Category: Today In Books

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Today In Books

TO ALL THE BOYS Author Jenny Han Signs Overall Deal with Amazon Studios: Today in Books

Warner Bros. Has Announced Release Date for Feature Film Adaptation of Stephen King’s Salem’s Lot

Warner Bros. has announced that its upcoming feature film adaptation of Stephen King’s Salem’s Lot will be released on September 9th. Salem’s Lot is produced by James Wan and Gary Dauberman, who also wrote and directed the film. Lewis Pullman will star as author Ben Mears. The cast also includes Makenzie Leigh, Alfre Woodard, Bill Camp, John Benjamin Hickey, Nicholas Crovetti, Jordan Preston Carter, William Sadler, Spencer Treat Clark, Cade Woodward, Debra Christofferson, and Pilou Asbaek.

To All the Boys Author Jenny Han Signs Overall Deal with Amazon Studios

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before author Jenny Han has signed an overall deal with Amazon Studios. Along with Wiip, Amazon is currently producing a series adaptation of her novel The Summer I Turned Pretty. Under her new deal with Amazon, Han will also create and develop new projects for the Amazon Prime streaming platform. “Adapting my novel The Summer I Turned Pretty into a television series at Prime Video has been an incredible experience, and I’m so thrilled to now expand my relationship with them,” Han said in a statement. “I’ve been telling stories for as long as I can remember, first on the page, then onscreen, and now I’m delighted to start this new chapter: creating and championing stories about coming of age at every age for Prime Video’s global audience.”

Joan He’s Newest Fantasy Novel Strike the Zither Gets a Cover Reveal

Joan He, author of 2021’s The Ones We’re Meant to Find, is publishing an epic fantasy YA duology, and the cover for the first book has been revealed. According to the tweet from Text YA & Kids, Strike the Zither is “the first book in a duology inspired by the Three Kingdoms, the first of the Four Classics of Chinese Literature.” The novel is now available for preorder and will release on October 25th of this year.

Six Countries Represented in 2022 Women’s Prize Shortlist

This year’s selections for the best fiction written in English by women around the world is wonderfully diverse.

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Florida Man Asks Schools to Ban Bible Following State’s Efforts to Ban Books: Today in Books

Wicked Adaptation to be Split into Two Films

Earlier today, director Jon M. Chu announced on social media that his upcoming adaptation of Wicked will be split into two films. Universal Pictures will release the first movie, starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, on December 25th, 2024. The second Wicked movie will debut a year later on December 25th, 2025. “As we prepared the production over the last year, it became impossible to wrestle the story of Wicked into a single film without doing some real damage to it,” Chu wrote in a statement. “As we tried to cut songs or trim characters, those decisions began to feel like fatal compromises to the source material that has entertained us all for so many years. We decided to give ourselves a bigger canvas and make not just one ‘Wicked’ movie but two! With more space, we can tell the story of ‘Wicked’ as it was meant to be told while bringing even more depth and surprise to the journeys for these beloved characters.”

HBO Nabs Dave Eggers’ Novel The Every for Development

HBO has nabbed the rights to Dave Eggers’ novel The Every and is now developing a series based on the book, adapted by Rachel Axler. Axler and Eggers will executive produce the potential series along with David Miner. The novel, published on October 2021 by McSweeney’s, tells the story of a woman who takes a job at tech company The Every with the intent of taking it down from the inside. “In this equally terrifying and hilarious cautionary tale, Dave Eggers shows us the increasing cost of the frictionless life that technology enables,” said HBO Programming executive VP Amy Gravitt. “As he writes, ‘Nothing described herein actually happened, though much of it likely will,’ and what better starting point for an HBO comedy script?”

Florida Man Asks Schools to Ban Bible Following State’s Efforts to Ban Books

In petitions sent to public school superintendents across the state, Florida activist Chaz Stevens has asked school districts in Florida to ban the Bible. Stevens’ petitions cite a bill signed into law last month by Governor Ron DeSantis, which allows parents object to educational materials. The bill was created in response to parents’ complaints about sexually explicit books being taught in Florida schools. Now, Stevens is arguing that the Bible is not age-appropriate for students. Stevens’s petition points to the Bible’s “casual” references to murder, adultery, sexual immorality, and fornication. “Do we really want to teach our youth about drunken orgies?” Stevens asks.

Texas Residents Sue Library Board for Banning Books in Closed Meeting

Residents of Llano County are suing for the library board violating their First Amendment rights by banning books without public input.

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Netflix’s PERSUASION Adaptation Sets Release Date: Today in Books

Oklahoma Library Cancels Romance Book Club

The Enid Public Library in Enid, Oklahoma has canceled their romance book club and a sexual assault awareness book display. These cancelations are in response to the city’s library board voting to ban displays and programs that featured content about sexuality. The policy, written by board chair Joseph Fletcher, states that library programs and exhibits should be “non-partisan” and “will not make as their object the study of sex, sexual activity, sexual perversion, sex-based classifications, sexual preferences, sexual identity, gender identity, or subjects that are of a sexual nature.”

Jackie Khalilieh Announces Debut Novel Something More

Earlier today, Palestinian-Canadian author Jackie Khalilieh tweeted the announcement of her debut novel Something More. Khalilieh wrote, “Growing up, I never saw myself represented (positively) in the media. I didn’t think that one day I’d be part of the change I wanted so badly. But I’ve done it—twice—with Palestinian and autistic rep! Because we deserve the happy ending too!” Something More follows the story of a 15 year-old Palestinian-Canadian girl who is diagnosed as autistic weeks before starting high school. The novel will be published in summer 2023.

Netflix’s Persuasion Adaptation Sets Release Date

Netflix has announced the release date for its adaptation of Jane Austen’s classic novel Persuasion. The film, starring Dakota Johnson, is scheduled to make its debut on the streaming platform on July 15th. Netflix has also released first look images of the movie, featuring Johnson as Anne Elliot, Henry Golding as Mr. Elliot, and Cosmo Jarvis as Frederick Wentworth.

What Happened to the Own Voices Label?

On the origins and evolution of the own voices label, from it’s well-intentioned beginnings to its eventual weaponization.

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Black Panther Has Officially Been Replaced In “Avengers”: Today in Books

Black Panther Has Officially Been Cut, Replaced In “Avengers”

In the latest issue, “Avengers #55,” Marvel Comics has officially replaced Black Panther in their ongoing “Avengers” run with Nighthawk — Marvel Universe’s version of Batman. This change comes in the wake of T’Challa’s war against Wakanda in “Black Panther” where we see the superhero fighting to clear his name and falling further into a web of lies, deceit, and unrest.

TikTok helps UK book sales hit record levels, Publishers Association says

According to the Publishers Association, readers discussing their favorite books on TikTok helped lift sales 5% to £6.7bn in the UK in 2021. Publishers Association said four of the top five young adult bestsellers in 2021 had been driven by the BookTok trend.

Los Angeles Times Book Prizes Winners Announced

The 42nd annual Los Angeles Times Book Prizes, committed to literary excellence, championing new voices, and celebrating the highest quality of writing from authors at all stages of their careers, were awarded on Friday at the University of Southern California’s Bovard Auditorium.

LeVar Burton to Host National Spelling Bee

Actor and beloved former host and executive producer for PBS’ Reading Rainbow, LeVar Burton, will be hosting the 2022 Scripps National Spelling Bee.

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Barcelona Honors Gabriel García Márquez with a New Library: Today in Books

HBO Releases Full Trailer for The Time Traveler’s Wife

The trailer for HBO’s upcoming six-episode adaptation of Audrey Niffenegger’s novel The Time Travel’s Wife has been released. The series, starring Theo James and Rose Leslie, will debut on HBO on Sunday, May 15, and be available to stream on HBO Max. The show also stars Desmin Borges and Natasha Lopez. Steven Moffat adapted the best-selling novel and also executive produces with Brian Minchin, Joseph E. Iberti, and David Nutter, who also directs the series.

Barcelona Honors Gabriel García Márquez with a New Library

The Barcelona city council is about to open a new €12m library next month in the working-class district of Sant Martí de Provençals. The new library, Biblioteca García Márquez, has been named in honor of the Colombian Nobel laureate Gabriel García Márquez. “The plan for the new library was under way when García Márquez died in 2014 so it was decided to name it in his honor because he and many other Latin American authors had a close relationship with the city,” said the library’s chief librarian Neus Castellano. “It’s a nod towards the role Barcelona has played in Latin American literature.”

Charles D. King’s MACRO Working on Reginald F. Lewis Biopic

Charles D. King’s MACRO is working on a Reginald F. Lewis biopic based on his autobiography Why Should White Guys Have All the Fun? King will produce the project with Jelani Johnson, Poppy Hanks, and Franklin Leonard. Lewis’ daughters Christina and Leslie Lewis and widow Loida Lewis will executive produce along with Josh Green. A director and writer have yet to be attached to the project.

How One District is Pushing Back Against Book Banning

58 books pulled from a Florida school district, a state politician demands book be removed from a Kansas school, and more censorship news.

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Authors Guild’s Banned Books Club to Highlight Censored Works: Today in Books

Showtime Greenlights Limited Series Fellow Travelers

Showtime has formally greenlit the limited series Fellow Travelers, based on the novel of the same name by Thomas Mallon. The series, starring Matt Bomer, is described as “an epic love story and political thriller,” telling the story of a romance of two men from very different backgrounds who meet in the shadow of McCarthy-era Washington. Philadelphia writer aRon Nyswaner is adapting the novel and will also executive produce. Daniel Minahan will direct the first two episodes and executive produce. In addition to starring in the series, Bomer will also executive produce.

Authors Guild’s Banned Books Club to Highlight Censored Works

The Authors Guild is launching a Banned Books Club in response to the nationwide wave of censorship and book bans over the last year. Each month for the next year, the Banned Books Club will highlight a book that has been pulled from a classroom or school library and facilitate a discussion with the author. The first book club pick is David Levithan’s young adult novel Two Boys Kissing. You can find out more about the book club on their website.

Rare Tiny Brontë Book Could Set $1.25m Sale Record

A tiny book written by Charlotte Brontë is up for auction at the 2022 New York International Antiquarian Book Fair. The fair, now in its 61st edition, is being billed the “world’s finest antiquarian book fair.” While many eye-catching items are up for auction, Brontë’s book is one getting some of the most buzz in part because the event will mark the first time the book is unveiled publicly since a 1916 auction. The book’s seller is asking for $1.25m, which is believed to be the highest ever for a female author. The previous record was set just last year when a first edition of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein sold for $1.17m. The fair will be held between April 21st and April 24th at the Park Avenue Armory in Manhattan.

8 of the Best Korean Graphic Novels

From translation to storyboards and recipes, here’s a list of 8 of the best Korean graphic novels you can read right now!

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We Need Diverse Books Offers Banned Book Grants to Educators: Today in Books

See the Cover of Grady Hendrix’s How to Sell A Haunted House

Horror author Grady Hendrix is tackling the haunted house sub-genre of scary stories in his upcoming novel How to Sell A Haunted House, and Nerdist has an exclusive reveal of the cover for the highly anticipated book. The book promises to tackle ghosts and childhood trauma, all with Hendrix’s trademark humor and wit (while also being truly scary). How to Sell a Haunted House arrives on shelves in January 2023. You can place a pre-order now.

Alma Har’el Set to Direct Feature Adaptation of Walter Tevis’ Mockingbird

Honey Boy director Alma Har’el is set to direct her passion project, the feature adaptation of Walter Tevis’ Nebula-nominated science fiction novel Mockingbird. Har’el will be directing the project for Searchlight Pictures. “I’ll never forget the first time I read Mockingbird on the shore of the Sinai peninsula in Egypt when I was 24 years old. This book has changed my life and I’ve been pursuing it for over a decade. I knew that Searchlight was the perfect home for it and I’m thrilled they are partnering with me to bring this to the big screen,” said Alma Har’el.

We Need Diverse Books Offers Banned Book Grants to Educators

We Need Diverse Books, the organization committed to making the book publishing industry more inclusive, is offering banned book grants to assist teachers and librarians. This new initiative, called The Educators Making a Difference Grants program, is being launched in response to the recent spike in banned books in classrooms and libraries around the country. The program will award teachers and librarians grants of $2,000 each to fund author school visits and field trips, conduct library diversity audits, purchase diverse titles for classrooms and libraries, and finance other programs meant to counter book banning efforts.

Here Are the Great Millennial Novels (So Far)

Every generation has its voice. Here are eight of the best Millennial novels — so far — for you to add to your TBR.

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Jayne Allen’s BLACK GIRLS Novel Trilogy Gets TV Adaptation: Today in Books

See the Cover of Comics Legend Alan Moore’s First Short Story Collection

Comics legend Alan Moore’s first short story collection Illuminatons is coming out on October 11th from Bloomsbury. You can check out the cover for the new book on Entertainment Weekly‘s website, along with some teases from the author about his favorite parts. Alan Moore is one of the most accomplished comic-book writers of all time. Some of his more notable works include his series Watchmen with artist Dave Gibbons and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen with artist Kevin O’Neill.

Jayne Allen’s Black Girls Novel Trilogy Gets TV Adaptation

AGC Television, the TV wing of Stuart Ford’s AGC Studios, is optioning Jayne Allen’s Black Girls trilogy into a series. The trilogy includes the novels Black Girls Must Die Exhausted and Black Girls Must Be Magic. These two books are set to be followed by an as-yet unnamed third book. The production is currently searching for a writer for the TV series adaptation. Jayne Allen will be an executive producer on the series, alongside AGC’s Stuart Ford, Television President Lourdes Diaz, EVP of TV and Film Glendon Palmer, and Creative Executive Lorelle Lynch. Allen said in a statement, “I couldn’t be more thrilled to partner with the visionary AGC team to bring the everyday magic of Tabitha Walker and her friends to life on the screen. AGC will be the perfect custodians of these stories for the vibrant, passionate community that has been created by the Black Girls novels and now for an even broader audience.”

