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Awards & News

Julia Armfield wins the overall 2023 Polari Prize for Our Wives Under the Sea (Picador). Jon Ransom wins the first book prize for The Whale Tattoo (Muswell), which has been optioned for a film adaptation.  

Book Riot and the EveryLibrary Institute have released the results of a new survey on parent perceptions of librarians, indicating high levels of trust in library workers.

A Dutch version of Omid Scobie’s Endgame: Inside the Royal Family and the Monarchy’s Fight for Survival (Dey Street) has been pulled due to a controversial translation error, BBC reports.

Apple unveils its top books of 2023 and a new “Year in Review” experience. Top picks include Prince Harry’s memoir Spare (Random; LJ starred review) and Rebecca Yarros’s Fourth Wing (Entangled: Red Tower).

A new study reveals that “almost a million children in the UK do not own a book.” The Guardian reports. 

A “Booker judge admits it’s nearly impossible to read ALL the books,” LitHub relates.

Reviews

Washington Post reviews Endgame: Inside the Royal Family and the Monarchy’s Fight for Survival by Omid Scobie (Dey Street): “Whatever this book gets right about the unsustainability of palace infighting or blind spots, it is not a playbook for a royal path forward”; and How Infrastructure Works: Inside the Systems That Shape Our World by Deb Chachra (Riverhead): “Reading it is like taking a stroll with a friend who knows exactly what every obscure marking on the street means: underground sewage pipes, century-old markers left by U.S. Geological Survey workers or buried electrical cables. But this book isn’t a ‘how it works’ manual to your city. Instead, it’s a passionate argument for the political necessity of functioning infrastructure.”

The Guardian reviews Absolution by Alice McDermott (Farrar): “Absolution is a masterclass in point of view and thorny characterisation. McDermott captures the convolutions of social dynamics and the mutability of memory with brilliant aplomb and attention to detail.”

Briefly Noted

LibraryReads and LJ offer read-alikes for The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose (Ballantine; LJ starred review), the top holds title of the week.

LJ has new prepub alerts.

NYT has an interview with Toni Tipton-Martin about her new book, Juke Joints, Jazz Clubs, and Juice: Cocktails from Two Centuries of African American Cookbooks (Clarkson Potter; LJ starred review). 

The Rumpus talks with James Beard Award–winning author Kim Foster about her new book, The Meth Lunches: Food and Longing in an American City (St. Martin’s).

People shares an excerpt from Welcome to the O.C.: The Oral History by Josh Schwartz, Stephanie Savage & Alan Sepinwall (Mariner). EW also has details from the book. 

Entertainment Weekly shares Family Feud details from Kliph Nesteroff’s new book, Outrageous: A History of Showbiz and the Culture Wars (Abrams). People also reports on the claims that the game show’s contestants had to take herpes tests.

Savannah Guthrie announces her forthcoming faith-based book, Mostly What God Does: Reflections on Seeking and Finding His Love Everywhere, due out from Thomas Nelson in February. USA Today reports. 

Patricia Cornwell talks with People about listening to Bigfoot 911 calls for her new book, Unnatural Death (Grand Central).

LA Times shares 10 books to read in December. 

AARP has top audiobook recommendations for gifting and listening.

Tor.com shares “Five Excellent Norse Fiction Books From Indie Publishers.”

CrimeReads highlight 7 cozy mysteries set in the fall.

ElectricLit suggests “10 Memoirs and Essay Collections by Black Women.”

Authors on Air

NPR’s Fresh Air talks with author Joy Buolamwini about the new book Unmasking AI: My Mission To Protect What Is Human in a World of Machines (Random).

NPR’s Code Switch discusses Shahnaz Habib’s new book, Airplane Mode: An Irreverent History of Travel (Catapult). 

Jon Ransom’s Polari Prize–winning debut novel The Whale Tattoo will be adapted for film, Deadline reports.

Paul Greengrass is set to direct a film adaptation of T.J. Newman’s novel Drowning: The Rescue of Flight 1421 (Avid Reader; LJ starred review). Deadline has the news.

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