Author: Erica Ezeifedi

Welcome to Today in Books, our daily round-up of literary headlines at the intersection of politics, culture, media, and more. James Patterson Pledges $10 million to Early Adolescent Literacy Institute The mega-bestselling James Patterson has promised $10 million to his alma mater, Vanderbilt University. The institute will “work to address the increasingly urgent need for literacy training for students in grades four through eight.” It sounds like the institute plans to attack literacy issues from different angles. It will conduct research through partnerships with elementary and middle schools, run outreach programs that get parents and caregivers involved, instruct current and…

Welcome to Today in Books, our daily round-up of literary headlines at the intersection of politics, culture, media, and more. Deluxe Editions of HEATED RIVALRY Series Plus a New Cover First things first: let me just say that the series isn’t technically called “Heated Rivalry,” it’s actually called Game Changers—Heated Rivalry is the second book in the series. With that said, I understand keeping the fans salivating in between seasons of the show (season two isn’t out until 2027) with a little something extra, but this new cover feels kind of lackluster. I’m supremely over the illustrated covers of adult…

Welcome to Today in Books, our daily round-up of literary headlines at the intersection of politics, culture, media, and more. Penguin Random House’s First Quarter Was Strong Can you guess the books that drove sales the most? Internationally, For the Fans! (KPop Demon Hunters) by Angela Song sold 1.6 million copies in the U.S., U.K., Canada, Germany, and Spain; while The Correspondent by Virginia Evans sold more than 1.5 million copies in the U.S., U.K., and Australia. Stateside, leading sales were populated by books that had been adapted, such as Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir and Wuthering Heights by Emily…

Welcome to Today in Books, our daily round-up of literary headlines at the intersection of politics, culture, media, and more. We’re Getting a FOURTH WING Series Through Amazon Prime And Oscar Winner Michael B. Jordan is producing it! He’s joined by executive producer Lisa Joy (Westworld), executive producer/showrunner Meredith Averill (Wednesday), and Rebecca Yarros herself. The development of the series actually began in October 2023—a mere five months after the book was published—and has been stalled until September 2025. I haven’t actually read any of the books in The Empyrean series, but I love the excitement it’s brought about. I’m…

This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. The New York Times had me doing a double take last week with the release of their Best Books of the Year So Far list. I mean, on the one hand, I get releasing their midway list a month or so before everyone else. But still, it’s not making my sense of time any less fraught. As far as the list goes, though, there are some givens—like Tayari Jones’ Kin, Namwali Serpell’s On Morrison, and Patrick Radden Keefe’s London Falling. I’ve been hearing…

Boring Asian Female by Canwen Xu Elizabeth Zhang is unremarkable in almost every way. She’s not particularly likable, and she’s extremely plain-looking. But at least she’s smart. Smart enough, she thinks, to get into Harvard Law School. Unfortunately, the admissions office has decided otherwise, finding Elizabeth’s application not remarkable enough to merit Harvard consideration. What’s worse, Elizabeth’s classmate, Laura Kim, somehow makes the cut, and Elizabeth can’t understand why. What makes Laura so special? Curiosity drives Elizabeth to find out, following Laura as she goes about her life, noting where she goes, what she buys, and how she spends her…

This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Welcome to Today in Books, our daily round-up of literary headlines at the intersection of politics, culture, media, and more. Independent bookstores make quiet comeback as big chains dominate retail The past couple of years have felt like Big Business is winning, so I’m pleasantly surprised to see that indie stores are the ones actually having a moment. The American Booksellers Association reported that 422 new indie bookstores opened in 2025, a 31% increase from 2024. There are probably a few things we…

This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Welcome to Today in Books, our daily round-up of literary headlines at the intersection of politics, culture, media, and more. The Millions Has Released Their Spring 2026 Book Preview The Millions released their Great Spring 2026 Book review—one of their biannual Great Book Previews—just this past Friday. Right off the bat, it gets into some of our most anticipated. There’s One Leg on Earth by ‘Pemi Aguda, London Falling by Patrick Radden Keefe, Last Night in Brooklyn by Xochitl Gonzalez, and My Dear…