Genius Grants, Literary Prize Shortlists, and Unpublished Raymond Chandler: This Week in Book News

Happy Friday everyone, and to all the Canadian KWLers, Happy Thanksgiving! We hope you’re able to spend time with your loved ones this weekend, whether it’s an outdoor hang, a zoom call, or a text exchange, we hope you’re able connect with those you’re thankful for. We here at Kobo are very thankful for the four-day weekend we’re heading into, and of course we’re incredibly thankful for all of you who have trusted us to publish their work, and have made the KWL community so wonderful.

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Tara sat down with Angela Kay Austin this week to discuss book distribution on Kobo!

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Fox News has partnered with Harper Collins to start their own book line.

Fox News Is Launching a Book Line

Fox News has been a home for numerous bestselling authors in the conservative publishing space, and the company has now upped its commitment to books with the creation of Fox News Books. Fox has signed a three-book deal with HarperCollins, whose Broadside Books will oversee the imprint.

The Library of Congress has acquired the remaining documents of the National Women’s Party.

Library of Congress Acquires Archives of the National Woman’s Party

The donation, timed to the centennial of the 19th Amendment, doubles the library’s holdings relating to the party, which fought for women’s suffrage and the Equal Rights Amendment. The Library of Congress has acquired the remaining records of the National Woman’s Party, adding substantially to its already sizable holdings relating to one of the major organizations that advocated for women’s suffrage.

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It was a very busy week for literary prizes!

The MacArthur Foundation has revealed the recipients of their “genius grants” for 2020, including one of my favourite authors N.K. Jemisin.

MacArthur ‘Genius’ Grant Winners for 2020: The Full List

The MacArthur fellowships are awarded for “extraordinary originality and dedication in their creative pursuits.” Below are this year’s fellows. The MacArthur fellowships, awarded annually by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation for “extraordinary originality and dedication,” come with a no-strings-attached award of $625,000, distributed over five years.

Louise Glück has won the Nobel Prize for literature.

Louise Glück wins Nobel Prize for Literature

This year’s Nobel Prize for Literature has been awarded to the US poet Louise Glück. Glück was recognised for “her unmistakable poetic voice, that with austere beauty makes individual existence universal” said the Swedish Academy, which oversees the award. The Academy added she was “surprised” when she received their phone call.

The shortlist for the Scotiabank Giller Prize has been announced.

3 novels, 2 short story collections shortlisted for $100K Scotiabank Giller Prize | CBC Books

Three novels and two short story collections have made the shortlist for the 2020 Scotiabank Giller Prize. The $100,000 prize is the biggest prize in Canadian literature. Past winner David Bergen is nominated for his short story collection Here the Dark .

The 2020 Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize nominees have been revealed.

Thomas King & Gil Adamson among finalists for $50K Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize | CBC Books

Thomas King and Gil Adamson are two of the five writers nominated for the 2020 Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize. The $50,000 prize annually recognizes the best in Canadian fiction. King is nominated for his novel Indians on Vacation . Adamson is being recognized for her novel Ridgerunner .

The finalists for the National Book Awards have been announced.

National Book Awards Finalists Announced

There are now five contenders each for fiction, nonfiction, poetry, translated literature and young people’s literature. The winners will be named in November. Two novels with eerie echoes of world catastrophes, both set at summer houses, are among this year’s five fiction finalists for the National Book Award.

The US Selfies book awards, which recognize self-published authors, have added a children’s prize for 2021.

Selfies Adds Kids’ Category, Announces 2021 Dates

The U.S. Selfies book awards, which recognize self-published authors, has added a children’s prize to go along with its adult fiction award. The 2021 awards submission period opens on January 1, 2021, and closes the night of March 1, 2021.

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A previously unpublished spoof of corporate culture written by Raymond Chandler is set to make its debut in this month’s Strand magazine.

Unseen spoof by Raymond Chandler shows writer’s ‘human side’

Best known for his hardboiled stories starring private detective Philip Marlowe, a more playful side of Raymond Chandler is set to be revealed in a previously unpublished spoof of corporate culture, which was discovered in the Bodleian library in Oxford.

Hollywood studios have been buying up more book rights than usual during the pandemic.

Hollywood is Buying Up Book Rights During the Pandemic

Hollywood has always been driven by intellectual property, but it’s on the rise now. The one thing the pandemic has done is given people a lot of free time. They’re using that time to catch up on shows, read, and make sourdough bread. The same is true across Hollywood, where executives have finally been doing their homework.

George R.R. Martin has revealed how one pivotal scene from the Game of Thrones show will differ in his books.

George R.R. Martin reveals how Hodor’s fate will be different in his books

The Game of Thrones author revealed a detail from his upcoming books in Fire Cannot Kill a Dragon. Consider yourself warned: This is a book spoiler that you should not read if you don’t want to know a key event from The Winds of Winter (or, perhaps, from A Dream of Spring).

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The inventor of the Rubik’s Cube is releasing a book.

Rubik’s Cube Inventor Writes A New Book: It’s Full Of Twists And Turns

Hungarian architect Ernő Rubik takes play very seriously – and suggests we could all lighten up. “Most people are taking most of the things too seriously,” he says. “They really can’t enjoy life because of that.” If Rubik’s name sounds familiar that’s because he’s the inventor of the Rubik’s Cube – that fun (and frustrating) colorful cube puzzle.

The upcoming book about the (still reigning NBA champs for at least another couple of hours) Toronto Raptors’ has found the narrators for the audiobook: WNBA superstar Kia Nurse and Raptors announcer Matt Devlin.

Matt Devlin, Kia Nurse to narrate We the North audiobook about 25 years of Toronto Raptors | CBC Books

We the North: 25 Years of the Toronto Raptors by veteran NBA reporter Doug Smith will also be available as an audiobook. Canadian WNBA star Kia Nurse will narrate the foreword, which was written by NBA star and longtime Raptor Vince Carter, while the Raptors’ play-by-play announcer Matt Devlin narrates the rest.

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As we gear up to face a winter indoors, activities to keep us occupied are certainly front of mind, especially if you’ve got kiddos in the house. This list of cookbooks for children is a great way to get kids interested in food, and to pass time during what’s looking to be a long winter.

If you want to get your kids in the kitchen, these books and other resources can help

When it comes to cooking with kids, experts say, it’s got to be fun. Luckily, there are plenty of resources to help you make that happen. “Have them take on some of the fun tasks with stirring, the mixing, the rolling, the scrunching,” says Molly Birnbaum, editor in chief of America’s Test Kitchen Kids.

And since international travel is off the table for the next while, check out this really cool infograph of the best rated and most popular books set in (almost) every country in the world!

Revealed: the best book set in (almost) every country

Add these to your reading list for a journey around the world in more than 140 books Looking for a way to expand your horizons without actually leaving your flat? We hear ya. International travel isn’t on the cards for a lot of us at the moment, thanks to travel restrictions, quarantines and general 2020 anxiety.

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving, everyone!