Author: Sharifah Williams

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by Number One Chinese Restaurant by Lillian Li. Published by Henry Holt & Co.

Kid Lit Says No Kids in Cages

A core group of 20 children’s authors released a statement condemning the actions of the U.S. government as the Department of Justice and Attorney General Jeff Sessions enforce a zero-tolerance immigration policy. Kid Lit Says No Kids in Cages is rallying support and funding in response to the separation of immigrant parents and children at the southern border of the United States. Money raised in support of the cause will be given to agencies that directly help the immigrant families and children in crisis, and the goal has been surpassed, with more than $48,000 raised so far.

Oxford English Dictionary Hunts Down Regional Words

The Oxford English Dictionary is asking the public for help in the collection of regional English words from around the world. Their aim is to include all types of English, including standard English, scientific and technical vocabulary, literary words, slang, and regionalisms. The OED has so far been pleasantly surprised by the number of regional words they’ve been able to include. Read the article to find out how to properly use “hammajang,” “munted,” and “frog-drowner” in conversation!

Listen To Alicia Keys Narrate Nina Simone’s Life Story

Along with Ashley Judd and Rowan Blanchard, and more, Alicia Keys has signed on to narrate the Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls audiobook. Francesca Cavallo and Elena Favilli’s Kickstarter-funded book series highlights the lives of 200 influential women throughout history, including artists, athletes, activists, and lawmakers. Listen to an excerpt of Keys reading Simone’s story here.

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This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by The Bookshop of Yesterdays by Amy Meyerson, new from Park Row Books.

The 2017 VIDA Count

The 2017 VIDA Count has arrived. VIDA looked at 15 major print publications over the course of 2017, analyzing how many women and gender minorities are represented. Check out the full report for infographics and the detailed analysis (The New York Review of Books has some work to do).

Carnegie Medal Winner Criticizes “Accessible” Prose

When Geraldine McCaughrean won the CILIP Carnegie medal for her novel Where the World Ends, she used her acceptance speech to warn against the dangers of “accessible language” in books for young readers. McCaughrean said publishers would “deliberately and wantonly create an underclass of citizens with a small but functional vocabulary: easy to manipulate and lacking in the means to reason their way out of subjugation, because you need words to be able to think for yourself.”

The Columbus Letters Mystery

The Vatican celebrated the return of a copy of a letter by Christopher Columbus six years after receiving word that theirs might be a forgery. So far, American officials have returned a stolen copy of the letter to three European libraries in two years. But investigators have yet to figure out whodunnit, when, and whether the thefts are linked.

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This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by THE EMPEROR OF SHOES by Spencer Wis.

SJP For Hogarth’s Debut Novel

Sarah Jessica Parker’s new publishing imprint, SJP for Hogarth, just released its debut novel, Fatima Farheen Mirza’s A Place for Us. Mirza’s novel concerns the dynamics of an Indian-American Muslim family in California. Parker’s imprint focuses on literary fiction with an emphasis on multicultural voices. You can read the full article for more about the rise of celebrity imprints and Parker’s journey toward helming one.

Restraining Order Issued Against Stan Lee’s Manager

The temporary restraining order follows allegations of elder abuse against Stan Lee’s manager, Keya Morgan. Tom Lallas, Lee’s lawyer, wrote that the Marvel Comics magnate is being isolated and influenced. Morgan was also arrested on suspicion of making a false call to the police, reporting that a burglary was taking place at Lee’s home as two detectives and a social worker were conducting a welfare check on Lee.

Again With The Trademarking

Time for the SFF and romance communities to share eyerolls. We had romance’s #cockygate, and now we’ve got a writer trying to trademark “dragon slayer” for fantasy novels. An application for the trademark has been filed and one can only hope it’s swiftly denied. The application lists a series of “pulp harem fantasies” by Michael-Scott Earle. Yeah, no thanks.

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This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by Macmillan Audio and Legendary by Stephanie Garber.

