Author: Emily Martin

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Obamas Producing BLACKOUT Film and TV Event for Netflix: Today in Books

The Obamas Producing Blackout, A Film and TV Event for Netflix

The Obamas’ production company Higher Ground and Temple Hill (Fatherhood) are teaming up again for a new project on Netflix: Blackout, a film and TV event adapting six love stories from six different authors. Netflix says the project is being developed as a film and a TV series concurrently, so some of the stories will be used in the film while others are in the show. Blackout takes place in New York during a power outage and features stories from Dhonielle Clayton (Tiny Pretty Things), Tiffany D. Jackson (Allegedly), Nic Stone (Dear Martin), Angie Thomas (The Hate U Give), Ashley Woodfolk (The Beauty That Remains), and Nicola Yoon (Everything, Everything).

New Smart Bookstore Amplifies Black Authors’ Voices

Blk + Brown, a bookstore in Kansas City, Missouri, is using smart technology to help amplify the voices of Black authors. The bookstore’s set-up is like an art gallery, but for books. “Certain books will come and go like installations but there’s definitely some that will always be around and those are the books I call my ‘Blassics,'” bookstore owner Cori Smith explained. “So like the Toni Morrisons, the James Baldwin, the Richard Wrights.” Each book comes with a QR code so you can hear lectures and talks with the authors, as well as playlists created to go with the books, and more. The bookstore also features a monthly book club and a mentorship program. For more information about the store’s upcoming events, check out their website.

Zack Stentz Will Write Script for Wheel of Time Film Adaptation

Zack Stentz will write the script for Age of Legends, the first of three planned Wheel of Time adaptations, based on Robert Jordan’s best-selling books. Zack Stentz, the co-writer of Thor and X-Men: First Class, said in a statement, “I’ve been a fan of Robert Jordan’s work for many years, and it is especially his allusions to the origins and backstory of The Wheel of Time that I have always found most intriguing. I’m excited to be bringing this era Robert Jordan conceptualized to life.” The project will be produced by Rick Selvage and Larry Mondragon of iwot productions and Ted Field and Justin Smith of Radar Pictures.

The Best Manga and Light Novels to Pick Up in 2021

Looking to pick up a new manga this year? Here are some of the best manga and light novels to read in 2021.

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Rosamund Pike Narrating Paula Hawkins’ New Audiobook: Today in Books

Haruki Murakami Adaptation Drive My Car Vies for Cannes Awards

On Sunday, July 11, Japanese director Ryusuke Hamaguchi unveiled his adaptation of Haruki Murakami’s short story “Drive My Car” at the Cannes Film Festival. Hamaguchi says he was drawn to Murakami’s short story because of the potential he saw in a road trip movie leading characters to be stuck together in an enclosed space. “What I found fascinating was how the intimacy is brought into the car through the long conversations between the characters,” Hamaguchi said before the film’s red carpet premiere. The film has received early praise from critics, specifically for the lead actors’ performances.

Rosamund Pike Narrating Paula Hawkins’ New Audiobook

Gone Girl actress Rosamund Pike will be narrating the audiobook version of Paula Hawkins’ highly anticipated third novel. Hawkins’ A Slow Fire Burning will be available in print, ebook, and audiobook on August 31st. Of Pike’s performance, Hawkins says, Of Pike’s performance, “Rosamund Pike is absolutely one of my favorite actresses… Listening to [her] read my words has been a great thrill.” You can get a first listen to chapter 1 of the novel over at Entertainment Weekly.

NYPL Offers Free Book Kits to Help Keep Kids Engaged

The New York Public Library is making book kits available to at least 60,000 children and teens to help them stay engaged over the summer season. The kits will be available at all NYPL branch locations starting today, Monday, July 12th. There will be six different kits available for different age groups: babies and toddlers; pre-k through grade 1; grades 2-3; grades 4-5; middle school (grades 6-8); and high school (grades (9-12).

Barack Obama Releases His Summer Reading List

Former President Barack Obama has released his summer 2021 reading list. And as usual, it’s packed with some outstanding must-read titles.

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THE ALCHEMIST Begins Production This Fall: Today in Books

Batman: The Long Halloween Gets a New Follow-Up Comic

On Thursday, DC Comics announced that they will be publishing a special follow-up issue to Batman: The Long Halloween by writer Jeph Loeb and artist Tim Sale. “Twenty-five years ago, Tim Sale and I set out to tell a mystery tale of how Gotham City went from crime to freaks,” Loeb said in a statement. “The result was Batman: The Long Halloween. We’re thrilled to be back at DC revisiting some of our favorite characters all the while revealing that you may not know the whole story.” Very few details have been announced about the upcoming 48-page special comic, but you can expect it on stands on October 12th, just in time for Halloween!

The Alchemist Begins Production This Fall

Westbrook Studios, Netter Films, and PalmStar Media have announced that filming for The Alchemist will begin this September in Morocco. Sebastian de Souza, Tom Hollander, and Shohreh Aghdashloo are set to star in the upcoming film, which is an adaptation of Paulo Coelho’s fable-like novel The Alchemist. The film’s production team includes Will Smith and Jon Mone for Westbrook Studios; Frakes and Raj Singh for PalmStar; and Gil Netter for Netter Films. You can expect to see The Alchemist released near the end of 2022.

Chatto & Windus Publishing NoViolet Bulawayo’s Second Novel

Chatto & Windus will be publishing author NoViolet Bulawayo’s second novel Glory. The novel, which is inspired by the fall of Robert Mugabe, is being described as “punchy, funny, and piercing.” This novel is the follow up to Bulawayo’s 2013 debut novel We Need New Names, which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize and the Guardian First Book Award. The novel won a Betty Trask Award, Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award, Hurston-Wright Legacy Award, the Etisalat Prize and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for First Fiction. Glory will be published on April 7th, 2022.

Scripp’s New Spelling Bee Winner Makes History

Fourteen-year-old Zaila Avant-garde from New Orleans, Louisiana, is the winner of the Scripp’s Spelling Bee. Here’s how she’s made history with this win.

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Here’s Why 2017 Short Story CAT PERSON is in the News Again: Today in Books

Manga Sales Soar to an All-Time High in 2020

A recent analysis by ICV2 shows that sales of manga hit an all-time high in 2020, with sales in North America reaching nearly $250 million. This number is much higher than it has been in any previous year, including 2007, which was the last peak for manga sales in recent years. ICV2 speculates that the recent surge of manga sales is all thanks to the pandemic. People stayed home and watched anime programs on steaming platforms like Netflix, Hulu, and HBO Max. And of course then these same anime fans wanted to purchase the manga their favorite shows were based upon. 2020’s most popular manga title was Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, with a record-breaking 82 million copies sold. Other popular series included Kingdom, One Piece, Jujutsu Kaisen, and Attack on Titan.

Here’s Why 2017 Short Story “Cat Person” is in the News Again

The short story “Cat Person,” originally published in 2017 in the New Yorker, is going viral again. Why are people talking about this short story this time? A woman named Alexis Nowicki has written an essay for Slate in which she explains how the story “Cat Person,” written by previously unknown author Kristen Roupenian, stole details from her personal life. After contacting Roupenian to ask about the story, Nowicki discovered that Roupenian had looked through Nowicki’s social media accounts to gather details to use in the short story. Nowicki’s essay has sparked a huge debate online about the ethics of using people’s real lives and real stories in fiction.

LoveAudio Campaign Returns with Online Events

The Publishers Association’s annual audiobook campaign #LoveAudio is returning for a fifth year this month with several online events. The campaign will run from July 12th to the 16th. Events include a “How to Get Into Audio Publishing” event run by the Publisher’s Association on July 13th. On July 14th, Hachette will host “Opening the Book,” which will focus on what it’s like working in audio and digital publishing. Additionally, BookMachine is running an online Q&A session with Bookwire and Hera Books on July 14th. The Publishers Association will also be launcing a list of “Best New Voices” in audiobook publishing. If you’d like to find out more about #LoveAudio week and how you can join the campaign, visit www.loveaudio.org.uk/getinvolved.

Everything We Know About the Ursula K. Le Guin Stamp

On July 27, the United States Postal Service (USPS) will release a new stamp honoring author Ursula K. Le Guin. Here’s everything we know about the Ursula K. Le Guin stamp.

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Andy Serkis Recording LORD OF THE RINGS Audiobooks: Today in Books

Andy Serkis Recording Lord of the Rings Audiobooks

HarperCollins is releasing new editions of the Lord of the Rings audiobooks with Andy Serkis narrating. The audiobook announcement follows Andy Serkis’ fundraiser to help two UK charities during the COVID-19 pandemic, in which the actor read the entirety of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit. Serkis, who played Gollum in the Peter Jackson adaptations of the series, said in a statement, “Walking back into Middle-earth over 20 years after my first life-changing adventure there, and experiencing it all over again (this time for many weeks alone in a sound booth) has brought in equal measures of pure joy, sheer madness, immense pleasure and a level of psychological and physical fatigue I have never quite experienced the like of before.” According to J.R.R. Tolkien’s official Facebook page, the audiobook will be available on September 16th from all major audiobook retailers.

