Vanessa Diaz (2:36)

I think everybody in general, the publishing industry, the world is dragging their feet on 2026 and I cannot blame them because who knows what this year has in store for us. But it's been particularly quiet. I think I anticipated, I always anticipate, I guess, the first full week of the month to be like, okay, everybody's back. Everybody's like, we're all circling back like we said we would at the end of the year when we were like having senioritis. And it has been like way more quiet than I anticipated. So I absolutely agree. We're just sort of waking up here.

Sharifah Williams (3:20)

Oh, I can absolutely attest, I think I've said as much to Shareef on a different call, that this whole week I've kind of been like, how to job? What is job? I don't. I actually do not remember the door code to the Portland office, which is why I'm recording from my home right now. I was going to, I had a 30 minute window when I could have made it and I said, you know, I don't know that code. I don't know where it is right now. So I'm stay home, I don't know where I live, I don't know anything. But we do have some good stuff, mainly of a kind of things that are coming adaptation wise. Most anticipated books, both of our own and from other sources. Some stats on whether Americans were or were not reading. But before we get into all that, let's hear from a sponsor.

Sponsor Voice (4:01)

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Micah Sargent (6:56)

Hey, I'm Micah Sargent, host of Tech News Weekly, your midweek download of the week's Tech News. I talk with the reporters breaking the biggest stories and Bring you the trends worth paying attention to. It's fast, it's fascinating, and it gives you the real story behind the headlines. Check it out at TWIT TV tnw. That's TWIT TV tnw.

Sharifah Williams (7:19)

All right, Sharifah, where should we start today?

Vanessa Diaz (7:22)

I feel like we should start with America's reading habits because there is just so much data here that I feel like I could spend two days talking about it and I need to be able to keep myself to a minimum, knowing we have other things to discuss.

Sharifah Williams (7:43)

I wholeheartedly agree. So there is a new YouGov poll out. It was released at the end of December and it is all about Americans reading habits over the last year. And that the data is eye opening and I think can elicit a reaction if you kind of just read the tagline. And it is important. But there's also a different, I think more positive spin, which I will also say. Kelly Jensen did a really great breakdown of the rich amount of stats in this piece that we will link to in the show notes. But the big kind of takeaway that I think most people consider eye opening about this poll is that 40% of Americans did not pick up a single book according to this poll all of 2025. Of course you see that stat and you're like, especially all the like, you know, capital R reader people like, ugh, pearls clutched. But you know, the positive of course, is that 60% did read a book. The majority did read a book and at least one book, in many cases more than one. So the, the stats though, as Sharif are enough that you could spend hours and hours and hours going over them. Kelly did a really great job of summarizing them in this piece because they've broken it out as any good, you know, poll should. Everything from of course, age, demographic, political affiliation, like cultural backgrounds. There's a lot of really cool insights in the survey. I'm gonna pull out a couple of my favorites and of course, Sharifa, you know, feel free to interject. But so again, more than half of Americans did read a book. So that to me is, is, you know, encouraging. Not that books are the only are not a moral assessment, but it is just nice for literacy's sake. There's people out there reading women. This tends to happen in surveys report reading more books than their male counterparts. It's about 63 to 56. The age group that read the most is that solid 30 to 44. It's about 66%. But young people were right coming up behind there 18 to 29 year olds read about 61%. Yeah.

Vanessa Diaz (9:35)

And I, you know, like I was thinking about these stats and I have these moments as a big reader and as somebody who is so involved in the bookish world where I'm like wait, I have to check myself on like who I think of as the general American. And this was very grounding in that way because it's like not everyone is as highly engaged in the things we are personally engaged in. So it is useful to know that the median, which is the number that I was really focusing on to like get to the truth of things was like people read two books in a year. And that is, that absolutely tracks with real life, with what I know of people who are outside of, you know, our industry and people who count reading as a personality. That makes sense. As a matter of fact, I'm kind of like, it feels positive that people even read two books because it feels like everybody is reading so many other types of things right now, newsletters, substacks. So there's just a lot more reading material, formats and types for people to consume. So I'm trying to like not do the pearl clutching thing that I know a lot of readers are doing when they look at these stats and just be like, well you know, like just because people are not reading a book doesn't mean they're not reading, you know. So I also found it really interesting that with the median numbers especially it seems like a lot of things. Like it feels like everybody, for instance, with the party breakdown, Democrats, Independents and Republicans, like it seems like they're on far opposite side spectrums, which made sense to me at first. And then when you look at the median number it's like, well, everybody basically read two books in the end. So it's like, yeah, this is why.

Sharifah Williams (11:43)

It'S important to review these kinds of statistics with like a critical lens because I think it's really easy to take a very polar and or just like reactionary stance to a lot of it. And you know, there's maybe some truth, some of it. But yeah, when you break down that some of these differences, we're literally talking about the difference between I read one book and I read two, maybe four or five, then you know, maybe not as salient. I did find it interesting that there is a really big gap and I, I'm looking, it's in the piece and I can't find it immediately. But it did seem like the, the numbers were like either people read 1 to 2 or they read like 50 plus. There was this big like delta between, like, what people? You're either kind of like a power reader or, you know, you just kind of pick it up when you get the time. Yeah, and this is the time of year I will also wanted to call attention to just because it, you know, there is. I think we just recently reposted one of those articles. But this is the time of year when there is just so much hand wringing about, like how much people are reading. And it goes one of two ways. Either the like again, power reader, capital R. Readers are verklempt that how dare you only read one or two. And don't come for me when I say I read 300 books a year, because I absolutely am and it's not lying. And then there's the other cap, which is like, look, the fact that you are reading that many books is not necessarily something that deserves, you know, any more of a clap on the back than somebody who reads too. I hope people take surveys like this to say, like, look, the good news is just people are reading, period. And yeah, with everything else everyone has going on in life, I know my reading tends to kind of sway with. How many podcasts am I listening to right now? Like, what other. Yeah, what, like substacks am I going on some deep dives on. And if you're finding the time to pick up a book, any old book, one to two books a year, like, that's, that's good. I. I think there's plenty in here to be some kind of happy about.

