Welcome to Today in Books, our daily round-up of literary headlines at the intersection of politics, culture, media, and more. Here’s your weekend round-up of the news readers were most interested in this week.
Roxane Gay and Channing Tatum Are Writing a Romance Novel Together
Roxane Gay is a writer, editor, professor, and public intellectual, and now she’s adding romance writer to her resume. The celebrated author has made no secret of her crush on Channing Tatum. After years of tweeting about her desire to work with the actor, Gay is making her—and our—dream come true. During a recent appearance on Dua Lipa’s “Service 95” podcast, Gay confirmed that the pair have co-written a romance novel due out in 2027. Info about the plot is scarce, but rest assured, “It’s very sexy. Lots and lots of sex.”
Don DeLillo’s Hockey Romance to Return to Print
I’m hard-pressed to think of a recent headline that has delighted me more than Alexandra Alter’s discovery that Don DeLillo wrote a hockey romance under a pseudonym in 1980. Amazons sounds like a hell of a ride, and now I get to be delighted again because Scribner is bringing it back to print this fall. Prices for used copies spiked after Alter’s article ran in January, and, after much cajoling, DeLillo, who had refused to reprint the book for decades, gave in. The reissue will be published November 17 under DeLillo’s original pen name, Cleo Birdwell. The sub-hed on Alter’s new piece about the reprint says simply, “You’re welcome.” Can’t wait.
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Queer Characters Take Center Stage in Bridgerton Season 5
They’re coming to the manor. Netflix announced Bridgerton’s fifth season yesterday with a teaser that revealed the series’s first major queer story as Francesca and Michaela stand shoulder-to-shoulder on a balcony, reaching for each other’s hands as they share a knowing look. Per a release from Netflix, the season focuses on Francesca Bridgerton, the family’s quiet middle daughter, who is back on the marriage market–purely out of practicality–two years after losing her husband John. When John’s cousin Michaela shows up in London to manage the Kilmartin estate, Francesca’s very sensible plan suddenly starts to feel a lot less certain. Bridgerton season 5 will contain 8 episodes. Release date is TBA.
How to Hone Your Reading Skills
We get a lot of good mail from listeners of Zero to Well-Read. In this week’s episode, we’re answering questions about how to hone your reading skills, what makes a good read goal, how to tell when you should quit a book or push through, and more. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcatcher of choice.