Welcome to Check Your Shelf. Well, the weather in the Chicago area today was absolutely SENSATIONAL. High 70s, sunny, a good breeze coming in…quite possibly the nicest day we’ll see all year. And of course this happens on the one day a week I have to work until closing, so I didn’t get to enjoy any of it. I truly am going to try and get outside more this year, because every winter I get through makes me even more desperate to hang onto nice weather while it lasts.
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Libraries & Librarians
News Updates
Bill Ott, the longtime Booklist editor and publisher, has passed away.
“Drama continues at the soap opera known as the Indianapolis Public Library board.”
Cool Library Updates
Houston Public Library reports a dramatic spike in users after eliminating late fees.
The Library of Congress’ Main Reading Room will soon be open to visitors.
Worth Reading
Librarians’ new normal includes pain points.
How educators can strengthen summer reading connections with families.
Book Adaptations in the News
Another Game of Thrones spin-off is in the works.
Interview With the Vampire will have a new Claudia in Season 2.
Warner Brothers acquires Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers for a series adaptation.
Orlando Bloom is starring in and producing a series adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s This Must Be the Place.
There’s a Heat 2 adaptation in the works, with Adam Driver reportedly attached to star as a young Neil McCauley, who was played by Robert De Niro in the original 1995 film.
Camilla Läckberg & Henrik Fexeus’ bestselling crime novels are being turned into a three-season English TV series.
10 SFF and horror books to read ahead of their upcoming adaptations.
Censorship News
How long until a library worker is killed?
ALA launches a Policy Corps cadre for proactive advocacy on book banning.
The Texas Senate voted to defund libraries where drag queens read to kids.
Texas ranks among the lowest in the country in terms of library use, and among the highest in book bans.
“Days after a Plano ISD [TX] student overdosed on fentanyl, Ortega said the real drug is “pornography” in Plano ISD’s books.” I can’t. I just can’t.
After recently being ordered to return 12 banned books to the shelves, Llano County (TX) commissioners are meeting to decide if they should just close the public library in its entirety.
Florida Democrats try to use DeSantis’ book ban logic on his own memoir.
The Vero Beach High School (FL) principal removed the graphic novel adaptation of Anne Frank’s Diary for not being “age appropriate” after “a local chapter of the anti-LGBTQ+ group Moms for Liberty (MOL) complained the book was “not a true adaptation of the Holocaust” and contained “graphic” and “sexually explicit” illustrations.”
The Hernando County School Board (FL) faced accusations that they weren’t doing enough to remove books from the schools, even after the board unanimously voted to remove Lucky from the district.
Hillsboro County Schools (FL) removed all copies of This Book is Gay.
Broward County Schools (FL) banned A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo for violating the state’s parental rights laws.
St. Lucie County School Board (FL) elects to keep 16 challenged books, but removes Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult because it talks about school shootings. Just a few weeks after the shooting in Nashville, this school decides to ban a BOOK about school shootings in order to protect the students. I quit.
Orange County Schools (FL) debate their existing book challenge policies. On the one hand, challenged books get to remain on shelves while they’re being reviewed. On the other hand, the superintendent can disregard all of that and order the immediate removal of a book if necessary.
Flagler County Schools (FL) will keep Looking For Alaska.
I’m just going to leave this headline here: “In a First at Flagler School Board, a Parent Pushing Book Bans Justifies Hitler’s Book-Burning.”
An anti-book ban billboard was recently burned in Abita Springs, Louisiana, and now a protest and a fundraiser to replace the billboard have been planned.
Jefferson County Parish Library (LA) pulls 9 LGBTQ+ books for review.
Yeah, can we not with the flattering photos and news coverage of book-banning bigots? Like, can we stop giving journalistic credibility to them? Please?
Bonny Eagle School District (ME) “temporarily” removes 8 books from the library pending a review.
Windham High School Library (ME) will retain Gender Queer.
New Castle (NY) issued a resolution opposing book bans and supporting freedom of expression.
Staples High School (CT) received challenges to three LGBTQ books, including one challenge that suggested that one of the books be edited to make it more palatable. Like…how?? But the books will ultimately stay on shelves.
Vaginas: An Important Book about Vulvas, Periods, Puberty and Sex! will stay at the Westborough County Public Library (MA), although it will be moved to a higher shelf to keep it out of reach of younger readers. The book was written by a reproductive endocrinologist geared specifically towards middle schoolers.
Perkiomen Valley High School (PA) students walk out in protest of a proposed library book policy that would target books with “sexual content.” And apparently, the school board president holds the title for the most submitted book challenges at the school. What a great leader.
14 books are being removed from Spotsylvania (VA) school libraries and the superintendent has suggested eliminating all school libraries for budgetary reasons.
New Hanover County Schools (NC) are considering a change to their book challenge and review policy. Included in the article is this little nugget: “However, those in favor of the committee continued to mandate they were not advocating for book removals, claiming some material was too inappropriate to be provided by district libraries.” IT’S A BOOK REMOVAL WHEN YOU REMOVE BOOKS. The mental gymnastics going on here are truly at Olympic levels.
I’m going to reiterate what Kelly Jensen said in this week’s round-up: “If you’re not voting, speaking, or writing, these are the folks doing it for you.”
Union County Public Schools (NC) have proposed a policy change affecting classroom materials and displays, saying “‘Classroom displays shall be limited to materials which represent the United States, the State of North Carolina, the school name and mascot, and/or are related to the curriculum,’ but opponents believe it could limit LGBTQ items, including pride flags and books.”
The Greenvile (SC) County Council chooses a new library board appointee after Councilmember Steve Shaw sent an email to his constituents, saying he feared Tiffany Santagati “would be an “outspoken advocate for gay/transgender/LGBTQ+ influence in our community,” and stated that “she would advocate for children having access to “adult materials.”
Anderson County (TN) Commissioner Anthony Allen presented county officials with packets of information about 14 books that he thinks should be removed from county libraries and schools. Where did the information come from? From the website run by Moms for Liberty, of course!
For once, a good editorial in response to book banning efforts, this time in Macon County, Tennessee: “‘We need to be clear about what is behind the push to remove materials: a well-orchestrated fear campaign targeting our LGBTQ+ community. The point is to silence, isolate, and disappear our friends, family members, co-workers and neighbors.’”
The situation in Siloam Springs, Arkansas continues. “The next person to speak was Gene Linzey, who said he worked at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in Los Alamos, N.M., for 23 years. Linzey said while he was at the laboratory he and his colleagues were in search of truth. Linzey said what is in the books in question was not truth but instead brainwashing.”
Conway, Arkansas resident Wendy Richardson is pushing for You Know, Sex to be relocated in the public library. It’s not banning it, it’s just moving it! (Which is still censorship.)
The Farmington School Board (AR) voted to restrict access to All Boys Aren’t Blue and Tricks.
The Missouri Senate is set to restore the public library funding that the House removed from their funding plan.
However, a Missouri Republican is targeting county library boards’ ability to levy taxes.
A group of Ohio conservatives sent a letter to the Governor and First Lady, asking them to help remove Gender Queer from all public school libraries in the state.
The updated book challenge form at Prior Lake-Savage Area School (MN) outlines the cost incurred by the district each time a book is challenged.
The Indiana House committee abandons its contentious library materials amendment…for now.
The Mississippi Valley Library District in Illinois just got four new conservative library board members. A big point of debate during the election was a prior drag queen event hosted by the library.
Carroll High School (IA) will keep Breathless and The Infinite Moment of Us.
Iowa City reacts to new legislation that would ban books in K-12 schools.
A resident of Fremont, Nebraska, called on Keene Memorial Library staff to present statistics on how many LGBTQ+ titles and sex-ed books were in the children’s and teen sections, and how many Christian-centric titles were in the respective sections, completely ignoring the fact that all of this is information that the public can seek out on their own by using the online catalog. Also, a council member conveniently doesn’t see this nonsense as a LGBTQ issue.
The West Fargo City Commission (ND) is backing an effort to overturn the state’s book banning bills, if passed.
“There needs to be some book burning.” Montana Senate debates a new obscenity bill.
Oklahoma State Superintendent Ryan Walters has a list of over 100 books that he considers to be pornographic and inappropriate for public schools.
How one parent got all of the graphic novels removed from Owasso Public Schools (OK).
Ogden Public Schools (UT) removed I Am Jazz and a children’s biography of Harvey Milk from school libraries, but elected to keep Julian is a Mermaid.
A Los Alamos (NM) resident is challenging the book If You’re A Drag Queen And You Know It at the public library and is demanding that the library not display LGBTQ materials in the children’s section.
Idaho governor Brad Little vetoed HB314, “the so-called “Children’s School and Library Protection Act” of 2023.”
The Canby School District (OR) has been asked to update their collection policies to prevent books from automatically being pulled as soon as a single complaint is made.
Wasilla, Alaska parent Terri Lyons is in a tizzy because LGBTQ+ titles geared towards upper elementary students were available at a school book fair.
The municipal attorney for Anchorage, Alaska will determine if Let’s Talk About It can remain in the public library.
Australia is not going to ban Gender Queer.
However, Ireland is removing This Book is Gay from the sex-ed curriculum.
How to fight book bans – and win.
The limits on librarians are ironic and hypocritical.
Juno Dawson, author of This Book is Gay, says that America’s teens have much bigger problems than her book.
Books & Authors in the News
The 2023 5 Under 35 honorees have been announced.
Why is James Patterson mad at the NYT Bestseller List? (When 260 bestselling books aren’t enough.)
Author Chuck Forester has donated $250K to Lambda Literary in support of “the organization’s capacity to advocate for LGBTQ writers and books.”
The backlash against TikTok darling, Colleen Hoover.
Numbers & Trends
The best-selling books of the week, according to all the lists.
Do you need help finding your next great read? Subscribe to Tailored Book Recommendations for really great reads year-round.
Award News
Yiyun Li has won the 2023 PEN/Faulkner Award for The Book of Goose.
Pop Cultured
10 suspenseful movies like Gone Girl to add to your queue.
Bookish Curiosities & Miscellaneous
Behind the scenes of Barack Obama’s reading lists.
On the Riot
The difference between academic and pleasure reading, and why it matters for kids.
The most creative bookmobiles from around the world.
A brief history of librarians and cardigans.
Yeah, Daisy Jones and the Six is a rip-off, but don’t we like it that way?
This may be the cutest photo I’ve ever taken of Gilbert. That’s it. That’s the caption.
Well, hopefully this glorious weather stays through the weekend. If you’re blessed by the Weather Gods, hopefully you get a chance to get outside and enjoy it! I’ll check in again on Tuesday.
—Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter.