Welcome to Check Your Shelf. I’m writing this newsletter on Sunday, but by the time you read it on Tuesday, it will be my BIRTHDAY, which I honestly keep forgetting about. Birthdays are a lot less dramatic as an adult, but I always try to make time for myself to do whatever the hell I want, which this year probably means taking a couple days of PTO, ordering donuts, and playing Lego Star Wars. But I’m also going to try and carve out some reading time, because I absolutely hate that the last few years have managed to steal that joy away from me. So maybe it’s time to start taking it back.
Collection Development Corner
Publishing News
Macmillan is slowly bringing systems back after a widespread electronic security breach last week.
New & Upcoming Titles
Former Disney CEO Bob Iger is writing a book about leadership in times of crisis, which is scheduled for publication in 2024.
9 new short story collections that leave you wanting more.
Weekly book picks from Bustle, Crime Reads, LitHub, The Millions, New York Times, Publishers Weekly, and USA Today.
July picks from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Page (editor picks, mysteries), Epic Reads, Kirkus, LA Times, New York Times, and Time.
Summer reading picks from Buzzfeed, The Guardian, New York Times, and NPR.
Best books of 2022 (so far) from Chicago Tribune, Entertainment Weekly, Goodreads, and NPR.
What Your Patrons Are Hearing About
Thrust – Lidia Yuknavitch (LA Times, New York Times, Shondaland)
Honey and Spice – Bolu Babalola (Elle, Time)
Lapvona – Ottessa Moshfegh (NPR, Washington Post)
Elsewhere – Alexis Schaitkin (New York Times, Washington Post)
Life Ceremonies: Stories – Sayaka Murata (New York Times)
Dele Weds Destiny – Tomi Obaro (New York Times)
Night of the Living Rez – Morgan Talty (New York Times)
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow – Gabrielle Zevin (Washington Post)
RA/Genre Resources
The judges for the Sisters in Crime Pride Award talk about LGBTQIA+ issues in crime publishing.
The dangers of conspiracy fiction.
Is this the Golden Era of queer literature?
On the Riot
22 more great books to read in 2022.
The 50 best book covers of 2021.
6 kinds of mystery plots that don’t center around murder.
Why the miscommunication trope is here to stay.
How does fiction capture the frustrations of being a twentysomething woman?
All Things Comics
Comics/graphic novel sales jumped 62% in 2021.
Seven Seas voluntarily recognizes the United Workers of Seven Seas as the union representative of its workers, making it the first unionized manga and light novel publishing house in North America.
The Uzumaki anime adaptation gets another delay.
A graphic novel reading list inspired by Lore Olympus.
15 LGBTQ+ comics, graphic novels, and manga to read after watching Heartstopper.
On the Riot
8 comics about loneliness to make you feel less alone.
15 of the best coming-of-age manga.
Audiophilia
The Top 20 most-recommended fiction and nonfiction audiobooks of all time.
The best audiobooks of 2022 (so far).
5 audiobooks with queer Nigerian protagonists.
Don’t forget you can get three free audiobooks at Audiobooks.com with a free trial!
On the Riot
True crime audiobooks to keep you up all night.
8 of the best audiobooks narrated by Frankie Corzo.
Book Lists, Book Lists, Book Lists
Children/Teens
21 YA books that prove there’s no one way to come out.
98 YA books that will take you on an adventure.
Adults
Books about sex that every family should read.
10 books to understand the abortion debate in the US.
An updated “Queer Books Across America” list.
A reading list for the grieving.
5 books that reckon with not belonging.
10 books to travel the world without leaving your home.
Disability Pride Month suggestions from Barnes & Noble and NYPL.
Beach reads to immerse yourself in someone else’s story.
5 horror books that will change how you look at everyday objects.
7 books to help resist productivity culture.
On the Riot
Educational books for kids that will make them love learning.
YA and middle grade novels that teach big lessons.
10 of the best mysteries with a twist.
32 of the best books about cults.
8 beautiful memoirs written by nonbinary authors.
10 romances about magical librarian love.
A “That Girl” reading list for your hot girl summer.
11 amazing books about trees.
Essay collections that make you necessarily uncomfortable.
10 sapphic dark fantasy books.
8 fascinating nonfiction deep dives into the ordinary.
12 amazing queer short story collections.
14 books in translation from Western Africa.
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.
It’s getting to the point now where Blaine or I will take a photo of the cats, and I go, “Oh, that’s definitely a newsletter photo!” (It’s like “Do it for the gram,” except it’s “Do it for the Shelf!”) So here’s the latest instant classic: Gilbert and Dini fast asleep, with Gilbert full-on face planting into Dini’s tummy. I’m adding this to the towering pile of evidence that these two chuckleheads do, in fact, love each other.
That’s all I’ve got for today. In honor of my birthday, write or call your elected representatives and tell them exactly what you think about things. I’ll check in again on Friday. Peace out!
—Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter.