Books

One Piece is one of the most popular anime series out now. It got its start as a serialized manga getting published in Weekly Shōnen Jump in 1997 and by 1999 it was made into an anime, and has since aired over 1,000 episodes. While it’s not quite the longest-running anime, there’s something to say about a series that can keep viewers interested past the usual dozen or so episodes anime have. Suffice to say that fans of the massive series have been rocking with Monkey D. Luffy on his quest...

One very easy way to learn about and discover new books and authors is through the cover reveal. This was not a possible avenue of discovery before the age of book talk on the internet, and in an era where visuals are becoming more and more important — and indeed, book cover designers are taking the reality of the online world into account when determining how to create a book’s image — covers can do a lot of service for readers. In this new weekly feature, we’ll round up some...

Last week, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker delivered his State of the State address. It is the first time a governor in the country has directly spoken about the wave of censorship, book banning, and harassment being seen by schools and libraries. While some legislators in other arenas have addressed the topic — Jamie Raskin, a Congressional Representative from Maryland, for example — it continues to be a topic that not enough of those who have the power are using to discuss. Meanwhile, over a dozen bills have been proposed across...

The Audie Awards, presented annually by the Audio Publishers Association, described itself as the “premier awards program in the United States recognizing distinction in audiobooks and spoken-word entertainment.” Each year, they recognize audiobooks in several categories, and they’ve just released their list of finalists. Here are the finalists in just a few of the Audie Awards categories. Audiobook of the Year The 1619 Project created by Nikole Hannah-Jones and The New York Times Magazine; edited by Caitlin Roper, Ilena Silverman, and Jake Silverstein; and narrated by Nikole Hannah-Jones, January LaVoy,...

Clarkesworld Magazine is one of the largest and most well-known sci-fi/fantasy magazines, publishing respected SFF authors like Catherynne Valente, Jeff VanderMeer, and Caitlin R. Kiernan. They have recently had to close submissions after being flooded with story submissions created with chatbots like ChatGPT. The irony is not lost on them. But while Clarkesworld has received plenty of ill-informed replies and retweets that they should welcome our robot overlords with open arms, this isn’t a matter of sentient AIs authoring stories so good they can compete with human authors. Instead, the...

You might be a sci-fi connoisseur, but can you identify science fiction books from the descriptions of people who truly hated them? See if you can guess the sci-fi book based on its 1-star reviews below! Bad reviews can be a bit of a sticking point for authors, and understandably so. No one likes to hear unmitigated criticism, no matter how thick-skinned they may be. Besides, reviews are not for authors. Reviews are for readers, librarians, teachers, and booksellers; they are not — and should not be — direct lines...

The New York Times has a history of opining on the side of the oppressor. This is not my opinion, nor is it based on feelings, but is a fact. In 1922, they published their first article about Adolph Hitler, in which they fawned over his “uncanny control over audiences” and claimed that his antisemitism was “not so violent or genuine as it sounded.” It was not their last article that failed to identify the danger he posed. In 1986 they published an opinion essay by William F. Buckley suggesting...

One very easy way to learn about and discover new books and authors is through the cover reveal. This was not a possible avenue of discovery before the age of book talk on the internet, and in an era where visuals are becoming more and more important — and indeed, book cover designers are taking the reality of the online world into account when determining how to create a book’s image — covers can do a lot of service for readers. In this new weekly feature, we’ll round up some...

Something that needs to be understood about the reality of book bans right now is this: teaching other people about what is truly going on — beyond the singular headlines — is crucial, and it’s going to mean you need to get uncomfortable. Whether you’re a book lover or parent who is sharing stories or work in libraries or schools where your patrons and parents may not understand the scope of censorship right now, doing the work means getting uncomfortable. It means “getting political.” It means not taking neutrality as...

The highly successful Netflix show Bridgerton is based off theromance novel series of the same name, but now the show is inspiring a new novel in the series! Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story is a spin-off series that will air on Netflix May 4, 2023. To coincide with the new show, Shonda Rhimes — the producer of the show — has teamed up with Julia Quinn — the author of the original books — to write Queen Charlotte, a prequel exploring the eponymous character’s backstory. It will be released May...

The HarperCollins Union, which represents 250 employees, just announced that they’ve voted to ratify the contract negotiated with publishing giant HarperCollins and will return to work on February 21. This comes about a week after a tentative agreement was announced, and a strike that has lasted since November 10, 2022. The agreement includes an increase in starting salaries and a one-time bonus, but other details, like how much salaries will increase and how the publisher will establish a diverse company, are still unclear. We previously reported how, since the strike...

Bill Watterson, the creator of the iconic comic strip Calvin and Hobbes, will release a book titled The Mysteries, illustrated by John Kascht. This new book comes 28 years after Patterson retired from Calvin and Hobbes, a comic strip whose collected works have sold more than 30 million copies. But fans looking for another go with Calvin and his stuffed tiger will have to keep waiting. The new Mysteries is being described as” a fable for grown-ups” and centers around an unfortunate kingdom from long ago. Its king sends knights to...

In November, Penguin Random House’s acquisition of Simon & Schuster was blocked by a federal court ruling. PRH decided not to appeal the decision. Since then, the fate of the publisher has been up in the air, especially since Paramount Global, its parent company, has stated it “does not fit strategically within Paramount’s broader portfolio” and that they are not interested in keeping it. Today, Paramount Global has announced that Simon & Schuster is up for sale once again. They are currently “explor a sale of Simon & Schuster that...

Recently, we published a book trend forecast for 2023 from a BookToker* who told us what we should be anticipating and acting on in the publishing world in order to capture the fleeting attention of book consumers. But, are “trends” what the book world really needs? Do you remember the moment, probably sometime around your 30th birthday, when you realized you had no idea what the youth was into anymore? And you weren’t disturbed that your jeans weren’t the correct shape? By catering to book trends, are we not catering...