’ budget.

Today in Books is sponsored by Tru and Nelle: a Christmas Tale by G. Neri.

In this sequel to Tru & Nelle, told over three Christmases, readers are transported back to the 1930s, drawing upon real events—from tender personal moments to the awful truth of living with segregation and Jim Crow Laws—to tell the bittersweet history that inspired some of Capote and Lee’s greatest works.

Inspired by the early relationship of Truman Capote and Nelle Harper Lee, this powerful story of friendship also explores race, what it means to be a family, and the possibility of miracles.

The New Avengers Trailer Is Here

The Avengers: Infinity War trailer is out, and it is epic. So many familiar faces in one room. Iron Man, Black Panther, Black Widow, Doctor Strange–basically every Marvel superhero we’ve seen so far–a fittingly epic beard, and so many Easter eggs…you really should see it.

George R.R. Martin Confirms Nightflyers Series

George R.R. Martin confirmed that the Syfy channel picked up an adaptation of his story Nightflyers. The Hugo-nominated novella follows a team of academics who charter a spaceship with a mysteriously unseen captain. The team is on an expedition to find a race of intersteller nomads when the ship turns on them. The first season of the series will consist of 10 episodes to be aired sometime in 2018 (Martin hopes July). Martin will not be involved in the series’ production.

The Book Christmas Tree Oddity At The White House

The White House erected a Christmas tree constructed of books and it includes some…interesting picks. Melville House discussed some of the selections, which include: American Mourning, a thriller titled Tainted Evidence, and World of Golf. According to Melania Trump’s director of communications, the books were purchased for their varieties of green color tones.

Today in Books is sponsored by The Hanging Girl by Eileen Cook.

Skye Thorn has given tarot card readings for years, and now her psychic visions are helping the police find the town’s missing golden girl, Paige Bonnet. Paige is everything Skye’s not— rich, pretty, and popular. But they’re both living a lie. A dark, rivet­ing mystery that questions just how far you’d be willing to go to become someone else.

Fantastic Beasts Director Defends Johnny Depp

David Yates, The Crimes of Grindelwald director, made a statement in defense of keeping Johnny Depp on the cast. Fans have been criticizing the studio producing the Fantastic Beasts sequel, and J.K. Rowling, for the decision to keep Johnny Depp on the cast in light of allegations of domestic abuse made by his ex-wife Amber Heard. “With Johnny, it seems to me there was one person who took a pop at him and claimed something,” said Yates. ScreenCrush noted the problematic nature of Yates’ defense. Rowling has yet to comment on the controversial casting.

Cassandra Clare To Write Adult Fantasy Series

The best-selling author of the YA series The Mortal Instruments announced that she will write a new adult fantasy series. A publication date for the first book in the series, Sword Catcher, hasn’t been released, but the book is currently in progress. Featuring criminals, princes, magicians, and warriors, this will be her first high fantasy work.

Gender Disparity In Book Awards

VITA addressed gender disparity in book awards, pulling up a 2015 study looking at 15 years worth of data from top literary prizes. The study showed that fiction written by women about women won few prizes, fiction by women about men performed only slightly better in literary awards, and books by men about men far exceeded both in wins. The author of the piece conducted independent research and found that “women still have a long way to go for equality within literary prize culture.”

Today in Books is sponsored by Simon & Schuster, publisher of The Impossible Fortress by Jason Rekulak.

It’s May 1987. Fourteen-year-old Billy Marvin of Wetbridge, New Jersey, is a nerd, but a decidedly happy nerd. Afternoons are spent with his buddies, watching copious amounts of television, gorging on Pop-Tarts, debating who would win in a brawl (Rocky Balboa or Freddy Krueger? Bruce Springsteen or Billy Joel? Magnum P.I. or T.J. Hooker?), and programming video games on his Commodore 64 late into the night. Then Playboy magazine publishes photos of their idol, Wheel of Fortune hostess Vanna White, Billy meets expert computer programmer Mary Zelinsky, and everything changes.

Dictionary.com Chooses Complicit As Word Of The Year

Here’s one for the word nerds. Dictionary.com chose complicit as its Word of the Year–“a symbol of the year’s most meaningful events and lookup trends.” The site noted that the first spike in searches for complicit occurred the day after Saturday Night Live aired a skit where Scarlett Johansson played Ivanka Trump. In the satirical ad, Johansson was selling a perfume called Complicit. A second and larger spike occurred after an interview where Ivanka Trump stated: “If being complicit is wanting to be a force for good and to make a positive impact, then I’m complicit.” Dictionary.com chose the word, in part, because of noteworthy stories of people who refused to be complicit in the face of oppression and wrongdoing.

Baltimore Cops Are Studying James Baldwin And Plato

In Baltimore, Detective Ed Gillespie is incorporating the Humanities into officer training. In his classes at the city police department’s in-service training facility, Gillespie teaches officers Plato, Steinbeck, Dostoevsky, and Baldwin. The detective’s methods include having his students discuss real stories of police misconduct in Platonic terms. Amidst calls for officer training on de-escalation and implicit bias following the death of Freddie Gray who suffered a fatal injury in the back of a Baltimore police van, Gillespie is trying to offer his students a way to ask questions about the human condition, themselves, and policing.

Rare 16th-Century Mesoamerican Codex Goes Online

The Library of Congress has made an extremely rare Mesoamerican manuscript available online. The Codex Quetzalecatzin (or the Aztec Codex) is one of the few surviving illustrated Mesoamerican manuscripts dating before 1600. Over at the Library of Congress site, you can take a look at the manuscript’s native Aztec and Nahuatl maps, hieroglyphs, illustrations, and more.

Negative Assumptions Trigger Poor Reading

According to new research published in Scientific Study of Literature, negative assumptions about science fiction trigger poor reading. Washington and Lee University professors Chris Gavaler and Dan Johnson measured how an automatic assumption that science fiction texts are less worthwhile predisposes readers “to a less effortful and comprehending mode of reading – or what we might term non-literary reading.” “We can now show objectively that the weakness is with the reader, not the story itself,” said professor Gavaler.

Bad Sex In Fiction Award 2017 Nominees

The Literary Review announced its 2017 nominations for the Bad Sex in Fiction Award. The award recognizes “outstandingly bad” scenes of sexual description in good novels. The nominees are: Seventh Function of Language by Laurent Binet, The Destroyers by Christopher Bollen, Mother of Darkness by Venetia Welby, As a God Might Be by Neil Griffiths, The Future Won’t Be Long by Jarett Kobek, War Cry by Wilbur Smith (with David Churchill), and Here Comes Trouble by Simon Wroe. You can read the cringe-worthy excerpts in the linked piece. Previous winners of the award include Erri De Luca and Morrisey.

Anansi Boys Adapted As Radio Drama

BBC Radio 4 is adapting Neil Gaiman’s Anansi Boys as a six-part radio drama. The story follows Mr. Nancy, an incarnation of the West African trickster god Anansi, from American Gods. British comedian and actor Lenny Henry will play Mr. Nancy in the radio adaptation; Jacob Anderson (Game of Thrones) and Nathan Stewart-Jarrett (Misfits) will play Nancy’s sons. Anansi Boys will begin airing on Christmas Day.

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