E.J. Koh’s Debut Novel to be Published in 2023

Poet, translator, and memoirist E.J. Koh is about to add novelist to her lists of accomplishments. The writer took to Twitter earlier today to announce her next project. Koh’s debut novel The Liberators will be coming out from Tin House in the summer or fall of 2023. “I’m overwhelmed with gratitude to share this news,” Koh wrote. Koh’s previous works include a 2021 memoir The Magical Language of Others and a 2017 poetry collection A Lesser Love.

Arizona Bills Could Allow Parents to Sue Educators Over Books

Two new bills in Arizona passed by the state senate create prime opportunity for parents to school schools over books.

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THOR LOVE AND THUNDER Releases First Teaser Trailer: Today in Books

Ling Ma’s New Book Gets A Cover Reveal on Oprah Daily

Oprah Daily has revealed the cover for Severance author Ling Ma’s highly anticipated collection of short fiction Bliss Montage. “I like that it’s stark and clean but a little bit joyless,” Ma says of the cover, which features the title in bold type set against a package of oranges wrapped in cellophane. The image was the designer’s idea, according to Ma. Bliss Montage is now available for preorder and will be released in September of this year.

Freida Pinto, Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù, and Zawe Ashton Star in New Regency-era Romance

Freida Pinto, Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù, and Zawe Ashton are starring in Mr. Malcolm’s List, a new Regency-era romance film is based on the book of the same name by Suzanne Allain. “I could always see myself in the shoes of all those amazing female characters [in Regency-era novels],” said Slumdog Millionaire star Freida Pinto in an interview with Vanity Fair. “They were defying odds in their time.” You can check out the first images from the upcoming film on Vanity Fair‘s website. Mr. Malcolm’s List, released by Bleecker Street, premieres in theaters on July 1st. 

Thor Love and Thunder Releases First Teaser Trailer

Marvel has finally released the teaser trailer for the highly-anticipated Thor Love and Thunder. While the plot of the movie remains under wraps, we know the new Thor film stars Chris Hemsworth as the titular character, Chris Pratt as Peter Quill of Guardians of the Galaxy, and Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie. And perhaps most importantly, the teaser trailer ends with a shot of Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster as the female Thor. Thor Love and Thunder is coming to theaters on July 8th.

Kentucky Hands Unprecedented Control of Public Libraries to Politicians

New legislation in Kentucky gives complete control of public library board appointments to county judge executives.

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Roshani Chokshi’s Adult Debut Novel is Coming in Winter 2023: Today in Books

Jon Batiste to Make Feature Acting Debut in The Color Purple

Fresh off winning the top prize at this year’s Grammys, Jon Batiste is now set to make his feature acting debut in The Color Purple. Joining a cast including Taraji P. Henson, Fantasia Barrino, Danielle Brooks, Colman Domingo, Corey Hawkins, H.E.R., among others, Batiste will play sweet-talking piano man Grady, the husband of Shug Avery (played by Taraji P. Henson).The Color Purple is Warner Bros.’ film adaptation of the Tony-winning Broadway musical, itself an adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning 1982 novel of the same name by Alice Walker. The film is set to release in December 2023.

Florida Rejects 54 Math Textbooks Over “Prohibited Topics,” Including Critical Race Theory

Florida’s education department has rejected 54 mathematics textbooks from next year’s school curriculum, citing alleged discussion of “prohibited topics,” including references to critical race theory. In a statement, Florida’s Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, applauded the education department’s decision, and accused some textbook publishers of “indoctrinating” children with “concepts like race essentialism, especially, bizarrely, for elementary school students.” Meanwhile, Democratic state representative Carlos G. Smith wrote on Twitter that DeSantis had “turned our classrooms into political battlefields and this is just the beginning.”

Roshani Chokshi’s Adult Debut Novel is Coming in Winter 2023

Roshani Chokshi, author of the YA book series The Gilded Wolves, has sold her adult debut at auction to William Morrow’s Jessica Williams in a six-figure, two-book deal. The first book in this new deal is entitled The Last Tale of the Flower Bride. In a statement, Morrow described the novel as “a fairy-tale-laden gothic novel about a marriage that slowly unravels as a husband picks at the threads of a dangerous secret his wife is keeping.” Publication is planned for winter 2023.

School Library Programming Ideas for National Poetry Month

Here are some ideas to implement in your library to get folks excited about National Poetry Month, from letter writing to poetry crafts.