Author: Sharifah Williams

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by Frolic Media. Want More Diverse Historical Romance? Start Here!

More Bleak Survey Results On Diversity In Books For Young Readers

I promise there are bookstore cats in here, but first: we had that report about only 1% of children’s books featuring BAME main characters; now, we have another report from the UK telling us that “the percentage of young adult books written by black and minority ethnic (BME) authors has declined steadily since 2010.” Neither of these results came as a surprise, but, hopefully, they’ll serve as a challenge for publishing to make some serious changes.

Peter Dinklage As Rumpelstiltskin

Game of Thrones may be coming to an end, but Peter Dinklage isn’t done with fantasy. We might be seeing him as that wily fairy tale character in an upcoming film, which he would also produce. Oh happy day! Patrick Ness, author of The Knife of Never Letting Go, is writing the script.

Happy Friday!

Bookstore cats, as promised. Meet Hudson, Owen, Parrot, and more bookstore cats from around the Bay Area. Visit them, let them smugly judge your bookstore haul, give them treats, and pet them until they grow weary of your presence.

And don’t forget–we’re giving away $500 of this year’s best YA books (so far)! Click here to enter.

We’re giving away $500 of the year’s best YA! Click here, or on the image below to enter:

“The Lottery” Gets Film Adaptation

Shirley Jackson’s classic short story, “The Lottery” (or, that one high school reading assignment that emotionally wrecked me), is getting its first film adaptation. Jackson’s son Laurence Hyman will serve as an executive producer, and Jake Wade Wall (The Hitcher) is writing the screenplay. “I liked what Jake was doing in developing it and bringing up to the present day. It’s [sic] has a dystopian, Handmaid’s Tale feel about it, which makes it very timely,” said Frank Marshall, whose company Kennedy/Marshall will lead the production team.

Haruki Murakami’s New Novel Declared Indecent

The ruling comes from a Hong Kong tribunal in regards to the Chinese-language edition of Murakami’s Kishidancho Goroshi, or Killing Commendatore. This means bookstores and libraries will wrap the book with a notice warning about its contents, with access restricted to those over the age of 18. A petition signed by almost 2,000 people is calling for a reversal of the decision.

Who Is Anna March?

Where to even begin with this story… The Los Angeles Times wrote an in-depth piece about the bonkers, and in many cases damaging, career of what appears to be a literary grifter known (more recently) by the name of Anna March. Even Celeste Ng chimed in with a story about an interaction with March. You have to read the piece to get the full picture of how March positioned herself at the center of the literary world, and left so many people and organizations in the lurch.

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by Workman Publishing, publisher of Engineering for Cats by Mac Delaney.

The Man Booker Prize 2018 Longlist

Has been announced. Those 13 books selected by a panel of five judges, up for the £50,000 Prize, include Warlight by Michael Ondaatje, The Mars Room by Rachel Kushner, and Washington Black by Esi Edugyan. A graphic novel, Sabrina by Nick Drnaso, has also been chosen for the first time. The shortlist will be announced on September 20.

Gender Bias In The Man Booker Shortlist

Speaking of the Man Booker: AI is clapping back at misogyny in the Man Booker shortlist. Well. What actually happened is, an IBM study that used artificial intelligence found an abundance of gender bias in works shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize between 1969 and 2017. This includes stereotypes in the descriptors used to identify the characters, their jobs, and their roles in the books. Quelle surprise.

WorldCon Programming Sparks Anger

Today, WorldCon took down their original program and released an apology in response to a hailstorm of tweets and high-profile public withdrawals from the science fiction convention. Across the Twitterverse, the SF community, particularly marginalized creators, pointed to serious issues with the programming, including misgendering a Hugo finalist, rejecting an #OwnVoices panel because members don’t know what #OwnVoices means, taking private Facebook photos for use in the program…this is just a sampling. Read up on it here.

And don’t forget–we’re giving away $500 of this year’s best YA books (so far)! Click here to enter.

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by JIMMY Patterson Books.

Amazon Should NOT Replace Libraries TYVM

Librarians responded to a Forbes piece (which, for some reason, leads to a 404 error as of the writing of this newsletter) that suggested Amazon bookstores should replace all public libraries. We are also sputtering at the absurdity. “At the core, Amazon has provided something better than a local library without the tax fees,” wrote Panos Mourdoukouta. “No offense to y’all at Forbes, but a little research would prevent you from publishing this kind of twaddle,” the Harris County Public Library in Texas wrote in response. Check out this article for even more satisfying responses.

