Welcome to Today in Books, our daily round-up of literary headlines at the intersection of politics, culture, media, and more.
The Fiction Longlist for the 2024 National Book Awards
The final and most closely-watched longlist for The National Book Awards was announced this morning: the ten nominees in fiction. James is the headliner, though Martyr!, All Fours, and the newly-released Creation Lake have all been getting quite a bit of attention. I think James is the clear front-runner. Possibly the biggest surprise was a McSweeney’s title, Yr Dead by Sam Sax, making the list. I poked around to see if they had ever had a title on the list before, and while I might have missed something, I don’t think they have. I admit to having McSweeney’s blinders on, so that really struck me.
The Latest Issue of McSweeney’s Comes in a Tin Lunchbox with Author Trading Cards
As I was doing the aforementioned poking around about NBA nominees for McSweeney’s, I discovered that McSweeney’s latest issue is being sent in a faux-retro tin lunchbox with author trading cards packed in. I see that early to mid aughts cultural irony is alive and well-designed.
Netflix To Adapt Another Murder Mystery Novel From ‘The Thursday Murder Club’ Author
The Thursday Murder Club isn’t even streaming yet, and the next major Osman adaptation is underway. I am guessing that the series rights to The Thursday Murder Club were already gone, and Netflix, not wanted to be left out, decided to scoop up rights to his newest book, We Solve Murders (also a series kick-off). I barely had time to be excited for TMC before already having Osman fatigue.
Algonquin Publisher, Associate Publisher, Others Let Go as “Final Part” Of Restructuring
I don’t have anything else to say here much beyond the headline, but it is sad to see Algonquin as we knew it disappear into a big publisher. I hope someone will write long piece about its unique place in the publishing world. Perhaps it will regroup to become a signal imprint even as it is now part of a much larger machine. Odds are not amazing on that.