Welcome to Check Your Shelf, where everything is frozen over. Blaine and I had to spend about 20 minutes digging out his car over the weekend, which was covered in 3-4 inches of frozen, packed snow. The forecast says that it’s going to get above freezing again in a week or so, but I’ll believe it when I see it.
2024 is the tenth year of the Read Harder Challenge! Join us as we make our way through 24 tasks meant to expand our reading horizons and diversify our TBRs. To get book recommendations for each task, sign up for the Read Harder newsletter. We’ll also keep you informed about other cool reading challenges, readathons, and more across the bookish internet. If you become a paid subscriber, you get even more recommendations plus community features, where you can connect with a community of passionate, like-minded readers in a cozy and supportive corner of the internet. Sign up today!
Collection Development Corner
Publishing News
ChatGPT says the quiet part out loud: it’s “impossible” to create AI tools without access to copyrighted material.
Meanwhile, scammy AI-generated books continue to flood Amazon.
Tor.com is rebranding as Reactor on January 23rd, complete with a new website.
Women ruled the bestseller list in 2023.
New & Upcoming Titles
Keanu Reeves and China Mieville are teaming up to write a novel based on Reeves’ BRZRKR graphic novel series.
Random House is publishing Lisa Marie Presley’s posthumous memoir later this year.
Alice Hoffman is writing a book for younger readers based on Anne Frank’s early life.
Alien is getting an ABC children’s book treatment, and yes, we’re talking about THAT Alien. C is for “chest-burster,” F is for “face-hugger,” J is for “Jonesy,” and X is for “xenomorph.” I am ALL IN FOR THIS WEIRDNESS!
Cover reveal for Paolo Bacigalupi’s latest fantasy novel, Navola.
Cover reveal for Rainbow Rowell’s upcoming adult fiction release, Slow Dance.
Cover reveal for Akwaeke Emezi’s upcoming novel, Little Rot.
Book club picks for January 2024.
20 of the best new reads for your own book club.
Here’s an excerpt from the upcoming book, So Fetch: The Making of Mean Girls (And Why We’re Still So Obsessed with It) by Jennifer Armstrong. (Oh my God, why are you so OBSESSED with me?!)
Best books of 2023 from USA Today.
Weekly picks from Crime Reads, LitHub.
January picks from The Guardian, Tor.com (sci-fi, YA SFF/H)
Most anticipated for 2024 from CBC, LitHub, The Millions (general, poetry), Salon (celebrity memoirs).
What Your Patrons Are Hearing About
Inverno – Cynthia Zarin (LA Times, New York Times, Shondaland, Washington Post)
Poor Deer – Claire Oshetsky (New York Times, Shondaland, Washington Post)
My Friends – Hisham Matar (New York Times, Washington Post)
The Fetishist – Katherine Min (NPR)
RA/Genre Resources
On Appalachian literature and noir.
On the Riot
Book Riot’s most anticipated books of 2024.
10 new January 2024 book club picks.
The best fantasy, LGBTQ+ romance, and historical fiction of 2023.
The best new weekly releases to TBR.
Why is nonfiction rare on TikTok?
And does literary fiction work on BookTok?
How to diversify your BookTok FYP.
BIPOC BookTokkers and queer BookTok accounts to follow.
Is reimagining history through biofiction ethical?
How to read more short stories and anthologies.
All Things Comics
On the Riot
New YA graphic novels/comics for January – March 2024.
New manga for January 2024.
Audiophilia
The January 2024 Earphones Award winners have been announced.
Andrew Garfield and Cynthia Erivo are leading a new Audible adaptation of 1984.
On the Riot
10 of the most anticipated audiobooks for January 2024.
Book Lists, Book Lists, Book Lists
Children/Teens
Body positive books for tweens and teens.
Adults
5 novels about plagiarism.
6 books to help you start your year off right.
7 books set in Turkey.
5 thrillers with all the social commentary.
Crime fiction set in the Pacific Northwest.
Cozy mysteries featuring reporters.
8 fast-paced thrillers for fans of Lucy Foley.
7 books that will earn your tears.
What to read while you wait for House of Flame and Shadow.
On the Riot
6 books to get you started with the POPSUGAR 2024 reading challenge.
12 of the most popular romantasy books on TikTok.
9 genre-defying mystery novels.
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.
Look who’s coming out from his hiding spot! Gilbert has finally realized that it’s much easier for him to get pets and snuggles if he’s not hiding in the closet.
All right, friends. Hopefully, it’s warmer by the time the next newsletter comes out. See you on Friday!
—Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter.