Sequel From Our “Shady” Friend:
E.L. James, whose Fifty Shades of Grey series put her on the literary map, is releasing through Bloom Books, an imprint of Sourcebooks, a sequel to her book The Mister. No kudos for guessing the new work’s title (The Missus), which is slated for publication on June 20.
She Looks Great for 100:
Happy 100th Birthday to Oprah’s Book Club. That’s 100 books, mind you — not years. The club has just announced its 100th selection: Hello Beautiful (The Dial Press) by Ann Napolitano. And wishing you many more.
‘Eragon’ Redux:
Author Christopher Paolini is taking readers back to the world he first created in the novel Eragon with his upcoming release, Murtagh, launching November 7. Murtagh is set a year after the events of the Inheritance Cycle, and follows a rider and his dragon who have been exiled after the dethroning of a monarch. A television adaptation of the novel is currently in the works at Disney+.
America’s Most Recession-Proof Business — Any Guesses?
Bookstores enjoyed steady wage growth during both the Great Recession (+13%) and the latter part of the pandemic (+16%), making it America’s most recession-proof business, according to brand new research from Forbes Advisor. The report, which identifies the Top 10 recession-proof businesses, also names PR agencies and interior design services among the leaders. When times are hard, nothing like a makeover of that living room, we can only think. But when it comes to books, in the middle of the pandemic, it was one of the few safe and accessible leisure activities — at a time when people were thirsting for one!
Lacking Those Creative Juices?
Straight from Jimmy Kimmel’s mouth while hosting the Oscars: “Hollywood is running out of ideas.” To validate the point, consider all the remakes and sequels being produced. So where are all the new ideas? In books — that’s where. Here are some possible “books-to-screen” titles that might be the next hot vehicles for TV and the big screen.
And the Winners Are (Not Quite) …
In the spirit of the award season, this week saw the longlist for the International Booker Prize being revealed and the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association revealing the finalists of the Nebula Awards! See who made out!
Trailer for ‘Last Thing He Told Me’ Series:
Apple TV+ has released a trailer for its limited series adaptation of Laura Dave’s The Last Thing He Told Me. The series stars Jennifer Garner and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and is directed by Olivia Newman (Where the Crawdads Sing), with the pilot episode written by Josh Singer (First Man).
Bouncing From Dad to Dad:
Anthony Mohr’s captivating memoir, Every Other Weekend: Coming of Age with Two Different Dads, tells a riveting tale of growing up in an unconventional family during the 1950s and 1960s in Hollywood.