Welcome to Today in Books, our daily round-up of literary headlines at the intersection of politics, culture, media, and more.
Reese Witherspoon Announces First Novel, Co-Written With Harlen Coben
I have long wondered why Witherspoon didn’t have her own imprint…or house. But after the spate of high profile celebrity thriller collaborations (Viola Davis, both Clintons, etc), I should have seen something like this coming. (I know you will be shocked to hear that this will be a thriller.) I am surprised that she didn’t choose to team up with a woman, since most of her book club selections are by women and she has stated clearly that her bookish enterprises are geared toward women. I also would pay folding money to see the terms of the deal (advance, royalty split, etc etc). Vegas is not taking bets that one of the main characters will be a 40ish blond woman.
The Millions’ Great Fall Book Preview
There aren’t too many things on the bookish internet that I wish I made, but the seasonal previews at The Millions are one of them. In-depth, wide-ranging, and well-written, the preview should serve as the reading menu of choice for most readers of literary work, both fiction and otherwise. I think I do a pretty good job catalog diving, but there are things here that I myself missed: Lydia Davis translating Proust for one, and a collection of actually great Amazon reviews. This one is for the real ones.