Because We Cool Like That
America’s Millennials are more likely to have visited a public library in the past year than any other adult generation, says a new analysis of Pew Research Center survey data. Results showed that 53% of Millennials (ages 18-35) say they used a library or bookmobile in the previous year. Whereas 45% of Gen Xers, 43% of Baby Boomers, and 36% of those in the Silent Generation used those same resources. The discrepancy could be the result of changes to the public library system, computer and internet usage, and literacy programs. I know I couldn’t survive without library ebooks and audiobooks on my phone, so I found it interesting that use of public library mobile apps is less common across all generations.
Sorry, No Cumberbatch as Dracula Promises Here
The writers and producers of the BBC’s Sherlock are reuniting to develop a new take on the horror classic Dracula. Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat will write the series, and Sue Vertue’s Hartswood Films will produce. But it’ll be a minute before we learn anything about casting, and honestly that’s the news we’re all waiting to hear. Dracula as a character is ideal for adaptation, and I personally loved Coppola’s film take (because Gary Oldman; let’s try to forget about Keanu), so I am not upset by this news. I’ll be tuning in to find out how they modernize the story. Will Dracula discover Tinder?
Broadway Gets Dystopian With Orwell’s Classic
This isn’t Into the Woods or Hedwig and the Angry Inch. This is totalitarianism and Big Brother. This is George Orwell’s 1984 on Broadway. The play, starring Olivia Wilde among other actors, opened this past Friday and was not what you might call a lighthearted production. There is a reason Orwell’s dystopian novel reached No. 1 status on Amazon recently. I’m not sure I’d be able to handle it myself, but a stage production sounds like the perfect platform for rumination.
DREAD NATION Looks Awesome. The End.
Justina Ireland’s forthcoming novel Dread Nation (April 2018) is about zombies, racism, and kick-ass black and Native girls trained in the art of combat. And the cover reveal is so real. You have to see it for yourself.
Thanks to Smoke by Dan Vyleta, new in paperback, for sponsoring this week’s newsletter.
In an alternate Victorian England those who are wicked are marked by smoke. The aristocracy are clean, proof of their virtue and right to rule, while the lower classes are drenched in sin and soot. Readers of the Harry Potter series and Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell are sure to be mesmerized by Dan Vyleta’s thrilling blend of historical fiction and fantasy, as three young friends scratch the surface of the grown-up world to discover startling wonders—and dangerous secrets.