Category: Check Your Shelf

Welcome to Check Your Shelf! This is your guide to all things book talk worth knowing to help librarians like you up your game when it comes to doing your job (& rocking it).

“Check Your Shelf” is sponsored by Book Riot’s 10 Best Nonfiction Books of 2018 Giveaway.

We’re giving away ten of our favorite works of nonfiction of the year! Click here to enter.

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Libraries and Librarians

• The Museum & Library Services Act stalls in the House.
• Carnegie Library (Pittsburgh) & Google team up for a laptop lending program.
• (TW) Amber Fawn Clark, a branch manager for the Sacramento Public Library, was murdered by a man who had been given a no-trespass order by the library for a previous incident. Reports from Missouri indicate that this person had a history of aggressive behavior towards library staff. On an editorial note, this is why we need to take library safety so much more seriously.
• Talking about self-care in LIS. 

Book Adaptations in the News

• Marie Kondo is taking The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up to Netflix, and there’s a trailer.
• Amy Poehler’s production company just optioned The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai as a TV series.
• We may have a documentary about Claudia Kishi’s character from The Baby-Sitters Club coming our way!
• Paste Magazine gives us the most anticipated book-movie adaptations of 2019.
• Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark will be released on August 9th of next year.

Books in the News

• Cher announces a memoir for 2020, with a biopic to follow.
• Olivia Newton-John has an autobiography coming out in 2019.
• Alyssa Milano announces a children’s book with Scholastic in 2019.
• Alice Walker is facing criticism for recommending an antisemitic book in the New York Times.
• Publisher’s Weekly posts their Spring Adult Preview. 
• Tracy Morgan is publishing a soul-food cookbook, and I want it.

By the Numbers

• AJ Finn is Kobo’s best-selling author of 2018.

Pop Cultured

• Penny Marshall, star of Laverne & Shirley and acclaimed director of Big and A League of Their Own, has passed away.
• True Detective Season 3 premieres January 13, 2019 on HBO. There’s a trailer, too!
• Apple has bought the rights to Peanuts and plans to make new shows featuring the characters.

All Things Comics

• Roxane Gay announces an upcoming crime graphic novel, The Banks, about three generations of black women who are also master thieves in Chicago. YES PLEASE I WANT IT NOW.
• Kelly Sue DeConnick & Matt Fraction signed a deal with Legendary Television.
• Rainbow Rowell and Faith Erin Hicks have a YA graphic novel coming out August 27, 2019 called Pumpkinheads!
• (TW: sexual assault): Comics author Eric Esquivel has been accused of sexual assault.

Audiophilia

• The Guardian presents a list of the best audiobooks to listen to this Christmas.

Best Books of 2018

• San Francisco Chronicle
• Paste: Best Nonfiction
• Barnes & Noble: Best Horror
• CrimeReads: Best Psychological Thrillers
• EW: Best Romance
• Buzzfeed: Best YA
• Time: Best Fantasy
• Book Riot: Best Under-the-Radar Titles
• Book Riot: Best Mystery, Thriller, & True Crime (I have a couple picks on here!)

Book Lists, Book Lists, Book Lists

• The best backlist titles that Rioters read this year.
• Holiday mysteries for people who enjoy a little mistletoe with their murder.
• 10 food science books to change the way you eat.
• 10 controversial books to shake up your book group discussions.
• 26 powerful memoirs written by women.
• Get those orders ready…here are 51 new romance novels to look for in 2019!
• 20 of the best American family novels (from the post-Obama era).
• 12 children’s books for feminist girls and boys.
• 10 books by Latino authors you don’t want to miss this year.
• 22 Nutcracker-retellings for readers of all ages.

Bookish Curiosities & Miscellaneous

• Book Riot announces its bigger, badder book-tracking spreadsheet!
• Beginner’s primers for high fantasy and urban fantasy.
• Check out this pop-up bookshop in London that only sells diverse children’s books!
• Merriam-Webster announces its 2018 word of the year: “justice”
• A fantastic Harry Potter-themed engagement party for a couple who met at a Harry Potter trivia night two years ago.
• How “showrooming” (using physical stores to research future online purchases) is hurting the bookselling community.
• A beginner’s guide to Kindle Unlimited vs. Audible.

Level Up (Library Reads)

Do you take part in LibraryReads, 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.

 

Thanks for hanging out and I’ll see you again next week!

–Katie McLain, @kt_librarylady on Twitter. Currently reading Lethal White by Robert Galbraith.

Welcome to Check Your Shelf! This is your guide to all things book talk worth knowing to help librarians like you up your game when it comes to doing your job (& rocking it).

“Check Your Shelf” is sponsored by So Done by Paula Chase.

Inseparable since they were toddlers, Metai Johnson can’t understand how her best friend, Jamila can go away for an entire summer and not return a single text. When Jamila returns, Metai is ready to pick up where they left off. Jamila, on the other hand, is determined to change everything about her situation, which may include letting go of Tai. A 2018 Junior Library Guild Selection, So Done dives into the complexity of middle school friendships and the dangers of keeping secrets.

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Libraries & Librarians

• Nearly 130 British public libraries closed in the last year.
• Seattle & Colorado Springs are taking a proactive approach to helping homeless library visitors.
• The religious activist who burned LGBTQ+ books from the Orange City library has been charged with criminal mischief.
• PBS has a short video about appreciating the “powerful good” of the public library.
• Milwaukee Public Library sees an increase in library resource usage after it uses well-known logos to promote its services.
• A good introduction to types of assistive technology for children that librarians should be familiar with.
• If you’re on Twitter, you should be following the #libfaves18 conversation, where librarians list a favorite book from 2018 each day for 10 days. The recommended titles & authors will be tabulated at the end!
• Seattle has the most Instagrammable library in the world.
• 16 libraries that look like Hogwarts. (I want to go to there.)
• If your library bucket list wasn’t long enough, how about 9 of the world’s most futuristic libraries?
• 8 things this writer learned from working behind the circulation desk.

Book Adaptations in the News

• A Princess in Theory by Alyssa Cole has been optioned!
• Brie Larson is set to star in the Netflix adaptation of Ian Reid’s psychological novel, I’m Thinking of Ending Things.
• Netflix picks up Season 2 of You, based on the psychological thriller by Caroline Kepnes. The show was originally on Lifetime.
• Hulu is teaming up with John Grisham to create a brand new universe with interconnected series based on The Rainmaker and Rogue Lawyer.
• HBO renews My Brilliant Friend for a second season.
• Herman Melville novella, Benito Cereno, is being adapted as a space opera thriller. Well alrighty then!

Books in the News

• Bustle sits down with Jasmine Guillory to talk about her 2019 romance novel, The Wedding Party.
• John le Carré has a new book coming out in 2019.

By the Numbers

• Becoming is officially the best-selling book of 2018. Pretty darn impressive considering the book’s only been out for about a month or so!
• Lithub pulls together the biggest nonfiction bestsellers of the last 100 years. THIS would make a cool display, especially if you happen to have any classic older titles in your collection!
• UK government is being urged to “axe the reading tax,” a 20% tax imposed on eBooks.
• Michael Wolff joins Forbe’s list of the highest-paid authors of 2018, thanks to Fire and Fury.

Award News

• Tommy Orange takes home the 2018 Center for Fiction First Novel Prize for There There.
• Priestdaddy by Patricia Lockwood wins the Thurber Prize for American Humor.
• 2019 finalists announced for the YALSA Morris Award, which honors debut YA titles.
• YALSA also announces the finalists for its Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults award.

Pop Cultured

• The first official teaser for Game of Thrones Season 8 has dropped.
• Stranger Things Season 3 teaser!
• Netflix says The Haunting of Hill House was one of its most binge-watched shows of the year. I was one of the binge-watchers, and I will say that this show made me scream (I mean SCREAM) out loud more than once. It’s fantastic.

All Things Comics

• Brian K. Vaughan signs overall deal with Legendary Entertainment, which will adapt several of Vaughan’s comics & produce exclusive, original projects developed by Vaughan. What might be on the horizon?? Saga? Paper Girls?
• The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund has rounded up a whole host of “Best Comics of 2018” lists for easy perusal.
• We have a trailer and a name for the 4th Avengers movie.
• 17 of your favorite all-ages comics.

Best Books of 2018

• Book Riot  (Get your muppet arms ready!!)
• Southern Living: Best Books of 2018, According to Indie Bookstores.
• Washington Post: Notable Nonfiction in 2018.
• Entertainment Weekly: Best Books, Best Debuts, Best YA.
• History Today: Best History Books of 2018.
• Remezcla: Best books by Latino & Latin American Authors.

Book Lists, Book Lists, Book Lists

• 20 superhero books for kids.
• 75 best book covers of 2018. Combine this with Book Riot’s own list of best book covers, and you have yourself an AMAZINGLY gorgeous display.
• 2019 releases by Muslim authors.
• 15 of the best dragon book series.
• It’s the 2018 Oscars, but for books.
• Books for Latinos by Latinas.

Bookish Curiosities & Miscellaneous

• It’s Book Riot’s 2019 Read Harder Challenge!! Get your reading lists ready!!
• The complicated matter of sexual assault in thrillers. A worthwhile read for anyone who does reader’s advisory, since this can often be a dealbreaker for would-be readers.
• Kellye Garrett, Walter Mosely, and other Black mystery writers sit down and talk about their experiences in the publishing industry.
• A look at Blinkist, a service that promises to condense the “key takeaways” of popular nonfiction into short summaries. Is it worth it?
• How the NYT creates its annual “Best of” book lists.
• 14 literary podcasts that aren’t hosted by three white guys.
• Kindle faces off against the iPad in the ultimate fight for the best eReader.

Level Up (Library Reads)

Do you take part in LibraryReads, 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.

Thanks for hanging out and I’ll see you again next week!

–Katie McLain, @kt_librarylady on Twitter.

Welcome to Check Your Shelf! This is your guide to all things book talk worth knowing to help librarians like you up your game when it comes to doing your job (& rocking it).

“Check Your Shelf” is sponsored by Penguin Teen.

In this riveting, unflinching tale of sacrifice and hope, critically-acclaimed author Natalie C. Anderson delivers another tour-de-force that will leave readers at the edge of their seats.
When Abdi’s family is kidnapped, he’s forced to do the unthinkable: become a child soldier with the ruthless jihadi group Al Shabaab. Forced to become a child soldier, a sixteen-year-old Somali refugee must confront his painful past in this haunting, thrilling tale of loss and redemption for fans of A Long Way Gone and What is the What.

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Libraries & Librarians

• Senate committee unanimously approves the Museum & Library Services Act.
• IMLS launches new grant opportunities for small libraries.
• Trans-rights advocates criticize the Vancouver Public Library for hosting a gender identity presentation from an author who has openly questioned trans identities.
• Harold Washington (Chicago) patron calls for a change to the way the library displays items on hold in order to better protect patron privacy.
• 8 tips for saving money on programming. Great suggestions particularly for small libraries!
• How libraries can help readers become writers.
• 2018 gift guide for librarians & book lovers.

Book Adaptations in the News

• Starz picks up Dublin Murders, based on Tana French’s Dublin Murder squad series!!
• Upcoming thriller As Long As We Both Shall Live by JoAnn Chaney will be adapted into a film, and if even half the hype is true, this is going to be one of THE thrillers of 2019.
• Netflix announces that it will be creating animated series based on several of Roald Dahl’s most beloved works.
• Eric Bana is starring as Aaron Falk in the adaptation of Jane Harper’s amazing mystery novel, The Dry.
• The CW is adapting Victoria Schwab’s middle grade novel, City of Ghosts, as a new drama series. The main character will also be aged up by about 10 years.
• HBO orders an adaptation of Stephen King’s recent novel The Outsider.

Books in the News

• In other Victoria/V.E. Schwab news, she has a standalone novel in the works called The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue.
• Here’s your face-palm moment for the week: Martin Dorsey’s book, No. More. Plastic.: What You Can Do to Make a Difference, has been…shrink-wrapped in plastic by a US distributor. (For the record, the author was NOT responsible for this decision.)
• EW interviews Sandie Jones (author of The Other Woman) about her upcoming book, The First Mistake.
• Call Me By Your Name has a sequel coming out!
• Kate Atkinson has a new Jackson Brodie novel coming out in 2019.

Award News

• Mystery Writers of America withdraw the Linda Fairstein Grand Master award after significant pushback from its members.
• A Pushcart Prize-nominated poet has been accused of plagiarism by multiple poets.
• If you need a laugh (or you want to cringe), check out the Not Safe For Work nominees for the annual Bad Sex Award in fiction. I repeat, this is NSFW!
• The 2018 Goodreads Choice Awards have been announced.

All Things Comics

• It’s the first full-length trailer for Captain Marvel!
• 15 of the best fantasy manga.
• Book Riot’s best comics of 2018!

Audiophilia

• Poetry audiobooks.
• Nonfiction audiobooks to help with your New Years resolutions.
• Audiobooks for all kinds of personal, political, and in-flight turbulence.
• Audiobook reading resolutions for kids and parents.
• Check out this essay about a reader who listened to their first audiobook and it completely changed how they read.

Best Books of 2018

• Library Journal
• Oprah/O!
• Bustle: Best Fiction
• Lit Hub
• Shelf Awareness

Book Lists, Book Lists, Book Lists

• Book Riot’s best queer books of 2018.
• 8 books for wine lovers.
• Sarah MacLean picks her top 5 romance novels of 2018.
• 12 Christmas romance novels for the season.
• The best Jewish children’s books of 2018.
• 8 nights of Jewish books to read and gift for Hanukkah.
• 50 must-read biographies.
• When all of your best-selling YA fantasy is checked out, here are some underrated diverse YA fantasy titles to suggest.

Bookish Curiosities & Miscellaneous

• Kuwaiti artist Momhammed Sharaf creates a graveyard for books to protest the government’s literature ban.
• Publisher’s Weekly Holiday Gift Guide.
• Here’s a great breakdown of the differences between memoirs and autobiographies, complete with reading suggestions for both!
• You’ve heard of “high fantasy,” but what about “low fantasy?” Here’s your guide to the subgenre.
• Independent publisher Polis Books announces a new imprint (Agora Books), which will be a diversity-focused crime imprint. Yes please!!
• Carina Press from Harlequin is launching a new line called Carina Adores, which will focus on LGBTQ+ contemporary romance titles.
• An elementary school in Buffalo, NY has created a vending machine for books that students can use by earning tokens. How cool is this?!

Level Up (Library Reads)

Do you take part in LibraryReads, 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.

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Thanks for hanging out and I’ll see you again next week!

–Katie McLain, @kt_librarylady on Twitter. Currently reading Unmasked by the Marquess by Cat Sebastian.

Welcome to Check Your Shelf! This is your guide to all things book talk worth knowing to help librarians like you up your game when it comes to doing your job (& rocking it).

“Check Your Shelf” is sponsored by Bas Bleu Books and Gifts.

Wear your love of libraries proudly when you accessorize your favorite outfit with this whimsical necklace from Bas Bleu. Modeled after those vintage date-stamped checkout cards we all remember so fondly, our Library Checkout Card Necklace boasts a miniature “date due” card in a delicate pewter frame suspended from a sterling silver chain. Need earrings to match? Done! Library lovers, treat yourself to the full set…or wrap them up as a gift for the dedicated librarian you know!

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Libraries & Librarians

• Buzzfeed reported on libraries that are facing backlash for their LGBTQ-themed programming. Some of these programs are drawing protests and even death threats for the librarians.
• Paige Thomas, a Boise Public Librarian, is hiding kind, sympathetic, and encouraging notes inside books waiting to be checked out as part of her #guerrillakindnesBPL project. Many of these notes come from patrons, who leave messages inside a box at the circulation desk.
• A new school book borrowing policy in New Jersey limits the number of times students can check out books in favor of increased library computer usage.
• To celebrate its 100th birthday, Finland is opening a gorgeous new library in Helsinki for its citizens!
• 32 Twitter users on why they became a librarian.

Book Adaptations in the News

• Barracoon: The Story of the Last “Black Cargo” by Zora Neale Hurston is being adapted as a limited TV series.

Books in the News

• Margaret Atwood announces a 2019 sequel for The Handmaid’s Tale! Get your holds lists ready!
• The controversial upcoming graphic novel, A Suicide Bomber Sits in the Library, has been pulled from publication by Abrams. Writers, teachers, and readers have spoken out strongly against the book’s Islamophobic storyline.
• Emily Danforth, author of The Miseducation of Cameron Post, announces a new book slated for early 2021 publication. 
• George RR Martin talks about his Game of Thrones prequel, Fire and Blood.
• Diane Setterfield talks about reading, writing, and her upcoming novel, Once Upon a River.
• Sarah Jessica Parker has named her next book club pick: Heartland: A Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke in the Richest Country on Earth by Sarah Smarsh.

By the Numbers

• Indie bookstores are seeing a resurgence after their numbers dropped 40% between the mid-90’s and 2009.

Award News

• The Staunch Prize, awarded to mysteries & thrillers that do not depict violence against women, announces its inaugural winner: On the Java Ridge by Jock Serong.
• Mystery writers, including award-winning author Attica Locke, are speaking out against the Edgar Award’s decision to have author Linda Fairstein serve as Grand Master at the 2019 Edgar Awards, since Fairstein played a significant role as a prosecutor in the incarceration of the Central Park Five.

Pop Cultured

• If you’re a Doctor Who fan, you’ll be excited to learn that Tom Baker (Doctor #4) is writing a novel based on a previously planned Doctor Who film.

All Things Comics

• 8 graphic novels that make for thoughtful & unique gifts.
• And on a related note, a 2018 gift guide for comic book lovers.
• 8 underrated romance manga.

Audiophilia

• AudoFile Magazine: 50 Best Audiobooks of 2018
• The 10 best Stephen King audiobooks, ranked. (And a bonus suggestion from me that didn’t make the list: From a Buick 8 is absolutely brilliant on audio!)

Best Books of 2018

• NPR’s 2018 Book Concierge!
• Chicago Public Library

Book Lists, Book Lists, Book Lists

• 50 best historical fiction books for kids.
• YA books for middle grade readers.
• If you liked The Poet X…
• Books for the pop culture fan in your life.
• YA graphic memoirs. 
• Buzzfeed: 35 recent books that librarians have loved. (Shameless self-promotion here – I have a blurb featured for book #5 on the list!)

Bookish Curiosities & Miscellaneous

• Check out the book that was voted as the Oddest Book Title of the Year. (And check out the other contenders…)
• Dictionary.com picks “misinformation” as 2018’s word of the year.
• Here’s what college freshmen are reading.

Level Up (Library Reads)

Do you take part in LibraryReads, 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.

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Thanks for hanging out and I’ll see you again next week!

–Katie McLain, @kt_librarylady on Twitter. Currently reading Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke.

Welcome to Check Your Shelf! This is your guide to all things book talk worth knowing to help librarians like you up your game when it comes to doing your job (& rocking it).

“Check Your Shelf” is sponsored by Witness: Lessons from Elie Wiesel’s Classroom by Ariel Burger.

The world remembers Elie Wiesel—Nobel laureate, activist, and author of more than forty books—as a great humanist. He passed away in July of 2016. Now, in Witness: Lessons from Elie Wiesel’s Classroom, we see him as never before—not only as an extraordinary human being, but as a master teacher. Written by Wiesel’s devoted protégé and friend, Ariel Burger, Witness takes us inside the classroom, where listening and storytelling keep memory alive. Witness provides a front row seat to these lessons in compassion, teaching us that listening to a witness, makes us all witnesses. In this book, Wiesel’s legacy lives on.

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Libraries & Librarians

• The Boston Public Library is now lending out WiFi hotspots.
• The La Quinta branch of the Riverside County (CA) Library System is under investigation for allegations of cultural censorship. Students invited from a local elementary school were allegedly asked to remove references to Mexican culture from a presentation about Mexican Independence Day.
• Indy Pride, Inc. and the Indianapolis Public Library are partnering to create a permanent exhibit of LGBTQ+ related research, books, and history – one of the largest such collections in a US public library.
• And if you need an idea for next year’s Staff Day…

Book Adaptations in the News

• The trailer for Dumplin’ is here!
• Also, here’s the extended trailer for The Mortal Engines.
• The Strange Case of the Alchemist’s Daughter by Theodora Goss will be adapted as a CW series.
• Armie Hammer and Lily James will be starring in the Netflix adaptation of Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca.
• Jack Reacher is becoming a TV series, and Tom Cruise will no longer play the title character. It sounds like they’re looking for someone taller.
• Netflix picks up the rights to The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, directed by (and starring!) Chiwetel Ejiofor.
• AMC has optioned Annalee Newitz’s pharmaceutical piracy novel Autonomous as a TV series!
• April 2019 will mark the beginning of the last season of Game of Thrones. (This would be a good time to start planning GoT displays, lists, and possibly a small program or two.)
• NBC has a TV series adaptation of The Bone Collector by Jeffrey Deaver in the works.
• Mira Grant’s mermaid thriller, Rolling in the Deep, is being adapted for the screen by Mary Lambert, who directed Pet Sematary. I give this news all of the heart-eye emojis.

Books in the News

• Sarah Dessen has a new book coming out! Keep an eye out for The Rest of the Story, out June 4, 2019.
• Brandy Colbert has a debut middle grade novel slated for 2020.
• Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark is coming back with a brand new collection of stories, written by some seriously awesome authors! (Tananarive Due?! Josh Malerman?! RL Stine?!)

By the Numbers

• Barnes & Noble reports that Becoming by Michelle Obama racked up more presales than any other adult title since Go Set a Watchman in 2015.
• Publishers’ Weekly released the Publishing Industry Salary Survey, which highlights numbers in regards to salary, workforce diversification, and sexual harassment issues.

Award News

• The National Book Awards have been announced! 
• Junot Diaz will resume his Pulitzer Board duties after being cleared of sexual misconduct. Reactions have been mixed.

Pop Cultured

• William Goldman, award-winning screenwriter and author of The Princess Bride, has passed away.

All Things Comics

• Here’s a list of comics featuring characters outside the gender binary.
• The best of Stan Lee’s Marvel comic books.
• 17 comics about depression that’ll make you feel seen.

Audiophilia

• 6 fiction audiobooks narrated by the author.

Best Books of 2018

• Time: Best Fiction
• NYT: Notable Books of 2018
• New York Public Library: Best Books for Adults
• Kirkus: Best Picture Books

Book Lists, Book Lists, Book Lists

• 5 sci-fi/fantasy novels pulled from forgotten histories.
• Barnes & Noble lists their 50 greatest sci-fi/fantasy debuts.
• And let’s round out these SFF lists with some transgender sci-fi/fantasy novels.
• 50 unreliable narrators.
• 7 titles to get you started with romantic suspense. 
• WWMRR? (What would Mr. Rogers read?)
• Best cookbooks of 2018.
• The Mary Sue lists the best queer books published this fall.

Bookish Curiosities & Miscellaneous

• One mom and her two children are working to send diverse children’s books to all 50 states. This is such a cool project!
• Strategies for protecting your books from damage.
• Bookish ornaments under $20.
• Harry Potter stocking stuffers! *Grabby hands*

Level Up (Library Reads)

Do you take part in LibraryReads, the monthly list of best books selected by librarians only? Whether or not you read and nominate titles, we’ll end every newsletter with a few upcoming titles worth reading and sharing (and nominating for LibraryReads, if you so choose!).

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.

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Thanks for hanging out and I’ll see you again next week! I hope everyone had a peaceful and fulfilling Thanksgiving, however you chose to spend it.

–Katie McLain, @kt_librarylady on Twitter.

Welcome to Check Your Shelf! This is your guide to all things book talk worth knowing to help librarians like you up your game when it comes to doing your job (& rocking it).

“Check Your Shelf” is sponsored by Laurie Halse Anderson’s SHOUT.

Bestselling author Laurie Halse Anderson is known for the unflinching way she writes about, and advocates for, survivors of sexual assault. Now, inspired by her fans and enraged by how little in our culture has changed since her groundbreaking novel Speak was first published twenty years ago, she has written a poetry memoir that is as vulnerable as it is rallying, as timely as it is timeless. In free verse, Anderson shares reflections, rants, and calls to action woven between deeply personal stories from her life that she’s never written about before. Searing and soul-searching, this important memoir is a denouncement of our society’s failures and a love letter to all the people with the courage to say #MeToo and #TimesUp, whether aloud, online, or only in their own hearts. SHOUT speaks truth to power in a loud, clear voice—and once you hear it, it is impossible to ignore.

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I am very excited to announce that I (Katie) will be taking over Check Your Shelf on a weekly basis! Thank you to everyone who has subscribed so far – I look forward to filling your inboxes every week!

Libraries & Librarians

• How academic libraries respond to university budget cuts.
• “Our values can’t exist in a vacuum—they must work for librarians in the real world.”
• A perspective on the Pittsburgh synagogue massacre and the resulting silence from librarians. (TW: hate crimes, anti-Semitism)
• A round up of library referenda and November election results.
• Constructive confrontation and saying “No” to patrons who accost library employees for dates or personal information. My colleague and I have given multiple presentations on addressing sexual harassment in the public library and dealing with patron incidents like this, so I was VERY happy to read this article.
• UK government’s response to library advocates has been “hugely disappointing.”
• Related: If books can cure loneliness, why are we closing libraries?
• Inside the Bodeleian Library’s collection of explicit and “immoral” books.
• Buzzfeed’s list of 17 Things Librarians Want You To Know.

Book Adaptations in the News

• A round-up of mixed reviews for Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.
• Lifetime is adapting a contemporary version of Pride and Prejudice set in Atlanta.
• John Boyega & Letitia Wright are set to star in the adaptation of Hold Back the Stars by Katie Khan.
• HBO is adapting The Plot Against America by Philip Roth.
• All of the book adaptations coming to Netflix in November 2018.

Books in the News

• Erin Morganstern, author of The Night Circus, announces the November 2019 release of The Starless Sea! Let the Muppet arms commence!!
• No surprises here: Oprah picks Becoming by Michelle Obama as her next Book Club selection.
• Malala Yousafzai is working on a new book about refugees.

By the Numbers

• Books-a-Million is hosting its sixth annual Holiday Book & Toy Drive through mid-December.
• Backlist titles and digital audiobooks led to a profitable quarter for 4 major publishers.

Award News

• It’s the final voting round for the 2018 Goodreads Choice Awards.
• 2018 Christy Award finalists & winners.
• Rule changes for the Nebula Awards.

Pop Cultured

• Library of Congress hosts a collection of comic books, movie posters, toys, and other pop culture items.

All Things Comics

• Stan Lee, Marvel comics giant, dies at age 95.
• How a new wave of graphic novels are reviving classic books & promoting diversity.
• The original pages of “Master Race,” a famous comic book story about an encounter between a Nazi war criminal and a Holocaust survivor, is up for auction and initial estimates put the story at $150,000.
• A look at the harassment issues within Marvel Comics.

Audiophilia

• Washington Post’s 5 best audiobooks of 2018.

Best Books of 2018

• Publishers’ Weekly
• Kirkus: Best Fiction
• Amazon
• Wired
• Shondaland
• Washington Post: Nonfiction

Book Lists, Book Lists, Book Lists

• 20 of the best food books of 2018.
• 50 historical fiction picture books.
• 19 favorite books about pets.
• 50 of the most common TBR books, according to Goodreads.
• 5 books about intersectional feminism.
• 50 must-read microhistories.
• 9 tasty children’s books about food.
• 11 sci-fi and fantasy novels that have something to say about climate change.
• 10 books to commemorate WWI centenary.
• And on a related note, a list of books that envision a world without war.

Bookish Curiosities & Miscellaneous

• JK Rowling’s former assistant charged thousands of dollars worth of unapproved expenses to a company credit card, including luxury candles, $2000 worth of Starbucks, and a couple of cats. (I am now obligated to gently remind everyone to adopt, not shop!)
• Choose-Your-Own-Adventure-style books for kids are seeing a resurgence in 2018 and beyond.
• An adorable photo of Tom Hanks holding a fussy baby at the Portland Book Festival.
• LGBTQ+ people are being erased from books in Russia under “Gay Propaganda” Law.
• Bette Davis’ ex-husband reported in 1938 that the reason for the divorce was that Bette read too much.
• Gillian Flynn peers into the dark side of femininity.
• Why you should listen to the poetry podcast, VS.
• And 15 must-listen romance podcasts.

Level Up (Library Reads)

Do you take part in LibraryReads, the monthly list of best books selected by librarians only? Whether or not you read and nominate titles, we’ll end every newsletter with a few upcoming titles worth reading and sharing (and nominating for LibraryReads, if you so choose!).

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.

____________________

Thanks for hanging out and I’ll see you again next week!

–Katie McLain, @kt_librarylady on Twitter.

Welcome to Check Your Shelf! This is your guide to all things book talk worth knowing to help librarians like you up your game when it comes to doing your job (& rocking it).

“Check Your Shelf” is sponsored by Julie Berry’s The Lovely War.

New York City, 1942. World War II is at its zenith. A stunningly attractive couple meets in a Manhattan hotel room for a forbidden tryst. But these are no ordinary lovers. When immortals Ares and Aphrodite are caught by the latter’s jealous husband, the goddess of passion must justify her actions, or face judgment on Mount Olympus. To plead her case, she spins a tale that took place in Europe some twenty-five years earlier: the story of four mortals whose lives entwined in the crucible of World War I. They are Hazel, James, Aubrey, and Colette. A classical pianist from London, a British would-be architect-turned-soldier, a Harlem-born ragtime genius in the U.S. Army, and a Belgian orphan with a gorgeous voice and a devastating past. Their story—filled with hope and heartbreak, prejudice and passion—reveals that, though War is a formidable force, it’s no match for the transcendent power of Love.

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Libraries & Librarians

• The weird and unique things you can borrow from your local library. How many of your libraries have anything special or different you lend?
• Everything you need to know about your library’s new murder dome. (s a t i r e)
• Narcan to be made available to YMCAs and public libraries US-wide. An unsettling reality.
• Feel-good story (with, of course, the necessary disclaimers): how a single tweet changed a number of small-town Iowa libraries.
• Enjoy some gorgeous photos of libraries.
• New York Public Library releases a limited edition library card highlighting “knowledge is power.”
• When a white library worker calls the police on a black student.
• A leader of a pro-life, pro-family group burned queer-friendly books from the library. Perhaps the act of hate can be countered with donations?

Book Adaptations in the News

• Did you know there’s a film version of The Phantom Tollbooth in the works?
• Check out the trailer for Bird Box.
• Killers of the Flower Moon is even closer to the big screen (and what a team so far!).
• Check out the new trailer for The Passage, coming to a TV near you soon.
• Everything we know so far about the upcoming Cats adaptation.
• And we’re getting a new Judy Blume film adaptation.
• Here are the YA adaptations we’ll see in 2019.

Books in the News

• A celebration of Frankenstein on its 200th birthday.
• There’s nothing at all surprising about PBS’s Great American Read winner being To Kill A Mockingbird. (Also not surprising how white that list is…and how many are not even books by American authors).
• A newly-discovered Sylvia Plath short story will be published next year.

By the Numbers

• It’s far, far too early for “best of” lists but here we go. Here’s Marie Claire’s “Best of 2018.”
• Not far behind is Publishers Weekly and their Best ofs.

Award News

• This year’s Kirkus Prize winners have been announced.
• The Carnegie Medal shortlists are out.
• The Orwell foundation will be launching an award that celebrates political fiction.
• The Brooklyn Public Library announced their literary award winners.

All Things Comics

• There is a Godzilla comic coming.
• Oni Press highlights some of the comics you’ll see from them next year.
• You can now get Anne Frank’s Diary as a graphic adaptation.
• A celebration of nonbinary creators.

Audiophilia

• The buzziest audiobooks of the season.
• Here are some great Canadian audiobooks to put in your ears, eh?
• How to host an audiobook club.
• A look at some awesome — and prolific! — audiobook narrators.
• Tune into some audiobooks that are perfect for writers (put these in a display or reader advisory guide for NaNoWriMo!).
• Halloween might be over, but that doesn’t mean scary listens are done being great.

Book Lists, Book Lists, Book Lists

• Second novels from rising stars in crime fiction.
• Barack Obama offers up some more great books to read.
• Prose from Palestinian writers.
• What might a canon of trans literature look like?
• Lesbian and bisexual books set throughout and across the United States.
• Gloria Steinem recommends 35 feminist books.
• 50 must-reads of Slavic literature.
• Great trans, nonbinary, and gender nonconforming authors to read and support.
• 50 short nonfiction books you can read in a day (or two).
• The best of essay collections from 2018.
• Pick up some excellent romances by Latinx authors.
• 10 short story collections about race and culture.
• Then read your way into these 50 must-read contemporary memoirs by writers of color.
• What do you know about Splatterpunk Horror? Learn about it and pick up some of the titles that fit within that genre.
• 25 great space opera books.

Bookish Curiosities & Miscellaneous

• What does your favorite Shakespeare play say about you? Mine check out.
• Did you know there’s an award for weirdest book titles? There is, and all I can think about is how great a display of these would be (or others selected from your own collections).
• Get to know the Summer Scares program, hosted in collaboration with United for Libraries, Library Journal, Book Riot, and the Horror Writers Association, to bring more horror talk and resources into the library.
• How writers map their literary worlds.
• Shannon Hale’s regular reminder that books don’t have genders, and there are real issues when we suggest boys don’t read books about girls and vice versa.
• Does your home library need a book cart?
• Here are 18 book cover designs that didn’t make the cut but that are worth enjoying anyway.

 

What a great readerly love enamel pin. $10.

____________________

Thanks for hanging out and we’ll see you again in two weeks. That’s when Check Your Shelf will go weekly and Katie will be taking over (I said that last time, but this time, it’s for real!). See you soon.

— Kelly Jensen, @veronikellymars on Twitter and Instagram

Welcome to Check Your Shelf! This is your guide to all things book talk worth knowing to help librarians like you up your game when it comes to doing your job (& rocking it).

“Check Your Shelf” is sponsored by The Rule of One, the first read in an epic series by real-life sisters Ashley Saunders and Leslie Saunders.

Don’t obey. Resist. In a dystopian United States, a one-child policy called The Rule of One is ruthlessly enforced. But Ava has a secret—she has an identical twin sister, Mira. For 18 years Ava and Mira have lived as one person, down to the most telling detail. But when their charade is exposed, their worst nightmare begins. Branded as traitors, hunted as fugitives, Ava and Mira rush headlong into a terrifying unknown. How far will they go to stay alive? An epic series from real-life sisters Ashley Saunders and Leslie Saunders begins with The Rule of One.

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Before diving in, a quick set of announcements. I’m stepping back from putting together the “Check Your Shelf” newsletter after this week and passing it along to Katie…and “Check Your Shelf” will be hitting your inboxes every week beginning in November. More library love coming your way!

Libraries & Librarians

• 12 authors write about the libraries they love.
• Another piece from Susan Orleans relating to growing up in the library.
• Have you seen Meridian, Idaho’s new Tiny Library for early literacy? What a cool idea.
• While this post is geared for improving accessibility for bookstores, it’s absolutely worth sharing for consideration of accessibility when it comes to libraries.
• How libraries are creating LGBTQ+ affirming spaces. Here’s where young people weigh in on creating such environments in the library.
• The library and the book of cheese.
• Take a little tour of the National Library of Scotland.
• Then up your knowledge of the Obama Presidential Library.
• And finally, visit some of the oldest libraries around the world.

Book Adaptations in the News

• There’s a new adaptation of Dracula coming to Netflix.
• Have you tuned into the Netflix adaptation of The Haunting of Hill House? Here’s a bit more about it and why viewers are digging this take on Shirley Jackson’s classic.
• Her Body and Other Parties is being adapted.
• Coming soon to Netflix: The Chronicles of Narnia.
• Here’s what adaptations will be hitting this fall. Stock up on the books, since it’s likely there will be some demand.
• Enjoy the Pet Sematary trailer.
• There’s also a trailer for the adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s Good Omens.
• Circe has been optioned for television.

Books in the News

• As of writing this newsletter, I can’t find (an English!) source highlighting the fact Ta-Nehisi Coats has his first novel coming out next fall. But here’s proof.
• Are you going to use the new BuzzFeed Book Club as an opportunity for your library? It might be an excellent way to especially interest your younger adults.
• Growing up surrounded by books can have a powerful effect on one’s life. I only wish this piece also looked at the power of libraries in a young person’s life, since owning books isn’t indicative of much more than financial means to purchase them. But this piece has a lot to offer to librarians, especially those involved in early literacy or who work with parents.
• Barack Obama’s most recent reading list.
• There’s also a new Colson Whitehead book coming next year.
• Get ready for a new Elizabeth Gilbert as well.
• Oh, and a new Christopher Paolini book in the Eragon series.

By the Numbers

• Americans are reading more poetry and less fiction.
• A fun look at the most Instagrammed authors.
• Barnes & Noble claims to have seen sales of political books rise 57% over last year at this time. Have you seen this surge at your libraries?

Award News

• This year’s short lists for the National Book Award are here.
• The Governor General’s short lists across all categories in English and in French have been announced. This is a big deal award in Canada, but many of the titles are available and worth highlighting in the US and beyond, too.
• The Thurber Humor awards list is out.
• A peek behind the curtain with how judging works for The Man Booker Award.
• Here’s the long list for this year’s Women in Translation award.
• Meet the Alternative Nobel winner.

All Things Comics

• The Avengers have a new recruit — a ghost librarian.
• Black Panther 2 is in the works!
• The three Hellboy comics inspiring the movie hitting theaters next year. Speaking of Hellboy, here’s a guide to where to begin with that franchise.
• Add some creep to your comics.
• Anne Frank’s diary is now available as a comic.
• Keep your eyes on Lion Forge and what they’re doing in the world of comics.
• 50 must-read manga.

Audiophilia

• The best scary audiobooks to listen to.
• The best audiobook service options. This not only highlights paid subscriptions, but also apps and services the library provides. Bookmark this for curious patrons.
• October audiobook releases to know about.

Book Lists, Book Lists, Book Lists

• A handy guide to YA books worth reading after watching the latest on-screen adaptations.
• Haruki Murakami has a new book out, but what about the other books he’s written? Here’s a definitive guide for where to start (& obviously, how to help readers find their perfect Murakami title).
• Black Folklore books everyone should read.
• Horror books for wimps.
• Add some new collective biographies about women and non-binary people through history to your shelves.
• Mental health books for every type of reader.
• Must-read contemporary romance novels.
• Great atmospheric reads for the big Fall Mood, minus the scares.
• Pick up and share some great Latinx reads, as recommended by Latinx readers and writers.
• 50 must-read books about the Revolutionary War.
• Great fantasy series to sink into.

Bookish Curiosities & Miscellaneous

• Wear the Dewey Decimal system on your person.
• Laugh out loud with these great bookish tweets.
• This Harry Potter themed high school dance routine is seriously fantastic. (I did not go there).
• Inside the rooms where 20 famous books were written.
• How would you have died on The Oregon Trail? You know you want to know.
• Yeah, I’m including this: cat bookmarks. So many great cat bookmarks.

 

How cute is this set of buttons? Grab both “Librarian” and “Ask Me” for $3.

____________________

Thanks for hanging out & we’ll see you again soon.

— Kelly Jensen, @veronikellymars on Instagram and Twitter.

 

Psst: Even though I won’t be writing this newsletter any longer, I am still hanging around Book Riot. If YA lit is your jam, subscribe to the twice-weekly “What’s Up in YA?” newsletter to keep me in your inbox. 

Welcome to Check Your Shelf! This is your guide to all things book talk worth knowing to help librarians like you up your game when it comes to doing your job (& rocking it).

“Check Your Shelf” is sponsored by A Blade So Black by L.L. McKinney, published by Imprint.

The fantasy book I’ve been waiting for my whole life. Alice is Black Girl Magic personified.” —Angie Thomas, #1 New York Times-bestselling author of The Hate U Give Life in real-world Atlanta isn’t always simple, as Alice juggles an overprotective mom, a high-maintenance best friend, a slipping GPA, and an ongoing battle against monstrous creatures in the magical dream realm known as Wonderland. When Alice’s handsome and mysterious mentor is poisoned, she has to find the antidote by venturing deeper into Wonderland than she’s ever gone before. And she’ll need to use everything she’s learned in both worlds to keep from losing her head . . . literally.

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Libraries & Librarians

• An interesting article about how public library reference is increasingly about community service.
• The challenges of tribal libraries.
• As a parting gift to their school, these high school seniors want to create a student library.
• Buzzfeed wants to know hear from you: What’s it like to be a librarian?
• The federal 2019 budget shows big gains for libraries!
• A librarian/reader compares OverDrive, Libby, Hoopla, and 3M ebook services. (Spoiler alert – the librarian/reader is me!)
• What being a school librarian means today.

Book Adaptations in the News

• Season 2 of The Alienist will be based on Carr’s sequel, The Angel of Darkness. 
• Michael B. Jordan set to star in two Tom Clancy adaptations: Without Remorse and Rainbow Six.
• James Comey’s A Higher Loyalty is slated for a possible miniseries.
• Chris Evans will be starring in the Apple drama series, Defending Jacob. 
• What If It’s Us by Adam Silvera & Becky Albertalli isn’t even released yet, but it’s already been picked up for an adaptation.

Books in the News

• Following the success of her Netflix special, comedian Hannah Gadsen will be publishing a memoir called Ten Steps to Nanette.
• Sneak peek of Josh Malerman’s new novel!
• Angie Thomas on why it’s wrong to ban The Hate U Give.
• Lindy West has a new book coming out!
• Paul McCartney has a children’s picture book coming out called Hey Grandude, and I am now going to buy a copy for everyone in my life who has, will have, or may possibly have children.

• There’s going to be a YA novel set in the Alien xenomorph universe, written by Mira Grant, AKA Seanan Maguire! GIMME!
• It’s the 30th anniversary of Matilda, and Mara Wilson has some thoughts on sharing her life with the titular character.
• Stephen Colbert announces a children’s book based on President Trump’s comments post-Hurricane Florence. All proceeds will benefit hurricane relief organizations.

By the Numbers

• Fear by Bob Woodward breaks Simon & Schuster’s first week sales record  – over 1.2 million copies sold.
• Banned Books Week by the numbers.
• The Kuwaiti government acknowledged that it had banned 4,390 books since 2014.
• Women make up only one third of the translated books published each year.

Award  News

• Man Booker Prize shortlist. 
• 2018 Kirkus Prize finalists. 
• Carnegie Medal promises immediate action over lack of diversity – the 20 author longlist for 2017 consisted entirely of white authors. (Also important to note that the Carnegie Medal is judged by librarians, which as we all know is a predominantly white profession.)

All Things Comics

• 25 best queer comics. 
• RL Stine has a new graphic novel series coming out!

Book Lists, Book Lists, Book Lists

• 25 adventurous books like Percy Jackson.
• 8 historical true crime books that show you the creepier side of history.
• The best suspense novels of 2018 to add to your TBR.
• The most frequently challenged books over the last 5 years.
• 35 women authors who debuted at 35 or older.
• 50 must read books about American politics.
• 10 YA fantasy novels by women of color.
• 50 YA novels about mental illness.
• Gender-bent retellings.
• 18 of the best witchy books to read this fall.
• 50 pirate books to put some YARR MATEY into your life.
• Nonfiction books about abortion.
• The best horror novels from 2018 to read this Halloween season.
• New to romance? Here are 18 places for you to start.
• 17 bisexual women to read on Bi Visibility Day (or any day!)

Bookish Curiosities & Miscellaneous

• Poetry’s place in the history of banned books.
• How doctors use poetry to promote physical healing.
• Here are the books we’re most likely to secretly give up on.
• A neuroscientist explains what technology does to the reading brain.
• 300 new words were added to the Scrabble dictionary, so yes, go ahead and play “emoji” or “yowza” for super duper points.
• Alyssa Cole wrote a great article for Booklist about the stigma of romance novels.
• A woman receives a shipment  of Dr. Seuss books…20 YEARS after she initially ordered them!
• How The Haunting of Hill House has shaped our ideas of haunted houses.
• And on a related note, how haunted house stories reflect women, trauma, and mysogyny.
• 50+ puntastic book club names.

Level Up (Library Reads)

Do you take part in LibraryReads, the monthly list of best books selected by librarians only? Whether or not you read and nominate titles, we’ll end every newsletter with a few upcoming titles worth reading and sharing (and nominating for LibraryReads, if you so choose!).

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.

And to make it even easier, I’ve picked a couple specific titles that are being released in February 2019. Links direct you to Edelweiss, where you can request a digital advance copy, and nominations are due by January 1st.

• The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls – Anissa Gray (February 19, 2019). “The Mothers meets An American Marriage in this dazzling debut novel about mothers and daughters, identity and family, and how the relationships that sustain you can also be the ones that consume you.”
• That Time I Loved You – Carianne Leung. (February 26, 2019). “In this exquisite American debut, Carrianne Leung evokes the legacies of Cheever and Munro with a haunting depiction of 1970s suburbia.”

And make sure to check out Episode 16 of our Annotated podcast, which talks about how Andrew Carnegie transformed the American public library!

____________________

Thanks for hanging out and we’ll see you again in two weeks!

–Katie McLain, @kt_librarylady on Twitter. Currently reading Destiny’s Captive by Beverly Jenkins.

 

PS: Don’t forget to enter to win a custom book stamp for your personal library in our giveaway.

Welcome to Check Your Shelf! This is your guide to all things book talk worth knowing to help librarians like you up your game when it comes to doing your job (& rocking it).

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Check Your Shelf is sponsored by Let’s Go Swimming on Doomsday by Natalie C. Anderson.

Forced to become a child soldier, a sixteen-year-old Somali refugee must confront his painful past in this haunting, thrilling tale of loss and redemption for fans of A Long Way Gone and What is the What.

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Libraries & Librarians

• Penguin Random House announces a new eBook lending model for libraries.
• From the Omaha Public Library: Banned Books Week reminds us that the freedom to read is still worth celebrating.
• ALA is seeking feedback on its updated meeting room policy.
• September is National Deaf Awareness Month, and the Association of Specialized, Government, and Cooperative Library Agencies has put together some resources to help create a more welcoming and accessible library environment.
• ALA announced they will be conducting a study to explore public library services for new Americans.
• Neil Gaiman & Chris Riddell: A picture essay on Why We Need Libraries.
• New York Times: To restore civil society, start with the library.
• NPR’s newest podcast, The Keepers, focuses on stories of “activist archivists, rogue librarians, curators, collectors, and historians.”
• Libraries are using mobile kitchens to teach food literacy. This is so cool!
• Should libraries take a stand on 3D printed guns? (Yes.)
• Tips to help you find that book “that has a blue cover and a picture of a dog on it.”
• Libraries as community spaces: An academic and a personal perspective.

Book Adaptations in the News

• The Devil All the Time is being turned into a movie by Donald Ray Pollock starring Chris Evans and Mia Wasikowsa.
• Here’s the first clip from The Hate U Give. And speaking of The Hate U Give, the release date has been bumped up to October 5th!
• Dumplin’ by Julie Murphy is going to be a movie and yes, Dolly Parton is involved!
• Nancy Drew is getting a TV adaptation on the CW.
• Zachary Quinto and Ashleigh Cummings have been cast in the adaptation of NOS4A2 as Charlie Manx and Vic McQueen, respectively. TBH, I never would have pictured Zachary Quinto as Charlie Manx, but oddly enough, it works.
• Oprah is turning Love Warrior by Glennon Doyle into a movie.
• Maggie Gyllenhaal is set to write and direct the adaptation of Elena Ferrante’s novel The Lost Daughter.

Books in the News

• Stormy Daniels is releasing a tell-all memoir on October 2nd of this year called Full Disclosure. Order copies, prepare for holds.
• Daniel Jose Older is working on the third book in the Shadowshaper series!
• Gillian Flynn is working on a new book! What do we know about it?? Absolutely nothing!
• We’re getting a graphic novel adaptation of Jason Reynold’s award-winning YA novel Long Way Down.
• Lauren Beukes has a new novel coming out!! (If you haven’t read The Shining Girls or Broken Monsters yet, they are genre-bending works of trippy horror and suspense, and they’re ah-may-zing).
• Rainbow Rowell is publishing her first graphic novel, Pumpkinheads. Check out the cover here!

By the Numbers

• James Patterson donates $2 million to classroom libraries!
• Fear by Bob Woodward has sold over 750,000 copies in a single day – the first book to do that since Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee.
• Americans are reading more poetry, less fiction.

Award News

• All the juicy behind-the-scenes drama with Man Booker Prize judging.
• All of the longlists for the National Book Award categories have been released!
• Anthony Bourdain posthumously awarded 6 Emmys, including Best Nonfiction Writing.
• The 2018 Anthony Award winners & nominees.
• Haruki Murakami withdraws from consideration from the Alternate Nobel Prize for Literature.

All Things Comics

• First images from the Captain Marvel movie!
• What to know about Captain Marvel before the movie comes out.
• Every superhero movie coming out in 2019. (Which also means you have a year’s worth of displays now!)

Audiophilia

• Alyssa Cole is writing a SFF romance Audible Original novella!
• Royal National Institute of Blind People offers free access to Penguin Random House audiobooks.
• 50 must-read nonfiction audiobooks.
• 10 audiobooks in translation.

Book Lists, Book Lists, Book Lists

• 8 fantasy books like A Game of Thrones.
• 50 must-read m/m romance novels.
• YA author Nova Ren Suma recommends her favorite YA ghost stories.
• YA books about school shootings. 
• 23 fantasy series for adults.
• 50 must-read books set in space.
• 11 mysteries that don’t start with a dead girl.
• 24 horror movies based on true stories, and the books they were based on.
• 8 memoirs from former Obama staffers.
• 5 reads for Hispanic Heritage Month.
• 10 engaging novels about World War II.

Bookish Curiosities & Miscellaneous

First the serious pieces:

• A really interesting piece on domestic violence in romance novels, courtesy of Smart Bitches, Trashy Books.
• Target has been redacting key words in certain book descriptions published on its website, including “transgender” and “queer.”
• The NYT writes about how kidlit authors are taking a political stand.
• Using YA novels to make sense of #MeToo.
• A must-read article about the attitudes towards black girls who like to read.
• The Pennsylvania Department of Corrections is planning to ban free book donations due to concerns about drug trafficking. Prisoners instead are being pushed to buy into an expensive eBook system.

And now for some lighter news!

• Check out this ah-may-zing Slytherin wedding!
• A romance novelist has been arrested for allegedly murdering her husband. But here’s the kicker: She had previously published an online essay called “How to Murder Your Husband.”
• A UK bookseller decided to take an early retirement and raffled off his store to a lucky customer for £20.
• In other bookseller news, the Ripped Bodice Book Store has signed a deal with Sony TV to develop their own romance projects based on their close relationships with romance readers and authors!
• Famous authors and their cats. On a related note, I once held a cassette case that belonged to Ray Bradbury, which was used to store fur from one of his deceased cats as a memento. I love to tell that story at parties…
• Which banned book should you read next?
• Luxury Harry Potter gifts for adults. My bank account hates me right now.
• Break out of your reading comfort zone!

Level Up (Library Reads)

Do you take part in LibraryReads, the monthly list of best books selected by librarians only? Whether or not you read and nominate titles, we’ll end every newsletter with a few upcoming titles worth reading and sharing (and nominating for LibraryReads, if you so choose!).

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.

And to make it even easier, I’ve picked a few specific titles that are being released in January 2019. Links direct you to Edelweiss, where you can request a digital advance copy, and nominations are due by November 20th.

• The Far Field – Madhuri Vijay. (January 15, 2019). “An elegant, epic debut nove from an exciting new talent and Pushcart Prize-winner that follows one young woman’s search for a lost figure from her childhood, a journey that takes her from Southern India to Kashmir and to the brink of a devastating political and personal reckoning.”
• The Kingdom of Copper – S.A. Chakraborty (January 22, 2019). “S. A. Chakraborty continues the sweeping adventure begun in The City of Brass, conjuring a world where djinn summon flames with the snap of a finger and waters run deep with old magic; where blood can be dangerous as any spell, and a clever con artist from Cairo will alter the fate of a kingdom.”
• The World According to Fannie Davis – Bridgett M. Davis (January 29, 2019). “Set against the dramatic backdrop of 1960s and 70s Detroit, novelist Bridgett M. Davis’s stirring memoir tells how her ingenious mother used Detroit’s illegal lottery to support her family.”

 

Thanks for hanging out and we’ll see you again in two weeks!

–Katie McLain, @kt_librarylady on Twitter. Currently reading The Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager.