Welcome to Check Your Shelf. Our new fiscal year has finally started, which means that I have a giant cart of adult fiction books ready to order through Baker & Taylor the moment I come into work this week. I’ve already preemptively apologized to our cataloger for the havoc I’m about to wreak, but not much I can do about it at this point.
Let’s library.
Collection Development Corner
Publishing News
The political book in a political world.
#BooksGiveRefuge and Ukrainian relief efforts continue.
BookTok is revitalizing the publishing industry, and creators of color are leading the charge.
New & Upcoming Titles
Nicola Yoon will be publishing her first book for adults.
Keep your eyes peeled for the mystery novel Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson, which is described as “Knives Out and Clue meet Agatha Christie and The Thursday Murder Club.”
82 new mystery and thriller books to sink your teeth into.
The most anticipated LGBTQ+ books for the summer.
Weekly book picks from Bustle, Crime Reads, LitHub, The Millions, New York Times, and USA Today.
The best book covers of April.
April’s best debut crime novels.
May picks from Barnes & Noble, Epic Reads, Kirkus, and New York Times.
What Your Patrons Are Hearing About
The Palace Papers: Inside the House of Windsor–the Truth and the Turmoil – Tina Brown (The Guardian, New York Times, Time, USA Today, Washington Post)
Finding Me – Viola Davis (Ebony, USA Today, Washington Post)
The Puzzler: One Man’s Quest to Solve the Most Baffling Puzzles Ever, From Crosswords to Jigsaws to the Meaning of Life – AJ Jacobs (Entertainment Weekly, New York Times, Washington Post)
City on Fire – Don Winslow (USA Today, Washington Post)
Kaikeyi – Vaishnavi Patel (Washington Post)
RA/Genre Resources
A reading list based on your favorite Lizzo song. Because is there really any other way to recommend books?
On the Riot
What happened to the #OwnVoices label?
Romance set in the book world: is it a new trend?
Why reading Holocaust books from a Jewish perspective matters.
What makes a book historical fiction?
Books for fans of Ken Follett.
All Things Comics
Frank Miller is starting his own comics publishing imprint.
Freemantle and AWA Studios have struck a deal to collaborate and co-develop a slate of TV projects.
NPR talks to Brian K. Vaughn about the return of Saga.
On the Riot
Marvel Comics are making cool character changes this year.
The supreme guide to Doctor Strange comics.
No more evil Superman stories, please.
Audiophilia
The 30 best audiobooks of all time.
5 audiobook picks from intersectional environmentalist, Leah Thomas.
April audiobook picks from AudioFile and Vulture.
What qualities make an audiobook good?
Don’t forget you can get three free audiobooks at Audiobooks.com with a free trial!
On the Riot
Why are audiobooks so daggum expensive?
Are fiction podcasts adapted from books a thing we want?
Book Lists, Book Lists, Book Lists
Children/Teens
6 great kids books to read for Arab American Heritage Month.
Relatable teen books for anyone who’s gone through a friendship breakup.
Adults
10 books about the conflicts in South Sudan and Ethiopia.
14 romance novels set in small towns.
10 books to help you get over a reading slump.
12 moving memoirs by Black celebrities.
Reading list representing chronic illness in literature.
Books to read during Mental Health Awareness Month.
On the Riot
15 of the best Filipino children’s books from the Philippines.
15 middle grade book series to delight young readers.
Heartwarming queer YA books like Netflix’s Heartstopper.
The most f*cked up books we’ve ever read. (I will wholeheartedly second The Hike and Perfect Days — those books were BONKERS.)
The best fantasy books you’ve never heard of.
11 of the best Swedish books available in English.
Post-cyberpunk books to add to your TBR.
15 of the best books on Roman history.
10 poetry books by LGBTQ Asian authors to read right now.
8 books for first-time dog parents.
15 of the best Nigerian books.
10 books for fans of telenovelas.
20 must-read queer novels set outside the US, UK, and Canada.
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 has a guide to discovering upcoming diverse books, and Nora Rawlins of Early Word has created a database of upcoming diverse titles to nominate, as well as including information about series, vendors, and publisher buzz.
I’ve posted enough adorable photos of my cats over the last few weeks…now here’s a doofy one. This is Gilbert’s true essence, and often the first thing I see when I wake up.
Stay cool, all you cats and kittens. I’ll see you on Friday.
—Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter.