Author: Maria Cristina Garcia Lynch

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by the GCP Clubcar.

Historic Copy of LADY CHATTERLY’S LOVER Available

You know how in school you would sometimes get a used copy of a book that would have some really helpful marginalia? A Half-Blood Prince situation? Well, anyone who’s got Lady Chatterly’s Lover on their syllabus and deep pockets will be interested to know that the obscenity trial judge’s copy of the book will be up for auction.

RIP Norm Breyfogle

Batman artist Norm Breyfogle has passed away at the age of 58. Tributes, especially from other artists, have been pouring in. Breyfogle suffered a stroke a few years ago and relied on crowdfunding to cover his medical expenses. On Twitter, Tim Seeley noted that fact, and added that “comic book creators are freelancers, and often do not have adequate insurance or any at all.”

The First Book Published in Antarctica

Anyone who’s gone on a trip with a good portion of your luggage reserved for reading material will understand why Ernest Shackleton brought a printing press, ink, and paper with him on his first Antarctic expedition. He edited an anthology authored by his crew, and one of the 70 extant copies was sold this week for $97,500.

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by Epic Reads, bringing you Pride by Ibi Zoboi.

Watch THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE Trailer

The excitement over Netflix’s adaptation of Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House just got turned way up, because there’s a terrifying trailer for the ten-episode series. Strictly speaking, it’s not a proper adaptation, but it will be set in the same world as her book. Look for the premiere in October!

Hotcakes Can Only Dream of Selling Like FEAR

Bob Woodward, the journalist who famously broke open the Watergate scandal with Carl Bernstein, is the latest to pen a book about the Trump administration. And after Fear‘s first week on shelves, it’s already on its tenth printing. The 1.1 million copies sold so far make it Simon & Schuster’s fastest selling book ever.

James Corden Will Never Be Good Enough for Her Family

If you haven’t seen the film adaptation of Crazy Rich Asians yet, well, you should. But this behind-the-scenes sketch from “The Late Late Show” is basically a mini-remake, with James Corden trying to win the approval of Henry Golding’s onscreen mother, Michelle Yeoh.

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by The Other Side of Lost by Jessi Kirby, brought to you by Epic Reads.

Dumplin’ Adaptation Coming to Netflix

Julie Murphy’s young adult novel Dumplin’ will be released on Netflix later this year in movie form. It stars Danielle Macdonald and Jennifer Aniston. But the real thrill: Book Riot darling Dolly Parton is recording brand new takes on songs from her back catalog for the soundtrack.

Classic Novel Vintage Travel Posters

Click through this slideshow of vintage travel posters inspired by classic novels! The poster series is part of PBS’s “The Great American Read” initiative. “Take a cruise on the Pequod” may be my favorite poster slogan out of all of them.

NBA Young People’s Literature Longlist

The National Book Awards release their longlists over the course of a few days, and today we’ve been given the one for Young People’s Literature! Check out the list of nominees here, and do the reading you’ve got to do to prepare for the finalists to be revealed on October 10.

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by Tear Me Apart by J.T. Ellison from MIRA Books.

New Images From “Captain Marvel”

Carol Danvers fans are celebrating Entertainment Weekly’s publication of exclusive new images from “Captain Marvel”—the currently-filming MCU entry that was set up by an “Infinity War” post-credits scene. The movie is going to take us back to the ’90s, but with more Skrulls than you probably remember from back then. Now when are we going to get a trailer, hmm?

Little Miss Doctor Who

Heretofore, the Doctor Who spins on Roger Hargreaves’ children’s books have all featured Mr. Men. But with Jodie Whitaker’s upcoming debut as the Doctor, we’ll be finally be getting a Time Lord Little Miss book! Dr. Thirteenth will be available in November as a swanky hardcover, and January will see the paperback release.

Stephen Colbert Continues to Love J. R. R. Tolkien

If you follow Stephen Colbert even just casually, you must know that he’s ride or die for J. R. R. Tolkien. That appreciation is on full display in this brief Rolling Stones video. Colbert’s ostensibly there to break down Chance the Rapper’s “Favorite Song” but he spends half the video reciting Lord of the Rings poetry.

And don’t forget to come share the ins-n-outs of your reading life in our Fall Reader Survey!

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by Kensington Publishing Corp., bringing you Wedding the Widow by Jenna Jaxon.

J. R. R. Tolkien’s Last Posthumous Publication

Christopher Tolkien, age 93, has finally reached the end of his project to put out his father’s unpublished work. Tomorrow, the Middle-earth quest tale The Fall of Gondolin will see the light. Papa Tolkien worked on this story on and off from 1917 to 1951, and the many versions are collected in this new book.

Barnes & Noble Drama

Lots of ugly stuff is coming to light as former Barnes & Noble CEO Demos Parneros goes after the company in federal court. He’s saying—among other complaints—that his firing put Barnes & Noble in breach of contract. In response, Barnes & Noble is alleging Parneros engaged in “sexual harassment, bullying behavior and other violations of company policies.”

Alt Nobel Shortlist Revealed

As Rioter Erika Harlitz-Kern reports, the Alternative Nobel Prize in Literature nominees have been whittled down to four: Haruki Murakami (Japan), Kim Thúy (Canada), Maryse Condé (France/Guadeloupe), and Neil Gaiman (United Kingdom). Their fates are now in the hands of a jury of four. The New Academy will present the award to the winner on December 9. On December 10, The New Academy will dissolve itself. What a time to be alive.

This edition of Today In Books is sponsored by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.

NYPL in Instaland

As Rioter Anthony Karcz reports, “Today marks the launch of ‘Insta Novels,’ a NYPL program that utilizes Instagram Stories to convert classic novels into animated, interactive, social media events. In cooperation with Mother New York, the project found artists who have a strong Instagram presence to provide original illustrations and animations for three classic works. These animations are added to the text and the text itself is cut up into regular chunks of content (you readers may know them as ‘pages’).” The first work of literature to get the Insta treatment is Alice in Wonderland.

Mrs. Fletcher Is Coming to HBO

Emmy nominee Kathryn Hahn is playing the title role in HBO’s adaptation of Tom Perrotta’s novel Mrs. Fletcher. There’s no information yet about when we might see this story of an empty-nester reinventing herself. But while you’re waiting, you can watch The Leftovers, another Perrotta adaptation (or you can just rewatch Hahn’s arc as Bobby Newport’s campaign manager on “Park and Recreation” because good grief was that amazing).

Kevin Kwan Is Technically AWOL

Crazy Rich Asians author Kevin Kwan is being called out by Singapore’s Ministry of Defence for failing to report for compulsory military service. He left Singapore as a child, but was still required to enlist for two years of military duty upon turning eighteen. Now 44, Kwan lives in the US and faces a fine and jail time should he return to Singapore.

This edition of Today In Books is sponsored by Bellewether by Susanna Kearsley.

It’s late summer, war is raging, and families are torn apart by divided loyalties and deadly secrets. In this complex and dangerous time, a young French Canadian lieutenant is captured and billeted with a Long Island family, an unwilling and unwelcome guest. As he begins to pitch in with the never-ending household tasks and farm chores, Jean-Philippe de Sabran finds himself drawn to the daughter of the house. Slowly, Lydia Wilde comes to lean on Jean-Philippe, true soldier and gentleman, until their lives become inextricably intertwined. Legend has it that the forbidden love between Jean-Philippe and Lydia ended tragically, but centuries later, the clues they left behind slowly unveil the true story.

Charleston Says “So Long” To Overdue Fines

Overdue books will no longer earn you late fines in the Charleston County Public Library system. But twist! This policy has actually been in place since JUNE. They kept it real quiet until they were sure it was a policy change they could commit to. But as we’ve written about before, overdue fines aren’t essential to the financial health of a library, and limit access for lower-income patrons. So the change is here to stay!

Dune is Coming For Your Game Night

Have you heard about the new Dune adaptation coming out in 2020? It has inspired a new range of Dune tabletop games scheduled for release ahead of the film adaptation. I would be very much onboard with this trend of remakes and reboots if every single one of them were accompanied by a Cones-of-Dunshire-type tabletop game.

Anne With A Three

The third season of Anne With an E, the Netflix/CBC adaptation of Lucy Maud Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables, has been greenlit. People tend to have strong feelings about the tone of the series, either loving or hating how it brings the realness to the beloved story of Anne Shirley. If you haven’t formed an opinion yet, you can watch the first two seasons on Netflix right now.