Genrefication In School Libraries

Speaking of libraries and bookstores, an article on Mindshift discussed at length how genrefication makes school libraries more like bookstores. Dewey Decimal System nerds might especially be interested in this discussion about the “search hurdle” the classification system poses to young readers. Fans of reorganizing school libraries around genre say it encourages literacy, particularly among “struggling readers, students not yet fluent in English, and those with learning disabilities.”

Hamilton Playwright Helps Create Multimillion-Dollar Puerto Rico Fund

Lin-Manuel Miranda has helped create a multimillion-dollar fund to boost the arts in Puerto Rico as the U.S. territory continues to recover from Hurricane Maria. The Hamilton playwright is also planning to donate all funds from his hit Broadway play when it’s performed in January in Puerto Rico. The first five recipients of the fund include a dance school and a theater company. Cheers to that!

And don’t forget–we’re giving away $500 of this year’s best YA books (so far)! Click here to enter.

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by The Con Artist by Fred Van Lente, published by Quirk Books.

Shakespeare Would’ve Loved Parks & Rec

On Twitter, Alison Sloan summed up every Shakespeare play using one Parks and Recreation quote each. This thread is the definition of perfection. My favorite might be the one for As You Like It because that play, April Ludgate, and that quote are bae.

Toy Store Dedicates Entire Floor To Harry Potter

Hamleys, the oldest and largest toy shop in the world, said what the heck and turned an entire floor into Potterhead paradise. That’s 3,000 square feet of Diagon Alley now situated in our humble Muggle world. Check out the goodies, but maybe leave the emergency credit card at home–being a wizard is, apparently, not cheap.

Watch The First Trailer For GRRM’s Nightflyers

It’s San Diego Comic Con time, which means sneak peeks and exciting announcements from the world of comics, SFF, and more. During SDCC, the Syfy Channel hosted a panel with the cast and crew of the upcoming adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s psychological space thriller, Nightflyers. And we got the first official trailer! Watch it here.

And don’t forget–we’re giving away $500 of this year’s best YA books (so far)! Click here to enter.

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by Flatiron Books, publishers of The Family Tabor by Cherise Wolas.

Exploring How Reading Affects Eating Disorders

A researcher partnered with the UK eating disorder charity, Beat, to design an online questionnaire that asked respondents about the links they perceive between their reading habits and their mental health, with a focus on eating disorders. They found that 69% of those with personal experience of an eating disorder reported seeking out both fiction and nonfiction to help with their eating disorder, and that 36% had found the fiction or nonfiction they tried helpful. Click here to read the full report.

Students Paint Over Kipling Mural

Students at the University of Manchester painted over a mural of Rudyard Kipling’s “If,” replacing it with Maya Angelou’s poem, “Still I Rise.” Sara Khan, the student union’s liberation and access officer, said students had not been consulted about the commissioned mural decorating the union’s building. “Kipling stands for the opposite of liberation, empowerment and human rights – the things that we, as an SU, stand for,” Khan stated. Kipling’s works have been criticized for being racist; George Orwell called the author a “jingo imperialist.”

Props To Lauren Groff

People have been talking about Fates and Furies author Lauren Groff’s excellent response to an interview question asked by a reporter from The Harvard Gazette. The lowdown: the reporter asked Groff, “You are a mother of two. In 10 years you have produced three novels and two short-story collections. Can you talk about your process and how you manage work and family?” Groff responded, “I understand that this is a question of vital importance to many people, particularly to other mothers who are artists trying to get their work done, and know that I feel for everyone in the struggle. But until I see a male writer asked this question, I’m going to respectfully decline to answer it.​” Yes. All the yes.

And don’t forget–we’re giving away $500 of this year’s best YA books (so far)! Click here to enter.

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by Dynamite Entertainment.

Survey Exposes Dearth Of BAME Characters In Kidlit

Last year, England’s Department of Education identified 32.1% schoolchildren of minority ethnic origins in the country–also in 2017, 1% of the children’s books published had a BAME (black, Asian and minority ethnic) main character. The Centre for Literacy in Primary Education conducted the research project, which also found that 10% of these books contained “social justice” issues, such as war and conflict. The report “warns publishers that if children do not see their realities reflected in the world around them or only see problematic representations mirrored back at them, the impact can be tremendously damaging.”

Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles Gets Hulu Series

Anne Rice’s The Vampire Chronicles is officially in development over at Hulu. The adaptation of the popular book series, which begins with Interview with the Vampire, was optioned last year. Anne Rice’s son Christopher Rice will serve as executive producer alongside the author herself. :waits impatiently for casting news:

Lin-Manuel Miranda Writes Gmorning, Gnite!

Lin-Manuel Miranda, he of Hamilton fame, is turning his positive Gmorning and Gnite tweets into a book, illustrated by Jonny Sun (everyone’s a aliebn when u a aliebn too). The book, aptly titled Gmorning, Gnight! Little Pep Talks for Me & You, came at the request of fans. Check out the article for sample Gmorning, Gnite tweets and the cover reveal.

And don’t forget–we’re giving away $500 of this year’s best YA books (so far)! Click here to enter.

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

First Look At She-Ra Reboot

Nimona creator Noelle Stevenson is working on a She-Ra reboot for Netflix, and she gave us a first look today! It looks pretty epic. Expect to see DreamWorks’ She-Ra and the Princesses of Power on Netflix November 16. This child of the ’80s is pretty stoked. Also, congrats to Stevenson and The Witch Boy creator Molly Knox Ostertag!

Andy Weir’s Artemis Will Be Adapted

Geneva Robertson-Dworet (Captain Marvel) is adapting Andy Weir’s Artemis for film. The sci-fi crime caper follows smuggler Jasmine Bashara, who finds herself in the middle of a major conspiracy. Phil Lord and Chris Miller will direct.

Literary Tourism–Portugal

Trying to decide on your next travel destination? Check out this literary themed hotel in Portugal. It comes with its own library and a gin bar featuring a cocktail list inspired by literary icons and their works. They even have reading nooks in the dining room!

And don’t forget–we’re giving away $500 of this year’s best YA books (so far)! Click here to enter.

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

Obama’s Summer Reading List Of Books From African Authors

In honor of an upcoming trip to Africa, Barack Obama shared a list of books by African authors for summer reading. The list includes Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, A Grain of Wheat by Ngugi wa Thiong’o, Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela, and a short summary for each of the six works. Obama will be in South Africa for the Obama Foundation, which will convene 200 young leaders from across the continent, and to deliver a speech to mark the 100th anniversary of Nelson Mandela’s birth. He’ll also pay a visit to Kenya, the Obama ancestral home.

An Alternative To The Nobel Prize In Literature

A New Academy has risen from the rubble of the Swedish Academy sexual assault allegations that initially canceled the 2018 Nobel prize in literature. A group of the country’s cultural figures came together and asked Swedish librarians to nominate an author from anywhere in the world. The result is a very interesting longlist. Also, shortlist voting is open worldwide, and the New Academy is enforcing a gender quota on this stage–the shortlist will comprise two men and two women.

Black Girls Read Visits The Library Of Congress

This is just nice. Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden welcomed “Black Girls Read” and their families from Louisville, Mississippi to the Library of Congress. She met the young women at the Mississippi Book Festival last summer. Check out her tweet and pic here!

And don’t forget–we’re giving away $500 of this year’s best YA books (so far)! Click here to enter.

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

New Obama White House Book Throws Shade

Pete Souza, the former Chief Official White House Photographer for Barack Obama, well known for his Instagram images and commentary on the state of the country and the presidency, will release a new book entitled, Shade: A Tale of Two Presidents. “Some call this ‘throwing shade.’ Souza calls it telling the truth,” the book’s publisher, Little Brown, wrote in its announcement post.

Weetzie Bat On The Big Screen

Anya Taylor-Joy (The Witch) has been cast in the film adaptation of Francesca Lia Block’s Weetzie Bat. The 1989 YA novel follows Weetzie, of Shangri-L.A., who discovers a magic lamp that grants her three wishes. The adaptation will be written by Lock herself.

Pepe The Frog Creator Wins Suit Against Neo-Nazi Site

Matt Furie, the creator of Pepe the Frog, won a copyright action against neo-Nazi website the Daily Stormer for using his comic character on their site. The character was appropriated as a hate symbol by white supremacists. Recently, Furie also had to take legal action against a self-published author who used the character in a children’s book that espoused “racist, Islamophobic and hate-filled themes.”

And don’t forget–we’re giving away $500 of this year’s best YA books (so far)! Click here to enter.