It’s the day after Thanksgiving here in the US, which means I haven’t been confident about what day of the week it is since about Monday, I’ve had pie for breakfast two days in a row, and publishing news is slower than a summer Friday. Whether this email finds you basking in holiday traditions, hiding from your family, or going about your regular business, here are some diversions to help you find that TGIF feeling.

Looking for Black Friday book deals? We’ve got you.

Part Book Club, Part English Class, All Fun.

We wrapped up the first regular season of the Zero to Well-Read podcast earlier this week with a conversation about Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie, and I can’t tell you how happy spending the last several months reading truly great books and talking about them with a smart friend has made me. It has rewired my brain and reminded me of all the best parts of English class. Lock in with us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcatcher of choice.

Get a Jump on Your December TBR

Publishing slows down near the end of the year, but there are still more exciting new books than anyone can read. It’s a great problem to have, and the NYT is here to help you narrow down your list with 15 new release recommendations. I’ve got my eye on The Award by Matthew Pearl because who doesn’t love satire about the literary world?!

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The Best TV to Catch Up On This Weekend

If you’re looking for some TV to marathon in between leftovers-induced naps, look no further than NPR’s list of shows to catch up on over the long weekend. I’m happy to see The Lowdown, my favorite new show of the year, get a shout-out. Book lovers won’t want to miss Ethan Hawke as used bookstore owner and amateur investigative journalist whose heart is in the right place, even if he never quite gets things right. Come for the Peter Dinklage cameo, stay for the literary jokes. I can also vouch for Slow Horses and Pluribus.

Lesser-Known Peanuts Holiday Specials

As A Charlie Brown Christmas turns 60 this year, Eileen Gonzalez recommends some lesser-known Peanuts holiday specials. Celebrate all the things!

The post Bookish Diversions for a Long Weekend appeared first on Our Story Insight.

Erica Ezeifedi, Associate Editor, is a transplant from Nashville, TN that has settled in the North East. In addition to being a writer, she has worked as a victim advocate and in public libraries, where she has focused on creating safe spaces for queer teens, mentorship, and providing test prep instruction free to students. Outside of work, much of her free time is spent looking for her next great read and planning her next snack.

Find her on Twitter at @Erica_Eze_.

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As we enter sweater weather season, it’s time to get suited and booted (booked?…). This is a bit of a refresh and revisit of a roundup we did last year that hooked us up with the coziest bookish sweaters Etsy had to offer.

I tried to avoid repeats so you could have even more options, but I did hit a similar snag as last year, which resulted in there not being many items that were both bookish and holiday-specific that weren’t Christmas or Thanksgiving-themed. Still, there are a couple of options that are not specific to any one holiday, and even a few that combine some seemingly disparate themes in a fun way.

Many of the sweaters come in colors different from the ones shown, so make sure to toggle till you get your desired hue. And a number of them are also on sale, so get those discounts while they last!

Image courtesy of NguyenLyCreations on Etsy

North Pole Book Club: Listen, starting a little winter-only, “North Pole”-themed book club for the holiday season might not be such a bad idea. Hot chocolate and lots of cookies would need to be present for discussions, of course. And this sweatshirt. $26

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Image courtesy of NatureCraftingArt on Etsy

Embroidered Dragon Sleigh Sweatshirt: This dragony sweatshirt is the first of a couple of items in this list that merge seemingly non-holiday things (like dragons) with holiday things. I, for one, am always here for a good genre-blending, so to speak. $42

Image courtesy of GiftsVietnamStudio on Etsy

My Holidays Are Booked Embroidered Sweatshirt: This sweater is festive and able to be applied to different holidays. $16+

Image courtesy of TrendTeeTerritory on Etsy

Very Merry Bookmas Sweatshirt: Hopefully, we can all visit a cozy little indie bookstore like the one pictured on this sweater during the holidays (and after). $29

Vintage Halloween Sweatshirt ’90s Haunted Bookstore: For you spookier girls (inclusive), your #1 holiday just passed, but you can still keep cozy as the rest of the year’s holidays come and go in this retro-themed sweatshirt. $53

