BOTNS #383: Women in books and bookstores

Sad author news, a roundup of book news featuring girls and women, and two books we can’t wait for you to read.

Booklovers, especially Michael,  are mourning the passing of two authors that have touched many with their work.

Katherine Dunn, author of Geek Love, died at age 70.

Darwin Cooke, writer and artist of Michael’s favorite superhero graphic novel ever, DC The New Frontier, passed away at the age of 53.

Audiobook of the week (04:49):

   Be Frank With Me by Julia Claiborne Johnson, narrated by Tavia Gilbert, is my pick for this week’s Audiobooks.com Audiobook of the Week.

Special thanks to Audiobooks.com for sponsoring this episode of Books on the Nightstand.

Audiobooks.com allows you to listen to over 100,000 audiobooks, instantly, wherever you are, and the first one is free. Download or stream any book directly to your Apple or Android device. Sign up for a free 30-day trial and free audiobook download by going to www.audiobooks.com/freebook

Women and girls in books and bookstores (09:49):

This week, we wanted to talk about three unrelated stories, and Michael realized that they all had women at the center.

* Judy Blume opened an independent bookstore! She’s partnering with the fabulous Books and Books to open a location in Key West, Florida. I’m dying to visit. If you go, please let us know how it is.

* The Nebula awards for 2015 were given out this past weekend, and of the six major awards, five were given to women.

The winner of Best Novel, Uprooted by Naomi Novik, was an Audiobooks.com Audiobook of the Week in episode #337, chosen by Michael.

Other winners:

Best Novella: Nnedi Okorafor for Binti

Best Novelette: Sarah Pinsker for “Our Lady of the Open Road,” featured in the June 2015 issue of Asimov’s Science Fiction

Best Short Story: Alyssa Wong for “Hungry Daughters of Starving Mothers,” featured in the Oct. 2015 issue of Nightmare Magazine

Winner of the Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy: Fran Wilde for Updraft

* After hearing a lot about a young adult graphic novel called <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21876672-lumberjanes-1?