Emma Straub’s Historic F-Bomb:
The Houston Chronicle reported that a school district in Texas uninvited novelist Emma Straub (This Time Tomorrow) from a planned visit with elementary school students because the author dropped multiple F-Bombs in a Tweet in 2022. Emma Straub had been invited to read her new children’s book, Very Good Hats, to kindergarten and first-grade students at two elementary schools in Katy, a city near Houston.
Reese’s January Book Club Pick:
Readers can’t get enough of debut author, Ana Reyes’ compelling psychological thriller, The House in the Pines!
Newark to Host Phillip Roth Festival:
The New Jersey Performing Arts Center will present Philip Roth Unbound in March. The festival is set to celebrate, challenge and explore the life, legacy and work of novelist and Newark native Philip Roth — author of American Pastoral, I Married a Communist and The Plot Against America — on what would have been his 90th birthday weekend.
New National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature:
The Library of Congress and Every Child a Reader announced the appointment of Meg Medina, author of several books for children and young adults, including The Girl Who Could Silence the Wind, Yaqui Delgado Wants To Kick Your Ass and Burn Baby Burn, as the eighth National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature for 2023-2024.
Anujanue Ellis to Play Lead in “Caste” Film:
Deadline reported that Oscar nominee, Anujanue Ellis, has been cast in Ava DuVernay’s adaptation of Isabel Wilkerson’s Caste.
Jon Land’s January The Thrill List:
Novels featuring political intrigue, mind-bending nightmares and moral depravity made Jon Land’s The Thrill List this January! These books are not to be missed. Featuring titles by Michael Connelly, Stacy Willingham, Brad Taylor, Stephen Hunter, P.J. Tracy and Jordan Harper.
Stephen Colbert Bringing “Chronicles of Amber” to Small Screen:
Stephen Colbert is joining the team that is adapting Roger Zelazny’s The Chronicles of Amber for television, according to Variety. The Late Show’s host will executive produce the potential series under his Spartina production banner.
National Jewish Book Award Winners:
The Jewish Book Council announced the winners of the National Jewish Book Award winners recently. The winning books include KosherSoul: The Faith and Food Journey of an African American Jew by Michael W. Twitty, Becky Levy’s One Hundred Saturdays: Stella Levi and the Search for a Lost World, Signal Fires by Dani Shapiro and Abomination by Ashley Goldberg. A full list of this year’s winners is available on the Jewish Book Council website. BookTrib would like to wish these winners a heartfelt congratulations for this wonderful achievement.
Hawaiian Resort Turns Sinister:
In The Island Mother by Jon Cohn, a disturbing and captivating novel, terrifying and vivid descriptions of the supernatural are found in abundance as an emotionally codependent woman runs from her own life.