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Here are the biggest bookish news stories of the past week, complete with commentary.
Working on Her Night Moves
The official trailer for Marielle Heller’s big-screen adaptation of Nightbitch by Rachel Yoder, starring Amy Adams and Scoot McNairy, has dropped, and boy is it really something. For those unfamiliar, Nightbitch is about a woman who puts her career on hold in order to have a child and—stop me if you’ve heard this one before—finds out that “motherhood is a bitch.” It’s a familiar setup that takes an original twist when the woman…maybe starts turning into a dog at night? Big swing for a novel, sure, but you can get away with a lot of weird things on the page. On screen, this will either be great or very bad. I’ve been looking forward to seeing how an adaptation would play out, and I’m sorry to say signs point to not great, Bob.
Disney Pauses Gaiman Adaptation in Response to Sexual Assault Allegations
In the two months since news of two women accusing Neil Gaiman of sexual assault first broke and was followed by two more women coming forward, I’ve spent a lot of time wondering when we would see broader coverage and if Gaiman would face any professional consequences. As Maris Kreizman points out, publishing and book media have been conspicuously quiet about these particular allegations. The whisper network is buzzing with publishing professionals’ stories about Gaiman, but none of the major industry outlets have covered the allegations (and linking to someone else’s story in a tweet doesn’t count, PW).
Now, the tide seems to be turning. Disney has “paused” production on its adaptation of The Graveyard Book, which has been plagued by a revolving door of directors since 2012. Smart money says it won’t be revived. Additionally, Netflix has announced that Dead Boy Detectives, based on Gaiman’s comic series, will not be renewed for a second season despite having been well-received by fans and critics alike. Netflix did not give a reason for the change. Will these high-profile cancellations create the permission structure publishing apparently needs to prompt a bigger conversation? Stay tuned.
Give ‘Em Something to Tok About
Rolling Stone has rounded up the 11 biggest BookTok hits of 2024 so far, and you might be surprised to learn that they’re not all romantasy. Sarah J. Maas’s A Court of Mist and Fury and Rebecca Yarros’s Fourth Wing hold down the first two spots as expected, followed by Brynne Weaver’s serial killer romance (yep, serial killers who do it is a thing) Butcher and Blackbird. Contemporary rom-coms snag a couple spots thanks to Emily Henry and Hannah Grace, and dark academia makes a good showing with The Secret History and The Atlas Six. Notably, Colleen Hoover is nowhere to be found. The algorithm, she is a fickle mistress.
The “It” Books of September
Every month, Jeff O’Neal and I play a knock-out round to identify the “it” book of the month. Ten titles enter, and one leaves victorious. September is stacked with interesting new releases, and we even surprised ourselves trying to pick the winner.