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Ali Hazelwood Announces First YA Novel: Today in Books

Tom Hanks Announces “Wildly Ambitious” First Novel

Oscar winner Tom Hanks has announced his first novel, which is set to come out on May 9th, 2023 from Penguin Random House. The novel, entitled The Making of Another Motion Picture Masterpiece, spans 80 years and follows the making of a “colossal, star-studded, multimillion-dollar superhero action film” inspired by a comic book. Quoting from Hamlet, Hanks said of his novel, “I hope the book captures as much of ‘the accidental judgements and casual slaughter’ that go into a motion picture’s dictum to hold ‘a mirror up to nature’ that I have witnessed (and caused) since I joined the Screen Actors Guild.” This is Hank’s second foray into fiction, following his 2017 short story collection Uncommon Type.

Marvel’s Kevin Feige Opens Up About Not Recasting T’Challa for Black Panther 2

In a recent interview, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige opened up about the studio’s decision not to recast T’Challa for the Black Panther sequel, following the death of Chadwick Boseman. In an interview with Empire, Feige explained, “It just felt like it was much too soon to recast. Stan Lee always said that Marvel represents the world outside your window. And we had talked about how, as extraordinary and fantastical as our characters and stories are, there’s a relatable and human element to everything we do. The world is still processing the loss of Chad. And Ryan poured that into the story.” Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will hit theaters on November 11th.

Ali Hazelwood Announces First YA Novel

New York Times bestselling author Ali Hazelwood took to Instagram to announce her first young adult novel Check & Mate, a rom com about a young woman who finds herself in a public rivalry with “the reigning bad boy of chess” after she accidentally defeats him. Hazelwood wrote in her Instagram post, “Check & Mate is the book of my heart. This story has been churning in my head since 2018… This book is an upper YA (characters are 18-20) and my very personal love letter to getting rid of the noise, finding what we love, and allowing ourselves to pursue it.” Check & Mate is currently scheduled to be published in November 2023 by Putnam Young Readers.

The Bestselling Books of the Week, According to NYT, USA Today, Publishers Weekly, and Amazon

The New York Times, USA Today, Publishers Weekly, and Amazon all have their own bestseller lists. Here are the combined results.

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Girls Who Code Founder Speaks Out After School District Bans Her Books: Today in Books

Rick Riordan and Mark Oshiro’s Upcoming Solangelo Novel Title Revealed

Back in 2021, Rick Riordan announced that he would be co-writing a Solangelo novel with Mark Oshiro. Now we finally have a little bit more information about the upcoming book: a title. “I know many of you have been waiting patiently for news, so I am happy to confirm a small piece of it for you,” Oshiro wrote on Twitter. Oshiro goes on to confirm that the novel will be titled The Sun and the Star: A Nico di Angelo Adventure. Oshiro went on to say, “I will tell you more about the title when the time is right. And the best part is that time… well, it is coming up soon.” Fans should expect more news about the upcoming book later this week.

Girls Who Code Founder Speaks Out After School District Bans Her Books

Over the weekend, Girls Who Code founder Reshma Saujani found out that her company’s book series had been placed on a list of banned books in schools. “I was just shocked,” Saujani said. “This is about controlling women and it starts with controlling our girls and what info they have access to.” The Girls Who Code series follows the story of a group of young girls who are part of a coding club at their school. The books were just added to PEN America’s Index of School Book Bans, a comprehensive, nationwide list of restricted literature. Saujani told Insider that the ban “felt very much like a direct attack on the movement we’ve been building to get girls coding…You cannot be what you cannot see. They don’t want girls to learn how to code because that’s a way to be economically secure.” 

Here’s the First Trailer for M. Night Shyamalan’s Knock at the Cabin

The first trailer for M. Night Shyamalan’s latest film Knock at the Cabin has been released. The movie, based on the novel The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul Tremblay, stars Jonathan Groff and Ben Aldridge as two parents who are taken hostage by four strangers while vacationing at a cabin in the woods with their adopted daughter. Those strangers are played by Dave Bautista, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Rupert Grint, and Abby Quinn. Knock at the Cabin will be released only in theaters on February 3, 2023.

12 Short Horror Novels Under 300 Pages

Fall is the time for as reading as many horror novels as possible! Here are 12 short horror novels under 300 pages each, so you can pack as many scary stories as you can onto your October reading list.

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Amazon to Change Ebook Return Policy, End Refunds for Quick Readers: Today in Books

Amazon to Change Ebook Return Policy, End Refunds for Quick Readers

The Authors Guild announced on Thursday that after discussions with Amazon’s senior executive team concerning its policy of refunding all all ebook purchases up to seven days after purchase, regardless of the amount read, Amazon is changing its ebook policy to restrict automatic returns to purchases where no more than 10% of the book has been read. Customers who have read more than 10% of a purchased ebook will now have to go through a more lengthy review process to return the book. This policy chance will go into effect at the end of the year.

Michelle Obama Announces a New Book and She Could Be Coming to a City Near You

Michelle Obama announced the the dates and cities for her six-city tour promoting her upcoming book The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times, which will be released on November 15. The tour will be produced by Live Nation beginning in Washington, D.C. on November 15 with stops in Philadelphia, Atlanta, Chicago, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.

Chairman Raskin, Senator Schatz Introduce Bicameral Resolution Recognizing Banned Books Week

This week, Rep. Jamie Raskin and Sen. Brian Schatz introduced a resolution in the House recognizing Banned Books Week, condemning the book bans across the country as a a direct attack on First Amendment rights. The Banned Books Week Congressional Resolution urges Congress to denounce the illegitimate processes being used to ban books in schools, prisons, and libraries, and urges local governments and educational institutions to respond to book bans in kind.

Wolf Hall Author Hilary Mantel Dies at 70

Prolific British author and two-time winner of the Booker Prize, Hilary Mantel, died from a stroke on Thursday at the age of 70.

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HEARTSTOPPER Season 2 is Officially Filming: Today in Books

Kaitlyn Dever Tries to Steal Romeo Back from Juliet in Hulu’s Rosaline

Hulu has released its trailer for the upcoming rom-com Rosaline, starring Booksmart’s Kaitlyn Dever as Rosaline, Romeo’s “ex.” The movie is based on Rebecca Serle’s 2012 novel When You Were Mine and adapted by Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber, the screenwriters of (500) Days of Summer. Rosaline premieres on Hulu on October 14th.

Disney+ is Casting for Queenie

Candice Carty-Williams’ acclaimed novel Queenie is being adapted into a TV series, and Disney+ currently has an open casting call for the lead role. In the casting call, Alisha Bywaters Casting says they are looking for “NEW talent only to apply, previous experience is unnecessary.” Deadline for applications is October 20th, 2022.

Heartstopper Season 2 is Officially Filming

On Thursday, Netflix confirmed that the filming of Heartstopper season 2 is officially underway. The hit queer teen rom-com series is based on Alice Oseman’s graphic novels of the same name. Although Netflix hasn’t officially confirmed the storyline for season 2, if the series follows the graphic novels, the cast should be heading on a class trip to Paris. For the second season, Heartstopper has added Nima Taleghani as Mr. Farouk, a science teacher; Jack Barton will play Nick’s brother David; Leila Khan will play Higgs Girls School student Sahar Zahid; and Bradley Riches will play James McEwan, a new character created specifically for the show.

How Will the Overturning of Roe v. Wade Influence Book Trends?

What will the world of books look like now that Roe v. Wade has been overturned?

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BRIDGERTON Prequel Series Introduces First Images of Young Queen Charlotte: Today in Books

Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao Heading to the Big Screen

Xiran Jay Zhao’s bestselling YA novel Iron Widow is heading to the big screen! Erik Feig’s Picturestart has obtained the rights to the novel, and J.C. Lee is set to write the screenplay for a film adaptation. Lee’s previous screenwriting credits include Luce, To My Girls, Looking, Love, Victor, and The Morning Show. Picturestart’s Jessica Switch and Julia Hammer will produce alongside Erik Feig. Samie Kim Falvey will executive produce.

Bridgerton Prequel Series Introduces First Images of Young Queen Charlotte

Netflix and Shondaland have released the first photo from the Bridgerton limited prequel series, entitled Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. The series is based on the origins of Queen Charlotte, and the first photo from the show gives fans a first look at a young Queen Charlotte, played by India Amarteifio. Golda Rosheuvel (Queen Charlotte), Adjoa Andoh (Lady Agatha Danbury) and Ruth Gemmell (Lady Violet Bridgerton) will all reprise their roles for this series. Also joining the cast are Michelle Fairley as Princess Augusta, Corey Mylchreest as Young King George, Arsema Thomas as Young Agatha Danbury, Sam Clemmett as Young Brimsley, Freddie Dennis as Reynolds, Richard Cunningham as Lord Bute, Tunji Kasim as Adolphus, Rob Maloney as the Royal Doctor, Cyril Nri as Lord Danbury, and Hugh Sachs as Brimsley (older). Shonda Rhimes serves as writer and showrunner. She also executive produces along with Betsy Beers and Tom Verica, who also directs.

Here’s A Peek Inside Boston’s Newest Bookstore Beacon Hill Books

A new bookstore is opening up in Boston soon! Here’s a sneak peak at the stunning new five story shop. Each floor will focus on books for different kinds of readers. But beyond that, the bookstore is divided into individual rooms, each painted and decorated to appeal to a different subset of readers. The store will also include a cafe with coffee, snacks, an afternoon English tea service, and wine. Check out their website for more details.

Wolf Hall Author Hilary Mantel Dies at 70

Booker Prize-winning author Hilary Mantel has died at 70 years old. She was a prolific writer of books, including Wolf Hall.

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LeVar Burton Responds to Kanye West’s Statement That He Never Reads Books: Today in Books

Disney+ Greenlights Series Based on Melissa de la Cruz’s The Ring & The Crown

Disney+ has optioned a series based on Melissa de la Cruz’s YA novel The Ring & The Crown, published by Disney Publishing Worldwide. The series is currently in development and will be written by Aaron Harberts and Gretchen J. Berg (Our Kind of People). Harberts and Berg will also executive produce alongside author de la Cruz. Casting and release dates have yet to be announced.

Here’s A Sneak Peak at Brian Selznick’s Stephen Spielberg-influenced Novel Big Tree

Brian Selznick, author of The Invention of Hugo Cabret and Wonderstruck, has a new novel coming out, inspired by director Stephen Spielberg’s idea. Spielberg came up with the idea for this story in collaboration with Illumination Founder and CEO Chris Meledandri. Then Selznick took that idea and made it into a gorgeously illustrated book. “Creating this book was a great joy and an even greater challenge because I was telling a story about nature from nature’s point of view,” Selznick said in a statement. “It grew into a narrative I’m very proud of, one that reminds us to stop and listen to the world around us, and to help those who need to be helped. These themes seem to grow more and more urgent with each passing day.”  Big Tree will be released by Scholastic Press on April 4th, 2023. 

LeVar Burton Responds to Kanye West’s Statement That He Never Reads Books

Reading Rainbow and Star Trek star LeVar Burton is a vocal advocate for reading books, so when Kanye West announced that he never reads, of course Burton had something to say about it on Twitter. West said, “I actually haven’t read any book. Reading is like eating Brussels sprouts for me and talking is like getting the Giorgio Baldi corn ravioli.” Burton’s response? “Hmmm… I’m going have to take Mr. West at his word,” he tweeted. “I hope however, that he shares a different message with the children enrolled in the school he’s founded named after his mother, who was an professor of English. I’m fairly certain she read a book or two.”

5,100 Free Library Cards Issued by Brooklyn Library in Fight Against Book Banning

The Brooklyn Library has issued thousands of library cards across the country, aiding in the fight against censorship.

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TikTok Partners with Penguin Random House for New In-App Feature: Today in Books

George M. Johnson Speaks Out as His Book Becomes One of the Most Banned in the US

George M. Johnson’s New York Times best-selling memoir All Boys Aren’t Blue is currently one of the most banned often banned/challenged books in the United States. According to a Pen America report released Monday, the memoir has been taken off the shelves in at least 29 school districts across the US. “It’s been bittersweet to see our stories be attacked in this way, but it is also amplifying many of our stories and I’m able to get the book out to the teen readers who really need it the most,” Johnson told ABC News. “If there’s anything I’m thankful for, it’s that it’s actually getting to the hands of the people who need to read it to heal from it.”

TikTok Partners with Penguin Random House for New In-App Feature

TikTok has partnered with Penguin Random House to create a new in-app feature that allows users to link directly to PRH titles in their video captions. This new feature is available to TikTok users in the US and the UK. Users can access it by clicking “Add Link” and selecting “Book.” You can see a full explainer of the new feature on TikTok here.

S.A. Cosby Reveals Cover of New Southern Noir Novel

Anthony Award-winning author S. A. Cosby has shared the cover of his latest novel All the Sinners Bleed. Cosby says the main inspiration for his latest novel was “the old Southern Gothic tales my mom would tell me about our hometown, with a dash of True Detective Season 1 thrown in for good measure.” Cosby’s latest novel will be out from Flatiron Books in June 2023.

Spotify Adds Audiobook Feature in US

Spotify has launched its long-awaited audiobooks feature. The company is also looking to create new business models with audiobooks.

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Judge Vacates Murder Conviction of Adnan Syed of SERIAL: Today in Books

Showtime’s Let the Right One In Releases First Trailer

Showtime’s upcoming series Let the Right One In is a reimagining inspired by John Ajvide Lindqvist‘s original 2004 novel, and the first trailer has been released. Demián Bichir stars as Mark, a father who returns to New York with his vampire daughter Eleanor (played by Madison Taylor Baez) to find a cure for her illness. The show, which Showtime says is perfect for fans of Dexter and Yellowjackets, will start streaming on October 7th ahead of its premiere on Showtime on October 9th.

Longest Single-Volume Book in the World Goes on Sale

A limited edition single volume of the manga One Piece has been released, and it’s being billed as the longest book in existence at 21,450 pages. But if you were planning on actually reading this one, think again. The book is physically impossible to read, making it less of a book and more of a sculpture. A spokesperson for the book’s publisher JBE told the Guardian that the book, entitled ONEPIECE, is an “unreadable sculpture that takes the shape of a book – the largest one to date in page numbers and spine width – that materializes the ecosystem of online dissemination of comics.”

Judge Vacates Murder Conviction of Adnan Syed of Serial

Judge Melissa M. Phinn of Baltimore City Circuit Court has vacated the murder conviction of Adnan Syed “in the interests of justice and fairness.” Syed, 41, is now out of prison for the first time after spending the past 23 years fighting his conviction on charges that he murdered his former high school girlfriend. The case was chronicled in the first season of the podcast Serial and in multiple other podcasts and books, including Adnan’s Story by Rabia Chaudry. Prosecutors have 30 days to decide if they will proceed with a new trial or drop the charges against Syed.

Overwhelming Majority of American Voters Strongly Oppose Book Banning According to National Poll

In anticipation of Banned Books Week, EveryLibrary Institute conducted a poll that found that the majority of voters oppose book banning.

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Book Bans Impact Over 4 Million Students: Today in Books

Author Brandon Taylor Moves to Jonathan Cape from Daunt Books

Brandon Taylor, the Booker Prize-shortlisted author behind Real Life and Filthy Animals, has moved to Jonathan Cape from Daunt Books for his new novel The Late Americans. According to the publisher, The Late Americans is “a deeply involving new novel of young men and women at a crossroads.” Of his move to Jonathan Cape, Taylor says, “I’m honored and thrilled to be making a home at Jonathan Cape, who has published many of the novels that have meant the most to me.” The Late Americans is set to be published in June 2023. The novel will be published by Riverhead Books in the U.S.

Elly Conway, Author Behind Henry Cavill Spy Thriller Argylle, Remains a Mystery

Elly Conway is a debut novelist whose upcoming spy thriller, Argylle, is already being adapted into a major motion picture starring Henry Cavill, Ariana DeBose, Bryan Cranston, Bryce Dallas Howard, and Dua Lipa. But who is Conway? The author’s bio simply reads that she “lives in the United States and is currently working on the next installment in the series.” But the Argylle novel will not be published until March 30, 2023, and it doesn’t even have an Amazon page yet. Furthermore, Conway seems to have no social media presence. The film version of Conway’s novel is currently in post-production, and short teaser for the film was released March 9th. 

Yoshihiro Togashi’s Hunter x Hunter Returns in November

Yoshihiro Togashi’s Hunter x Hunter manga is finally returning in November. The Shonen Jump Twitter announced that Volume 37 would come out on November 4th in Japan. This marks the first Hunter x Hunter manga to be released since 2018. No announcement has been for when the manga will be available in the U.S.

Book Bans Impact Over 4 Million Students

Over 2500 books have been banned in the last year, impacting over 4 million U.S. students, says new PEN America report.

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How A High School Student Won A School Board Seat By Standing Up To Extremists: Today in Books

Announcing the Winners of the 2022 Ignyte Awards!

The third annual Ignyte Awards, which seek to celebrate the vibrancy and diversity of the current and future landscapes of science fiction, fantasy, and horror, were presented on Saturday, September 17th, 2022. Among the winners from the 1205 submitted ballots are A Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark for Best Novel: Adult, A Snake Falls to Earth by Darcie Little Badger for Best Novel: Young Adult, and Root Magic by Eden Royce for Best in Middle Grade.

How A High School Student Won A School Board Seat By Standing Up To Extremists

Eighteen-year-old Shiva Rajbhandari defeated 47-year-old incumbent Steve Schmidt who was endorsed by local far-right extremist groups in the race for a seat on the Boise School District Board of Trustees with 56% of the vote. For Rajbhandari, this result demonstrated part of the reason he ran for board election in the first place, to demonstrate that the majority of Boise School District patrons do not support the book-banning, anti-mask, and anti-LGBTQ sentiments of the extremists who backed his opponent. Rajbhandari hopes to establish a permanent student position on the school board so that he is replaced by another student when he graduates.

Canada’s Indigo Books & Music Names New CEO

Former company president of Canada’s Indigo Books & Music, Peter Ruis has been named CEO in place of Heather Reisman who will now assume the role of executive chairman. Ruis is a former retail executive with 30 years of experience at Levis, Ted Baker, Anthropologie, and John Lewis. Ruis’s succession to CEO was part of a planned hire by Indigo Books & Music to help cope with pandemic lockdowns. As Canada’s dominant bookstore chain, Ruis plans to keep the focus on brick-and-mortar retail, making things bigger and bolder.

Longlists Announced for 2022 National Book Awards

The longlists for the 2022 National Book Awards were announced on September 14–16. Read on to see the titles longlisted for Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Translated Literature, and Young People’s Literature.