Category: Today In Books

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by Penguin Teen, publisher of If You Come Softly by Jacqueline Woodson.

Amazon’s LOTR Series Reportedly Costs $500 Million

This, according to Reuters. The rights alone cost $250 million. A production and marketing costs estimate for Amazon’s two-season deal makes up the other $250 million. If they actually spend as much as predicted, The Lord of the Rings series will be the most expensive TV series ever made. Smaug would be jealous of that coin.

314 Items Stolen From Carnegie Library Rare Books Room

Detectives are on the case, and the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America has alerted its members. Rare book dealer Michael Vinson valued the missing items at a total of $5 million, and called the theft an “immense cultural crime.” Vinson believes that the thief may have been one or more employees of the library. You can filter the full list of more than 300 stolen items here.

Booksellers Support University Press Under Threat of Defunding

In light of Governor Matt Blevin’s proposal to cut the University Press of Kentucky’s entire $672,000 allocation from the state budget, the Great Lakes Independent Booksellers Association and the Midwest Independent Booksellers issued a joint statement in support of the press. The $672k covers the salaries and benefits of almost half of UPK’s 16 employees, and the cut would force the closure of the press, which is actually a consortium of scholarly presses in the state.

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by The Neighbors by Hannah Mary McKinnon.

LibraryThing Acquires Litsy

An interesting development from the world of bookish apps. LibraryThing, a provider of library software and social cataloging app, has acquired Litsy, an app marketed as “Instagram for book lovers.” So far, it doesn’t sound like much will change on either platform, although LibraryThing’s press release mentions a plan to upgrade Litsy’s book data using LibraryThing information, and an intention to give Litsy members access to LibraryThing’s Early Reviewer program, connecting them with publishers for ARCs.

Racism And The Dearth Of Diversity In Romance

The Guardian published a piece about the recent spate of stories circling the Romance genre, particularly those regarding racism and a decline in works by writers of color from publishers of the genre. One of the telling and damaging stories related an interaction between a romance writer of color and a former Riptide editor, where the editor wrote in an email to the writer: “We don’t mind POC But I will warn you – and you have NO idea how much I hate having to say this – we won’t put them on the cover, because we like the book to, you know, sell :-(.” The piece is worth a read for a broader picture of the numerous issues that have surfaced.

John Oliver Challenges Mike Pence With Children’s Book

The Last Week Tonight host turned his attention to the U.S. vice president, reviewing Pence’s ultra-conservative views on issues such as abortion rights, homosexuality, same-sex marriage, gays and women in the military, and bringing up the Pence’s children’s book about their pet rabbit, Marlon Bundo. In response to the book’s release, Oliver released his own book, titled A Day In The Life Of Marlon Bundo, about a White House rabbit who falls in love with a rabbit named Wesley. The rabbits marry, despite bigotry.

Book Riot’s Deals of the Day are sponsored by Random House:

Tire Store Welcomes Romance Author as Writer in Residence

For some reason, Amy Dawes found Tires Tires Tires conducive to writing. A lot of writing. After several surreptitious writing sessions while having her car (and those of friends and family) worked on, the store welcomed her as a kind of writer in residence. It’s a fun, warm-hearted story that is sure to wear well.

The National Book Critics Circle Winners

The winners of this year’s National Book Critics Circle Awards all have something in common. Go see if you can figure out what it is.

James Comey’s Forthcoming Book Tops Amazon Bestseller List

Former FBI Director James Comey’s upcoming memoir, A Higher Loyalty, surged from number 15 to number 1 in Amazon’s sales rankings over the weekend. The book, which will be released April 17, seems to have been bolstered by President Trump’s recent angry tweeting about Comey, and Comey subsequent response.

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by She Caused a Riot by Hannah Jewell.

Nnedi Okorafor Will Write Wakanda Forever For Marvel

Binti author Nnedi Okorafor will write Wakanda Forever, a three-part story following Okoye, Ayo, Aneka and the Dora Milaje, with art by Alberto Jiménez Alburquerque and Terry Dodson. The first story, Wakanda Forever: The Amazing Spider-Man, will be out in June. :Muppet Arms:

Marvel Studios Releases New Infinity War Trailer

We got a new Infinity War trailer. Watch it here. The movie that pits the Avengers against the evil Thanos has an April 27 U.S. release date.

The Paris Review‘s Next Editor

The Paris Review is searching for an editor to replace Lorin Stein who resigned amid sexual harassment allegations, and Vulture wrote an investigation piece on the process. Vulture was able to identify eight candidates–all women, mostly white and in their 40s. It’s a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at how an iconic literary establishment rethinks its culture in light of #MeToo, and struggles to find its way forward.

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by The Merry Spinster: Tales of Everyday Horror, Mallory Ortberg. Published by Henry Holt.

Anthony Scaramucci Gets A Book Deal

The former White House Communications Director signed a deal with Hachette for his book, The Blue Collar President: How Trump Is Reinventing the Aspirational Working Class. Scaramucci told the New York Post that the book will tell the story of “an entrepreneur writing about an entrepreneur who has now ascended into the presidency.” His earlier attempt at a book, a tell-all tentatively titled I Did It My Way, had no takers.

Ava DuVernay Will Direct DC’s New Gods

The director of A Wrinkle in Time has come on board to direct New Gods at Warner Bros. First released in 1971, the comic follows natives of two planets, one idyllic and one dystopian, whose people call themselves gods, and who live outside of normal time and space. New Gods is part of the studio’s DC Extended Universe.

When Television Influences Books

Simon & Schuster will publish the fictional novel, Marriage Vacation, from the TV Land series Younger, which is set in the world of publishing. The book is inspired by a tell-all novel one of the characters writes about her ex-husband and boss at a publishing company, which Liza, the main character, has the opportunity to edit. Marriage Vacation “tells the story of a woman who leaves her marriage to go on a journey of self-discovery.”

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by All Grown Up by Jami Attenberg.

Emma Watson Picks Heart Berries For Feminist Book Club

Watson instagrammed the announcement of her most recent pick for her feminist book club: Heart Berries, a memoir by by Terese Marie Mailhot. In the memoir, Mailhot writes about her coming of age on the Seabird Island Indian Reservation in the Pacific Northwest, PTSD, and depression. In her Our Shared Shelf discussion, Watson wrote, “It feels right and vastly overdue to be reading a story from a First Nation woman with her perspective of a colonial world.”

Harper Lee’s Estate Sues Over To Kill A Mockingbird Broadway Production

The Estate claims that Aaron Sorkin’s theatrical adaptation deviates from the original story in a way that violates a contract between To Kill a Mockingbird author Harper Lee and producers. One of the key issues raised is that the play presents Atticus Finch as “a man who begins the drama as a naïve apologist for the racial status quo.” Sorkin said, “I can’t and won’t present a play that feels like it was written in the year the book was written in terms of its racial politics: It wouldn’t be of interest.”

Stephen Hawking Dies, Age 76

Stephen Hawking, world renowned physicist and author of books, including A Brief History of Time and The Theory of Everything, died in his home in Cambridge. Hawking was known for his work with black holes and relativity, and he appeared as himself on television shows including The Simpsons and The Big Bang Theory.

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by The Radical Element edited by Jessica Spotswood.

Markus Zusak’s New YA Novel

Bridge of Clay comes out in October, more than a decade after the publication of Zusak’s international bestselling novel, The Book Thief. Zusak told The New York Times that he struggled with the writing of this book 10 years in the making. Bridge of Clay follows one of five brothers whose mother has died, and whose father returns to ask the boys to help him build a bridge on his property in the wilderness.

Princeton Digitizes More Than 70,000 Religious Texts

And you can explore the collection online. Through the Internet Archive and the work of Princeton University’s Theological Commons’ project, you can read historical thought on religions worldwide, perusing texts including Reginald Scot, Esquire’s 1584 The Discoverie of Witchcraft, L. Austine Waddell’s 1805 The Buddhism of Tibet, and J.G. Frazer’s 1894 The Golden Bough.

Netflix Takes The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society for U.S.

For those in the U.S. wondering how they’d see the adaptation of Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows’ The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, fear no more. Netflix has taken the film for the U.S. and other territories. Which is interesting because that means no theatrical release in North America (or Latin America, Italy, Eastern Europe, and Southeast Asia).

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi.

New Book From Malala Out This Year

We’re getting a new book by Pakistani female rights activist Malala Yousafzai this year. Yousafzai signed We Are Displaced with Weidenfeld & Nicolson, and Little, Brown Books for Young Readers in the US acquired world English language rights. The book, which focuses on “what it means to lose your home, your community, and the only world you’ve ever known,” will be out in hardback, audio, and e-book September 4th.

Man Booker International Prize Longlist

The longlist for the Man Booker International Prize recognizing fiction in translation was released. Former winners Han Kang (The White Book) and László Krasznahorkai (The World Goes On) made it onto the list, alongside Ahmed Saadawi (Frankenstein in Baghdad), Gabriela Ybarra (The Dinner Guest), and more. The shortlist will be announced April 12th.

Publisher Of Diverse Romance Closes Its Doors

Crimson Romance announced on Twitter that the Simon & Schuster division is closing its doors. The Ripped Bodice, a Los Angeles romance bookstore whose owners recently published a report on the state of diversity in the genre, retweeted the announcement, noting that Crimson Romance is the only romance publisher that published at least 25% books by authors of color last year (the next highest was 12.6%). Members of the romance community expressed their disappointment in Simon & Schuster’s decision.

And don’t forget to head over to our Instagram account to enter to win $500 of Penguin Clothbound classics!

Today in Books is Sponsored by A Girl Like That, the debut novel from Tanaz Bhathena.

Costco Offering Free Membership Services to Library Card Holders in Select Cities

This week, some Detroit-area Costco stores are offering library card holders a free one-day pass. The program lasts March 12 to March 18. Costco has offered similar passes last fall in Ohio, though its unclear if this is part of a new on-going initiative, a pilot program, or isolated events.

Big Budget Dune Adaptation to Be At Least Two Movies

Director Dennis Villaneuve said this week that he is planning on making at least two Dune movies, and possibly more. The new franchise is still in the pre-production, but it makes sense that the groundwork for a multi-film run is in the works. There is no release date or casting information about Dune, so we are still a few years away.

Paperback Release of You Don’t Have to Say You Loved Me Delayed Indefinitely

The paperback version of Sherman Alexie’s memoir You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me has been indefinitely postponed by publisher Hachette. Hachette says that the request came at Alexie’s request, and they have agreed to the postponement. There is no timeline or criteria for its release.

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by Girls Burn Brighter by Shobha Rao.

His Dark Materials Will Be Adapted For Television

Dafne Keen, X-23 in Logan, will play Lyra Belacqua, and Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda has been cast as cowboy and adventurer Lee Scoresby. The adaptation of the three books comprising Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials will be an eight-part series helmed by Tom Hooper, director of The King’s Speech. Pre-production is expected to start this fall. Let’s hope the TV adaptation fares better than The Golden Compass film adaptation, which was…not great.

Indie Bookstore Forced To Remove LGBTQ Book From School Fair

Avid Bookshop pulled out of a book fair at Athens Academy after the school demanded that the shop remove copies of Newbery medalist Richard Peck’s The Best Man from their display. The book about a middle-schooler who becomes the best man at the wedding of two men had previously been approved for display by the school, but an administrator demanded its removal after a parent was overheard saying, “Is this what we’re teaching our children?” Mounting public pressure forced the school to send a letter to parents explaining the situation, and Athens Academy will host a forum on the issue in the spring.

2018 Women’s Prize For Fiction Longlist

The UK Prize celebrating excellence, originality, and accessibility in writing by women throughout the world announced the 2018 longlist on International Women’s Day. The 16 longlisted fiction titles include The Idiot by Elif Batuman, Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman, Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie, and, not missing a beat, Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward. Look for the shortlist on April 23.

And don’t forget to head over to our Instagram account to enter to win $500 of Penguin Clothbound classics!