News Today’s Book News Tuesday, 9th December

[AgentPete]

Today’s Book News Tuesday, 9th December 2025

DAILY SUMMARY:

Key stories include an inclusive‑books awards longlist, major rights deals for Javier Cercas and Pope Leo XIV, leadership changes, a new Cosmere novel announcement from Brandon Sanderson, a Supreme Court decision letting a Texas library book removal stand, a U.S. “Right to Read” bill to fund libraries and literacy, a Canadian non‑fiction award win for Aaron Williams, discussions on how libraries fund research services, and the EU’s decision to exclude printed books from its deforestation regulation.

bookbrunch.co.uk/page/article-detail/inclusive-books-for-children-reveals-outstanding-longlist​

Inclusive Books for Children unveiled its 2025 awards longlist, describing it as “outstanding”; the list features authors including Alex Falase‑Koya, Serena Patel and Farhana Islam

lunch.publishersmarketplace.com/2025/12/people-12-8​

Publishers Marketplace’s free “People 12/8” post reports that Stimola Literary Studio founder Rosemary Stimola became CEO while Adriana Stimola took over as president, with promotions for Peter Ryan, Erica Rand Silverman and Allison Hellegers; the post also notes that author Mark Manson launched an AI‑driven self‑help tool called “Purpose” and that KnowledgeWorks Global appointed Hong Zhou as vice‑president for product management

lunch.publishersmarketplace.com/2025/12/forthcoming-brandon-sandersons-the-fires-of-december​

Brandon Sanderson announced that he will publish a new Cosmere novel titled *The Fires of December*; a crowdfunding campaign will launch in March and Tor plans to release a print edition in time for Christmas 2026

lunch.publishersmarketplace.com/2025/12/scotus-wont-hear-tx-library-case-upholds-book-bans​

The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the case *Little v. Llano*, leaving a Fifth Circuit ruling in place that allows Llano County, Texas, officials to remove 17 books addressing topics such as race and LGBTQ+ issues from the public library system

thebookseller.com/rights/fitzcarraldo-signs-two-books-by-pioneer-of-the-documentary-novel-javier-cercas​

The Bookseller reports that Fitzcarraldo Editions’ publisher Jacques Testard acquired two books by Spanish writer Javier Cercas, including his new work *God’s Fool at the Ends of the Earth*

thebookseller.com/rights/harperone-acquires-pope-leos-first-book​

In a rights deal, HarperOne bought *My Words to the Church and to the World*, the first book by Pope Leo XIV

publishingperspectives.com/2025/12/u-s-congress-members-reintroduce-federal-right-to-read-act​

Publishing Perspectives notes that U.S. Senator Jack Reed and Representative Adelita Grijalva reintroduced the Right to Read Act, a bill intended to fund evidence‑based reading instruction, fully staffed and resourced school libraries and family literacy programs; it would authorize grants and affirm First Amendment protections for school libraries amid rising book bans

quillandquire.com/omni/aaron-williams-wins-2025-edna-staebler-award-for-creative-non-fiction​

Quill & Quire reports that Halifax‑based writer Aaron Williams won the $10,000 Edna Staebler Award for Creative Non‑Fiction for his second book *The Last Logging Show: A Forestry Family at the End of an Era*, with jurors praising his compelling portrayal of logging families facing economic and environmental pressures

scholarlykitchen.sspnet.org/2025/12/08/guest-post-funding-research-services-how-libraries-are-exploring-cost-recovery-models​

A guest post on The Scholarly Kitchen explains that as academic libraries expand research support services such as data management, systematic reviews and digital initiatives, funding models are being examined; an exploratory survey of 32 institutions found nearly 90 % are not considering charging for general library services while some, mostly medical libraries, are exploring cost‑recovery for specialized services

booksirelandmagazine.com/books-and-printed-materials-excluded-from-eudr​

Books Ireland reports that Members of the European Parliament and the EU Council agreed to amend the EU Deforestation Regulation to exclude printed products—books and other printed materials—from its requirements, lifting a potential compliance burden on publishers