🌶️ Walmart Gets Spicy with Romance-Inspired Hot Sauce (Yes, Really)

Welcome to Today in Books, our daily round-up of literary headlines at the intersection of politics, culture, media, and more.

Walmart Gets Saucy

If you’ve been wanting to turn your book club into an episode of Hot Ones, now’s your moment. Walmart, the big-box retailer historically devoted to ~family values, has created a line of hot sauces inspired by spicy romance novels. Made in partnership with Melinda’s Hot Sauces, the Spicy Books limited-edition set includes five 5oz bottles of various heat levels and retails for $14.98. Walmart cooked up the caliente condiments as a surprise for screenwriter Yulin Kuang, who is set to adapt two Emily Henry novels (Beach Read and People We Meet on Vacation) and whose own debut, How to End a Love Story, was published in April. Stay tuned for the next culinary tie-in, James Patterson’s “mystery” meat Spam promo.

You Know I Always Keep That Thang on Me

Usually, when someone talks about always having a book on them, they’re talking about reading while they’re out and about. You know, the rom-com you pull out of your purse in the waiting room at the doctor’s office, the audiobook you put on while you’re sitting in the carpool line, the e-reader you shamelessly reach for during the seventh-inning stretch. Austin Kleon takes it to the next level, stashing a variety of books around his house, so he’s never without something to read, even during family dinner. (Kleon says he takes flak for the fact that his family often reads during meals, but it sounds pretty sweet to me.)

This has me wondering: what does “always carry a book” mean for you? At any given time, I’m bouncing between a “main” book for couch reading, a bathtub book (self-explanatory), and an audiobook for driving and household chores. Share your idiosyncratic book habits in the comments.

What the Critics Are Saying About the It Ends With Us Adaptation

It Ends With Us, based on the viral TikTok hit by Colleen Hoover (remember her?) officially hits theaters tomorrow, but screenings quietly started earlier this week, and critics’ reviews have quickly followed. If you’re more interested in the phenomenon than in the content, The Hollywood Reporter has rounded up a bunch of the early reviews.

I saw a screening last night, and I think if you liked the book (I didn’t), you’ll probably like the movie. If you’re looking for Cinema, this ain’t it. Stay tuned for more on an upcoming episode of the Book Riot Podcast.

The Cats of Book Riot Have Book Recs for You

We’re not all childless cat ladies here at Book Riot—some of us have dogs—but we know that nothing goes better with cats than books. And since it’s International Cat Day, well, you know what happens next.

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