Hallmark Channel Takes Jane Austen for an Updated Spin

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Librarians Hold the Front Line

“Punk-ass book jockeys” was intended to be an insult when Aziz Ansari’s Tom Haverford uttered it on a memorable episode of Parks & Recreation, but I can think of no better description for the 

This is just the latest in Hallmark’s ongoing efforts to reach more diverse audiences, and I am for it for many reasons, not the least of which is how much it freaks out right-wing conservatives to see a brand that is driven by “family values” acknowledge that for most Americans, family values include support for ideas the far-right wants to present as extreme. Hallmark has plenty work left to do—and they should probably thank some Netflix execs for paving the way with the incredible casting of Bridgerton—but this is progress. RIP to their mentions, and may their efforts succeed.

26 Paperbacks to Pick Up This Month

Oh, the promise of the paperback release! Nary a month goes by that I don’t see a list like this and fool myself into thinking it will ever be possible to ~catch up on all the good books in the world. I can vouch for Hannah Pittard’s We Are Too Many, a divorce “memoir” that presents text messages both real and imagined between her and her ex. Read it while you wait for Leslie Jamison’s Splinters later this month. And someday I will get to What Napoleon Could Not Do by DK Nnuro. Barack recommends it, and I trust his picks. 

Speaking of Bad-Ass Librarians 

On today’s Book Riot Podcast, Jeff O’Neal and I discuss the Texas teacher who created a clandestine stock of banned books, Argylle’s all-sizzle-no-steak box office moment, and more news from the world of books and reading.

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