Author: Sharifah Williams

Netflix’s Anne Of Green Gables Adaptation Is Go For Season 2

Good news for fans of the newest Anne of Green Gables adaptation, Netflix has ordered a second season of Anne With an E, which means more stark aesthetic, troubling flashbacks, and moon-eyed Gilbert Blythe. I think some of us will watch an Anne adaptation no matter how far it strays from the original material. Some of us meaning me. Cool sidenote: Season 2 features an all-women writing team.

How Much Do You Needed A Harry Potter/Breakfast Club Mashup?

You’ll know after watching Mashable’s farcical trailer for Harry Potter in the style of The Breakfast Club. The HP gang is up to some John Hughes level high jinks with all the tropey characters represented, including Snape as Mr. Vernon. The ending will be bittersweet and feature a New Wave song that will give you grief every time it takes its turn on your Remembering Yesterday playlist.

Philip Pullman, Independent Bookstore Champion

Philip Pullman wants to reintroduce fixed book prices to protect independent bookstores. I didn’t know anything about Britain’s Net Book Agreement until this article. Said Agreement required that all books be sold at the same price, aside from occasional discounting in special circumstances. Some, including indie booksellers, bemoan its 1997 dissolution. And when indie shops complained about the heavy discounting on La Belle Sauvage, the first in Pullman’s Book of Dust series, the author himself stepped in to say he wants to reintroduce the minimum price and called indie shops “the lantern bearers of civilisation.”

Get Ready, Get Set, Get Organized

The Millions has kindly offered us ten ways to organize our bookshelves. My current organizational system involves finding the closest open shelf space for any given book in my hand. But, for the more organized (or prospective candidates), you may elect to shelve by color, by importance, or with spines facing the wall for secrecy (what?!).

Thanks to See What I Have Done by Sarah Schmidt for sponsoring this week’s newsletter.

Lizzie Borden took an ax
And gave her mother forty whacks.
When she saw what she had done,
She gave her father forty-one.

Or did she?

In this riveting debut novel, See What I Have Done—which is already gaining outstanding acclaim—Sarah Schmidt recasts one of the most fascinating murder cases of all time into an intimate story of a volatile household and a family devoid of love.

Time May Change Me, But I’ll Read More Books

Penguin Random House compiled a list of 40 books to read before you turn 40, and all I’ve been hearing lately is the susurration of falling sand. The books include nonfiction, fiction, and poetry, and their inclusion means that the book is a worthy champion when you’re looking for help navigating career, family, or loss. They also kindly threw in a few essential classics that I will likely request be entombed with my cold, quiet body in case I have an opportunity to shred my TBR. The list includes A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara, A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James, and Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi. Can we pepper this list with some books about refusing to grow up?

Riffle Through da Vinci’s Stuff From The Comfort Of Your Couch

Study the mind of a master courtesy of the digitized notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci. Thanks to the British Library and Microsoft, you even get an interactive feature that allows you to turn the pages of the notebooks with animations. And with glosses available onscreen, readers are privvy to explanations of the dainty notes scratched around the technical drawings, diagrams, and schematics. Once upon a time (not very long ago), few people had access to the Codex Arundel. Who knows? It might inspire someone to invent the next great bookish device.

Help Save Jane Austen’s Great House

Chawton House, which houses Jane Austen manuscripts and a library of early women writers, has begun fundraising to become a major historic literary landmark. In the 90s, the Great House was restored and reopened as a home for early women’s literature, but the foundation that had provided much of the financial support to keep it open is focusing on other projects. The folks behind the fundraising effort sound optimistic and excited about turning the house into a literary destination, which is heartening. If they’re looking for a volunteer to house-sit and host massive, themed tea parties: right here.

How To Make White People Uncomfortable By Seattle Seahawks Star

Seattle Seahawks football player Michael Bennet is going to publish a memoir titled How to Make White People Uncomfortable next year. Bennett is a supporter of the Black Lives Matter movement, and social justice issues. Co-writer Dave Zirin said the book will cover “the NFL, racism, sexism, intersectionality and athletes being no longer silenced.” This is not going to be one of those quietly published numbers.

Thanks to Penguin Books, publisher of The Dying Game by Asa Avdic, for sponsoring this week’s newsletter.

The year is 2037. The Soviet Union never fell, and much of Europe has been consolidated under the totalitarian Union of Friendship. On the tiny island of Isola, seven people have been selected to compete in a forty-eight-hour test for a top-secret intelligence position. THE DYING GAME is a masterly locked-room mystery set in a near-future Orwellian state—for fans of Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, Dave Eggers’ The Circle, and Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games.

The Buzziest Books of 2017 So Far

What do you think of Bookbub’s 2017 Most Anticipated Books (So Far)? Predictable? WTF? You’ve got The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, Into the Water by Paula Hawkins, Rich People Problems by Kevin Kwan–no big surprises there. It’s also not surprising to see Nora Roberts, Michael Crichton, and John Grisham on the list, but it is interesting to discover buzzy titles that managed to slip under one’s supposedly all-seeing, all-knowing bookish radar. I don’t get mad at it, I simply add to the endless TBR.

Right Wing Trolls Attack Kid Lit Publisher’s Facebook Page

Remember that story about the feminist bookstore that was attacked with one-star ratings and rants from a horde of angsty, thumb-twiddling misogynists? Well, the trolls strike (and fail) again. And, seemingly mirroring the Avid Reader/Clementine Ford story, when conservative homophobes attacked Triangle Square Books for Young Reader’s Facebook page during Pride Week, fans of the publisher responded with “a resounding chorus of support with almost 300 new 5-star ratings and reviews.” Good on you, Triangle Square Books and readers! Sweep them out the door.

Most Iconic Books Set in Each Country in the World

So GE Editing assembled a list of the most iconic book set in each country of the world. I can’t find any mention of how they came up with this list, but the infographic is worth a look if you’re curious. I have thoughts about the fact that Singapore’s “most iconic book” is about a British family in Singapore…

7 Tips for How to Read Faster

Mental Floss came up with some tips for reading faster and maintaining reading comprehension. The most useful tip I found here is to create a mind map summary after you’ve finished the book, especially if you’re a visual learner. My reading habits are scattered and generally go unrecorded, but I might be able to convince myself to put mind mapping into practice. The forever-problem with this sort of activity is that I could be reading instead!

Thanks to Blackstone Publishing–publisher of the Hell Divers Trilogy by Nicholas Sansbury Smith–for sponsoring this week’s newsletter.

USA Today bestselling science fiction author Nicholas Sansbury Smith delivers another heart-pounding post-apocalyptic adventure in Hell Divers II: Ghosts, the second book in the award-winning Hell Divers trilogy (out July 18th). Bombs dropped during World War III poisoned our the earth. What remains of humankind exists on a massive flying warship. Hell Divers, specially trained men and women, risk their lives to make the dive down to monster-infested, radioactive earth to retrieve fuel cells to keep the ship afloat. They Dive So Humanity Survives!

A Guide to Global Reading Habits

How does your country stack up when it comes to literacy? Global English Editing created an infographic ranking 2016 literacy worldwide. Winner winner chicken dinner goes to Finland. The U.S. came in in 7th place, and Canada was 11th. You can take a look to see where other countries fell (ranked from one to 20), reading habits snapshots, which countries read the most; also check out the top 21 best selling books worldwide. Don Quixote, really? Maybe I’ll give that one another try…someday.

Thought You Knew Everything About the Harry Potter Books and Films?

I can’t help but think someone out there will take a look at this list of 10 things you never knew about the Harry Potter books and films, and say, “Yeah I knew that.” I mean, we are talking about Potterheads, are we not? A couple fun facts: Daniel Radcliffe’s extreme reaction to contact lenses was behind the book-to-film eye color discrepancy, and Rowling regrets coupling Ron and Hermione (please don’t write an alternate ending, Rowling. Please.). But hey did you know Michael Jackson had an idea for the series that Rowling gave the thumbs down?

Rupi Kaur’s Poetic Reveal

Rupi Kaur revealed the cover of her second book of poetry, The Sun and Her Flowers, on Twitter. There, Kaur posted a series of photos in which she’s shirtless (topless sounds gross, doesn’t it?), sporting the cover illustration on her back. Don’t worry, there’s nothing lewd or creepy about these photos. I found the exhibition clever and effective. Poets, man. They know how to spin spare.

But Did You Actually Read Chaesikjuuija?

So…according to numerous reports, the translated version of Han Kang’s The Vegetarian, winner of the 2016 Man Booker International Prize, is chockablock full of translation errors. Okay, maybe chockablock is an over-exaggeration. Or, I don’t know, maybe not: “According to a research paper presented last year at a conference at Ewha Womans University, 10.9 percent of the first part of the novel was mistranslated. Another 5.7 percent of the original text was omitted.” Just for the first part of the novel, mind you. Examples in the article cite the numerous embellishments made by translator Deborah Smith, who started learning Korean only six years prior to translating the book. It’s an interesting piece that examines how the freewheeling translation may have contributed to the books success in Western countries.

Thanks to The Disappearances by Emily Bain Murphy, a HMH Book for Young Readers, for sponsoring this week’s newsletter.

Every seven years something disappears in the town of Sterling: reflections…dreams…colors. When Aila arrives, she learns the town is cursed to lose experiences that weave life together…and the theory is that Aila’s deceased mother, Juliet, is to blame.

Aila sets out to clear her mother’s name with the help of George, whose goofy charm makes him a fast friend; Beas, the enigmatic violinist who writes poetry on her knees; and William, whose pull on Aila’s heart terrifies her.

The Disappearances is a bewitching tale full of intrigue and dread that will leave you entranced.

What’s Your Reading Personality?

I can tch and roll my eyes at the very concept of personality quizzes all day long, but I will also compulsively take every single one I stumble upon. So I spared a moment for the reading personality quiz over at Modern Mrs. Darcy and got The Escapist. I don’t disagree. Take me away, dear book. What’d you get what’d you get?!

Well This is Pretty Cute–Babies Dressed in Potterwear

Maybe I’d have kids if it meant I could swaddle them in Harry Potter gear and take adorable photos. Nah prob not! But even I’m making weird cutesy-nonsense sounds at these 29 photos of babies dressed in wee witchy wear inspired by J.K. Rowling’s series. Also, can you believe the Harry Potter books have been around long enough to be passed down to the children of fans who read them as young adults? I needed the smelling salts after that fun realization.

Sarah Jessica Parker Chooses Book By Emerging Desi Writer

Sarah Jessica Parker chose a book about an Indian-American Muslim family, written by emerging Desi writer Fatima Farheen Mirza, as the first novel published under SJP for Hogarth. Tentatively titled A Place for Us, the novel centers around the marriage of the eldest daughter of an Indian-American Muslim family living in California. Hadia’s marriage, which is not arranged, inspires tension between the American children of the family and their immigrant parents. I can’t wait to read this one.

Check Out Book Riot’s Annotated Podcast

Also in recent news, we have a sparkling-fresh podcast! Annotated presented by Hachette Book Group is Book Riot’s new audio documentary series about books, reading, and language. The first episode, “Is it 1984 yet?” traces the recent rise of the not-new 1984 to the number one spot on Amazon’s best-selling books list. It’s up and available for your listening pleasure.

This week’s newsletter is sponsored by Goodbye, Vitamin by Rachel Khong. One of the most anticipated books of the summer! Published by Henry Hold.

Told in captivating glimpses and drawn from a deep well of insight, humor, and unexpected tenderness, Goodbye, Vitamin pilots through the loss, love, and absurdity of finding one’s footing in this life.

Get Out of Here With Your Reading List

I’m not even going to name any of the extreme right-wing books assigned to students taking an AP Government class in an Alabama high school. The reading list, assigned by teacher Gene Ponder (who ran an unsuccessful 2010 campaign as a Republican candidate for Alabama lieutenant governor), was pulled from Spanish Fort High School’s curriculum after it went viral. One look at the list and you’ll see why it prompted the mother of a student in said class to post it in a private Facebook group for local progressives. After retracting the list, the Baldwin County superintendent said it had not been approved by the school system … but the list has been around and assigned for three years. Applause to Julia Coccaro, a senior and founder of the Spanish Fort High School Democrats, who said, “The point of AP is to teach how to think, not what to think. I’m going to fight for that.”