Adaptation Alerts

Every day brings adaptation news. Carmen Maria Machado’s Her Body and Other Parties is being adapted for an anthology series, pitched as a feminist Black Mirror (yes, please). Amazon Studios is snatching up all the genre series, and a Deadline interview confirmed that the studio is attached to Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time series, which has been in development. And Hyde Park Entertainment Group has acquired the rights to Greg Grandin’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Fordlandia for a potential television series, with filmmaker Werner Herzog attached to direct.

8 Employees Quit Indie Bookstore Following Mishandling of Sexual Harassment Claims

The Book Exchange lost eight employees in two weeks. Women who have worked at the Missoula indie came forward to speak about being inappropriately touched by Nabil Haddad, the husband of the store’s owner. Another employee said Haddad followed her around the store for an hour, and she suspected he was taking photos of her. The whole story reads like an awful textbook example of how not to handle sexual harassment complaints, including a totally inappropriate letter from the owner about “appropriate business attire.”

Captain Marvel Might Be The New Face Of The MCU

Brie Larson’s Captain Marvel might be the new face and leader of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The news comes as Robert Downey, Jr., Chris Evans, and Chris Hemsworth are reaching the end of their contracts with Avengers 4. Captain Marvel, starring Larson as Carol Danvers, Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, and Jude Law as Mar-Vell, will be out March 8.

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WriteNow Mentees Respond To Lionel Shriver

Lionel Shriver wrote an article claiming Penguin Random House is eschewing quality in order to tick a diversity box. This was in response to an email from the publisher, which stated that, by 2025, its authors and staff will reflect the diversity of UK society. Mentees of WriteNow, a PRH program which “aims to find, mentor and publish new writers from communities under-represented on the nation’s bookshelves” responded to Shriver’s solidly unwoke tirade with an open letter. “Shriver seems to view diversity and quality as mutually exclusive categories. We are compelled to ask: does she truly believe that diverse writers are incapable of penning good books?” It’s a great response–I recommend reading the whole thing.

Introducing The New Apple Books

Apple is embarking upon it’s biggest book redesign ever, according to its senior v-p of Internet software and services. A new Apple Books app will replace the iBooks app with the forthcoming release of iOS 12. Among the new features, Apple Books will include a curated collection of titles, and will introduce audiobook sales directly in the app.

Maryland Lifts Limitations On Prisoner Access To Books

Maryland prison officials have reversed a policy limiting prisoner access to books. Prisoners can now receive book shipments directly from relatives and online retailers. The corrections department also lifted constraints on how often inmates can order through prison-approved vendors. Hurray!

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Kindle Scammer Gets The Boot

A Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) scammer has been booted from the Kindle Unlimited bookstore. Going by Chance Carter, the scammer directed readers to skip to the last page of the book (“hack jobs written by Fiverr writers”) for the chance to enter a giveaway. Because KDP pays authors for pages read, and can’t tell when readers skip ahead to reach the last page, Carter was receiving about $20 per read. Scammer, your books will not be missed.

In Other Words, Goodbye

I hardly knew ye. Some sad news for bookstore travelers who planned to one day visit In Other Words, a Portland, Oregon indie bookstore perhaps widely known as Portlandia’s Women and Women First feminist bookstore: the shop is closed for business. While it may have been recognized as a pop culture landmark, In Other Words also served as a community space and a feminist resource center. The shop’s statement cited increased expenses and the lack of funds, volunteers, and board members as the reason for closure.

Laurie Halse Anderson’s New Novel

Laurie Halse Anderson, who spoke up about rape through her 1999 semi-autobiographical YA novel, Speak, will again write on the subject with a new novel for young readers. In Shout, Anderson is writing about her experience as a rape victim, and about the experiences shared with her by her readers in the two decades since her first novel was published. “I see my responsibility as helping people move away from ‘me too’ to ‘us too,’ ” said the author.

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This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by We Are Gathered by Jamie Weisman from HMH.

Poetry Readers In The U.S. Have Almost Doubled

New research by the National Endowment for the Arts has shown that poetry readers in the U.S. have almost doubled in the past five years. People ages 18–24 and African American, Asian American, and other non-white readers make up the largest increase in poetry readership. The increase has been attributed to a number of factors including social media, and the pursuit of insight and comfort during challenging times.

