Category: Today In Books

Lydia Davis Refuses to Sell Her Book on Amazon

Prize-winning author Lydia Davis says her new short story collection will not be available on Amazon because she does not “believe corporations should have as much control over our lives as they do.” Davis’ seventh collection of fiction Our Strangers will be published in the U.S. on October 1 and will only be available in physical bookshops, Bookshop.org, and selected online independent retailers. Davis says the goal is to put “my book on the shelves of booksellers who are so much more likely to care about it.”

Don Cheadle’s This Radicle Act Developing Lamar Giles’ The Getaway for TV

Lamar Giles’ young adult novel The Getaway is being developed for TV by Sony Pictures Television and Don Cheadle’s This Radicle Act. Cheadle will executive produce alongside his production partner Karyn Smith-Forge. Lamar Giles will produce. The Getaway is set in a near future where the world’s richest and most powerful stay as guests at a resort. But unknown to the resort’s employees, the resort has been selling shares in an end-of-the-world oasis, where the guests will have the best of the best and the employees will spend the rest of their days serving them. But one group of teens refuses to resign themselves to this fate.

Marvel Move is a New App That Lets You Walk, Jog, and Run Alongside Marvel Characters

Get fit with Marvel heroes this summer in the new app Marvel Move. From Six to Start, the creators of the award-winning app Zombies, Run!, Marvel Move allows users to walk, jog, and run, alongside Marvel characters like Thor, the Incredible Hulk, the X-Men, and more. Join now to get a discounted Founders Rate. The app will launch this summer.

What Will the Bookstore of the Future Look Like?

With all the challenges that the book publishing industry currently faces, what will the future bookstore look like?

Netflix Announces Premiere Date for All the Light We Cannot See Limited Series

Netflix has announced that Shawn Levy’s Netflix limited series All the Light We Cannot See will premiere on Thursday, November 2. Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Anthony Doer, All the Light We Cannot See is the story of Marie-Laure (Aria Mia Loberti), a blind French girl who flees German-occupied Paris with her father, Daniel LeBlanc (Mark Ruffalo), to keep a legendary diamond from falling into the hands of the Nazis. Netflix has also shared the first teaser trailer and images from the upcoming series.

Scribner Launches a Poetry Program

This summer, Scribner is launching a new poetry program. Each season, the program — which is spearheaded by Scribner editorial director Kathryn Belden, executive editor Chris Richards, and assistant editor Emily Polson — will publish a new, original volume of poetry by a contemporary poet. The program’s inaugural title will be Bread and Circus by Airea D. Matthews, Philadelphia poet laureate. It’s out on May 30.

Nnedi Okorafor Reveals New Cover of Book 1 in the Desert Magician’s Duology

Nnedi Okorafor has revealed a new cover of the first book in the Desert Magician’s duology, illustrated by Greg Ruth. In a tweet, Okorafor wrote that the cover “is a result of a long conversation between [illustrator] Greg Ruth and me about the main character Ejii Ugabe and West Africa in 2074, and then Greg Ruth’s masterful artistic wizardry. In this new world rife with AI-generated images, I feel this is an important detail.” This is a deluxe, expanded edition of Shadow Speaker, which will also include a new introduction from the author. The book is available for preorder now and will publish from DAW Books on September 26.

Worst. Superhero Movie. Ever.

From Superman IV to The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl to Suicide Squad, these are the worst superhero movies ever made.

ComiXology Veterans David Steinberger and Chip Mosher Launch Comic Book Publishing Company

ComiXology co-founder and former CEO David Steinberger and former ComiXology head of content Chip Mosher are starting a new comic book publishing company, DSTLRY. “Comic creators have historically received the short end of the stick when they create great characters and storylines for traditional publishers,” Steinberger and Mosher said in a joint statement. “DSTLRY is truly a creator-owned endeavor, with creators co-owning the company their creations fuel. It just makes sense that as creators help build the brand, they receive equity.” DSTLRY is aiming to provide comic creators with fairer deals and a stake in the company. DSTLRY has set aside an additional 3% of company equity to distribute among comic creators releasing projects with the company in its first three years.

Scholastic Apologizes for Suggesting Maggie Tokuda-Hall Cut “Racism” from Her Book

Recently, Scholastic reached out to author Maggie Tokuda-Hall to license her 2022 children’s book Love in the Library. But the request came with one major caveat—Scholastic asked Tokuda-Hall to revise her author’s note calling out “the deeply American tradition of racism.” According to the author, Scholastic went further to suggest she remove the word “racism” from the author’s note entirely. Tokuda-Hall said no, calling Scholastic’s request a “horrific demand for censorship.”

Two days later, Scholastic issued an apology. “In our initial outreach we suggested edits to Ms. Tokuda-Hall’s author’s note,” the company’s CEO Peter Warwick said in a statement. “This approach was wrong and not in keeping with Scholastic’s values. We don’t want to diminish or in any way minimize the racism that tragically persists against Asian-Americans… We must never do this again.” Scholastic says it hopes to share Tokuda-Hall’s book with the author’s note unchanged. It’s unclear whether Tokuda-Hall will consider Scholastic’s revised offer.

Mona Awad’s Rouge to be Adapted for Film by Freemantle and Sinestra

Bestselling author Mona Awad’s upcoming novel Rouge will be adapted for film by Freemantle and Sinestra, the production banner launched by Chernobyl director Johan Renck and producer Michael Parets. Set in California, Mona Awad’s Rouge explores the cult-like nature of the beauty industry in a story that’s described as “Snow White meets Eyes Wide Shut.” Rouge will be published in September this year by Simon & Schuster.

Celebrate Our National Parks with These Books!

It’s almost National Park Week! Here are eight suggestions for books to read to celebrate the national parks, for kids and adults.

New Stranger Things Book Will Be A Season 4 Prequel Following Eddie Munson

Eddie Munson from Stranger Things season 4 is now getting an origin story in the new prequel book Stranger Things: Flight of Icarus. Entertainment Weekly has an exclusive cover reveal of the upcoming novel, written by Caitlin Schneiderhan, who’s currently serving in the show’s season 5 writers’ room. “The Eddie Munson we meet at the beginning of Stranger Things 4 is the protective shepherd to the nerdy lost sheep of Hawkins High. But taking on that mantle wasn’t such a cut-and-dry decision,” Schneiderhan said in a statement. “I’m so excited for fans to go with him on his journey towards becoming a hero, to experience the messy and uncomfortable decisions that led him to become the brave misfit we all know and love.” Flight of Icarus will publish from Penguin Random House on October 31.

Lord of the Rings/Game of Thrones Rivalry Remains Strong with New HBO Max Ad

Is HBO trolling Amazon’s Lord of the Rings with their new Max ad? Online ads posted on Friday for HBO’s rebranded streaming service Max featured a picture of Daenerys Targaryen from Game of Thrones and the motto, “The One to Watch When You Want to Rule Them All.” Anyone who has seen or read J R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings knows the story’s famous phrase “One Ring to Rule Them All.” For many fans, it seems like shots have been fired.

Samantha Irby Joined by Star-Studded Lineup to Promote New Book Quietly Hostile

Samantha Irby is heading to Symphony Space for an evening of reading and conversation in honor of her new book Quietly Hostile. Joining Irby onstage are Cynthia Nixon (Sex and the City), Ilana Glazer (Broad City), Aminatou Sow (Call Your Girlfriend), and Jia Tolentino (Trick Mirror). In-person and livestream ticket options are available. It all goes down Wednesday, May 17 at 7 p.m. ET. There will be a book signing at the in-person event.

Grow Up! 9 Adult Versions of Favorite Childhood Books

Looking for a grown-up version of The Westing Game? These adult novels capture what you loved in some of your favorite children’s books.

HBO Max Reveals First Footage of Colin Farrell as The Penguin

Max (the new name for HBO Max) has revealed the first footage of the streaming series The Penguin, starring Colin Farrell. The eight-episode DC Studios drama will also star Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz, Michael Kelly, Shohreh Aghdashloo, and Deirdre O’Connell, with Clancy Brown and Michael Zegen recurring. The series, which is a spinoff of Matt Reeve’s The Batman, is executive produced by Reeves, Dylan Clark, Farrell, Lauren LeFranc (who writes and serves as showrunner), Craig Zobel (who directs the first three episodes), and Bill Carraro. The Penguin is scheduled to premiere in 2024.

Here’s a First Look at Alexis Hall’s 10 Things That Never Happened

10 Things That Never Happened, the third installment in Alexis Hall’s London Calling universe, is hitting shelves this fall. But ahead of its October 17 release, Paste Magazine is exclusively revealing the book’s cover and the first chapter. This story is set in the same world as Hall’s bestselling novel Boyfriend Material, but this new book focuses on a brand new couple, Jonathan and Sam. 10 Things That Never Happened is available for preorder now.

Granta Reveals its Pick of Future Star British Novelists

Granta magazine’s Best of British Novelists list is spotlighting 20 new authors under the age of 40 who they see as “future star British novelists.” Running since 1983, the list comes out every 10 years. This year, Granta has expanded their list to include writers who “regard [the UK] as their home” even if they don’t have a British passport. This year’s authors include Booker prize-winner Eleanor Catton, Desmond Elliott prize-winner Derek Owusu, and debut novelist K Patrick, whose debut novel Mrs. S is out this summer. The list was chosen by Rachel Cusk, Helen Oyeyemi, Tash Aw, Brian Dillon, and panel chair/Granta editor Sigrid Rausing.

If Your Favorite Gif/Meme Was A Book

These books will give you the same vibes as your favorite gif or meme, from the NOPE octopus to Knives Out‘s “Compels me though” meme.

Jesse Q. Sutanto Reveals Cover of YA Romcom Didn’t See That Coming

There’s been lots of big news for Jesse Q. Sutanto over the past week. The latest? The author has revealed the cover for her upcoming young adult romcom novel Didn’t See That Coming. “As if this week weren’t exciting enough, I finally get to reveal this gorgeous cover for my upcoming YA romcom!” Sutanto tweeted. “What happens when a gamer girl who’s been pretending to be a guy online realizes her online best friend (and total cinnamon roll) goes to her school?” Find out when this book comes out from Delacorte Press on November 28.

Angry Black Girl and Her Monster Trailer Resurrects Frankenstein for the Modern Age

The first trailer for The Angry Black Girl And Her Monster is bringing Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein into the modern world. This is the feature film debut from Bomani J. Story, who wrote the script and directs. According to Entertainment Weekly, the film follows the story of mad scientist Vicaria (Laya DeLeon Hayes), “a young Black girl whose talent for scientific invention meshes uneasily with her firsthand experience of death.” Starring alongside Hayes are Chad L. Coleman, Denzel Whitaker, and Reilly Brooke Stith. The Angry Black Girl And Her Monster will be out in theaters, as well as available to stream on-demand, on June 9.

Elliot Page Discusses Debut Memoir at the L.A. Times Book Club

On Thursday, June 8, Academy Award-nominee Elliot Page will join the L.A. Times Book Club for a live, in-person conversation about his debut memoir Pageboy. The event will take place at the historic Montalban Theatre in Hollywood. Tickets are available now for $25 – $65. Signed books are available with book+ticket purchases, in partnership with Skylight Books.

Book Terms We Hate

Readers, we need to be better with how we talk about books. Here are just a few terms to banish from our collective vocabulary.

House of the Dragon Season 2 Begins Production

Warner Bros Discovery has announced that production on the second season of House of the Dragon is underway at Leavesden Studios in Watford, Hertfordshire. The show is based on George R.R. Martin’s novel Fire & Blood, which is set 300 years before the events of Game of Thrones. On Tuesday, the official Twitter account for the series posted an image of the iron throne with the statement: “It’s time to return to King’s Landing.” Ryan Condal, co-creator, showrunner and executive producer, confirmed in a statement, “House of the Dragon has returned. We are thrilled to be shooting again with members of our original family as well as new talents on both sides of the camera. All your favourite characters will soon be conspiring at the council tables, marching with their armies, and riding their dragons into battle.”

HBO’s The Sympathizer Series Releases First Trailer

HBO has released its first trailer for The Sympathizer, a limited series based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Viet Thanh Nguyen. The series stars Hoa Xuande, Robert Downey Jr., Fred Nguyen Khan, Toan Le, Vy Le, Alan Trong, Ky Duyen, and Sandra Oh. Downey is also an executive producer and will play multiple roles. The Sympathizer will debut in 2024.

Billy Porter to Play Novelist, Essayist, and Activist James Baldwin in New Biopic

Allen Media Group Motion Picture has announced that Billy Porter will star as novelist, essayist, and civil rights activist James Baldwin in a new biopic. Porter will also co-write the script with screenwriter Dan McCabe. The film will be based on the biography James Baldwin: A Biography by David Leeming. “As a Black queer man on this planet with relative consciousness, I find myself, like James Baldwin said, ‘in a rage all the time,'” Porter said in a statement. “I am because James was. I stand on James Baldwin’s shoulders, and I intend to expand his legacy for generations to come.”

10 New Manga Adaptations to Look Forward to in 2023

There is absolutely no shortage of new manga adaptations coming to us this year. Check out some of our most anticipated titles.

Pink Floyd – I Was There Author Wants You to Reach Out with Your Recollections

Pink Floyd – I Was There author Richard Houghton is updating his book, and he is looking for fans to get in touch to share their personal recollections. The updated version of the book, which includes over 500 eyewitness accounts of seeing Pink Floyd live, will be titled Wish You Were Here – A People’s History Of Pink Floyd, and will be published by Spenwood Books on October 20. “I’ve already got loads of great memories of seeing the band but I’m always looking for new material,” Houghton says. Any fans wishing to get involved can contact Houghton here.

Nia DaCosta’s The Marvels Trailer Brings Marvel Studios’ Best Superheroines Together

The first teaser trailer for Nia DaCosta’s The Marvels dropped earlier this week, and it shows Marvel Studios’ best superheroines banding together. The film stars Brie Larson as Captain Marvel/Carol Danvers, Teyonah Parris as Monica Rambeau, and Iman Vellani as Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel. Also starring are Samuel L. Jackson, Zawe Ashton and Park Seo-joon. The film is produced by Kevin Feige. Nia DaCosta directs and also co-wrote the the screenplay, along with Megan McDonnell, Elissa Karasik, and Zeb Wells. Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Mary Livanos and Matthew Jenkins serve as executive producers. The Marvels hits theaters on November 10.

The Los Angeles Times Names the 110 Essential Los Angeles Books

Ahead of the 2023 Times Festival of Books, the Los Angeles Times has named “The Ultimate L.A. Bookshelf,” which is a collection of 110 essential Los Angeles books. The list was compiled by asking writers with deep ties to L.A. to name and explain their favorites. Ninety-five writers responded with over 500 titles, which the Times then “culled and annotated with capsule and quotes.” The bookshelf is broken down into eight categories: fiction; mystery and crime; nonfiction; speculative; poetry; essays; short stories; memoirs or biographies.

The Most Creative and Unique Bookmobiles from Around the World

The most unique bookmobiles from around the world utilize everything from bicycles to garbage trucks to spread the love of reading.

Gone Girl Author Gillian Flynn Discusses New Imprint and New Book

Gillian Flynn, author of three best-selling novels including Gone Girl, recently sat down with TODAY.com to discuss her new imprint and her long-awaited next book. Flynn said she started her new imprint, Gillian Flynn Books, as a way to “really champion books that don’t necessarily fit into one specific shape, that are as quirky and big-voiced and unique as I want.” Flynn’s first book under her imprint is Scorched Grace by Margot Douaihy. As for her own writing, Flynn says that she’s still interested in writing psychological novels, although they do not necessarily have to be thrillers. “That’s how I started writing thrillers — it was not to necessarily write a thriller, but to be able to say something and attach it to a freight train of a thriller,” she says. “I found that a very useful way, personally for me as a storyteller, to write about larger things like gender within marriage and power struggle within marriage.” So will her next novel be a different genre? No details have been announced, but Flynn says it would be a fun test for her.

Jesse Q. Sutanto’s Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers Acquired by Warner Bros. TV

Warner Bros. TV has acquired the book rights to Jesse Q. Sutanto’s novel Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers. Mindy Kaling’s Kaling International is attached to produce alongside Harpo Films. This is part of Kaling’s six-year overall deal with Warner Bros. TV, in which she develops, writes, and produces new projects for all broadcast, cable, and streaming.

Ursula K. Le Guin Prize for Fiction Open for Nominations

Ursula K. Le Guin’s Prize for fiction is currently open for nominations! Anyone can nominate work that fits the following criteria: reflects the concepts central to Ursula K. Le Guin’s own work, including “hope, equity, and freedom; non-violence and alternatives to conflict; and a holistic view of humanity’s place in the natural world”; a book-length work of fiction; published in the U.S. in English or translated to English; published between April 1, 2022 and March 31, 2023. The nominations form is open until midnight (Pacific time) on April 30, 2023.

10 of Libro.fm’s Most Preordered Audiobooks for Spring 2023

Check out the new audiobooks Libro.fm users are most excited to listen to in spring 2023!

Morena Baccarin Says Her Deadpool 3 Return “May or May Not Work Out”

Will Morena Baccarin’s Vanessa Carlysle be joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe? In a recent interview of the Inside of You With Michael Rosenbaum podcast, Baccarin said she is being courted to star in the upcoming Deadpool 3 movie. But Baccarin said “we have not agreed on terms,” and “it may or may not work out.” This sequel will be the first Deadpool film set in the MCU. And now that the MCU multiverse is in play, Vanessa Carlylse could potentially return, despite her death at the beginning of Deadpool 2. “I do think this movie, since Marvel-Disney acquired this Deadpool universe, they’re trying to reinvent it a little bit,” Baccarin added. “This movie is going to be much more about Wolverine and Deadpool. So we’ll see. Hugh is going to be a huge part of it. I’m sure he’ll be great.”

MPIBA Booksellers Talk Book Bans in Texas

On April 5-7 in San Antonio, Texas, the Mountains and Plains Independent Booksellers Association Spring Con was held, attracting more than 150 professionals. One big topic of conversation at the convention: book bans. The Texas legislature is likely to vote on Senate Bill 13 soon. This bill, among other things, would criminalize exposing children to “harmful material,” and create “school library advisory councils” to ensure “local community values are reflected in each school library catalog.” Booksellers are aware of how harmful this bill would be, and so this topic was on many people’s minds. Charley Rejsek, CEO of BookPeople in Austin and Meghan Goel, children’s book buyer, led a session with Texas booksellers about how to fight the passage of this bills and others like them. 

How Former President Barack Obama Picks Book Recommendations

Former president Barack Obama’s reading recommendations list has been highly anticipated every year since he first released one in 2009. “First, it’s exciting to see which books you’ve read that a former president has read too, and second, he always offers an array of diverse reads, so you know you’re also bound to find something new and impactful to read next,” said Julianne Buonocore, founder of the book and lifestyle blog The Literary Lifestyle. But does Obama actually read all of the books he recommends? And how does he come up with his recommendations? Sophie Vershbow from Esquire investigates Barack Obama’s reading list process here.

Affordable Book Depository Alternatives

Wondering where to buy books now that Book Depository is closing? Here are several Book Depository alternatives.