This year is coming to a close and we are due for a roundup of the best bookish news we have heard all year! We have seen and witnessed many exciting things across many different fandoms; from Harry Potter to prize winners, to classic country lovers who also enjoy a good novel, lets reminisce on all of the news so we can soak it in. That being said, drop the wrapping paper and tape to review 5 of the best book nerd news of 2021.
1. 2021 National Booker Prize winners announced this November
On Wednesday, November 17, 2021, the National Book Foundation celebrated the best of America’s literature by announcing the winners for the annual National Book Award. This year, the event was hosted by author Phoebe Robinson through a live-streamed event. The National Book Award is awarded in five categories: fiction, nonfiction, poetry, translated literature, and young people’s literature. There are a group of different judges for each specific category and the winners are given $10,000 and a bronze sculpture.
The fiction winner was Hell of a Book by Jason Mott; the nonfiction winner was All That She Carried: The Journey of Ashley’s Sack, A Black Family Keepsake by Tiya Miles; winner of poetry was Floaters by Martín Espada; translate literature winner was Winter in Sokcho by Aneesa Abbas Higgins, Elisa Shua Dusapin; YA winner was Late Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo.
2. The Secrets of Dumbledore teaser trailer was released
The teaser trailer has officially dropped and the full trailer had just been released this past Monday in perfect conjunction with the HBO Max 20th Anniversary of Harry Potter, which also had a teaser trailer drop recently. In the teaser trailer, fans got the first glimpse of Mad’s Mikkelsen’s Grindelwald, who replaced Johnny Depp. While we obviously haven’t seen a lot of Mikkelsen’s Grindelwald, in an interview last year, he said, “There has to be a bridge between what Johnny did and what I’m going to do. And at the same time, I also have to make it my own. But also, we have to find a few links [to the previous version of the character] and some bridges, so it doesn’t completely detach from what he’s already masterfully achieved.”
3. Dolly Parton announced a debut novel
Holy smokes, who isn’t excited about this?! We know her from her singing and acting career, but now she is adding on an author title. he country star has teamed up with bestselling author, James Patterson, to publish a novel they recently announced. The thriller will be titled Run, Rose, Run, and is set in Tennessee, following the story of a young woman who moves to Nashville to pursue her dreams as a musician. A fellow bookworm, she is excited to announce that she is contrubuting towards her love of literacy.
The novel will debut on March 7th of 2022, and it will be accompanied by an album based on its characters and the plot.
4. Bell Hooks passed away this December
On December 15, the world of literature lost an angel at the age of 69. Bell Hooks was an activist, and an author who contributed greatly to put a stop to relentless sexism and racism.
The Kentucky native became a leading activist during the feminist and social justice movements of the 1980s when she released her first book, “Ain’t I a Woman? Black Women and Feminism.” The author—whose birth name was Gloria Jean Watkins—chose to write under the penname “bell hooks” to honor her great-grandmother. She also specified that her penname stay lowercased to distinguish herself from her grandmother and force readers to focus on her words, not her identity.
Be sure to stay up to date on our roundups as the year comes to a close! Considering this ended on a rather dreary note, take a look at this hot take on dog-earing pages in books!