Category: Today In Books

Fairy Godmother Billy Porter–Yes, Please!

The Hollywood Reporter dropped a hot exclusive that Billy Porter (Pose–and the most fabulous dressed on every red carpet) is in talks to play the fairy godmother in Sony’s musical Cinderella. Bring me all the wish-granting Genie’s I want this to be true so bad! You can read what is known so far here.

Cecile Richards’ Young Readers Edition

Cecile Richards, former president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America and of the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, wrote a memoir and call to action that is now being adapted for a younger audience. Make Trouble–adult and young reader edition—talks about her upbringing, career, and encourages readers to look at their own lives. You can read on here for more about the books, Richards, and how young activists’ enthusiasm inspired her to create the edition for younger readers. I’m obsessed with the cover design on the young reader edition.

A Wintry Adaptation

Let It Snow: Three Holiday Romances by John Green, Lauren Myracle, Maureen Johnson got the film adaptation treatment by Netflix. The YA romance will be streaming November 8th and you can check out the adorable poster here.

Author Sneakily Changes Book Cover

Self-published author Mike Monteiro has his book, Ruined by Design, up for sale on Amazon and realized that he could change the cover art of the book after it had uploaded. So he did. It now urges Amazon employees to unionize: “ATTENTION AMAZON WORKERS: You have the right to decent working conditions. You have the right to bargain collectively. You have the right to form a union.” And Amazon doesn’t plan to remove it.

Flint, Michigan Names Its First Poet Laureate

All the congratulations to Semaj Brown, Flint’s first poet laureate! Pamela Pugh, Flint’s Chief Public Health Advisor: “Brown will work in conjunction with the city’s public health department, recognizing literature and literacy to be an integral component of a healthy vibrant society.”

Wayne Brady’s New Gig

Wayne Brady, who you know from TV’s Let’s Make a Deal and Whose Line Is It Anyway? and Broadway’s Kinky Boots and Hamilton, will be joining the superhero world! He’ll be the Gravedigger on CW’s adaptation of the comic Black Lightning. You can look forward to seeing him as the superhuman fighting machine (of course blame secret lab experimenting) in early 2020.

Driver On The Bus Says “Read, Read, Read”

Now that I’ve gotten the Wheels On The Bus stuck in your head, thus out of mine, here’s a great initiative: “Books on Bus.” In hopes of promoting literacy Todd Elementary School will place a bag with at least 20 books on each of their nine buses for kids to select a book to read upon boarding and hand back before getting off. Read more here.

Sad And Scary

Author Jennine Capó Crucet spoke at a planned event to students at Georgia Southern University where her novel Make Your Home Among Strangers was required reading in some classes. Speaking from experience as a Cuban American woman, and a major point of her writing, she spoke about navigating in white spaces. This led some students who believed the topic of white privilege to be an attack on white people to angrily respond during the Q&A, which then led to students burning her books. May these students find the sense to realize they proved Capó Crucet’s point and ultimately made their campus feel less safe and inviting to students of color and marginalized voices.

This Sounds Amazing!

And publishing seems to think so too because there was a 12-bidder auction that is rumored to have ended in the seven figures for The Firekeeper’s Daughter. The novel is written by Angeline Boulley, an enrolled member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, and focuses on a mixed heritage woman who witnesses a murder and “is forced to choose between saving those she loves, helping the FBI, and protecting the tribal community.” I want to read this right now!

Tiny Library Toolkit

For anyone with minimal space wanting to install a library and services using an upcycled shipping container, the Meridian (Idaho) Library District has created a Tiny Library Toolkit. You can get all the info here, and I’ll await someone to create a tiny house type show about building these across the country, thank you very much.

This Cover!

Elizabeth Acevedo (The Poet X; With the Fire On High) revealed the cover image for her upcoming book Clap When You Land and I am sorry but there are no heart-eye emoji’s left in the world because they have all congregated around this cover. You can see it, and read about the book (I’m going to cry!) and Acevedo here.

The President Is Missing Adaptation

I will skip all very obvious jokes–the book that Bill Clinton and James Patterson coauthored, The President Is Missing, is being developed into a Showtime show and we have our lead: David Oyelowo will play the Vice President who becomes President. You can read all the details here.

Rihanna Announces Visual Autobiography

Rihanna has announced a visual autobiography that will be 1,000+ images of her living her life. So basically just one gorgeous page after another. And now she can add published author to her forever unrolling resume. Rihanna will publish on October 24th and you can see some of the 500 pages in her video preview and learn about the three limited editions here.

50 New Literary Recordings Now Available to Stream Online

Keeping up a recent tradition, the Archive of Hispanic Literature on Tape (AHLOT) has 50 new literary recordings available online in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month. The collection, which has almost 800 recordings, is comprised of “audio recordings of poets and writers from Latin America, the Iberian Peninsula, the Caribbean, and the LatinX community in the United States reading from their works.” Check out this amazing collection here.

