Author: Sharifah Williams

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by Little Do We Know by Tamara Ireland Stone from Disney Publishing Worldwide.

Amazon Orders The Underground Railroad Series

Amazon has ordered a limited series based on Colson Whitehead’s The Underground Railroad. Barry Jenkins (Moonlight) is set to direct all 11 episodes of the series about a slave’s harrowing journey for freedom in the antebellum South. No release date yet.

Oprah’s New Book Club Selection

Oprah revealed her new book club selection, and it’s The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row by Anthony Ray Hinton. The book is Hinton’s memoir about his 1985 wrongful arrest for two counts of capital murder in Alabama, his time on death row, and his 2015 release. Oprah described how she randomly happened upon the book, and also noted that Hinton never received an apology for his wrongful incarceration from the state of Alabama.

Watch The Trailer For Mortal Engines

The official trailer for the film adaptation of Phillip Reeve’s post-apocalyptic science fiction novel Mortal Engines dropped. Peter Jackson is producing; he also wrote the screenplay alongside partners Fran Walsh and Phillipa Boyens. Christian Rivers (King Kong) will direct. Watch it here.

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This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by Diode Editions.

#Cockygate Developments

In the chronicles of #cockygate, a judge has denied a motion by romance writer Faleena Hopkins requesting a preliminary injunction to prevent the publication of some books that include the word “cocky” in the title. After obtaining a trademark registration of the word “cocky,” the author began working to block the sale of romance novels that use the word in their titles. Although I’m sure many, particularly those financially affected by this trademark battle, wish the whole thing would go away, we’ll likely hear more on the lawsuit.

Linking Classics To The Incel Movement

A piece in The Guardian looked at possible intersections between literary classics and the incel movement. The article considers the glorification of male sexual frustration in classics such as Hamlet, Great Expectations, and The Great Gatsby, and the celebration of people like Elliot Rodger (the perpetrator of the Isla Vista killings that were motivated by Rodger’s hatred of women) among members of the involuntarily celibate community.

Need Another Reason To Read? SCIENCE

A new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association suggests reading may help prevent dementia. Researchers conducted the study using a sample size of 15,582 people from Hong Kong, age sixty-five and up, and discovered that readers’ risk of developing dementia was significantly lower than non-readers.

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Algorithm Searches For Career Novelists

De Montfort Literature is offering a £24,000 starting salary to writers who pass a selection process that involves an algorithm designed to identify career novelists, and includes psychometric tests and interviews. Up to 10 novelists will receive support with mentoring, editing, designing, promoting, and publishing. The authors would receive 50% of the profits.

Michiko Kakutani Speaks On Her Decision To Become An Author

Michiko Kakutani, the famed book critic for The New York Times, spoke to Vanity Fair about her decision to become an author in the Trump era. Kakutani left the paper to write The Death of Truth: Notes on Falsehood in the Age of Trump. The author said one reason she wrote the book is to call attention to the denunciation of fake news and the citing of alternative facts by Trump and the White House.

Silver & Black Back In Development

Those who have been anticipating Marvel’s Spider-Man spinoff Silver & Black will have to continue anticipating past its planned 2019 release date. The film following female mercenary Silver Sable and Spider-man love interest Black Cat will not premiere in February after all, and Deadline reported word of a possible re-write.

As part of Season 2 of our podcast series Annotated, we are giving away 10 of the best books about books of 2017. Go here to enter for a chance to win, or just click the image below:

A Rare Tolkien Exhibition

Tolkien: Maker of Middle-earth will be at the Weston Library in Oxford until October. Enter through the Doors of Durin, chart the routes taken by Tolkien’s characters, and gaze upon a rarely displayed Tolkien collection. After October, the exhibition will travel to New York, and then to the Bibliothèque nationale de France.

Henry IV And V Adapted For Netflix

Shakespeare is coming to Netflix. The streaming service announced The King, based on Shakespeare’s Henry IV and Henry V. The 2019 adaptation will star Timothée Chalamet, Robert Pattinson, Joel Edgerton, Ben Mendelsohn, and Lily-Rose Depp. David Michôd will direct.

Hermione Dreams And Potterhead Quizzes

Are you a Hermione whose fondest dream involves taking the O.W.L. exams? Well, the Warner Bros. Studio Tour in London is here to make your dreams come true with their new series of quiz nights in the Great Hall. Find out whether you pass or fail on subjects including Magical Artefacts, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Potions and Care of Magical Creatures in the location where Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat their O.W.L exams.

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This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by Hush, My Inner Sleuth by M.E. Meegs.

Golden Man Booker Shortlist

The Golden Man Booker shortlist was announced over the long weekend. On the list are In a Free State by V. S. Naipaul, Moon Tiger by Penelope Lively, The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje, Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel, and Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders. The Golden Man Booker selects books “from Man Booker history that have best stood the test of time.” You can vote on who should win; the winner will be announced on July 8th.

Accountant Embezzles Millions From Literary Agency

And Chuck Palahniuk responded. Why? Because his finances were directly affected by the embezzlement, according to his statement. Accountant Darin Webb faces major jail time on wire-fraud charges for embezzling $3.4 million from Manhattan agency Donadio & Olson, which represents Palahniuk, the estate of The Godfather writer Mario Puzo, and other big authors.

AirBnB The Home Of F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald

Get ready to write that Jazz Age-inspired novel you’ve been thinking about because your perfect, self-made writer’s retreat is now open for AirBnB booking. Spend a few nights in the Montgomery, Alabama home of society and literary darlings F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald. The apartment, which occupies part of the F. Scott Fitzgerald Museum, wasn’t exactly the site of innumerable joys, but it is where F. Scott wrote Tender is the Night.

