Welcome to Check Your Shelf! This is your guide to help librarians like you up your game when it comes to doing your job (& rocking it).
“Check Your Shelf” is sponsored by Babymoon by Hayley Barrett and Juana Martinez-Neal.
Baby has arrived! The world is eager to meet the newcomer, but there will be time enough for that later. Right now, the family is on its babymoon: cocooning, connecting, learning, and muddling through each new concern. While the term “babymoon” is often used to refer to a parents’ getaway before the birth of a child, it was originally coined by midwives to describe days like these: at home with a newborn, with the world held at bay and the wonder of a new family constellation unfolding. A lyrical ode to these tender first days will resonate with families everywhere.
Thank you to everyone who participated in the Check Your Shelf survey! You had some great feedback, and you’ve given me some interesting ideas for the newsletter…I’ll be getting my ducks in a row over the next few weeks, but I’m definitely planning on incorporating some of your ideas! You guys rock! And thank you so much for reading!
And don’t forget, we’ve got a new podcast, hosted by author and BR contributor Karina Glaser and children’s librarian Matthew Winner! It’s called Kidlit These Days and you can subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, or your favorite podcatcher.
Buckle up, y’all. This is a long newsletter this week!
Libraries & Librarians
- Greenville library employees ask for explanations for staff departures after Drag Queen Story Hour. I’m sorry, but this whole thing feels suspicious, and if there is indeed something underhanded about these staffing changes, I’m glad the employees are asking for answers.
- Houston Public Library officials now say they would like to bring back Drag Queen Story Time after ending the program due to safety concerns.
- Fulton County (GA) officials pull the plug on Drag Queen Story Time at a nearby library, although apparently against the library’s wishes.
- San Francisco mayor appoints Michael Lambert to head the San Francisco Public Library, making him the first Asian American to lead the library!
- And in other historic updates, Karyn A. Temple is named register of copyrights, the first person of color to hold the position.
- Looking for innovative programs and initiatives? Baltimore Libraries launch Entrepreneur Academy and the Phoenix Public Library starts a seed library.
- A really interesting essay about how libraries should handle the issue of vaccine misinformation.
- A look at Emilio Estevez’s film The Public and the role of the library in serving the public.
- Barbara Hoffert at Library Journal gives a crash course on facilitating book groups at your library, and includes the contact information for the library marketing departments at publishing houses.
- Microsoft Store no longer has a Books category, which means if you had previously rented or purchased items from their store, you will only have access to them until the beginning of July 2019.
- Archivists are cataloging every tweet, article and spreadsheet the #MeToo movement has ever produced.
- Classism, sexual misconduct, and racism: the life of Melvil Dewey.
- April Fool’s day jokes, library style.
- 17 horror stories from real librarians about the things we ACTUALLY have to deal with at the desk. (My own personal story is the patron who called and left several rambling voicemail messages asking for me – by name – to come down to the police station and bail him out of jail.)
- A look at Beverly Cleary’s time as a children’s librarian and how her experiences influenced her future writing.
Book Adaptations in the News
- Here’s the teaser trailer for Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark and it’s…creepy. Also creepy is the trailer for NOS4A2.
- Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand are teaming up in Joel Coen’s adaptation of Macbeth. Um, holy cow, this sounds amazing.
- Aaron Sorkin’s stage adaptation of To Kill a Mockingbird will launch a national touring production in August 2020.
- The Outsiders is getting a musical adaptation. Will there be a final song called “Stay Golden, Pony Boy?”
- Paramount options The Library Book by Susan Orlean for TV. Prepare for even more hold requests to come in for this book.
- NPR looks at the Native Son adaptation on HBO, which airs April 6th.
Books & Authors in the News
- A book tribute to Anthony Bourdain will be published in May.
- Oprah is using the newly-announced Apple TV Plus service to build “the biggest book club on the planet.” Honestly, I thought she had already accomplished that, but Oprah never stops working!
- Reese Witherspoon picks The Night Tiger by Yangsze Choo as her April Book Club pick.
- Lupita Nyong’o is publishing a children’s book this fall, Sulwe, which was inspired partially by her childhood in Kenya.
- A new Shopaholic novel is coming out this year!
- Homes: A Refugee Story by Abu Bakr Al Rabeeah & Winnie Yeung is the next Big Library Read.
- What happens when poetry goes viral? Publisher’s Weekly talks to Rupi Kaur, Danez Smith, and Eduardo C. Corral.
- Graywolf Press is publishing a new book by Claudia Rankine.
- Melville House will make the Mueller Report its first mass market publication.
- A Clue-inspired YA novel is coming out this year.
- Keep an eye on this diet cookbook from the UK: Pinch of Nom by Kate Allinson & Kay Featherstone sold 200,000+ copies in 3 days – the fastest selling nonfiction book since the publishing industry started keeping records.
- Jenny Lawson (aka The Bloggess, aka author of Furiously Happy, aka hilarious human being) is planning to open a San Antonio bookstore and wants reader input.
- Harry Potter is among a group of books burned by Catholic priests in Poland.
- Baltimore mayor, Catherine Pugh, has made several lucrative deals surrounding her self-published book, Healthy Holly, and now other government officials are calling on her to resign, citing reports of “self-dealing” and conflicts of interest.
Upcoming Books in 2019
- Best Books of April from Amazon, BBC Culture, Bustle, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Review of Books, Cosmo, Crime Reads, Entertainment Weekly, io9, Lambda Literary, LA Times, LitHub, The Millions, New York Times, Time, Tor.com (genre-bending books and SFF YA novels), The Verge, and The Washington Post.
- Barnes & Noble lists its top picks for April Fiction, Mysteries, Thrillers, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Biographies/Memoirs, and History/Current Affairs.
- Spring YA previews from Book Riot and Buzzfeed.
- April 2019 releases from indie presses.
- The Millions gives some must-read poetry for April.
By the Numbers
- An infographic looking at the reading habits of millennials.
- The Guardian & Electric Lit feature the Emilia Report, which looks at the media bias towards male authors in terms of news coverage.
- James Patterson is donating $1.25 million dollars to school libraries – get more info here.
Award News
- 2019 Hugo Award & 1944 Retro Hugo Award finalists have been announced, and these are all some really solid picks!
- Finalists announced for the Ondaatje Prize, James Beard Award, Walter Scott Prize, and the Dylan Thomas Prize.
- Check out the winners of the NAACP Image Awards, including An American Marriage by Tayari Jones!
- Why this reader dislikes Pulitzer Prize-winning novels.
What’s Going On With the RITAs?
The saga continues…
- Part 3 of the ongoing RITA data analysis.
- Susanna Kearsley & Ann Aguirre have asked that their names be taken off of the nominee lists. Cherry Adair also withdraws her name from the RWA Lifetime Achievement Award.
- A message from HelenKay Dimon, president of the RWA, on behalf of the board.
- Author Seressia Glass fills in on the RWA Board of Directors after Avery Flynn vacated her seat.
- What the RWA can do in terms of addressing its lack of diversity, inclusion, and equity.
- On the loaded concept of “relatability” in regards to the RITAs.
- What readers can do on their end to support the efforts to change the RITAs, from the perspective of a librarian member of the RWA.
Pop Cultured
- HBO announces a feature-length Game of Thrones documentary.
- Another look at Avengers: Endgame.
All Things Comics
- Barnes & Noble picks the best graphic novel & manga titles for April.
- Raina Telgemeier has a new graphic novel, Guts, coming out this fall.
- Rioters share their favorite comics they read from January – March of this year.
- This reader needs more older found friendships in their comic books.
- Batman books for younger readers.
- The most iconic Betty & Veronica comics.
- YA graphic novels coming out April – June 2019.
- 5 superhero manga to check out.
Audiophilia
- Spanish audiobook production & sales surge in Spain & Latin America.
- Paste: 19 most anticipated audiobooks of Spring 2019.
- Del Rey is publishing its first Star Wars audio original.
- Audible will offer the Mueller Report on audio for free to members.
- LitHub picks 5 great audiobooks for spring.
- 20 celebrity memoirs read by their authors.
Book Lists, Book Lists, Book Lists
- Get some more women authors in your life with these lists of near-future books by women, Muslim women authors, and inspiring female-penned memoirs.
- 8 horror novels based on real historical events.
- Poets to read for National Poetry Month.
- Memoirs that read like novels.
- Reading pathway for KJ Charles.
- 25 top romance books on Goodreads.
- 10 2019 debuts by writers of color.
- Books to help tackle the universal fear of death.
- Top 10 evil narrators from The Guardian.
- 5 complicated & strange family tales.
- 6 diverse Jane Austen retellings.
- 7 great new literary biographies for your TBR.
- 50 YA fantasy novels.
- Middle grade books about siblings.
- 10 books for parents to help their anxious children.
Bookish Curiosities & Miscellaneous
- The updated AP Style Guide discourages journalists from using softened language like “racially charged” or “racially motivated,” and instead recommends using the terms “racist” and “racism.” In other words, call racist things racist.
- #OwnVoices: Roxane Gay and the metric for reality. This is a great article.
- Do teens get pushed out of YA books when it’s called a genre?
- Literary hoaxes over the last 100 years.
- The rotten side of self-publishing.
- Lego introduces fairy tale-inspired sets that are built as pop-up books.
- You know the killer rabbit from Monty Python & the Holy Grail? Turns out there are a lot of killer rabbits depicted in illuminated medieval manuscripts.
- How to clean old books.
- Edible book festivals for food and pun lovers.
- Suggestions for helping uninterested readers find a book.
- In defense of non-readers and reading what you want
- The story of one man who has spent 45 years tracking down Mark Twain’s personal book collection.
- Harry Potter super-fan gets into the Guinness Book of World Records for her collection of J.K. Rowling-related collectibles. Also, 40 Harry Potter tattoos to inspire your next ink session.
Level Up (Library Reads)
Do you take part in LibraryReads, the monthly list of best books selected by librarians only? We’ve made it easy for you to find eligible diverse titles to nominate. Kelly Jensen created a database of upcoming diverse books that anyone can edit, and Nora Rawlins of Early Word is doing the same, as well as including information about series, vendors, and publisher buzz.
Thanks for hanging out and I’ll see you again next week!
–Katie McLain, @kt_librarylady on Twitter. Currently reading The Five by Hallie Rubenhold.