Sponsored by Oni Press
On your mark, get set, GO! Following the events of Ghost Hog, Truff, Claude, and Stanley are joined by a new friend, Vern, as he gears up for the big race back home in Dragon Racer! He’s never won the race before…but this could be his year! The other racers tease Vern about his abilities on the track, but when a young racing fan falls mysteriously ill, Vern will have to put all his driving skills to the test and prove he’s got what it takes behind the wheel. Zoom into this fast-paced graphic novel about friendship, teamwork, and standing up for yourself.
Welcome to Check Your Shelf. As soon as I sat down to write this newsletter, Dini jumped up next to me on the couch and flopped over for pets. And since Dini only gets cuddly on his unpredictable schedule, I had to put my computer to the side and give his belly some pats. I’m sure you all understand.
But now he’s having a bath, so let’s see if I can get this newsletter in before he starts acting cute again.
Collection Development Corner
Publishing News
A social justice-themed children’s bookstore opens in West Palm Beach.
A new bookstore in Kansas City opens on Juneteenth and seeks to amplify Black and brown voices.
The great right-wing publishing divide widens.
The challenges of fact-checking a potential Trump memoir.
New & Upcoming Titles
Nnedi Okorafor announces her next novel, Noor.
Michael Wolff is publishing his third exposé of Trump’s presidency, which will focus on his last days in office.
Holly Black announces her first adult novel.
Here’s a first look at Jamie Foxx’s new book, Act Like You Got Some Sense: And Other Things My Daughters Taught Me.
Jared Kushner has an expected memoir for 2022.
24 recent releases for all ages for Pride Month.
15 LGBTQ+ books to get excited about this year.
18 new books from small presses you won’t want to put down.
Weekly book picks from Bustle, Crime Reads, The Millions, New York Times, and USA Today.
The best thrillers to read this June.
Summer reading picks from AARP, LA Times, and USA Today.
The best books of the year so far from Barnes & Noble, Crime Reads, Goodreads, and USA Today.
What Your Patrons Are Hearing About
The Maidens – Alex Michaelides (Entertainment Weekly, Washington Post)
The Sweetness of Water – Nathan Harris (Washington Post)
Bath Haus – PJ Vernon (New York Times)
The Chosen and the Beautiful – Nghi Vo (Washington Post)
RA/Genre Resources
Carnegie Hall announces an Afrofuturism Festival for February 2022.
Readalikes for The Maidens by Alex Michaelides.
A starter guide to Alyssa Cole’s novels.
The 20 best Stephen King books, ranked by Goodreads reviewers.
For literary novelists, the past is pressing.
Female-centered historical novels are dogged by questions of accuracy; hence the author’s note.
On the Riot
The best new books out this week.
4 highly anticipated queer fantasy novels.
6 of the best new dark academia YA books.
5 new YA books that share DNA with classic books.
15 of the best upcoming cozy mysteries for the second half of 2021.
Reading pathways for Mia Couto.
Too weird, or not weird enough: what is slipstream fiction?
If you say there are no good lesbian books, you’re bad at picking books.
The best fan fiction apps and sites.
All Things Comics
Samira Ahmed talks about where she wants to take Kamala Khan and the Ms. Marvel series.
10 times real people appeared in comic books.
On the Riot
8 stellar sci-fi manga titles.
Where to start with Shang-Chi comics.
Audiophilia
Audiobooks on perseverance and renewal.
On the Riot
5 Grammy Award-winning audiobooks to listen to.
6 of the best fantasy books to listen to again and again.
On learning to embrace audiobooks as a reader.
What Rioters like to do while audiobooking.
Book Lists, Book Lists, Book Lists
Children/Teens
24 children’s books about dads that embrace father/son and father/daughter bonds.
5 YA SFF books with asexual leads.
Adults
25 books for kids and adults to celebrate Juneteenth and reflect on the history of slavery.
18 books to read for Juneteenth.
10 books celebrating the rich history of Black cuisine to honor Juneteenth.
42 of the best books by LGBTQ+ authors.
66 LGBTQ+ paperback books to read during Pride, organized by spine color.
LGBTQ short story collections to celebrate Pride.
7 gay romance recommendations for Pride Month.
5 books to read on social justice that go beyond the instructive.
7 books about teen friendships from the 1970’s to the 2000’s.
13 best beach reads of all time.
25 of the best science fiction books everyone should read.
8 perfect novels set in bookstores.
15 books to read if you loved The Soulmate Equation.
10 genre-bending story collections.
Top 10 books about public spaces.
11 modern fantasies based in classic mythology.
Crime novels that are kinda noir, and kinda not noir.
5 books about interplanetary trade.
On the Riot
13 magical middle grade mermaid books.
10 part-Asian characters in YA novels written by part-Asian authors.
50 years of Pride: the best queer books from every decade 1970 – 2020.
Books about Indian residential schools in Canada: fiction and nonfiction.
6 memoirs by authors of color to find inspiration in.
10 fascinating American cultural histories.
9 riveting memoirs about crime families.
9 contemporary Scottish books you need to read.
10 thought-provoking road trip books.
6 contemporary novels without romance.
7 essential classic books of Ireland.
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.
Well, Dini’s started being cute again, so I guess it’s time to wrap this up. Catch you on Friday!
—Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter.