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Calling all middle grade fans! Don’t miss this big-hearted, beautiful, and funny mystery told from multiple POVs about neurodiversity, friendship, and community from Leslie Connor, the award-winning author of The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle. “Leslie Connor brilliantly depicts a genuine and meaningful friendship between a dynamic girl and her nonvocal friend. By showing the ways Aurora and Frenchie communicate, Connor gives us a blueprint for seeing autistic children in a new light. I loved, loved, loved this book!” — Cammie McGovern, author of Frankie and Amelia and Chester and Gus.
Welcome to Check Your Shelf, where I’m probably still digesting all of the food I ate on Super Bowl Sunday. I mean, if football doesn’t interest you, and the commercials are “meh,” what’s left besides the food? (The half time show is usually 50/50, although this year’s was pretty bomb.)
So now that football’s over, let’s talk about books!
Collection Development Corner
New & Upcoming Titles
Here’s a first look at Alison Cochrun’s upcoming rom-com Kiss Her Once For Me.
A list of upcoming novels in verse for younger readers.
Matthew Perry unveils the cover and title for his upcoming memoir.
Music producer Rick Rubin announces his debut book.
The release date for Stephen Graham Jones’ upcoming novel Don’t Fear the Reaper has been pushed back until February 2023.
Clay McLeod Chapman announces his next book, Ghost Eaters, will be out in September 2022.
Fifty Shades of Gray releases a new hardcover edition in honor of its tenth (!!!) anniversary.
Weekly book picks from Bustle, Crime Reads, The Millions, New York Times, and USA Today.
February picks from Good Morning America, Goodreads, and Tor.com (YA SFF).
32 books to look forward to in 2022.
Make sure to get your own Read Harder Book Journal from Book Riot to track your reading for the year!
What Your Patrons Are Hearing About
Free Love – Tessa Hadley (NPR, Washington Post)
Love in the Time of Contagion: A Diagnosis – Laura Kipnis (LA Times, New York Times)
The Nineties: A Book – Chuck Klosterman (Esquire, Vulture)
Cost of Living – Emily Maloney (NPR, USA Today)
Very Cold People – Sarah Manguso (New York Times, Washington Post)
The Violin Conspiracy – Brendan Slocumb (LitHub, NPR)
On the Riot
The cost of reading: the book industry’s carbon footprint.
The best weekly releases to TBR.
8 new romance novels you’ll fall in love with in 2022.
2022 Black SFF novels to preorder now.
11 popular teen books for 2022.
33 must-read South Asian books out in 2022.
How to find out about trending books.
How this reader fell in love with YA fantasy.
All Things Comics
Warner Brothers releases new footage from Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, Black Adam, and The Flash.
On the Riot
18 of the best romance manga for a serotonin release.
What’s gained or lost in reading a comic adaptation?
Audiophilia
As AI influence on audiobooks grows, so does controversy.
Kevin Hart and Charlamagne Tha God announce five exclusive Audible original series.
Audible and Washington Post list their February 2022 picks.
Don’t forget you can get three free audiobooks at Audiobooks.com with a free trial!
On the Riot
9 romance audiobooks for Valentine’s Day.
Get to know six amazing YA audiobook performers.
Book Lists, Book Lists, Book Lists
Children/Teens
29 YA fantasy romance novels to fall in love with.
Adults
Black History Month suggestions from Bustle and Vogue.
10 Afro-Latina writers whose work you need to read.
15 books with noteworthy disabled leads.
Books about living outside the mainstream.
7 novels about all-women households and communities.
6 crime novels with twist endings that will leave your jaw on the floor.
10 books to read out loud with your boo.
On the Riot
Fairy tale board books to amaze your little ones.
18 sign language books for toddlers.
5 books about biting for toddlers.
10 awesome picture book biographies of women.
9 children’s books like The Snowy Day.
8 spooky middle grade paranormal books.
Lesser-known Harlem Renaissance writers.
Books for International Women and Girls in Science Day.
11 books on capitalism.
15 of the best mystery books of all time.
9 books full of dark humor.
Recent haunted house novels by women writers.
Celebrate Black History Month with these romance picks.
10 of the best SFF standalone books.
Don’t forget to check out our new line of bookish, Wordle-inspired merch! There are mugs, t-shirts, hoodies, and more. The campaign is temporary, so order yours now!
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.
Time for kitty photos! This week, I’m mixing things up a bit and introducing you to my parents’ newest kitty, Penny. Penny is about 2 years old and tends to hide under the blankets when there are a bunch of people over, but once she comes out, she’s the sweetest little girl you could possibly imagine!
Well, that’s all I’ve got for now. I’ll check in again on Wednesday.
—Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter. Currently reading As the Wicked Watch by Tamron Hall.