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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.
Publishers See a Bright Future in the Cards
Every time I peruse publisher catalogs, I’m struck by the proliferation of products related to alternative spirituality. Tarot and oracle decks are everywhere, and their presence only seems to be increasing. Though there are only 78 cards in a tarot deck, the specialized spins are endless. Whatever you’re into, be it Beetlejuice or black cats, there’s a tarot deck tailored to your taste. What’s going on? Here’s one theory: Spirituality has always been big business for publishing, but Gen Z, which has aged into marketing’s favorite demographic zone, is notably less religious than older generations. The market for bibles, prayer guides, and daily devotionals—of which thousands are released every year—is shrinking, and publishers are responding to younger consumers’ desires for non-traditional approaches to self-knowledge and decision-making.
Live From New York
Jason Reitman’s Saturday Night, about the 1975 debut episode of Saturday Night Live, is being met with mixed reviews and—the New York Times‘s Manohla Dargis called it “a nice, safe movie about a revolution“—so we’re lucky that it is far from the only cultural document about America’s favorite weekly sketch show. Now in its fiftieth season, SNL has produced stars, scandals, and many, many books. Whether you’re in it for the history-making comedy or the celebrity gossip, you’ll find something to enjoy in these eight of the best books about Saturday Night Live. Oral history fans: don’t miss Live From New York, one of the best books I’ve read about any important piece of media.
When You Read, Do You See the Movie or Hear the Words?
If you’re a reader who sees the movie in your head when you read a book, first of all, what is that like?? It sounds like straight-up wizardry to a reader like me, who hears the words and only occasionally gets fleeting images. Second: you might really dig these six books that feel like watching a movie. I’ve read and loved three of them (Jazz, Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, and No One is Talking About This), and I’m intensely jealous of those of you who don’t have to wait for an adaptation to feel like you’re seeing a great story on screen.
South Carolina Public Library Stops Buying New Books for Minors
Regulations about library materials are vague for a reason: they allow people who want to ban and censor books useful flexibility in deciding what’s appropriate or not. They also make it damn near impossible for librarians to know how to comply with the law. And that’s why the York County Public Library in South Carolina has decided to stop acquiring new books for readers under the age of 18 until they get some clarification. As Book Riot‘s own Kelly Jensen notes, “leaning into a manufactured crisis now leaves those under 18 without much access to materials that would support their growth, learning, and acceptance of both themselves and those different from them. That is, of course, the point.”