Hello, book lovers! This winter weather can be a pain, but it’s also the perfect time to enjoy your favorite hot beverage and bury yourself beneath your coziest blanket for an all-night readathon. So, here’s an exciting mix of stories from the book world.
TIME Magazine Reveals the 2021 TIME100 Next: “An expansion of [their] flagship TIME100 franchise that highlights 100 emerging leaders who are shaping the future,” this year’s TIME100 Next list features “doctors and scientists fighting COVID-19, advocates pushing for equality and justice, journalists standing up for truth, and artists sharing their visions of present and future.” Honorees include inaugural poet Amanda Gorman and author Brit Bennett with many profiles written by TIME100 alumni. — TIME
While a Prolific Writer, Literary Icon Toni Morrison Also Shaped Book Publishing as an Editor: Morrison, an author lauded for her fiction, worked at Random House as an editor for 19 years and was the first Black woman editor at her level in the company’s history. Her “role went beyond annotating and adjusting manuscripts. She was a caretaker of a blossoming universe of Black literature, stewarding a cadre of writers and thinkers who would change the world,” and this influential work deserves just as much recognition as Morrison’s literary accomplishments. — ZORA
Reese Witherspoon’s Book Club Launches Digital Cooking Series With a Literary Twist: If you’re feeling a bit peckish, satisfy your cravings (both for food and books) with RBC’s new series Eat the Book where “female chefs and a mixologist will join authors to create a meal … inspired by a book selection.” The four-part series will showcase novels like Delia Owens’s Where the Crawdads Sing and Jasmine Guillory’s The Proposal. You can tune in to the show “on both @ReesesBookClub and @HelloSunshine accounts every Thursday at 10 am PST starting this week.” — TZR
Co-Founder of Melissa & Doug Transforms Darkness Into Light in Her Memoir LifeLines: Melissa Bernstein, known for her successful toy company, opens up in her memoir about her struggle with existential depression and anxiety. Sharing personal stories and recollections in addition to poetry and her thoughts on topics like creativity, loneliness, martyrdom and perfectionism, Bernstein’s book “provides valuable insight from someone who has traveled the road to greater understanding of self.” — BookTrib
Preserving History as It’s Being Made, the Anthology Black Futures Chronicles the 21st-Century Black Experience: Edited by Jenna Wortham, a writer for New York Times Magazine and co-host of the podcast Still Processing, and Kimberly Drew, an American art curator and former social media manager for the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Black Futures is “a stunning anthology of art, writing, photography, recipes, tweets, and Facebook posts.” In this interview, the authors discuss capturing Black culture and their approach to framing Black history for future generations. — The Nation
High Risk, High Reward: Clicking “Refresh” on 10 Classic Tales: It’s a real risk to retell a beloved classic, especially when that story is revered. But every now and again, a writer produces a work that leaves even die-hard fans in awe. “Retellings explore familiar themes with fresh eyes, deciphering a new world from the comfort of a trusted narrative, or expanding the literary canon to readers who have traditionally been excluded.” From Madeline Miller’s Circe to Zadie Smith’s On Beauty, this list boasts 10 examples of authors that got it right. — The Guardian
Spoiler Alert! Netflix’s Recent Adaptation of Kristin Hannah’s Firefly Lane Ended Differently Than the Novel: For those who have already binged Firefly Lane’s first season and found themselves heartbroken by the ending, turning to the source material for answers seems like the next logical step. But for anyone determined to figure out what a second season of the show may bring, “prepare to bawl when you find out what happened” in Hannah’s novel … that ending is even sadder. — Marie Claire
25 New and Upcoming Releases From Women of Color: Including much-anticipated books by political powerhouse Stacey Abrams and National Book Award nominee Tahereh Mafi, these 2021 releases showcase the literary prowess of talented women across numerous genres. From sweeping historical sagas to gripping thrillers and powerful nonfiction, this list has something for everyone. — Parade
Jon Land Expertly Adopts Margaret Truman’s Thriller Series With Murder on the Metro: Hard-hitting and fast-paced this latest addition to Truman’s Capital Crimes series is “the quintessential political thriller.” Land, who has also taken over the Murder, She Wrote series, is “new to [Truman’s] series but at home in the genre.” Bringing his vast expertise to the table, Land “has taken the torch with style and set a pace that promises to keep long-time Margaret Truman fans more than satisfied.” — BookTrib
7 Genre-Bending Reads to Get You Out of Your Reading Slump: Unconventional, genre-defying reads are “the types of books you go on to recommend to your friends, and the ones that float to the top in conversations with book lovers and strangers at parties.” They’re also perfect for those moments when you’re not sure what to read next! For thought-provoking stories that’ll keep you guessing, try one of these unique books. — Off the Shelf
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