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Welcome to Today in Books, our daily round-up of literary headlines at the intersection of politics, culture, media, and more.
‘Good Omens’: Production Paused On Amazon Drama From Neil Gaiman
Good Omens, both the show and the book, is a crown-jewel in the Gaiman-verse. And so news that that season three of the show has shut down amidst mounting accusations against Gaiman are a sign that not only is this story not going away, but rather snow-balling. This Deadline piece notes that “changes to production” are being discussed to get rolling again. Take Gaiman’s name off as whatever he is being credit as for it? Some sort of PR campaign? The series has really turned into a Sheen-Tennant showcase more than a Gaiman project (we are well beyond the events in the book at this point), so maybe there is enough non-Gaiman here for the series to continue.
Nickel Boys Trailer Debuts
I think The Nickel Boys is Whitehead’s most accomplished novel and so am very much looking forward to seeing what a screen adaptation looks like. My take on the trailer is this: pretty interesting choice to shoot from the characters’ points-of-view, and I wish they hadn’t done it. It could really work, but it also could fail and/or distract from the story. (Also, did we really need to drop the definite article from the book title? Does someone have eyes on Sean Fanning?). I hope I am wrong, and it heightens rather than diminishes. As one of my ten picks for best books of the 21st Century, The Nickel Boys already has everything it needs to be great.
The 2024 National Book Awards Longlist for Young People’s Literature
It is National Book Award Long List Season and, like the Halloween candy in the grocery store seasonal aisle, it is the first salvo in the busy fall book award season. First, up: the Young Adult list. I don’t keep up with YA actively, but still was surprised to find that all ten of these authors are new to me.