LeVar Burton, Mychal Threets, and Obama Walk Into a Library

Two Reading Rainbow icons show up for storytime at The Obama Presidential Center, authors choose the best queer books in America, this year’s Common Reads, and more. Welcome to Today in Books, our daily round-up of literary headlines at the intersection of politics, culture, media, and more.

LeVar Burton, Mychal Threets, and Obama Walk Into a Library

The opening ceremony for The Obama Presidential Center was the talk of the town and I don’t just mean the South Side of Chicago. From almost every living president to Oprah to Quinta Brunson and Stephen Colbert, everyone was in attendance. But the moment poised to capture readers’ hearts can be found in this video recap of storytime for kids in the massive Center’s public library branch, posted to Bluesky from Reading Rainbow host and beloved librarian Mychal Threets’ account. Two Reading Rainbow icons in one storytime? What a moment. The Obama Presidential Center Branch features some of President Obama’s favorite reads, reading rooms, and a maker space.

Authors Choose the Best LGBTQIA+ Books

If you’re on a tear adding all of the queer books to your TBR stacks with this year’s Pride Month reading recs, you won’t want to miss The Guardian’s list of "The Best American LGBTQ+ Books, Chosen by Authors ." While I’m overcome by a sort of soul-deep heaviness when I think about celebrations around the U.S.’s semiquincentennial, I’ll take it in the form of lists like these. Highlights include Bryan Washington (Palaver) recommending Ryka Aoki’s Light From Uncommon Stars, Samuel R. Delany ( Dark Reflections) recommending Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin, Imogen Binnie ( Nevada) recommending Period by Dennis Cooper, and Sarah Schulman ( Girls, Visions and Everything) recommending The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers.

For Your Adaptations Watch List

We have some exciting incoming adaptations, one about a female knight and the other about female ambition. Netflix picked up Alix E. Harrow’s time-loop fantasy The Everlasting for a series adaptation. Harrow will be involved as an executive producer and the series will be written by Daphne Ferraro (Maxton Hall: The World Between Us). Over at Vice Studios, Anika Jade Levy’s Flat Earth will also get the series adaptation treatment. Levy is co-writing with Sam Zvibleman (Pen15--a personal favorite).

The Books Colleges Are Choosing for Common Reads in 2026

Want to know what incoming students at colleges and universities across the U.S. are reading as part of the Common Reads project in 2026? It’s a mix of fiction and nonfiction that includes books by Ross Gay, Elizabeth Gilbert, and George Orwell. Check out the full list and consider what the titles say about our current political moment.