Sponsored by Lerner Books.
Ash Bishop has always known who he is: a guy who loves soccer, has a crush on his friend Michelle, and is fascinated by his hometown of Salem, Massachusetts. He’s also always known that he’s intersex. It’s never felt like a big deal until Ash gets his first period in front of the boys’ soccer team. Now everyone sees him differently, and his own mother thinks he should “try being a girl” as Ash tries to defend his identity. I. W. Gregorio, author of This is My Brain in Love called this empowering journey “a must read for all humans.”
Welcome to Check Your Shelf, where the fall colors in the Upper Peninsula are gobsmackingly gorgeous! Even my sister (who’s not usually a fan of fall) said that traveling up to the UP in October made her realize what all the fuss is about. Eventually, I’ll get around to sharing a few photos on Twitter, but in the meantime, let’s talk about books!
Collection Development Corner
New & Upcoming Titles
Diana Gabaldon has started writing the 10th Outlander book already.
I don’t have a news item for this, but I just learned that Alma Katsu is releasing a new historical horror novel next April called The Fervor, set in a Japanese WWII internment camp, and featuring a potentially demonic disease. SIGN ME UP.
63 new SFF and horror picks to get you into Spooky Season.
Weekly picks from Crime Reads, LitHub, New York Times, and USA Today.
October picks from AV Club, Barnes & Noble, Crime Reads (novels, nonfiction), LitHub (nonfiction), New York Times, NPR, and Washington Post.
The year’s best sci-fi noir (so far).
What Your Patrons Are Hearing About
Cloud Cuckoo Land – Anthony Doerr (The Guardian, LA Times, New York Times, New Yorker, NPR, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post)
Believing: Our Thirty-Year Journey to End Gender Violence – Anita Hill (Bustle, New York Times, NPR, People, San Francisco Chronicle, Seattle Times)
A Calling For Charlie Barnes – Joshua Ferris (Entertainment Weekly, New York Times, NPR, Washington Post)
Crossroads – Jonathan Franzen (AV Club, BBC, Slate)
Yours Cruelly, Elvira: Memoirs of the Mistress of the Dark – Cassandra Peterson (People, USA Today, Washington Post)
Rationality: What It Is, Why It Seems Scarce, Why it Matters – Steven Pinker (New York Times, Slate)
Please Don’t Sit On My Bed In Your Outside Clothes – Phoebe Robinson (Shondaland, Washington Post)
RA/Genre Resources
Readalikes for Cloud Cuckoo Land, for all those patrons on the waiting list.
Romance trope alert: odd couples and romance set in the woods.
On the Riot
It’s Book Riot’s 10th anniversary! Pick up some limited edition merch to celebrate with us!
8 stunning debut novels to read this fall.
20 of the best book club books published in 2021.
12 new LGBTQ books that prove Pride isn’t just for June.
10 October YA new releases to get excited for.
A fill-in-the-blanks template for recommending books.
How to find a romance novel by description.
Reading pathways for Rachel Cusk.
The canon of children’s literature: does it exist? Should it?
In defense of navel-gazing: why we read memoirs and autofiction.
Does romance need more older protagonists?
All Things Comics
Marvel sues to retain control of Avengers characters.
On the Riot
Fall in love with these romance light novels.
A brief history of Jewish superheroes.
10 horror manhwa to give you thrills and chills.
Audiophilia
David Tennant and Michael Sheen will narrate the upcoming audio version of Good Omens.
Celebrate your right to listen during Banned Books Week (and all year).
Latinx narrators you should definitely listen to.
AudioFile’s best audiobooks of September.
On the Riot
10 of Libro.fm’s most pre-ordered audiobooks for Fall 2021, part 2. (Part 1 is here if you want a refresher!)
Book Lists, Book Lists, Book Lists
Children/Teens
14 YA Latinx fantasy books to add to your TBR.
13 YA books that deal with domestic violence.
Adults
Must-read mysteries and thrillers by Hispanic authors.
7 Indian women writers you should be reading.
100 contested books to read for Banned Books Week.
All 58 of Reese Witherspoon’s book picks.
8 books to give to all of your friends.
5 books to read after Beautiful Country by Qian Julie Wang.
5 essential works of climate-forward fiction.
Books in which a house is both setting and character.
8 books that exemplify the rise of the “domestic gothic.”
17 #BookTok reads for Halloween.
A witchy reading list to kick off spooky season.
10 of the strangest sci-fi dystopias.
On the Riot
15 sweetly spooky Halloween books for toddlers.
The best train books for kids.
8 engrossing mysteries about journalists and reporters.
Domestic thrillers to make you look over your shoulder.
16 books with books on the cover.
8 literary horror novels for fans of Shirley Jackson.
Horror comedy books to make you scream AND laugh!
9 great mockumentary books for your TBR.
15 of the best books about mindfulness.
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.
Catch you on Friday, friends!
—Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter.