Author: Sharifah Williams

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by LibraryReads.

Watch The Full Trailer For Mary Poppins Returns

Mary Poppins is back, and you can see her and her magical carpet bag in the new full trailer for Mary Poppins Returns. Mary is played by Emily Blunt, and expect a star-studded cast that includes Lin-Manuel Miranda, Colin Firth, Angela Lansbury, Meryl Streep, and Dick Van Dyck. Mary Poppins Returns is loosely based on the other seven books in P.L. Travers’ series. The film premieres December 19.

Haruki Murakami Withdraws Alt Nobel Nomination

Haruki Murakami has withdrawn his nomination from the alternative Nobel Prize for Literature. Murakami wrote to the organizers of the New Academy Prize that he would prefer to focus on his writing away from media attention. The Award was organized in the wake of a sexual assault scandal that postponed the 2018 Nobel. That leaves Maryse Condé, Kim Thúy, and Neil Gaiman in the running.

Pennsylvania Ends Prison Book Donations

As Pennsylvania’s Department of Corrections pushes to get prisoners to buy into a costly eBook system, the DOC plans to ban free book donations to inmates by mail. The DOC is claiming that book delivery is a “primary avenue for drugs” to enter prisons, tweeting as evidence a letter from an inmate to family members asking for a dictionary.

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by Josh & Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating.

2018 National Book Awards Longlist For Fiction

It’s here! The National Book Foundation announced the 10 books that made it onto the NBA longlist. They include An American Marriage by Tayari Jones, Florida by Lauren Groff, and There There by Tommy Orange. Take a look at the full list, and the list of judges, here.

My White Classmates Told Me Black Girls Don’t Read

At Hello Giggles, Genelle Levy wrote on her experiences as a reader and a high-achieving student–one of few black students at a predominantly white private school. It’s an excellent read about coding, especially in regards to intellectual and bookish pursuits. And it’s a reminder of the importance of diverse stories. Give it a read.

Ann Patchett Novel Gets Series Adaptation

In adaptation news, Ann Patchett’s State of Wonder will be adapted into a series. The book follows Dr. Marina Singh who journeys into the Amazon rain forest in search of her missing mentor.

Don’t forget we’re giving away a 6 month subscription to OwlCrate Jr! Enter here.

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by The Cost of Betrayal: Three Romantic Suspense Novellas by Dee Henderson, Dani Pettrey, and Lynette Eason.

Fear Sells More Than 750k Copies

Bob Woodward’s Fear has sold more than 750,000 copies in America in one day, according to the publisher. The White House exposé is getting its ninth printing to meet demand. Barnes & Noble also said Woodward’s book was its fastest-growing adult title since Harper Lee’s Go Set A Watchman published in July 2014.

First Look At The New Sabrina

Netflix gave us a first look at the new Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, and let me tell you, it looks delightfully creepy. Almost American Horror Story-esque. We’ve come a long way from the bright pages of those Archie digests. Give it a watch here, and mark your calendars for October 26.

National Book Award Longlists For Poetry And Nonfiction

The National Book Foundation released the longlists for Poetry and for Nonfiction. In Poetry, works included Eye Level by Jenny Xie and American Sonnets for My Past and Future Assassin by Terrance Hayes. And in Nonfiction, titles included Call Them by Their True Names: American Crises (and Essays) by Rebecca Solnit and The New Negro: The Life of Alain Locke by Jeffrey C. Stewart.

Don’t forget we’re giving away a 6 month subscription to OwlCrate Jr! Enter here.

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by The Real Lolita by Sarah Weinman, published by Ecco.

“Just One More Thing…”

This one sounds like something straight out of Columbo. An Oregon romance writer was charged with murdering her husband, a chef at a Portland culinary school. The June shooting was a mystery with no suspects, until now. Nancy Crampton-Brophy has authored a number of novels, including The Wrong Husband, a suspense romance about a woman escaping an abusive and powerful husband. According to the article, “Police and prosecutors remained silent on possible motive.”

Customer Wins Bookstore For £20

In “living the dream” news, bookstore customer Ceisjan Van Heerden won an indie bookstore in a £20 raffle. He was one of 59 participants vying for Bookends in Cardigan, Wales. The store’s original owner decided to raffle it off rather than sell it when worsening osteoarthritis made him decide on an early retirement. Happily, Bookends owner Paul Morris said of the winner, “[Ceisjan] is a regular customer and I’m really pleased it was him – he wants to run it.”

The Hate U Give Release Date Moves Up 2 Weeks

Edit those calendars! The release date for the adaptation of Angie Thomas’ The Hate U Give has been moved up two weeks to October 5. That is, it’s opening in limited release on October 5, and then widening its release on the original October 19 premiere date. So check those showtimes.

Don’t forget we’re giving away a 6 month subscription to OwlCrate Jr! Enter here.

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

A Bittersweet Win For Bourdain

Author, documentarian, and chef Anthony Bourdain was announced as the winner of the non-fiction writing Emmy for his Parts Unknown series. The late Bourdain, who died by suicide at the age of 61 three months ago, had never won the award despite eight nominations. The show’s producer, Lydia Tenaglia, accepted the Emmy on Bourdain’s behalf. The Parts Unknown team won all six Emmys for which the show was nominated.

Princesses of Power!

We got a teaser trailer for the She-Ra reboot from showrunner and Nimona creator Noelle Stevenson! All episodes of She-Ra and the Princesses of Power will be available on Netflix on November 16. The cast includes Aimee Carrero voicing Princess Adora. This 80s kid/Stevenson fan is pumped.

Writers’ Cribs

The Paris Review published an illustrated piece on the homes and rooms where writers do their thing. Consider Jane Austen’s tiny desk, James Baldwin’s Côte d’Azur refuge, Virginia Woolf’s Monk’s House shed, and more through these delightful illustrations and factual tidbits.

And don’t forget to come share the ins-n-outs of your reading life in our Fall Reader Survey!

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by Little, Brown and Company.

Who Loves Free Audiobooks? We Love Free Audiobooks.

Audible announced a new program that gives members two free Audible Originals audiobooks each month. This is in addition to the downloads that come with different membership levels. And this month’s six options include Carey Mulligan’s Girls & Boys, Jane Austen’s Emma, and Sharon Washington’s Feeding the Dragon.

Blake’s Illuminated Books

Bone up on the works of William Blake through an archive that provides open access to much of the artist and poet’s work. This includes high resolution illuminated books, “a series of philosophical, religious, and mythological works composed from about 1788 to 1822.” Also, drawings, paintings, and manuscripts.

“A Sadistic Man”

A newly unearthed memoir by Gwyn Conger Steinbeck, John Steinbeck’s wife, is set to be published for the first time this week. The memoir describes the author as “a sadistic man” and a serial womanizer. “Like so many writers, he had several lives, and in each he was spoilt, and in each he felt he was king,” she wrote.

And don’t forget to come share the ins-n-outs of your reading life in our Fall Reader Survey!

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by Tear Me Apart by J.T. Ellison from MIRA Books.

Booker Archives Spill The Tea

A coin-toss decision, scathing comments, and more juicy judging tidbits from a new British Library film and an online archive collecting documents, images, and videos from the Man Booker’s history. The archive, which marks the prize’s 50th anniversary, revealed that the winner of the 1976 Booker prize was decided on a coin toss, and how judge Joanna Lumley called one book “over-my-dead-body stuff.”

Keeping It Real

James Beard and duPont-Columbia Award-winning producers The Kitchen Sisters are launching a new series telling “stories of activist archivists, rogue librarians, curators, collectors and historians.” And they’re inviting “keepers” to help create the stories with them through #KeeperoftheDay. The Keepers premiered today on NPR’s Morning Edition with Keepers Of The Underground: The Hiphop Archive At Harvard.

Why We Need Libraries: An Essay in Pictures

Neil Gaiman and Chris Riddell created an essay in pictures on why we need our libraries, with words from Gaiman and illustrations from Riddell. “I’m making a plea for people to understand what libraries and librarians are, and to preserve both of these things,” Gaiman writes. Check out the piece.

And don’t forget to come share the ins-n-outs of your reading life in our Fall Reader Survey!

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by Workman Publishing, publisher of The Best Damn Answers to Life’s Hardest Questions by Tess Koman.

Loved Them (?) And Left Them

Travelodge revealed the 20 most-left-behind books at their locations. Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale tops the list. The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins placed sixth, and Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn was eighth. Check out the full list here.

Ex Libris Premieres On PBS

Go behind the scenes of the New York Public Library through Ex Libris, Director Frederick Wiseman’s 2017 documentary. The two-hour film premieres on PBS tonight, at 10 p.m. It features librarians, staffers, patrons, Patti Smith, and Elvis Costello, to name a few. So if you’re as intrigued/fascinated/in love with libraries as we are, check it out.

Who Will Be The Next Barefoot Bookseller?

Did you hear about the Maldives bookshop that advertised for a “barefoot bookseller”? Word got around and Ultimate Library, which provides library collections for holiday destinations around the world, is no longer accepting applications for the job, what with the thousands already in their inbox. Philip Blackwell, the company’s founder, reported that the applicants even include a member of the White House press team.

And don’t forget to come share the ins-n-outs of your reading life in our Fall Reader Survey!