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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.
But FIRST! The National Book Awards Winners
We have our winners, folks! Back in September, I made my predictions for the winners of each category based on the longlist and it looks like I got two out five right: One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad (one of my selections for Best Books of 2025) won in Nonfiction and The Intentions of Thunder: New and Selected Poems by Patricia Smith won in Poetry. Our big Fiction winner was The True True Story of Raja the Gullible (and His Mother) by Rabih Alameddine. I originally thought The Wilderness by Angela Flournoy would take it, and then convinced myself A Guardian and a Thief by Megha Majumdar would get it after the shortlist and other awards were announced. We Are Green and Trembling by Gabriela Cabezón Cámara, translated by Robin Myers took Translated Literature. I was shook when We Do Not Part by Han Kang, translated by e. yaewon and Paige Aniyah Morris, didn’t make the shortlist. The Teacher of Nomad Land: A World War II Story by Daniel Nayeri won Young People’s Literature. My pick, A Sea of Lemon Trees: The Corrido of Roberto Alvarez by María Dolores Águila, didn’t make the shortlist, but I was mostly clueless about who would win in that category. Congratulations to all of the winners and all who made the prestigious long and shortlists.
The Trailer for Sunrise on the Reaping is Here
Well, well, well, look what we have here. The latest entry in the Hunger Games franchise has its trailer. The adaptation of Suzanne Collins’ 2025 Sunrise on the Reaping looks to have all the drama, style, and intense cinematic scoring you would expect. I’ll say no more. Watch it here.
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Boy, Did Tolkien Dislike Disney
Imagine J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis sitting in the theater grumping at Disney’s Snow White like a real-life Statler and Waldorf. Well, delight in the knowledge that this actually did happen. Josh Jones wrote about Tolkien’s dislike of Walt Disney and Disney Studios productions for Open Culture, including the author’s response to the 1937 animated classic, which was released months after The Hobbit published. Tolkien and his Chronicles of Narnia frienemey took their popcorn, or joint of mutton, or whatever British people ate at the theater back then and metaphorically threw it at the seven dwarfs (dwarves, in Tolkien–and my–parlance). This is what Tolkien had to say about Disney pictures in a 1964 letter:
Though in most of the ‘pictures’ proceeding from his studios there are admirable or charming passages, the effect of all of them is to me disgusting. Some have given me nausea…
Tolkien was so offended by Disney’s “oversimplification” of fairy tales, he forbid any of his works to be touched by the man’s studios. Yikes.
Our Staff Holiday Gift Guide
What do Book Riot staffers love and think would make great gifts (outside of books) this gift giving season, you ask? Find out in this year’s holiday gift guide where we give you even more ideas for presents and stocking stuffers. My recommendations require some suffering but ultimately relaxation.
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