Michelle Yeoh to Star in Netflix’s Witcher Prequel, Blood Origin

Netflix has announced that Michelle Yeoh will star in the platform’s six-episode Witcher prequel, Blood Origin. The prequel is set a little over 1,000 year before the events of The Witcher. It will focus on the story of the first Witcher and how the worlds of men, monsters, and elves merged into one. Yeoh will play Scían, the only remaining member of a nomadic tribe of sword-wielding elves. Netflix has yet to set a premiere date for Blood Origin, but the second season of The Witcher wrapped production in April and is expected to premiere later this year.

Sylvia Plath’s Family Album, Wedding Ring, and Letters to Ted Hughes are Being Sold

This Friday, bidding will begin on a Sotheby’s action that includes Sylvia Plath’s family album, wedding ring, and letters to husband and fellow poet Ted Hughes, along with other various personal items. The item that is anticipated to sell for the highest price is Plath’s family photo album, which includes 92 photos of the poet with her children and Ted Hughes. The auction items were made available by Sylvia Plath’s daughter Frieda Hughes.

New LGBTQ Laws in Hungary Land Bookshops with Fines

New anti-LGBT laws in Hungary are banning LGBTQ people from being included in educational material or TV programs for children under 18. Now bookshops are being fined for selling books that differ from “traditional content.”

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Hanif Abdurraqib Has Been Named Tin House Editor-at-Large: Today in Books

Get a First Look at Rebecca Roanhorse’s Fevered Star

Author Rebecca Roanhorse introduced us to the fantasy world of Meridian in her novel Black Sun, and now she’s returning to the world with its sequel Fevered Star, the second book in the Between Earth and Sky trilogy. You can get a first look at Roanhorse’s new novel over at Nerdist, where you can see a cover reveal and an excerpt from the novel. Fevered Star is available for pre-order now, and it’s due out on April 19, 2022.

Hanif Abdurraqib Has Been Named Tin House Editor-at-Large

Tin House announced earlier today that they have named Hanif Abdurraqib as their Editor-at-Large. In his new role, author, essayist, poet, and cultural critic Abdurraqib will acquire three nonfiction books a year for Tin House.⁠ “I am thankful for the opportunity to join the team at Tin House and begin the pursuit of work that propels and excites me,” said Abdurraqib. “My world was built reading writers who wrote, relentlessly, away from the comfortable center and into the so-called ‘margins,’ where one could be a little more free, a little more playful, a lot braver. Punk writers who scrawled things in zines, aspiring rappers who filled notebooks that few people would ever read, and so on. This is the work that renews me and that challenges my own writing.”⁠ Hanif Adburraqib is the author of several poetry and essay collections, including They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us, A Little Devil in America, and A Fortune for Your Disaster. Tin House hopes to publish Abdurraqib’s first projects in 2023.

New Jersey Library Hosts Pet Parade to Encourage Reading

Woodbury Public Library in New Jersey hosted its very first community pet parade on Tuesday morning at Bell Lake Park. This event kicked off the library’s “Tails & Tales: Animals & Stories” program, a program designed for young readers aged 5 to 12 to encourage life-long reading habits. Leading the parade was the Grand Marshal Rita Moreno, a 4-month-old dachshund mix, along with her owner Ryan Morrison. Ribbons were awarded to pets in the parade for Best Costume, Best Trick, Most Unique, and Best Human/Pet Pair. Additionally, the library set up a photo booth with animal-themed props, a coloring station, and a table of gift bags and prizes for kids. If you want to learn more about the Tails & Tales program, including reading challenges for both children and adults, you can get all the details at the Woodbury Public Library website.

Critical Race Theory Books to Help You Make Sense of All the Hubbub

Critical Race Theory has been in the news a lot lately, but what is all the fuss about? Here’s an introductory guide to Critical Race Theory, including essential reads to help you make sense of the topic.

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Nikole Hannah-Jones and Ta-Nehisi Coates Join Howard University Faculty: Today in Books

Nikole Hannah-Jones and Ta-Nehisi Coates Join Howard University Faculty

Howard University announced yesterday that two iconic American authors would be joining their faculty: Nikole Hannah-Jones, Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter who covers racial injustice for The New York Times Magazine and the creator of the landmark 1619 Project; and Ta-Nehisi Coates, author of Between the World and Me and The Water Dancer. Hannah-Jones turned down a UNC tenured position to become a tenured faculty member of Howard’s Cathy Hughes School of Communications, filling the newly created Knight Chair in Race and Journalism. Coates will be a faculty member in the flagship College of Arts and Sciences. Both Hannah-Jones and Coates wish to support and help educate the next generation of Black journalists.

The Horror Writers Association Offers Endowments to Fund Teen Writing Programs

The Horror Writers Association (HWA) is offering endowments to libraries to fund teen writing programs as part of the association’s ongoing dedication to furthering young adult literacy. HWA is the premier organization of writers and publishers of horror and dark fantasy, and it is the home of the Bram Stoker Awards. Their Young Adults Write Now fund will provide up to five endowments of $250 each per year to help libraries establish writing programs. Currently, the program is only available to US libraries, but they hope to open up the program to include other countries as part of the HWA’s global presence. Former HWA President Lisa Morton said, “We look forward to working more closely with libraries to expand public awareness of, and appreciation for, horror literature.” 

Children’s Books Help Keep Dogs Calm on the 4th of July

On July 4th, a lot of dogs all around the country get disturbed by the loud bangs of fireworks. Pets have very sensitive ears, and they can find the fireworks to be very scary. Worried about the poor pups? At least you can rest assured that the dogs at the Kentucky Humane Society were fine. Volunteers came to the shelter to help calm the dogs down by reading them children’s books. On July 5, the shelter posted on Facebook sharing images of people reading to the pups outside of their cages. Above the images the organization wrote: “A big thanks to our amazing volunteers who spent time at the shelter July 4th comforting the animals… Many pets fell fast asleep on their beds—some were even snoring! We also want to give a special thanks to Angie from KHS and her family, who organized the event and came in early to prep the treats and welcome the volunteers.”

What the Literati Reviews Didn’t Tell Me

Here’s your in-depth look at Literati’s book club launch. Find answers to what you can expect, how much it costs, and much more beyond the standard Literati reviews.

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Zosia Mamet Signs Two-Book Deal with Viking Penguin: Today in Books

Zosia Mamet Signs Two-Book Deal with Viking Penguin

Actress Zosia Mamet (Girls/The Flight Attendant) has signed a two-book deal with Viking Penguin. Mamet’s first book My First Popsicle, which is set to publish in fall 2022, is an anthology exploring foods and the memories and emotions we associate with them, including contributions from Jia Tolentino, David Sedaris, Patti Smith, Rosie Perez, and Patti LuPone. Mamet’s second book is set to publish in Fall 2023 and will be a collection of personal essays reflecting on her relationships, bullying, body issues, and that one time she almost got into a fist fight with Axl Rose.

Winner of Waterstone Prize Says She Never Saw Autistic Girls in Books

Scottish author Elle McNicoll’s debut novel A Kind of Spark has won the Waterstones children’s book prize. The novel, which Waterstones’ booksellers praised as “eye-opening, heart-wrenching, sad, and inspiring,” follows the story of an 11-year-old autistic girl named Addie who is campaigning for a memorial to the witch trials that happened in her Scottish village. But McNicoll hasn’t always had the easiest time in the publishing world. When she first tried to get published, she was told that people didn’t want to read about an autistic heroine. “In job interviews, I was saying that I wanted to see more books with disabled characters in them that were not traumatic, boring or educational, but fun and full of life. A lot of the reactions were, ‘Waterstones don’t like books like that’,” she said in an interview with The Guardian. After winning the Waterstone prize—a unique prize in that its voted on solely by booksellers—McNicoll said, “I will never say “I can’t’ again.”

June Sarpong Launching Imprint with HQ to Publish and Develop Diverse Voices

Author, broadcaster, and diversity advocate June Sarpong is launching a new imprint with HQ that will focus on publishing and developing diverse voices. In its first year, the new imprint, named the HQ Creative Inclusion Lab, will publish four titles. From then on, the imprint will aim to publish six titles across adult fiction and nonfiction annually. The focus will remain on publishing authors with a disability, authors from underrepresented ethnic backgrounds, and authors from working class backgrounds. Sarpong told The Bookseller that she wants the HQ Creative Inclusion Lab to be a “home for untold stories, that’s really what we are, the home for untold diverse stories, there are far too many of them unfortunately.”

A Case Against Assigned Summer Reading

Assigned summer reading is meant to keep students reading and learning over the long break from school. But here’s how it does more harm than good.

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Winners of the Inaugural 2021 Good Sex Awards Announced: Today in Books

Scribner Buys New Jennifer Egan Book

Pulitzer Prize winner Jennifer Egan’s latest novel, The Candy House, was sold to the Simon & Schuster imprint Scribner. Egan’s novel is said to be a sister novel to the author’s award-winning 2010 novel A Visit From the Goon Squad. What does this mean? You can expect some characters and plot lines in this new book to overlap with what happened in A Visit from the Goon Squad. You can expect to see The Candy House in bookstores everywhere on April 5, 2022.

Lincoln Center Names Mahogany Browne First Poet in Residence

As part of a new post-pandemic initiative, the Lincoln center has named its first ever poet in residence, Mahogany L. Browne. Browne is the author of several books, including Black Girl Magic, Chlorine Sky, and her forthcoming I Remember Death by Its Proximity to What I Love. During her residency, which will run from July to September, the poet will develop in-person and virtual programming for the performing-arts center, including poetry readings, film screenings, discussions, and performances. As part of her residency, Browne is planning collaborations with several poets and authors, including Jacqueline Woodson, Isaac Fitzgerald, and Sarah Kay. She’s also planning a book fair for children that will focus on books with social justice themes. Additionally, she’s planning to host a fresh produce giveaway with Seeds in the Middle, a charity organization that creates food and health-related programs for children. Browne said, “I was told to dream — dream big. Everything I wanted to do, nothing was said no to.”

Winners of the Inaugural 2021 Good Sex Awards Announced

The 2021 Good Sex Awards Winners and Runners Up have been announced. For this, the inaugural Good Sex Awards, the judges voted in the Sexiest Consent, Sexy Talk, Feminist Sex, Best Kink, Best Use of Sex Toys, Best LGBTQI Scene, Thought Leadership, and Fan Fiction categories. There was also a Reader’s Choice prize. The Good Sex Awards judges chose finalists based on the following criteria: writing quality, imagination, consent, titillation, diversity, body positivity, characterization, dialogue, sex positivity and how well they fit the category. You can check out the full list of winners on their website now!

10 Book Adaptations You Can Watch this Summer

2021 is the year for book adaptations. Here are 10 adaptations coming out this summer for you to watch!

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Get a First Look at Camila Cabello in CINDERELLA: Today in Books

Bowen Yang and Joel Kim Booster to Star Fire Island, a Modern Day Take on Pride and Prejudice

Bowen Yang and Joel Kim Booster are set to star in Fire Island, a romantic comedy from Spa Night director Andrew Ahn. The film is an original script from Booster and is being described as a modern day take on Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. The story follows two best friends who take a weeklong vacation to Fire Island, an iconic gay resort off the southern shore of Long Island. Fire Island is set to be released exclusively on Hulu in the United States and on Disney in the rest of the world. Filming will start in August.

Get a First Look at Camila Cabello in Cinderella

On Tuesday, singer Camila Cabello posted a first look at her upcoming role as the title character in the musical Cinderella. Cabello wrote on Twitter, “This was one of the most magical experiences of my life. I can’t wait for you to see it!” The upcoming musical is from Pitch Perfect writer Kay Cannon and also stars Idina Menzel, Pierce Brosnan, Minnie Driver and Nicholas Galitzine. Cinderella is set to debut on Amazon Prime on September 3.

The 2020 Shirley Jackson Award Nominees Have Been Announced

The 2020 Shirley Jackson Award nominees have been announced. In recognition of the legacy of Shirley Jackson’s writing, the Shirley Jackson Awards were established to honor outstanding achievement in psychological suspense, horror, and the dark fantastic. A jury of professional writers, editors, critics, and academics chose nominees in the following categories: Novel, Novella, Novelette, Short Fiction, Single-Author Collection, and Edited Anthology. The novels nominated are: Sisters by Daisy Johnson, Death in Her Hands by Ottessa Moshfegh, Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M. Danforth, The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones, and True Story by Kate Reed Petty. To see the full list of nominees, check out shirleyjacksonawards.org. The 2020 Shirley Jackson Awards will be presented in a prerecorded ceremony on Sunday, August 15, 2021 at Readercon 31.

Celebrate the Fourth by Watching Batman Punch Nazis

If you’re looking for old fashioned patriotism this July 4th, you can always count on comics published during WWII. Of course, these comics have their problematic moments, but you can’t go wrong with Batman punching Nazis.