The Biggest Literary News of the Week
Catch up on the most popular stories from this week’s editions of Today in Books.
Details Emerge in Sexual Assault Allegations Against Neil Gaiman
It’s been six months since news broke that two women were accusing author Neil Gaiman of sexual assault. A month later, more women came forward. In the time since, multiple of Gaiman’s projects have been canceled, but publishing media has remained largely silent…until today. Vulture‘s Lila Shapiro delivers a deeply reported and even more deeply disturbing piece built on interviews with four of the five women who have gone public with allegations against Gaiman, along with reviews of their diaries, contemporaneous text messages and emails with friends and Gaiman, and police documents. The details of Gaiman’s alleged decades-long patterns of abuse are about as bad as they could be, especially for a man who had built “a reputation as an outspoken champion of women” in both his work and personal life. Warning: the story includes graphic details of sexual assault and non-consensual BDSM activities.
Follow-up coverage on Gaiman’s response and how the publishing industry is (not) reacting via the New York Times and Publishers Weekly.
100 Books to Look For in 2025
It’s always a good day when the folks at The Millions drop their winter books preview, and this year’s is no exception. Among the 100 most anticipated books of winter 2025 are, yes, many titles that have appeared all over most-anticipated lists this season (Death of the Author, We Do Not Part, Stag Dance), but they’re accompanied by under-the-radar selections that are virtually guaranteed to introduce you to forthcoming releases you haven’t heard of yet. Among the new additions to my TBR are an investigation into Spotify’s origins and influence on music, an essay collection about Y2K, and a dystopian story set in Texas in 2038 described as “a mash-up of Olivia Butler, Ray Bradbury, and John Steinbeck.” Sold.
Boston’s First Romance Bookstore Opens This Weekend
The last few years have seen a boom in bookstores focused exclusively on romance, and this weekend, Boston will join the growing list of cities that can boast of having one. Lovestruck Books, located in Harvard Square, will open Friday, January 17 with a celebration that will include raffles, tarot card readings, blind-date-with-a-book opportunities, a coffee tasting hosted by the in-store cafe run by George Howell Coffee, and a chance to create custom jewelry. Per a release issued earlier this week, owner Rachel Kanter hopes Lovestruck will become “a vibrant community where guests can indulge in their love for romance, explore new narratives, and feel a sense of belonging,” noting that the store will emphasize “titles penned by women, BIPOC, LGBTQIA+ authors, and more.” May her efforts succeed.
The Best New Books Out This Week
Today is the first big new release week of the season—Feb 4, Feb 21, and March 11 are the next ones that’ll bust your TBR—and Erica Ezeifedi is here to help you narrow down the options with a look at the best new books of the week. I’ve already vouched for Witchcraft for Wayward Girls, and I’d hasten to add Aflame by Pico Iyer. Whatever your current reading vibe, there’s something new for you this week.