Welcome to Check Your Shelf. As always, Halloween season has sped by faster than I’d like. I know I can read horror novels and watch scary movies all year, but there’s something special when the entire month is dedicated to all things dark, demented, and disturbing. Now all of the streaming horror movie collections are going to be replaced by movies with cozy Thanksgiving vibes, but I’m not ready to let go of the spooky stuff just yet!
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
Publishing News
The makings of a literary it-girl.
New & Upcoming Titles
Publisher’s Weekly has released their list of the Best Books of the Year!
Tor has acquired three more novels from Seanan McGuire to continue and complete the Alchemical Journeys series.
Chuck Tingle has a new book coming out in July 2024.
Tom Selleck is publishing a memoir, which will be released in May 2024.
20 recent SFF books that will blow your mind.
19 new historical romances to make you swoon.
40 Canadian books to read this fall.
The best new fantasy and historical fiction of the year.
Weekly book picks from Crime Reads, LitHub, New York Times.
The best debut crime novels of October.
Barnes & Noble’s November/December picks for adults, teens, and children.
November picks from Epic Reads.
What Your Patrons Are Hearing About
Opposable Thumbs: How Siskel & Ebert Changed Movies Forever – Matt Singer (LA Times, New York Times, Washington Post)
The Woman in Me – Britney Spears (New York Times, USA Today, Variety)
Organ Meats – K-Ming Chang (New York Times, Shondaland)
The Reformatory – Tananarive Due (LA Times, New York Times)
Ours Was the Shining Future: The Story of the American Dream – David Leonhardt (New York Times, Washington Post)
Julia – Sandra Newman (New York Times, Washington Post)
America Fantastica – Tim O’Brien (Esquire, New York Times)
Let Us Descend – Jesmyn Ward (Guardian, NPR)
RA/Genre Resources
A roundtable discussion on Indigenous horror.
On the Riot
10 great nonfiction books from 2023 that you might have missed.
Recent BIPOC horror and thrillers to give you goosebumps.
The best new weekly releases to TBR.
The social significance of ghost stories.
All Things Comics
On the Riot
Yes, graphic novels can (and do!) win literary awards!
What are poetry comics?
8 witchy graphic novels to spellbind you.
Audiophilia
Michelle Obama will narrate the digital audio version of Where the Wild Things Are.
Book Lists, Book Lists, Book Lists
Children/Teens
15 dark forest YA books that will keep you up all night in the best way.
Adults
Romance novels featuring protagonists with disabilities.
6 books to get you started with Black horror.
5 indie mysteries that really rock.
34 Halloween books to get you in a spooky mood.
Book suggestions for an evening of spooky reading.
Thrilling retellings of classic horror and gothic tales.
The books that explain California.
16 spooky novellas by women and nonbinary authors.
15 of the best fall books for a cozy season.
On the Riot
9 of the best autumn read-aloud picture books.
YA authors who have made their mark with poetry, too.
9 epic sci-fi books set on generation ships.
20 of TikTok’s favorite nonfiction books.
Fantasy books with a classic magic system.
8 titles to satisfy your pop culture cravings.
20 must-read historical fiction books set in France.
8 of the best English-language and US debuts.
Genre-blending horror novels you need to read.
10 of the best queer books on Kindle Unlimited in 2023.
24 African poets you need to read.
9 books about cities to read for World Cities Day.
8 cozy books for autumn reading.
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.
Dini absolutely conked out in my lap the other night, all stretched out like a 13-pound sausage link. Every time he does this, I resign myself to the fact that I’ll get nothing done while he’s in my lap…but he’s too cute to move!
All right, friends. Have a safe and scary Halloween! I’ll be back on Friday.
—Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter.