Sponsored by Storey Publishing/Workman Publishing.
James Crews, editor of the best-selling How to Love the World, presents an all-new anthology of poems that explore the theme of kindness, featuring 100 uplifting and accessible poems by a diverse group of well-known and emerging contemporary poets, including Julia Alvarez, Marie Howe, Ellen Bass, Naomi Shihab Nye, Ross Gay, Ada Limón, Danusha Lameris, Alberto Ríos, and more. The collection includes prompts for journaling and exploration of selected poems, a book group guide, and bios of all the contributing poets. Download an egalley now!
Welcome to Check Your Shelf. I came home to work on this newsletter, thinking my husband would have the TV on in the background. He’s been watching Community and Peaky Blinders lately, so I figured it would be one of those. Nope. He wants to watch The Lost Boys. So as I’m putting this newsletter together, I’m being assaulted by some of the most ridiculous 80’s footage (and hair) I’ve ever seen. Send help.
Libraries & Librarians
News Updates
Harassment of Illinois library workers continues: the St. Charles Public Library closed its doors to in-person visits in response to threats from the community about its mask requirement, and a visitor to the Oswego Public Library District filmed himself confronting a library employee who told him to put on a mask. (Spoiler alert: she didn’t back down.)
Change is afoot: Indianapolis Public Library starts a culture overhaul after employees protested ongoing systemic racism and discrimination.
Friends of the Jacksonville Public Library is left reeling after a $132,000 theft and arrest of a past president.
Anti Semitic images and text were found inserted in a library book at the Oakmont Carnegie Library.
Amy Schneider’s historic Jeopardy! run was ended by Chicago librarian Rhone Talsma.
Cool Library Updates
Eight-year-old Dillon Helbig snuck his self-published book onto his library’s shelf, and now they’ve added it to their collection!
Finally, a desk made for working parents.
Worth Reading
“It’s basic human dignity”: groups work to get books to incarcerated people.
Book Adaptations in the News
Marissa Meyer’s Lunar Chronicles series has been optioned for film.
Disney+ has officially picked up the Percy Jackson series.
Al Roker’s entertainment group has optioned The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray for adaptation.
Alexis Schaitkin’s novel Saint X is being adapted for Hulu.
One of Us is Lying gets renewed for a second season on Peacock.
Here’s a first look at the upcoming Netflix series Pieces of Her, based on the book by Karin Slaughter.
Here’s the first teaser trailer for Guillermo del Toro’s stop-motion musical adaptation of Pinocchio.
Amazon released a 1 minute video announcing the full title of the upcoming LOTR series.
Banned & Challenged Books
How censors are riling people up and encouraging others to join their campaigns.
Censoring the censors: how you can fight back against conservative attacks on inclusive books across the country.
The topics that lead book ban requests, according to school leaders.
If you want a really in-depth analysis of school library selection policies in the US, here’s a report from School Library Research.
Granbury ISD (TX) has created a committee to “review any books in the district’s schools ‘that include controversial topics currently under investigation by the state and legislature.’”
Llano County (TX) commissioners appointed a 13-member committee Monday to advise the county on how to run its library program, including reviewing which books it should buy.
A prayer vigil rebukes controversial books in Walla Walla (WA) schools.
The ROWVA School Board (IL) voted to indefinitely postpone taking action to either suspend or allow The Hate U Give in freshman English classes. Teachers cannot require students to read the book, but it will remain on library shelves.
Burlington (WI) school board debates the use of Born a Crime by Trevor Noah in a high school class.
Middlebury Community Schools (IN) have instituted a new policy that requires parental consent for students to check out “illicit” materials from the school library.
Iowa State Senator Mark Costello voiced support for a bill that would allow parents to review school library books.
School officials in Wayzata, Minnesota have recently removed Lawn Boy from the high school library in violation of District regulations.
The Missouri General Assembly aims to ban books and critical race theory.
Kirkwood School District (MO) will reconsider how books are selected for school libraries.
Williamson County School Board (TN) discusses the existing school library book process.
