Red, White, & Royal Blue Trailer Drops
Prime Video has just released the official trailer for the film adaptation of the bestselling book Red, White, & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston. The movie stars Taylor Zakhar Perez as the son of the U.S. President, played by Uma Thurman, with Nicholas Galitzine as Britain’s Prince Henry. The royal romance will start streaming on Prime Video on August 11, 2023.
Florida School District Restricts Works by Shakespeare, Removes Books by Toni Morrison and John Milton
Florida’s Orange County Public Schools, located near Orlando, have removed more than 150 books from their shelves and restricted others as part of a review for sexual content. Among the removed are books by authors such as Toni Morrison, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Ralph Ellison, and others. Even certain works by the Bard — like A Midsummer Night’s Dream and others — are being restricted to 10th-12th grades.
NASCAR Event Inadvertently Drives Book Sales for Local Indie Bookstore
The NASCAR race in Chicago that took place July 1-2 initially cost indie bookstore Exile in Bookville around $15,000 because of street closures, construction, and other disturbances to business. After co-owners Kristin Enola Gilbert and Javier Ramirez announced on social media why they’d be closed for four days during the event, supporters — including everyone from local authors Rebecca Makkai and Daniel Kraus, to other booksellers around the country — rallied, resulting in the bookstore receiving more online orders during the four days they were closed than they have in the last two years.
2023 Hugo Award Finalists Announced
The 2023 Hugo Award finalists have been announced. This year’s selection is the most globally diverse so far.