Sponsored by BAEN Books
What Lies Beyond The Eleventh Gate?
Despite economic and territorial tensions, no one wants the city-states of the Eight Worlds to repeat the Terran Collapse by going to war. But when war accidentally happens, everyone seeks ways to exploit it for gain. However, the unexpected key to victory lies with two individuals uninterested in conquest, profits, or power. Philip Anderson seeks the meaning of the underlying physics of the universe, while the defiant Tara Landry discovers an eleventh star-jump gate, and a remarkable find on the planet behind it. Together, Anderson and Landry alter everything for the Eight Worlds.
Welcome to Check Your Shelf, where everything’s made up and the points don’t matter.
This is the week where I’ve hit a mental brick wall and the thought of sitting down at my corner-facing workspace just makes me want to scream. I don’t know what the solution is, other than frequent snuggle breaks with my cats, but needless to say, I’m grateful for the weekend.
As always, here is Book Riot’s updated COVID coverage.
Libraries & Librarians
News Updates
- Library workers fight for safer working conditions amid the COVID pandemic.
- The New York Times wrote about closed libraries and the library employees who still have to go in to work.
- The Columbus (OH) Library Board approved the furloughs of over 600 employees, which the CEO said was “gutwrenching.”
- The Akron-Summit County (OH) Public Library is furloughing 339 of its 391 employees.
- Jonathan Newton, a South Carolina librarian, is suing for wrongful termination after he was allegedly forced out of his position for facilitating a Drag Queen Story Time event at the Five Forks Branch Library.
- Miami-Dade libraries are acting as pickup and dropoff locations for unemployment forms, since the Florida unemployment system hasn’t been able to adequately handle the increase in submissions.
- James Patterson is giving a whopping $2.5 million to school librarians to help build their classroom libraries.
Cool Library Updates
- The Cleveland Public Library is making 2000 face shields for first responders using its 3D printers.
- This library is offering a stay-at-home YA book bingo for teens.
- Visit this library’s virtual branch in Animal Crossings: New Horizons.
- This Long Island library called its regular patrons to check in, say “Hello,” and let them know that they were offering services online.
- A library in Japan is testing the use of drones for shelf reading.
- The Evanston (IL) Public Library is collecting recipes for a Coronavirus Community Cookbook.
- Also, the Evanston Library has a Falcon Cam so that viewers can watch the annual nesting of its returning peregrine falcons.
Worth Reading
- Here’s a directory of upcoming webinars & on-demand recordings from library organizations, publishers, vendors, and more. This will be updated frequently, if you’re one of the many library workers who are required to use your time at home for continuing education.
- How to handle paper safely during the pandemic.
- How to avoid misinformation about COVID.
- When “non-essential” is anything but.
- What do people ask a librarian during a pandemic?
- Engaging with patrons on social media.
- Ten ways to change physical school library spaces into virtual ones.
- Taking care of ourselves in this New Normal.
- Nancy Pearl talks about her daily 7 mile walk.
Book Adaptations in the News
- Hulu’s already snapped up rights to Zakiya Dalila Harris’ upcoming novel The Other Black Girl.
- Stephen King’s ‘Salem’s Lot is headed to the movies which by my count is the…third? adaptation of this novel?
- Michael Arceneaux’s I Can’t Date Jesus is being adapted for TV.
- Universal is adapting the upcoming YA vampire novel, Crave, and Netflix is adapting The Selection by Kiera Kass.
- Entertainment Weekly has a first look at Dune, and OSCAR ISAAC, Y’ALL. I just can’t.
- Trailer for How to Build a Girl, based on the book by Caitlin Moran.
- You can stream The Hunger Games for free on YouTube this Friday (4/17) at 6 PM ET.
Books & Authors in the News
- Beverly Cleary turned 104 last weekend!
- Oprah picked Hidden Valley Road by Robert Kolker as her next book club pick.
- Barnes & Noble picks Conjure Women by Afia Atakora as its April book club pick.
- Authors are doing readings via Zoom in order to support bookstores, and Tom Hardy is going to read bedtime stories for the BBC.
Numbers & Trends
- Not surprisingly, book sales are very volatile right now, although bookstore sales were up slightly in February.
- San Francisco’s City Lights Booksellers & Publishers raised nearly $500,000 in four days through a GoFundMe campaign, although multiple indie booksellers have reported issues getting their funds from GoFundMe.
Award News
- The LA Times Book Prize Ceremony will be virtual, free, and open to the public, so everyone can attend!
- The Pulitzer Prize Awards announcements have been postponed.
- We’ve got the 2020 Hugo Award finalists.
- Akwaeke Emezi wins the 2019 Otherwise Award.
- Here are the 2020 Translated YA Book Prize winners.
Pop Cultured
- The New York Times has a new podcast featuring Cheryl Strayed.
- Disney+ is making a live-action/CG hybrid version of Robin Hood.
Bookish Curiosities & Miscellaneous
- Italy allows its bookstores to reopen!
- How National Poetry Month is moving online.
- How to support indie bookstores during quarantine.
- The Guardian is updating a list of free online activities for bibliophiles.
- Book organization ideas for your time inside.
On the Riot
- The Every Library Institute created an emergency fund for librarians and library workers.
- Literary magazines published by libraries.
- Your guide to free Google books (and its limitations).
- A guide to spring cleaning your books.
- Where to find guided reading lesson plans.
- 3 ways to spend a bookish birthday during quarantine.
Stay safe and healthy, friends. And wash those hands!
Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter. Currently reading The Monster of Florence by Douglas Preston.