McMinn County SchooL Board (TN) voted unanimously to remove the graphic novel Maus from its 8th grade curriculum.
The Ridgeland, Mississippi mayor is withholding library funding until all LGBTQ books are removed.
Billings Public Schools (MT) vote unanimously to keep Gender Queer and Lawn Boy on high school library shelves.
Natrona County (WY) teacher on book-banning debate: “I believe that in Casper we can have conversations as neighbors.”
Canyons School District (UT) returned nine titles to library shelves after removing them in November due to parental complaints.
A York (ME) grandmother renews her bid to remove It’s Perfectly Normal from the York Middle School Library.
LGBTQ group OUT Maine sent more than 900 donated books to school libraries in response to the increasing censorship efforts happening across the state.
Parents call for the removal of All Boys Aren’t Blue from the Auburn High School library in New York.
A Shelton (CT) Board of Education member believes that The Glass Castle is not appropriate for freshmen, although the rest of the Board seems to believe that interfering with book selection is outside the Board’s scope.
Efforts to ban books at Lancaster County (PA) school districts are part of a national trend. In this article, a parent brings a complaint to the school board about Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, only for district officials to later learn that this person was neither a parent nor a resident of the school district.
Pennridge School District (PA) parents, in an attempt to resist the district’s decision to remove certain books from schools, have started filling Little Free Libraries with diverse books.
The 1619 Project and other history books should not be banned from South Carolina classrooms.
Orange County Public Schools (FL) and the censoring of middle and high school libraries.
Flagler County School District (FL) allows parents to restrict books for their own kids but not others.
Greg Howard’s middle grade book Middle School’s a Drag: You Better Werk! was featured on Laura Ingraham’s show, saying that he was pushing his “homosexual agenda” onto kids. The author writes: “They got me. I’m guilty. I do have an agenda.”
Schools face pressure to purge books about racism and gender identity as banning efforts skyrocket.
Take it from a high schooler who’s actually learned about CRT: adults need to chill out.
Conservative activists are now focusing on “curriculum transparency.”
Now even police are getting Black books banned.
Books & Authors in the News
Buddhist monk, activist, and author Thích Nhất Hạnh, has died at 95.
Marlon Bundo, the LGBTQ rabbit icon, has died.
Britney Spears issues a cease and desist letter to her sister, Jamie Lynn, for “misleading” claims Jamie Lynn has made during the promotion of her book Things I Should Have Said.
United States Artists announce the 2022 Class of Fellows, including Kiese Laymon and Grace Talusan.
Numbers & Trends
Male characters still outnumber female characters in children’s books.
Breaking down 2021’s bestsellers by publisher, and other trends.
Award News
The Mystery Writers of America announced their nominations for the 2022 Edgar Awards!
The 2022 ALA Youth Media Awards have been announced, along with the Carnegie Medals, RUSA Reading List, the Notable Books List, and the RUSA Listen List.
Related: The Newbery Medal is 100. It’s smuggled some real duds onto our library shelves.
The 2021 National Jewish Book Award winners have been announced.
The finalists for the National Book Critics Circle Awards have been announced.
Make sure to get your own Read Harder Book Journal from Book Riot to track your reading for the year!
Pop Cultured
Amazon buys the exclusive rights to the My Favorite Murder podcast.
Bookish Curiosities & Miscellaneous
The coolest place to drink is your local bookstore. (Hell yeah!)
On the Riot
Small change, big impact: opening up digital library collections to non-residents.
Little Free Library add-ons to make your LFL a local landmark.
Short reading challenges for adults in 2022.
Related: this reader keeps failing reading challenges, but they still try.
Bookselling during a pandemic: What fresh hell is this?!
Books and reading are two different hobbies.
Don’t forget you can get three free audiobooks at Audiobooks.com with a free trial!
Dini thinks he is very helpful. One of his favorite activities is to “help” us put away groceries. Look at him being a helpful boy.
That’s all I’ve got for this week. See you on Tuesday!
—Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter.