Sponsored by Erewhon Books.
Skulking near the bottom of West High’s social pyramid, Sideways Pike lurks under the bleachers doing magic tricks for bottles of Coke. As a witch, lesbian, and lifelong outsider, she’s had a hard time making friends. But when the three most popular girls pay her forty dollars to cast a spell at their Halloween party, Sideways gets swept into a new clique. The unholy trinity are dangerous angels, sugar-coated rattlesnakes, and now—unbelievably—Sideways’ best friends. Fall in love with The Scapegracers by Hannah Abigail Clarke, which Kirkus called a “must-have debut,” in a starred review.
Welcome to Check Your Shelf. My library is opening up to patrons for the first time in 4 months this week, albeit on a VERY limited basis. Fingers crossed that everything goes smoothly and everyone wears a mask.
Collection Development Corner
Publishing News
- The Strand Book Store union denounces new layoffs.
- The publishing industry’s “rare moment of transformation.”
- As bookstores reopen, stores seek safe practices.
New & Upcoming Titles
- Munroe Bergdorf, model and transgender activist, signs a six-figure deal for her memoir which will look at issues of sexuality, relationships, gender, identity, and race.
- Colson Whitehead announces his next book, Harlem Shuffle, will be released in fall 2021.
- Dervla McTiernan signed a seven-figure deal for three standalone novels set in the US.
- Seanan McGuire is writing a sequel to Middlegame, which will publish in spring 2022.
- Paul Tremblay has a new three-book deal.
- James Patterson & Conde Nast are planning a new series of books based on the vintage crime fighter, The Shadow.
- Andrew McCarthy is writing a memoir about his Brat Pack years.
- Psychological suspense, plus horror & genre-bending titles for July.
- Best books of the year (so far) from Vulture and Washington Post (SFF).
- Most anticipated books for the second half of 2020 from Amazon & Lit Hub.
What Your Patrons Are Hearing About
- The Only Good Indians – Stephen Graham Jones (LA Times, NPR, Washington Post)
- Crooked Hallelujah – Kelli Jo Ford (New York Times, Time)
- Utopia Avenue – David Mitchell (USA Today, Washington Post)
- Survivor Song – Paul Tremblay (New York Times, NPR)
RA/Genre Resources
- Crime fiction is complicit in police violence, but it’s not too late to change.
- What do you call books set in the last half of the 20th century that are too old to be called contemporary, but too new to be called historical? How about “throwback fiction”??
On the Riot
- 10 great 2020 adult LGBTQ+ science fiction books.
- A deep dive into contemporary Native literature.
- Reading pathway for Silvia Moreno-Garcia.
- What is Southern Noir?
- Literary columns to keep your bookish knowledge up-to-date
All Things Comics
- DC has ended its relationship with Diamond Comic Distributors and will instead partner with Penguin Random House for its graphic novels.
- (TW: sexual harassment) Accusations of unwanted sexual contact have been leveled at comics author Warren Ellis.
- Keanu Reeves makes his comics debut.
- A brief history of Mexican horror comic books, featuring Silvia Moreno-Garcia.
- 22 can’t-miss panels of Comic-Con 2020 (at home).
On the Riot
- 16 of the best new comics in 2020.
Audiophilia
- NetGalley announces a new app and a new pre-pub audiobook arm.
- Here’s a new audiobook club that will help you discover new books by Black authors.
- 89 (!!!) of the best audiobooks for a road trip.
- Awesome sexy audiobooks that “will make you lose track of time and reality.”
On the Riot
- Audiobooks narrated by the original cast of Hamilton.
- 20 must-listen new full-cast audiobooks.
- 5 of the best romance novels on audio.
Book Lists, Book Lists, Book Lists
Children/Teens
- 19 books for kids about the immigrant experience.
- Children’s books that teach kids about emotions.
- 23 YA books with family secrets.
- 36 books your favorite YA authors recommend reading.
Adults
- S.A. Cosby’s 5 favorite books about Black lives.
- 11 novels featuring essential workers.
- 24 completed series for you to read while you’re stuck inside.
- 8 novels about female superheroes.
- 17 books to help you unleash your inner creativity.
- Books to read while you wait for your concerts to be rescheduled.
- 8 books that teach you American History that you never learned in school.
- 10 translated books from India.
On the Riot
- 11 rhythmic read-alouds for toddlers.
- Middle grade and YA books written by Korean authors.
- 25 awesome books for 8th graders.
- 3 great YA novels in verse by authors of color.
- 8 weird genre fiction books written by diverse authors.
- 20 self care books for anxious times.
- 20 must-read SFF books by women and nonbinary authors.
- 6 nonfiction books about time.
Level Up (Library Reads)
Do you take part in Library Reads, 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.
Stay safe and stay well, everyone.
—Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter.