Citizen Reading: 22 January 2018.
22 January 2018
A weekly selection of reading and book news, sometimes with completely inappropriate commentary.
What books did President Trump tweet about in 2017?
A new Harry Potter mobile game is coming.
2018 Edgar Awards: Nominees.
Using nonfiction in book clubs for teens.
Encouraging middle-schoolers to choose books.
Guiding readers by interests, not levels.
Children's book author Julius Lester: has died.
Peter Mayle: Obituary.
Author Elena Ferrante will write a weekly column for The Guardian.
Jumanji is doing well at the box office.
TNT's adaptation of Caleb Carr's The Alienist premieres tonight (Monday, 1/22).
Paul Rudd's latest movie, based on a true story, is not doing well, and that makes me sad, because I LOVE PAUL RUDD. The word at Sundance about an adaptation of a Nick Hornby novel, Juliet, Naked, however, is good.
PBS will be showing a new multi-part documentary about the role of reading in American culture.
NONFICTION BOOK NEWS
Fire and Fury sold over 190,000 copies in one week. (You want the digested read? See Matt Taibbi.) And, Jesus, we're watching this book in REAL LIFE. Do we really need to see the TV movie version?
This book looks quite interesting: Uneasy Peace: The Great Crime Decline, The Renewal of City Life, and the Next War on Violence. Although the scariest part of that article is that there were 650 homicides in Chicago last year? And that was an improvement? Fuck, man.
Hot trend in kids' publishing: biographies of women.
Melba Pattillo Beals was just on NPR; her memoir Warriors Don't Cry is an awesome read, if you haven't read it yet.
I MUST get this new book about the dangers of implanted medical devices, even though I'm pretty sure it's going to totally freak me out.
Daniel Pink has a new book out: When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing.
New York Times: The story of a woman abducted by Islamic militants; on the lives of child prodigies. Hmmm. Either I missed some NYTimes links this week or they didn't review much nonfiction.
BOOK LISTS
Booklist: Best new books the week of Jan. 15.
The Week: 21 books to read in 2018.
33 titles to jump-start Black History Month.
Forbes: 3 books to help develop your self-awareness.
Paste Magazine: Best YA books of January.
Bad Feeling Magazine: Favorite Pop Culture books of 2017.
MY READING NOTES
My Reading Year 2018 continues to be Blahsville. I'm dipping in and out of some finance and parenting books, most of which tell me what I already know: make more money and be a better parent. (Sigh. Both of those things sound like a lot of work.) I am not in the mood for anything. I am instead pounding episodes of the British mystery classics A Touch of Frost and Midsomer Murders. Both of those series are excellent for taking your mind off January weather, January blahs, and a new year already filled with not keeping any new resolutions. Yay British TV, helping me avoid reality since at least 1999.
AND NOW, YOUR OBLIGATORY NEIL GAIMAN LINK*
Neil Gaiman reads Edgar Allan Poe.
*Many thanks to one of my favorite readers (you know who you are) for sending this in.