Welcome to Check Your Shelf. Last week, my in-laws were over at our place, and my mother-in-law and my husband’s aunt were having a ton of fun browsing through my books…except they kept asking, “Oh, how did you like this book?” and I had to keep telling them “I haven’t read that one yet.” I think over half of the books I own are unread. I told them that I like to surround myself with possibilities, which sounds WAY better than “I’ve had the attention span of a goldfish since the pandemic started and can barely focus on anything anymore.” But it was a good reminder that I still have a ton of great books on my shelves just waiting to be discovered!
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Collection Development Corner
Publishing News
HarperCollins and the private equity firm KKR are allegedly looking to purchase Simon & Schuster.
UK authors face an ethical dilemma as Russia offers huge sums for escapist fiction.
AI writing proves that the human author is very much alive.
New & Upcoming Titles
Rainbow Rowell announced a new book.
Goodreads announces its readers’ top new mysteries for the first half of 2023.
11 new romance novels to TBR.
Esquire’s 20 best LGBTQ+ books of the year so far.
Weekly book picks from Crime Reads, LitHub, USA Today.
June picks from Vanity Fair.
Summer picks from AARP (nonfiction), Star Tribune.
What Your Patrons Are Hearing About
I Am Homeless If This Is Not My Home – Lorrie Moore (Guardian, L.A. Times, New York Times)
Reproduction – Louisa Hall (L.A. Times, Washington Post)
To Name the Bigger Lie: A Memoir in Two Stories – Sarah Viren (New York Times, NPR)
RA/Genre Resources
The Ripped Bodice’s annual summer romance Bingo card is up!
A complete guide to Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine book club picks.
Why are we so drawn to rule-breaking characters in fiction?
On the Riot
Will AI threaten publishing jobs?
The most popular books on Goodreads so far this year.
All of the June 2023 celebrity book club picks.
The best new weekly releases to TBR.
Elliot Page does not owe you a legible timeline: on the beauty of nonlinear queer and trans storytelling.
Reading pathways for Alexis Hall.
And what the heck is atompunk?
Dystopian novels may feel #TooReal, but how accurate are they really? /
“I solved the whole mystery and it only took me the whole book to do it!”
Subscribe to First Edition for interviews, lists, rankings, recommendations, and much more, featuring people who know and love books.
All Things Comics
Influential Marvel illustrator John Romita Sr. has died at 93.
Scarlett Johansson confirms that a top secret Marvel project is still moving forward.
On the Riot
The rise of Korean webtoons.
Why do we like dystopian comics?
The timeless appeal of Lois Lane.
Book Lists, Book Lists, Book Lists
Children/Teens
16 YA romance books to fuel your celebrity crush daydreams.
Adults
12 books about mermaids, sirens, and sea gods.
Novels inspired by other art forms.
7 books about friendship in your 20s.
Women-centered thrillers for fans of Colleen Hoover’s Verity.
10 books about missing persons.
5 works about intelligent beings who are their own worst enemies.
3 pivotal, villainous heroines in contemporary literature.
Unlikely friendships in crime fiction.
35 best books about time travel.
25 stories that define Korea’s dramatic history.
10 “romantasy” books to spice up your TBR.
10 historical fiction novels that span the 19th century.
On the Riot
10 sunshine-filled books about summer for toddlers.
9 enchanting books like The Little Mermaid.
14 swoony bisexual YA romances.
8 of the best F/F friends to lovers romances.
8 philosophical books to make you think.
20+ books every gay-straight alliance should have.
8 Korean romance novels for K-pop and K-drama fans.
Messy sapphic novels for fans of The Ultimatum: Queer Love.
10 riveting books about white-collar crime.
8 award-winning queer books you’ve probably never heard of.
Books to help you get outdoors.
10 nonfiction books by trans, nonbinary, and drag performer authors to educate and entertain.
20 must-read historical fiction novels set in India.
Buon viaggio with books set in Italy.
22 must-read celebrity memoirs that spill ALL the tea.
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 that includes information about series, vendors, and publisher buzz.
It was stiff competition this week for which cat would get featured in the newsletter…both Gilbert and Dini have been extra cute the last few days. I like to think they’re keeping a running total of how many times they’ve made the newsletter. This is Dini helping me do…something on my computer last week. Whatever it was, though, was not nearly as important as paying attention to how snuggly he was being.
Well, that’s all I’ve got for today. Let’s trudge on through the week and check back in on Friday.
—Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter.