Category: Today In Books

We have 10 copies of An Anonymous Girl by Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen to give away to Book Riot readers! Go here to enter for a chance to win, or just click the image below. Good luck!

Library Vending Machines At Sports Complexes For The Win

In this-is-brilliant-I-want-more news: Wellington County placed two vending machines with books and DVDs at two sports complexes and of course they’re a hit. You just use your library card at the machines to make your selection and when you’re done you return the materials to one of the library branches. I can think of a lot of places that could use an upgrade of hosting a library vending machine!

This Sounds Awesome

Author Chantel Acevedo announced her middle grade debut, which I want to read right now. Muse Squad: The Cassandra Curse will be the first book in the series about eleven-year-old Cuban-American Callie Martinez who discovers she is one of nine classical history muses. The discovery is made when she turns her best friend into a pop star–accidentally of course!

I Cry, You Cry, We All Cry

Quirk Books just published A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, an illustrated book with 75 of Mister Rogers’ uplifting songs that he wrote and performed on The Children’s Corner and Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. A bullseye to my feels!

We have 10 copies of An Anonymous Girl by Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen to give away to Book Riot readers! Go here to enter for a chance to win, or just click the image below. Good luck!

Booze And Tea At Boston Public Library

If your dream is to sip on tea-inspired cocktails with literary names get thee to the Map Room Tea Lounge at Boston’s Central Library in Copley Square. And if your belly needs some food to go with all that liquid there’s also a restaurant. Check out the hours of operation and the literary drinks here.

Call Me By Your Name Sequel Releasing This Year

Recently, André Aciman announced there would be a sequel novel to Call Me By Your Name, saying, “The film made me realise that I wanted to be back with them and watch them over the years.” Seems publishing was right on that because we already have a release date: Find Me will be out October 29th. (If you read us daily that’s now two authors who saw their novel’s adaptation and needed to go write a sequel!)

New Trilogy By Sylvain Neuvel

Fans (me!) of Neuvel’s Themis Files trilogy (Sleeping Giants, Waking Gods, and Only Human) are muppet arming over the announcement that there’s a new trilogy coming. Tor.com Publishing has acquired the upcoming trilogy and you can read all about it here. I am soooo ready!

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by MEM by Bethany Morrow.

Regional Insults Added To Oxford English Dictionary

Last year, in honor of the 90th anniversary of its first edition, the Oxford English Dictionary asked for regional vocabulary suggestions. And if you ask you shall receive. I for one am delighted by the Scottish additions of words like “sitooterie” and “bidie-in” and the OED’s Indian English update of “kiss my chuddies.” Learn more regional terms here.

Allowing Librarians To Intervene In Drug Overdoses Without Liability

With the current opioid epidemic, librarians are having to make hard decisions when faced with patrons overdosing. Michigan Bills–House Bills 4366-67, sponsored by Rep. Jason Sheppard, R-Temperance–would allow librarians to stock and administer anti-overdose drugs without fear of liability. “The legislation passed unanimously in the House and heads to the Senate for further review. The bills would need to be passed in the Senate and signed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to become law.”

How The Pool Party Episode Came To Be

If you’ve seen Hulu’s adaptation of Lindy West’s Shrill you already know what I’m referring to–or maybe you haven’t yet but you’ve seen all the social media love! Anyhoo, there’s a fantastic episode in Shrill that celebrates fat women of different sizes, ages, and colors while happily attending a pool party and Refinery29 spoke with the writers and creators who explain how it came to be.

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by MEM by Bethany Morrow.

First Permanent Exhibition Coming To New York Public Library

Starting in late 2020 NYPL’s Gottesman Hall exhibition space will spotlight many of the literary and historical items currently in the library’s storage, allowing the public to enjoy the treasures. Read on here for items hopefully making the cut, and plans for the exhibition.

Stranger Things Season 3 Trailer Is Here

Check out the very ’80s and very awesome trailer for Stranger Things season 3 here! And then super impatiently wait for the premiere on July 4th–hmm, I guess they started releasing books to keep feeding us nibbles because July is so far away.

Bird Box Will Have A Sequel

Josh Malerman announced that his post-apocalyptic novel Bird Box will have a sequel releasing October 1st: Malorie. In things you don’t hear that often: he decided to write the novel after watching the Netflix adaptation because he realized he wanted to know what happens next. Has anyone shown George R.R. Martin HBO’s Game of Thrones yet? I kid, I kid!

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by TheNOVL.

We’re Getting A Die Hard Board Game

Guess I’ll be done with holiday shopping super early this year seeing as OP Games will soon be selling Die Hard: The Nakatomi Heist Board Game. Based on the movie, which is based on Roderick Thorp’s novel Nothing Last Forever, the tabletop game “will deeply resonate with Die Hard enthusiasts, incorporating even the slightest details to create a rich and entertaining experience that properly pays tribute to arguably the greatest action movie of all time.” Yippee ki-yay…

Suffragist Carrie Chapman’s Archival Material Now Online

Seriously, what a time to be alive when it comes to all the riches of materials being digitized by libraries and available online. “The papers of suffragist and political strategist Carrie Chapman Catt, including her time as president of the National American Woman Suffrage Association, have been digitized and are now available online for the first time from the Library of Congress.” Is this where I say back in my day research material was not this easy to access?!

Greatest Trailer Ever Is Greatest

The trailer for the upcoming Regency historical drama series Gentleman Jack was the first thing I saw this morning and what a way to start a day! The series is based on the coded diaries of Anne Lister–a Yorkshire heiress, landowner, and industrialist who was amazing–and begins April 22nd on HBO. And of course I looked up and found a biography to read in the meantime: Gentleman Jack: A Biography of Anne Lister, Regency Landowner, Seducer and Secret Diarist by Angela Steidele, Katy Derbyshire (Translator).

Sponsored by Delusions of Clarity, a novel of intrigue and perception by Vern Bryk.

The Emilia Report Highlights Gender Bias

The producers of a play about Emilia Bassano, England’s first published female poet who was forgotten by history, commissioned a study to compare ten female and male writers publishing in the same market. It found the biases: From men receiving more coverage to women having their age almost always listed. You can read the details here along with their recommendations for challenging publishing’s biases.

Will Florida Ban 100 Books?

Florida Citizens Alliance is coming for the books it finds offensive, which include what they define as pornographic and “Religious ‘indoctrination’ boosting Islam over others in the social studies books. ‘Unbalanced propaganda’ promoting climate change in science texts.” The bills they’re proposing in order to ban books in public schools and make it easier to do so in the state–along with Gov. Ron DeSantis and many lawmakers listening–have gotten organizer to try and fight back.

Bookish Children’s Hospital 

Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus has volunteers through Reach Out and Read reading to kids in the waiting rooms and giving them a book to take home. “The hospital’s program has doled out 1.5 million books since 1998, with children ages 2 months to 5 years taking a book home after every wellness checkup.”

Sponsored by our What’s Up in YA Giveaway of a $100 gift card to Amazon! Enter here.

Let Me Just Learn Another Language Right Quick

The more I learn about Mayor Pete Buttigieg, the more I like: he’s apparently a Hufflepuff AND the guy went and learned Norwegian so he could read more books by an author he liked. You know…. as one does!

J.K. Rowling-related News That Won’t Incite an Eye Roll

Arthur A. Levine, the guy who brought the Harry Potter series to U.S., is leaving Scholastic after 23 years to start an independent publishing company. His mission is to “make books reflecting the greatest diversity and the highest standards of artistic excellence.” Sound good to us!

It’s Been A Long Time Since She’s All That

Breaking news: I am old. More news: Freddie Prinze Jr. will play Nancy’s Drew’s papa in The CW’s series based on the books. The show will follow 18-year-old Nancy during the summer after high school graduation, when she thinks she’s headed for college but then BOOM! Murder! No word yet as to whether Freddie will lead a flash mob dance number to Fatboy Slim’s greatest hits.

Sponsored by our What’s Up in YA Giveaway of a $100 gift card to Amazon! Enter here.

J.K. Rowling Again Adds The Context Off The Page

In Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald’s upcoming Blu-ray Rowling and director David Yates discuss Albus Dumbledore and Gellert Grindelwald’s relationship. There seems to be discussion and implication once again of things not being shown on screen which can be problematic when dealing with a characters sexuality.

The Thing About Jellyfish

Ali Benjamin’s The Thing About Jellyfish is being adapted and the team involved already makes it sound like a winner: Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine is producing; Millie Bobby Brown is starring; Wanuri Kaihu will be directing. Happy to buy tickets now!

In Gimme Now Book News

Sarai Walker, the author of Dietland which was adapted into an AMC series, announced her second book: The Cherry Robbers. It sounds awesome and mysterious and can’t publish fast enough.

Sponsored by our What’s Up in YA Giveaway of a $100 gift card to Amazon! Enter here.

Britney Spears Fairy Tale Musical

Once Upon a One More Time will start November 13th and run until December 1st in Chicago. The musical will include 23 of Spears’ records and be an alternate story of classic fairy tale princesses who are introduced to a feminist book by a fairy godmother. Please let there be awesome t-shirts!

Pachinko Gets Series Order

Apple TV has given a series order to the adaptation of Min Jin Lee’s novel Pachinko which tells the story of four generations of a Korean family that migrates to Japan. This is where I would normally grumble about all this “we bought” news when Apple still hasn’t revealed how the service will work but it is believed they’ll finally announce that information on the 25th.

National Book Critics Circle Winners

The National Book Critics Circle announced its 2018 winners and as always congrats to all the winners–those I haven’t read are all now on my TBR list! You can check out the winners here including information on authors, publishers, and NBCC.

Sponsored by ​The Bird King​ by G. Willow Wilson, available now from Grove Press

Serial Box Now Available For Android

It’s been a big year so far for the fiction app company that, like a TV series, breaks down a large standalone story into 10 to 15 individual installments. First, it announced it was partnering with Marvel to create new stories about Black Panther, Black Widow, Jessica Jones, and Thor. Then, it raised mucho millions in seed funding. And now the app that was only available for iOS has an app for Androids.

I Have Your Earworm For Today

Sesame Street’s iconic song Sunny Day is getting an illustrated book treatment. The song, sure to wrap you in a hug and send you down childhood memory lane, will be interpreted by different artists each with a spread in the picture-book titled Sunny Day: A Celebration of Sesame Street. Check out some of the beautiful pages here.

New Marvel’s Avengers: Endgame Trailer

Watch the new Endgame trailer here–just prepare yourself because it’s dark and emotional. Also, *waves* at my new Captain! Also, also, spiffy new spacesuits!