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This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by THE OPTIMISTIC DECADE by Heather Abel.

A New Christopher Robin Trailer

The new Christopher Robin trailer is out. The film, inspired by A.A. Milne’s Winnie-the-Pooh, stars Ewan McGregor as a grown-up Christopher dealing with the miseries of adult life. Watch him return to the Hundred Acre Wood, and have all the feels!

Where Are The Middle-Aged Women?

The Guardian discussed the absence of middle-aged women on book covers. This isn’t the first time people in and around the world of publishing have brought up discrimination on covers. Alison Flood, the author of the piece, was prompted to look for books about middle-aged women where they were featured on the cover, which resulted in some sad observations about what publishing does and does not consider cover-worthy.

Harry Potter-Inspired Escape Rooms At MegaCon

If you’re headed to Orlando’s speculative and fandom convention MegaCon this weekend, you might want to attempt one of the Harry Potter-inspired escape rooms organizers have set up for visitors. Escape a potions lab and “Crazy Aunt Philomena’s Vault.” Have fun, and don’t get poisoned.

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The Hate U Give Movie Gets Release Date

So much adaptation news this week. The Hate U Give release date tops the much-anticipated page-to-screen announcements. THUG author Angie Thomas tweeted the news, and Deadline reported on the October 19 opening date. The film stars Amandla Stenberg as high schooler Starr Carter who witnesses the shooting of her childhood friend by the police.

The House Of The Spirits Hulu Adaptation

And in streaming adaptations, we received word that a series based on Isabel Allende’s The House of the Spirits is in the works over at Hulu. The show is in the early stages of development, so no casting news yet, but Allende will executive produce. Here’s hoping they cast Latinx people this time.

Cover Reveal For Michelle Obama’s Book

The book cover for Michelle Obama’s upcoming memoir, Becoming, has been revealed. The book is due out November 13 and, in support of the Obama Foundation’s mission, the book’s publisher Penguin Random House will donate one million children’s books to First Book. I’m looking forward to the audiobook, narrated by Michelle Obama herself.

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This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by Julian Is A Mermaid by Jessica Love, from Candlewick Press.

An Activism Anthology From The Parkland Students

The students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School are contributing to an anthology of personal essays, articles, and photographs around social activism. We Say #NeverAgain: Reporting from the School That Inspired the Nation will include students’ first-hand accounts of the Parkland school shooting, and will be edited by MSD journalism and broadcasting teachers Melissa Falkowski and Eric Garner.

The Man Booker International Prize Winner Is…

Flights by Olga Tokarczuk, translated from the original Polish by Jennifer Croft. The £50,000 prize celebrates works of translated fiction from around the world, and is split equally between author and translator. Flights is described as “a novel of linked fragments, from the 17th century to the present day, connected by themes of travel and human anatomy.”

Reese Witherspoon Brings Hello Sunshine To Audible

Audible is partnering with Reese Witherspoon’s female-driven media brand and book club to bring Hello Sunshine to the audiobook subscription service. In June, the partnership will launch with a spotlight on audio performances featuring strong female characters, and Audible subscribers will gain access to previous titles from Witherspoon’s book club. Original audio productions are in the works with an inaugural title to be announced later this year.

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This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by The Plastic Magician by Charlie N. Holmberg.

N.K. Jemisin Wins Nebula For Best Novel

The 2017 Nebula Awards were announced over the weekend. N.K. Jemisin won Best Novel for the final installment of The Broken Earth series, The Stone Sky. All Systems Red by Martha Wells won Best Novella, and “Welcome to Your Authentic Indian Experience™” by Rebecca Roanhorse won Short Story. Click here to check out the full list of winners.

The Female Anthology Series Based On NY Times Obituaries

The New York Times is working with Paramount Television to produce a series based on the The Times’ Overlooked section. Overlooked highlights the women visionaries and trailblazers who were left out of the mostly male, mostly white obituaries. Women who have been featured in Overlooked include Jane Eyre author Charlotte Brontë, and investigative reporter Ida B. Wells, who campaigned against lynching.

A New Literary Festival In New York

Deep Water Literary Festival is coming to Narrowsburg, New York. The inaugural event features a marathon reading from Emily Wilson’s new translation of The Odyssey. Readers will include Mark Ruffalo, Marlon James, and Tilda Swinton. The festival will be held this summer, June 15-17.

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This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by Page Anchor.

Read A Brand New Short Story By Stephen King

Stephen King got on Twitter to gift us a free, brand spankin’ new short story. He tweeted, “think of it as an appetizer to the main course, THE OUTSIDER, coming next week.” The Outsider is King’s upcoming supernatural thriller about a gruesome and confounding investigation surrounding the murder of a young boy.

Cast Reveal For Netflix She-Ra Reboot

Noelle Stevenson’s She-Ra is coming to Netflix later this year, and we got a cast reveal! Kids of the 80s, celebrate. Stevenson, the Lumberjanes and Nimona creator, is an executive producer on the DreamWorks Animation Television reboot She–Ra and the Princesses of Power. The cast includes the voices of Young & Hungry‘s Aimee Carrero as Adora/She-Ra, Grey’s Anatomy‘s Sandra Oh as Castaspella, and Orange Is the New Black‘s Lorraine Toussaint as Shadow Weaver.

Lisbeth Salander Gets Comic Series

Lisbeth Salander is getting a comic series. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo character will feature in a Titan Comics series, The Girl Who Danced With Death. The first book in the series is slated for an August 15 release.