Australian psychologist Steven Taylor published what would turn out to be a prophetic book, and it has become like a Lonely Planet guide to the pandemic. Read more
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Category: Miscellaneous
LaKeith Stanfield will star in the new adaptation of Victor LaValle’s The Changeling
Apple TV+ today confirmed that not only has The Changeling—a fantastical urban horror drama based on Victor LaValle’s best-selling 2017 book of the same name—been given a series order, but that LaKeith Stanfield has been cast as the lead. The star of Atlanta, Sorry to Bother You, and Judas and the Black Messiah (for which he was Oscar nominated) seems (to me at least) the perfect choice to play Apollo Kagwa, a ruminative rare book dealer and anxious new father whose wife commits a terrible and incomprehensible act of violence before disappearing into the night, prompting Apollo to embark on a dangerous odyssey through New York’s supernatural underworld in an attempt to confront the supernatural evil that has torn his family apart. Read more
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Walter Mosley is writing a new The Thing series for Marvel
Another acclaimed novelist is getting into the Marvel business. Like Ta-Nehisi Coates and Benjamin Percy before him, Walter Mosley, who is primarily known for his mystery and crime fiction but who has written across multiple genres, including science fiction and erotic, is expanding his reach into the Marvel Universe. His six-issue series featuring The Thing will debut this November. Read more
The Loch Ness monster may not exist, but such mythical beasts fascinate for good reason
Sirens, mermaids, the Phoenix and the Sphinx, dragons, griffins and unicorns, the Roc, the Kraken and the Wendigo, basilisks and gorgons, vampires, werewolves and Martian invaders — as Julie Andrews once sang, these are a few of my favorite things. Read more
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‘Glass Menagerie’ where playwright once lived anchors Tennessee Williams Festival St. Louis
The Glass Menagerie, a four-character Tennessee Williams play that is ranked among his greatest, is the centerpiece of the sixth annual Tennessee Williams Festival St. Louis… Read more
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A new poll shows that most readers organize their bookshelves . . . completely randomly
Much has been made of the trend of organizing one’s books by color: some find it cute, some find it a disturbing, theatrical perversion of the insular process of reading. But despite the controversy of color-coordinated shelves, they’re not that popular: a new poll administered by YouGov has discovered that only 2% of British readers organize their bookshelves by color. Instead, by far, the most popular way of organizing one’s bookshelves is utter randomness. The YouGov poll found that a whopping 43% of bookshelf-having Britons don’t organize their bookshelves in any way; 23% organize them by genre, and 21% by size. Perhaps surprisingly, only 11% sort alphabetically by author, and only 3% sort alphabetically by title. Read more
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Adrian Tomine’s The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Cartoonist is becoming a TV series
The memoir, first published in 2020, explores Tomine’s life through a series of autobiographical sketches. When a sudden medical incident lands Tomine in the emergency room, he begins to question if it was really all worthwhile: despite the accolades and opportunities of a seemingly charmed career, it’s the gaffes, humiliations, slights, and insults he’s experienced (or caused) within the industry that loom largest in his memory. Read more
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Court Battle Begins Over Putin Book
Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich is not President Vladimir Putin’s “cashier” nor did he buy Chelsea FC as a vehicle to corrupt the West, his lawyer told England’s High Court in a defamation hearing over a book about Putin’s Russia. Read more
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Samuel French Names Heidi Schreck Honorary Off Off Broadway Short Play Festival Playwright
Established in 1975, the Off Off Broadway Short Play Festival aims to introduce the next generation of great playwrights. Writers internationally are invited to submit short works, which are traditionally performed in rep at an Off-Broadway venue. This year’s festival will be evaluated through readings only, with winners set to be announced August 12 at 4 PM ET at a free online event. Read more
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Scribd Plans to Go Public at $1 Billion Valuation
Scribed Inc., an online platform for e-books, podcasts and audio books, is in discussions to go public as soon as this year, according to people with knowledge of the matter. Read more
