Welcome to Check Your Shelf. I’ve spent this last weekend in a half daze from playing video games for so many hours. How many hours, you ask? I have no idea because quite frankly I don’t want to know. But I think I’m hitting a bit of a saturation point and now I need to find some other things to keep me occupied. *insert grimace emoji here*
Collection Development Corner
Publishing News
When will Gillian Flynn write the next Gone Girl? Later — she’s a publisher now. (But she does say that she’s completed the first draft of her next book!)
Turns out that America’s most recession-proof business is bookstores.
New & Upcoming Titles
Leigh Bardugo signs a blockbuster eight-figure, 12 book deal with Macmillan.
Cover reveal for Brandy Colbert’s upcoming book The Blackwoods.
Celebrity cookbooks released in 2023.
Weekly book picks from Crime Reads, LitHub, New York Times, USA Today.
March picks from Tor.com (indie SFF), Vulture.
Spring 2023 picks from Buzzfeed, New York Times (fiction, nonfiction), USA Today.
What Your Patrons Are Hearing About
Paris: The Memoir — Paris Hilton (Good Morning America, Poeple, USA Today, Vogue)
Old Babes in the Woods — Margaret Atwood (NPR, Shondaland)
Birnam Wood — Eleanor Catton (New York Times, NPR)
Heart Sutra — Yan Lianke (New York Times, NPR)
The Dog of the North — Elizabeth McKenzie (New York Times, Washington Post)
Hello Beautiful — Ann Napolitano (New York Times, Washington Post)
On the Riot
12 March 2023 book club picks to get reading with.
Less is more: minimalist book covers of 2023.
The best new weekly releases to TBR.
The pleasure of linked stories.
8 book recommendation apps to find your next read.
A brief introduction to queer African lit.
The history of the “bury your gays” trope.
A brief history of children’s books and literature.
Reading pathways for Grady Hendrix.
The allure of books about faeries and the fae.
Why more men should read romance.
All Things Comics
K-Pop group NCT 127 is launching a new graphic novel, Limitless.
Here’s a look at the upcoming Pokémon manga.
On the Riot
8 fantastic middle grade fantasy graphic novels.
10 comics to read before you play Star Wars Jedi: Survivor.
9 excellent dark manga to fill you with despair.
Laughing along with 10 of the best comedy manga and manhwa.
A history of the “This Is Fine” comic.
Audiophilia
15 great books that are also great audiobooks.
Book Lists, Book Lists, Book Lists
Children/Teens
Crafty books for creative tweens.
YA fantasies for fans of Shadow and Bone.
Adults
The Last of Us reading lists from LitHub, New York Times, Tor.com, Vulture.
10 poetry collections to read again and again.
A coming-of-age queer reading list.
Top 10 books about visionary scientists.
11 lesbian historical romance novels.
Science fiction books that predicted the future with terrifying accuracy.
Jesse Q. Sutanto’s favorite feel-good crime novels of the year.
8 master-class mysteries told from multiple perspectives.
Do you need help finding your next great read? Subscribe to Tailored Book Recommendations for really great reads year-round.
On the Riot
Books for the budding young naturalist in your life.
8 cozy fantasy books for kids.
YA, middle grade, and picture books to support the monumental task of loving yourself.
Middle grade fantasy that’s not based on Christian mythology.
40 of the best dystopian novels.
20 must-read historical fiction books set in China.
10 must-read Native American authors.
12 of the best books by Black authors that you’ve probably never heard of.
8 books that the author regretted writing.
11 books recommended by Colleen Hoover, and why her fans will love them.
13 apocalyptic infection books like The Last of Us.
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.
Gilbert is in no mood for the world’s nonsense. Or he’s just in need of a nap. It’s hard to tell with him.
Okay, everyone. I’ll pop back in on Friday!
—Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter.