News of note for readers: April 29, 2026

Catch up quick with the bookish news of the past few days ... or take a deeper dive into each story. Your choice!  

• Read an excerpt from Emma Parry's new novel, Mrs. Benedict Arnold (Literary Hub).

• A new study is raising concerns that schools' focus on literacy skills — while obviously necessary — is reducing the share of UK kids who read daily for pleasure (The Guardian).

• Celebrity stylist Leslie Fremar has revealed herself as the inspiration for the character Emily in The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger — whom Fremar hasn't spoken to since the latter left their shared workplace of Vogue magazine (People).