Hi! We’re back with more Bookstr News this week. If you’re wondering what Bookstr News is, it’s our weekly roundup of bookish news to keep you updated on all things from the book world! From pop culture to politics to feel-good stories, we have an interesting mix of stories for you every week.
More Oscars content? Always!
Shoutout to Oscars Winners
OK, we know this isn’t bookish news but we wanted to show some appreciation to this year’s Oscars winner. Several actors, artists, and musicians made history last weekend with the awards they won.
Michelle Yeoh became the first Asian woman ever to win Best Actress! Fans were overjoyed with her well-deserved win, and critics were quick to point out the lack of diversity among Oscars recipients
Former child actor Ke Huy Quan — well-loved for playing Short Round in Indiana Jones — won his first Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, and his acceptance speech was one of the most wholesome moments of the night.
Everything Everywhere All at Once won a whopping seven awards, including Best Director and Best Picture. Not far behind with four awards was All Quiet on the Western Front, winning for Best International Feature Film and for cinematography, original score, and production design.
These are just some of the historic wins from the Oscars, but you can find a full list of winners here.
Book Bans in Florida. Again.
Jodi Picoult and James Patterson speak out against book bans in Florida
Do we talk about book bans in Florida in every single episode? Yes, because they just keep coming.
Renowned authors James Patterson and Jodi Picoult found themselves on the list of authors whose books have recently been banned in Florida. Patterson called the book ban an “arbitrary and borderline absurd decision” when his Maximum Ride series was banned in Martin County’s public schools, while Jodi Picoult wrote a fiery op-ed in response to 20 of her books being banned.
Other authors whose books were banned include Toni Morrison, Judy Blume, John Green, Margaret Atwood, and Khaled Hosseini. The full list of banned books in Marin County’s public school libraries can be found here.
The very exclusive, highly inclusive club: Oprah’s Book Club
Oprah Picks 100th Book for Book Club,
Starting out way back in 1996, Oprah’s Book Club has reached its 100th book! Oprah chose Ann Napolitano’s Hello Beautiful, an exquisite novel surrounding themes of love and complex relationships. The book pays homage to Louisa May Alcott’s timeless classic Little Women.
Oprah’s Book Club started as a discussion segment on The Oprah Winfrey Show, the debut novel The Deep End of the Ocean by Jacquelyn Mitchard. The club was widely popular and still exists despite The Oprah Winfrey Show dying out in 2011, with Oprah taking a short hiatus from the book club in 2002-2003.
Everything from memoirs to fiction to critiques of the sociopolitical climate was on the Book Club list. Many novels and authors saw skyrocketing sales and fame after Oprah showcased their book, which became known as “The Oprah Effect.”
Now in its 27th year, Oprah says the Book Club has no plans to stop, and her intimate and diverse selection is what has kept the Book Club thriving all these years.
That’s a wrap on the news we’re bringing you this week! Check out our last edition here, and stay tuned for more next week! Make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit that notification bell, so you can be the first to get the latest bookish news from us at Bookstr!