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Welcome to Check Your Shelf, where world events have drastically changed since the last time I put the newsletter together. I’m not quite sure how to process all of this…plus on top of all that, my state’s mask mandate has ended this week. Maybe that’s why my anxiety has been super high recently?
So a few positive things that have happened recently: my library hosted a very positive book club discussion of Gender Queer, I finally got to watch the eye-candy spectacle that is House of Gucci (verdict: not a movie with a ton of depth, but the film is gorgeous, the 80’s soundtrack is banging, Lady Gaga was great, and I still found Adam Driver ridiculously attractive despite the glasses), and I have a couple PTO days next week. So…I’m just going to hang on to that for a little bit.
Let’s talk books, shall we?
Collection Development Corner
Publishing News
Russia’s war of words with Ukraine.
Indie publishers start to look past the pandemic.
New & Upcoming Titles
The New Yorker teams up with Celadon for a book version of the House Select Committee’s planned report on the January 6th insurrection.
The O.C. actor Ben McKenzie and journalist Jacob Silverman are writing a book about cryptocurrency with a critical perspective.
The publication date for Grady Hendrix’s upcoming novel, How to Sell a Haunted House, has been pushed back until January 2023.
A posthumous novel by Leonard Cohen will be released this fall.
Weekly book picks from Crime Reads, LitHub, The Millions, New York Times, and USA Today.
February picks from Crime Reads (international crime), and The Guardian (thrillers).
March picks from AV Club, Barnes & Noble (adults, kids/teens), Epic Reads, Kirkus, and New York Times.
Best books of 2022 so far. (Wow, we’re starting early.)
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
Life Without Children – Roddy Doyle (LA Times, New York Times, Washington Post)
Burning Questions – Margaret Atwood (The Atlantic, New York Times)
The Paradox Hotel – Rob Hart (NPR, Tor.com)
Vladimir – Julia May Jonas (The Millions, NPR)
RA/Genre Resources
Speculative fiction through a Latin American lens.
On the Riot
What is the literary ecosystem and why does it matter?
The best weekly releases to TBR.
7 of the most anticipated middle grade fantasy retellings.
The best books you’ve never heard of, Winter 2022 version.
10 queer books from indie presses you don’t want to miss this year.
Best thriller books to read in 2022.
Are time traveling books historical fiction or speculative fiction?
Beyond arranged marriages and big fat weddings: romance in Indian literature.
To read or not to read: book recommendations.
9 ableist tropes in fiction we could all do without.
All Things Comics
Hayao Miyazaki’s 40-year-old graphic novel is getting an English translation.
Z2 is publishing Tori Amos’ sequel graphic novel, Little Earthquakes: The Graphic Album.
On the Riot
The best graphic novels for beginners. (Or you can learn from my experiences — the first graphic novel I ever read was From Hell by Alan Moore and YOWZA, that probably wasn’t the best book to start with.)
Amazon’s major ComiXology update sparks anger from users.
Audiophilia
8 great audiobooks to listen to this month.
Don’t forget you can get three free audiobooks at Audiobooks.com with a free trial!
On the Riot
Wintering with audiobooks: learning how to slow down.
Book Lists, Book Lists, Book Lists
Adults
A reading list for understanding the crisis in Ukraine.
8 books to shed light on what is happening in Ukraine and Russia.
Angie Thomas, Jason Mott, and more recommend books by other Black authors.
8 books about what it means to be human.
7 books to help you get through your Olympic hangover.
20 books that fans of magical realism will love.
10 books to read while you’re waiting for the next episode of Euphoria.
On the Riot
Best dyslexia-friendly books for kids.
10 heart-racing spy books for teens.
14 excellent social thrillers that will change the way you see the world.
15 funny SFF romance books that put the “punch” in “punchline.”
8 stellar sci-fi books with living spaceships.
23 of the most influential fantasy books of all time.
13 queer Black romances that will give you all the feels.
10 time loop books to make you glad tomorrow’s coming.
Historical fiction, meet true crime.
Party like it’s Prohibition: Historical fiction of the 20’s.
8 powerful queer photo books.
10 of the best books for starting a business.
9 of the funniest fiction books you’ll ever read.
10 books to read in your 30’s.
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.
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Here’s a cat photo from this morning: My alarm went off and I told Gilbert I had to get out of bed, but Gilbert said “NAY. SHAN’T.” So I stayed like that for about 20 minutes because I’m a sucker who doesn’t know how to tell my cats “No.”
Okay, I’m out. Catch you on Friday, when we’ll re-evaluate the state of the world. Be nice to each other this week.
—Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter.