Author: Sharifah Williams

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by Flatiron Books, publisher of Girls Burn Brighter by Shobha Rao.

 Anita Shreve Dies At 71

The author of The Pilot’s Wife and The Weight of Water died of cancer on Thursday. Shreve had announced her illness and cancelled public appearances almost a year ago. “She was such a good friend and she was so generous about other people’s writing,” said friend and novelist Elinor Lipman. “It’s really hard for me to imagine a world without Anita.”

Bringing A Book Fest To The Bronx

Remezcla wrote a piece on Saraciea Fennell who’s working to bring a book festival to the bookstore desert that is the Bronx. Fennell, who grew up in the Bronx and attended Title I public schools, wants to bring the festival she didn’t have as a kid to her neighborhood. She’s currently crowdfunding the project, and Elizabeth Acevedo and Daniel José Older have signed on to serve as the keynote speakers. Click here for the feature and here for the Kickstarter.

VIDA Calls For #SaferLIT

Non-profit feminist organization VIDA asked journals and presses to pledge for #saferLIT. The pledge includes not harassing or abusing anyone, nor being a bystander; publishing work free from bigotry, sexual exploitation, and abuse; and making your office, publication, and events as safe as possible. The organization promised to announce more #saferLIT initiatives as the year progresses.

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by the New York Times bestselling author of The Secret of Flirting, Sabrina Jeffries.

Amazon Strips Rankings From Romance Titles

As early as March 22, romance authors noticed that their titles were removed from Amazon’s Kindle bestseller list. The policy change has affected ebooks tagged erotica published both independently and by traditional publishers, and effectively prevents the books from showing up very high in searches. There’s speculation that Amazon quietly made the change in anticipation of the FOSTA (“Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act”) bill becoming law.

A Star-Studded Staged Reading Of Between The World And Me

Ta-Nehisi Coates’s Between the World and Me will have its first theatrical reading April 2-3 at New York’s historic Apollo Theater. Moreover, the cast headlining the reading includes Common, Angela Bassett, and Susan Kelechi Watson of This Is Us. GRAMMY-nominated jazz musician and composer Jason Moran will be contributing music to the program.

Debut Author Weike Wang Wins PEN/Hemingway Award

PEN America awarded Wang the $25,000 award for her debut novel, Chemistry. This year’s judges described Wang’s novel about a graduate on the cusp of making life-changing decisions as a “brilliant book” written in “elliptical prose, spare and clean as bone.” Seán Hemingway, Ernest Hemingway’s grandson, will present the award to Wang on April 8 at a ceremony in Boston.

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by FALLING STAR, a Nashville-set contemporary romance from bestselling author Terri Osburn.

Marlon Bundo Release Angers Indie Booksellers

One independent bookseller called the Amazon-exclusive release of John Oliver’s parody title a “slap in the face.” Oliver’s A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo, about Mike Pence’s pet rabbit falling in love with another male rabbit, reached the No. 1 spot on Amazon with proceeds going to Aids United and the LGBTQ charity the Trevor Project. Indie booksellers, none of whom had been told about the release, criticized the decision to point viewers to Amazon. The title’s website now directs customers to a range of booksellers. Click here for background on the Marlon Bundo story and to read the publisher’s statement.

Big Authors Call For Man Booker To Drop Americans

Asked whether any author writing in English and published in the UK should continue to be allowed to enter the Man Booker Awards, 99% of Folio Academy members said no. Academy members include authors Margaret Atwood, Ian McEwan, and Zadie Smith. The Rathbones Folio Prize was established to challenge the Booker, and awarded its first prize the same year the Booker opened its awards to any author writing in English.

The Handmaid’s Tale Season 2 Trailer Is Here

And everyone’s talking about how the upcoming season will diverge from existing content in Margaret Atwood’s novel. We all knew it would happen–there’s only so much source material. The Hulu original series, and its actors, won Emmys for the first season. Check out the new trailer for season two here.

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by Tomorrow by Damian Dibben, new from Hanover Square Press.

A Comics Anthology Benefiting The Vegas Shooting Survivors

Image Comics announced a comic anthology about the trauma of gun violence in America, titled, Where We Live: A Benefit for the Survivors in Las Vegas. The proceeds from sales of the anthology will go towards the Las Vegas Victim Fund’s official GoFundMe campaign, which supports survivors of the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history. Contributors (there are many) include Gail Simone, Neil Gaiman, Amy Chu, and Kelly Sue DeConnick, and the title will be out May 30.

Ursula K. Le Guin’s Electronica Album

No joke. Ursula K. Le Guin, author of The Left Hand of Darkness and so many more science fiction classics, made an electronica album. The musical work was created with electronic musician and composer Todd Barton to accompany her book Always Coming Home. The album was reissued after Le Guin’s death in January, and you can listen to it here.

Bookseller Convicted Of Stealing Rare Harry Potter Copy

A British bookseller was found guilty of stealing a copy of Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire, signed by JK Rowling. Rudolf Schonegger swapped the rare edition worth £1,675 (almost $2,400) with another book; he was arrested after booksellers who had made purchases from Schonegger recognized him from CCTV images.

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by The Gods of Winter by Gerald G. Griffin.

Black Panther Becomes Highest Grossing Superhero Movie

Over the weekend, Black Panther became the highest grossing superhero movie in the U.S., surpassing The Avengers. The comic adaptation is now also the fifth highest-grossing movie ever in the U.S., passing the $1 billion mark at the global box office to bring its total worldwide gross to $1.23 billion.

Amazon Keeps Policy Allowing Third-Party Sellers To Win Buy Buttons On Book Pages

Amazon’s hotly contested third-party buy button is here to stay, according to industry professionals. The year-old feature allows third-party sellers to “win” the buy button. In effect, orders placed through some buy buttons are sourced from third-party sellers. Authors and publishers protested the change because they get cut out of those transactions.

Butterbeer Hair Is Trending

For those of you who keep an eye out for the latest in literary fashion and beauty trends, break out the dye: Butterbeer hair is trending. Based on Hello Giggles’ roundup of Butterbeer-inspired dye jobs, the actual color (combo) is up to interpretation, but heavy on the oranges, reds, and yellows. So, don’t be surprised when #butterbeerhair sneaks into your feed.

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by Disarmed by Izzy Ezagui, from Prometheus Books.

Margot Robbie Creating Female-Focused Shakespeare TV Series

Actor Margot Robbie is creating a television series based on Shakespearean works, told from female perspectives and led by an all-female creative team. Robbie is working with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation to produce 10 standalone episodes, updated to both comment on modern society and highlight Australia’s cultural diversity.

Matt Bomer Buys Out Theater For Love, Simon

The actor posted an Instagram announcement that he and his husband had bought out a screening of the Love, Simon film adaptation in his hometown of Spring, Texas. Love, Simon follows a gay high schooler who falls for an anonymous classmate over email but struggles to come out.

An Edible Book Festival

The International Edible Books Festival “unites bibliophiles, book artists and food lovers to celebrate the ingestion of culture and its fulfilling nourishment. Participants create edible books that are exhibited, documented then consumed.” The festival is held every year on the birthday of the French gastronome Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin. Hopefully, they’ll step it up a notch this April 1st.

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by Alfred A. Knopf, publisher of Madness is Better than Defeat by Ned Beauman, available now wherever books are sold.

Charlotte Brontë’s Lost Manuscripts To Be Published

The Brontë Society will publish two unpublished manuscripts by Charlotte Brontë, found in a book belonging to her mother and sold to the society in 2015. The manuscripts will be published in a book, along with annotations, a sketch by Charlotte Brontë’s brother, and contributions from four Brontë specialists who will “reveal important new information” relating to her mother.

Don Quixote Used To Make Banned Book Available Online

The Booksellers Guild of Madrid highlighted 80,000 words in Don Quixote to give readers online access to the text of a recently banned book about drug smuggling. The book is Nacho Carretero’s Fariña. The former mayor of O Grove in Galicia halted sales of the book and brought legal action against the author and his publisher over details in the book about his alleged involvement in drug shipping.

Short Story Dispensers Introduced to U.S. Libraries

The Public Library Association and community publisher Short Edition will introduce a Short Story Dispenser, allowing readers to print one-, three-, or five-minute stories, to four libraries. The partnership and project is being launched with the intention of promoting reading and literary joy through public libraries, and to encourage diverse writers to share their work through Short Edition’s digital content platform.

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by The Curse of the Boyfriend Sweater by Alanna Okun, from Flatiron Books.

Pottermore Sacks Editorial Staff

The Wizarding World website sacked both senior and junior editorial staff who were creating original content for Pottermore, according to BuzzFeed. A source said editorial writers struggled with writing freely about the Potter universe, especially when Johnny Depp was cast for the Fantastic Beasts films. The casting was controversial among fans due to domestic abuse allegations against Depp.

Netflix Acquires Rights to To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before

The streaming service has acquired global rights to the adaptation of Jenny Han’s bestselling YA novel, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before. The story follows Lara Jean Song Covey whose love letters are mysteriously mailed out to all of her crushes. The film stars Lana Condor, who played Jubilee in X-Men: Apocalypse, and is directed by Susan Johnson. Netflix will release the film this summer.

Richard Dawkins Targets Islamic Countries With Free Atheist eBooks In Translation

The atheist and scientist plans to make ebook versions of his works available in Arabic, Urdu, Farsi, and Indonesian, free for download. Dawkins said he was encouraged by the news that the unofficial Arabic version of his book had been downloaded 13 million times, describing it as a “stirring towards atheism.” Dawkins has called Islam “the most evil religion in the world.”

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by Penguin Teen, publisher of If You Come Softly by Jacqueline Woodson.

Amazon’s LOTR Series Reportedly Costs $500 Million

This, according to Reuters. The rights alone cost $250 million. A production and marketing costs estimate for Amazon’s two-season deal makes up the other $250 million. If they actually spend as much as predicted, The Lord of the Rings series will be the most expensive TV series ever made. Smaug would be jealous of that coin.

314 Items Stolen From Carnegie Library Rare Books Room

Detectives are on the case, and the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America has alerted its members. Rare book dealer Michael Vinson valued the missing items at a total of $5 million, and called the theft an “immense cultural crime.” Vinson believes that the thief may have been one or more employees of the library. You can filter the full list of more than 300 stolen items here.

Booksellers Support University Press Under Threat of Defunding

In light of Governor Matt Blevin’s proposal to cut the University Press of Kentucky’s entire $672,000 allocation from the state budget, the Great Lakes Independent Booksellers Association and the Midwest Independent Booksellers issued a joint statement in support of the press. The $672k covers the salaries and benefits of almost half of UPK’s 16 employees, and the cut would force the closure of the press, which is actually a consortium of scholarly presses in the state.

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by The Neighbors by Hannah Mary McKinnon.

LibraryThing Acquires Litsy

An interesting development from the world of bookish apps. LibraryThing, a provider of library software and social cataloging app, has acquired Litsy, an app marketed as “Instagram for book lovers.” So far, it doesn’t sound like much will change on either platform, although LibraryThing’s press release mentions a plan to upgrade Litsy’s book data using LibraryThing information, and an intention to give Litsy members access to LibraryThing’s Early Reviewer program, connecting them with publishers for ARCs.

Racism And The Dearth Of Diversity In Romance

The Guardian published a piece about the recent spate of stories circling the Romance genre, particularly those regarding racism and a decline in works by writers of color from publishers of the genre. One of the telling and damaging stories related an interaction between a romance writer of color and a former Riptide editor, where the editor wrote in an email to the writer: “We don’t mind POC But I will warn you – and you have NO idea how much I hate having to say this – we won’t put them on the cover, because we like the book to, you know, sell :-(.” The piece is worth a read for a broader picture of the numerous issues that have surfaced.

John Oliver Challenges Mike Pence With Children’s Book

The Last Week Tonight host turned his attention to the U.S. vice president, reviewing Pence’s ultra-conservative views on issues such as abortion rights, homosexuality, same-sex marriage, gays and women in the military, and bringing up the Pence’s children’s book about their pet rabbit, Marlon Bundo. In response to the book’s release, Oliver released his own book, titled A Day In The Life Of Marlon Bundo, about a White House rabbit who falls in love with a rabbit named Wesley. The rabbits marry, despite bigotry.