Welcome to Today in Books, our daily round-up of literary headlines at the intersection of politics, culture, media, and more.
Let’s keep it light on election day with some pleasant diversions.
Calgon, Take Me Away
I’ll let the NYT‘s Jennifer Harlan speak for all of us here:
When the real world gets to be too much, I like to lose myself in one of these reads, where the action is packed and the stakes are high but the consequences are far from our present realm.
Sound good? These fantasy books will transport you to another world.
Get a Jump on Holiday Shopping for Your Favorite Book Nerd
Oprah Daily rounds up the 50 best gifts for book lovers, and only a few of them are Oprah products. There’s also a whole section of Oprah’s Favorite Things devoted to cozy gifts this year if you’re looking for something warm and snuggly.
A Tale of Two Cruises
Let’s hop into the wayback machine and get some maximum distraction. Remember the time a reporter for Slate went on the Gone Girl cruise? That delightfully deranged piece of journalism is second only to Gary Shteyngart’s tale of spending seven nights on the biggest cruise ship ever. Those two stories combined should give you at least 30 minutes of cringing at something that isn’t election coverage.
For the Book Riot Podcast, Jeff O’Neal and I analyze the finalists for Barnes & Noble’s Book of the Year, discuss Publishers Weekly‘s list, and chat with Brooke Nagler of The Book Group about their experience breaking into the world of literary agencies.