Author: Sharifah Williams

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by Little, Brown and Company.

Who Loves Free Audiobooks? We Love Free Audiobooks.

Audible announced a new program that gives members two free Audible Originals audiobooks each month. This is in addition to the downloads that come with different membership levels. And this month’s six options include Carey Mulligan’s Girls & Boys, Jane Austen’s Emma, and Sharon Washington’s Feeding the Dragon.

Blake’s Illuminated Books

Bone up on the works of William Blake through an archive that provides open access to much of the artist and poet’s work. This includes high resolution illuminated books, “a series of philosophical, religious, and mythological works composed from about 1788 to 1822.” Also, drawings, paintings, and manuscripts.

“A Sadistic Man”

A newly unearthed memoir by Gwyn Conger Steinbeck, John Steinbeck’s wife, is set to be published for the first time this week. The memoir describes the author as “a sadistic man” and a serial womanizer. “Like so many writers, he had several lives, and in each he was spoilt, and in each he felt he was king,” she wrote.

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 Tear Me Apart by J.T. Ellison from MIRA Books.

Booker Archives Spill The Tea

A coin-toss decision, scathing comments, and more juicy judging tidbits from a new British Library film and an online archive collecting documents, images, and videos from the Man Booker’s history. The archive, which marks the prize’s 50th anniversary, revealed that the winner of the 1976 Booker prize was decided on a coin toss, and how judge Joanna Lumley called one book “over-my-dead-body stuff.”

Keeping It Real

James Beard and duPont-Columbia Award-winning producers The Kitchen Sisters are launching a new series telling “stories of activist archivists, rogue librarians, curators, collectors and historians.” And they’re inviting “keepers” to help create the stories with them through #KeeperoftheDay. The Keepers premiered today on NPR’s Morning Edition with Keepers Of The Underground: The Hiphop Archive At Harvard.

Why We Need Libraries: An Essay in Pictures

Neil Gaiman and Chris Riddell created an essay in pictures on why we need our libraries, with words from Gaiman and illustrations from Riddell. “I’m making a plea for people to understand what libraries and librarians are, and to preserve both of these things,” Gaiman writes. Check out the piece.

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 Workman Publishing, publisher of The Best Damn Answers to Life’s Hardest Questions by Tess Koman.

Loved Them (?) And Left Them

Travelodge revealed the 20 most-left-behind books at their locations. Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale tops the list. The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins placed sixth, and Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn was eighth. Check out the full list here.

Ex Libris Premieres On PBS

Go behind the scenes of the New York Public Library through Ex Libris, Director Frederick Wiseman’s 2017 documentary. The two-hour film premieres on PBS tonight, at 10 p.m. It features librarians, staffers, patrons, Patti Smith, and Elvis Costello, to name a few. So if you’re as intrigued/fascinated/in love with libraries as we are, check it out.

Who Will Be The Next Barefoot Bookseller?

Did you hear about the Maldives bookshop that advertised for a “barefoot bookseller”? Word got around and Ultimate Library, which provides library collections for holiday destinations around the world, is no longer accepting applications for the job, what with the thousands already in their inbox. Philip Blackwell, the company’s founder, reported that the applicants even include a member of the White House press team.

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 CubHouse, an imprint of Lion Forge.

Indie Bookstore Fights Back

James Jenkins and husband Ryan Cagle, co-founders of Valancourt Books, have filed a lawsuit in federal court, “arguing that the Copyright Office’s demand violates the publisher’s right to free speech and its right to ‘just compensation’ for taken property.” The independent, print-on-demand publisher specializes in reprinting long-lost works, including queer literature. But the U.S. Copyright Office demanded one copy of 240 different books from the publisher’s collection for free. “If we don’t send the books, the Copyright Office says they will fine us out of existence,” said Jenkins.

A Harry Potter-Themed Mixology Course

Please, someone in New York, attend the Harry Potter-themed mixology class for me. The Cauldron, a pop-up bar and mixology course, is opening in NYC in September. The Kickstarter-funded London pop-up was so successful back in March, that the organizers took it to the states. Here’s hoping it spreads across the country.

The Guardian’s “Unimpressive” Alt Nobel Coverage

The Guardian has come under fire for its coverage of the alternative Nobel Prize in Literature shortlist released this week. Two women–Maryse Condé and Kim Thúy–and two men–Haruki Murakami and Neil Gaiman–are on the shortlist. But The Guardian focused on the two men, pushing the women to the bottom of the piece and mentioning them as “completing the shortlist.” The New Academy Prize in Literature was created in the wake of a sex abuse scandal that postponed the Nobel Prize in Literature for 2018.

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by Flatiron Books, publishers of 13 Minutes by New York Times bestselling author Sarah Pinborough.

First Trailer For Elena Ferrante Adaptation

HBO released its first official teaser trailer for the series adaptation of My Brilliant Friend, the first book in Elena Ferrante’s Neapolitan novels. The story follows friends Elena and Lila as they try to make their way out of a rough Naples neighborhood and restrictive home lives. Watch the teaser.

Traditional Publishers Are Selling Way More Nonfic

Forbes reported that “adult non-fiction revenues are soaring above fiction revenues and have been widening the gap for the past five years.” This, with a note that these numbers only account for traditionally published books, leaving out fiction and non-fiction from indie self-publishing. In other words, these numbers do not signal the death of adult fiction.

3 Members Return To Nobel Prize Body

Three members who quit the Swedish Academy (the Nobel literature prize body) amid a sex-abuse scandal are returning. Sara Danius, Kjell Espmark, and Peter Englund will rejoin the body, saying differences with a member aren’t as important as the Academy itself. Espmark said they’re ready to help out with the election of new board members.

And don’t forget, we’re giving away a stack of books from Season 2 of Recommended, in honor of the upcoming third season of the podcast! Click here to enter.

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by Flatiron Books, publishers of Mirage by Somaiya Daud.

Men Rec Men And No One Is Surprised

As with men on dating apps, male authors are more likely to recommend books by male authors. Four times more likely, according to an analysis of the New York Times‘ “By the Book” column. UC Berkeley Assistant Professor David Bamman was inspired to perform the analysis by a satisfying Twitter thread on the subject from Fates and Furies author Lauren Groff and Little Fires Everywhere author Celeste Ng. The findings showed recommendations for 48.9% women/51.1% from women authors interviewed, and recommendations for 20.8% women/79.2% men from male authors interviewed.

Is Social Media Influencing Book Cover Design?

The Guardian took a look at the influence social media, and particularly Instagram, might have on book cover design. They’ve almost become an accessory in some cases,” said Rachel Willey, the designer behind Patricia Lockwood’s Priestdaddy and Melissa Broder’s The Pisces (both A+ book covers BTW). The piece examined covers of yesterday and today, and how publishers and even the fashion world are jumping on a surge in fascination with book aesthetics.

Amazon’s Prime Book Box Made Available Nationwide

The service, which was announced back in May, delivers children’s books to subscribers’ doorsteps monthly. For $23, subscribers (who have to be Prime members) receive two hardcover books or four board books. The books are either chosen by Amazon, or by the subscriber from a curated list of titles.

And don’t forget, we’re giving away a stack of books from Season 2 of Recommended, in honor of the upcoming third season of the podcast! Click here to enter.

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by Swoon Reads — publishing the latest and greatest in YA fiction recommended by readers like you.

First Look At Netflix’s The Haunting of Hill House

Feast your eyes on the first images from Netflix’s series adaptation of the Shirley Jackson classic, The Haunting of Hill House. Mike Flanagan, also working on the big-screen adaptation of Stephen King’s Doctor Sleep, is directing. The series makes its seasonally-appropriate debut on October 12.

“At Any Rate, The Trip Has Been Wonderful.”

Neil Simon died at the age of 91. A prolific writer, Simon penned more than 30 plays and screenplays, including The Odd Couple and Barefoot in the Park, and he won three Tony Awards. He died of complications from pneumonia surrounded by family.

