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Welcome to Today in Books, our daily round-up of literary headlines at the intersection of politics, culture, media, and more.
All the Cool Kids Are Doing It
I am studiously avoiding reviews of Sally Rooney’s Intermezzo—inarguably the It Book of the season—until Jeff and I discuss it for a podcast episode this week (you listen to the Book Riot Podcast, right?), which leaves me a lot of time to get into the Sally Rooney Discourse instead. It’s been quite a ride, and I am at turns baffled and frustrated by pieces like this one that lament the way that early copies of the book have become a status symbol.
In an attention economy where books, which require hours of focused engagement, compete with short-form video and endless streaming media, the publishing industry and everyone who loves books should rejoice any time the must-have signifier of coolness is a book. People are so excited about Intermezzo that hundreds of bookstores are holding midnight release parties—typically reserved for major genre series and YA trends—for a 464-page work of literary fiction! Let’s take the W, folks. They’re way too few and far between.
PRH Makes It Official with New Position to Fight Book Bans
As my colleague Kelly Jensen frequently reminds us in her excellent coverage of book banning and censorship, this is a fight that can really only be won at the policy level. Penguin Random House, under the leadership of CEO Nihar Malaviya, seems to get it. In addition to their involvement in litigation in several states that have enacted book bans in public schools and libraries, PRH has expanded its Intellectual Freedom Taskforce to include a new public policy position.
Rosalie Stewart is joining PRH as senior manager for public policy, bringing extensive experience in grassroots organizing and communication to the company’s efforts to defend the freedom to read. This is a serious move that reflects PRH’s significant and ongoing commitment to fighting book bans and working proactively to prevent them, and I hope to see more houses follow suit. Stewart begins work today, coincidentally during Banned Books Week. May her efforts succeed.
Welcome to Spooky Season
Now that we’ve passed the autumnal equinox, it’s open season for all things pumpkin spice, both literally and spiritually. Give me cozy sweaters, all-day-braised meats, and a good mystery novel. If that’s also your flavor of fall activities, you’ll enjoy these five great mystery novels for the season.
Read This Book
Here’s Book Riot’s Patricia Elzie-Tuttle on Hanif Abdurraquib’s A Little Devil in America, a singular blend of cultural criticism and personal essay written with “deep reverence and intense curiosity.” Read this book already.
