Welcome to Check Your Shelf. I just learned that an article I wrote for Public Libraries magazine a couple of years ago was used as an MLIS reading assignment! Talk about a career achievement I never expected to unlock!
Don’t forget, whether you’re looking for romance, creepy reads, modern classics, or escapist reads, TBR can help you find the perfect books for your fall reading, with options curated to your specific reading tastes.
Collection Development Corner
New & Upcoming Titles
Salman Rushdie is writing a memoir about his attack last year.
TJ Klune is publishing a sequel to The House in the Cerulean Sea.
Casey McQuiston announces her next book, The Pairing.
James Patterson is finishing a partially written manuscript by the late Michael Crichton.
George Stephanopoulos is writing a new book about the White House Situation Room, out May 2024.
Hugh Jackman is writing a memoir.
Here’s a first look at Gregory Maguire’s final Wicked book, The Witch of Maracoor.
14 pop culture memoirs and biographies coming out this fall.
The 30 must-read YA books for the rest of 2023.
Barnes & Noble has released its picks for Best Books of 2023.
Weekly book picks from Crime Reads, LitHub, New York Times.
What Your Patrons Are Hearing About
Down the Drain – Julia Fox (Bustle, Elle, People, USA Today)
Madonna: A Rebel Life – Mary Gabriel (Atlantic, New York Times, Town & Country, USA Today)
Blackouts – Justin Torres (New York Times, Shondaland, Washington Post)
The Upside-Down World: Meetings with the Dutch Masters – Benjamin Moser (New York Times, Washington Post)
The Dictionary People: The Unsung Heroes Who Created the Oxford English Dictionary – Sarah Ogilvie (New York Times, Washington Post)
How to Say Babylon: A Memoir – Safiya Sinclair (Guardian, NPR)
My Name is Barbra – Barbra Streisand (Entertainment Weekly, Vanity Fair)
Family Meal – Bryan Washington (Datebook, Washington Post)
RA/Genre Resources
How Jesmyn Ward is reimagining Southern literature.
On the Riot
Indie publishers with extensive BIPOC and queer catalogs.
The best horror novels of the past 3 years, according to Goodreads users.
10 great 2023 mysteries you may have missed.
The best new weekly releases to TBR.
10 romance authors like Abby Jimenez to make you swoon.
Decades: a journey of African American romance.
Why witch fiction isn’t going anywhere.
Where would fiction be without women?
All Things Comics
Dr. Seuss comes to comics in a new graphic novel series.
Comic book upstart Ghost Machine seeks to shake up the industry.
7 new comics for fans of horror — just in time for Halloween!
Literary graphic novels to add to your library.
On the Riot
The Center of Jewish History opens a Jewish comics experience.
New YA graphic novels and comics hitting shelves this fall.
8 comic book cover art collections to please your eyes.
Book Riot has podcasts to keep your ears listening for days! Check them out and subscribe.
Audiophilia
The Society of Authors in the UK is “deeply concerned” about Spotify’s new audiobook streaming provision.
Michelle Williams is narrating the audio version of Britney Spears’ memoir.
10 new audiobooks for fall 2023.
Book Lists, Book Lists, Book Lists
Children/Teens
15 high society YA novels similar to Bridgerton.
Adults
25 of the best vampire books of all time.
10 spooky page-turners to knock your socks off.
The 100 greatest film books of all time.
Bewitching romance books for a spooky season.
9 demonic thrillers to lose yourself in this October.
And here are some more possession thrillers!
Classic SF set on ocean planets.
8 South Asian novels about falling in love.
10 of the best historical romance mystery novels.
6 sports romance novels to root for.
8 literary reads with a touch of mystery.
On the Riot
8 of the best Indigenous middle grade novels.
20 must-read adult novels from YA authors.
20 must-read vampire books in 5 genres.
9 SF books that mix in medieval elements.
Nonfiction about witches, ghosts, and other odd creatures.
10 dark and twisted fairy tale retellings.
25 of the best cowboy romance novels.
8 horror reads to make your skin crawl.
10 fantastic Haitian books in translation.
Adult versions of your favorite childhood horror 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.
Here, we see Dini training for his new career as a TSA agent. And no, it has nothing to do with the strings on the face masks spilling out of the front pouch!
All right, friends. I’ll be back on Friday!
—Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter.