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Awards & Book Bans

Granta’s 2023 Best of Young British Novelists list is announced. 

Scotland’s Highland Book Prize shortlist is announced.

The 2022 Donner Prize shortlist is announced.

NYT reports that "Texas County Keeps Public Libraries Open Amid Book Ban Controversy. Quartz has more. Kotaku highlights a challenged manga book in light of recent school shootings.

Book Riot shares resources for those looking to become more involved with their local libraries.

Writer Rachel Pollack has died at 77 and Israeli novelist Meir Shalev has passed away at 74. NYT has more on their work and lives.

Page to Screen

April 14:

The Pope’s Exorcist, based on the memoirs An Exorcist Tells His Story and Exorcist: More Stories by Father Gabriele Amorth. Sony Screen Gems. Reviews | Trailer

Rare Objects, based on a book by Kathleen Tessaro. IFC Films. Reviews | Trailer

Sakra, based on the book Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils by Jin Yong. Well Go USA. Reviews | Trailer

De Humani Corporis Fabrica, based on the 16-century book series De Humani Corporis Fabrica Libri Septem. Grasshopper Film. Reviews | Trailer

One True Loves, based on the book by Taylor Jenkins Reid. The Avenue. Reviews | Trailer

The Last Kingdom: Seven Kings Must Die, based on the The Saxon Stories by Bernard Cornwell. Netflix. Reviews | Trailer

The Last Thing He Told Me, based on the book by Laura Dave. Apple TV+. Reviews | Trailer

April 20:

To Every You I’ve Loved Before, based on a novel by Yomoji Otono. Crunchyroll. No reviews | Trailer

Book Riot provides “10 New Manga Adaptations to Look Forward to in 2023.” 

Reviews

The Washington Post reviews The Dead Are Gods by Eirinie Carson (Melville House): “Throughout, the author toggles between writing directly to an imagined reader, often a compatriot griever, and apostrophically addressing her dead friend. This mash-up — of those in the throes of grief and those who are being grieved — adds to the sense of bewilderment that drives the narrative;” Black Ball: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Spencer Haywood, and the Generation that Saved the Soul of the NBA by Theresa Runstedtler (Bold Type; LJ starred review): “Runstedtler places the struggles of NBA players into a wider racial context. The technique frequently produces valuable insights, but at times, her broader assertions feel forced.”

NYT has three short reviews of new science-fiction and fantasy novels including: Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries, by Heather Fawcett (Del Rey; LJ starred review); The Lies of the Ajungo by Moses Ose Utomi (Tor.com; LJ starred review); and Infinity Gate by M.R. Carey (Orbit).

The Millions reviews The Red-Headed Pilgrim by Kevin Maloney (Two Dollar Radio: Ingram): “This is where Maloney hits his stride, with pages that are sometimes bleak, often surprising, and somehow even funnier than the first half’s comic picaresque thanks to Maloney’s expert comedic timing and his uncanny ability to make even the most universal experiences feel specific to his characters.”

Locus Magazine reviews Hopeland by Ian McDonald (Tor): “Much like the storms that blaze through the narrative, it’s McDonald’s ability to harness the elemental forces of science fiction to prophesise and speculate ab­out how we might tackle the threats that face our species that elevates Hopeland beyond its initial quirky trappings.”

Book Marks shares "The Best Reviewed Books of the Week."

Briefly Noted

Rachel Heng speaks about “tracing the arc of Singapore’s coming of age through a love story” in her book, The Great Reclamation (Riverhead). Electric Lit has more.

Clint Smith discusses how fatherhood changed his writing in an interview with USA Today about his new poetry collection, Above Ground (Little, Brown; LJ starred review).

Maggie Smith discusses the poem that changed her life as detailed in her memoir, You Could Make This Place Beautiful (Atria: One Signal; LJ starred review), in a conversation with Salon. 

Ella Berman talks to Shondaland about how “a tragedy ultimately changes the trajectory of people’s lives” as detailed in her newest book, Before We Were Innocent (Berkley).

Landscape photographer Yevhen Samuchenko, The Beauty of Ukraine (Teneues), explores how nature has suffered from Russia's war in Ukraine and how the places he photographed in fall of 2022 have completely changed, featured in NYT's Up Close.

The Washington Post explains how novelist "Charles Portis, model outsider, gets the canon treatment" in light of the Library of America issuing a one-volume collection of his work.

Kim Sherwood, author of Double or Nothing: James Bond is missing and time is running out (Morrow), explores how Ian Fleming “changed spy fiction forever” with his book, Casino Royale.

The New Statesman explores how "the literary male has become terminally uncool."

Salman Rushdie will write a book about the attack on his life. Time has the announcement and an interview with the author. Lit Hub also covers this news.

“Elliot Page announces tour dates for his forthcoming memoir,” Pageboy (Flatiron), according to People. 

Gizmodo gives a first look at Womb City by Tlotlo Tsamaase (Erewhon) and also, a sneak peek at Adrian Tschaikovsky’s latest fantasy book, City of Last Chances (Head of Zeus; LJ starred review). Plus, a Folio Society release of Childhood’s End by Arthur C. Clarke.

“New Comic Book Publisher Sees Creators as Partners, and Stockholders,” announces NYT. 

Romance author Beth O’Leary will publish a new book, The Wake-Up Call (Berkley), in September, according to Bustle.

Los Angeles Times shares “The 26 absolute best L.A. books of all time, ranked.”

Eirinie Carson, author of The Dead Are Gods (Melville House), provides a list of “7 Essay Collections on Black Life and Love.”

Book Riot posts many lists including: “22 of the Best Graphic Novels of All Time,” “8 Incredible Authors Like R.F. Kuang,” and “4 Different Styles of Mystery Novels From Around the World.”

Parade offers “55 Best Enemies-to-Lovers Books for the Hopeless Romantic.”

NYT recommends “9 new books.”

Authors on Air

A Stranger Things character is getting an origin story via a new novel by Caitlin Schneiderhan, Stranger Things: Flight of Icarus (Random House Worlds). Entertainment Weekly has a first look.

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