Hello, book lovers! Nobody likes a name-dropper … but holy moly this week is full of star-studded news! Barack Obama and Bruce Springsteen are bringing their hit podcast to the literature universe. Robert Downey Jr. has signed on to co-star in the adaptation of Viet Thanh Nguyen’s bestselling debut, and Prince Harry has some royal tea to spill in his new memoir. If you’re more interested in literary celebrities, then perhaps the names Jane Austen and Emily St. John Mandel will pique your interest. Anyway, without further ado, enjoy this mix of stories from the book world.
From Podcast Hosts to Co-Authors, Obama and Bruce Springsteen to Release New Book: Featuring exclusive content like “Springsteen’s handwritten lyrics and Obama’s annotated speeches,” Renegades: Born in the USA will hit shelves this October. — Rolling Stone
Prince Harry Will Release Tell-All Memoir in 2022: Wanting to tell his own story himself, this new book intends to share “a firsthand account of [his] life that’s accurate and wholly truthful.” — BuzzFeed News
Bestselling Author Emily St. John Mandel Will Release Her Quarantine Book Next Spring: Combining 2020’s signature cocktail of “fear, malaise and existential crisis,” Sea of Tranquility will take readers traveling through time. — EW
Robert Downey Jr. to Co-Star in HBO Adaptation of Espionage Thriller The Sympathizer: The bestselling novel by Viet Thanh Nguyen tells the story of a half-French, half-Vietnamese spy during the final days of the Vietnam War. — Variety
A Collaboration of Creative Soul Mates: Authors Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray sat down with BookTrib to discuss co-writing The Personal Librarian. Watch the interview! — BookTrib
They Say You Are What You Eat … Want to Be Jane Austen? Even if you can’t write like the great English author, you can dine like her with recipes from her sister-in-law in Martha Lloyd’s Household Book. — Atlas Obscura
Must-Read TV or How Netflix and Its Contemporaries Are Changing Fiction: Which came first, the book or the movie deal? Nowadays, it would seem the film industry has its hands in the land of literature. — The Atlantic
10 Summer Debuts Readers Can’t Stop Talking About: With hits like The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot and Raft of Stars, your summer reading can take new and exciting turns. — Off the Shelf
Archaeologist-Turned-Author Reconstructs a Brilliant Bygone Empire in The Sun at Twilight: N.L. Holmes crafts historical fiction so mystifying readers might mistake it for fantasy. — BookTrib
Best Books of 2021 (So Far) According to Goodreads: We’re halfway through 2021 and Goodreads’ 125 million members have spoken! These are the 24 most popular books. — Business Insider
If you love books, please follow us on our social media channels:
