Sponsored by Flatiron Books, publishers of Court of Lions by Somaiya Daud
Court of Lions is the highly-anticipated second and final installment of the international bestselling Mirage series. Two identical girls, one a princess, the other a rebel. Who will rule the empire?
Welcome to Check Your Shelf. There’s been another police shooting, and this one has taken me aback because I grew up very close to Kenosha, Wisconsin, and now it’s on the national news. And there are too many news articles about property damage and supposed rioters, and not enough articles questioning why the police (and their white male supporters with assault rifles) are given free rein to act as judge, jury, and executioner on the streets. It just keeps going.
Libraries & Librarians
News Updates
- The Alameda (CA) Free Library is designated as the world’s first “clean air center” as it offers relief from the world’s worst air quality created by the California wildfires.
- Black librarians speak out after 122 St. Louis County Library workers are fired.
- Indian Trails (IL) Library and the University of Illinois receive a $100,00 grant to measure the impact and value of maker spaces. (That’s my home library and my grad school alma mater!)
Cool Library Updates
- This Australia library has reached out to 8,000 patrons during the pandemic to see what they could help them with.
- The Boston Public Library is introducing outdoor WiFi at nine branch libraries.
- Deyania Sanders is the first high schooler to have their art used by the Free Library of Philadelphia for its Summer of Wonder reading program.
- This father-daughter duo opens their own library in Chicago with 1,000 free books!
Worth Reading
- The library is open…sort of.
- Libraries are returning to core services amid the downturn in foot traffic.
- Ideas for celebrating Library Card Sign Up Month during a pandemic.
- How librarians are connecting with patrons and students with TikTok.
- Little Free Libraries in the era of COVID.
- The life of a library cat during the pandemic.
Book Adaptations in the News
- TikTok star Sarah Cooper is developing a CBS comedy series based on her book, How to Be Successful Without Hurting Men’s Feelings.
- The upcoming adaptation of Stephen King’s The Stand will debut on CBS All Access on December 17th.
- Elisabeth Moss is starring in the adaptation of Virginia Feito’s upcoming thriller, Mrs. March.
- Kiera Knightley will star in an adaptation of Sarah Perry’s novel The Essex Serpent.
- Trailers for Death on the Nile, Enola Holmes, and The Comey Rule.
Books & Authors in the News
- Parents in the Springfield (VT) School District filed a formal complaint with the superintendent after their son’s third grade teacher used the book Something Happened in Our Town: A Child’s Story about Racial Injustice in class to talk about police brutality.
- A look at Ta-Nehisi Coates’ guest-edited issue of Vanity Fair.
- Ocean Vuong is writing a piece for the Future Library, but it won’t be published until 2114.
- There’s going to be a TV show based on the New Yorker article that brought Daniel Mallory’s (aka AJ Finn) scams to light. Jake Gyllenhaal is playing Daniel Mallory.
- How authors are connecting with readers during the pandemic.
Award News
- The winner of the International Booker Prize has been announced.
- Check out the 2020 Ignyte Awards ballot! These picks are hot hot hot!
- Here are the first six novels on the Not the Booker shortlist.
- Winners of the This Is Horror Awards.
Pop Cultured
- The Crown gets a sixth season and a trailer for season 4.
- Trailers for the Robert Pattison Batman movie and Wonder Woman 1984.
- Sneak peek for The Suicide Squad.
Bookish Curiosities & Miscellaneous
- Fact checking is the core of nonfiction writing, so why do so many publishers refuse to do it?
- This literary startup wants a celebrity to choose your next read.
- Book tracking sites other than Goodreads.
On the Riot
- A discussion on how to disinfect books.
- Little Free Library book labels, stickers, and stamps.
- A century of Shakespeare and Company.
- Can you guess the book based on its AITA post?
Take a breath and take care of yourselves, folks. If you need something cute, here are photos of Houdini exploring our bathroom. I’ll see you all next week.
—Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter.