This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by LibraryReads.
Watch The Full Trailer For Mary Poppins Returns
Mary Poppins is back, and you can see her and her magical carpet bag in the new full trailer for Mary Poppins Returns. Mary is played by Emily Blunt, and expect a star-studded cast that includes Lin-Manuel Miranda, Colin Firth, Angela Lansbury, Meryl Streep, and Dick Van Dyck. Mary Poppins Returns is loosely based on the other seven books in P.L. Travers’ series. The film premieres December 19.
Haruki Murakami Withdraws Alt Nobel Nomination
Haruki Murakami has withdrawn his nomination from the alternative Nobel Prize for Literature. Murakami wrote to the organizers of the New Academy Prize that he would prefer to focus on his writing away from media attention. The Award was organized in the wake of a sexual assault scandal that postponed the 2018 Nobel. That leaves Maryse Condé, Kim Thúy, and Neil Gaiman in the running.
Pennsylvania Ends Prison Book Donations
As Pennsylvania’s Department of Corrections pushes to get prisoners to buy into a costly eBook system, the DOC plans to ban free book donations to inmates by mail. The DOC is claiming that book delivery is a “primary avenue for drugs” to enter prisons, tweeting as evidence a letter from an inmate to family members asking for a dictionary.