Happy Saturday, book friends! It’s been a great week of keeping up with book news after a few hectic Saturdays of scrambling to compile this column on Saturday morning. 

At last, I’m back in the groove of having a running draft to collect things as I come across them, which I personally think makes for a better variety of bookish news. This week, we’ve got book awards, adaptation trailers, and a cover reveal for your enjoyment. 

(Full disclosure: This post uses Bookshop.org affiliate links.)

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Women’s Prize for Fiction Longlist Announced

The Women’s Prize for Fiction has released their longlist for the award, which you can read on their website. The prize recognizes phenomenal writing in English, by women anywhere in the world. 

Per usual, yours truly has read exactly zero of the titles on the longlist, so I’m afraid I don’t have much commentary to offer here except to say I’ll be curious to see who wins this year and will probably add some of these titles to my TBR. 

(Source: Comfort Reads blog post about the longlist)

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Hulu Releases Trailer for Tiny Beautiful Things 

If you’ve been around Book News Corner for a while, you probably know I’ve got my eye on this adaptation of Cheryl Strayed’s Dear Sugar column. Earlier this week, Hulu dropped a trailer which includes the official release date for the series. Here’s the trailer, for your viewing pleasure: 

https://amandakayoaks.wordpress.com/media/5d926b24512be03bf257a996b0592a8a

After seeing this, I’m firmly in the excited about this show camp. All episodes drop on April 7th, which is a bit of a shame as I much prefer a good episode-by-episode drop to give me something to look forward to for a longer period of time. At any rate, you’ll probably catch me watching this and crying over the span of an afternoon. 

(Source: An ad on Instagram, I think?)

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Cover Reveal for Ali Hazelwood’s YA Debut

Hazelwood is making her YA debut with a love story about two chess competitors. The book will be called Check & Mate, and the cover is appropriatey chessboard themed. It will release on November 7th, 2023. 

I am still a book behind with Hazelwood’s catalog since I’ve yet to get to Love on the Brain, but have a hunch that her writing will be well suited to YA. I’m looking forward to this one.

(Source: Book Twitter)

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That’s it for this week’s edition! Any bookish news stories that stuck out to you this week? Let me know! 

Hello, book friends, and welcome back to Book News Corner! Book news has felt a bit slow/repetitive this week, at least in my little corner of the bookish internet. 

I think I’ve seen about a million posts about the Daisy Jones & The Six adaptation and very little else. Since I haven’t read the book and don’t plan to watch the adaptation, I haven’t paid too much attention to the chatter, but I do hope people are enjoying it! 

There’s always at least a little something good on in the world of books and reading, though, so let’s dive in to the stories from this week!

(Full disclosure: This post uses Bookshop.org & Amazon affiliate links)

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Great British Bake-Off Contestants Announce New Books

Two book and Bake-Off related stories this week, which is always a little bit exciting. As you probably know if you follow the show, many contestants wind up writing at least one cookbook after their stint on the show. However, former contestant Kim-Joy continues to break the mold and has written a graphic novel! Given her penchant for cute, anime-style cakes, this feels like a natural move and I’m super excited to see it! 

The book is called Turtle Bread: A Graphic Novel About Fitting In, Baking, and the Joy of Friendship. The book, which is set for a print release in Fall of this year, is inspired by Kim-Joy’s mental health experiences and her love of baking. 

Janusz, a fan favorite contestant and all around fun personality from the most recent season of Bake Off also announced on his Instagram that he’s gotten a book deal. No details about the project are available yet, but he has promise he is “putting his whole Janusz” into the project, which almost guarantees it’ll be fun and unique. 

(Sources: Book Riot News newsletter, @ januszbakes on Instagram)

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Barnes & Noble Announces Overhaul to Rewards Program

Over the last few years, B&N has made a number of changes in an effort to claim back some of the book market. Most recently, they are changing up their rewards program. 

The new system will be a tiered approach, with two levels that members can choose between. There is now a basic, free rewards membership called Barnes & Noble Rewards. Those who sign up are enrolled in a new stamp-based rewards system, earning a stamp for every $10 they spend. Once you reach 10 stamps, you earn a $5 reward towards your next purchase.

The next, more perk-filled, level costs $40 a year and is called the Premium Membership. It includes 10% off online and in store, cafe beverage upgrades, one free tote bag a year, free online shipping, and the aforementioned stamp-based rewards system. 

It’ll be interesting to see how readers feel about this program. I was never a member of the prior program, which was only one level and cost $25 a year, so I’m afraid I can’t compare perks. However, my closest bookstore is now a B&N so you’re likely to see me opting in for the free level and reporting back. 

(Source: Book Riot podcast and this article from their website)

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How the Grinch Stole Christmas Getting a Sequel, For Some Reason

I think my headline gives away my personal feelings on this one, which is mainly… why? But, regardless of whether anyone was asking for it, Dr. Seuss Enterprises is poised to deliver a sequel called How the Grinch Lost Christmas. It comes out on September 5th and you can learn more here. 

(Source: Book Riot news newsletter, linking to EW article above)

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That seems like a good enough spread of bookish news for this week, so I’m going to leave it there. As always, let me know your thoughts on the stories of the week and share any that I may have missed! Hope you have a great weekend, and I’ll see you in Book News Corner again soon. 

FYI, this was posted quicky from a cell phone hot spot because our power has been out since last night. So, I might not be too responsive to comments until our power is restored, but I appreciate you!