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Viola Davis Joins HUNGER GAMES Prequel: Today in Books

Salman Rushdie Recovering After Stabbing

Author Salman Rushdie is currently recovering after being stabbed onstage ahead of a scheduled lecture at Chautauqua Institution in upstate New York. His son Zafar Rushdie said in a statement shared over the weekend, “We are extremely relieved that yesterday he was taken off the ventilator and additional oxygen and he was able to say a few words.” Rushdie remains in critical condition and continues to receive medical treatment for his injuries, including a damaged liver and severed nerves in an arm and an eye. Rushdie is likely to lose an eye, according to his agent Andrew Wylie. The attacker was identified as Hadi Matar, 24. Matar rushed the stage and stabbed the author 10 times. The motives behind the attack are still unclear.

Viola Davis Joins Hunger Games Prequel

Viola Davis is joining the Hunger Games prequel The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Davis will play villain Dr. Volumnia Gaul, the head gamemaker of the 10th annual Hunger Games. She joins previously announced cast members Tom Blyth, Rachel Zegler, Josh AndrĂ©s Rivera, Peter Dinklage, and Hunter Schafer. “The Hunger Games films have always been elevated by their exceptional casting, and we are thrilled to be continuing that tradition with Viola Davis as Volumnia Gaul. Her formidable and powerful presence will add layers of complexity and menace to this story,” said Lionsgate motion picture group president Nathan Kahane.

Black and Queer-Owned DC Bookstore Surprised with a $20K Check from Good Morning America

In honor of Black Business Month, Good Morning America paid a visit to a bookstore in Washington DC to surprise them with $20,000 check sponsored by Wells Fargo. DC’s Loyalty Bookstore is a Black and Queer-owned that specializes in diverse storytellers. As part of their “Black Business Boost” segment, GMA caught up with the store owner Hannah Oliver Depp to give her the surprise check. Depp says the mission of her bookstore is to sell diverse books and provide job opportunities to her community. Depp said, “We wanted that whole community to be represented on our shelves.”

George R.R. Martin Would Like You to Stop Speculating About His Death

George R. R. Martin has also said he has “given up on any hope of predicting the end” of the Song of Ice and Fire series.