Indie Bookstore Takes on Anti-Feminist Trolls and Wins

It was anti-feminist trolls versus Australia’s literary community and guess who won? After the Australian feminist author of Fight Like a Girl, Clementine Ford, announced that she’d signed a contract to write her second book, indie Brisbane bookstore Avid Reader decided to share the happy news on Facebook. The nasty comments and one-star reviews followed, with one troll crying out that the store promotes “misandrism.” Enter fans of the store and of Ford, arriving in great numbers to give Avid Reader more than 2,700 five-star reviews, far outweighing the one-stars from “‘men’s rights’ swamp monsters.” And Avid Reader’s responses to the comments on the page? On point.

Don’t Hate on Hufflepuffs

Amazon released data showing that, in terms of sales, Hufflepuff merchandise came in last place after Gryffindor, Slytherin, and Ravenclaw (in that order), all part of the Harry Potter franchise. It seems damning, and the article certainly makes it sound that way, but Hufflepuffs might simply be rare, precious doves. On a side note, and unsurprisingly, data also showed Dumbledore is the only character in the franchise to feature in the top five most highlighted passages on Kindle.

Emma Watson Takes Up Book Fairy Role Once More

Earlier this year, it was books like Mom & Me & Mom, The Color Purple, and My Life on the Road in London and New York, and around the world. Now, Emma Watson, Book Fairy, is hiding copies of Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale around Paris. Previously, Watson teamed up with Book Fairies to leave feminist books for readers to find in surprising places as part of an International Women’s Day event; she’s also hidden books for her book club Our Shared Shelf.

Thanks to Random House, publisher of Who Is Rich? by Matthew Klam, for sponsoring this week’s newsletter.

Who Is Rich? is a warped and exhilarating tale of love and lust, a study in midlife alienation, erotic pleasure, envy, and bitterness in the new gilded age that goes far beyond humor and satire to address deeper questions: of family, monogamy, the intoxicating beauty of children, and the challenging interdependence of two soulful, sensitive creatures in a confusing domestic alliance.

Because We Cool Like That

America’s Millennials are more likely to have visited a public library in the past year than any other adult generation, says a new analysis of Pew Research Center survey data. Results showed that 53% of Millennials (ages 18-35) say they used a library or bookmobile in the previous year. Whereas 45% of Gen Xers, 43% of Baby Boomers, and 36% of those in the Silent Generation used those same resources. The discrepancy could be the result of changes to the public library system, computer and internet usage, and literacy programs. I know I couldn’t survive without library ebooks and audiobooks on my phone, so I found it interesting that use of public library mobile apps is less common across all generations.

Sorry, No Cumberbatch as Dracula Promises Here

The writers and producers of the BBC’s Sherlock are reuniting to develop a new take on the horror classic Dracula. Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat will write the series, and Sue Vertue’s Hartswood Films will produce. But it’ll be a minute before we learn anything about casting, and honestly that’s the news we’re all waiting to hear. Dracula as a character is ideal for adaptation, and I personally loved Coppola’s film take (because Gary Oldman; let’s try to forget about Keanu), so I am not upset by this news. I’ll be tuning in to find out how they modernize the story. Will Dracula discover Tinder?

Broadway Gets Dystopian With Orwell’s Classic

This isn’t Into the Woods or Hedwig and the Angry Inch. This is totalitarianism and Big Brother. This is George Orwell’s 1984 on Broadway. The play, starring Olivia Wilde among other actors, opened this past Friday and was not what you might call a lighthearted production. There is a reason Orwell’s dystopian novel reached No. 1 status on Amazon recently. I’m not sure I’d be able to handle it myself, but a stage production sounds like the perfect platform for rumination.

DREAD NATION Looks Awesome. The End.

Justina Ireland’s forthcoming novel Dread Nation (April 2018) is about zombies, racism, and kick-ass black and Native girls trained in the art of combat. And the cover reveal is so real. You have to see it for yourself.

Thanks to Smoke by Dan Vyleta, new in paperback, for sponsoring this week’s newsletter.

