Sponsored by Oni Lion Forge Publishing Group
Amparo’s deal with the talking cat was simple: a drop of blood in order to become a better person. But when the cat steals their name and their body, becoming the “better person” they were promised, Amparo’s spirit is imprisoned in a land of terrifying creatures known as Bright World. To return to the other side and see their true love again, Amparo must use every bit of cleverness to escape.
Welcome to Check Your Shelf. Over the weekend, we had to take away the water dispenser we use for the cats because Houdini was treating it like a kiddie pool and trying to stick his head in the hole where the water comes out. We were afraid he’d somehow manage to get his head stuck, so now we’re back to a standard water bowl where he can splash around to his heart’s content.
Collection Development Corner
Publishing News
Simon & Schuster has announced that they will not distribute the book written by the officer who shot Breonna Taylor.
Disney Publishing launches an adult imprint.
From Zora Neale Hurston’s “What White Publishers Won’t Print” to #PublishingPaidMe.
Why it’s harder for neurodivergent people to break into publishing.
New & Upcoming Titles
Publishers Weekly released their annual Best Books of Summer 2021 list!
The new Outlander novel has a release date for November 23rd of this year.
Here’s the cover reveal for Hillary Clinton and Louise Penny’s upcoming thriller, State of Terror.
Brandy Colbert announces her next book: Black Birds in the Sky: The Story and Legacy of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre.
Hanya Yanagihara’s upcoming novel, The Paradise, will be released in January 2022.
Ron Howard and Clint Howard are publishing a joint memoir to be released in October.
Ottessa Moshfegh’s next novel will be published next summer.
AC/DC’s Brian Johnson is publishing a memoir.
In an unusual twist, we’re getting a book adaptation of a movie – in this case, it’s a YA sequel to the 1993 erotic thriller The Crush.
Newly released books that can help readers heal from trauma.
LGBTQ books being published this year.
51 debut books to look forward to this spring and summer.
24 YA romance books hitting shelves this spring that are delightfully charming.
Weekly book picks from Bustle, Crime Reads, and USA Today.
April picks from Amazon (biography & memoir), Tor.com (horror & genre-bending books), and Vanity Fair.
Most anticipated kids’ and YA book releases for May.
What Your Patrons Are Hearing About
Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty – Patrick Radden Keefe (Entertainment Weekly, LA Times, Slate)
Love in Color: Mythical Tales From Around the World, Retold – Bolu Babalola (Entertainment Weekly, New York Times)
The Souvenir Museum – Elizabeth McCracken (Minneapolis Star Tribune, NPR)
Antiquities – Cynthia Ozick (LA Times, New York Times)
RA/Genre Resources
The four C’s of fantasy worldbuilding.
Could a Bridgerton effect give the romance genre a Hollywood ending?
5 SFF subgenres for fans of true crime.
How celebrity memoirs got so good.
On the Riot
Books out the week of April 13th to add to your TBR.
Brian Jacques’ Redwall and the damaging tropes of epic fantasy.
We need healthy interracial romance books.
Autofiction is cheating, and you cannot change my mind.
8 books to get you started with C.J. Cherryh.
An ode to stories that make us happy-cry.
All Things Comics
10 comic books that would make great horror movies.
On the Riot
9 emotionally devastating mental illness graphic memoirs.
11 great middle grade science fiction comics set in space.
20 must-read spacefaring comics and graphic novels.
5 Sherlock Holmes comics for you to investigate.
Audiophilia
The best audiobooks to listen to your favorite comics and graphic novels.
Listen-alikes: Audiobook pairs for kids and teens.
7 romance audiobooks where families get involved.
The bookseller-recommended audiobooks of April.
On the Riot
A history of audio storytelling.
5 audiobooks to take you into whole new worlds.
Book Lists, Book Lists, Book Lists
Children/Teens
Queer YA rom-coms that we guarantee you’ll fall hard for.
The best YA books about a “chosen one” from the last 20 years.
Adults
6 Latin American novels that changed how we think of fiction.
8 cathartic books that will have you crying by the first chapter.
15 underrated mystery and thriller novels that will make it hard to sleep tonight.
6 readalike options for fans of Kristin Hannah.
What to read after The Wife Upstairs.
10 of the creepiest gothic novels.
5 books featuring lost, missing, and forgotten gods.
Historical romance recommendations for fans of Bridgerton.
What to read next if you loved The Midnight Library.
8 writers who shaped the music industry.
On the Riot
7 excellent picture books about Eid.
5 of the best middle grade books about baseball.
20 more must-read YA novels in verse.
5 YA books about fighting biphobia.
6 great books with bi wife energy.
8 of the best novels about grief and recovering from trauma.
5 best-selling nonfiction books of 2020.
14 of the best books for new dads.
20 great works of philosophical fiction.
6 books to help you daydream.
11 thoughtful and low action sci-fi reads.
Books featuring martial arts.
9 books about conspiracy theories.
10 hockey romance books to warm your heart.
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 created a database of upcoming diverse books that anyone can edit, and Nora Rawlins of Early Word is doing the same, as well as including information about series, vendors, and publisher buzz.
Have a pleasant bookish week, folks. Catch you on Friday.
—Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter.