Category: Today In Books

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by Grand Central Publishing and Cari Mora, the new novel from Thomas Harris.

The Strand Labeled Landmark Against Owner’s Wishes

New York City wanted to grant The Strand bookstore landmark status while The Strand’s owner really didn’t want that status because it would drive up costs related to maintaining the building. But N.Y. got what it wanted and The Strand is now a landmark building. The Strand’s Twitter account posted: “Although this is not the outcome we hoped for, we’ll continue to serve our customers as we have done robustly for 92 years.”

Obama Will Have His Library

The Obama Presidential Center was currently held up from being built by a lawsuit from Protect Our Parks, a group of environmentalists, who wanted the $500 million library and museum built on private land rather than public. The lawsuit was dismissed on Tuesday by a federal judge.

Update: Publisher Responds To Lawsuit

First, Natasha Tynes publicly went after a black woman for eating in public, so Rare Bird Books dropped her upcoming book. Then, Tynes decided to sue them for $13 million. Now, Rare Bird has released a statement.

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by Reentry by Peter Cawdron published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH, @hmhbooks).

A Look At The Paper Shortage’s Effect On Publishing

If you’ve gone to purchase some recent releases lately and found it odd that they’ve been sold out already it may be because of a paper shortage. An issue that has been like a perfect storm of reasons colliding to cause it. Here Forbes spoke to Danny Adlerman, Director of Production and Manufacturing at Lee & Low Books for a bit of an update on the situation, and there’s also a link to the originally reported story in case you’d missed that.

The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents Adaptation

We’re getting an animated film adaptation of the 28th book in the Discworld series by Terry Prachett. The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents was a remaking of the Pied Piper of Hamelin–you can catch all the production and book deets here.

Excited For The Upcoming First Wives Club Adaptation?

You’re gonna need a BET+ subscription as it’s going to be the leading show for the upcoming streaming service. Yay, for a BET streaming service, and for this adaptation I’m dying for, but also no more streaming services por favor.

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

Activists Use Poetry To Cover Up Swastikas In Rome

In Fiumicino, Rome the local far-right has been covering public spaces with swastikas and fascist icons. Local activists decided to cover them with poems printed on A4 paper. Here’s an opinion piece on how locals are using literature to fight hate.

Author Suing Publisher Over Lost Book Deal

Natasha Tynes, who publicly snitched on a black female D.C. Metro employee for eating on the job, is suing her publisher after they dropped her for publicly going after a black woman. Tynes’ $13 million lawsuit alleges breach of contract and emotional distress. You can read all the details here.

Marathon Veronica Mars

Veronica Mars will be premiering a new fourth season July 26th on Hulu, and to prepare for that season Hulu will be streaming the first three seasons starting July 1st! Petition to rename July Marshmallow month! Also, if you didn’t know, there are two great books that follow after the film: The Thousand Dollar Tan Line; Mr. Kiss And Tell.

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by All the Books, our weekly podcast about new book releases!

Outer Hebrides Book Mobiles

“The main thing is knowing that it’s a lifeline to culture. That sounds awfully grand and overstated, but it’s the truth.” Read about the impact mobile libraries have on the residents of Scotland’s Outer Hebrides.

The Secret Life of Pets 2 Wallops The X-Men

Dark Phoenix was made with a budget of about $200 million. This weekend, it earned $33 million domestically. And so ends Fox’s X-Men franchise. May the mutants fare better with Disney.

Facts (And Opinions) About Fact-Checking

Is it time to change how fact-checking gets done in book publishing? Have a listen to this conversation from Weekend Edition to learn about the status quo and its pros and cons.

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by All the Books, our weekly podcast about new book releases!

Swamp Thing Cancelled Due To Accounting Error

Swamp Thing was cancelled shortly after it started airing on DC Universe leading to speculations and questions. According to Movies.com writer John Gholson the show was cancelled because of an accounting error that diminished a $40 million tax rebate North Carolina had promised WarnerMedia. Always follow the money.

Wonder Woman 1984 Can’t Get Here Soon Enough

A poster for Wonder Woman 1984 was unveiled this week and it’s a good thing the heart-eyes emoji is unlimited or the world would have run out. It’s all the colors, and fun, and beautiful–and June 5, 2020 is so far away I might cry.

Jessica Jones New Trailer

The third, and final, season of Jessica Jones will be streaming on Netflix in a week but till then we can get all the sarcasm and anger we’ve missed from Jones in this trailer. It’s intense!

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by The Collected Schizophrenias by Esmé Weijun Wang.

Barnes & Noble Acquired For $476 Million

Elliott Management, a U.K. investment management firm that owns the Waterstones bookstore chain, has agreed to purchase Barnes & Noble for $476 million, plus assume their debt. James Daunt, the CEO of Waterstones, will serve as the new CEO.

The Devil Will Get A Proper End

After having saved Lucifer from a network cancellation Netflix has decided to renew the show for a fifth and final season, allowing the creators to give fans a proper ending. The fourth season was so good I kind of wish the series had started on Netflix.

Mystery Fans And Writers Question New Imprint

A new suspense imprint, with the goal of publishing thrillers marketed to women readers, was surrounded by rumors that their female author was a front for a male author. It became a thing, that took an unexpected turn when the author in question, Stephanie Buelens, did an interview to prove she was real but also apparently “She co-wrote it with a friend, an established male writer who, according to Penzler, has published more than 20 books.” For the full story read on here.

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by Disney Publishing Worldwide.

Public Libraries Visited 1.35 Billion Times In 1 Year

The Institute of Museum and Library Services released the Public Libraries Survey report, which collects data from 9,000 public library systems with over 17,000 main libraries, branches, and bookmobiles in the U.S. It’s filled with interesting facts that you can check out here, including that over 171 million registered users “visited public libraries over 1.35 billion times in 2016.”

Dan Brown’s Robert Langdon Is Getting A TV Series

Robert Langdon, played by Tom Hanks in Dan Brown’s film franchise adaptations, will be getting his own TV series on NBC. The series will be based on the book The Lost Symbol and we’ll just have to wait and see who will play Langdon.

Forthcoming Memoir By Woman Sexually Assaulted By Brock Turner

Known throughout the case as Emily Doe, the woman sexually assaulted by Brock Turner, will publish a memoir through Viking Books in September. “Viking editor-in-chief Andrea Schulz said in the Wednesday press release that the memoir will shine a light on rape culture and a system that is built to protect sexual predators.”

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by Flatiron Books.

Lambda Literary Award Finalists!

The 31st annual Lambda Literary Awards awarded their finalists! Including categories for Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Mystery, and Romance, this amazing list of LGBTQ books– finalists and winners included–is perfect to add to your summer reading pile.

Mahershala Ali To Adapt And Star In Solitary Adaptation

Albert Woodfox’s memoir, Solitary: Unbroken by Four Decades In Solitary Confinement, My Story of Transformation and Hope, about the 43 years he spent in Louisiana’s Angola Prison in solitary confinement is being acquired by Fox Searchlight. Mahershala Ali is set as executive producer and planning to play Woodfox.

Sweetbitter Season 2 Trailer!

Sweetbitter, Stephanie Danler’s novel adaptation, has a season two trailer!  If you’ve yet to see the show about a twenty-year-old woman recently moved to NY and working in a restaurant, now’s a great time to start so you’ll be ready for season two on July 14th.

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by All the Books, our weekly podcast about new book releases.

Obama Center Public Library Gets $5 Million Grant

The Obama Foundation has received a $5 million grant from the John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation for the planned Chicago Public Library branch of the Obama Presidential Center. We’ll still be waiting some time though, since Federal reviews for the center are still taking place and there’s a lawsuit trying to block construction.

Well, I’m Spooked!

A new trailer for the adaptation of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark is here! The series, which terrorized generations of children, will be brought to the big screen August 9th thanks to the visions of Guillermo del Toro and André Øvredal. I’m already scared.

Barry Jenkins To Direct Film Of Alvin Ailey’s Life

Choreographer and activist Alvin Ailey’s life will be a film by Searchlight who just hired Barry Jenkins to direct. The Ailey organization, who owns the rights to Ailey’s choreography and  biography Alvin Ailey: A Life In Dance by Jennifer Dunning, gave full support to Searchlight for the film.

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

Twin Cities Libraries To Test Self-Service

Several Twin Cities library systems are planning on testing the self-service idea of patrons being video recorded as they enter the library to use computers and check out books on their own. You can read the entire game plan here. But get ready to be really frustrated if you value librarians and don’t see libraries as just buildings with books.

The Bravest Knight Premiere Date

The adaptation of Daniel Errico’s The Bravest Knight Who Ever Lived will premiere on Hulu on June 21st with a shortened title: The Bravest Knight. The cartoon follows a mixed-race family with two dads and their adopted ten-year-old daughter. You can check out the trailer and the awesome cast of actors voicing the characters here.

George R.R. Martin Has A New Job

No, it isn’t finishing the Game Of Thrones series–although he said he’s on that. He’s been hired as the new Chief World Builder for Meow Wolf. What is Meow Wolf, you ask? It’s a company that creates immersive art experiences which sounds awesome. You can learn more here.