In an alternate Victorian England those who are wicked are marked by smoke. The aristocracy are clean, proof of their virtue and right to rule, while the lower classes are drenched in sin and soot. Readers of the Harry Potter series and Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell are sure to be mesmerized by Dan Vyleta’s thrilling blend of historical fiction and fantasy, as three young friends scratch the surface of the grown-up world to discover startling wonders—and dangerous secrets.

Learning to Read as an Adult Changes Deep Regions of the Brain

In a new study, researchers discovered that reading activates brain structures deeper than the cerebral cortex. They had expected to replicate previous findings that changes are limited to the cortex, but brain scans of the study’s participants surprised the researchers. The scans were taken before and after a six-month training where these participants–mostly women from India in their thirties who couldn’t read a single word–reached a first-grade level of reading. The study revealed that reading affects deep brain structures that help the visual cortex filter important information from the flood of visual input. And this discovery shed new light on a possible cause of dyslexia. Super interesting!

Maps Reveal the Hidden Structures of “Choose Your Own Adventure” Books

Remember “Choose Your Own Adventure” books and inexorable attempts to trample the magic by attempting to cheat your way to a desirable outcome? Well, Chooseco has trampled the magic for us! Okay, the visual maps of the hidden structures are actually pretty neat. The company, founded by one of the series’ original authors, is republishing new editions of the 80s/90s books, including the maps as an additional feature.

Tracy K. Smith is the New U.S. Poet Laureate

Tracy K. Smith, the author of The Body’s Question, Duende, and Life on Mars, which won the 2012 Pulitzer Prize in Poetry, is the country’s new poet laureate! And the first poet laureate appointed by Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden. Smith gets an office in the Library of Congress, a travel budget, and a stipend. Most importantly, Smith gets, as she said, “time and space and support for the freedom to create.” As a candidate, Smith appealed to Hayden due to the poet’s interest in visiting rural areas to talk about poetry, which aligns with Hayden’s goal to make the library accessible and relatable. Applause all around.

Trump Blocks Stephen King; Enter J.K. Rowling

King was obviously heartbroken when the president blocked him on Twitter. If you follow the author on social media, you undoubtedly know how he feels about the 45th, and it seems King’s scathing remarks had not gone unnoticed by the president. After King announced that he’d been blocked, J.K. Rowling offered to DM the president’s tweets to her fellow best-selling author. I do love a cheeky bookish Twitter story.

Thanks to TarcherPerigee, publisher of Start Where You Are by Meera Lee Patel, for sponsoring this week’s newsletter.

A lushly illustrated, interactive journal featuring beautiful watercolors and inspiring quotes from celebrated writers, artists and visionaries…

The hardest questions are the ones that open doors. Every spread in this book features an inspiring quote from a famous figure paired with an exercise. These exercises–often taking the form of a chart, list or written prompt–are designed to help you apply the lesson within each quote to your life.

There is no right or wrong way to complete this book. If you’re honest with your thoughts, you’ll become privy to various pieces of yourself – some that you know very well, and others that have previously gone unnoticed.

Take your time. Use what you have. Start where you are.

Take a Look, It’s in a Book, It’s a LeVar Burton Podcast!

Did anyone else notice the Explicit label on LeVar Burton’s new podcast, LeVar Burton Reads? Whatever. All I can say is this: when Mr. Reading Rainbow himself started narrating a snippet of fiction for the bumper episode (a speculative fiction reading, no less–we see you Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge), I got goosebumps. How many times can I click subscribe? The first full episode will appear on iTunes on June 13. Y’all.

Bet You Thought We Were Done With Harper Lee News

We’ll never be done. But iunno…I’m kind of looking forward to reading Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, the graphic novel. Lee’s estate is a-okay with plans for the adaptation, which will be illustrated by Fred Fordham who worked on Philip Pullman’s graphic novel, The Adventures of John Blake: Mystery of the Ghost Ship. I did not, nor do I ever plan to read Go Set a Watchman, but I’m fond of the “put an illustration on it” concept, and likely would only ever have reread TKAM in this format. It’s novel enough…

Down in the Underground, A Land Serene, A Library

I didn’t realize I’d be singing you links today. But here we are. And what deserves the magical treatment of a Labyrinth melody more than a library in an underground forest? It’s difficult to figure out what exactly is being said in the Architect announcement describing the reading and art space in Shanghai’s Onepark Gubei community club, but it sounds like different levels and areas of the space will complement different moods and levels of interactivity (put me on the waiting list for the “leave me alone I’m reading!” room). And, honestly, the gallery speaks for itself.

