I don’t have words. Or at least, I’ve used all my words up, and don’t have anything left to say that hasn’t already been said. None of this was a surprise, and yet I don’t know how we’re supposed to function under the crushing weight of everything. I’m so angry at politicians who fundraise on the fear of losing access to abortion, and yet do absolutely nothing to protect that access once they’re in office. I’m not going to lie — I cried at my desk on Friday. And I’m facing another long week of public service, with more desk shifts, more late nights, and more face time the public when I barely feel like I’m getting by. I’m alternating between rage and extreme sadness, and I’m trying to productively channel the rage when it comes, and ride out the sadness when I can’t avoid it. This Twitter thread has some really great scripts for contacting your representatives, so I’m passing it along for you all to use as well. Push. Yell. Call. Email. Send carrier pigeons. Do whatever you can to keep yourself above water.
Collection Development Corner
Publishing News
Publishers discriminate against women and Black authors — but readers don’t.
Publishers defend sensitivity readers as a vital tool following author criticism.
The push to diversify the book business.
New & Upcoming Titles
Publishers Weekly announces their adult titles for Fall 2022.
We’re getting a new collection of Tolkien’s writings, this time centered around Middle Earth’s Second Age.
Cover reveal for Malka Older’s upcoming cozy gaslamp mystery + sapphic romance novel, The Mimicking of Known Successes.
11 recent guaranteed page-turners.
23 horror novels to look out for in 2022.
13 of the best YA books in 2022 (so far).
Weekly book picks from Bustle, Crime Reads, LitHub, New York Times, USA Today.
June picks from Crime Reads (debuts), Entertainment Weekly.
9 books by Black authors to read in July.
Barnes & Noble’s July picks for adults, teens, and kids.
Summer book picks from Parade and USA Today.
What Your Patrons Are Hearing About
Lapvona – Ottessa Moshvegh (Bustle, New York Times)
Rough Draft – Katy Tur (Oprah Daily, Washington Post)
Thrust – Lidia Yuknavitch (New York Times, Washington Post)
RA/Genre Resources
What to read, watch, and listen to if you like stories about female con artists.
On the Riot
Neon Hemlock Press: a small press in a big world of speculative fiction.
27 of the best children’s books of 2022.
New book club picks to read this summer and fall.
15 cozy mysteries coming out in the second half of 2022.
Why do reviewers include disclaimers about ARCs?
What is NRN and why should you give it a try?
All Things Comics
Marvel is facing backlash for its Miles Morales Thor comic, which features racist stereotypes.
The CW is developing the Archie comic Jake Chang into a TV series.
The best comics to read right now.
On the Riot
Ace of Capes: asexual superheroes, villains, and more.
Why DC Pride is more than virtue signaling.
How comics discuss mental health.
Nonfiction manga to teach you something new.
8 fiction books about comics and the comic book industry.
Audiophilia
Lake Bell’s first audiobook explores her obsession with the human voice.
Don’t forget you can get three free audiobooks at Audiobooks.com with a free trial!
On the Riot
10 of the most innovative audiobooks to listen to.
Book Lists, Book Lists, Book Lists
Children/Teens
Picture books to celebrate Pride.
Adults
111 queer books recommended by librarians, booksellers, and authors.
20 must-read Harlequin books.
The best LGBTQIA+ romances.
LGBTQ+ romances by Asian authors.
Queer nonfiction reading list.
6 works of historical fiction that highlight resilience amid war.
7 thrilling books by Black authors.
Top 10 books about terrible jobs.
A reading list for the 50th anniversary of Title IX.
The 25 most significant New York City novels from the last 100 years.
6 books that embrace the 1970’s.
5 sci-fi stories that look like fantasy.
Books that reimagine classic tales of magic.
13 relatable books for millennials.
10 of the best cookbooks to cure your stomach’s wanderlust.
On the Riot
8 of the best picture books about creepy crawlies.
Kids books about the outdoors to celebrate Great Outdoors Month.
Forbidden romances in contemporary YA.
18 fiction books about cultural traditions.
10 contemporary authors writing under more than one name.
12 books like The House of the Spirits.
Books for parents of substance abusers and addicts.
Sci-fi books about space travel.
19 of the best Ethiopian books.
15 of the best books to learn about real estate.
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.
Dini and Gilbert are trying to tell you something. They’re trying to tell you it’s food time. Now, you may ask yourself, how are you supposed to know when it’s actually food time? Irrelevant. To these knuckleheads, all time is food time. And this is what they do to us when they’re done waiting. They stare at us, hoping that their adorable solidarity will convince us to feed them a little early.
Keep going, friends. We have to keep going. I’ll check in again on Friday.
—Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter.