Fall is officially here, bookworms. At least if we’re going by the weather. It’s been a crisp 60-something all week here in Boston and the leaves are already turning. Enjoy this week’s round-up of book news.
- For all you Harry Potter fans out there, you’ll soon be able to walk along Diagon Alley and pop into Flourish and Blots for some books. Universal Orlando released details this week about the highly anticipated Harry Potter theme park. Three new rides will be built, as well as a replica of the wizarding world’s most famous street. Fans will be able to see that “the wand chooses the wizard” at Ollivander’s and will be able to purchase merchandise unavailable elsewhere, like Weasley’s Wizarding Wheezes. See a virtual tour here.
- Universal Studios are also set to make a big screen adaptation of another popular fantasy book: Melissa Marr’s Wicked Lovely. Both Variety and Marr herself wrote about the deal this week. While the screenplay is still being developed, it looks like faerie fans everywhere will soon be delighted with the results.
- Meanwhile, nothing can seem to loosen the grip vampires have on pop culture. L.J. Smith’s successful Vampire Diaries series has been adapted into a television series and, by all accounts, is doing well. (Okay, okay – full disclosure: I’ve been watching the show and it’s good. Like, hot vampires with their shirts off good.)
- Liberal readers of the world, unite! The Huffington Post is starting a book club (take that, Oprah!). In conjunction with the launch of the new Huff Post book section, founder Ariana Huffington will start the book club and oversee the new book section, which will partner with the New York Review of Books to offer reviews from professional and Huff Post readers. I’m guessing Sarah Palin and Dick Cheney won’t make the book club list.
- I would like to live in the El Ateneo Grand Splendid bookstore, in Buenos Aires, Argentina. That is all.
- Finally, unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past week, you know that Dan Brown’s newest book, The Lost Symbol, was released on Tuesday and seems to be doing quite well in sales.
