Author: Sharifah Williams

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by Running Press Kids and THE BATTLE OF JUNK MOUNTAIN by Lauren Abbey Greenberg.

Colin Firth To Star In The Secret Garden

Colin Firth and Julie Walters will star in an upcoming film adaptation of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s The Secret Garden. Firth will play Archibald Craven, uncle of 10-year-old Mary Lennox, played by Dixie Egerickx, who’s sent to live with him at Misselthwaite Manor. Walters will play Mrs. Medlock, Misselthwaite’s head housekeeper. The adaptation moves the story from “the Edwardian era to 1947, on the eve of Partition in India, and in the aftermath of WW2 in Britain.”

Reni Eddo-Lodge’s Debut Tops List of Books By Women That Have Changed The World

In a people’s poll of the books by women that have changed the world, Reni Eddo-Lodge’s Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People about Race topped the list. Eddo-Lodge’s debut novel beat out the 10 other shortlisted books, which included Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own and Mary Wollstonecraft’s A Vindication of the Rights of Women. The poll was conducted for Academic Book Week.

2018 Nobel Prize In Literature May Not Happen This Year

This year’s Nobel Prize in Literature may be cancelled for 2018 due to the recent resignations of four members of the Swedish Academy, which determines the Prize, and its permanent secretary. Three members resigned in protest of a vote not to expel member Katarina Frostenson whose husband was accused of sexual assault and of leaking the names of seven past Nobel winners. Whether or not the 2018 prize will be awarded this year or next (alongside the 2019 prize) will likely be determined by the Academy next Thursday.

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This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by Candlewick Press.

Cormoran Strike Adaptation Debuts In June

Cinemax released the trailer for C.B. Strike, the miniseries based on J.K. Rowling’s crime novels, Cormoran Strike. The series stars Tom Burke as veteran-turned-private-detective Cormoran Strike, and Holliday Grainger as Strike’s assistant, Robin Ellacott. The adaptation premieres June 1.

The 2018 Eisner Award Nominations

This year’s Eisner Award nominations for comics and graphic novels were announced. The nominees fall under 31 categories. Topping the nominations are My Favorite Thing Is Monsters by debut graphic novelist Emil Ferris, and Monstress by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda. The winners will be announced on July 20 at Comic-Con in San Diego.

The Next Stephen King Adaptation Is…

The Long Walk. James Vanderbilt (Truth) has written the script for the New Line Cinema adaptation–New Line Cinema brought It to the big screen last year. The Long Walk is a story originally published under King’s pseudonym Richard Bachman, set in a dystopian future where 100 teens compete to be the one winner/survivor of a long, non-stop journey.

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This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by Amazon Publishing.

Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery Launches

For those of us who have been waiting, the Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery mobile game launched today. Jam City released the game on the App Store and Google Play. Players can explore the wizarding world of the 1980s, develop a character, enroll in Hogwarts, and select one of the school’s four houses.

GRRM Announces Release Date Of Next Book

It doesn’t seem like a stretch to say many fans were disappointed to learn that George R.R. Martin’s next book is not The Winds of Winter. Instead, the author of A Song of Ice and Fire announced the November 20th publication date of Fire & Blood. Martin described the book as an “imaginary history,” and very much “not a novel.” It’s the first book in a planned duology.

Michelle McNamara’s Husband Speaks On Arrest Of Golden State Killer Suspect

This news is kinda-sorta book-related and also a big deal: the Golden State Killer primary suspect was arrested after more than 40 years. The arrest comes only a few months after the publication of I’ll Be Gone in the Dark, author Michelle McNamara’s exhaustive journalistic investigation of the serial killer and sexual assaulter. McNamara died in 2016; her husband Patton Oswalt talked about his reactions to the news.

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This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by Macmillan Publishing.

Lindy West’s Shrill To Be Adapted For Hulu Series

The Hulu series adaptation of Lindy West’s Shrill will be developed by Saturday Night Live‘s Lorne Michaels and Aidy Bryant. The adaptation is described as the story of a fat young woman who wants to change her life, but not her body. Shrill, the book, is West’s humorous feminist memoir.

Gender Inequities In Publishing

Books by women authors are priced 45% less than those of their male counterparts, according to a study of more than two million books published in North America between 2002 and 2012. And publishers paid authors with identifiably female names 9% less than authors with male names. No surprises, but disappointing as ever.

Successful Adult Literacy Program Shuts Down Due To Lack Of Funding

Quick Reads has distributed almost five million books to prisons, hospitals, and workplaces since its 2005 launch, and has been credited with helping thousands of adults learn to read. But the program is shutting down after losing funding from supporters, including Arts Council England. Authors have responded to the news by offering donations to keep it going, but the program needs long-term sponsorship.

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This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by The Bruno Johnson Series by David Putnam.

Potter Premieres On Broadway

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is the most expensive production in Broadway history. The play, which opened Sunday night, cost $33.5 million. In related news, J.K. Rowling and Jessica Williams (2 Dope Queens) appeared at the premiere to announce Williams’ role in the Fantastic Beasts universe. Williams will play Professor Eulalie “Lally” Hicks, a professor at the American equivalent of Hogwarts.

Two Anticipated Trailers Drop

We got two highly-anticipated trailers–one for a film adaptation, and one for a series adaptation. The teaser for Kevin Kwan’s Crazy Rich Asians dropped at the end of last week, and, now, the full movie trailer for the comedy has arrived. We also got a trailer for the limited series adaptation of Gillian Flynn’s thriller, Sharp Objects, which premieres on HBO in July.

The Women’s Prize For Fiction Shortlist

The shortlist for the 2018 Women’s Prize for Fiction, celebrating “excellence, originality and accessibility in writing by women throughout the world,” was announced. The list includes Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward and Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie.

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This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by The Bruno Johnson Series by David Putnam.

The Great American Read 100 List

The Great American Read’s list of “America’s 100 most-loved books” was announced. The Great American Read is an eight-part series that celebrates the power of reading through a list of 100 chosen books. A nationwide vote will decide which one of these titles gets crowned America’s most beloved book by the PBS program.

B&N Might Add Kids’ Graphic Novels Section

According to The Beat, Barnes & Noble is finally getting a graphic novels section for kids. While children’s graphic novels have been available in stores, these titles have been mixed in with the rest of the children’s books. Hopefully, this move will make it easier for readers to explore and discover graphic novels in this rapidly expanding genre.

The Girdle Book Was A Thing

Atlas Obscura explored the girdle book. These books were small, light, and could be read without having to detach them from the girdle or belt thanks to their design. Could this be the next thing in hipster accessories? Maybe not, but it’s interesting all the same.

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This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by A Clarion Books debut picture book, Moon by Alison Oliver.

How Many Books Did The Average American Read In The Last Year?

A new study by Pew Research shows that reading habits aren’t declining in America, but they are changing with more Americans picking up audiobooks (18 percent in 2018 compared to 14 percent in 2016). This is to say that doom and gloom prognostications about America’s interest in books and reading are, as usual, unfounded.

Teaser Trailer For Crazy Rich Asians

We got a teaser trailer for the film adaptation of Kevin Kwan’s debut novel, Crazy Rich Asians! The book tells the humorous tale of three super rich Chinese families living in Singapore. Based on the teaser, all the glitz and glamour fans might expect will be represented onscreen. The full trailer drops Monday.

Queer Bookstore Gets A Boost From A Viral Post

The Mary Sue told the heartwarming story of a feminist LGBTQ bookstore that got a boost thanks to Tumblr users. One person noticed a sad Facebook post from Common Language Bookstore that announced they hadn’t made any sales that day. Tumblr user dadrielle sent out a call for people to buy their next queer read from the store, and the Tumblr post went viral. The amount of orders the shop received was transformative. You really should read the full piece. :sniffle:

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This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by Flatiron Books and M.L. Rio’s If We Were Villains.

Saudi Arabia Breaks Cinema Ban With Black Panther Screening

The record-breaking Black Panther has become the first commercial film publicly screened in Saudi Arabia in 35 years. Black Panther premiered in the first movie theater opened in the kingdom since the ban on cinemas lifted in December. The screening was unsegregated, with men and women co-mingling.

Kanye Writes A Book On Twitter

Kanye West announced that he’s writing (and editing) a philosophy book in real-time on Twitter. West has been tweeting bits of Break the Simulation, which he said is about photography and history, garnering mixed reactions. “This is my book that I’m writing in real time. No publisher or publicist will tell me what to put where or how many pages to write,” said West.

Finnish School Conducts Reading Week Experiment

With international test scores reflection a steady decline in reading comprehension among Finland’s students, a teacher has made literacy a priority by devoting an entire week to reading in her school. Sissi Yli-Hukkala’s goal is to focus on reading as a process to help students internalize that they can read in their free time, as well as in school. The experiment is part of Finland’s new curriculum addition called phenomenon-based teaching.

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Nicole Kidman Will Star In The Female Persuasion Adaptation

Nicole Kidman is now attached to star in a planned feature adaptation of Meg Wolitzer’s novel, The Female Persuasion. Kidman is also producing the movie (her company, Blossom Films, produced the series adaptation of Liane Moriarty’s Big Little Lies). The actress previously hinted on Instagram that she was adapting Wolitzer’s novel about a shy college freshman whose life is changed by a central pillar of the women’s movement.

TKAM Broadway Production Performed In Court?

In the ongoing saga of the To Kill a Mockingbird Broadway adaptation, the play’s producers have offered to stage the production–with a full cast–in court as evidence that it’s faithful to the book. The production company behind the play has filed a countersuit against Harper Lee’s estate. This is in response to the estate’s lawsuit claiming that the play deviated too much from Lee’s story, which allegedly broke a contract agreed upon by the two parties prior to Lee’s death.

Radical And Indie Bookshops Participate In Feminist Book Fortnight

Radical and independent bookstores in the UK will participate in a two-week long event highlighting books by diverse women writers. Feminist Book Fortnight, spearheaded by Five Leaves Bookshop in Nottingham, was created in response to the dearth of diversity in publishing. Five Leaves’ Jane Anger pointed to the 2016 VIDA statistics, which showed an ongoing bias against women writers, and the lack of diversity in children’s books. The event will be held June 16-30, and you can find more information on the FBF website.

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This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by Squared Away by Annabeth Albert.

The 2018 Pulitzer Prize-Winning Books

The 2018 winners of the Pulitzer Prize were announced, including six books in the categories of Fiction, Drama, History, Biography, Poetry, and General Nonfiction. Andrew Sean Greer won the Fiction Pulitzer for his novel Less, and James Forman Jr. took the General Nonfiction prize for Locking Up Our Own: Crime and Punishment in Black America.

“Talk To Books” Answers Any Question By Reading Thousands Of Books

Google announced a new search tool that answers any question by reading thousands of books. Talk to Books scans 100,000 books in Google Books to come up with likely answers to the questions asked in the search field. Ask it the meaning of life, or why your cat is a jerk, and your answers will arrive bolded in book excerpts.

Somali-British Poet Named Young People’s Laureate For London

Momtaza Mehri has been chosen as the new young people’s laureate for London. Mehri, who has a background in biochemical science, wrote the poetry chapbook sugah. lump. prayer. She will be amplifying the voices of Londoners aged 13 through 25, “to let them lead conversations, to be as inspired by them as hopefully they can be inspired by me.”

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