Bond Novels to Be Edited for Offensive Language:
Ian Fleming’s highly popular 007 novels will be republished this spring to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the first Bond book, Casino Royale. The new editions of the books were reviewed by sensitivity readers according to The Guardian, who recommended that the n-word be removed from the novels. Other racially insensitive passages have been changed, including one from Live and Let Die, which originally described patrons at a Harlem nightclub as “panting and grunting like pigs at the trough.” The new version reads, “Bond could sense the electric tension in the room.”
Maids Become Amateur Sleuths and Fight Exploitation in Murder Mystery:
Balli Kaur Jaswal, the author of Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows, has crafted a clever, slyly funny murder mystery that is also a commentary on social injustices perpetrated on the unseen domestic workers employed by Singapore’s elite in Now You See Us.
Disney+ Drops Trailer for “Peter Pan & Wendy”:
Disney+ has dropped a trailer for Peter Pan & Wendy, the upcoming film adaptation of J.M. Barrie’s classic 1911 novel, Peter Pan! Check it out:
Get Your Read on With a Couple of Celebrity Book Club Picks:
- Good Morning America picked Pineapple Street by Jenny Jackson for their March 2023 read.
- The Today Show’s Read With Jenna Bush Hager chose Black Candle Women by Diane Marie Brown this month.
Jon Land’s the Thrill List:
Get ready for fantasy worlds, Nazi conspiracies and international intrigue in Jon Land’s February thriller picks! Featuring titles by James Rollins, Brad Meltzer, Mark Greaney and more!
Guillermo Del Toro to Make “Buried Giant” Film:
Deadline reported that Guillermo del Toro (Pan’s Labyrinth and The Shape of Water) will direct a film adaptation of Nobel Prize-winning author Kazuo Ishiguro The Buried Giant. The screenplay for the film will be written by del Toro, who will also produce, and Dennis Kelly (Pulling, Utopia). Netflix is developing the project.
Zadie Smith to Release New Novel:
Penguin Press announced that it will publish Smith’s The Fraud on September 5th, 2023. Penguin Press called the highly-anticipated novel “a kaleidoscopic work of historical fiction set against the legal trial that divided Victorian England, about who deserves to tell their story—and who deserves to be believed.”
Book Award Finalists Announced:
The Horror Writers Association announced the finalists for its Bram Stoker Awards, given annually for “superior achievement” in horror literature. The Audio Publishers Association also announced the finalists for the 2023 Audie Awards, which “recognize distinction in audiobooks and spoken word entertainment.”
Bobby Berk of “Queer Eye” to Publish Book:
According to People Magazine, Queer Eye’s resident design expert, Bobby Berk, will release a book this summer titled Right at Home: How Good Design Is Good for the Mind.