{"id":7387,"date":"2026-09-28T09:30:00","date_gmt":"2026-09-28T09:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/?p=7387"},"modified":"2026-09-28T09:30:00","modified_gmt":"2026-09-28T09:30:00","slug":"%f0%9f%93%9a-thoughtful-and-at-times-provocative","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/?p=7387","title":{"rendered":"\ud83d\udcda Thoughtful and at times provocative"},"content":{"rendered":"
September 28, 2026View Online<\/a> | <\/span>Join All Access<\/a> | <\/span>Listen<\/a><\/span><\/a>\n

Hats off to John Green<\/strong>, who set a world record<\/a> for signing the most tip-in sheets of any author in their lifetime. (These are pages that get inserted into finished copies of books after printing.) The author, currenty promoting his adult debut, Hollywood Ending<\/a><\/em>, has put his John Hancock onto 875,557 tip-ins, and that\u2019s not even counting the floppity jillion books he\u2019s signed at events over his decades-long career. <\/p>\n

Spread the word.<\/strong> Share this email<\/a> with friends.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

THE HEADLINE<\/span><\/a>\n

Everything we know about the Atmosphere adaptation<\/h1>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Worldwide rights <\/strong>to the adaptation of Taylor Jenkins Reid\u2019s latest, Atmosphere<\/a><\/em>, have been claimed by Black Bear Pictures. The distribution news<\/a> dropped late last week. Black Bear, by the way, is the production company behind the Train Dreams<\/a><\/em> adaptation\u2026and Wicker<\/em>.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re just catching up<\/strong> on this TJR adaptation, here\u2019s what we know about it so far:<\/p>\n

Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck (the duo behind Captain Marvel<\/em>) will write and direct the feature film.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s in development at LAIKA Live Action (the studio is also developing the adaptations of Exit Party<\/a><\/em> by Emily St. John Mandel and Audition<\/a><\/em> by Katie Kitamura).<\/p>\n

Jenkins Reid is acting as a producer.<\/p>\n

Atmosphere<\/em> follows Joan Goodwin who falls in love with her colleague, Vanessa Ford, when they\u2019re selected for a 1984 NASA space mission.<\/p>\n

This is not TJR\u2019s first adaptation rodeo<\/strong>. Atmosphere<\/em> will join six more completed and in progress adapted works:<\/p>\n

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo<\/a><\/em> (Netflix film, in development<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Forever, Interrupted<\/a><\/em> (Netflix limited series, in development<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Carrie Soto is Back<\/a><\/em> (Netflix series, in development<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Malibu Rising<\/a><\/em> (Hulu series, in early development<\/a> purgatory)<\/p>\n

One True Loves<\/a><\/em> (feature film, April 2023)<\/p>\n

Daisy Jones & the Six<\/a><\/em> (Prime Video limited series, March 2023)<\/p>\n

Whew, she is one busy author. Learn more<\/a> about Atmosphere<\/em> and why it\u2019s worth the hype. \u2013 SZW<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

ON AIR<\/span><\/a>\n

We listened to Obama\u2019s books podcast<\/h1>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Reader-in-Chief<\/strong> Barack Obama released all six episodes (chapters?) of his new podcast (audiobook?), A Great Book<\/a><\/strong><\/em>, in one fell swoop last week.<\/p>\n

Each episode finds the former president in conversation with a great artist\/writer\/thinker about a book that changed the way he sees the world. <\/p>\n

The series opens strong<\/strong> with Obama and America\u2019s other dad, Tom Hanks, discussing Marilynne Robinson\u2019s Gilead<\/a><\/em>. The pair reflect on faith, fatherhood, fiction\u2019s ability to impart moral framework, and the magic of ordinary time.<\/p>\n

Things get heavier<\/strong> in the next episode, in which Obama and Ta-Nehisi Coates take on James Baldwin\u2019s The Fire Next Time<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a thoughtful and at times provocative consideration of a challenging and important work. Coates isn\u2019t afraid to ask tough questions, and the often circumspect Obama responds with unexpected candor. <\/p>\n

Watch our conversation<\/strong> about the Obama podcast project, the week\u2019s biggest adaptation news, and more on the Book Riot Podcast<\/a>, now available on YouTube.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/a><\/a><!–<\/a><\/a><\/div>\n
LITERARY ACTIVISM<\/span><\/a>\n

You\u2019re joining the Harry Potter backlash already in progress<\/h1>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

J. K. Rowling\u2019s name was once synonymous with one of the most beloved franchises in history: Harry Potter. Now, though, she spends most of her time online attacking trans women<\/a> (or women she suspects are trans<\/a>). <\/p>\n

She puts her money where her mouth is, donating<\/a> to anti-trans organizations to lobby against trans rights.<\/p>\n

There are some simple ways to prioritize the safety, well-being, and rights of trans people over any lingering Harry Potter nostalgia you might have, including not spending money on Harry Potter and boycotting the HBO adaptation.<\/p>\n

That just scratches the surface, though. If we want to counteract the marketing power behind the HBO adaptation, we need to get loud. <\/p>\n

Here are three ways the Harry Potter backlash has already begun, ahead of the adaptation.<\/p>\n

Byrd Theatre held a marathon of all eight Harry Potter movies, which sparked a boycott<\/a>. They closed the comments on their Instagram posts after receiving criticism, but the damage was already done: 20 businesses withdrew from their upcoming events in response. This kind of organized, targeted boycott can be extremely effective.<\/p>\n

r\/Crafts, a massive subreddit with hundreds of thousands of users, has banned<\/a> all crafts related to Harry Potter and\/or J. K. Rowling. These kinds of policies do a few things at once: they prevent the brand from getting free publicity, and they reinforce the link between Harry Potter and Rowling\u2019s bigotry, making the IP less attractive.<\/p>\n

Bookish Type, a queer bookstore in Leeds, has a fundraiser where you can pay \u00a31 to deface a page from Harry Potter<\/a>: \u201ctaking cathartic revenge and funding trans healthcare!\u201d<\/p>\n

How can you contribute?<\/strong> These are just a few examples, but it will depend on your context. Consider where you can make the biggest difference, both online and in person. <\/p>\n

The Harry Potter backlash has been happening for years, but expect it to heat up in the coming months. I hope to see you there. \u2014DE<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

NOSTALGIACORE<\/span>\n

The magazines that peppered millennial childhood<\/h1>\n

There aren\u2019t as many print magazines for children and tweens as there once were. Sure, you can still subscribe to Ranger Rick <\/em>or Nat Geo Kids<\/em> and others, but some of the most beloved periodicals of millennial and Gen X youth have become but fond memories.<\/p>\n

But one intrepid former editor for American Girl<\/em> magazine hopes she can help bring back that particular gem. Aubre Andrus is currently campaigning to get Mattel to bring the publication back<\/strong>, and you can follow her journey on social media<\/a>. She\u2019s shared some fun insider intel about the mag, including that the beloved Care and Keeping Of You<\/em> book\u2014which has sold over six million copies<\/strong>\u2014was born out of the magazine\u2019s \u201cHelp\u201d column.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Those efforts are a reminder of some of the gems the \u201990s and early \u201900s had when it came to children\u2019s and tween magazines:\u00a0<\/p>\n

American Girl<\/em> magazine published from 1993 to 2019. A branch of the beloved doll and book company, what made the magazine so radical is that it was advertisement-free from day one<\/strong>. This one targeted girls between 8 and 14, and it was packed with crafts, activities, advice columns, articles, and more.<\/p>\n

Dinosaurs!<\/em> Magazine ran for over 100 issues, ending in 1995. This UK magazine was also released in the US, and each issue focused on a single dinosaur. There were 3D comics, images, and facts about that particular species. Some issues even included activities that let you build your own dino.<\/p>\n

Zillions<\/em> magazine was the children\u2019s spinoff of Consumer Reports<\/em>, and it published from 1993 to 2000. This advertisement-free magazine was developed with children, and its pages included stories about budgeting and saving, reviews of products for kids (so kids<\/em> could decide whether or not to spend their money on them!), and dove deep into things like how advertisements can manipulate you. It was kid-tested and kid-approved<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Let yourself fall down the childhood memory hole with even more nostalgic children\u2019s magazines<\/a> and nostalgic teen magazines<\/a>.\u00a0 \u2013 KJ<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/a><\/a><!–<\/a><\/a><\/div>\n
SFF YEAH<\/span>\n

5 Excellent Sci-Fi and Fantasy Mysteries<\/h1>\n

What\u2019s better than a good whodunit?<\/strong> A whodunit with demons, monsters, sorceresses, and space ships, of course! Here are five fantastic sci-fi and fantasy books that dip into the mystery genre, courtesy of Liberty Hardy.<\/p>\n

The Affair of the Mysterious Letter<\/a><\/em> by Alexis Hall<\/strong> \u2013\u00a0 A fun fantasy novel that reimagines Arthur Conan Doyle\u2019s most famous characters, and where the detective is a sorceress.<\/p>\n

The Spare Man<\/a><\/em> by Mary Robinette Kowal <\/strong>\u2013 A famous inventor and heiress is traveling on a space liner when her honeymoon is interrupted by a murder.<\/p>\n

The Shamshine Blind<\/a><\/em> by Paz Pardo<\/strong> \u2013 In a sci-noir story set in an alternate United States where emotions have been weaponized, an agent is investigating the black market sale of chemical weapons.<\/p>\n

Even Though I Knew the End<\/a><\/em> by C. L. Polk<\/strong> \u2013 A dark queer fantasy set in a magical Chicago steeped in magic about a detective who sold her soul to save her brother\u2019s life, but has more to lose now that she\u2019s fallen in love\u2026<\/p>\n

The Intuitionist<\/a><\/em> by Colson Whitehead<\/strong> \u2013 An elevator inspector who can perform safety checks by using her powers of intuition is framed for an accident she had no hand in. <\/p>\n

Read more about each SFF mystery<\/a>. \u2014VD<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

LISTS<\/span><\/a>\n

Books that complicate motherhood<\/h1>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

photo credit: Sylvie Rosokoff<\/em><\/small><\/p>\n

Sarah Blakley-Cartwright<\/strong><\/em> <\/strong>is the author of<\/em> Heavy Cream<\/a>, a novel about a teenage girl finding mother figures in unconventional places. It\u2019s out tomorrow from Simon & Schuster<\/em>. Below, Sarah Blakley-Cartwright recommends four books that complicate motherhood.<\/em><\/p>\n

Mom & Me & Mom<\/a><\/em> by Maya Angelou:<\/strong> Motherhood, in this telling, is not something fixed, either by biology or destiny. Rather than something that, once abandoned, must be permanently forfeited, motherhood is conceived of in this story as a relationship that can be built even belatedly, with enough attention and instructive, thoughtful action.<\/p>\n

A Woman\u2019s Battles and Transformations<\/a><\/em> by \u00c9douard Louis: <\/strong>\u00c9douard Louis\u2019s mother embodies a version of motherhood as something forged under titanic economic, social, and bodily pressures. She is a woman shaped by circumstance, a victim of structural forces, who then caused great damage to her young sons in turn. And yet, in a stunning reversal, the mother reveals herself not to be so stable, as she commits to actively reshaping herself. The story of motherhood, here, becomes something revisable.<\/p>\n

The Liars\u2019 Club<\/a><\/em> by Mary Karr:<\/strong> Mary Karr\u2019s mother is glamorous, gun-wielding, alcoholic, and enigmatic, having been married and divorced six times in the marshy oil-refinery town of Leechfield, East Texas, twice to the girls\u2019 father. The reader misses her anytime she is not on the page. No mind that her daughters wonder if she might shoot them as they sleep. This mother cannot be reduced. The book never attempts to resolve her. She is dangerous, funny, depressive, and magnetic. And you miss her when she\u2019s gone.<\/p>\n

Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit<\/a><\/em> by Jeanette Winterson: <\/strong>Jeanette Winterson\u2019s mother exerts a totalizing influence. In an almost godlike way, the mother both creates and enforces, only allowing her daughter to glimpse certain parts of the world, permitting only those realities that align with her vision. Separation, ultimately, between the two becomes immensely fraught, as it is not only emotional but ontological. Attempting to leave her mother requires the daughter to reinvent the world.<\/p>\n

<\/em> This is an excerpt: check out Sarah Blakley-Cartwright\u2019s full thoughts on each of these books at Book Riot<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

<\/a><\/a><!–<\/a><\/a><\/div>\n
HAPPY BIRTHDAY<\/span>\n

Jonathan Evison (September 28th)<\/h1>\n

Did you know?<\/strong> In 2021, more than 400 students in Fairfax, VA protested the removal of Evison\u2019s novel, Lawn Boy<\/em>, from district schools. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

CRITICAL LINKING<\/span>\n

You are now free to roam about the internet<\/h1>\n

Booksmaxx your travel with a stay at one of the world\u2019s most literary hotels.<\/a><\/p>\n

Austenites, this one\u2019s for you: which Dashwood sister<\/a> are you?<\/p>\n

Nerd out with a catalog of all the ships<\/a> in The Iliad<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n

Barbara Kingsolver<\/a> still believes in the power of fiction.<\/p>\n

Colleen Hoover<\/a> shares her thoughts on an It Ends With Us<\/em> <\/a>movie sequel.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

END NOTES<\/span>\n

Written by Rebecca Schinsky, Sharifah Williams, Danika Ellis, Kelly Jensen, and Vanessa Diaz. Thanks to Vanessa Diaz for copy editing.<\/em><\/p>\n

Did someone forward you this email? Sign up here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Got a tip, question, comment, or story idea? Drop us a line: thenewsletter@bookriot.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

September 28, 2026View Online | Join All Access | Listen Hats off to John Green, who set a world record for signing the most tip-in sheets of any author in their lifetime. (These are pages that get inserted into finished copies of books after printing.) The author, currenty promoting his adult debut, Hollywood Ending, has […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":7388,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7387","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7387"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7387"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7387\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/7388"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7387"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7387"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7387"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}