Welcome to Check Your Shelf. It’s been a week (and it’s been A WEEK), and I’m still emotionally in the basement after everything that’s happened. I’ve written to my representatives, and I’m trying to limit my time on social media and the interwebs, but there’s still a giant weight on me. If you’re someone who processes things better by reading, here are some resources to help:
5 recently reviewed books that address the topic of legal abortion.
A reading list as the Supreme Court weighs Roe v. Wade.
A literary guide to reproductive rights.
10 books to understand the abortion debate happening in the US.
Collection Development Corner
Publishing News
Baker & Taylor launches a new publishing program: Paw Prints Publishing.
HarperCollins editorial director Phoebe Morgan warns that someone has been impersonating her online and using a fake HarperCollins email to scam unsuspecting authors.
How one book influencer championing Black authors is changing the publishing industry.
More bookstore workers are forming unions.
Meet Cute Bookshop is launching an auction to support the National Network of Abortion Funds’ Collective Power Fund.
New & Upcoming Titles
Zoraida Cordova will be writing the third book in the Meant to Be romance series, which will be a modern retelling of The Little Mermaid. I am SO excited about this!
P. Djèlí Clark announced his debut middle grade novel, Abeni’s Song.
A second book by J.D. Vance has fallen through.
The first major English language biography of Volodymyr Zelensky will be published in July.
Walter Isaacson is writing a biography of Elon Musk.
Here’s an excerpt from Maureen Johnson’s upcoming YA mystery novel, Nine Liars.
Here’s an excerpt and cover reveal for Rachel Hawkins’s upcoming thriller, The Villa.
Here’s the cover reveal for Ian McEwan’s upcoming novel, Lessons.
11 new books to read for AAPI Heritage Month.
Weekly book picks from Crime Reads, LitHub, The Millions, New York Times, and USA Today.
May picks from Bustle, CBC, Crime Reads, Gizmodo (SFF), LA Times, LitHub (SFF), The Millions, Tor.com (SF), and Washington Post.
Spring picks from Autostraddle, OprahDaily, and Shondaland.
The best comedy books of 2022 (so far).
The most anticipated LGBTQ+ books for the summer.
What Your Patrons Are Hearing About
The Premonitions Bureau: A True Account of Death Foretold – Sam Knight (Guardian, New York Times, NPR)
My Old Kentucky Home: The Astonishing Life and Reckoning of an Iconic American Song – Emily Bingham (New York Times, Washington Post)
Managing Expectations: A Memoir in Essays – Minnie Driver (NPR, USA Today)
Anna: The Biography – Amy Odell (Entertainment Weekly, New York Times)
Companion Piece – Ali Smith (NPR, Washington Post)
RA/Genre Resources
A look at the literary boom happening in Trinidad.
This site helps you find books set where you live.
10 YA BookTokers to have on your radar.
On the Riot
What goes into a book’s appearance?
New YA books featuring dragons.
May picks for mysteries/thrillers/true crime, SFF, romances, queer books, and children’s books.
Why aren’t there more fat men in romance novels?
All Things Comics
Blake Lively will make her feature directorial debut with an adaptation of Bryan Lee O’Malley’s graphic novel, Seconds.
Sweet Valley Twins are getting a graphic novel adaptation.
Take a peek at the new queer YA graphic novel from Shannon Waters, who co-created Lumberjanes.
Audiophilia
The AudioFile May 2022 Earphone Award winners have been announced.
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
Free audiobooks for teens that are available to download from SYNC.
Book Lists, Book Lists, Book Lists
Children/Teens
27 YA books about mental health and mental illness.
Adults
32 books that celebrate diversity.
16 historical romance novels for fans of Bridgerton.
Delightful books featuring home renovations.
50 AAPI authors to TBR.
7 books that will change the way you think about the road trip story.
6 technothrillers about digital surveillance and voyeurism.
7 books that deliver unexpected mystery.
11 memoirs that shine the spotlight on mothers.
Readalikes for popular BookTok titles.
5 queer main characters with asthma.
5 SFF books about not-so-dark lords.
87 romance novels to give you all the feelings.
5 nonfiction titles that read like fiction.
On the Riot
12 of the best Filipino YA books from the Philippines.
Illustrated YA books (that aren’t comics).
10 books for Mental Health Awareness Month.
20 of the most influential memoirs of all time.
The best memoirs to read for AAPI Heritage Month.
8 of the best Greek mythology retellings.
Women of Star Wars: books and comics to read for Star Wars Day (or any day).
Books about moms who regret having children.
Some of the most influential Asian American literature of all time.
9 books for beginning wine drinkers.
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.
Here’s this issue’s cat photo! This isn’t the best photo I’ve ever taken of Gilbert in terms of quality, but it is one of the best photos of his “fancy paw.” He loves sticking his paw out and resting it on something – a pillow, a basket, the back of the couch, my leg…and he’s happy to stay like that for hours. I don’t remember when he first started doing it, but it’s become an ingrained part of his cat personality. I tell him he’s very dapper and quite the sir when he sticks out his fancy paw.
Let’s muscle through this week and see where we are on Friday. I’ll catch you then.
—Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter.