Sponsored by Wednesday Books
Fierce and ambitious, Aina Solís as sharp as her blade and as mysterious as the blood magic she protects. After the murder of her parents, Aina takes a job as an assassin to survive and finds a new family in those like her: the unwanted and forgotten. Diamond City: built by magic, ruled by tyrants, and in desperate need of saving. It is a world full of dark forces and hidden agendas, old rivalries and lethal new enemies. To claim a future for herself in a world that doesn’t want her to survive, Aina will have to win a game of murder and conspiracy—and risk losing everything
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).
Libraries & Librarians
News Updates
- Here’s a breakdown of the 90 minute meeting between Macmillan CEO John Sargent and librarians at ALA Midwinter. (Spoiler: it was about as productive as you’d expect it to be.)
- Related, here’s a report on the state of the Macmillan eBook embargo.
- Two people were arrested at the controversial Women’s Liberation Front program at the Seattle Public Library.
- Drag queens plan a protest at the Missouri State Capitol in regards to the proposed bill that would call for legal penalties against librarians who allowed children to take LGBTQ+-themed materials out of the library.
- Toronto Public Library figures show that librarians face increasing violence on the job.
- The McAllen (TX) Library opts out of promoting American Dirt.
- Several Washington & Idaho libraries adopt fines free policies.
- The Australian Library & Information Association has a list of ways libraries can support the bushfire efforts.
Cool Library Updates
- The Eau Claire (WI) Library system has winter gear available for checkout.
- St. Paul libraries see a boost after going fines free.
- A library station opens in a Luxemburg (WI) grocery store.
- Harrison Ford for American libraries!
Worth Reading
- Read about this request for reconsideration about a juvenile nonfiction book about biblical dinosaurs. This is interesting.
- Did you know that Punxsutawney Phil lives at the library when he’s not making his annual appearance?
Book Adaptations in the News
- Disney paid $75 million for movie rights to Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton, which may be the biggest film acquisition ever.
- Grady Hendrix’s upcoming Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires sells rights for a possible TV series.
- Netflix is adapting Karin Slaughter’s Pieces of Her.
- Here’s a casting update for the US adaptation of the Lincoln Lawyer series.
- Joel Coen is filming a Macbeth adaptation with Denzel Washington & Frances McDormand.
- ABC is producing a drama series called The Big Sky, which is based on The Highway, the first in the Cassie Dewell series by C.J. Box.
- Trailers for The Plot Against America and The Pale Horse.
Books & Authors in the News
- Mary Higgins Clark has died at 92.
- Stephen King writes an op-ed for the Washington Post about how the Oscars are still rigged in favor of white people. It’s a good article, but I’d really like to see him talk about putting in the work to read more books by women and authors of color. He has also decided to quit Facebook over false political ads.
- Slate and Vulture looks at the recent controversy surrounding My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell. Some people believe it borrows heavily from the memoir Excavation by Wendy C. Ortiz and represents another example of how books by white women are heavily promoted while authors of color struggle to have their own writing published.
- Laramie County school district representatives vote unanimously to keep Drama by Reina Telgemeier on school shelves.
- Tulane University acquires Anne Rice’s archives.
American Dirt
The conversation and controversy continues.
- Oprah promises to have deeper conversations about American Dirt and what it says about who gets to tell which stories.
- In a meeting with Macmillan, author Roberto Lovato and member of #DiginidadLiteraria received confirmation that Jeanine Cummins did not receive death threats.
- David Bowles praised the public library that sent back the free ALA/Oprah book club copies of American Dirt.
- Bitch Media collects some of the criticisms.
- “The problem isn’t who wrote it, but how.” (Wellllll, I don’t know if the first part is true, but the how is definitely problematic too.)
- A look at cultural appropriation and the publishing industry.
- Sandra Cisneros doubles down on her support of the book.
Numbers & Trends
- Lee & Low published the results of their 2019 diversity in publishing baseline survey. Not much has changed.
Award News
- The 2020 Audie finalists have been named.
- Take a peek at the 2020 Over the Rainbow book list.
- Winners of the Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature are out.
Pop Cultured
- The Crown will end with season five.
Bookish Curiosities & Miscellaneous
- The world’s largest book takes six people to turn a single page.
- The importance of rereading, in case you needed permission to pick up an old favorite.
On the Riot
- Library fines are trash and people are taking notice.
- Strategies to make your public library welcoming to LGBTQ+ patrons.
- Is it considered bad form to share this article about hacking your library holds list?
- The most uniquely popular books in libraries, October – December 2019.
- Confronting racial slurs in literature.
- Why working in a bookstore was so disappointing.
Catch you later, library friends!
Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter.