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Welcome to Today in Books, our daily round-up of literary headlines at the intersection of politics, culture, media, and more.
The National Book Awards Nonfiction Longlist
Let’s be real. The most anticipated NBA announcements for most people who pay attention to such things are the Fiction and Nonfiction categories, in that order. Which is why the Nonfiction longlist was announced just yesterday, and we still have to wait for the Fiction list. I was very excited about the Nonfiction category because I had my fingers crossed in hopes that my own pick for best nonfiction book of the year so far would make the cut. I’m happy to report that it did! Here are the books longlisted for this year’s NBA, with my prediction for the win noted:
Happy Birthday to This Beloved Beverly Cleary Character
As the youngest daughter, Ramona Quimby was the Beverly Cleary character I loved and related to the most. My sister pointed to beleaguered Beezus whenever it was necessary to remind me that being the eldest and dealing with a meddling younger sister was a real trial (it was very often necessary). I’m pretty sure that if we’d had a brother, Henry Huggins would’ve joined our bookshelf crew, but I did not understand and mostly frowned upon the little boys around me so I did not read about the life of Ramona’s next door neighbor. Still, Cleary was remarkable for making all of her characters strikingly relatable and Henry was absolutely that. Especially for kids like me, from lower and middle income families of a certain time, these characters, their tribulations, and even the view of what their parents dealt with from a childlike but highly observant perspective, mirrored our lived experiences. So, I join NPR in wishing a very happy birthday to Henry Huggins who helped so many kids feel seen and understood.
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LOLs for the Librarians
A murder of crows. A parliament of owls. Why not have collective nouns for librarians, McSweeney’s asks? If you need a good laugh, check them out here. My favorite is, “A group of people who only remember ‘the cover was blue’ is called a patron,” but there are some lolsob nouns for our times as well.
The Bestselling Books of the Week, According to All the Lists
Want to know which books are hitting the bestsellers lists this week (Katabasis made it on multiple lists, of course)? We’ve got you covered.
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