This edition of Today In Books is sponsored by TarcherPerigee, bringing you Keiko Agena’s No Mistakes.

BEL CANTO Has a Trailer

Ann Patchett’s Bel Canto is getting the film treatment, with Ken Watanabe and Julianne Moore in starring roles. As Rioter Margaret Kingsbury points out, this is the first of Patchett’s books to be adapted into a movie. Something to look forward to in September!

Snakes on a Plane, Except the Plane Is a Library

A Georgetown library closed down for two days while a pest-control company made sure the premises were snake-free. Why? Because library staff found a snake slithering around inside. And then two more live snakes were spotted. The pest-control company eventually found a dead snake, but as the Washington Post reports, “The whereabouts of the other snakes are unknown.”

Celebrate International Cat Day With This Book

There’s a book of cat portraits that’s big in Japan. But these aren’t your everyday headshots. The book is wall-to-wall cat paws. Cute? Weird? You can judge for yourself when the book has its English-language debut in September.

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by The Magnetic Collection at Lion Forge.

Each morning, an old fisherman heads to sea, leaving his doting wife at home, awaiting his return. When he doesn’t return one evening, the village assumes his death. His wife refuses to give up hope. She consults a fortune teller who sees his visage in a crepe . . . alive in Cuba. Convinced her husband is still alive, she sets off on an improbable mission to save him.

Completely wordless, this heartwarming adventure is a testament to the power of sequential storytelling and the power of love itself. A Sea of Love is in stores now from Lion Forge!

The Hate U Give Cover Artist Talks About Her Illustration

Artist Debra Cartwright gives maybe one of the most interesting interviews about the process behind book cover design, specifically her work on Angie Thomas’s The Hate U Give. “Actually, in design school at Parsons I took a book-cover design class, and my teacher must be cracking up, because he told me, ‘I don’t know if this is for you.'” Just goes to show.

Bon Voyage, Voyage

Introduced in 2014, the Kindle Voyage e-reader is now no longer for sale by Amazon in the US, UK, and at least four other European countries. Honestly, the Kindle family doesn’t seem incomplete without it. There’s the entry-level Kindle, and slightly fancier Kindle Paperwhite. And you can splurge on the waterproof Oasis if you want to do some shower reading (she types, not at all from experience). But if you just HAVE to have a Voyage, there are a few refurbished ones out there.

Readers Watch Videos Too

Bookish YouTube videos are big, even if YouTube says so itself. According to the platform, the BookTube community has earned “over 200 million views and, compared to this time last year, engagement with them is up 40 percent.” While we’re on the subject, check out Book Riot’s YouTube channel!

We’re giving away our favorite Books of 2018…so far. Go here to enter for a chance to win, or just click the image below. Good luck!

World Fantasy Awards Finalists

The World Fantasy Awards finalists have been announced. Five of the competitive categories are for written work published in the previous year, and the nominees in the Best Novel category are The City of Brass by S. A. Chakraborty, Ka: Dar Oakley in the Ruin of Ymir by John Crowley, The Strange Case of the Alchemist’s Daughter by Theodora Goss, Spoonbenders by Daryl Gregory, The Changeling by Victor LaValle, and Jade City by Fonda Lee. Winners will be revealed at the World Fantasy Convention in November.

Hogwarts Lego Castle Gets Upgraded

If you have $399.99, engineering skills, and a deep and abiding love for all things Harry Potter, has Lego got a new kit for you! It’s a brand new Hogwarts Castle. And if you’re smugly saying, “Yeah, but I already have the 1,290-piece Hogwarts,” I gotta tell you, your current set is puny compared to this one’s 6,020 pieces. Here’s hoping somebody gets to drop it in the next Spider-Man movie.

Library Hosts Stuffed Animal Slumber Party

Did you see this adorable sleepover make its way across Twitter? If not, the Boston Globe is sharing some of the photos that librarians in Somerville staged with stuffed animals dropped off for the night by local kids. Other people on Twitter chimed in with similar programs their own libraries conducted. This is a service that Starbucks and Amazon definitely do not provide.