Oh You Beautiful Bookstore You

Take a virtual tour of Livraria Lello bookstore in Porto, Portugal. This is the magical bookstore said to have inspired J.K. Rowling when she was writing the first Harry Potter book. One can never moon over too many bookstore photos, or plan an overseas trip too early. :wink wink nudge nudge: But maybe off-season to avoid those lines…

And don’t forget, we’re giving away a stack of books from Season 2 of Recommended, in honor of the upcoming third season of the podcast! Click here to enter.

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by Libby, the one-tap reading app from your library and OverDrive.

Another Win For Little Free Libraries

The Guardian took a look at how Little Free Libraries have benefited the Leeds community. Artist and Little Free Librarian Carry Franklin described the libraries as “big, solid gestures of love, sharing and hopefulness … the antithesis to the kind of politics that’s going on now.” Leeds boasts 19 LFLs now, including boxes in less well-off areas.

“An Appalling Piece Of Work”

Ever wonder what it’s like behind the scenes of book publishing? Well, here’s a look at an author-copy-editor dynamic gone wrong. As you can tell from V.S. Naipaul’s scathing letter, the author was not well pleased with the extensive revisions to the manuscript of A Turn in the South. “It is such an appalling piece of work that I feel I have to write about it,” wrote Naipaul. Ouch.

Omarosa’s White House Tell-All Moves 33,483 Print Copies In First Week

Some follow-up: as expected, sales of Omarosa Manigault Newman’s Unhinged: An Insider’s Account of the Trump White House are healthy despite warnings of legal action from Trump’s camp. The White House tell-all sold 33,484 copies in its first week on sale, and it was #2 on PW’s hardcover nonfiction list for the week.

And don’t forget, we’re giving away a stack of books from Season 2 of Recommended, in honor of the upcoming third season of the podcast! Click here to enter.

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by Penguin Random House Library Marketing.

“It’s Blazin’ Up In My Kitchen”

Get ready to cook with Snoop. Snoop Dogg will publish From Crook to Cook, with recipes ranging from lobster thermidor to gin and juice. Rioters want to know: will another green garnish replace parsley? Now go watch Martha and Snoop’s Potluck Dinner Party, and pick up his cookbook in October.

3 New Harry Potter Books Incoming

We’re getting three new Harry Potter books. These will not (thankfully) be new stories to expand upon the canon. The three books are Harry Potter: A Pop-Up Guide to Hogwarts, sure to be a fave, out October 23; Harry Potter: Creatures: A Paper Scene Book, out October 2; and, Harry Potter: Imagining Hogwarts: A Beginner’s Guide to Moviemaking, out October 16. Can you tell it’s almost gift-giving season?

New Details From The Scary Stories Adaptation

We got new details about Guillermo del Toro’s adaptation of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. The live-action film will reportedly follow a young girl haunted by her mother’s disappearance. She and her friends pull a Halloween prank that goes wrong, which might be the work of a vengeful spirit out to get the teens through her scary stories. :Ready to be creeped out:

And don’t forget, we’re giving away a stack of books from Season 2 of Recommended, in honor of the upcoming third season of the podcast! Click here to enter.

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by Lion Forge.

Walmart’s eBookstore Launches

Walmart will sell ebooks online and in stores. According to The Digital Reader, walmart.com/ebooks will be managed and supported via a subdomain by Kobo. And the $99 Kobo Aura will be sold in stores, alongside ebook and/or audiobook title cards, cash value gift cards, and cards for audiobook subscriptions. The question is, will this interesting system work?

New Trailer For The Hate U Give

A new trailer for The Hate U Give premiered. The movie, based on Angie Thomas’s YA novel about a young black girl who witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend at the hands of a police officer, starring Amandla Stenberg in the lead role as Starr Carter, is in theaters October 19. This movie hasn’t stopped building up buzz since it was announced.

Doctor Who’s First Black Screenwriter

Is former Children’s Laureate Malorie Blackman. Blackman has written more than 60 books for children and young adults, including her Naughts and Crosses series. “I’ve always loved Doctor Who. Getting the chance to write for this series has definitely been a dream come true,” said Blackman.

And don’t forget, we’re giving away a stack of books from Season 2 of Recommended, in honor of the upcoming third season of the podcast! Click here to enter.