Category: Today In Books

Marvel’s Thunderbolts Adds Lee Sung Jin as Writer

Lee Sung Jin, creator and showrunner of Netflix’s Beef, will write the script for Marvel’s upcoming film Thunderbolts. This project reunites Lee with Beef director Jake Schrier and co-star Steven Yeun. “It’s the whole squad again,” Lee told Variety. “Jake asked me if I would come on board. I probably should have taken a break, but there’s a lot of themes and exciting things about the movie that I couldn’t help but sign on.” Thunderbolts is scheduled to begin filming in June with a July 26, 2024 release date.

Original Cast of Scott Pilgrim Returns for All-New Anime Series

The original cast of the movie Scott Pilgrim vs. the World are reuniting to voice an all-new anime series based on the graphic novels by Bryan Lee O’Malley and artist BenDavid Grabinski. O’Malley and Grabinski will serve as executive producers, writers and showrunners on the project. Edgar Wright — the director, co-writer and producer of the 2010 film — will also return as an executive producer. “We’re getting the band back together!” said O’Malley and Grabinski in a joint statement. “A stellar cast, perfectly assembled by Edgar Wright. And, with Science SARU leading the phenomenal animation, we couldn’t ask for a better team for this adventure. We can’t wait for fans and newcomers alike to see what we and our partners at Science SARU have been cooking up. It’s going to be a wild ride.” The Scott Pilgrim anime series is coming soon, streaming on Netflix.

Author Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah on Tour for Chain-Gang All-Stars

Author Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah is going on tour to promote his highly-anticipated debut novel Chain-Gang All-Stars. The tour kicks off on Tuesday, May 2 at a PEN Out Loud event in New York, where Adjei-Brenyah will be in conversation with Roxane Gay. Other notable authors Adjei-Brenyah will talk with on his tour: Tayari Jones (Atlanta, GA on May 4); Sequoia Nagamatsu (St. Paul, MN on May 9); Tommy Orange (San Francisco, CA on May 17); Yaa Gyasi (Brooklyn, NY on May 24); Tochi Onyebuchi (New York, NY on May 31); and many more. See a full list of tour dates and get event details here.

A Likewise App Review: Does it Work for Books?

Likewise promises to learn your taste to give better recommendations for TV, books, and more. Find more in this Likewise app review.

London’s County Hall to Host Immersive Paddington Bear Theatre Show

The world of Paddington Bear is being recreated for an immersive theatre show at London’s County Hall. Audiences will be invited to explore 32 Windsor Gardens, the setting for Michael Bond’s Paddington books. The Paddington Bear Experience, designed by Immersive Octopus, will span 26,000 sq ft and will center around a story written by Katie Lyons, in which the audience will help the Brown family prepare for a special occasion. You can find out more about The Paddington Experience at their website.

Jerry Torre Memoir The Marble Farm of Grey Gardens to be Adapted for Film

A film adaptation of Jerry Torre’s memoir The Marble Faun of Grey Gardens is in the works from Unger Media. Leo Geter (Longmire) will write the script and also produce. Drew Droege and Unger Media CEO Jonathan Unger will executive produce. Torre will also be involved creatively. Casting is currently underway for the role of Torre.

Lauren Groff Reveals Cover of Upcoming Novel The Vaster Wilds

Lauren Groff has revealed the cover of her upcoming novel The Vaster Wilds, a historical novel she’s been working on since 2017. “I don’t believe in any dogma,” Groff said when interviewed about her new novel, “but I want to sort of wrestle with God or whatever that means for me at the moment—the larger purpose, the eternal mysteries, the wonder of the world. I think this book allowed me to really pay a lot of attention to these things, to think through a spiritual relationship to God that doesn’t necessarily have much to do with the hierarchies of the Protestant church in which I was raised. I think that I was very grateful for that, for the book, bringing that back to me.” The Vaster Wilds will be out on September 12.

Oprah’s Book Club by the Numbers

Oprah just picked her 100th book for her book club. So here’s a fun breakdown of Oprah’s book club by the numbers!

Margo Jefferson Wins 2023 Rathbones Folio Prize

Margo Jefferson has won the 2023 Rathbones Folio Prize for her memoir Constructing a Nervous System. Constructing a Nervous System combines memoir and criticism to explore Black womanhood through the pop culture icons Jefferson grew up with. The memoir, which the judges called “astounding and rhapsodic” took home the prize for nonfiction as well as the overall award. Michelle de Kretser won the fiction award for Scary Monsters, and Victoria Adukwei Bulley took home the poetry award for her debut collection Quiet. The category winners each received £2,000, and Jefferson was awarded an additional £30,000 for winning the overall award.

Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon Gets October Release Date

Martin Scorsese’s historical drama Killers of the Flower Moon will be out in limited theaters starting on October 6. The film will get a wide release on October 20. Killers of the Flower Moon, which stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert DeNiro, and Brendan Fraser, is based on David Grann’s best-selling book of the same name. The film is produced by Apple Original Films and will also be available to stream on Apple TV+ at an unspecified date.

Internet Archive Loses Lawsuit Over Ebook Copyright Infringement

Leading publishing houses Hachette Book Group, HarperCollins, John Wiley & Sons, and Penguin Random House all sued the Internet Archive for scanning and lending out numerous digital copies of copyrighted books. The Internet Archive, a nonprofit organization, says that it was launched to help people who lost access to their physical libraries during the pandemic. U.S. District Court Judge John G. Koeltl sided with the plaintiffs, agreeing that the Internet Archive should no longer have the right to distribute copyrighted content. “Libraries are more than the customer service departments for corporate database products. For democracy to thrive at global scale, libraries must be able to sustain their historic role in society — owning, preserving, and lending books,” said Internet Archive founder Brewster Kahle. “This ruling is a blow for libraries, readers, and authors and we plan to appeal it.”

10 of the Best Word Game Apps to Get You Through 2023

If you’re looking for some new word games to exercise your brain, check out the 10 best word game apps 2023 has to offer!

Agatha Christie’s Classic Detective Novels Edited to Remove Potentially Offensive Language

Publisher HarperCollins is editing Agatha Christie’s classic detective novels to remove language considered offensive to modern audiences. The books, published between 1920 and 1976, have been changed to remove some of the characters’ inner dialogue to remove offensive character descriptions. Other passages have been entirely removed. These edits will be seen in the new digital editions of the books.

Heartstopper Author Alice Oseman Slams “Thriving” Homophobia Following Book Ban in Florida

In response to a recent ban of their graphic novel Heartstopper, author Alice Oseman decried the book bans as thinly-veiled homophobia. “Racism, homophobia and transphobia are thriving under the guise of ‘concern for children.’ This is not just a U.S. issue either,” Oseman said. “We’re seeing the exact same ‘concern’ here in the UK.” Oseman also shared a statement by the Florida Freedom to Read Project, including the quote: “Indoctrination happens when you remove access to ideas.”

Alfred A. Knopf Announces New Jhumpa Lahiri Book Out This Fall

Publisher Alfred A. Knopf has announced a new short story collection from Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jhumpa Lahiri. This is the first short story collection from Lahiri since her number one New York Times best seller Unaccustomed Earth. Lahiri’s new book Roman Stories will be out from Knopf on October 10 and is available for preorder now.

8 Books to Read After Rian Johnson’s Poker Face

Love Rian Johnson’s Poker Face? Here are 8 books like Poker Face in the spirit of Charlie Cale and her mystery-solving adventures.

Millie Bobby Brown’s Novel Nineteen Steps Coming from William Morrow This Fall

Stranger Things star Millie Bobby Brown will publish her first novel Nineteen Steps with William Morrow this fall. The novel is described by the publisher as an “epic story of love, loss, and secrets.” It follows the story of 18-year-old Nellie Morris, who lives with her family in Bethnal Green during WWII. Following a chance encounter with an American airman stationed nearby, a terrible incident occurs during an air raid that leads to disastrous consequences. “Inspired by my Nanny Ruth, this book is very personal and close to my heart,” Brown said in a statement. “I grew up listening to stories about her time living through the war. I’m honored to keep her story alive.” The book will be out on September 12.

Netflix’s You Renewed for Fifth and Final Season

Netflix has handed out a fifth season renewal to its series You, starring Penn Badgley. This will be the show’s final season. Showrunner Sera Gamble, who helmed the first four seasons, will be stepping down for season five. Fellow executive producers Michael Foley and Justin W. Lo will take over as showrunners. Gamble will remain credited as an executive producer. “We are so incredibly grateful to Netflix and Sera and everyone that has been a part of this show from the beginning,” producers Greg Berlanti and Sarah Schechter said in a joint statement. “Sera is the most brilliant writer and partner and she will remain a key part of the You family as an executive producer. We intend to bring her every idea we can from our company for years to come. Ever since our friends at Alloy shared Caroline Kepnes’ fantastic book we have always conceived it as a five-season journey. We are excited to continue our relationship with Mike and Justin as they take over the reins as co-showrunners and prepare to bring Joe Goldberg home.”

Toronto is Getting a Sailor Moon-Themed Pop-Up Cafe Next Month

A Sailor Moon-themed pop-up cafe is opening up at Oishiii Sweets in Toronto this April. “Moon Princess Halation” will run for two days (April 22 and 23) and will offer an afternoon tea menu featuring themed baked goods, tableside games, and a mini-performance. Staff maids will all be dressed up like the Sailor Senshi. Tickets start at around $68 and can be purchased on Eventbrite, with a choice of six time slots. 

Marriage of Convenience Romance Novels

Take the fake dating trope to the next level with these marriage of convenience romance novels.

Prince Harry’s Book Spare Gets Spoofed in Spare Us!

Prince Harry’s bestselling memoir Spare is getting the parody treatment with the book Spare Us! A Harrody. The joke book is very real, and it will be available to buy in the U.K. on April 5. The book cover features an image of Harry with tape covering his mouth, and it was written by Bruno Vincent. It’s still unclear whether the book will be available in the United States.

Brenda Romero Says It’s Unacceptable She Was Not Credited in Tomorrow, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow

One of the games developed by the characters in Gabrielle Zevin’s popular, bestselling novel Tomorrow, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow has become the center of a real-life debate about crediting ideas is novels. On Thursday, game developer Brenda Romero wrote in a Twitter thread that Zevin had pulled the ideas for the novel’s game “Solution” from Romero’s board game Train, which was developed in 2009. “A theme in the book is how women struggle to get credit for their work,” Romero wrote in her tweet. Zevin has acknowledged that she was inspired by Romero’s game, and yet Romero was not given credit for her contribution to the novel.

In response to Romero’s tweet, Todd Doughty, Knopf Doubleday’s senior vice president for publicity and communications, said in a statement, “The entire world, characters and themes of Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow are solely Zevin’s fictional creation and the only games listed in the author’s acknowledgments are video games. Again, ‘Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow’ is a novel and not an academic or nonfiction text containing indexes, notes, or works cited. Knopf stands behind Gabrielle Zevin and her work.”

Dylan Thomas Prize Shortlist Includes Four Debuts

The shortlist for Swansea University’s Dylan Thomas Prize includes four debuts. The £20,000 award is for writers aged 39 or under and is open to all forms of literature. Di Speirs, chair of the judges and books editor at BBC Audio, said the list exemplified “not only the talent and excitingly fresh, often startling, writing we were seeking, but draw the reader in and on.” This year’s list is comprised of three novels, two short story collections, and one book of poetry. The winner of the prize will be announced on May 11, ahead of International Dylan Thomas day on May 14.

BookBeat Review: Better Than Scribd but Not Widely Accessible

In this in-depth BookBeat review, let’s find out what makes this service better than Scribd for English-language audiobook listeners.

Book Ban Attempts Hit Record High in 2022

According to a new report from the American Library Association released Thursday, book bans and restrictions at school and public libraries were at a record high in 2022. Apparently, there were more than 1,200 challenges last year, nearly double the amount in 2021, and by far the most since the ALA began keeping data 20 years ago. In 2022, over 2,500 different books were objected to, compared to 1,858 in 2021 and 566 in 2019. “I’ve never seen anything like this,” said Deborah Caldwell-Stone, director of the ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom. “The last two years have been exhausting, frightening, outrage inducing.”

The Great Gatsby Gets A Graphic Novel Adaptation

Clover Press is releasing a graphic novel adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic novel The Great Gatsby. The graphic novel, entitled The Great Gatsby: The Essential Graphic Novel Adaptation, comes from writer Ted Adams and artist Jorge Coelho. The book is currently being crowdfunded through Kickstarter. Clover Press has teamed up with charities so that certain pledge tiers will include donations to schools, libraries, and the charity Reader to Reader, Inc.

Book Fraudster Filippo Bernardini Spared Jail

Filippo Bernardini, the man who stole more than 1,000 manuscripts so he could be “one of the fewest to cherish them before anyone else,” will not be facing jail time. The former rights coordinator plead guilty to one count of wire fraud in New York in January. On Thursday, judge Colleen McMahon sentenced Bernardini to time served, meaning he will not be imprisoned; however, Bernardini has agreed to pay $88,000 to Penguin Random House to cover legal and expert fees. Bernardini will also be deported from the US.

An Overthinker’s Guide to Giving Book Recommendations

Do you question every book you recommend? Spiral immediately after giving a book your stamp of approval? This overthinker’s guide is for you.

Stamp Honoring Strega Nona Author Tomie dePaola Gets Release Date

The U.S. Postal Service has announced that a stamp honoring the Strega Nona author Tomie dePaola will be released on May 5. dePaola’s books have sold nearly 25 million copies. Strega Nona, which was published in 1975, is a Caldecott Honor book and was voted one of the “Top 100 Picture Books” by the School Library Journal. dePaola’s Forever stamp features an image of the character Strega Nona with her magic pasta pot. There will be a “first-day-of-issue event” at the Currier Museum of Art in Manchester to celebrate dePaola, who died in 2020 at 85 years old.

Here’s A Preview of Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda’s Second Night Eaters Graphic Novels

Entertainment Weekly has an exclusive first look at The Night Eaters: She Eats the Night by Marjorie Liu and artist Sana Takeda. This is the second graphic novel in Liu and Takeda’s Night Eaters trilogy. The preview pages show Milly, a young woman who has just found out something terrible about her mother and now has to deal with the horrifying repercussions. The Night Eaters: Her Little Reapers is out on October 3.

Fifth Season Developing Series Based on Jean Kwok Novels The Leftover Woman and Mambo in Chinatown

Fifth Season is developing a series based on Jean Kwok’s 2014 novel Mambo in Chinatown and her upcoming book The Leftover Woman, which comes out in October. Both adaptations will be produced by Kristen Campo under her Campout banner. “I’m thrilled that there is room these days for stories like mine about women, ambition and people of color,” Kwok said in a statement to Variety. “I have complete faith that Kristen and the amazing team at Fifth Season will bring my work to the screen with respect, creativity and authenticity.”

What Happened to Vlog Adaptations of Books? An Exploration

From 2012 to 2014, vlog adaptations of books, like The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, were everywhere. What happened to them?

Funk Legend Sly Stone Announces Memoir with Questlove’s New Book Imprint

Questlove’s new book imprint will be launching with a memoir from funk legend Sly Stone. The memoir, named Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin) after the Sly and the Family Stone song, is co-written by Ben Greenman. “For as long as I can remember folks have been asking me to tell my story,” said Stone in a statement released earlier today. “I wasn’t ready. I had to be in a new frame of mind to become Sylvester Stewart again to tell the true story of Sly Stone. It’s been a wild ride and hopefully my fans enjoy it too.” The memoir will be released on October 17.

Amazon to Adapt E. Lockhart’s We Were Liars as a Series

Amazon has handed out a series order for a new drama series based on the YA novel We Were Liars by E. Lockhart. The series is being adapted by Julie Plec and Carina Adly MacKenzie, who previously collaborated on The Originals and Roswell, New Mexico. In a joint statement released on Tuesday, Plec and MacKenzie said, “We’ve been obsessed with this beloved story for years…we are elated to be bringing it to life with everyone at Prime Video and UTV, who are just as passionate about this twisty tale as we are. We’re also incredibly grateful that the author has joined our creative team behind the scenes. As die-hard book fans ourselves, we have one message to the many loyal readers out there: if anyone asks you how it ends…just lie.”

Hilary Mantel Memorial to be Held at Southwark Cathedral

A memorial and celebration of author Dame Hilary Mantel will be held at Southwark Cathedral on April 20. “It was a terrible shock to lose Hilary so suddenly last autumn,” said Mantel’s editor, Nicholas Pearson. “The outpouring across the world of literature in the days that followed was a comfort. But now it is time to reflect and celebrate one of the greatest writing careers…There was no one quite like her.” A limited number of tickets will be available to the public via Eventbrite closer to the date of the memorial. In lieu of flowers, the family has asked those who wish to show their support to donate to Scene and Heard, a charity near and dear to Mantel’s heart that uses theatre to benefit children from the Somers Town area in Euston.

Before There Was Evelyn: A Guide to Taylor Jenkins Reid’s Backlist

Looking to start reading Taylor Jenkins Reid? Here’s a guide to her backlist, from her lesser-known early books to recent BookTok darlings.

Supporters of NYC Public Libraries Gathered to Protest Budget Cuts

Yesterday, supporters of New York City public libraries gathered at City Hall to protest the proposed $36.2 million cuts to libraries. The New York Public Library says that the budget cuts “will severely impact our ability to deliver the free services, programs, and resources New Yorkers depend on.” That’s why they’re asking that supporters sign their name to send a message to Mayor Adams and the New York City Council and let them know how critical libraries are to the communities they serve. 

White Lotus Star Will Sharpe to Direct Crying in H Mart

Will Sharpe, star of the most recent hit season of The White Lotus, will direct the upcoming adaptation of Crying in H Mart, based on Michelle Zauner’s memoir of the same name. In the book, Zauner reflects on the loss of her mother to terminal cancer and her feelings about her Korean identity. “There were lots of things that resonated with me as somebody who is half-Japanese, half-British, spent my childhood in Tokyo,” Sharpe said in an interview with People. “Some of the descriptions of being jet-lagged in your family’s kitchen felt very familiar to me.” Michelle Zauner said in a statement that Sharpe’s “sensitivity as a director and an actor, his ability to find humor and grace within the tragedy of the everyday, and his own personal experience, having grown up between two cultures, make him the perfect director for this film.”

Book Sanctuary Cities are a Response to Book Bans Across the Country

As book bans and challenges continue to unfold across the United States, some cities are declaring themselves “book sanctuaries.” Book Sanctuary programs protect challenged books and help to ensure communities can access books that represent a wide variety of viewpoints and ideas. The Chicago Public Library launched its book sanctuary program last September, during Banned Books Week. “It’s really a public declaration that ensures Chicagoans are aware of the access that they have, just [by] being a resident of the city, to all these different kinds of stories, especially from marginalized or underrepresented populations,” Julie Koslowsky, director of teen services at the Chicago Public Library, explained. If you want to help combat censorship, start your book-saving journey with the Book Sanctuary toolkit.

The Most Influential Sci-Fi Books of the Past 10 Years

Ready to read some stellar science fiction? Here are the most influential sci-fi books of the past 10 years.