Ready, Set, Speed Read!

Lifehacker, the site we all lovingly check in with to have our minds blown by tips destined to never be employed in our blithely inefficient lives (just me?), has compiled a list of speed reading apps to help you show books and other readables what’s what. Part of me wants to try these out, but the other part of me is as hesitant as I was that first time I upped my audiobook speed to 1.25x. :hand-wringing:

Thanks to A Dark So Deadly by Stuart MacBride for sponsoring this week’s newsletter.

A gripping standalone thriller from the Sunday Times No. 1 bestselling author of the Logan McRae series. DC Callum MacGregor’s career was going pretty well until he covered up a mistake to protect his pregnant crime-scene tech girlfriend. Now, Callum’s stuck on a squad with all the other misfits—the officers no one else wants, but who can’t be fired—never likely to get within reach of a decent case again.  That is, until they accidentally get handed the biggest murder investigation the city of Oldcastle has ever seen. When a mummified body is found in the local garbage dump, the top-brass assume pranksters have stolen it from a museum. But as Callum and his colleagues investigate, it starts to look less like student high-jinx and more like the work of a terrifying serial killer…

I Will Never Stop Eating Up Bookish Tiny Houses

Yup. Can’t stop won’t stop, so thank you to French firm La Maison Qui Chemin, for giving us a drool-worthy tiny house bookstore–although those of us who do not live close enough to La librairie itinérante (the traveling bookstore) can only enjoy a virtual experience courtesy of the gallery included in the article. The tiny house bookseller, Jean-Jacques, plans to wander all over France, visiting places that don’t have bookstores. Rioter Kelly Jensen said she realized her dream to bring tiny house bookstores to America, and I fully and selfishly support this idea. Please make it happen, Someone Anyone.

First Chinese Woman to Win Hugo Featured in Audi Commercial

It’s interesting to see a Sci-Fi author in a celebrity role, and I must say, the commercial Hao Jingfang (author of Folding Beijing, translated by the ubiquitous Ken Liu) headlines is visually impressive and plays my Blade Runner and Inception loving heart like a fiddle. It’s nice to see her gaining recognition beyond the book world because she deserves it, and because it will hopefully give her work and other works in translation more global exposure. I’ve also heard rumor that Folding Beijing will be adapted into a film, so look out for it!

All the Hypotheses about the Most Misspelled Words in America

My brain is determined to employ pseudo-psychology to find a correlation between regional culture and each state’s most misspelled word. Quit now, brain. Google released a new spelling map showing each U.S. state’s most Googled word for its spelling. I will never get over that Wisconsin is Wisconsin’s word. The map was released in honor of the 90th Annual Scripps National Spelling Bee–I’ve made a date with YouTube to watch it all. Let’s scatter those spelling geniuses across the states on tutoring missions.

And the Award for Coolest Dad Goes To…

Daniel Radosh–not because he’s the Daily Show head writer but because he wrote the perfect letter in response to a request from his son’s school to sign a permission slip allowing his child to read Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451…because swearing or whatever. Here’s a tasty snippet of his response to be getting on with: “It’s easy enough to read the book and say, ‘This is crazy. It could never really happen,’ but pretending to present students at the start with what seems like a totally reasonable ‘first step’ is a really immersive way to teach them how insidious censorship can be I’m sure that when the book club is over and the students realize the true intent of this letter they’ll be shocked at how many of them accepted it as an actual permission slip.”

Thanks to Bookclubbish.com, publisher of Not A Sound by Heather Gudenkauf, for sponsoring this week’s newsletter.

When a tragic accident leaves nurse Amelia Winn deaf, she spirals into a depression that ultimately causes her to lose everything that matters—her job, her husband, David, and her stepdaughter, Nora. Now, two years later and with the help of her hearing dog, Stitch, she is finally getting back on her feet. But when she discovers the body of a fellow nurse in the dense bush by the river, deep in the woods near her cabin, she is plunged into a disturbing mystery that could shatter the carefully reconstructed pieces of her life all over again.