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Have you ever wished that there was a one-stop shop for all things book recommendations and book news? Well, wish no more because The Bookish Drop is here to satisfy all your bookish cravings (specific books and sweet treats are not included, sadly).
Journalists Catherine Shuttleworth, Danielle Kate Wroe, Talya Honebeek and Zoe Delaney will send you the latest book-related news straight to your inbox once a week.
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Free of charge, we'll curate book news from around the world that you'll be interested in. Book nooks of your dreams, genres you've never even thought to pick up before, and so much more directly to your inbox.
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Daily Record

14-06-2025

• Daily Record

'Stephen King's two under-appreciated novels that left me in tears'

Stephen King has written hundreds of novels, but two of his most under-appreciated books have left one reader in tears - and they're not the ones you'd expect Stephen King's plethora of spine-chilling novels, from The Shining to IT, and Cujo, have cemented his place in popular culture. Yet, some of King's works remained under the radar, often overshadowed by his more famous titles or because King chose to write them under a pseudonym. His alter ego Richard Bachman was responsible for penning titles including Rage (1977), The Long Walk (1979), Roadwork (1981), The Running Man (1982), Thinner (1984), The Regulators (1995), and Blaze (2007). ‌ There's a particular novel originally released under King's alias that ranks as one of my all-time favourite reads, a book so poignant it left me absolutely heartbroken, though now it typically appears bearing Stephen King's name. ‌ Which books unexpectedly drew tears from me? It was Blaze and Elevation. I approached them with no inkling they'd stir such emotion, unlike The Green Mile, which I believe is bound to make any reader weep. Blaze The plot of Blaze, revolves around Clayton "Blaze" Blaisdell Jr, a mentally challenged petty criminal. Following the death of his partner in crime, George Rackley, Blaze is set on realising their ultimate scheme: kidnapping the child of an affluent family. Despite George being dead, Blaze perceives his voice directing him, as King unfolds the saddening backstory intertwined with the gripping narrative of the abduction and Blaze's attempts to outsmart the law. All I can urge is please, please, please, disregard the 3.77/5 review score on Goodreads and give this a chance. If you're someone who only reads books that are four stars and above, I'm going to need you to trust me with this one, because it's worth it. It's not my favourite Stephen King book of all time, but it pulled at my heartstrings in a way that I've never experienced before. The empathy I felt for Blaze was unparalleled. His upbringing was tough, and as a result, he's had a difficult adulthood. You should detest him, loathe what he's done, but King's writing implores you to think a bit deeper about it. ‌ Stop taking life at face value, and ponder more about why people behave the way they do. Sometimes you don't have to see the world in black and white, and it is in the grey areas that we find the most empathy for our fellow humans. I really connected with that message! Elevation It bagged a Goodreads choice award in 2018 for being 'Readers' Favourite Horror,' which is a tad confusing, actually, as I found it more of a tale about humanity, rather than horror. ‌ The story trails Scott Carey, a middle-aged man who is experiencing a mysterious and unexplained phenomenon: he is steadily losing weight, but his appearance does not alter. No matter how much he weighs on the scale, his body looks the same, and he can wear the same clothes. Even more peculiarly, objects he carries or touches lose weight along with him. The book, with its length, is more akin to a novella. Yet, it packs so much into its pages, and the ending, though unexpected, left me heartbroken. It's bound to stir your emotions, particularly with the rapid character development within such a brief span of time. The novel taught me never to take anything for granted. It may sound cliché, but we must live each day to its fullest. Whether you're heading to the office or simply living your daily life, romanticise every aspect - because one day, we'll all be gone.

The Independent

12-06-2025

• The Independent

Terry Moran launches Substack to continue doing ‘important work' following ABC News ouster

A day after ABC News parted ways with longtime correspondent Terry Moran following his 'world-class hater' tweets about Donald Trump and Stephen Miller, Moran announced that he was joining the growing chorus of former TV anchors and hosts who have launched their own Substacks. 'For almost 28 years, I was a reporter and anchor for ABC News, and as you may have heard, I'm not there anymore,' he said in a video posted to social media and his own personal Substack account. In the post titled 'Independence Day,' the former Nightline anchor suggested that he would be going the independent route for the time being, following in the footsteps of other veteran broadcasters and reporters who have recently found themselves sidelined by mainstream news networks and legacy press outlets. 'I'm here, with you, on Substack, this amazing space. And I can't wait to get at it, to get at the important work that we all have to do in this time of such trouble for our country,' he stated. 'I'm gonna be reporting and interviewing and just sharing from you, and hoping to hear from you as well.' Moran did let his followers know that it could be a while before he actually starts producing content on a regular basis. 'So, it'll be a few days, maybe a little bit longer, got to get some stuff sorted out, but can't wait to see you,' he concluded. The now-former ABC News anchor and correspondent is adding his name to the expanding list of prominent names who have turned to Substack and similar subscriber-based platforms as television news networks and media conglomerates continue to slash costs amid dwindling ad revenues. Jim Acosta, the former CNN anchor who left the cable news giant earlier this year rather than accept a move to the dreaded midnight shift, encouraged Moran to follow in his footsteps and join Substack earlier this week. 'Come on in, Terry. The water is warm,' he told Vanity Fair. With other TV news vets such as Joy Reid, Don Lemon, Chuck Todd and Chris Matthews all creating their own online programs – not to mention one-time MSNBC host Mehdi Hasan starting up his own Substack-based media company Zeteo – Vanity Fair spoke to some who have recently taken the dive into independent journalism. 'My advice to Terry or any other legacy media person who goes independent is this: You have spent your whole life as a buyer. People came to you with information, job offers, etc. Now you are a seller,' former CNN analyst Chris Cillizza said, adding, 'My view is that as an independent news creator, you have to be in a lot of places at once.' Moran's Substack announcement also came shortly after anti-Trump digital media empire MeidasTouch – which just hired Katie Phang after MSNBC canceled her show – publicly pitched him to join the network. 'There's a seat at the table for you, Terry,' MeidasTouch founder Ben Meisalas declared in a video posted to social media. 'Help lead the next era of journalism—one that doesn't flinch when democracy is under threat.' The journey from broadcast television to Substacking has been quick for Moran, who was suspended by ABC News on Sunday after he sent out a late-night screed savaging Trump and his deputy chief of staff Miller. 'Miller is a man who is richly endowed with the capacity for hatred,' Moran wrote in the since-deleted tweet. 'He's a world-class hater. You can see this just by looking at him because you can see that his hatreds are his spiritual nourishment. He eats his hate.' He added: 'The thing about Stephen Miller is not that he is the brains behind Trumpism. It's not brains. It's bile.' With the administration demanding that the network take action against Moran and MAGA media calling for him to be fired, ABC News announced on Sunday morning that he was 'suspended pending further evaluation' as his post 'does not reflect the views of ABC News and violated our standards.' Moran, who had just sat down with Trump for a newsmaking and high-profile interview six weeks earlier, found himself fired two days later. Progressives and liberals savaged the move and accused the network of once again capitulating to the president, specifically noting that the network had paid Trump $15 million late last year to settle a defamation lawsuit involving anchor George Stephanopoulos. In the end, though, the decision to cut Moran may have had as much to do with economics as it did with criticism over his tweets, which also reportedly resonated within the halls of the ABC newsroom. 'The fact that Moran was at the end of a contract cycle — his deal was set to expire on Friday, according to a person briefed on the matter — made it easier for ABC to take swift action,' CNN chief media analyst Brian Stelter reported on Tuesday.

Metro

11-06-2025

• Metro

Brooke Shields podcast episode criticising Meghan Markle quietly removed

Days after Brooke Shields criticized Meghan Markle as 'too precious and serious' in a podcast, the episode appears to have been removed. The Blue Lagoon actress, 60, made headlines around the world with her appearance on India Hicks's An Unexpected Journey podcast, where she touched on their joint appearance at SXSW last March. However, according to multiple outlets, the episode has seemingly been deleted from the host's website – and a link to it on her Substack page currently leads to a 'page not found'. Speaking to India, who is King Charles' goddaughter and a patron of the King's Trust, the star detailed the time she spent with the mom-of-two for the International Women's Day panel at the annual event, led by Katie Couric. Reflecting on the talk, Brooke shared that the Duchess of Sussex had told the crowd about writing a letter regarding gender equality at the young age of 11 – an anecdote Katie encouraged her to share. 'Katie asks the first question to Meghan and she talks about how at a young age, she was already advocating for women,' she said last week, via People Magazine. 'She starts telling a story about how when she was 11 – and she keeps saying, 'Well, when I was 11, I saw this commercial and they were talking about how washing dishes was for women'. 'And she said, 'I didn't think only women wash dishes. It wasn't fair. So I wrote to the company'. 'She kept saying she was 11! She wrote to the company, they changed the text, they changed the commercial. 'It was just too precious, and I was like, they're not going to want to sit here for 45 minutes and listen to anybody be precious or serious.' The former Suits actress has spoken about this multiple times in the past, sharing that she persuaded Procter & Gamble to change their advert after calling out the 'sexism' in the footage. However, recalling the SXSW event, Brooke explained that she felt the need to step in during her fellow panellist's retelling, in a bid to 'lighten up' the proceedings. She continued: 'I go, 'Excuse me, I'm so sorry, I've got to interrupt you there for one minute.' I was trying not to be rude, but I wanted to be funny because it was so serious. '[She said], 'I just want to give everybody here a context as to how we're different. When I was 11, I was playing a prostitute.' Brooke said that, with her cheeky reference to her role in 1978 movie Pretty Baby, the 'place went insane' and the panel then became 'more relaxed'. More Trending It is not clear why the episode was taken down or when – India has not addressed the removal publicly, or shared why it was deleted. A video from their interview is still visible on her Instagram page, posted on June 1. Metro has contacted India's reps for a comment. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: Reality TV legend's husband 'deported from US after being detained for 4 months' MORE: Japan's best-selling singer addresses claims Elon Musk is father of her child MORE: David Harbour explains his dating preference after Lily Allen split