Vanessa Diaz (13:23)

Yes, I agree. And you know what I found hilarious? There have been like these conversations, especially last year. It felt like that whole, you know, men don't read as much literary fiction or literature as women. And then it looks so insignificant on this chart where it breaks down book genres. And to be fair, this is just speaking to American men and women. But it looks so insignificant when you look at the actual chart for literary fiction. Yes, women are ahead of men in terms of like, how much literary fiction they read. But it's not like you see these huge gaps in some of these areas, like history history, where far more men read history books or say they read history books than women. And in romance. And then you see literary fiction and it's like, little bitty gap. And it's like, wow, there were like 20 million think pieces about this.

Sharifah Williams (14:26)

And I just, I know exactly the one you're referencing. And I just. My ey eyes could not be further into the back of my head right now. But anyway, continue.

Vanessa Diaz (14:37)

So it was just like, I found it kind of like there were parts of this that sort of made me laugh just because of the perspective it gives you. And I, I found it just kind of eye opening in a, a generally enlightening way.

Sharifah Williams (14:56)

Yeah, there is so much more to dive into. We will link again to the piece and this goes all the way into like book ownership, library use, formats that people read in, of course, some more information about genre, the frequency of reading new books versus you know, not. And, and of course all of this should always be taken with a grain of salt that this is just asking people for their feels. And so there is also a chance that some folks maybe aren't as forthcoming or as accurate with the reading. But again, overall I think that the thing to take away is that people are reading and there are maybe less differences across some of than like we tend to be told that there are. But yeah, good, good. Please take some time to read it. It's really interesting. And thanks to Kelly for distilling of what is ultimately so much information into this nice digestible piece.

Vanessa Diaz (15:40)

Yes, very much appreciated.

Sharifah Williams (15:43)

Speaking of books that we say we've read or say we haven't read, et cetera, this is something that I meant to do at the top of the show and totally forgot. Wanted to just remind everybody that we have officially, and I say we, but mainly Jeff and Rebecca have kicked off the second season of the Zero to well read podcast, which I think I've been on this show to say that I am not saying this because I work here. No one has asked me to say it. It is just legitimately such a good show. I was listening to it long before I became sort of a backwards or back behind the scenes part of some of the production. So in case you haven't listened to it yet, it is sort of a part English class, part book club, part a few other things, discussion of the books that either you maybe would have read in high school, said you should have read in high school that are just buzzy, that have stood the test of time, they cover just a huge range of titles and there's a lot of really good stuff coming up. This first or first episode of the second season is out now and it's on Louisa May Alcott's Little Women. It's really, really great. So you can find that wherever you look for podcasts, I'll put some links in the show notes and also wanted to add that as of 2026 the show is now also on YouTube and it also has a companion free Patreon newsletter that I am actually at the helm of which is yeah, sort of like enhanced show notes. I'm calling it kind of a like if the show itself is the homework, then think of the newsletter as extra credit. It's all of course meant to be fun, but it's sort of some deep dives. Additional Insights this last edition included some cool literary tourism you can do or like random facts that maybe didn't make it into the episode out of context show quotes that I found really hilarious that will hopefully encourage you to go back and listen. So anyway, second season's out now. Find that wherever you listen to podcasts for anybody that hasn't done so if you would like to leave a review, we really do appreciate those. So there's that. And then also wanted to quickly add that we have more and by we I mean me episodes of Literary Rabbit Holes coming, which is an installment we've been doing here on the POD about once a month. The next one will be coming in a couple of weeks. I have a whole list of topics that I would love to cover, but this is probably a good time to just straight up say that if there is any topic you are interested in getting covered or just learning more about of a, you know, literary rabbit hole flavor, you can email those@vanessa riotnewmedia.com yeah, going to have a whole list, but I want to make sure this is not necessarily just like the Vanessa show.

Vanessa Diaz (18:04)

I think people would tune into the Vanessa Show. I don't think you have to worry about that.

Sharifah Williams (18:09)

I hope so. So now that we've covered all of that stuff, let's maybe take one more sponsor break here.

Micah Sargent (18:16)

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Sharifah Williams (19:31)

All right, Sharifa, do you want to talk adaptations or should we talk about most anticipated reads?

Vanessa Diaz (19:36)

I am up for either, but I think the most anticipated reads seems to be what everybody is discussing lately, so might. Might as well go there.

Sharifah Williams (19:48)

Yeah. So the list that I am looking at right now is Barnes and Noble. Just put out their list of the most anticipated. It is like a lot of their list. They have sort of like a truncated kind of highlights list, and they have a much bigger list that you can also go down the perusal of comparing this one, as I want to do, to our own list. I think some of the titles on here are probably not a surprise. We see stuff like Vigil by George Saunders. We've got the new Abby Jimenez. We have the new Maria Semple, which I think is going to be relatively splashy. We've got the new Andrew Sean Greer. I mean, there's. There's a whole bunch of good stuff on here. Is there anything on here that you are either surprised to see, not surprised to see, pleased to see?

Vanessa Diaz (20:28)

Well, I was surprised not to see the new Colson Whitehead on the list. I was just like, you know, there is a part. You know, Barnes and Noble's list is different. Everybody's listening list comes from a specific angle. And I definitely think of the Barnes and Nobles list as being more of the commercial fiction. But Colson Whitehead is such a huge name. I think that's why I was shocked, because sort of like Tayari Jones, who I absolutely agree should have been on this list and would have been 100% shocked if Kin wasn't included. Like, that's sort of, I think of Colson Whitehead in the same sense space. And so I was like, it's. It's not here. I don't understand. But, you know, who knows how people choose their lists and. And what's there? But, yeah, I was really glad to see Ken. I think Ken is going to be on, like, every most anticipated list if it hasn't made all of them yet. So that was when I was 100% not surprised to see.

Sharifah Williams (21:33)

I know I was. Yeah, I wasn't surprised. I think especially, I don't know, the book Riot. People are always gonna be like, why is Colton Whitehead. I know. And that's. I think we're doing Rebecca and Jeff probably pretty proud by mentioning that. I will add that this particular list that we're looking at is actually the fiction list they have. Oh, that's true. That's not Colson Whitehead. His is the last in the. Oh, my gosh. I cannot remember the name of the actual series, but it started with Harlem. Anyway, so that series, but they also have it broken out by fantasy, YA nonfiction and kids books. So there is plenty to dive in like on the nonfiction list. One of my most anticipated nonfiction titles did make it, which is London Falling, which is the new Patrick Radden Keefe.

Vanessa Diaz (22:15)

Oh yeah.

Sharifah Williams (22:16)

And I think Geoff may have said this on a recent episode about books they were personally looking forward to in that stuff that leans into true crime is not necessarily always my cup of tea. It really depends on the angle because this is very much about a mysterious death and then the family like looking. I think it's a young man, I believe. But as I think Jeff also said, and I wholeheartedly with my chest, agree with anything by Patrick Radden Keefe, who is the author of oh My Gosh, I always mess up this title, even though I love the book. Say Nothing, say Anything, say Nothing. The one about the troubles.

Vanessa Diaz (22:46)

Yes.

Sharifah Williams (22:46)

I always call it the Wrong Thing. Fantastic Hulu series. If you haven't seen that, that's based on that book too. But anyway, anything in his hands that like really just deep dive into journalism with lots of really juicy context to like time and place, I think is going to be good. And I. I'm glad that that made it to this list. A lot of the other nonfiction I saw on this list is stuff that I'm like new. This just goes to show and maybe this is a good time to talk a little bit about. So I'm more or less at the helm of our own most anticipated lists. Sharifah has also done her time in that trench, having once occupied my same position as managing editor. And the way that we formulate that list has changed a lot over the years and that it used to sort of be, you know, everybody could more or less, and everybody meant the contributors that, you know, write for us as well as staff. Kind of proposed one title and we've changed that to be a little bit more of a robust process where folks can nominate sort of as many titles as they like and then we go through and whittle down that list on the editorial side to get to something that is ultimately actually much bigger than it used to be, which can feel a little unwieldy. It kind of almost reads more as like our versus the if that makes sense, like our picks that we're most excited for versus what we're telling you are like the most anticipated. And a lot of that is just due to structure. We are not, in spite of the fact that we cover, of course, all of this editorial, publishing related stuff. We don't have like an editorial coverage calendar the way some other publications or like review sites might have where, like, this book is going to get covered. We're really all just reading whatever we want and again, kind of coming together to say, like, hey, here are our thoughts. So it's interesting to see how other lists shake out because as Sharifah said, every list has an angle of some sort. Is it commercial? Maybe it's, you know, quirky, maybe it's underrated. Like, everyone has a different approach. But of course, it always surprises me when in the year of Beyonce 2026, like whether or not certain titles, especially from a diversity front, like, do or do not make it to lists. And some looking at Barnes and Nobles, they've got. Yeah, again, like, I'm really excited to see Xochil Gonzalez, for example, has her new work of fiction coming out that made it to the list. But on the nonfiction, when I was browsing, I want to say that I was encountering, I guess the further you go down, maybe there are some more diverse titles. But yeah, I wish I could talk to more of the people that make the lists and kind of get an idea for how they do theirs, knowing that ours is such a collaborative approach and that even I, in spite of having however many contributors, however many staff members, inevitably, I always find one of these lists and go, I haven't heard of six of these books. I don't know if you run into the same issue or not.

Vanessa Diaz (25:20)

Yeah, I mean, there's a part of me that always wants the introduction to these lists to be a big extent explainer for what they're thinking and how they came about their picks and not to sneak peek anything. But we have some big lists coming out this year and I felt very motivated to explain our process and why we're doing the thing and how we think about the books that we're choosing. Because it is like, it tells you so much. Like, it allows you to navigate a list list so much better when you understand where the list is coming from. And I think you did a beautiful job of like, describing how we go about our picks. And I honestly, there were so many books I was glad to see chosen before I even got to that gigantic spreadsheet we put together because I was like, so big. Well, a lot of people took a lot of the books that I would have written in, but there are so many great ones, I didn't really feel like I, I was missing anything. And I was just Glad to see that of course our, our contributors and staff were on it. As far as finding like every possible great book that could come out this year.

Sharifah Williams (26:40)

I thought I did my like due diligence and yet like you know, just looking at this Barnes and Noble list and I, I did, I think I found out about, you know, for context also these lists like you know, come they get put together. As you all know. Some of this you already heard us talk about late last year when we were talking about the best books list. So I won't go too much more than I feel like I already have. But we're putting them together long before they actually come out. And I did not know that Maggie o', Farrell, for example, has a new book until way after I had already submitted my picks. And this one is about I think post famine Ireland and just having gotten my entire soul ripped to pieces by Hamnet, which I only finally read last year before the movie, I was like, Maggie o', Farrell, like I'm gonna read it when I am emotionally prepared. Another book I didn't know anything about, which if you know me, anybody who's listened to anything on any of my podcasts is there's a book called the Beheading Game by Rebecca Lehman that's like what if Anne Boleyn had survived her execution? I was like, pardon me. I'm so jazzed to see that coming.

Vanessa Diaz (27:35)

It's so funny that when I see the word beheading and an image of a, a woman from a certain time, I think, Vanessa, is that a French hood?

Sharifah Williams (27:45)

Yeah, Vanessa, that is a very fair assessment. Yeah. Overall I said there is a fair amount of overlap which isn't always happen. But with our list we've got like Rainbow Roll made it to our list as well with New Cherry Baby, the new Daniel Mason, I believe Japanese Gothic by Kylie Lee Baker. But yeah, there's also plenty to discover on here that did not make it to our list because again there's just so many books and even when you've got tons of people doing coverage, you're always going to inevitably find that there are things that you haven't heard of or hear of but too late. So. So you can check out the links to. I'll put both the nonfiction and the fiction lists for y' all in the show notes and you can take a peek at that there Any other insights you have on most anticipated stuff?

Vanessa Diaz (28:27)

No, just that I am trepidatious but also really curious about Half his age by Jennette McCurdy, which is also on Every single most anticipated list. Except I don't think it made ours.

Sharifah Williams (28:39)

Hilariously, I don't think it did, because again, there's always that. Anyway, if we don't have to go down that road, we're not gonna go this kind of. No, it's fine. That cover alone, I was like.

Vanessa Diaz (28:49)

I was like, I don't know if I want to read this.