Image courtesy of FeralBlueDesigns on Etsy

Season’s Readings Sweatshirt: Here’s another sweatshirt whose message could be applied to different holidays. Maroon might be my favorite color it comes in, though there are others to choose from. $35+

Image courtesy of BookishByBrandy on Etsy

Home For the Holidays Bookish Sweatshirt: More dragons-plus-Christmas designs, which is such an interesting combo. I am absolutely here for it, however. Bonus points for this particular scene taking place in Romantasy Land. $35+

Image courtesy of StyleDarlingDesigns on Etsy

Bookish Thanksgiving Crewneck Sweater: Truth be told, I’ve been in my Grateful Bookworm EraTM, now it’s just extra seasonal. $46+

Image courtesy of AndrzSokolowski on Etsy

Book Lovers Christmas Ugly Sweater: I know this style of sweater is now called “ugly,” but I think it’s adorable…While I contemplate what that says about my fashion sense, you can get this for adults or kids, just in time to wear it to an Ugly Sweater Holiday event. $37

Bookish Ghost Christmas Sweatshirt: We’re ending on another crossing of the genres! The combination of Christmas tings, cute ghosties, and Pepto Pink is reminding me of certain John Waters and Tim Burton movies from the ’90s. $16+

Now that you’re good and cozy, you’ll need something to read. How about these nonfiction books for Nonfiction November, or these new books out this month?

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Kristian Wilson Colyard grew up weird in a one-caution-light town in the Appalachian foothills. She now lives in an old textile city with her husband and their clowder of cats. She’s on Twitter @kristianwriting, and you can find more of her work online at kristianwriting.com.

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The running joke about book clubs being primarily to schmooze and booze it up may not be entirely accurate, but that doesn’t mean you can’t — or shouldn’t — turn each meeting into a mini party. I have got some great pieces of bookish barware for you to check out below.

But, you protest, my book club doesn’t even drink! Well, you’ll be happy to know that the driest reading groups can benefit from having some fun barware floating around their meetings. Even if you don’t indulge, the drinking vessels and accessories on the list below will bring some much-needed pizzazz to your next get-together. And that’s something we can all get behind, right?

Now, I am not saying the reason your last book club failed was due to your unimaginative drinkware. What I am saying is that the rosé tastes better when it’s sipped out of a fancy — or at least attractive — glass. That’s just science!

All that being said, let’s talk about what you will find here. Whether you’re into an ultra-niche subgenre or striving for the widest possible appeal, you’re in good hands. (And congratulations on knowing exactly what you are all about!)

Regardless of the vibe your reading group is aiming for, trust me when I say that there is something for you on this list. I have picked out whimsical swizzle sticks, fandom glasses, classics-inspired drink coasters, and even a little something for the horror fans in the audience.

Best of all, these affordable bits and baubles get you the most bang for your book-buying buck. There are absolutely no losers here…well, except for the fools who want to keep their potentially grand book clubs all boring and grey.

Below, check out the best bookish barware pieces guaranteed to zhuzh up your next book club meeting.

Bookish Barware for Your Next Book Club Meeting

For horror lovers, there’s this personalized tumbler inspired by The Shining. Get it for yourself or the forever-put-upon host. $35

I’m in love with these bookish swizzle sticks — and I don’t even drink! They’re just so much fun, and at this low price point, they make a neat little treat for anyone who loves books. $16

Glass cans are all the rage on the barware scene right now, so don’t sleep on these glass cans featuring bookish tarot card designs. $14

If your book club isn’t afraid not to take itself too seriously, consider getting this serving tray decorated with lesbian pulp novel covers. It’s kitschy-campy in all the best possible ways. $54

Anne of Green Gables fans, rejoice! This customizable raspberry cordial glass will delight your book club friends. $25

For the classics fans, there are these lovely Jane Austen novel coasters. They’re sure to make you feel like you’re schmoozing in a big, Beauty and the Beast-esque library, even if you’re just in your bestie’s living room. $29

A Court of Thorns and Roses merch is everywhere, but these ACOTAR-inspired pint glasses really stand out from the crowd. $26

These miniature book nooks may be a bit spendy, but they’re great for small book clubs. And with a dedicated space for your cocktail, they make fantastic entertaining accessories as well. $63

One of the most affordable items on this list is this three-piece set of bookish shot glasses, which is just too fun to overlook. $15

I know stemless wine glasses are the drinkware of choice right now, but hear me out. These wine charms, perfect for book lovers, are too cute. $19

Want more bookish goods to add to your shopping list? Check out these bookish annotation tools and planner supplies.

The post Bookish Barware for Your Next Book Club Meeting appeared first on Our Story Insight.

Here are the stories Today in Books readers were most interested in this week. Settle into your Sunday and catch up!

A Wealth of Summer Releases From the NYT

Between our own list of the best beach reads of all time (more on that below) and the New York Times lists of novels and nonfiction out this summer, it’s apparent that we all want you to have a great upcoming reading season. Highlights from the list of novels include a new Taylor Jenkins Reid because what’s a summer without a TJR novel, the highly anticipated Flashlight by Susan Choi and King of Ashes by S.A. Cosby and Katabasis by R.F. Kuang. And on the nonfiction list, we’ve got How to Lose Your Mother by Molly Jong-Fast, daughter of feminist icon Erica Jong, Blessings and Disasters by Alexis Okeowo, and The Dry Season by Melissa Febos. The good books can’t stop won’t stop and I’m pleased as punch about it. Check out the full list of novels out this summer and nonfiction out this summer.

A Megalist of New LGBTQ+ Books

Goodreads has a massive list of 135 LGBTQ+ fiction, nonfiction, and YA books just in time for Pride. These are books that published in January through early June, so you can catch up on any titles that might’ve flown under your radar this first half of the year. My standouts include The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong, Stag Dance by Torrey Peters, Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid (who recently came out as bisexual), When the Harvest Comes by Denne Michele Norris (which is on my fantasy league book draft), and Good Girl by Aria Aber (also on my fantasy draft), but there really is an embarrassment of riches here. Check out the full list at Goodreads.

Politics Can Now Dictate Public Library Collections in Three States

A group of library patrons in a Texas county sued when books were removed from the Llano County Public Library based on their contents, arguing that it curtailed their First Amendment rights. The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals “held that library books are government speech and thus, not subject to the Free Speech clause.” And to that I say, in what world? Read more about how this ruling affects states beyond Texas, and opens the door to more rampant and taxpayer-funded censorship.

Readers Discover AI Prompt in Novel

Between that Chicago-Sun Times story and this one about an author who left an AI prompt in her romantasy novel, AI use is getting as messy as we thought it would. Readers of Lena McDonald’s Darkhollow Academy: Year 2 took to social to point out the prompt, which, Futurism reports, not only asked for a rewrite but a rewrite in fellow romantasy author J. Bree’s voice (the prompt has since been deleted). I’ve written before about the pace of publishing to meet demand, especially in the romantasy genre, and I don’t assume this is an isolated incident. Futurism‘s Victor Tangermann points to additional instances of AI-generated works and the proliferation of AI books on Amazon, and there are certainly undiscovered, more expertly disguised instances we haven’t yet identified. It’s easy to understand readers’ frustration–it’s the human touch and unique perspectives I and others are questing for, not an AI masquerade.

The Best Beach Reads of All Time

Need a beachy read for the summer? Our whole team of editorial staff and contributors got together to curate a list of 50 of the best beach reads of all time for your summer reading list. We considered not only our personal favorites, but also the beach reads canon. We also used the broadness of the category to gather a list that, we hope, has books for just about every kind of reader. So take a gander and get your summer reading list a glow up.

The comments section is moderated according to our community guidelines. Please check them out so we can maintain a safe and supportive community of readers!

The post The Biggest Bookish News We Covered This Week appeared first on Our Story Insight.

Carolina Ciucci is a teacher, writer and reviewer based in the south of Argentina. She hoards books like they’re going out of style. In case of emergency, you can summon her by talking about Ireland, fictional witches, and the Brontë family. Twitter: @carolinabeci

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Nancy Meyers is famed far and wide for her movie interiors. Described as “both aspirational and accessible,” they have been wowing viewers since the ’90s, when she directed The Parent Trap remake. Now, I’m no interior designer, so I can’t talk to you about color palettes or textures, but I don’t think it matters. It’s not about the specifics, it’s about the vibes. Nancy Meyers movie sets always feel, to me, like a decadent glass of wine consumed on a terrace overlooking the ocean, feeling the last rays of sun drifting through the clouds and warming my skin.

This is a very long way of saying: I would very happily live in one of Nancy Meyers’ movie sets if I could. (I would’ve once said Iris’s cottage, but I’m leaning towards Jules’ brownstone now.) I wouldn’t miss my books too much, since her characters all seem to be big readers in their own right, and there are plenty of books and bookish items to go around: consider the built-in bookshelves (sigh) and book piles scattered throughout. Books, in a Nancy Meyers movie, are decoration as much as they are information and entertainment.

Do you feel the same? Then come along on my quest to ornament my home with bookish Nancy Meyers-ish décor. It’s complicated, you say? Maybe, but something’s gotta give, right? Oh, just play along, you’ll feel like you’re on a holiday once we’re done.

(I’m sorry, but how could I not?)

Photo via WallArtsDecorShop on Etsy

We can’t all be Erica Barry and have built-in bookshelves, but we can definitely decorate our walls with a floor-to-ceiling bookshelf wallpaper. $32+

Photo via Intriquor on Etsy

I long for Ben Whittaker’s briefcase. But since it’s not available, how about we channel his spirit and use a brass paperweight on our desks? $40+

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Photo via BrittMillsDesign on Etsy

Speaking of our desks, what about a gorgeous desk mat that looks like it could’ve come straight out of About the Fit? $32+

Photo via Print3DverseShop on Etsy

If you’re anything like me and ever dreamed of spending a cozy night in at Iris’s cottage, this 3D-printed Rosehill Cottage Replica Model would make for a lovely way to decorate your bookshelf. $121

Photo via SekvoiaLeather on Etsy

This personalized recipe book would be in Jane Adler’s kitchen, and you can’t convince me otherwise. $33+

Photo via GrindRoyale on Etsy

Do you also hang pretty tote bags around the house? Then, by all means, consider this lovely Parker Knoll Vineyard tote bag. $19+

The post 10 Bookish Items to Decorate Your House Like a Nancy Meyers Movie appeared first on Our Story Insight.

Thomson Reuters Wins AI Copyright Suit

In what has the potential to be a landmark decision, Thomson Reuters has won the first major AI copyright case in the U.S. The media and technology holding company filed suit against Ross Intelligence, a legal AI startup, in 2020, alleging that Ross reproduced documents from Westlaw, a legal research firm in its holdings. In a summary judgment, US District Court of Delaware judge Stephanos Bibas found in Thomson Reuters’ favor, stating that, “None of Ross’s possible defenses holds water. I reject them all.” Ouch.

Here’s what publishing will be paying most attention to: key to the ruling is Bibas’s determination that Ross Intelligence’s use of copyrighted material fell outside the protections of the fair use doctrine. This doesn’t bode well for other AI companies facing similar suits, as fair use is a linchpin of their defenses for things like, oh, you know, using copyrighted material from 183,000 books to train large language models. This is an encouraging result, but don’t pop your bottles just yet. We are still in the early days of what is certain to be a years-long process, this ruling will almost certainly be appealed, the law remains years behind AI’s development, and the current administration seems pretty friendly to tech’s “move fast and break things” approach. One to watch, for sure.

Data Show Comics & Graphic Novels Are Good for Kids

Sales of graphic novels have nearly doubled in the last five years, making them one of the most popular genres in the publishing industry. Only romance and general fiction perform better. Young readers are a key driver of the trend, as recent surveys show a 69% increase in the popularity of graphic novels among elementary school children. The boom is great news for the books business, but a majority of school librarians report that teachers and parents remain skeptical and “don’t think it’s a legitimate form of literature.” Handwringing over comics is nothing new, but it is likely unnecessary. While parents and educators have good reason to be concerned about kids’ literacy—research shows sharp declines in both reading frequency and enjoyment as students age from elementary school to high school—a 2023 survey from the National Literacy Trust found that kids who read comics and graphic novels for leisure were twice as likely as those who don’t read the genre to report that they 1) enjoyed reading and 2) felt that they were good readers. How about them apples.

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Fare Thee Well, Tom Robbins

The novelist Tom Robbins has died at the age of 92. Known for infusing his work with humor and whimsy, Robbins penned bestsellers—Even Cowgirls Get the Blues, Skinny Legs and All, Jitterbug Perfume—in addition to essays that revealed a voracious curiosity. Robbins, who was aware that “establishment critics…write me off as a counterculture writer,” knew his work was about much more than LSD-fueled imagery and countercultural themes. As professor Catherine E. Hoyser, who once wrote a guide to Robbins’s work for her students, told NPR, “People who believed that he was a drug-taking bon-vivant that wasn’t particularly serious in his work actually don’t pay attention to the profound nature underneath that humor.” Those who read more closely will see that Robbins “was an advocate for feminism, social justice and the environment.”

Goodbye, Goodreads

Book lovers have a lot of reasons to be disillusioned with Goodreads. If you’re looking for an alternative, here are five new reading tracker apps to try.

The post The Biggest Bookish News of the Week appeared first on Our Story Insight.

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The post 10 of the Most Popular Bookish News Stories of 2024 appeared first on Our Story Insight.

Here’s a look back at the news stories Today in Books readers were most interested in this week.

The New York Times Picks Its 10 Best Books of 2024

If there is a list you want to be on at the end of the year as an author, it is this one. Less expansive than the 100 Notable books lists, which is arguably more interesting just for the range, the 10 best list is the NYT’s real stamp of approval. It can help sometimes in the course of reading the NYT’s book reviews to have a sense of how good the reviewer themselves thinks the book is, but this list leaves no doubt. Quite humorously, or maddeningly depending on your angle, the list includes a couple of books we confessed to not loving on the Book Riot podcast (All Fours and Good Material), but taste is subjective of course. And I think if there were a single, last-work standing award, it goes to James. Why not go the extra mile, NYT?

What Will Enter the Public Domain in 2025?: A Festive Countdown

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Works by Matisse, Faulkner, Woolf and bunch of others. Well-packaged resource that is now in my bookmarks.

Taylor Swift’s Book is a Sales Smash

Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour book is far and away the fast-selling book of the year according to Circana, and is the second fastest non-fiction title in their records, outpaced only by Barack Obama’s A Promised Land in 2020. Two notes even on that. First, Swift’s book was only available at Target, and that surely cost Swift some first-week copies. The harder-core folks clearly went to Target, but there are a lot of sales floating around for people in B&N and Wal-Mart and indies, etc. Second, as far as I am aware, there was no pre-ordering available for The Eras Tour. Giant releases like this often bank a significant number of first-week sales as pre-orders, since those pre-orders are not “realized” until the book is actually out. Combined, I wonder what these two factors mean for what the book’s first-week ceiling actually was. Could it have been twice as big? 1.6 million? I think so.

The Best Gifts for Readers This Year

Not a book to behold, as the safest way to go when giving a book lover a gift is to….give them a book you know they want. Short of that, a book-related gift can be more fun and surprising. So if you have a reader on your list (or have need of a list to forward would-be givers), Book Riot’s 2024 gift guide is for you.

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The post The Week’s Biggest Bookish News Stories appeared first on Our Story Insight.