Hello, book lovers! When authors retire, it throws readers for a bit of a loop. Writing seems to be one of those professions we expect authors to continue to do forever. So when Don Winslow announced his retirement this past weekend, the book world was a bit stunned; nevertheless, many will be interested to see how he applies his wordsmithing to future political ventures. Speaking of politics, book bans across the country continue, but the Brooklyn Public Library has begun an initiative to help U.S. teens access banned titles. So, without further ado, enjoy this mix of stories from the book world.

STANDOUT READS BOOKTRIB’S DISCUSSING

The Fervor by Alma Katsu: A mysterious disease is spreading like wildfire at an internment camp, but “despite its supernatural elements, the true horror in The Fervor doesn’t come from jump scares like readers might expect … the novel provides an incredibly important and eye-opening commentary on discrimination and racism.”

The Good Left Undone by Adriana Trigiani: “The 100-year saga of the Cabrelli family is like a hearty peasant-style Tuscan soup that blends sometimes unexpected ingredients, simmering them with love to achieve a complex, palate-pleasing mix to nourish and warm the heart.”

The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas: A priest, a bride and a haunted hacienda make for “a magical combination, not only of genres and vivid character and story arcs, but of ideas — explorations of racism, oppression, power, resilience and resistance. It’ll also scare the pants off you, its lush, hypnotic prose causing you to stare into the shadows.”

NEWS FROM THE BOOK WORLD

NYT Bestselling Author Don Winslow Announced His Retirement: City on Fire, which came out Tuesday, and its already-written sequels will be his last published novels. Winslow says he did not come to the decision lightly, but has chosen to focus his energies on politics. — Don Winslow via Twitter

Brooklyn Public Library Offers Teens Access to Banned Books: Taking “a stand against growing censorship and book bans,” the Books UnBanned Initiative, which provides any teen in the U.S. a free library card, grants young readers access to banned titles via BPL’s ebook collection. — CNN

HBO to Adapt Dave Eggers’ The Every for Television: “A dystopian story about an Amazon-esque company,” Eggers’ 2021 novel “is being adapted as a half-hour comedy series by Veep co-exec producer Rachel Axler.” — Deadline

New Stephen King Short Story “Finn” Coming to Scribd: Available exclusively through the reading subscription service, King’s story, which will be released May 25, “targets a peculiarly 21st Century monster: men so consumed by spy and war games that they twist reality to suit their purposes.” — Scribd

AWARDS AND ACCOLADES WORTHY OF NOTE

Megan Abbott’s The Turnout wins the Los Angeles Times Book Prize in the Mystery/Thriller category; Mystery Writers of America announces the 2022 Edgar Awards winners; Zen Cho wins the 2022 Ray Bradbury Prize for Science Fiction, Fantasy & Speculative Fiction; authors from 14 countries comprise this year’s nominees for the European Union Prize for Literature; Omar El Akkad’s What Strange Paradise wins Oregon Book Award for Fiction; Louise Erdrich and Elif Shafak make the Women’s Prize for Fiction shortlist; the Crime Writers’ Association announced their longlist for the 2022 Dagger Awards, including Paula Hawkins’ A Slow Fire Burning, Laura Lippman’s Dream Girl and Andrew J. Graff’s Raft of Stars; Sonia Sanchez receives the 2022 Jackson Poetry Prize; Audrey Molloy wins the 2021 Anne Elder Award; and Charlotte McConaghy’s Once There Were Wolves named among the finalists for ABA’s Booksellers’ Choice Book of the Year Awards.

MORE BOOKS THE MEDIA’S BUZZING ABOUT

Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel: A closer look at The Ramayana’s villainous stepmother, “Patel’s vast tale unfolds at a measured pace, its careful depiction of one woman’s struggle to bring justice to an unjust world brightened by thrilling battle scenes and encounters with gods who have no concern with humans or their fates.” — The Washington Post

Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher: “From its ragtag group of heroes … to its unflinchingly honest representation of the abuse and misogyny that makes much of its fantasy world go round, there’s a specifically wonderful alchemy at work [in Nettle & Bone] that threads the thin line between humor, horror, and heart in order to create something that feels both fresh and utterly necessary.” — Paste Magazine

The Palace Papers by Tina Brown: Taking on “a centuries-old institution of strong personalities, byzantine rules, a definite pecking order and mercurial public support … Brown is by turns chiding and comradely” in her examination of “how 21st-century journalism has helped reshape the wobbly contours of the British royal family.” — The New York Times