Sharifah Williams (28:52)

I know. I was like, I am uncomfortable.

Vanessa Diaz (28:55)

Okay.

Sharifah Williams (28:58)

Lots of great stuff to discover.

Vanessa Diaz (28:59)

Yeah.

Sharifah Williams (29:00)

All right, so let's. I'm. I'm going to go into bummer territory for a second so that we can wrap up on a better note at the end.

Vanessa Diaz (29:07)

That sounds good.

Sharifah Williams (29:09)

Okay, great. So Kelly Jensen, who have already, of course, talked about this episode, but did some great coverage on the or, is always doing. Doing coverage on the book ban front. But the most recent, which is, you know, we're eight days into January and we've already got news of this, is that Utah has kicked off the year by banning three books at all public schools statewide. And now thus leads the US in bans. They have dethroned South Carolina's 21 bands by adding Wicked by Gregory Maguire, 19 Minutes by Jodi Picoult, and the Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky to their list. This is now joins the other 19 titles that they had on there. All of this stems from House Bill 29, House, which passed, I think, in 2024. It was a bill that allows parents to challenge books that they deem, you know, sensitive material, and that also allows them to just outright ban books from all public schools in the state if those books have then been deemed to be, quote, unquote, objective sensitive material or, quote, pornographic per the state code, in at least three school districts or two, three public school districts or two public school districts and five chartered districts, they've got all kinds of parameters for ways that you can like, basically get this done. The bill went into effect in July. It started with the 13 titles and is now ratcheted up to again have surpassed South Carolina, which was leading the helm in this awful thing to be winning at. I mean, I just gave you the titles, right? I don't know how familiar you are with the three of them, probably at least passingly, as a person in the book world. But we know that none of them is object about anything. That matter. Not that matters. The books matter. I meant, like the content itself is just so ridiculous that this is the kind of thing that this is an old hat, it's old story, but it's just so Frustrating to see that these censorship efforts are so dogged this many years in. And then I don't know if you've looked at, like, the original list, but they started off by basically banning all of, like, Sarah J. Moss.

Vanessa Diaz (31:12)

Yeah.

Sharifah Williams (31:13)

And then threw in, like, Judy Bloom and Rupi Kaur. Like, what are we doing?

Vanessa Diaz (31:17)

When you're putting Judy Blume on the list, it feels so, like, are we in the. Like, what era is this that Judy Blume is suddenly, like, sensational? Because I feel like I remember a time when, like, as a young person or a young reader, I was sort of, like, surprised to learn that some of Judy Blume's books were considered, like, you know, outlandish, or they. They dove into territory young readers should be protected from. And I was like, wow, that seems so archaic. Like, how. And here we are again in that kind of world where it is so subjective, like, what is actually considered objectionable to parents. And we can be in a world where things like Forever by Judy Blume end up up on a list like this. And so many of these other books where it's just, like, children. Young readers are able to understand more, digest more, and are better able to see themselves in books when they have access to those books. Like, let's not take the access away. Which is why I thought that the quote that I think is toward the end of Kelly's piece from one of the student plaintiffs who are both anonymous. There are two student plaintiffs.

Sharifah Williams (32:49)

Yeah.

Vanessa Diaz (32:50)

The quote from one of these students was so powerful and did such a good job of articulating the problem with bans like these. And I cannot remember what exactly, but it was like, these books, it really tells you whose stories are important when you see which books are banned and which books aren't. And we know that, you know, across these states, the book bans have really targeted and impacted books by POC authors and by people who are already historically underrepresented and definitely underrepresented in publishing. And so the idea of, like, taking more books that might show young readers more perspectives and more versions of a very diverse world is just it. It just makes me so angry every time I hear about yet another book ban.

Sharifah Williams (33:56)

I know, I. It's hard not to. You know, again, we're only eight days into 2026, and we've already gotten some really big, disturbingly geopolitical, like, news. And I just keep. The thing I always come back to, all this is just not an original thought, but I'll make it anyway, which is that kids and teens are out here Living real life and seeing terrible things happen. And I don't even mean that that's the crux of why books are being banned. It seems like anything that is, like you said, from an under or marginalized community of any kind, if it's queer, if it dares depict a teen having a sexual thought and or engaging in some kind of of sexual thing, which. Spoiler alert, folks, teens be doing things and taking away access to books that allow them to see how just real life scenarios play out. To know that other teens experience the same things, whether it's a positive or a negative experience, just seems so draconian to me. I know, you know, as a first gen kid and you know, thankfully some of my experiences, not necessarily of the darker variety, but just everyday experiences that I ran into that I was not going to get educated in some other way. Like I got them through fiction, like got to ask questions and probe into things that felt either outside of my experience or that aligned with my experience. We all know this, right? If you're listening to this podcast, you probably don't need me to wax there. But it's just again, I'm looking at Sharifa pointed out. You look at the list that just got added. It's like most of the titles were published in the 2000s and somebody was like, you know what, let's take this book published in 1975 by Judy Blume. Because it, I imagine the reason is because it depicts teens in having a sexual relationship or Wicked. Because yeah, there is, you know, like sex on the page. But it, and it admittedly wicked is much darker, I think than maybe people think, but not in a way that I think the book needs to be banned. But it just like, I don't know who. What is it like to sit in the chair of these people that are. Do you wake up every day and stir up your folgers and go, let me just look up books that I feel like I want to have a feeling about today. Because again, you chose books that are. Those three books are old. Like all three of them. Yeah. Judy Bloom is what, 1975. Maguire is what, 99. Wicked. And I can't remember when. Perks of being a Wallflower. But hell, if that movie came out years ago, when did the book. I can't remember the publishing date.

Vanessa Diaz (36:09)

I'm sure it's in front of it feels ancient. I'm sure it's like from way back. And the bill is retroactive. So like you can take a look at all of these. You could take a look at the great span of books in history. And a parent can say, this is objectionable, so. So strike it from the list. And it is just bonkers. And just as a note, the quote I was talking about, I realized, was from an update on this Utah book ban that Kelly later posted about the ACLU in Utah suing Utah after these book bans, which I am so glad. I was glad for that update, I could tell you that, because it is preposterous. And so the. The lawsuit argues that the book bans are in violation of the First Amendment rights of students and authors alike. And there were the two anonymous student plaintiffs, and it's being filed as well on behalf of the state of Kurt Vonnegut and a couple of other authors. But, yeah, so the quote from the student was, for many Utah students, the first place we recognize our own lives and identities is in a library book. When those books disappear, students notice immediately. It sends a clear message about whose stories matter and whose do not. And I just thought that was so, like. Yes, that is exactly the problem with this, because students are experiencing, like, to your point, they're experiencing the world, and they are living lives. Whether or not you want them to know about what life looks like, they are going to learn it by living it. And so why not allow them to navigate that space and to understand what they might experience in the world and what they might have ahead of them and their own identities by. By letting them read the books they want to read. So I just hope that the ACLU sees success in this lawsuit and that we have less of these extremely regressive book bans that seem to be sweeping our country right now. For the sake of all readers, including my own young readers I'm raising at home. Like, I don't want this to be the type of school library environment they enter. So I take it very personally, and I do not like to see that it is continuing to persist across the country.

Sharifah Williams (38:55)

Yeah, this is when I'll do my. However often I do reminder that local elections and like, small steps that you can take matter very, very much. They may seem small in the moment, but impactfully have. Yeah. A big ripple. Kelly has done a lot of. And then at this point, it almost reads as old, but like a piece that I can also link to. That's just about, like, how if you are in this moment, maybe just coming into awareness of everything that's going on or you've been waiting for the moment, figure out a way to get involved. Some of that is as simple as just showing up to your school board meetings. But there is a really cool guide for kind of getting into you're, you know, dipping your toe into the waters of like, how do I fight against this stuff in ways that are actually quite local but again, hugely impactful. So I can put that in the show notes as well. Aclu, y'. All, I really, I give y' all a part of my check every month and every time I see someone on the streets in Portland, I'm like, I swear, I'm not lying just to not talk to you. I really give to y'.

Vanessa Diaz (39:47)

All.

Sharifah Williams (39:47)

May your efforts succeed. So good. Good on them. That must be I hope your, your coffee flows freely and y' all are doing the work right now. And yeah. Well, before we delve into some fun adaptation stuff, let's go ahead and take one last sponsor break. New year, same extra value meals at McDonald's.

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Micah Sargent (40:49)

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Sharifah Williams (41:17)

All right. I love me some adaptation talk. I have feelings about adaptations. I am a big fan. I'm probably going to be on this show talking to Rebecca about at least one or few two of these. So let's talk adaptations. So there are two lists that we have come across recently anyway that are talking about upcoming book adaptations in 2026. We've got some of our own, I think, coming on the site as well, if they're not already already up. But the two that we were looking at are one from the Hollywood Reporter and then another one from the New York Times. I was actually surprised, and I'm glad Sharifah brought this up. We were originally just going to look at the New York Times list, and it had what I think are some, you know, predictable, like, yeah, that's what I expected to see. They also left off what I feel are some really big ones. And I was like, what. What are we doing here? So, yeah, do you want to talk a little bit about the New York Times list and we can segue into Hollywood Reporter?

Vanessa Diaz (42:03)

Yeah. So, of course, I was very, very unsurprised to see Wuthering Heights, the adaptation of Emily Bronte's classic, on the list, because it is probably one of the adaptations I have heard the most about. Like, even, I don't know, like, months before the end of 2025, I was hearing, like, so much conversation about it, particularly because of, like, the sexuality in the book and what we know about the adaptation and how the movie portrays it so far. And I think it's so hilarious that it's coming out around Valentine's Day because I'm like, can you imagine the couple who are like, you took the words.

Sharifah Williams (42:52)

Out of my mouth.

Vanessa Diaz (42:53)

You know, it's a great Valentine's Day date. Let's go. Let's go take in Wuthering Heights. Because I do not think of Wuthering Heights as like a, you know, let me feel romantic. There is romance in there and there is definitely sexual tension, but it is not something that makes me, you know, love. Love, I guess I'd say.

Sharifah Williams (43:18)

I wonder why. I have seen. I think the New York Times even called out that it is. It keeps getting kind of billed as inspired by the greatest love story of all time. And to whoever first put that into the atmosphere, I would love to know who hurt. I am so sorry for that. Let me know if you need me to, like, send them some angry hate mail and spat. Like, what? What do you mean? Like, of all the stories, whenever people call Wuthering Heights or, like, Romeo and Juliet the greatest love story of all time, y' all know I cape for, like, that movie and I love the play, obviously, but I'm like, do you read, please?

Vanessa Diaz (43:53)

I do not want this to be my love story. Thank you very much. No, sure, don't.

Sharifah Williams (43:56)

Thank you. Thank you so much. Fantastic book. Obviously, Love Me the Brontes but, yeah, like the, you know, the Jacob Elordi of it all, which I finally am bought onto the Jacob Elord hype. I've now finally seen Saltburn. I had to take a few days to recover from that experience, but I get it now. He's. He's great. But also, you know, casting wise, I'm. I'm interested to see what ultimately happens with this. Just because it does have so much hype around it, obviously, Emerald Fennell and I. Yeah. The fact that this has been kind of buzzing for so long, I really did think initially that he was coming out at the end of the year because there was just so much going on. And then when I realized it was a 2026 release, I was like, what? And then, yeah, the. The Valentine's Day really made me chuckle pretty heartily.

Vanessa Diaz (44:39)

It's just too good to be true. Yeah.

Sharifah Williams (44:43)

Speaking of Elordi and Frankenstein, there is a different take on Frankenstein coming, which is. I think it's called the Bride, and that one is Maggie Gyllenhaal's take on the myth of, you know, the monster of Frankenstein. I initially don't know that I was or was not going to watch it. And I don't think I realized until pretty late in the game that Jesse Buckley is in this, who, of course, is the just again ripped my heart open, transcendent performance of Anya Hathaway in Hamnet. I will follow her anywhere. So I'm pretty inclined to watch this now after that heartbreaking experience. Yeah. So some of the other stuff on the New York list are things that actually weren't on my radar. So there is something coming out about the. Or based on Broken by Dawn Winslow. We've got, of course, got the new Bridgerton. No list, I think is going to leave off the Bridgerton of it all.

Vanessa Diaz (45:34)

No, you can't.

Sharifah Williams (45:36)

I am particularly tickled by the fact that we're getting an adaptation of H is for hawk by Helen McDonald, which.

Vanessa Diaz (45:43)

Is this so unusual?

Sharifah Williams (45:46)

So unusual. For a few reasons. One, I just didn't. And it's going to be like. I mean, I. I guess I don't know whether they're fictionalizing it. I imagine not. But they have, like, Claire Foy, like, playing her. She's gonna be in it. It is. I. Gosh, I can remember. Is this a film or a series? I think it's a film, but I. The little tidbit in here that made me laugh really hard is that it took five birds to tackle the role of Mabel. She's, of course, the titular Hawk. I don't know. I'm just really, really into that idea that it took that many birds to, like, get it down.

Vanessa Diaz (46:19)

Mabel is notoriously, was a cranky bird, so that totally makes sense. Maybe they should have cast one of the birds that were too difficult to work with, because then that would make a lot more sense for the story itself.

Sharifah Williams (46:34)

The birds are like, f y', all, we're done. I'm not sure. But, yeah, it is this. You know, for anybody who doesn't know, I mean, this is like a. Such a famous memoir about the author's experience grieving her father. So, yeah, I guess I was surprised to find out that this was, you know, being made into a film and that it is. Again, they. They cast Claire Foy. So I'm. I'm not, I guess, super well versed on, like, the structure of the thing, but I, again, got a kick out of the birds. But I'll be interested to see, because I really like Claire Foy, and sometimes that's enough to, like, get me to watch a thing.

Vanessa Diaz (47:07)

Yeah, I think that the thing that I'm so curious about is because the book was so. The memoir is so cerebral. Like, it's so in the head of Helen MacDonald, of course, because it's her story about, you know, dealing with a lot of feelings and emotions and processing grief and loss and. And I don't know how that gets spun visually. And then I'm like, are they gonna dabble in the thy biography stuff of it all? Because that is so, like, it was great in the memoir, but I don't know how you translate that for film and make it make sense in a feature film. Like, I film. I'm really curious. I am not even, like, gonna, like, badmouth this or anything. I love H's for hawk. I am just like, I just want.

Sharifah Williams (48:07)

To know how to do this. Yeah, yeah, yeah, totally. I, too. I will probably watch just for the bird and Foy combo. That's enough to lore me. And also, for all the reasons you just articulated, I'm just. I mean, that's half the time what gets me to watch anything. I'm just curious. So we'll. We'll see how they translate it. Maybe they won't.

Vanessa Diaz (48:25)

We'll.

Sharifah Williams (48:26)

We'll report back other big stuff on this list that we are not surprised to see. At least I'm not. I did realize there's a new Alice Feeney or. I don't know, actually if Alice Feeney's work has ever been adapted. But I do know this one stars Tessa Thompson. And I think I forget who she's cast against, but I think that is enough of a reason. And if you like a thriller, I'm just always gonna watch something of a thriller adaptation. It's a thing to do. So this will likely land with a lot of folks. Of course, we're getting the long anticipated People We Meet on Vacation adaptation based on Emily Henry's book. That's not surprising to see. I personally am very jazzed about the Seven Dials mystery that we're getting. It's going to be. Yes, I'm never gonna tire of a Christie adaptation because that's just who I am, which I probably don't have to explain to people listening. But yeah, I'm just really. I love. Especially when they do it over the course of a series. And this one's interesting because it's been a very long time since I read Seven Dials. But I want to say that it starts with a practical joke. Like there's somebody. There's a bunch of people staying at a state as often as the setup for this sort of thing. And there's someone who. Who just like sleeps through everything and is always sleeping in past the time the person's supposed to be up. And so the other guests decide to play a prank where they set eight different alarm clocks in his room at different intervals to basically get him the heck up. And then they find when they go to wake him up that he's dead in the room and one of the alarm clocks is missing. And that. That ends up leading folks to stumble into a bunch of really interesting stuff about maybe like a secret society. So, like, all of that to me is just like the perfect hook for an adaptation. It's a little bit closed room, a little. Again, a secret society plus mystery, I think is always going to be a thing that gets the people going, at least me people. So, yeah, Excited to watch that one.

Vanessa Diaz (50:10)

Yeah. I think that we can't go a year without an Agatha Christie adaptation anymore. It feels like, like it's so ubiquitous and I always come across these and want it to be like, so good because I love a mystery done right. Like the Knives out franchise gives me life. And they just do it so well. And I really want whatever comes out next, the Seven Dials mystery or anything else that they adapt from Agatha Christie to be like just that really compelling, visually interesting, great actors sort of set up. So I'm hopeful that this will be one of those. And I'm glad it's on Netflix because I actually have that streamer So I can watch it.

Sharifah Williams (50:56)

I can't. Yeah. That's the only thing, right. Is everything streams at eight different places these days. But I really think this one, the premise of this one, I think has potential. I do know that the resolution to this one, I think, is somewhat polarizing, but to me that's just even more of a reason to tune in so you can have feelings and talk to people about it. So. So there's that. Rounding out the list, we've got Adaptation of the Beauty by Jeremy Hahn and Jason Hurley. We've got Finding Her Edge, which comes out, I think, right timing well with the Olympics. It's about figure skating and it's sort of a twist on Austen's Persuasion. We've also got Box Hill by Adam Mars Jones, which I don't actually know a ton about, but I do think is it's described as a story of low self esteem that's kinky yet tender. I'm like, cool, that'll do it. We've got Patricia Cornwell's Post Mortem, which is about this. I want to say the protagonist of those books is a medical examiner who then goes into like forensic consulting. So that again, just as I feel like, is good fodder for an adaptation. And then we can't forget that two of the also buzzier ones are Reminders of Him by Colleen Hoover and Andy Weir's Hail Mary, which is sort of, as Rebecca describes it, like a spiritual, I think, prequel to the Martian. So those are both, I think, going to be pretty buzzy for very different reasons.

Vanessa Diaz (52:10)

I know you can't wait to set your eyes on another Hoover adaptation.

Sharifah Williams (52:14)

Vanessa. I am into it for one reason alone is that it is just fun to talk about books. Funny how that works. But I did really enjoy talking to Rebecca about it and having my head explode at the idea that the main character of a book was a florist named Lily Blossom Bloom.

Vanessa Diaz (52:30)

I would never have known that because I would never have read that book, book it, if not for you and Rebecca talking about that adaptation. And I am so glad I know now because that was the best thing I learned that year.

Sharifah Williams (52:42)

There are many. Look, read what you read. I swear, I'm generally not a person who yucks a person's yum. Like, that's not my ethos. There's just, I think structurally and fundamentally a lot of issues they have with some of the calling over of it all. Sidebar. She has another, I think two books coming out that are about about one's called A Good Reason and One's called A Bad Reason, and it's about brothers whose last name is Reason. And I. I made a noise. Rebecca was like, well, just so you know, you're gonna get pulled into that discussion. I was like, of course I am.

Vanessa Diaz (53:11)

So anyway, that's coming later.

Sharifah Williams (53:14)

I am. This is what I've done to myself. But. So that was everything that made it onto the New York Times list. And at first I was like, okay, this makes sense. And then, you know, late breaking. We're going on a bit long here. But Sharifa basically dropped to this Hollywood Reporter list, which lines up in large part. But then, of course, I, for. They. For not forgot someone just. Just didn't include some really huge ones, namely Sunrise on the Re, which is, you know, in the Hunger Games metaverse. That's a big one. That's, I think, goes back to. Gosh, I. I forget. This one's the one that. It's about President Snow, I think, like, when he was young. And the cast alone is, like, to be a reason for this to be on people's radars. Jesse Plemons, R.A. ralph fiends, Elle Fanning, Kieran Culkin, and Glenn Close. Like, I'm gonna. I don't. I didn't. I didn't even know what this was about. If I didn't know, I would still watch that just for that cast alone. Like, that's a good time.

Vanessa Diaz (54:03)

That is a cast. Like. Like, and it's been discussed so much. Like, even if it's not a. You know, if it's not anticipated to be a critical success, like, the pop culture fandom is so big, and. And the buzz is so big. I think that's why I would have expected to see it. And that was the first adaptation I saw on this list that made me realize, oh, wait, there are, like, other big ones coming out. Like, the Odyssey is another one.

Sharifah Williams (54:37)

The Odyssey?

Vanessa Diaz (54:38)

Yeah. Christopher Nolan.

Sharifah Williams (54:40)

I mean, Greek Summer, as we keep talking about.

Vanessa Diaz (54:42)

Exactly. Like. And Matt Damon.

Sharifah Williams (54:45)

I talk about another cast.

Vanessa Diaz (54:47)

Yes.

Sharifah Williams (54:47)

Tom Holland Collins and Dia.

Vanessa Diaz (54:49)

Yeah.

Sharifah Williams (54:49)

Lupita Nyong'. O. Robert Pattinson. Mia Goth. Who. I always say I know who she is, and then I forget, but I know she's cool. I'm getting old. The. The younger stars are starting to bleed together for me. But Charlize Theron is it, like. It's just. That's a. That's a big one. It's. It's freaking Christopher Nolan. It's the Odyssey. It's. It's. This one's gonna be, I think, you know, big and was very surprised not to see that on the list. There's actually another Colleen Hoover, and this one is Verity, which I think is going to be buzz folks, because again, the, the cast. This one's got Dakota Johnson, Anne Hathaway and Josh Hartnett, where Dakota Johnson, I believe, is hired to be like a ghostwriter by Josh Hartnett, whose wife is an author named Verity, who was played by Anne Hathaway. So I'm not gonna lie. The premise of that one, like, might get me, even though I'm not generally a cult, but. And I really like the stars, so we'll, we'll see. But that one's coming, I think, in October. I haven't really given the times on most of these, but y' can all can look them up in the links. And then one that I know Rebecca and I are very excited about is also the Margo's Got Money Troubles, which is going to be on Apple TV in the spring. And that one stars Elle Fanning and Michelle Pfeiffer. And I think that's another one like people are gonna look for. That's, that's a really great, great read that I think has made the book riot rounds. I don't know. Have you, have you read that one?

Vanessa Diaz (56:04)

I haven't read it, but when I read about the adaptation a while ago, I was like, I am in like, I don't know. I'm not somebody who is determined to read the book before I watch the adaptation, but I have considered it. I am still considering it. But either way, I am watching this because I love Nick Offerman. Like, yeah, dude, ever since the Parks and Rex days. And he's just done really excellent work since then and has proven to be such a. An actor who can take on a diversity of roles.

Sharifah Williams (56:41)

Yep.

Vanessa Diaz (56:42)

That I am just like, I am excited because there, this is like, you know, there are serious things that happen in this, but it is comedic and I am, I am just ready for this type of story. And A24 is doing it.

Sharifah Williams (56:57)

A24. Two things, A24 and Nicole Kidman were my last two commentaries of the day. One, A24 just of course, does exciting stuff. And like, so we're gonna watch Nicole Kidman, I have to believe, with my entire chest, really does just love being an actor in like a very deep, deep, personal, visceral way. Because what she stays working, like, I don't know that she goes a year without being in seven different things. Like, you know, and I don't think she needs to, but she must like it. Because she's just always on my screen in some way, shape or form. But this would be really interesting.

Vanessa Diaz (57:29)

Yeah. I know that there was in the. In the past, like, people. And I don't know if this is the correct term, but it was like a career actor or. Or somebody who is, like, known for just working. They were always working. And it wasn't like, you know, there. It was just part of them. It was in their blood. It wasn't like, oh, I'm doing some artistic expression thing. It's just like, this is what I do. This is what I live for. And Nicole Kidman absolutely strikes me as that type of person. And I've never thought of that as being, like, demeaning in any way. I've always enjoyed people who come at it, who come at the work like that. Because, I mean, Nicole Kidman's done really great things as an actress.

Sharifah Williams (58:16)

I do think that we need some justice for some of the wigs they'd be putting My Girl in. But that's a story for another day. Last on this list that didn't make it to the New York Times list is a book that I actually don't think I had was on my radar at all. But I just think it's like a. Like, two powerhouse names for people of a certain type, and that's Remain, which is an adaptation of a book by Nicholas Sparks and M. Night Shyamalan. I did not know those two people wrote a book together. I was like, what? Yeah, it stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Phoebe Dynamore from. I know her from Bridgerton. So, yeah, that's gonna be a thing. It's like a supernatural love story, which is exactly what you. I suppose, if you knew nothing about this, and we're just like, what is a book by Nicholas Sparks and M. Night Shaloman about? That would be it. So we're also getting that in October.

Vanessa Diaz (59:04)

I only knew about this because of looking for news stories for our newsletter Today in Books. And I thought I was hallucinating or, like, didn't get enough sleep when I came across that one, because I was like, no, no, my brain cannot make sense of this right now. But it's a real thing. It is happening, and there is a relationship.

Sharifah Williams (59:26)

We're getting a lot of breadth in what is being adapted in 2026, which is great. I really hope that it's a good year for the big and screens, especially, just because, yeah, we want the importance of the relevance of books to. To be a thing people are excited about and adaptations are Just one way to do that.

Vanessa Diaz (59:41)

So.

Sharifah Williams (59:41)

Yay.

Vanessa Diaz (59:42)

Yes. Let the kids talk about books on TikTok because of these adaptations.

Sharifah Williams (59:47)

Yeah, like go read the Odyssey. Why not? I would love for people to come ask me about the Odyssey. That's a sidebar. But I will be sad for that. All right, before we get out of here, we've been going on for quite some time here. But let is, let's go to front list foyer, which is brought to you by Thriftbooks. Y' know about Thriftbooks, they have millions, and I do mean millions, of new and used titles. They have this endless selection of books, video, music, gifts and games at the best prices to fill your imagination and your library. They've got childhood classics, undiscovered worlds of adventures. There really is just something for everyone and every budget, which I can attest to because I've, you know, purchased lots of stuff from them recently. I was very pleasantly surprised with the Thriftbooks reading rewards program. Every purchase actually gets you closer to free book rewards so you can read more and spend less@thriftbooks.com Thriftbooks Large selection by the way, when I say large, we're talking over 19 million titles to browse. So they sell new and used books plus DVD and Blu ray. You can find all their latest releases. You can also find an out of print childhood favorite and pretty much anything in between reminder, you get free US shipping on book orders of $15. So that's actually not much like I hit $15 without trying. And books will be delivered right to you your door. You can visit www.thriftbooks.com BRpodcast for a running list of titles discussed on the show. So let's talk about really quickly just a couple of things that we've been reading recently. Sharifa, what do you have for us?

Vanessa Diaz (61:14)

I felt overwhelmed by the selection lately, but I decided to pick up the Seven Daughters of Dupree by Nikisha Elise Williams because I was perusing our own most anticipated list and I realized I actually had a copy of this book, the galley. I was like, oh my, my problem is solved. I know what I'm gonna read. And I love stories about black women. I love stories of family. I love stories of generational experiences. And this book has it all. And I cannot wait to get into. Sounds like just the right thing to really sink your teeth into and get in the mood for a year of reading with. So I'm really excited about this one. It's not out, I believe, until I think February. I should know this, but it's coming out soon, January 27th. And I cannot wait for this book. And I am really excited that I actually get to read it.

Sharifah Williams (62:17)

Ooh, that sounds fantastic. I think we both read and loved the Wilderness by Angela Flournoy last year. And that was just like a wonderful reminder of how much I. Yeah. Also also love books about women in general. This was a beautiful story about. For black women or more than four, I think. Black. Oh, I'm still thinking about. I'm staring at it. It's like right here on my nightstand. Oh, so, so good. I'm reading a very different book. So good. I've actually not finished with it, but I feel very confident in recommending it so far. It's called the Body by Bethany C. Morrow.

Vanessa Diaz (62:46)

I love her.

Sharifah Williams (62:47)

I love. This is actually my first time reading her. I own several of her books and have been meaning to read them for a very long time, but it just kind of hadn't gotten around to it. Story of many a reader's life. But this one got me with one line alone. This. It was about the horror of churchianity. And I was like, oh, sign. Sign me up twice. Like, I'm ready for this. And it's. Yeah. About a woman. Like the. The book literally opens with this woman who, you know, is. Has maybe done something that's going to upset her husband. She's got some big news to give him and then bam, she's in a car accident, like, right away that leaves her reeling. We know that she's deeply entrenched in the church. Church that her parents have always been churchy and have very much shaped like, the whole course of her life. Not just them, but the church itself in a way that we know, like, we know from the get that like, she is not pleased with the ways that this has happened and you just have that little sense of doom that you know is going to get worse and worse. It is a supernatural horror story about all of that. About maybe being married to somebody who maybe is too good to be true. About the ways in which church culture like, permeates into everything and how it all is not as it's. This is just so co written. Not for me, but for people like me. And anyway, it's so good, y'. All. Like, I'm not done. But unless, like, Santa Claus makes an appearance in these last 40 pages, I think it's gonna hold up pretty well. Yeah. So, yeah, that is my pick for front list foyer today. And thank you once again to two thriftbooks for sponsoring this segment of the show. Well, Sharifa, we've covered lots today. We did our best to put our Rebecca and Jeff suits on that were. I apologize. There's nowhere near as many puns as there should have been. I slacked on that regard, but hopefully Jeff's listeners will forgive us. We'll be back with some regularly scheduled Jeff and Rebecca programming. We will put again links to the show notes. Make sure to go out and listen to the next season of Zero to well read. There's some really, really great titles coming out. And if you subscribe to the newsletter and the Patreon, you will get maybe even some previews of some of what's to come. And we will catch y' all next time.

Micah Sargent (64:54)

Hey, Sal.

Sharifah Williams (64:55)

Hank. What's going on? We haven't worked a case in years.

Micah Sargent (64:58)

I just bought my car at Carvana, and it was so easy. Too easy.

Sharifah Williams (65:02)

Think something's up?

Micah Sargent (65:03)

You tell me. They got thousands of options, found a great car at a great price, and it got delivered the next day. It sounds like Carvana just makes it easy to buy your car, Hank. Yeah, you're right. Case closed.

Sharifah Williams (65:17)

Buy your car today on Carvana. Delivery fees may apply.