Watch The Girl In The Spider’s Web Trailer

The newest installment of the Lisbeth Salander movies–or, rather, the Millenium series adaptations–has a trailer. The film adaptation of The Girl in the Spider’s Web (the fourth book in the series–this one written by David Lagercrantz, not Stieg Larsson) does not include a bunch of spoilers, according to director and co-writer Fede Alvarez (Don’t Breathe). Claire Foy (The Crown) plays Salander, and Swedish actor Sverrir Gudnason (Borg vs. McEnroe) plays Blomkvist.

When You Just Can’t Wait For That Library Book

I mean, I get impatient waiting for books to become available, but a Hong Kong librarian took reader’s anticipation to a new level. The librarian in question has been arrested for allegedly stealing patrons’ personal information. The reason? She wanted to expedite the return of loaned out books she wanted to read. By reporting their cards stolen and changing their passwords, the librarian compelled patrons to return their books immediately. Yeesh.

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This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by Little Do We Know by Tamara Ireland Stone from Disney Publishing Worldwide.

Amazon Orders The Underground Railroad Series

Amazon has ordered a limited series based on Colson Whitehead’s The Underground Railroad. Barry Jenkins (Moonlight) is set to direct all 11 episodes of the series about a slave’s harrowing journey for freedom in the antebellum South. No release date yet.

Oprah’s New Book Club Selection

Oprah revealed her new book club selection, and it’s The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row by Anthony Ray Hinton. The book is Hinton’s memoir about his 1985 wrongful arrest for two counts of capital murder in Alabama, his time on death row, and his 2015 release. Oprah described how she randomly happened upon the book, and also noted that Hinton never received an apology for his wrongful incarceration from the state of Alabama.

Watch The Trailer For Mortal Engines

The official trailer for the film adaptation of Phillip Reeve’s post-apocalyptic science fiction novel Mortal Engines dropped. Peter Jackson is producing; he also wrote the screenplay alongside partners Fran Walsh and Phillipa Boyens. Christian Rivers (King Kong) will direct. Watch it here.

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This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by Diode Editions.

#Cockygate Developments

In the chronicles of #cockygate, a judge has denied a motion by romance writer Faleena Hopkins requesting a preliminary injunction to prevent the publication of some books that include the word “cocky” in the title. After obtaining a trademark registration of the word “cocky,” the author began working to block the sale of romance novels that use the word in their titles. Although I’m sure many, particularly those financially affected by this trademark battle, wish the whole thing would go away, we’ll likely hear more on the lawsuit.

Linking Classics To The Incel Movement

A piece in The Guardian looked at possible intersections between literary classics and the incel movement. The article considers the glorification of male sexual frustration in classics such as Hamlet, Great Expectations, and The Great Gatsby, and the celebration of people like Elliot Rodger (the perpetrator of the Isla Vista killings that were motivated by Rodger’s hatred of women) among members of the involuntarily celibate community.

Need Another Reason To Read? SCIENCE

A new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association suggests reading may help prevent dementia. Researchers conducted the study using a sample size of 15,582 people from Hong Kong, age sixty-five and up, and discovered that readers’ risk of developing dementia was significantly lower than non-readers.

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Algorithm Searches For Career Novelists

De Montfort Literature is offering a £24,000 starting salary to writers who pass a selection process that involves an algorithm designed to identify career novelists, and includes psychometric tests and interviews. Up to 10 novelists will receive support with mentoring, editing, designing, promoting, and publishing. The authors would receive 50% of the profits.

Michiko Kakutani Speaks On Her Decision To Become An Author

Michiko Kakutani, the famed book critic for The New York Times, spoke to Vanity Fair about her decision to become an author in the Trump era. Kakutani left the paper to write The Death of Truth: Notes on Falsehood in the Age of Trump. The author said one reason she wrote the book is to call attention to the denunciation of fake news and the citing of alternative facts by Trump and the White House.

Silver & Black Back In Development

Those who have been anticipating Marvel’s Spider-Man spinoff Silver & Black will have to continue anticipating past its planned 2019 release date. The film following female mercenary Silver Sable and Spider-man love interest Black Cat will not premiere in February after all, and Deadline reported word of a possible re-write.