Author: Sharifah Williams

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by CubHouse, an imprint of Lion Forge.

Indie Bookstore Fights Back

James Jenkins and husband Ryan Cagle, co-founders of Valancourt Books, have filed a lawsuit in federal court, “arguing that the Copyright Office’s demand violates the publisher’s right to free speech and its right to ‘just compensation’ for taken property.” The independent, print-on-demand publisher specializes in reprinting long-lost works, including queer literature. But the U.S. Copyright Office demanded one copy of 240 different books from the publisher’s collection for free. “If we don’t send the books, the Copyright Office says they will fine us out of existence,” said Jenkins.

A Harry Potter-Themed Mixology Course

Please, someone in New York, attend the Harry Potter-themed mixology class for me. The Cauldron, a pop-up bar and mixology course, is opening in NYC in September. The Kickstarter-funded London pop-up was so successful back in March, that the organizers took it to the states. Here’s hoping it spreads across the country.

The Guardian’s “Unimpressive” Alt Nobel Coverage

The Guardian has come under fire for its coverage of the alternative Nobel Prize in Literature shortlist released this week. Two women–Maryse Condé and Kim Thúy–and two men–Haruki Murakami and Neil Gaiman–are on the shortlist. But The Guardian focused on the two men, pushing the women to the bottom of the piece and mentioning them as “completing the shortlist.” The New Academy Prize in Literature was created in the wake of a sex abuse scandal that postponed the Nobel Prize in Literature for 2018.

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by Flatiron Books, publishers of 13 Minutes by New York Times bestselling author Sarah Pinborough.

First Trailer For Elena Ferrante Adaptation

HBO released its first official teaser trailer for the series adaptation of My Brilliant Friend, the first book in Elena Ferrante’s Neapolitan novels. The story follows friends Elena and Lila as they try to make their way out of a rough Naples neighborhood and restrictive home lives. Watch the teaser.

Traditional Publishers Are Selling Way More Nonfic

Forbes reported that “adult non-fiction revenues are soaring above fiction revenues and have been widening the gap for the past five years.” This, with a note that these numbers only account for traditionally published books, leaving out fiction and non-fiction from indie self-publishing. In other words, these numbers do not signal the death of adult fiction.

3 Members Return To Nobel Prize Body

Three members who quit the Swedish Academy (the Nobel literature prize body) amid a sex-abuse scandal are returning. Sara Danius, Kjell Espmark, and Peter Englund will rejoin the body, saying differences with a member aren’t as important as the Academy itself. Espmark said they’re ready to help out with the election of new board members.

And don’t forget, we’re giving away a stack of books from Season 2 of Recommended, in honor of the upcoming third season of the podcast! Click here to enter.

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by Flatiron Books, publishers of Mirage by Somaiya Daud.

Men Rec Men And No One Is Surprised

As with men on dating apps, male authors are more likely to recommend books by male authors. Four times more likely, according to an analysis of the New York Times‘ “By the Book” column. UC Berkeley Assistant Professor David Bamman was inspired to perform the analysis by a satisfying Twitter thread on the subject from Fates and Furies author Lauren Groff and Little Fires Everywhere author Celeste Ng. The findings showed recommendations for 48.9% women/51.1% from women authors interviewed, and recommendations for 20.8% women/79.2% men from male authors interviewed.

Is Social Media Influencing Book Cover Design?

The Guardian took a look at the influence social media, and particularly Instagram, might have on book cover design. They’ve almost become an accessory in some cases,” said Rachel Willey, the designer behind Patricia Lockwood’s Priestdaddy and Melissa Broder’s The Pisces (both A+ book covers BTW). The piece examined covers of yesterday and today, and how publishers and even the fashion world are jumping on a surge in fascination with book aesthetics.

Amazon’s Prime Book Box Made Available Nationwide

The service, which was announced back in May, delivers children’s books to subscribers’ doorsteps monthly. For $23, subscribers (who have to be Prime members) receive two hardcover books or four board books. The books are either chosen by Amazon, or by the subscriber from a curated list of titles.

And don’t forget, we’re giving away a stack of books from Season 2 of Recommended, in honor of the upcoming third season of the podcast! Click here to enter.

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by Swoon Reads — publishing the latest and greatest in YA fiction recommended by readers like you.

First Look At Netflix’s The Haunting of Hill House

Feast your eyes on the first images from Netflix’s series adaptation of the Shirley Jackson classic, The Haunting of Hill House. Mike Flanagan, also working on the big-screen adaptation of Stephen King’s Doctor Sleep, is directing. The series makes its seasonally-appropriate debut on October 12.

