Today’s literary headlines include a trailer for the new Spider-Man movie, an experiment with mass-market paperbacks, the return of The Wheel of Time to screens, and more.

Watch the Trailer for Spider-Man: Brand New Day

The trailer for Spider-Man: Brand New Day has dropped, with Tom Holland as a Spider-Man that the world has forgotten. It comes five years after the previous Spider-Man trilogy wrapped up with No Way Home, and it follows in the same continuity. Alongside Tom Holland, Zendaya returns as MJ, Mark Ruffalo as The Hulk, and Jon Bernthal as The Punisher. Spider-Man: Brand New Day releases in theaters on July 31st.

Canadian Bookstore Indigo Revives Pocket-Sized Book Format

The mass-market paperpack, a book small enough to fit in your pocket, is a format that’s been on the decline for the past decade. It’s also the subject of an experiment from Canadian bookstore chain Indigo. While mass-market paperbacks are most associated with romance, mystery, and other fiction genres, for the past year, Indigo has been working with publishers to reprint popular Canadian nonfiction in an affordable pocket-sized format. Indigo reports that it is giving these books a second life, with some returning to bestseller lists in this format.

THE WHEEL OF TIME is Returning to the Screen

The Wheel of Time on Prime Video was canceled after three seasons, but that’s not the end of screen time for the franchise. iwot Studios has announced several upcoming The Wheel of Time projects, including an animated series, several feature films, and a video game. They’ve partnered with Thomas Wu, who worked on Netflix’s Arcane. Wu says, “I see tremendous opportunity in expanding The Wheel of Time into fully authentic, integrated, interactive, and animated storytelling experiences. The depth of the mythology provides a foundation for sustained, multi-platform franchise growth.”

The Bestselling Books of the Week, According to All the Lists

USA Today, Publishers Weekly, NYT, Amazon, and Indie Booksellers all have their own bestseller lists. Here are the combined results. We have two titles making their debut on the list this week, and they’re both from literary fiction powerhouses: Whistler by Ann Patchett and Land by Maggie O’Farrell. Meanwhile, the Off Campus adaptation continues to drive sales, with a full 50% of the top 10 Amazon Fiction Bestsellers this week coming from that series.

Alessandra Ferreri is the Head of Content for Wattpad, a global webnovel platform. Below, she discusses what is trending in LGBTQ+ content on Wattpad. (Wattpad Pride Month graphic by Vivian Rosas, used with permission from Wattpad.)

Everything is so loud and full of doom these days, so sometimes kids (and adults) need a good book or five to take them away from all the noise. A book with a great story and magical happenings, but not a lot of action or dire circumstances. Welcome to the world of quiet fantasy!

Here are five low-stakes fantasies with gentle magic that are full of fun, and focus more attention on characters and emotions. They’re a delight for any age! There’s also the classic Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones. And if you or your little reader enjoys graphic novels, I highly recommend The Tea Dragon Society by K. O’Neill and Wizkit: An Adventure Overdue by Tanya J. Scott!

Eva Evergreen, Semi-Magical Witch by Julie Abe There’s nothing Eve Evergreen wants more than to be a Novice Witch, but she doesn’t have enough magic to pass the tests. But that doesn’t stop Eva from trying, flying around her town, moving to a small town, and using what magic she does have to do good deeds and help her neighbors. This is perfect for fans of Kiki’s Delivery Service!

A Spoonful of Time by Flora Ahn Maya’s grandmother, Halmunee, is an amazing cook and likes to share stories of her childhood while they enjoy her delicious meals. But lately, Halmunee’s memory is not what it used to be. Then one day, Maya and her grandmother are transported back in time by Halmunee’s delicious food, and Maya gets to see her grandmother’s stories for herself.

All access members continue below for more quiet fantasy!

Elena Ferrante’s Neapolitan Quartet sparked a global phenomenon, and in 2024, the New York Times named My Brilliant Friend—the first book in the series—the best book of the century so far. That’s a big deal!

So what does it take to be #1, and what does the selection reveal about modern reading habits and values?

Find out on this week’s episode Zero to Well-Read, as Jeff and Rebecca explore the book that ignited “Ferrante Fever” and the mysterious author readers praise for capturing girlhood and female friendship like no one else.

Dive Deeper

• On re-reading My Brilliant Friend before the 2018 release of its HBO adaptation
• Who exactly is Elene Ferrante? We may never know.
• How Elena Ferrante and the Neopolitan novels played a major role in the founding of an independent publishing house
• “In her I recognized my need for validation, my hatred for my body, my single-minded determination to be perceived as intelligent…” —A reader’s personal relationship to My Brilliant Friend
• Want more Ferrante? Here are 10 books to read after you’ve finished the Neopolitan novels.

Say What Now?

For a preview of the episode, I leave you with some out-of-context quotes from the show.

“This is what she is seeking: to make the thing, be in the world, but not be subject to everyone’s bullshit all the time. Also: who among us???”

“Only an Italian would write a book where handmade shoes are so important.”

“They’re ready to cut someone’s head off because their Chicken Kiev came out late!”

“We get it, your friend is weirdly compelling and that makes you feel some kind of way.”

“Straight to jail for anybody who thinks that … ” —For that hot take, you’ll have to listen to the episode.

We have two titles making their debut on the list this week, and they’re both from literary fiction powerhouses: Whistler by Ann Patchett and Land by Maggie O’Farrell. Meanwhile, the Off Campus adaptation continues to drive sales, with a full 50% of the top 10 Amazon Fiction Bestsellers this week coming from that series.

This list continues to lack of diversity on many levels, including being disproportionately by white authors. Some Independent Press bestsellers you should know about include Taiwan Travelogue by Shuang-zi Yang and translated by Lin King, The Clock House Murders by Yukito Ayatsuji, and Homosexual Intifada: A Queer Palestinian Anthology edited by George Abraham.

To get these numbers, we look at the New York Times, both Combined Print & E-Book Fiction and Combined Print & E-Book Nonfiction lists; Amazon Charts, both Fiction and Nonfiction; Publishers Weekly; USA Today; and Indie Bestsellers, Fiction and Nonfiction, both Paperback and Hardcover.

Books On All Five Bestseller Lists:

Theo of Golden by Allen Levi

The Deal by Elle Kennedy

Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke

The Divorce by Freida McFadden

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

Books On Four Bestseller Lists:

Whistler by Ann Patchett (Publishers Weekly, USA Today, NYT, Indie Bestsellers)

Books On Three Bestseller Lists:

Land by Maggie O’Farrell (USA Today, NYT, Indie Bestsellers)

Strangers by Belle Burden (NYT, Amazon, Indie Bestsellers)

The Land and Its People: Essays by David Sedaris (NYT, Amazon, Indie Bestsellers)

The Mistake by Elle Kennedy (Publishers Weekly, NYT, Amazon)

Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman (USA Today, NYT, Amazon)

Find more news and stories of interest from the book world in Breaking in Books.