Category: Today In Books

Batman: Caped Crusader Moves to Amazon

J.J. Abrams and Matt Reeves’s animated series Batman: Caped Crusader is moving to Amazon after being scrapped at HBO Max. The series, which is described as “a reimagining of the Batman mythology through the visionary lens,” was ordered to series at HBO Max in May 2021. HBO dropped the series in August 2022, along with five other upcoming animated series set up at the Warner Bros. 

The Last Thing He Told Me, Starring Jennifer Garner, Releases Trailer

Apple TV+ has released the trailer for The Last Thing He Told Me, a new seven-part series starring Jennifer Garner, based on the novel by Laura Dave. The series is executive produced by Garner, Reese Witherspoon, and Lauren Neustadter. Dave co-created the project with her husband Josh Singer. According to a press release from Apple TV+: “The series follows Hannah (played by Garner), a woman who must forge a relationship with her 16-year-old stepdaughter Bailey (played by Angourie Rice) in order to find the truth about why her husband has mysteriously disappeared.” The Last Thing He Told Me premieres April 14.

New Book Vending Machines Showcase Afrofuturist Authors

Isis Asare, the owner of the online bookstore Sistah Scifi, has created vending machines containing books by Black and Indigenous science fiction and fantasy authors. Most of the authors featured in the vending machines are women. Asare says her goal with the vending machines is to increase readership of the genre among children and adults. The first vending machine is located at Oaklandia Cafe x Bakery on 12th and Clay in Oakland, CA 94607.

A Bookish Guide to the 2023 Oscars

The 2023 Oscar Awards will air Sunday, March 12. Let’s take a look at the bookish adaptations up for several awards.

Here’s the Cover Reveal for Ali Hazelwood’s Check & Mate

A new Ali Hazelwood book is coming soon, and it’s her YA debut! Penguin Teen has shared the cover of Hazelwood’s upcoming novel Check & Mate, a YA romance story about two chess competitors. The novel comes out on November 7, and it’s available for preorder now.

Read an Excerpt of Tegan and Sara’s Graphic Novel Junior High

Entertainment Weekly has shared an excerpt from Canadian indie-pop duo Tegan and Sara’s graphic novel Junior High. The story explores the twins’ own experiences in junior high. “In this excerpt, you see us reunited in gym class after spending their first day of junior high without each other,” Tegan and Sara told EW. “After a group of curious students makes the connection that we’re twins, a new friend chemistry blooms between almost all of us. The awkward social transition from kid to teenager is captured in this endearing moment of oversharing our personal history with total strangers.” Junior High is out May 30.

Manga Author with “Zero” Drawing Talent to Launch Japan’s First Fully AI-Drawn Manga

A Japanese manga author, who uses the pseudonym Rootport, used a viral AI tool to create Japan’s first full AI-drawn manga, Cyberpunk: Peach John. Using a cat avatar to protect his identity, Rootport discussed the project with AFP News Agency. He said that it took him “a minute or so” to generate images for the story’s main antagonist, using text prompts such as “pink hair,” “Asian boy” and “stadium jacket.” Doing this, he was able to complete the art for his over-100-page book in just six weeks. “It was a fun process, it reminded me of playing the lottery,” Rootport said.

20 Book Apps for Every Kind of Reader

Sometimes our phones distract us, but they don’t have to! With the very best book apps, your phone can become a part of your reading journey.

Hulu Not Moving Forward with Devil in the White City Adaptation

The series adaptation of Erik Larson’s Devil in the White City is no longer moving forward at Hulu. This news comes months after it was announced that both star Keanu Reeves and director Todd Field had exited the project. Reeves originally joined the project because of Todd Field’s involvement, and he left after the director departed. There are now plans to shop the project to other outlets.

Wiip Nabs the Rights to Vauhini Vara’s Debut Novel The Immortal King Rao

Independent studio Wiip (Mare of Easttown, Dickinson) has acquired the rights to Vauhini Vara’s debut novel The Immortal King Rao and will be adapting the novel for televison. Playwright and screenwriter Madhuri Shekar will adapt the novel and serve as an executive producer. “We’re thrilled that Vauhini has entrusted us with this riveting, visionary global thriller, and we couldn’t be more excited about Madhuri adapting,” said Wiip’s Josh Stern. “We’ve been fans of Madhuri’s for years — as soon as we read the novel, we knew it would be great in her hands.”

Maggie O’Farrell and NoViolet Bulawayo Among Women’s Prize for Fiction Nominee

Maggie O’Farrel and NoViolet Bulawayo are among the sixteen authors to make the longlist for this year’s Women’s Prize for Fiction. Nine of the books included on the longlist are debuts, and a quarter of the books chosen this year are from independent presses. The shortlist of six books will be announced on April 26, and the winner will be announced on June 14. The Women’s prize aims “to celebrate and promote fiction by women to the widest range of readers possible.” Last year’s winner was Ruth Ozeki for her novel The Book of Form and Emptiness.

How Might AI Like ChatGPT Impact the Future of Writing and Books?

Writing is much more than syntax and grammar, so does AI like CHatGPT threaten the future of writing? Or is it merely a tool?

Rachel Lindsay Explores Life if She Had Said No to The Bachelor in Her First Novel

What if Rachel Lindsay had never been The Bachelorette? That’s what she’s exploring in her first novel, Real Love, which hits shelves today. The novel follows Maya Johnson, a career-driven woman who says no to becoming the star of dating reality series Real Love, only to see her best friend Delilah take the opportunity. Lindsay told Entertainment Weekly that writing the novel was “such a fun process. I would totally want to do it again… Now I want to see these characters out in real life. I want it to be a series or a movie or something like that, but then I want to explore more of that by writing more. I’ve just got to think of the idea.” Real Love is now available in bookstores everywhere.

Jason Derulo is Writing His First Book

Jason Derulo is writing his first book, Sing Your Name Out Loud: 15 Rules for Living Your Dream, which will be published by HarperCollins. The book will include Derulo’s “15 tried-and-true rules for finding creative excellence, increased productivity, self-mastery, and success in any pursuit.” Derulo also announced in a tweet that he will be narrating the audiobook. The book will be available everywhere on June 27, and it’s available for preorder now.

Trevor Noah is Back with a New Book Deal

Former Daily Show host and author of the bestselling memoir Born A Crime Trevor Noah is back with a new book deal with publisher One World. Noah’s next project is a novel that the publisher describes as a “gorgeously illustrated and moving modern fable for readers of all ages about forgiveness, acceptance and the secret to solidarity.” The book doesn’t yet have a title, but it’s scheduled for a fall 2023 release.

10 Queer Books You Need to Read in March

Celebrate new releases, Women’s History Month, Janet Mock’s birthday, and more with these queer books you need to read in March.

Shadow and Bone Clip Teases New Alliance for Season 2

Netflix has released a new clip from Shadow and Bone season 2 that shows Alina Starkov (Jessie Mei Li) following the advice she got in season 1 to find new allies. The clip shows Alina attempting to find an ally in Nikolai (Patrick Gibson), despite his reservations and concerns that Alina was a “co-conspirator” in the Darkling’s attempts to extend the Shadow Fold. Shadow and Bone season 2 is out on Netflix on March 16.

Students Push Back Against Book Bans as the Scope of a New Florida Law Expands

At a recent Pinellas County School Board meeting, students, parents and teachers gathered to protest the removal of Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye from high schools following a parent’s complaint. “While I do acknowledge that specific content in The Bluest Eye can be uncomfortable and difficult to read, it is for this exact reason I believe it is valuable to be analyzed in the classroom setting, even though others may not want to read this in public,” Prisha Sherdiwala, a student at Palm Harbor University High School, told the board. “As young humans, some of us who will be adults in less than a year, we are capable of engaging with these challenging ideas.”

Haruki Murakami Publishing His First Novel in Six Years

Haruki Murakami is publishing a new novel on April 13. It will be the author’s first novel since 2017’s Killing Commendatore. The novel, entitled The City and Its Uncertain Walls, will be 1,200 pages long and is set in a “soul-stirring, 100% pure Murakami world” that involves “a story that had long been sealed.” A teaser reached by the publisher reads, “Must go to the city. No matter what happens. A locked up ‘story’ starts to move quietly as if ‘old dreams’ are woken up and unravelled in a secluded archive.” Unfortunately, the April 13 release date is only for the Japanese version of the novel. No announcements have been made for translation release dates, but for English-speaking readers, hopefully there will be news soon.

11 Harrowing New Horror Books to Read in March

Monsters, vampires, ghosts, and other horrifying haunts aplenty! There’s that and more in this month’s new horror releases.

Marvel Launches 20th Century Studios Imprint with Planet of the Apes Comic

Marvel Comics is launching a new imprint dedicated to 20th Century Studios’ properties. The imprint will kick off with a new Planet of the Apes comic from writer David F. Walker, artist David Wachter and cover artist Joshua Cassara. “Ever since we announced our Alien and Predator comics, we hoped to create a special space within our comics line to go even bigger and bolder and keep building on the iconic moments from these properties that we all know and love,” Marvel Comics editor-in-chief C.B. Cebulski said in a statement. “This 20th Century Studios comics imprint, in collaboration with our friends at 20th Century Studios, is the perfect way to do that. And now that we’re bringing back Planet of the Apes again through classic comic book storytelling, we are absolutely thrilled to officially launch this imprint for the fans, and we’re all honored to expand upon it in the coming months.”

Poetry Challenge: Kwame Alexander Wants to Know How Naps Inspire You

NPR’s poet-in-residence Kwame Alexander has a poetry challenge for you. As a big fan of the power nap, Alexander wants you to share, in the form of a poem, how naps have inspired or restored you. Your poem must start with or incorporate the phrase “I would like to…” Share your poem, and Alexander will take lines from some of your pieces and create a community crowdsourced poem. Alexander and NPR’s Rachel Martin will also read the poem on air. NPR will publish it online, and contributors will be credited. The form closes Friday, March 10.

Women Are Publishing More Than Men

In a recent study by Joel Waldfogel, an economist at the University of Minnesota, it was discovered that by the year 2020, for the first time in history, women were publishing more books than men. Waldfogel analyzed data from Goodreads, Bookstat, Amazon, and the National Library of Congress, and found that women’s share of published titles increased from around 20% in the 1970s to over 50% by 2020. It’s not that fewer men are publishing now. Rather, the publishing industry has grown, and female-authored books are selling more copies on average than those by men.

Must-Read Books Based on Your D&D Class

From artificer to druid to paladin, rogue, warlock, wizard, and more, here are the books you should read based on your D&D class!

Disney Releases Trailer for Peter Pan & Wendy

The trailer for Disney’s upcoming live-action film Peter Pan & Wendy was released earlier this week. Yara Shahidi stars in the film as Tinker Bell, marking the first time a Black woman has played the character on screen. The movie also stars Alexander Molony in his feature film debut as Peter Pan, Jude Law as Captain Hook, Alyssa Wapanatâhk as Tiger Lily, and Ever Gabo Anderson and Wendy. Peter Pan & Wendy starts streaming on Disney+ on April 28.

Crime Reads Shares Cover Reveal and Excerpt from Ashley Winstead’s Midnight is the Darkest Hour

Crime Reads has shared an exclusive excerpt and cover reveal from Midnight is the Darkest Hour by Ashley Winstead. Winstead is the bestselling author of In My Dreams I Hold A Knife and The Last Housewife. Her latest southern gothic thriller, Midnight is the Darkest Hour, will be released by Sourcebooks Landmark on October 3.

LeVar Burton Discusses New Documentary About Literacy Crisis in the US

LeVar Burton’s new documentary The Right to Read is bringing attention to why children in the U.S. are struggling to learn how to read. Executive producer Burton and director Jenny Mackenzie recently joined CBS Mornings to discuss the documentary and the literacy crisis in the U.S. Burton says that teachers are “caught in a bind. They want to do what’s best for their children, but they’re constrained by school districts and public policy and we have to do better.” Burton says illiteracy affects more children of color “because our kids get less always, especially when it comes to education.” To learn more about where to watch the film, check out The Right to Read website.

Why Does Netflix Keep Canceling YA Adaptations?

Does it seem like Netflix keeps canceling YA adaptations? Here’s a look at the numbers and reasons behind this.

Bad Robot Lands Film Rights to Mona Awad’s Bunny

Bad Robot has acquired rights to adapt Mona Awad’s bestselling novel Bunny into a feature film. Bunny was published in 2019 by Viking and is currently in its 14^th printing, thanks in no small part to attention from the BookTok community. Recently, a TikTok fan-casting a Bunny movie went viral. In addition to Bunny, Mona Awad is the author of All’s Well and 13 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl. Her next novel, Rouge, will be out on September 12 from Simon & Schuster.

Britney Spears Jukebox Musical Once Upon a One More Time Retells Classic Fairy Tales

A new jukebox Broadway musical Once Upon a One More Time will retell popular fairy tales to the music of Britney Spears. Justin Guarini and Aisha Jackson will star as Prince Charming and Snow White. Briga Heelan will also star as Cinderella. The new musical is written by Jon Hartmere, produced by Tony Award-winning producers James L. Nederlander and Hunter Arnold, and directed and choreographed by Keone & Mari Madrid. Once Upon a One More Time starts previews on May 13 at New York City’s Marquis Theatre and will have its opening night June 22. Tickets are currently on sale at Ticketmaster.

Merriam-Webster Asks for the Best Non-English Words

Merriam-Webster started a Twitter thread on Tuesday asking non-English speakers for words in their language that are perfect, but don’t translate easily into English. Responses came from a wide variety of languages. Check out some of the answers that should definitely be added to our English language vocabulary.

