Category: Today In Books

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by Hush, My Inner Sleuth by M.E. Meegs.

Golden Man Booker Shortlist

The Golden Man Booker shortlist was announced over the long weekend. On the list are In a Free State by V. S. Naipaul, Moon Tiger by Penelope Lively, The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje, Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel, and Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders. The Golden Man Booker selects books “from Man Booker history that have best stood the test of time.” You can vote on who should win; the winner will be announced on July 8th.

Accountant Embezzles Millions From Literary Agency

And Chuck Palahniuk responded. Why? Because his finances were directly affected by the embezzlement, according to his statement. Accountant Darin Webb faces major jail time on wire-fraud charges for embezzling $3.4 million from Manhattan agency Donadio & Olson, which represents Palahniuk, the estate of The Godfather writer Mario Puzo, and other big authors.

AirBnB The Home Of F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald

Get ready to write that Jazz Age-inspired novel you’ve been thinking about because your perfect, self-made writer’s retreat is now open for AirBnB booking. Spend a few nights in the Montgomery, Alabama home of society and literary darlings F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald. The apartment, which occupies part of the F. Scott Fitzgerald Museum, wasn’t exactly the site of innumerable joys, but it is where F. Scott wrote Tender is the Night.

Don’t forget we’re giving away $500 to the bookstore of your choice! Enter here!

This edition of Today In Books is sponsored by The Red Ledger by Meredith Wild from Waterhouse Press.

Two Biggest Harry Potter Fans Matched On Dating Show

Claudia, sporting Harry Potter tattoos, explained on Channel 4’s First Dates that her perfect man would be like Ron Weasley. Enter Jack who “describes Harry Potter as his ‘childhood,'” sees himself as Ron, and has his own HP tattoos. Sadly, this was not a match made in heaven as the date didn’t end in fireworks but on the bright side there are two huge HP fans out there single and ready to mingle so if you’re looking…

Sentiment Analysis Used To Reveal 6 Basic Plots In Over 1700 Novels

You’ve probably heard at some point that all works of fiction follow one of six (or seven–I’ve heard both numbers) basic plots. Researchers at the University of Vermont’s Computational Story Lab put this theory to the test using new text-mining techniques and analyzed over 1,700 English novels. They found six basic story types from Rags to Riches to Man in a Hole.

An Interesting Look At The World Of Rare Books

With the Antiquarian Booksellers Association Rare Book Fair London and the recent deaths of Tom Wolfe and Philip Roth Fortune has taken a look at what may currently be valuable. Will a first edition of The Hobbit fetch its expected $13,000? Did you know a first edition The Great Gatsby with “a jacket in fine condition would add about $100,000 to its value?!” (Not gonna lie, choked on my breakfast.) If you’ve still got a 1997 copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone and it’s a first edition you may not know you have a valuable book… (And if you’re interested in reading more about rare books, enjoy nonfiction, and cat-and-mouse tales this was a good read: The Man Who Loved Books Too Much: The True Story of a Thief, a Detective, and a World of Literary Obsession by Allison Hoover Bartlett)

Remember we’re giving away $500 to the bookstore of your choice! Pet a Luckdragon and enter here!

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by THE OPTIMISTIC DECADE by Heather Abel.

A New Christopher Robin Trailer

The new Christopher Robin trailer is out. The film, inspired by A.A. Milne’s Winnie-the-Pooh, stars Ewan McGregor as a grown-up Christopher dealing with the miseries of adult life. Watch him return to the Hundred Acre Wood, and have all the feels!

Where Are The Middle-Aged Women?

The Guardian discussed the absence of middle-aged women on book covers. This isn’t the first time people in and around the world of publishing have brought up discrimination on covers. Alison Flood, the author of the piece, was prompted to look for books about middle-aged women where they were featured on the cover, which resulted in some sad observations about what publishing does and does not consider cover-worthy.

Harry Potter-Inspired Escape Rooms At MegaCon

If you’re headed to Orlando’s speculative and fandom convention MegaCon this weekend, you might want to attempt one of the Harry Potter-inspired escape rooms organizers have set up for visitors. Escape a potions lab and “Crazy Aunt Philomena’s Vault.” Have fun, and don’t get poisoned.

Don’t forget we’re giving away $500 to the bookstore of your choice! Enter here!

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The Hate U Give Movie Gets Release Date

So much adaptation news this week. The Hate U Give release date tops the much-anticipated page-to-screen announcements. THUG author Angie Thomas tweeted the news, and Deadline reported on the October 19 opening date. The film stars Amandla Stenberg as high schooler Starr Carter who witnesses the shooting of her childhood friend by the police.

The House Of The Spirits Hulu Adaptation

And in streaming adaptations, we received word that a series based on Isabel Allende’s The House of the Spirits is in the works over at Hulu. The show is in the early stages of development, so no casting news yet, but Allende will executive produce. Here’s hoping they cast Latinx people this time.

Cover Reveal For Michelle Obama’s Book

The book cover for Michelle Obama’s upcoming memoir, Becoming, has been revealed. The book is due out November 13 and, in support of the Obama Foundation’s mission, the book’s publisher Penguin Random House will donate one million children’s books to First Book. I’m looking forward to the audiobook, narrated by Michelle Obama herself.

Don’t forget we’re giving away $500 to the bookstore of your choice! Enter here!

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by Disney Publishing Worldwide’s Neanderthal Opens the Door to the Universe.

Philip Roth (1933-2018)

The literary world is remembering prolific novelist Philip Roth, who passed away in New York this week. Contributor Rachel Manwill notes that “The only major literary prize Roth hadn’t won was the Nobel, though he was often considered a favorite among speculators. He reportedly waited for a call from the Nobel committee every year at his agent’s office, ready to embark on a publicity tour for the elusive honor that never came.” The New York Times has collected the reviews they gave his work over the years if you’d like to read more.

Romance Novelist Becomes Gubernatorial Nominee

There are so many reasons to be excited that Stacey Abrams is now the Democratic nominee for governor of Georgia. But the most delightful reason is that Abrams is also Selena Montgomery, author of eight romance thrillers.

Idris Elba Hunches His Back for Netflix

Netflix is giving us a feature film modern retelling of The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Idris Elba is going to have his fingerprints all over it. He’s starring in it, directing it, and producing it, and we can’t wait!

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by Julian Is A Mermaid by Jessica Love, from Candlewick Press.

An Activism Anthology From The Parkland Students

The students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School are contributing to an anthology of personal essays, articles, and photographs around social activism. We Say #NeverAgain: Reporting from the School That Inspired the Nation will include students’ first-hand accounts of the Parkland school shooting, and will be edited by MSD journalism and broadcasting teachers Melissa Falkowski and Eric Garner.

The Man Booker International Prize Winner Is…

Flights by Olga Tokarczuk, translated from the original Polish by Jennifer Croft. The £50,000 prize celebrates works of translated fiction from around the world, and is split equally between author and translator. Flights is described as “a novel of linked fragments, from the 17th century to the present day, connected by themes of travel and human anatomy.”

Reese Witherspoon Brings Hello Sunshine To Audible

Audible is partnering with Reese Witherspoon’s female-driven media brand and book club to bring Hello Sunshine to the audiobook subscription service. In June, the partnership will launch with a spotlight on audio performances featuring strong female characters, and Audible subscribers will gain access to previous titles from Witherspoon’s book club. Original audio productions are in the works with an inaugural title to be announced later this year.

Don’t forget we’re giving away $500 to the bookstore of your choice! Enter here!

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by The Plastic Magician by Charlie N. Holmberg.

N.K. Jemisin Wins Nebula For Best Novel

The 2017 Nebula Awards were announced over the weekend. N.K. Jemisin won Best Novel for the final installment of The Broken Earth series, The Stone Sky. All Systems Red by Martha Wells won Best Novella, and “Welcome to Your Authentic Indian Experience™” by Rebecca Roanhorse won Short Story. Click here to check out the full list of winners.

The Female Anthology Series Based On NY Times Obituaries

The New York Times is working with Paramount Television to produce a series based on the The Times’ Overlooked section. Overlooked highlights the women visionaries and trailblazers who were left out of the mostly male, mostly white obituaries. Women who have been featured in Overlooked include Jane Eyre author Charlotte Brontë, and investigative reporter Ida B. Wells, who campaigned against lynching.

A New Literary Festival In New York

Deep Water Literary Festival is coming to Narrowsburg, New York. The inaugural event features a marathon reading from Emily Wilson’s new translation of The Odyssey. Readers will include Mark Ruffalo, Marlon James, and Tilda Swinton. The festival will be held this summer, June 15-17.

We’re giving away $500 to the bookstore of your choice! Enter here!

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by First Lessons by Lina J. Potter by Litworld Publishing House.

Publisher Claims To Know 1971 Plane Hijacker’s Identity

There’s only one still unsolved skyjacking in U.S. history: The identity of “D.B. Cooper” the man who hijacked a 1971 flight and parachuted out with $200,000. Carl Laurin’s publishing firm announced they cracked the case with a “memoir detailing the confessions of a longtime friend who supposedly committed the crime: Walter R. Reca, a former military paratrooper and intelligence operative.” (If reading about when plane hijackings were routine is your thing, you’ll probably be interested in The Skies Belong to Us: Love and Terror in the Golden Age of Hijacking by Brendan I. Koerner)

New Albany Library Plants Book-Themed Gardens

In the year that felt like spring would never come, I love this story about a library that turned eyesore spots in the parking lot into gardens inspired by books: “Frankenstein,” “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” “The Color Purple” and “Chicka Chicka Boom Boom.” And in taking it to the next level each garden will have a QR code that can be scanned with a smartphone, which will connect to a library page that gives you information about the flowers and the book.

Jimmy Kimmel Asked People To Name A Book–It Didn’t Go Well

Jimmy Kimmel thought the recent Pew Research Center’s findings that one in four Americans has not read a book was probably even worse in reality so Kimmel Kimmeled and asked random people to name a book. Any book. It went really bad so let’s all hold hands together and laughsob as we watch.

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by Page Anchor.

Read A Brand New Short Story By Stephen King

Stephen King got on Twitter to gift us a free, brand spankin’ new short story. He tweeted, “think of it as an appetizer to the main course, THE OUTSIDER, coming next week.” The Outsider is King’s upcoming supernatural thriller about a gruesome and confounding investigation surrounding the murder of a young boy.

Cast Reveal For Netflix She-Ra Reboot

Noelle Stevenson’s She-Ra is coming to Netflix later this year, and we got a cast reveal! Kids of the 80s, celebrate. Stevenson, the Lumberjanes and Nimona creator, is an executive producer on the DreamWorks Animation Television reboot She–Ra and the Princesses of Power. The cast includes the voices of Young & Hungry‘s Aimee Carrero as Adora/She-Ra, Grey’s Anatomy‘s Sandra Oh as Castaspella, and Orange Is the New Black‘s Lorraine Toussaint as Shadow Weaver.

Lisbeth Salander Gets Comic Series

Lisbeth Salander is getting a comic series. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo character will feature in a Titan Comics series, The Girl Who Danced With Death. The first book in the series is slated for an August 15 release.

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by The Plastic Magician by Charlie N. Holmberg.

Shirley Jackson, Coming To A Theater Near You

Look out for a Shirley Jackson psychological thriller on the big screen. Elisabeth Moss and Michael Stuhlbarg will star in Shirley, a film about the life and work of The Haunting of Hill House author. The film is based on Susan Scarf Merrell’s novelization of Jackson’s life, Shirley: A Novel. Moss will play Jackson herself, and Stuhlbarg will play the author’s husband, literary critic Stanley Edgar Hyman. Details about the film are minimal for now, but we do know Moss is also producing and Josephine Decker is directing.

Stan Lee Alleges Theft Of Rights To Name And Likeness

Stan Lee is suing POW! Entertainment, alleging that his former company tricked him into signing away rights to use his name and likeness. The Marvel creator claims that POW!’s co-founder and its CEO brokered a “sham deal” to sell the company to China-based Camsing without disclosing the terms of the deal to Lee. POW! Entertainment denies the allegations and has stated that the company will have the evidence to prove their case in court.

An Oldie From Bookish Danzig

Okay, this isn’t exactly news, but if you’ve ever wanted to go on a tour of Danzig’s library, now’s your chance. The A.V. Club took us back in time with this 1990 VHS snippet of shirtless Danzig giving viewers a look at his book collection.