Sponsored by Baen Books.
When Patricio Carrera’s family was murdered by terrorists aided and abetted by the fleet of alien Earth, the only restraint on his ruthless ambition was also removed. After decades of preparation for war, the last of the Tauran Union Expeditionary Force collapses and is herded into prison camps and ships, where their re-education commences. “Kratman raises disquieting questions on what it might take to win the war on terror . . . realistic action sequences, strong characterizations, and thoughts on the philosophy of war.”—Publishers Weekly
Welcome to Check Your Shelf. This is an extra-long newsletter since we skipped last week’s Friday issue. Enjoy!
Libraries & Librarians
News Updates
- The Institute of Museum & Library Services released a study that says COVID was undetectable on five highly-circulated library materials after only three days.
- Library employees in Ohio, Florida, and South Carolina have tested positive for COVID.
- Florida library funding has been demolished amid a pandemic and information crisis.
- Colson Whitehead cancels his appearance at the Philadelphia Free Library in solidarity with its Black employees.
- Hong Kong schools have been instructed to remove books and teaching materials that could violate a new national security law.
- A report on the reopening of UK libraries.
- The University of North Carolina received a donated rare book collection, which is valued at $6.2 million dollars!
Cool Library Updates
- Sourcebooks is partnering with Baker & Taylor on a monthly virtual book club for public libraries.
- How libraries are combatting community hunger during COVID.
- The Georgia Public Library Service has created a digitized collection of Black American funeral programs going back over a century.
Worth Reading
- Campus concerns about reopening academic libraries.
- Weeding out racism’s invisible roots: rethinking children’s classics.
- Rethinking police presence in libraries.
- COVID considerations when it comes to library technology.
- Retaining librarians of color through community and inclusive hiring practices.
- Are libraries, publishers, and vendors ready for the new rules and regulations around accessibility?
- Ridding schools of reading trauma.
- Tips and tricks on how to make the most of your Zoom programming at your library.
- Photos of librarians joining Black Lives Matter protests.
- Patience and Fortitude are wearing face masks…are you?
Book Adaptations in the News
- HBO wins the rights to The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett, which will likely be adapted as a limited series.
- The Sir Arthur Conan Doyle estate is suing Netflix over their upcoming Enola Holmes adaptation.
- Thanks to the success of Normal People, Hulu is developing another Sally Rooney adaptation: Conversations With Friends.
- Gabrielle Union’s production company is adapting Tanisha C. Ford’s memoir Dressed in Dreams: A Black Girl’s Love Letter to the Power of Fashion.
- We’re getting a film adaptation of Kimberly Jones and Gilly Segal’s YA novel, I’m Not Dying With You Tonight.
- The adaptation of Gretchen McNeil’s YA novel Get Even will be available on Netflix on July 31st.
- The Maurice Sendak Foundation has teamed up with Apple TV Plus to develop children’s series and specials based on the author’s books and artwork.
- Elizabeth Banks is playing Ms. Frizzle in the upcoming live-action adaptation of The Magic School Bus.
- Paramount has acquired series rights for Catherine McKenzie’s upcoming thriller, You Can’t Catch Me.
- Agnes Gomillion’s The Record Keeper is headed to the movies.
- Teaser trailer for The Handmaid’s Tale, Season 4.
- How Hollywood is using a book club approach to adapt hit novels.
Books & Authors in the News
- (TW: racism, sexual harassment, sexual assault) There have been a LOT of reports emerging about authors behaving extremely poorly. Rather than collect all of those links here, I’ll direct you to this summary, which has a ton of links already posted to news articles and Twitter posts.)
- Left Bank Books has removed J.K. Rowling’s books from its shelves in response to her continued transphobic comments.
- Speaking of JKR, she and 150+ other authors co-signed an open letter saying that recent protest efforts have stifled free speech and promoted an “intolerant climate” within society. The letter has received mixed feedback.
- John Bolton may have to give back his advance and other related money he makes off of his book if the government can prove that he revealed classified information.
- Author Rudolfo Anaya, author of Bless Me, Ultima, has died at 82.
- A judge tosses out the Trump family’s legal attempt to block his niece’s tell-all memoir. Meanwhile, Simon & Schuster has bumped up the publication date to July 14th, and the Trump family has doubled down on their legal efforts.
- Blythe Brown has filed a lawsuit against her ex-husband, Dan Brown, for leading a double life during their marriage.
Award News
- Here are the 2020 Locus Award winners.
- Candice Carty-Williams is the first Black author to win Book of the Year at the British Book Awards, and Bernardine Evaristo is the first Black author to win Author of the Year.
- Tim Westover wins the first U.S. Selfies book award for self-published titles.
- An update on the National Book Critics Circle.
- Does your state have its own book awards?
Pop Cultured
- Hollywood legend Carl Reiner has died at 98.
- Beyonce is releasing her upcoming visual album, Black is King, on Disney+ in July.
- Netflix renews Lucifer for a sixth and final season.
- Mulan has a new release date.
- Nickelodeon is planning a big screen reboot of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Bookish Curiosities & Miscellaneous
- Laura Miller at Slate read almost every memoir written by a former Trump official to try and get a fuller picture of the administration’s dysfunction.
- 7-year-old Madison Wilson has raised almost $7,000 to get diverse books (and crayons!) into California classrooms.
- John Prine, who died earlier this year, has become the first honorary poet laureate of Illinois.
- The enduring power of The Baby-Sitters Club.
- A summer read-a-thon to benefit animals?? SIGN ME UP!
- How students built a 16th-century book-reading machine.
On the Riot
- What anti-racism books were people requesting from their libraries?
- Librarians in Phoenix become healthcare workers.
- Compassion fatigue in libraries.
- How to start an online book club from the library.
- The ultimate library trivia quiz.
- 13 movies about authors.
- The logic behind banning books.
- 15 fantastic YouTube book reviewers.
- How to write a professional book review.
- Early literacy strategies for babies.
- How to start reading (if you never liked to read before).
Take a breath and take care of yourselves, folks. I’ll see you next week.
—Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter. Currently reading Sadie by Courtney Summers.