Category: Today In Books

LGBTQ Books Removed from Target.com

On March 25th, word started to spread on Twitter that many LGBTQ books were missing from Target’s website. Many of the missing titles had previously been available for preorder. Brian D. Kennedy, whose book A Little Bit Country was affected, expressed his concern in a tweet: “Not to be alarmist, but my book, a gay rom-com, was up for pre-order at @Target earlier this year And now it’s gone? Along with some other queer debut books?? While the straight titles from my publisher remain?! I really hope there’s a logical explanation (besides homophobia).” In an email statement to Publishers Weekly, Target claimed the issue was related to a website change. As of this morning, 94 of the 118 books that Moreland noted had been removed have now reappeared on the website. 

Julia Fox Teases Upcoming Book at Vanity Fair Oscar Party

Uncut Gems star Julia Fox teased her upcoming book at last night’s Vanity Fair Oscars Party. Fox said the book is coming soon, but if readers are hoping to learn the juicy details of her life—including her infamous fling with Kanye West—they should adjust their expectations. Fox claims the upcoming book is “not a memoir,” but a “masterpiece.” The model/actress added, “I don’t wanna give too much of it away because I am very superstitious. I don’t like to speak of things before they’re finished.”

Here’s the Trailer for Roar, Nicole Kidman’s Upcoming Anthology Series

Nicole Kidman has shared the first look trailer of her Apple TV+ anthology series Roar, based on the short story collection by bestselling author Cecelia Ahern. The eight-part drama, from Glow creators Liz Flahive and Carly Mensch, will consist of half-hour episodes, each from a different woman’s point of view. Roar‘s star-studded cast includes Nicole Kidman, Merritt Wever, Issa Rae, Meera Syal, Cynthia Erivo, Alison Brie, Betty Gilpin, Kara Hayward, and Fivel Stewart. A release date has yet to be announced.

Tupac Shakur’s Unpublished Childhood Poetry is Up for Auction

Tupac Shakur wrote a booklet of haikus when he was 11, and it’s now being auctioned, starting at $140,000.

ALL THE OLD KNIVES Trailer Drops

All the Old Knives is a spy thriller by Olen Steinhauer, and now it’s set to be a movie starring Chris Pine and Thandie Newton. The trailer dropped this week, teasing a story of a terrorist hostage situation gone wrong, and two CIA agents and former lovers tasked with uncovering the truth about the horrible event five years after the fact, when new information comes to light, suggesting that there is a mole in the agency. The movie will be available to stream on Amazon Prime on April 8th.

Idaho Libraries Lost Millions In ARPA Funds. A Study On ‘Harmful’ Materials Is Next

Idaho House Republicans have established a committee to evaluate children’s access to harmful materials in public libraries in a last-minute resolution that was pushed through as library budgets were slashed. Some lawmakers say this is punishment for Idaho librarians who spoke out against another bill that was being debated, which would remove legal protections for librarians and leave them open to consequences for distributing “harmful” material to minors. That bill was passed in the House, but has not been heard in the Senate.

Proto-Feminist Classic ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’ Getting a Horror Adaptation

There are some short stories you read in high school English class that just stick with you. Whether or not Charlotte Perkins Gilman intended her short story “The Yellow Wallpaper” to be a horror story, that’s certainly how it’s been perceived in the 130 years since its first publication. Now, a movie adaptation that leans into the horror of the original tale is being released. You can watch the trailer now and stream it on Tuesday.

The Office Stars Jenna Fischer & Angela Kinsey Celebrate New Book

Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey, co-stars of The Office and co-authors of the new book The Office BFFs: Tales of The Office from Two Best Friends Who Were There, are taking the stage of New York City’s Town Hall on May 18th to celebrate the release of their new book. This will be the day after the book releases on the 17th, and it will be Fischer and Kinsey’s only in-person book event. “We are proud to welcome Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey to The Town Hall to discuss their book and the pop culture phenomenon that was The Office,” said Town Hall Artistic Director Melay Araya. The Town Hall event, presented in partnership with the Strand Bookstore, starts 7 p.m. ET on May 18th. You can find out more about getting tickets here.

Tiffany Haddish’s New Book I Curse You With Joy Out This November

Tiffany Haddish’s next book—an essay collection titled I Curse You With Joy— is scheduled for a November 29th release this year. The book will be published by Amistad, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. In Amistad’s announcement about the upcoming book, the publisher said, “I Curse You With Joy includes stories of how Haddish uses comedy to metabolize pain and turn it into art, auditioning for Saturday Night Live before being the first Black female comic to host it, how the trauma in her own life has made her more compassionate, and her complicated relationship with her father, whom she reunited with after 20.”

Philip Pullman Steps Down as Society of Authors President

Philip Pullman has stepped down as president of the Society of Authors (SoA). The announcement comes after comments Pullman made about Kate Clanchy’s controversial memoir, Some Kids I Taught and What They Taught Me. After the memoir was criticized for racial and ablest stereotyping, Pullman spoke out in support of the book in a tweet that has since been deleted. Following Pullman’s remarks, the SoA released a statement distancing itself from Pullman’s comments. Pullman later tweeted an apology for the harm he caused, saying criticism of Clanchy was “reasonable and balanced.” However, as the controversy surrounding the book continued, Pullman decided it would be best to resign from his SoA position. In a letter to the SoA’s management committee, the author said he “would not be free to express [his] personal opinion” as long as he remained in the role.

How to Choose Your Next Book to Read — in the Most Chaotic Way Possible

Having trouble deciding what to read next? Here are ten chaotic ways to choose your next book.

Anna May Wong Biopic in the Works

Hollywood’s first Chinese American movie star Anna May Wong will be getting a biopic, based on Graham Russell Gao Hodges’ biography Anna May Wong: From Laundryman’s Daughter to Hollywood Legend. Gemma Chan and producer Nina Yang Bongiovi are teaming with Working Title Films to develop the project. Gemma Chan, who starred in Eternals and Crazy Rich Asians, will play the role of the golden age icon, and she will also executive produce. “Anna May Wong was a trailblazer, an icon and a woman ahead of her time,” Chan said in a statement. “Her talent and her exploration of her art both in and outside of the U.S. was groundbreaking — and the challenges and prejudice she faced in the early 20th century as an actress speak directly to the conversations and the world we are navigating today.”

Garment Worn by Colin Firth in Pride and Prejudice to Go on Show at Jane Austen’s House

In the 1995 BBC adaptation of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy emerges from a lake, with his white shirt soaking wet. Now, starting this Saturday, fans will be able to get a closeup view of Firth’s famous white shirt. The shirt is the centerpiece of an exhibition opening at Jane Austen’s House in Chawton, Hampshire. The exhibition is called Jane Austen Undressed, and it focuses on the undergarments that Austen heroines would have worn under their Regency dresses. Still, one of the main draws of the exhibition will likely be the Firth shirt. “I think people will be excited to see it in the flesh and hopefully no one will go up and hug it,” curator Sophie Reynolds said. “As a 30-something I am excited, I have to say. Most women of my generation seem to be Pride and Prejudice fans. The BBC version really has converted a whole generation, especially young women, to Jane Austen.”

Read an Excerpt from Ashley Poston’s Adult Debut

YA author Ashley Poston is releasing her adult debut novel The Dead Romantics on June 28th. If you can’t wait until then, Entertainment Weekly has an excerpt of the upcoming novel available to read right now. The story follows Florence Day, a ghostwriter for a prolific romance writer. Florence has a deadline looming, and things get even more complicated when she has to return to her small town to deal with the death of her father. The last thing she would expect to find there is her new editor. Especially when he shows up as a ghost. Still, Florence can’t help but develop feelings for the handsome ghost, even if he is dead.

The Censorship Story I Can’t Tell You: This Week’s Censorship News

The disaster unfolding at Anchorage Public Library and the rest of this week’s book censorship news.

V. Castro’s Aliens: Vasquez Reveals Backstory of Beloved Aliens Character

V. Castro will reveal the backstory of Aliens character Private Vasquez in a new book titled Aliens: Vasquez, set to be published by Titan Books on October 25th. According to Entertainment Weekly, Castro’s upcoming novel will explore the canonical background of Vasquez. Additionally, the novel will follow the story of Leticia and Ramon, the children she was forced to leave behind. “It’s my absolute honor to write the Chicana behind the red bandana based on the existing canon AND taking her legacy to new places,” Castro said on Twitter. Check out the cover for the novel here.

Netflix Sets Liz Tigelaar to Adapt The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo into Feature Film

Liz Tigelaar, the creator of Little Fires Everywhere, is set to adapt Taylor Jenkins Reid’s bestselling novel The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo for Netflix. This is the second of Reid’s work that Tigelaar will be adapting. She is also adapting Reid’s Malibu Rising for Hulu and 20th Century Television. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo will be produced by Liza Chasin for 3Dot Productions and Brad Mendelsohn for Circle of Confusion. The feature project continues Netflix’s creative partnership with Chasin and 3Dot.

Dutch Publisher Recalls Anne Frank Book After Critical Report

Only two months after its original publication, The Betrayal of Anne Frank has been pulled by Ambo Anthos. The Dutch publisher said it will no longer publish the bestselling book because of doubts about its findings, including a report by five prominent Dutch historians this week. The Betrayal of Anne Frank claims to have solved the mystery of who betrayed Anne Frank and her family by giving away their hiding place to Nazi police. Canadian author Rosemary Sullivan based her findings on a cold case team led by a former FBI agent. But shortly after publication, there was a significant backlash by Jewish groups, historians and independent researchers who criticized the cold case team’s conclusion. And on Tuesday, a 69-page refutation by six Dutch historians and academics said the cold case team’s findings “does not hold water.” Ambo Anthos, which apologized for the book last month, said in a statement. “Based on the conclusions of this report, we have decided that, effective immediately, the book will no longer be available. We will call upon bookstores to return their stock.”

Ted Cruz Accidentally Makes Two Anti-Racist Books Bestsellers

During confirmation hearings for Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, Senator Ted Cruz accidentally boosted sales of two anti-racist books.

Katherine Dunn’s Previously Unpublished Novel TOAD to be Released in November

MCD Books will be publishing Katherine Dunn’s previously unpublished novel TOAD in November this year. Yesterday, the publisher released the cover of the upcoming novel, featuring a cover design by June Park. MCD Books write in an Instagram post, “TOAD is a brilliant precursor to the book that would make Dunn a cult icon—even fifty-some years after it was written, it’s a refreshing take on the lives of young outsiders treading the delicate lines between isolation and freedom, love and insanity, hatred and friendship. We can’t wait for readers to jump in on 11/1/22!”

Monstress Creators Unveil New Adult Graphic Novel Trilogy The Night Eaters

Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda, the creators of Monstress, have announced their next comic collaboration, an adult graphic novel trilogy called The Night Eaters. “I cannot begin to express how delighted I am to be creating another series with Sana Takeda,” Liu says in a statement to Entertainment Weekly. “The Night Eaters is an exciting shift for us, both in art and writing style — a contemporary Asian American horror story and urban fantasy — and we are deeply grateful to Abrams ComicArts for this opportunity to push ourselves creatively.” The first installment, The Night Eaters: She Eats the Night, will be available on October 11th, just in time for Halloween. 

Ben Stiller in Talks to Star in Stage Adaptation of Stephen King’s The Shining

A new Ivo van Hove stage adaptation of Stephen King’s The Shining is in the works for a 2023 West End debut, and Ben Stiller in talks to play the role of Jack Torrance. Sources say the stage play of The Shining will follow King’s 1977 horror novel more closely than the Stanley Kubrick adaptation. Rehearsals are set to begin in the fall, with London performances targeted for January 2023. An eventual move to Broadway is expected. Additional casting news for The Shining has not yet been announced.

The Trailer for Where the Crawdads Sing Has Dropped

The official trailer for Where the Crawdads Sing, adapted from Delia Owen’s bestselling 2018 novel, has just dropped. The film, starring Daisy Edgar-Jones as Kya, will be out in July 2022.

Jason Katims Adds 11 to Dear Edward Cast

Jason Katims has rounded out the ensemble cast for Dear Edward, an Apple TV+ drama series based on the novel of the same name by Ann Napolitano. The show has previously announced its leads, Connie Britton, Taylor Schilling and Colin O’Brien. Now, joining the cast are 11 more: Amy Forsyth (CODA), Carter Hudson (Snowfall), Idris DeBrand (MotherFatherSon), Ivan Shaw (Nocturne), Jenna Qureshi (Mozart in the Jungle), Anna Uzele (Broadway’s Six), Dario Ladani Sanchez (Paper Trail), Eva Ariel Binder (Grey’s Anatomy), Brittany S. Hall (Ballers), Maxwell Jenkins (Lost in Space) and Audrey Corsa (All Rise). Dear Edward is written by Katims, who also serves as showrunner and executive producer through True Jack Productions.

Michael B. Jordan and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II Team Up For True Crime Tale

Michael B. Jordan and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II are teaming up for I Helped Destroy People, a dramatic thriller adaptation of a 2021 New York Times article written by Janet Reitman. The story involves a whistleblower, the FBI, and racial and religious profiling. Ben Watkins (Hand of God) will write the script for the feature adaptation. I Helped Destroy People will be produced by Jordan and his Outlier Society partner Elizabeth Raposo as well as by Abdul-Mateen’s House Eleven10. Abdul-Mateen will also star in the film.

See the Cover of Constance Wu’s Memoir Making A Scene

Constance Wu, star of Hustlers, Crazy Rich Asians, and Fresh Off the Boat, has written a memoir that will be published this fall, and Entertainment Weekly has the exclusive cover reveal. In a video announcement, Wu said, “Today is my 40th birthday, so I thought I would tell you guys what I’ve been up to, that not a lot of people know: I had two babies over the pandemic…The first baby I had is a human kind of baby, I had a daughter. And the second baby I gave birth to is a book baby.” The book is a memoir in essays titled Making a Scene. The actress will also narrate the audiobook version of her book. Making a Scene will be published by Scribner on October 4th.

10 of Libro.fm’s Most Preordered Audiobooks of Spring 2022

Here are ten of the audiobooks coming out in the next few months that Libro.fm users are most excited about!

Ben Okri Rewrites Novel to Drive Home Message on Slavery

Booker-prize-winning Nigerian author Been Okri has rewritten his 2008 novel Starbook. The new version, complete with a new title and cover, will be published this summer as The Last Gift of the Master Artists. Okri says that the new version of his mystical romance novel places more emphasis on transatlantic slavery, offering readers a “more considered” narrative. “It was a painstaking and agonising process. I still wanted the book to be magical and innocent but I also want it to be political. It all takes place just before the slave trade – in that moment of foreknowledge,” Okri said.

Crazy Rich Asians 2 Chooses New Writer Amy Wang

Warner Bros and Color Force have chosen Chinese-Australian writer Amy Wang as the screenwriter for Crazy Rich Asians 2. Wang replaces Peter Chiarelli and Adele Lim following a 2019 controversy around pay parity. Wang has previously worked as the story editor on Netflix’s Brothers Sun from Brad Falchuk and Byron Wu. Wang also worked on From Scratch, an upcoming Netflix project adapted from the memoir of the same name by Tembi Locke. Plot and further details are still being kept under wraps for the anticipated sequel to Crazy Rich Asians. A third film is also planned.

Dolly Parton, James Patterson, and Reese Witherspoon Team Up for Run, Rose, Run Film Adaptation

Dolly Parton is returning to the big screen for an upcoming feature film adaption of Run, Rose, Run. The film is based on the novel Parton co-wrote with James Patterson. Parton and Patterson are producing the feature film for Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine. Witherspoon will also produce the movie along with Hello Sunshine’s President of Film and Television Lauren Neustadter. “James and I love Reese and look forward to working with her and her wonderful team,” Parton said.

J.R.R. Tolkien Estate Releases Rarely-Seen Illustrations from the Author

The estate for J.R.R. Tolkien has released a new website that includes paintings and illustrations from Tolkien not previously available to the public. The website can be browsed for free.

San Francisco Gets Its First Lesbian-Owned Comic Book Store In The Mission District

The new inclusive comic store Sour Cherry Comics has just opened its first brick and mortar location in San Francisco’s Mission District. They began as an online shop with the occasional pop-up location, and their aim is to provide an inclusive comic store experience, especially for members of the LGBTQ+ community. In addition to selling comics, books, and gifts, Sour Cherry also hopes to become a community space for meetings, clubs, and events.

Dr. Seuss Made More Money Than Ever Before After Pulling Racist Books. Here’s How CEO Susan Brandt Did It

When Dr. Seuss Enterprises, the company that oversees the literary estate of the late Dr. Seuss, decided to pull six titles from Seuss’s backlist from publication due to harmful and racist imagery contained within, some readers called cancel culture. But in this interview with TIME, the CEO of the company talks about the consideration behind what she sees as making the right decision, and how some savvy business partnerships have made the company more successful than ever.

Texas Librarian Alleges She Was Fired For Not Removing Books

In Llano County, TX, Suzette Baker has claimed that she was fired as a result of refusing to remove books about race and racism, such as How to Be An Anti-Racist by Ibram X. Kendi, from shelves. In a letter obtained from the library’s director, the termination was a result of insubordination and allowing personal opinions to interfere with her job. Baker also claims that one of the reasons she was let go was because she attended and spoke out at public meetings the the staff had been told not to attend, despite the fact that they were discussing important library matters. Baker plans to seek legal representation and fight her termination.

The Baby-Sitters Club Creator Rachel Shukert Discusses the Show’s Cancellation

Following Netflix’s cancellation of the critically acclaimed show The Baby-Sitters Club, the series creator Rachel Shukert sat down with Kathryn VanArendonk from Vulture to talk about it. “I think female audiences are trained to not take their own stories as seriously, Shukert said in the interview. “Stuff men were obsessed with when they were 9 is treated like Hamlet. How many Spider-Man movies are there? How many Star Wars? They tell it over and over again from different perspectives. That’s all fine, obviously. But what if someone treated something for girls that seriously? Even with a fraction of the money.” Shukert also said that she did have plans for a third season and felt like the girls had more stories to tell. Shukert said, “as far as I’m concerned, [the show is] a great success: creatively, artistically, and honestly, even in terms of viewers. It’s the best-reviewed show Netflix ever made.”

Get Your First Look at Kevin Wilson’s Upcoming Book

The latest novel from Kevin Wilson, the best-selling author of The Family Fang and Nothing to See Here, is set to be published by Ecco on November 8th. And Entertainment Weekly has a sneak peek at the cover. Wilson’s new novel Now Is Not the Time to Panic is coming-of-age story that follows two kids named Frankie and Zeke over the course of a summer. Wilson says in the book’s introduction, “Now Is Not the Time to Panic is a book that I’ve been trying to write for years, and it’s taken on so much meaning for me that I really had to get it right.”

Stacey Abrams Makes Surprise Appearance on Star Trek

Georgia gubernatorial candidate and author Stacey Abrams made a surprise appearance on the lates episode of Star Trek: Discovery, appearing as the president of Earth. In a scene in the season four finale, Abrams is introduced as the United Earth president, and Abrams gets to deliver several lines. Abrams has professed her love for Star Trek in past interviews, and in a 2019 interview with The New York Times, she said she stayed up late marathoning Discovery during her gubernatorial campaign. Abrams said, “I love Voyager and I love Discovery and of course I respect the original, but I revere The Next Generation.”

National Book Critics Circle Award Winners Announced

The NBCC Awards are the only awards in the U.S. chosen by book critics. Here are the winners for books published in 2021.