Dennis Altman: UQP Has Cancelled a Children’s Book Illustrated by Matt Chun, Citing Antisemitism
The University of Queensland Press (UQP) has halted the publication of 5,000 copies of the children’s book *Bila: A River Cycle*, illustrated by Matt Chun, after the illustrator’s anti‑fascist article was deemed inconsistent with the university’s adopted definition of antisemitism. The book’s text and artwork contain no antisemitic content; the cancellation is solely linked to Chun’s public statements about the Bondi Chanukah celebration. The move sparked an outcry from Indigenous writers, including Evelyn Araluen and Anita Heiss, who withdrew their works in protest. The episode fuels a broader debate over cancel culture and free‑speech limits in Australian publishing.
PRINT Book Club: Thursday April 23, 2026 with Aubrey Hirsch
PRINT Magazine is hosting a live Zoom book club on Thursday, April 23, 2026, featuring artist‑writer Aubrey Hirsch. The discussion will center on her graphic nonfiction title *Graphic Rage: Comics on Gender, Justice, and Life as a Woman in America*....
There Is a Cost to Being Unreachable. But the Cost of Being Available Is Far Higher. Jerusalem Demsas’s Experiment in...
Acclaimed novelist Helen DeWitt publicly declined the $175,000 Windham‑Campbell Prize after the award’s organizers demanded a week of public appearances, a podcast interview, and a full‑day video shoot. Unable to secure Wi‑Fi in Amsterdam and battling severe mental‑health challenges, DeWitt...
Prophets Used to Be Executed for Being Wrong. While the Penalties Are Less Severe, the Lure of Prediction Remains the...
Carissa Véliz’s new book *Prophecy* traces prediction from ancient oracles to today’s AI, arguing that forecasts are tools of power rather than facts. She highlights how big‑tech’s AI hype steers markets and policy, granting a small elite outsized influence. Véliz...
Catherine Fletcher on The Firearm Revolution
Catherine Fletcher’s new Princeton University Press volume, *The Firearm Revolution*, traces the social and cultural history of early modern firearms, from concealed wheellocks in the 1520s to Venice’s regulated arms export system. The book reveals how European governments repeatedly lagged...
Book Talk: Those Who Face Death with Mark Grdovic
Kristina Tanasichuk has spent more than two decades shaping the U.S. homeland‑security landscape, from early work on critical infrastructure to founding the Government & Services Technology Coalition (GTSC) in 2011. GTSC nurtures innovative small‑ and mid‑size firms—up to $1 billion in...
2026 Aurora Awards Ballot
The Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Association released the 2026 Aurora Awards ballot, naming finalists across ten categories from Best Novel to Fan Writing. Notable nominees include Julie E. Czerneda’s "A Shift of Time," Guy Gavriel Kay’s "Written on the...
The Nautilus Reading List of Science Biographies
Nautilus has curated a reading list that transports readers through four centuries of scientific discovery via biography. The list spotlights Dava Sobel’s *Galileo’s Daughter*, which frames the 16th‑century astronomer through the letters of his convent daughter, and Andrea Wulf’s *The...
Not Your Father’s Wild, Wild West
Megan Kate Nelson’s new Scribner volume, The Westerners, rewrites the story of 19th‑century American expansion by weaving together the lives of seven diverse protagonists. The narrative moves beyond the classic white‑male frontier myth, spotlighting figures such as Sacagawea, fur trader...
30% of People Think Reading Regularly Makes Them Better Than Others
An informal roundup from Today in Books highlights several cultural trends. A Headway app survey finds 30% of respondents believe regular reading makes them superior, with 24% refusing to date non‑readers and 82% seeing non‑readers as intellectually lacking. The 2026...
The Month’s Best New Mystery Novels
Jordan Harper’s debut noir, “A Violent Masterpiece,” (Mulholland, 372 pp., $29) plunges readers into L.A.’s underbelly, pairing livestream‑culture with a serial‑killer narrative that mirrors the public’s obsession with the Epstein saga. The novel follows ex‑journalist Jake Deal, concierge Kara Delgado, and...
Can You Slow Ageing with Your Diet? A New Book Gives It a Go
Freelance health journalist David Cox discovered his biological age was older than his chronological age and turned that shock into a mission to reverse it. In his new book, *The Age Code*, he chronicles how specific dietary changes can lower...
The Full and Interesting Lives of Writers’ Alter Egos
The Financial Times feature "The full and interesting lives of writers’ alter egos" examines how authors adopt pseudonyms or fictional personas to experiment with style, genre, and controversial topics. It highlights notable examples—from Stephen King’s Richard Bachman to Elena Ferrante’s...
What We Lose when a Language Dies
Sophia Smith Galer’s new book *How to Kill a Language* documents the accelerating loss of linguistic diversity, noting that the world’s 7,000 languages could shrink to roughly 4,000 by 2100. The work blends personal stories—from the last Ubykh speaker in Turkey...
‘Be Prepared to Cry’: My Favourite New Romance Book Is Shortlisted for Women’s Prize for Fiction
Lily King’s romance novel *Heart the Lover*, released in summer 2025, has surged in popularity, largely driven by TikTok buzz. The book, a sequel to her 2020 title *Writers & Lover’s*, stands alone as a compelling story of first love,...
This Unique Novel Is Comprised Entirely of Letters – and It’s Just Been Shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction
Virginia Evan’s debut novel *The Correspondent*—an epistolary work composed entirely of letters—has been shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction. The story follows 73‑year‑old retired lawyer Sybil Van Antwerp as she navigates aging, loss, and a life lived through written...
Eight of the Most Fascinating Biographies to Read
The article curates eight standout literary biographies, ranging from Hermione Lee’s exhaustive portrait of Virginia Woolf to Stacy Schiff’s vivid reconstruction of Cleopatra. Each work is praised for its blend of rigorous research, narrative flair, and the author’s personal devotion...
Bloomsbury Layoffs
Bloomsbury Publishing announced a restructuring aimed at fueling future growth after a period of rapid expansion, including a doubling of sales and more than a doubling of profits in 2023‑2024. Headcount rose from 738 to 1,238 over five years, prompting...
Shonen Jump One-Shot Manga Hitoner Becomes a Series
Shueisha announced that the one‑shot manga Hitoner, which logged 1.95 million views on Shonen Jump+, will continue as a full series. The new title is being released simultaneously in English, Spanish and Thai through Manga Plus, with the first two chapters already...
One Great Poem to Read Today: Carson Jordan’s “Permiso”
Literary Hub is marking the 30th National Poetry Month by recommending a different poem each workday in April. For today’s pick, the site highlights Carson Jordan’s “Permiso,” a free‑to‑read piece that treats everyday objects as objects of worship. The poem...
Shortlist Revealed for the U.K.’s 2026 Women’s Prize for Fiction
The Women’s Prize Trust unveiled the 2026 Women’s Prize for Fiction shortlist, featuring six titles and a £30,000 prize (approximately $38,400) backed by Audible and Baileys. Four of the six entries are debut novels and four come from independent publishers,...
Susan Choi and Lily King Shortlisted for Women’s Prize for Fiction
Acclaimed American novelists Susan Choi and Lily King have been shortlisted for the 2026 Women’s Prize for Fiction, which carries a £30,000 (≈ $38,400) award. Choi is recognized for her sixth novel Flashlight, a Booker‑shortlisted family saga, while King is in the running for...
The Week's Bestselling Books, April 26
The California Independent Booksellers Alliance released its weekly bestseller rankings for April 26, highlighting the top ten titles across hardcover fiction, hardcover nonfiction, paperback fiction, and paperback nonfiction. Virginia Evans’ "The Correspondent" leads hardcover fiction, while Lena Dunham’s memoir "Famesick" tops...
What Values Do You Really Stand For?
Columbia Business School professor Paul Ingram’s 2026 book, *What Do You Really Stand For?*, argues that clear personal values are the most reliable decision‑making compass for leaders. The text illustrates the point with Captain Matt Feely’s 2011 Operation Tomodachi dilemma,...
Review – The Peril of the Brutal Dark: An Ezra Cain Mystery #3 – Bare Knuckles
DC Comics’ Vertigo title *The Peril of the Brutal Dark: An Ezra Cain Mystery* #3 earns a 9.5/10 from GeekDad. Writer Chris Condon and artist Jacob Phillips deliver a straight‑forward noir mystery, following former cop Ezra Cain as he probes...
Book World Prague to Showcase Central, Eastern European Book Market Trends
Book World Prague’s 31st edition (May 14‑17, 2026) is expanding its regional focus, spotlighting the Romanian market and support schemes from the Czech Republic, Ukraine, Bulgaria and Slovenia. The fair, which attracted over 60,000 visitors in 2025, aims to become a...
Cryptids, Kaiju & Corn: Poems and Micro-Stories About Modern Midwest Monsters Edited by Randy Brown
Randy Brown’s anthology *Cryptids, Kaiju & Corn* gathers 77 Midwest‑set poems and micro‑stories that blend folklore, horror, and humor around three motifs: legendary cryptids, Japanese kaiju, and corn. The pieces explore how isolation and agriculture shape local monsters, from mutated...
Fermat's Last Theorem: Still a Must-Read About a 350-Year Maths Secret
Simon Singh’s 1997 popular‑science book *Fermat’s Last Theorem* remains a seminal guide to mathematical proof, chronicling the 350‑year quest that culminated in Andrew Wiles’s 1994 proof. The work blends rigorous explanation of the theorem with the human drama of its...
How to Begin
Jane O’Sullivan’s essay in The Sydney Review of Books critiques the dominant writing‑advice mantra that a story must hook readers instantly. By dissecting opening lines from authors like Robbie Arnott and Laila Lalami, she links this obsession to a broader...
Review – Absolute Flash #14: Mirrorworld
Absolute Flash #14, the newest premium entry in DC’s Absolute line, thrusts Wally West and Linda Park into the nightmarish Mirrorverse, a carnival‑like dimension populated by endless Mirror Master clones. Writer Jeff Lemire and artist Haining heighten tension with a...
Review – Green Lantern #34: Welcome to LA
Green Lantern #34 launches a split‑narrative format, alternating between Hal Jordan’s space‑bound quest and Kyle Rayner’s return to Earth. Kyle teams up with teenage thief Odyssey to stop the alien terrorist Gridlock, while a Hollywood talent scout thrusts Odyssey toward...
Lit Hub Daily: April 22, 2026
Lit Hub’s Daily roundup for April 22, 2026 spotlights a diverse slate of literary commentary, from a reminder that Kate Chopin’s *The Awakening* debuted in 1892 to essays on Stephen King’s early draft, writer productivity, and Shakespeare’s punctuation. The collection weaves criticism, craft advice,...
Books Marrying Memoir and Nonfiction with Nature
The article spotlights a growing niche of books that fuse nature writing with memoir, showcasing Helen Macdonald’s *H Is for Hawk* and Robin Wall Kimmerer’s *Braiding Sweetgrass*. Both titles intertwine personal narrative with ecological insight, attracting readers who crave emotional depth...
Is Bob Dylan Hawking AI Historical Fiction Now?
Bob Dylan’s new Patreon channel delivers a series of audio essays and short stories that many suspect are generated or voiced by artificial intelligence. While neither Dylan nor his team has confirmed the use of AI, the stylistic hallmarks—excessive similes...
The Longreads Questionnaire, Featuring Vauhini Vara
Vauhini Vara, the award‑winning author of *Searches: Selfhood in the Digital Age*, sat for Longreads' questionnaire, revealing how she first experimented with GPT‑3 for her 2021 essay “Ghosts” and later used ChatGPT to critique sections of her new book. The...
Monica Lewinsky, a Saint? This Devastatingly Smart Romance Goes There
Julia Langbein’s debut novel Dear Monica Lewinsky, published by Doubleday, follows Jean Dornan, a recent graduate who revisits a painful first‑love affair after an invitation to a French retirement party. The story intertwines the protagonist’s personal trauma with a fantastical...
Douglas Preston and Aletheia Preston on Inventing a New Character
Authors Douglas Preston and Aletheia Preston are promoting their new thriller *Paradox* with a guest post that offers an origin story for Detective Bart Romanski, the novel’s forensic chief. The vignette places Romanski at a Colorado crime scene, detailing his...
Racing to Unify All of Humankind Kelly Oliver
Kelly Oliver’s essay reflects on how iconic space imagery—from Apollo’s Blue Marble to Artemis II—has repeatedly sparked a paradoxical mix of planetary unity and competitive ambition. The Apollo era framed the Earth as a fragile, shared home, fueling the early environmental...
The Shadow of the Object by Chloe Aridjis Review – One of the Boldest Writers at Work in English Today
Chloe Aridjis’s new novella, The Shadow of the Object, follows Flora, a middle‑aged visitor to Mexico City who is injured by a guard dog and confined to a private hospital. There she befriends Wilhelmina Blau, an elderly German who shares...
Ben Lerner Has Taken Autofiction Somewhere New
Ben Lerner’s new novella *Transcription* marks a turn from the satirical autofiction of *10:04* to an elegiac meditation on memory, mentorship, and generational transmission. The story follows a 90‑year‑old professor‑mentor Thomas, his disciple‑narrator, and Thomas’s son Max through fragmented interviews,...
The Surprising Ways Love Opens Our Minds
Lewis Raven Wallace’s new book *Radical Unlearning* argues that love, connection and community—not facts alone—are the primary drivers for shedding bias and trauma. Drawing on neuroscience, the work shows how oxytocin‑fueled neuroplasticity rewires the brain when people feel safe and...
6 New Books That Treat Wellness Like the Business Strategy It Is
Entrepreneur‑focused publications highlight wellness as a core business strategy, presenting six new titles that blend science, recovery, nutrition, healthcare innovation, purpose and mental resilience. The list includes Brad Stulberg’s “The Way of Excellence,” Halle Tecco’s “Massively Better Healthcare,” Cynthia Thurlow’s forthcoming “The...
2026 Hugo, Lodestar & Astounding Awards Finalists
The 2026 Hugo Awards, Lodestar Award for Best Young Adult Book, and Astounding Award for Best New Writer finalists were announced by LAcon V, the 84th World Science Fiction Convention. A total of 1,488 valid nominating ballots from 2025 and...
Ben Lerner’s New Novel Has a Lot to Say About Art, Technology and Parenting
Ben Lerner’s new 144‑page novel *Transcription* uses a botched interview premise to probe art criticism, AI, and the fraught dynamics of parenting. The story moves from Providence to Madrid and Los Angeles, intertwining discussions of glass‑flower replicas, digital distraction, and...
Stephan Franck Launches Kickstarter for Final ‘Palomino’ Volume
Stephan Franck, the award‑nominated cartoonist behind shows like Spider‑Man and The Iron Giant, has opened a Kickstarter for “Palomino” Volume 6, the concluding chapter of his Ringo Award‑nominated neo‑noir graphic‑novel series. The campaign bundles all six volumes and a line of...
MCD Closes
Farrar, Straus & Giroux announced the closure of its MCD imprint, citing financial realities. Publisher Sean McDonald will depart on April 15, and MCD titles will be absorbed by FSG in the fall, with paperbacks moving to Picador. The imprint...
Here’s the Shortlist for the 2026 Carol Shields Prize for Fiction.
The Carol Shields Prize for Fiction unveiled its 2026 shortlist, featuring five titles by women and non‑binary authors published in Canada and the United States. The jury, chaired by Carmen Maria Machado, includes Ivan Coyote, Cherie Dimaline, Chitra Divakaruni and Deesha Philyaw....
‘A Guardian and a Thief’ by Megha Majumdar, Reviewed
Megha Majumdar’s second novel, A Guardian and a Thief, imagines a near‑future Kolkata ravaged by climate‑induced drought, food shortages and soaring prices. The story follows Ma, a middle‑class manager planning to escape to Michigan, and Boomba, an economic migrant desperate...
TALKERS Books Announces Publication of Playing the Clip: The Digital Media Creator’s Legal Guide to Fair Use
TALKERS Books has released *Playing the Clip: The Digital Media Creator’s Legal Guide to Fair Use*, authored by media attorney Matthew B. Harrison. The book codifies the “Play the Clip” technique—presenting source audio or video rather than merely describing it—and...
One Great Poem to Read Today: Allen Ginsberg’s “A Supermarket in California”
Literary Hub’s daily‑poem series for National Poetry Month recommends Allen Ginsberg’s “A Supermarket in California.” The piece imagines Walt Whitman wandering a modern supermarket, blending high‑brow philosophy with everyday grocery imagery. The article highlights the poem’s catchy lines and its...