A new week brings fresh new book news. Here, you’ll find a look at some new books coming later this year that you won’t want to miss, and the adaptation news is piping hot as well! So have a seat, relax, and we’ll get you caught up on all the latest news going on in the world of books.
Here’s the cover of Anna Barrington’s debut novel The Spectacle. This social thriller explores the dark side of the New York art scene, and yes, Barrington is drawing from her own experiences. Barrington told People that the artists she met while working in galleries in New York are what truly inspired her to write this novel: “They painted and made things, relying on their learning, memories and spirit alone. I realized you could bet on yourself … So for a few years I went to parties and scribbled things down, wondering how I could transform certain dramas in the lives of friends or acquaintances into art.” The Spectacle is out this July.
Netflix has announced a new K-Drama series adaptation of the classic French novel Dangerous Liaisons, reimagining the story within the context of Korea’s Joseon era. The show will star Son Ye-jin (Crash Landing on You), Ji Chang-wook (Welcome to Samdal-ri), and Nana, aka Im Jina (Mask Girl). The series will be called Scandals, and it’s currently filming in Seoul.
Production has wrapped on director Edgar Wright’s film adaptation of The Running Man by Stephen King. Wright shared the news on Instagram: “That’s a picture wrap on ‘The Running Man.’ All my love and appreciation goes out to our incredible cast and crew, who have worked tirelessly on it. Can’t wait for you to see what we’ve been shooting… Much more coming soon!” The dystopian action film stars Glen Powell, Katy O’Brian, Daniel Ezra, Karl Glusman, Josh Brolin, Lee Pace, Jayme Lawson, Michael Cera, Emilia Jones, William H. Macy, David Zayas, Sean Hayes, and Colman Domingo.
Salman Rushdie is publishing a novella collection, The Eleventh Hour, with Random House on November 4. “The three novellas in this volume, all written in the last twelve months, explore themes and places that have been much on my mind— mortality, Bombay, farewells, England (especially Cambridge), anger, peace, America,” Rushdie said in a statement. “I’m happy that the stories, very different from one another in setting, story, and technique, nevertheless manage to be in conversation with one another, and with the two stories that serve as prologue and epilogue to this threesome.”
How I Met Your Mother co-creator Craig Thomas has announced his debut novel That’s Not How It Happened. The novel follows the story of Paige, a woman who becomes a stay-at-home mom after her husband Rob’s screenwriting career takes off. But when Paige decides to write a memoir about her experiences as a mother—and when a big-time Hollywood producer wants to adapt it into the film—everyone in Paige’s family has different feelings about it. Will the movie end up bringing them closer to each other? Or will it tear them apart? That’s Not How It Happened is out November 4.
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This week, we’re highlighting a post that celebrates the 100th anniversary of The Great Gatsby! Revisit F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic (and emblem of assigned reading) and get a crash course on the book’s history, including challenges encountered by its readers and adapters. Read on for an excerpt and become an All Access member to unlock the full post.
January 16, 2025, marked the 100th anniversary of the publication of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby. The New York Public Library celebrated with a party, following a special performance of the Broadway musical adaptation of the novel. Simon and Schuster recently released a new audiobook with an introduction by Jesmyn Ward.
The novel’s theme of reinventing oneself is timeless. The ideas of living a lie by reinventing yourself and wealth making people callous are equally resonant today. How did this novel become so influential, especially on other American novels, and a fixture on high school syllabi? Was it always a bestseller? What aspects of Gatsby hold up, and which ones have aged terribly?
Fitzgerald’s original title for The Great Gatsby was Trimalchio in West Egg. I think the publisher was right to change it. Trimalchio is a character from the ancient Roman work The Satyricon. Combined with the fictional West Egg neighborhood, this reference is cryptic. Gatsby is now an icon in his own right. He doesn’t need a classical allusion for us to notice the theme of excessive wealth.
In a 2014 NPR interview, Maureen Corrigan, the author of So We Read On: How The Great Gatsby Came to Be and Why It Endures, explained how Gatsby became popular. Initial reception was mixed, ranging from the headline “Fitzgerald’s Latest a Dud,” to Modernist poets like T. S. Eliot saying they loved it. When Fitzgerald died in 1940, Gatsby was unpopular (but not out of print). A few years later, it was republished for US service members in World War II, and 123,000 copies were given to members of the military through the Armed Services Editions.
After World War II, Gatsby was no longer an obscure book with mixed reviews. It was considered a classic and became a staple of countless high school syllabi. Constance Grady wrote that Gatsby was ideal for many 20th and early 21st-century English teachers’ emphasis on New Criticism. It’s a great choice for close readings of short passages and analyzing symbolism. However, historical context is also crucial and should never be downplayed, especially in terms of bias.
The Great Gatsby possibly condemns white supremacist theories but uses racist language elsewhere. Tom Buchanan reads white supremacist books and goes on racist rants. Daisy mocks him for this. It’s easy to read this as condemning Tom’s overall bigotry. However, Fitzgerald also expressed racist and antisemitic views in real life.
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Source : K-Drama Adaptation of DANGEROUS LIAISONS Heading to Netflix and More Book News!
