Frilly, pink and hyper-feminine, this aesthetic is increasingly popular – why?

June 22 – July 27, 2024

May 23 – July 27, 2024

Welcome to Today in Books, our daily round-up of literary headlines at the intersection of politics, culture, media, and more.

The 2024 TikTok Award Winners

Since the biggest TikTok books sell hundreds of thousands of copies, one could argue that the cash is the prize of being a BookTok favorite. But apparently you can get a trophy too, as Rebecca Yarros did after Fourth Wing was named International Book of the Year (yes it was a 2023 release, book awards we need to speed things up). A panel came up with the finalists for the 82,000 voters to revert to the mean. The most interesting categories to me were for breakthrough author and the two creator awards.

Lewis Lapham, Giant of 20th Century Journalism, Dies

For a long time, I didn’t realize Lapham was a) a real person and b) still alive and thriving while I was first reading Harper’s 20 years ago. The name had a mythic quality to me (like Mencken or Ellison or Woolf) that I couldn’t quite believe was of the modern moment. Harper’s own notice of his life and passing exceed anything I could write here, but I will offer this one quote as tribute: “I know no other way out of what is both the maze of the eternal present and the prison of the self except with a string of words.”

Why your local indie bookstore might not have Hillbilly Elegy in stock this week (or ever).

I do not envy the task of indie booksellers in moments like these. Where there is huge interest in a book (HarperCollins says more than 600,000 copies last week. Can that be right?!), but that book…well it sucks. On several levels. And yet, you have customers who want it and bills to pay. What do you do? The most common strategy seems to be to keep it off the shelves but take special orders. And I can understand why this feels a little better than having a stack of them ready to wrap. But is it all that different, really? Did one copy not find its way into the hands of a reader that it wouldn’t have? Are the dollars you forewent, crucial dollars as bestsellers are the bedrock on which most bookstores are built, really better for the world than JD Vance getting a couple of extra bucks (remember, a bookstore gets a bigger cut of the price of a book than the author does)? These aren’t rhetorical questions. I wonder about them mostly to help indie bookstores give themselves some grace in moments like these. Whatever strategy you choose probably feels compromised. And it probably is. And you are doing the best you can.

What is Going On With Book Sales?

On the most recent episode of First Edition, I am joined by Brenna Connor, Director & Industry Analyst for U.S. books sales for Circana. She has the goods: what is selling, what is trending, how retailers are doing, and much more. I learned a TON, and I bet you will too. I am tempted to drop some numbers here, but go listen and you can hear them. Curiosity gap, baby. You can find the episode here, or anywhere you get podcasts.

We made it everyone. It’s Friday. Enjoy it by checking out what we have on offer at Book Riot today:

The Best New Books Out in August, According to Indie Booksellers

Every month, the American Booksellers Association put together a list of the top 25 new book releases of the upcoming month as their Indie Next List Preview. These are books that were nominated by booksellers at independent bookstores across the country, and they cover all genres and categories. Each book has a quote from a bookseller about why they recommend this book, and these recommendations can be printed out as “shelf-talkers” to display in store.

The Most Read Books on Goodreads This Week

Lately, the most-read books on Goodreads have stayed pretty similar from week to week. That’s why it’s surprising to see a new title in the #1 spot and a self-published book at that…

THE LORD OF THE RINGS Magic System, Explained

While The Lord of the Rings isn’t the first fantasy series in existence, it’s the archetype by which nearly all others since have been designed. Every epic fantasy since J.R.R. Tolkien’s novels set in Middle Earth has been influenced by or is outright trying to recapture the brilliance of those books.

The Ongoing Censorship of High School Advanced Placement Courses

The number of students taking AP tests has grown dramatically, especially in the last decade. This is in part due to readiness by students and in part because there are so many more subjects offered as part of the program. As of writing, there are 38 different AP subject areas ranging from art to language, science to math, literature to social sciences, history, and more. 

These Friday Check Your Shelf newsletters are where I focus on book banning news, so there’s usually not much in terms of happy updates. This is especially true this week, as NBC recently published an article about one police officer’s two-year attempt to bring charges against school librarians in Granbury, Texas. I have more information linked in the newsletter, but this is such an unhinged story that it needs to be called out specifically. And as we see more legislative attempts to criminalize librarians, we’re going to see an increasing number of law enforcement figures trying to take book banning into their own hands.

Libraries & Librarians

News Updates

The FCC has approved the final rules to support WiFi hotspots through the E-Rate program, but a lawsuit has been filed to block the expansion.

“Austin City Council approved Thursday authorizing negotiations for an extended contract with the Travis County Sheriff’s Office to support security services at Austin Public Library branches.”

Book Adaptations in the News

The adaptation of Nickel Boys will open this year’s New York Film Festival.

Colin Firth joins the cast of Young Sherlock.

Yes, I’m still talking about the top books of the 21st century, and as I mentioned last week, I wanted to highlight some of the titles that would have been on my ballot. So here is another book from my list, and this pick is one of a couple horror titles that would be on my list.

Obviously, I read a lot of horror, but, y’all, I think it’s time we all recognize the impact that horror has on literature as a whole. We all know horror is booming right now. It’s no longer niche. It’s mainstream. And some of it is thanks to books like this one. In fact, you’ve probably heard about this one before, but if you haven’t read it yet, this is your sign.

The new school year is just around the corner. Department stores are rolling out their school supplies, which are still hard for me to resist. The other day, my mom and I found a Corgi unicorn (Corgicorn?) school supplies set, and she said she had to buy it for me. So I guess I’m set then. I love notebooks, pens, and colorful tabs to take notes and annotate the books I’m reading. It helps me engage with the book’s content and remember what I’ve read.

Today, we’re delving into a couple must-read books for Disability Pride Month, new books, and bookish goods.

Bookish Goods

New Releases