“At Any Rate, The Trip Has Been Wonderful.”

Neil Simon died at the age of 91. A prolific writer, Simon penned more than 30 plays and screenplays, including The Odd Couple and Barefoot in the Park, and he won three Tony Awards. He died of complications from pneumonia surrounded by family.

Oh You Beautiful Bookstore You

Take a virtual tour of Livraria Lello bookstore in Porto, Portugal. This is the magical bookstore said to have inspired J.K. Rowling when she was writing the first Harry Potter book. One can never moon over too many bookstore photos, or plan an overseas trip too early. :wink wink nudge nudge: But maybe off-season to avoid those lines…

And don’t forget, we’re giving away a stack of books from Season 2 of Recommended, in honor of the upcoming third season of the podcast! Click here to enter.

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by Libby, the one-tap reading app from your library and OverDrive.

Another Win For Little Free Libraries

The Guardian took a look at how Little Free Libraries have benefited the Leeds community. Artist and Little Free Librarian Carry Franklin described the libraries as “big, solid gestures of love, sharing and hopefulness … the antithesis to the kind of politics that’s going on now.” Leeds boasts 19 LFLs now, including boxes in less well-off areas.

“An Appalling Piece Of Work”

Ever wonder what it’s like behind the scenes of book publishing? Well, here’s a look at an author-copy-editor dynamic gone wrong. As you can tell from V.S. Naipaul’s scathing letter, the author was not well pleased with the extensive revisions to the manuscript of A Turn in the South. “It is such an appalling piece of work that I feel I have to write about it,” wrote Naipaul. Ouch.

Omarosa’s White House Tell-All Moves 33,483 Print Copies In First Week

Some follow-up: as expected, sales of Omarosa Manigault Newman’s Unhinged: An Insider’s Account of the Trump White House are healthy despite warnings of legal action from Trump’s camp. The White House tell-all sold 33,484 copies in its first week on sale, and it was #2 on PW’s hardcover nonfiction list for the week.

And don’t forget, we’re giving away a stack of books from Season 2 of Recommended, in honor of the upcoming third season of the podcast! Click here to enter.

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by Penguin Random House Library Marketing.

“It’s Blazin’ Up In My Kitchen”

Get ready to cook with Snoop. Snoop Dogg will publish From Crook to Cook, with recipes ranging from lobster thermidor to gin and juice. Rioters want to know: will another green garnish replace parsley? Now go watch Martha and Snoop’s Potluck Dinner Party, and pick up his cookbook in October.

3 New Harry Potter Books Incoming

We’re getting three new Harry Potter books. These will not (thankfully) be new stories to expand upon the canon. The three books are Harry Potter: A Pop-Up Guide to Hogwarts, sure to be a fave, out October 23; Harry Potter: Creatures: A Paper Scene Book, out October 2; and, Harry Potter: Imagining Hogwarts: A Beginner’s Guide to Moviemaking, out October 16. Can you tell it’s almost gift-giving season?

New Details From The Scary Stories Adaptation

We got new details about Guillermo del Toro’s adaptation of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. The live-action film will reportedly follow a young girl haunted by her mother’s disappearance. She and her friends pull a Halloween prank that goes wrong, which might be the work of a vengeful spirit out to get the teens through her scary stories. :Ready to be creeped out:

And don’t forget, we’re giving away a stack of books from Season 2 of Recommended, in honor of the upcoming third season of the podcast! Click here to enter.

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by Lion Forge.

Walmart’s eBookstore Launches

Walmart will sell ebooks online and in stores. According to The Digital Reader, walmart.com/ebooks will be managed and supported via a subdomain by Kobo. And the $99 Kobo Aura will be sold in stores, alongside ebook and/or audiobook title cards, cash value gift cards, and cards for audiobook subscriptions. The question is, will this interesting system work?

New Trailer For The Hate U Give

A new trailer for The Hate U Give premiered. The movie, based on Angie Thomas’s YA novel about a young black girl who witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend at the hands of a police officer, starring Amandla Stenberg in the lead role as Starr Carter, is in theaters October 19. This movie hasn’t stopped building up buzz since it was announced.

Doctor Who’s First Black Screenwriter

Is former Children’s Laureate Malorie Blackman. Blackman has written more than 60 books for children and young adults, including her Naughts and Crosses series. “I’ve always loved Doctor Who. Getting the chance to write for this series has definitely been a dream come true,” said Blackman.

And don’t forget, we’re giving away a stack of books from Season 2 of Recommended, in honor of the upcoming third season of the podcast! Click here to enter.

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by Penguin Random House Library Marketing.

Here Are Your 2018 Hugo Awards Winners

Congratulations to N.K. Jemisin who won Best Novel for the third year in a row (and gave us an unforgettable, timely acceptance speech)! Jemisin won for The Stone Sky, the final book in the Broken Earth trilogy. Other winners included All Systems Red by Martha Wells for Best Novella, and “Welcome to your Authentic Indian Experience™” by Rebecca Roanhorse for Best Short Story. Check out the full list (dominated by women) here.

Barack Obama’s Favorite Summer Reads

Obama came through with another list of books to check out. You may have heard of some of these buzzy titles already, including An American Marriage by Tayari Jones, and Educated by Tara Westover. “This summer I’ve been absorbed by new novels, revisited an old classic, and reaffirmed my faith in our ability to move forward together when we seek the truth,” Obama said of his faves.

Trump Sends Cease-And-Desist To Omarosa’s Publisher

Déjà vu is Trump sending a cease-and-desist letter to Simon & Schuster ahead of the publication of Omarosa Manigault Newman’s White House tell-all, Unhinged: An Insider’s Account of the Trump White House. You may remember that Trump’s lawyer sent a letter to Michael Wolff’s publisher for Fire and Fury (that didn’t go well for Trump). S&S said they “are proceeding as planned with publication of Unhinged by Omarosa Manigault-Newman, confident that we are acting well within our rights and responsibilities as a publisher.”

And don’t forget, we’re giving away a stack of books from Season 2 of Recommended, in honor of the upcoming third season of the podcast! Click here to enter.

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by A WILLING MURDER by Jude Deveraux from MIRA Books.

Freeze Drying Process Recovers Damaged Rare Books

The California State Library managed to save hundreds of rare books using a freeze drying process. Over the winter, a ceiling leak damaged the books, some of which dated back to the 1800s. Thankfully, many of these books are ready for reshelving!

ALA Fellow Responds To Tor’s E-Book Embargo

Over at Publisher’s Weekly, the ALA’s appointed digital content fellow, Sari Feldman, addressed Tor’s recent e-book embargo for libraries. Feldman described the SFF publisher’s experiment to learn if library lending is negatively impacting retail e-book sales as a wake-up call for librarians to protect patrons’ access to digital content. “I am ready to take a fire hose to this problem,” said Feldman.

Watch Out For Watchmen

HBO ordered a full series for Watchmen, based on the comic by Alan Moore and artist Dave Gibbons. We also have the full cast lineup, which includes Regina King and Jeremy Irons (what what). HBO’s first superhero series arrives in 2019.

And don’t forget, we’re giving away a stack of books from Season 2 of Recommended, in honor of the upcoming third season of the podcast! Click here to enter.

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by Temper by Nicky Drayden.

Soap In A Box

YA Twitter was stirred up by the penis-shaped soap (NSFW images of said soap are in the linked article) delivered in fandom subscription boxes for Sarah J. Maas’s A Court of Thorns and Roses. The Book Boyfriend Box was not an official marketing item from the publisher. Some criticized erotic merch in a box for a YA book, and some noted that the book is New Adult. The box creator reminded everyone that the book includes explicit sex scenes, and the box was adult-rated. One issue to be addressed is that the box also included erotic fanart and fanfiction, and, as the article states, “for-profit fanfic is generally viewed as copyright infringement.”

Anne With An E Renewed For Third Season

Expect a third season of Anne With an E from Netflix and CBC in 2019. The second season of the series, based on Lucy Maud Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables, is currently available on Netflix and will premiere in Canada on CBC September 23. “Our beloved Anne will be 16 years old when we return to this season full of romantic complications, bold adventures and dramatic discoveries,” said showrunner Moira Walley-Beckett.

Keanu Reeves’ Esoteric Imprint

The headline really makes this story, but the story itself is interesting too: Keanu Reeves is publishing an imprint of esoteric books. Reeves launched X Artists’ Books with his business partner, artist Alexandra Grant, in Los Angeles. Click through for the New York Times’ T Magazine profile of the imprint.

And don’t forget, we’re giving away a stack of books from Season 2 of Recommended, in honor of the upcoming third season of the podcast! Click here to enter.