The Nobel Prize in Literature Winners You Need to Read

There’s a big intimidation factor with Nobel Prize in literature winners. Here are 9 writers to start with, and which works to dive into.

Fonda Lee’s Next Novel is a Cyberpunk Samurai Space Opera (Without the Space)

Fonda Lee has announced Orbit’s acquisition of her new sci-fi duology, which the author describes as a “samurai space opera (without the space)” and “what you’d get if Akira Kurosawa wrote Dune starring a 50-something give-no-fucks swordswoman on her last job, blended with vibes of Blade Runner plus a touch of John Wick.” The Last Contract of Isako, the first novel in the duology, is set for a winter 2025 release.

This Welsh Bookshop Filled With Hundreds of Books is For Sale

A bookshop in the mining town of Blaenavon in Wales will go to auction next week, with a guide price of £75,000. The shop closed in 2021, but it is still filled with hundreds of fiction and nonfiction books. A new owner would have an opportunity to revive the shop. Additionally, there are two floors above the shop that make up a three-bedroom maisonette. There is also a basement and large attic. Debra Bisley, of Paul Fosh Auctions, said, “We’ve already had interest from people intrigued by the area which is steeped in history from the dawn of the industrial revolution at the start of the eighteenth century, while others recognise the opportunities there are for exploiting the potential for these and other properties in this World Heritage town.” Bidding is scheduled to open at midday on March 7 and will close at around 6pm on March 9.

Great British Baking Show Finalist Kim-Joy Has A New Graphic Novel

The Great British Baking Show finalist Kim-Joy has written a graphic novel. Titled Turtle Bread: A Graphic Novel About Baking, Fitting In, and the Power of Friendship, the graphic novel is inspired by Kim-Joy’s mental health struggles and her love of baking. Kim-Joy said in a statement, “Turtle Bread is a book about self-awareness…It’s about that feeling of loneliness, of not fitting in or feeling good enough, of self-criticism, and the path towards self-acceptance. This is explored through baking, and in particular, the symbolism of the turtle — coming out of its shell and moving forward; however slowly that may be. Hence: Turtle Bread!” The graphic novel will include a recipe for turtle bread, but if you’re looking for more recipes from Kim-Joy, there’s a cookbook coming out soon as well: Bake Me a Cat. As for Turtle Bread, the graphic novel will be available digitally in May via Comixology, and in print this fall from Dark Horse. 

Turn These Headlines into Rom Coms Stat!

Miss Argentina and Miss Puerto Rico secretly got married? That’s a romance novel waiting to happen, and so are these are other headlines.

Priyanka Chopra to Executive Produce Assume Nothing Limited Series at Amazon

Priyanka Chopra’s Purple Pebble Pictures is producing a limited series based on Tanya Selvaratnam’s memoir Assume Nothing for Amazon Studios. Chopra will also potentially star in the project. The series will be adapted and executive produced by Mimi Won Techentin, who also will serve as showrunner.

Penguin Random House Announces New Leadership

After a turbulent few months for the publishing company, Penguin Random House has announced new leadership. The interim chief executive of Penguin Random House, Nihar Malaviya, will retain the “interim” title for now, but he will be taking charge for the foreseeable future. Malaviya announced a new adult publishing division, Crown Publishing Group, which was created in an effort to foster the company’s “autonomy and independence.” David Drake, the former publisher of Crown, who oversaw the publication of Barack Obama’s memoir A Promised Land, has been promoted to lead the group. Meanwhile, Sanyu Dillon will become president of Random House Publishing Group. So far, all announced changes have all been internal promotions rather than bringing in new leadership from the outside.

As LGBTQ Book Challenges Rise, Some Louisiana Librarians Are Scared to Go to Work

Some librarians in Louisiana claim they feel scared going into work as they are now facing harassment from conservative activists who want to ban or limit access to LGBTQ books in public libraries. Middle school librarian Amanda Jones says that ever since she spoke out against censorship, she has been targeted and attacked online. For instance, some have falsely claimed that Jones shares “sexually erotic and pornographic materials” with children as young as six and “advocat[es] teaching anal sex to 11 year olds.” In a defamation lawsuit filed by Jones in August, she claims that she was cast “as a deviant and a danger to children.” Jones says it’s “very scary” to be a librarian in Louisiana at this moment: “I fear for my safety…I purchased a taser. I purchased pepper spray. I got additional security cameras around my home.”

For a guide to fighting book bans and challenges like these, check out our anti-censorship tool kit.

March 2023 Horoscopes and Book Recommendations

Welcome the new month with March 2023 horoscopes and new book recommendations for each sign.