Welcome to Check Your Shelf. I’m writing this newsletter as Banned Books Week comes to a close, and I have been delighted at our patrons’ responses. I know not every library has a supportive community and I definitely don’t take ours for granted. I hope a lot of you received support from your patrons this last week.
Whether it’s romance, creepy reads, modern classics, or escapist reads you crave, TBR can help you find the perfect books for your fall reading, with options curated to your specific reading tastes.
Collection Development Corner
Publishing News
Student authors call for diversifying the publishing industry.
Authors are shocked to find AI ripoffs of their books being sold on Amazon.
New & Upcoming Titles
Rick Riordan teases possible future Percy Jackson books.
The library is open!: RuPaul announces a memoir about his early life, to be published in March 2024.
5 witchy new books for Friday the 13th.
Weekly picks from Crime Reads, LitHub.
October picks from Amazon, Shondaland, Washington Post.
Fall picks from Esquire, The Millions (poetry).
What Your Patrons Are Hearing About
Making it So – Patrick Stewart (New York Times, USA Today, Washington Post)
Death Valley – Melissa Broder (LA Times, New York Times)
Collision of Power: Trump, Bezos, and the Washington Post – Martin Baron (New York Times, Washington Post)
Our Strangers: Stories – Lydia Davis (LA Times, New York Times)
Madonna: A Rebel Life – Mary Gabriel (Guardian, LA Times)
A Haunting on the Hill – Elizabeth Hand (New York Times, Washington Post)
Going Infinite: The Rise and Fall of a New Tycoon – Michael Lewis (LA Times, Washington Post)
RA/Genre Resources
With a panel that includes just about every Book Riot-favorite mystery author on the planet, Time magazine came up with the 100 best mystery and thriller books of all time.
Tana French writes about why mystery novels are so damn satisfying.
The rich, underappreciated history of mystery writers of color.
The 10 best Stephen King books for a spooky Halloween. (They nailed #1, 2, and 3, imo).
The enduring charm of John Grisham.
On the Riot
The 20 best books for teens, 2023 edition.
The best books Rioters read from July – September 2023.
The best weekly releases to TBR.
October picks for mysteries/thrillers, SFF, romance, horror, nonfiction, YA, children’s books.
In defense of the miscommunication trope in romance.
All Things Comics
Netflix confirms that Season 3 of Heartstopper is in production. Plus, here’s the cover reveal for Heartstopper, Volume 5.
The Harvey Awards will induct six new hall of fame members on October 13th at New York Comic Con.
On the Riot
October picks for comics/graphic novels and manga.
The best comics Rioters read from July – September 2023.
Audiophilia
Spotify Premium subscribers will be able to listen to up to 15 hours of audiobooks per month for free, and the publishing industry is cautiously okay with this arrangement.
The October 2023 Earphones Award winners have been announced.
Book Riot has podcasts to keep your ears listening for days! Check them out and subscribe.
Book Lists, Book Lists, Book Lists
Children/Teens
15 YA books like the Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.
14 YA books about breaking generational trauma.
13 outstanding SFF books teen boys will love.
Adults
Banned & challenged mysteries to read right now.
5 offbeat mystery novels to spice up your reading life.
20 engaging (and non-scary) whodunits and mysteries.
30 vampire romance novels with serious bite.
25 of the best classic cozy fall books for your autumn reading list.
Meg Cabot’s favorite witchy books for the season.
5 disturbing books that violate your sanctuary.
The 10 best histories of women in WWII.
The supernatural and the disquieting: 7 horror novels to read right now.
On the Riot
20 must-read mystery books as recommended by mystery writers.
The 20 best debut fantasy novels ever written.
8 of the best fall romance books.
10 queer haunted house books to scare your socks off.
20 must-read sci-fi novels about AI.
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.
Gilbert is making sure we never leave home again. Or just using me as a convenient pillow.
All right, friends. I’ll be back on Friday!
—Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter.