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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.
Judge Tosses Trump’s Case Against the NYT, PRH
A federal judge in Florida has dismissed President Donald Trump’s $15 billion lawsuit (yeah, that’s billion with a B, his feelings were very hurt) against the New York Times, four of its reporters, and Penguin Random House. Judge Steven D. Merryday described the 85-page complaint as “florid and enervating,” noting that Trump’s attorneys waited until page 80 to actually mention the defamation claims they argue were published with “actual malice” and the intent to interfere with the whiner-in-chief’s 2024 campaign. Merryday gave the Trump camp 28 days to submit a revised complaint with a max of 40 pages and reminded them that “a complaint is not a public forum for vituperation and invective.” Turns out that nuisance lawsuits are a bipartisan issue; Merryday was appointed by President George H.W. Bush.
The Effort to Save a Historic Black Bookstore
The oldest Black bookstore in Missouri closed in July after more than 40 years in business. Willa’s Books & Vinyl contained a collection of 20,000 volumes of rare and historically important books by Black authors, amassed over 60 years by owner Willa Robinson. Now, supporters of the Kansas City Defender, a news nonprofit and Black-led advocacy group, are working to transform the collection into a public archive. Executive director Ryan Sorrell told The Washington Post that the group is “thinking about ways that we can resist and fight back” against the Trump administration’s efforts to change how Black history, especially the history of slavery, is told. May their efforts succeed.
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Book Sales Down in First Half of 2025
Book sales dropped by 1.7% in the first half of year. The biggest swing came in adult fiction, down 5% after being up 11.3% in the same period last year, a total change of 16.3%. Is the romantasy juggernaut losing steam? Signs point to yes. Not even Onyx Storm‘s record-breaking sales of 2.7 million copies its first week in print can float the industry alone, and the genre hasn’t produced new authors who come anywhere close to Rebecca Yarros and Sarah J. Maas’s’s mainstream success. Paperback sales also plunged, putting up a loss of 13.9% (remember, most of Maas’s titles were in paperback years before the BookTok boom). One bright spot: digital audiobook sales continue their rise with growth of 12.1%.
The Best Cozy Mysteries to Read This Fall
It’s officially fall, and we’re ready to lean all the way in. Throw on your comfies and curl up with this collection of the best cozy mysteries of the season.