Welcome to Today in Books, our daily round-up of literary headlines at the intersection of politics, culture, media, and more.
Barnes & Noble is Ready to Name the Best Books of the Year…So Far
I am guilty of it. So is almost everyone else in the book coverage game. But June 2nd, even for a so far? June is the second or third most important new release month of the year, so a good chunk of candidates are not out yet. In the fall, mid-November, or even a little earlier, releases of Best Books of the Year lists capture the vast majority of candidates. If I were the Ombudsman for Common Sense in Books, July 1 would be the earliest date you were allowed to publish lists like this. I will be obeying my own law that doesn’t exist live and in person with Rebecca Schinksy for a live recording of the Book Riot Podcast in which we will reveal our picks for the best books of the year so far. Like professionals.
New Federal Budget Proposal Eliminates The Institute for Museum and Library Services
Executive orders and random social posts can only go so far. The Trump administration’s efforts to defund, cripple, and otherwise denigrate a host of federal agencies has been met with considerable legal resistance. That changes when the law changes, however, and unless Congress and the President reauthorize funding for the IMLS, it will simply go away. And that’s just what the most recent budget proposal does. I am not following the tick-tock of the current budgeting process, but hard to imagine this is something that someone fights that hard to continue unless they hear it from their constituents. And that’s where you come in. Write. Call. Care loudly to people that matter.