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- S.A. Cosby Joins Bookum and New Book by Wicked's Cynthia Erivo
S.A. Cosby Joins Bookum and New Book by Wicked's Cynthia Erivo
David Baldacci, Booker Prize, ClassicallyClare
Kyle Colley
November 18, 2025
Happy Pub Day!
No jokes, all business on this busy week of Bookum:
Check out our last two Bookum Podcast episodes!
On the Author Talks Podcast we talked with NYT Business and Sports Writer Ken Belson, author of the new book "Every Day is Sunday". It is a fantastic discussion on the business side of the 22 Billion Dollar NFL business. If you are a football fan this is for you!
And for our fans of classic literature, check out our latest Creators Talk Podcast with ClassicallyClare.
We discuss the idea of collective learning, building personal curriculums, and Shakespeare's The Tempest.
Both these conversations were a lot of fun. Hope you enjoy!
Table of Contents:
📚 SA Cosby on Bookum
📺 David Baldacci donated $13 Million to fund civil discourse
📖 New Book by Cynthia Erivo
This Week On Bookum:
WE HAVE S.A. COSBY JOINING US TONIGHT AT 7 PM EST!
(alright no more caps lock for the rest of the day)
We will be discussing his newest book "King of Ashes" in an open Book Nook group talk.
Instructions to join
If you are free, you are not going to want to miss this conversation!
Special guest hosts will include Donny Reads, Justin Nelson, Khalilah Denson, and of course Tyreke Wesley!
The discussion room will open at 6:57 PM and you can listen live on the app or through the website browser (login is top right corner on web) - www.bookumapp.com
This Week in The Book World:
It is time to dust off that thinking cap and turn back on those high school debate skills.
This week it was announced that national bestselling author David Baldacci and his wife Michelle donated $13 million to fund a civil discourse initiative.
It is the largest joint contribution ever to his alma mater, Virginia Commonwealth University, and the Library of Virginia.
At the center of this initiative… books!
"I've always thought that books were body armor against bigotry," he mentioned in his press statement.
He continued: "As constructive interaction has continued to decrease, it is more important than ever to champion this type of initiative, which has as its chief goal the bringing together of people to solve complex problems and move the country forward.”
The initiative will include: experiential learning, curriculums, forums and events, and a place to connect.
Bookum's Take:
As a company that is big on community and candid conversations around books and stories, it seems like Baldacci is heading in the right direction with this one. It will be interesting to see how they measure the success of the initiative and the programs provided.
Let us know what you think, let's start a nook and discuss (see what we did there 😜)
Check out full article courtesy of news.vcu
This Week in Publishing:
Now this is straight up impressive.
Along with starring in and promoting the new Wicked: For Good movie out this Friday, Nov 21st (feel free to send the invoice through Zelle @ Universal Pictures)
Cynthia Erivo (who plays Elphaba) is out with a new book called Simply More.
The Grammy, Emmy, and Tony winner, and now author, does it all.
Summary:
In this vulnerable and enlightening book of life lessons, globally renowned performer Cynthia Erivo draws from her singular experience to show us how to embrace being “too much” and to live up to the fullest iteration of ourselves.
It is never too late to build the life you are seeking.
In a series of powerful, personal vignettes, Cynthia reflects on the ways she has grown as an actor and human and the practices she has learned over years of performing, and reminds us all we are capable of so much more than we think.
Get your copy of Simply More today!
As always, if you enjoyed this week’s newsletter, please share it with others. Every share helps and keeps us growing!
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Happy Reading!
See you next week!
Footnotes (Aka other articles we are reading and Bookum content):
Tune into the Bookum Creators Talk Podcast with Dr. Rebecca Marks 11AM EST Thursday Nov 20th live on Bookum - www.bookumapp.com
Tune into the Bookum Author Talks Podcast with Dr. Rebecca Marks 11AM EST Friday Nov 21st live on Bookum - www.bookumapp.com