PLA Encourages ACA Enrollment

Open enrollment for the 2020 Affordable Care Act (ACA) Health Insurance Marketplace will begin November 1st and the Public Library Association has announced it will award $500 mini-grants to 57 public libraries in the U.S. to help librarians assist patrons and community members in learning about it and enrolling. You can check out the list of libraries here.

Library’s Most Stolen Book

I love these stories–no, I don’t support stealing, and no one should do this. It’s just always interesting to see what and why for a specific community. And in Buncombe County, North Carolina it seems that the most stolen book from public libraries is the 1996 book Haunted Asheville by Joshua P. Warren. Check out how many missing copies there are and the book details here. Now stop stealing from libraries, people!

The Little Mermaid Live!

ABC released a “meet the cast” video for their upcoming The Little Mermaid Live and I don’t want to spoil the chef which was a reveal for me so watch the 30 second video here. Half of this looks beautiful and the other half totally ridiculous and I think they may have just sold me on watching on November 5th.

If You Like To Vote!

The 2019 Not the Booker prize is down to its shortlist and you can vote to help select the winning novel. You can check out the six choices, learn more about the award, and vote by leaving your choice in the comments here.

The Swedish Academy’s 2-for-1

The Nobel prize in literature is attempting a comeback this year with the planned announcement on Thursday of two laureates. Read about some of the speculated front-runners here.

Los Angeles Central Library Recovers Part of Sculpture

Did you read about the missing Well of the Scribes sculpture in The Library Book by Susan Orlean? Part of the sculpture has been found, and there’s hope the rest of it will be recovered soon.

2019 Harvey Award Winners

The annual Harvey Awards are handed out at New York Comic Con, which is wrapping up this weekend. Peep the list of winners here, including a Book Riot favorite Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me by Mariko Tamaki and Rosemary Valero-O’Connell.

Misery Prequel Trailer 🔪

In greatest-casting-ever news: Castle Rock season two will explore Misery and Salem’s Lot with Lizzie Caplan playing young Annie Wilkes. I know! And we have the first trailer for the Hulu original show’s second season. I’m not scared, are you?!

Julie Murphy + Faith!

The awesome author Julie Murphy (Dumplin’, Ramona Blue, Dear Sweet Pea) has now written a YA novel centering the Valiant superhero Faith! You can check out the cover and read an excerpt while we wait for the July 2020 release of Faith: Taking Flight.

Star Wars And Le Creuset For The Win!

This is one of those awesome collaborations that feels like even people who don’t cook are like “Well, but I can just display it on the counter.” And, yes, yes you can! You can check out the exclusive Le Creuset Star Wars collection that will hit stores on November 1st in this pretty cool video.

Rebel Girls Labeled Adults-Only In Turkey

Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls is to be hidden in view from anyone under 18 and only sold to adults in Turkey for fear of its “detrimental influence.” The children’s book is filled with inspiring stories about women throughout history. From author Francesca Cavallo: “When a government is scared by a children’s book promoting equality, that means that promoting these messages through children’s literature can have and is having an impact, and it makes me even more motivated to keep fighting every day.”

Pippi!

The creators of the Paddington films are creating a Pippi Longstocking film! Based on the Swedish author Astrid Lindgren’s children’s series, the ridiculously strong and free spirited Pippi has been entertaining readers and audiences since the ’40s and I can’t wait for this new adaptation.

New Independent Bookstore

Married couple Eric Judy (former Modest Mouse bassist) and Desirae Wilkerson (interior designer) have opened a new independent bookstore in West Seattle. “’Even when I was in the band,’ said Judy, in the store this month, ‘I always wanted to own a bookstore.’” Bookish rock stars for the win.

Library Lets You Sit In The Belly Of A Whale

Literally. Well, not a real whale–that would be gross. And stinky. But you can sit inside Hadassa Goldvicht’s art installation which is part of the “In the Library’s Belly” exhibition at Israel’s National Library. See a picture and learn all about it here.

Jim Carrey Wrote A Novel

The comedian, actor, and artist has collaborated with author Dana Vachon to write a “semi-autobiographical deconstruction of persona” novel. Alrighty then–sorry too easy. Anyhoo, the novel will publish May 5, 2020 by Knopf and PRH audio and there will be a book tour. Get all the details here.

Bitter Root Adaptation

Ryan Coogler (Black Panther), Zinzi Evans, and Sev Ohanian will be working on the film adaptation of Bitter Root by David F. Walker, Sanford Greene, and Chuck Brown. Harlem Renaissance and monster hunters is all I need to know that I want it! More on the project and comic here.