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 Automated Books, publisher of Divining Another Dream and creator of Google Play App Multiplicity.

Nine-year-old Laiza Wendel can’t remember anything because her memory consists only of events in her future. But for her, the future suddenly begins to look… short. She believes it means she will die soon, but she can’t see how. Her teacher and friends want to help her overcome her new and unusual fear of getting hurt, but Laiza knows that they can’t help unless she shares the secret about how she sees. Will she be able to determine what’s wrong before her world falls apart?

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Libraries & Librarians

• American Institute of Architects & ALA recognize achievement in library design with the Library Building Awards. (Field trip, anyone?)
• How do your patrons keep track of books they’ve already read? One librarian solves the mystery…
• The Fantastic Library in Wetzlar, Germany uses science fiction to help companies predict the economic and technological future.

Book Adaptations in the News

• The Cormoran Strike TV series comes to Cinemax this summer!
• Check out the first full length trailer for HBO’s Fahrenheit 451!
• HBO has also ordered a docuseries based on Michelle McNamara’s best-selling true crime book, I’ll Be Gone in the Dark.
• A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas is coming to the big screen.
• AMC orders a 10 episode miniseries of Joe Hill’s NOS4A2
• Do you love movies about outrageously huge sharks? Steve Alten’s bestseller, Meg, is being made into a movie. Yes, there is a trailer.

Books in the News

• Tana French has a new standalone novel coming out October 9th!! THIS IS NOT A DRILL!
• JK Rowling (er…Robert Galbraith) has finished writing the latest Cormoran Strike novel, Lethal White. No update on a release date yet.
• Ann Leckie announces a new fantasy series. Check out the cover release for the first book, The Raven Tower.
• After revealing her bipolar diagnosis, Mariah Carey announces she his writing a memoir.
• The massively informative Our Bodies, Ourselves will no longer be published.
• Cassandra Clare’s latest (self-published) book, Son of the Dawn, was temporarily de-listed on Amazon because of suspected fraudulent behavior. (Specifically, Amazon did not believe that an author of Clare’s fame would willingly self-publish a book.)

Race and the RWA

Over the last few weeks, there has been a significant amount of discussion around the Romance Writers of America, the RITA Awards, and the lack of inclusivity for authors of color.

• Read the official statement from the RWA addressing the lack of Black representation in the list of RITA Awards nominees.
• Smart Bitches, Trashy Books responds to the RWA statement.
• Courtney Milan, Piper Hughley, and Barbara Ferrer share their thoughts and experiences about being being a romance author of color.
• A romance reader and reviewer talks about the purpose and structure of the RITA Awards.

By the Numbers

• Black-owned independent book stores are on the rise.
• Qatar National Library opens with 1 million books on the shelves.

Award News

• The 2018 Pulitzer Prize winners have been announced!
• Check out the Man Booker International Prize shortlist.
• On a similar note, the longlist for the 2018 Best Translated Book Awards has also been released.
• And if the thought of trying to keep up with so many amazing books during awards season fills you with dread and shame…you’re not alone.

All Things Comics

• Boom! Studios plans its first original Lumberjanes graphic novel. (Great news for all you hardcore lady types out there!)
• 10 NSFW comics you may not want to read at the circulation desk.
• 18 science fiction/fantasy graphic novels sans superheroes, for anyone who’s exhausted just thinking about the upcoming Avengers movie.
• 50 must-read middle grade graphic novels.

Audiophilia

• A short list of erotic audiobooks that you may want to save for solo car trips. *ahem*
• Audible.com has…a horse in the Kentucky Derby?
• 11 business audiobooks for managers and entrepreneurs.

Book Lists, Book Lists, Book Lists

• 6 culinary murder mysteries.
• YA books about divorce.
• How about a list of bilingual board books? (Yep, even your board book collection needs to be diverse.)
• Books about the women of Golden Age Hollywood musicals.
• 50 must-read plays by women.
• Books for fans of Greek and Roman mythology.
• Readalikes for Donna Tartt’s The Secret History.
• 34 page-turners for your summer reading TBR!
• Animal fiction for adult readers.
• 15 WoC poets for National Poetry Month (or any month, really).

Bookish Curiosities & Miscellaneous

• Mourning the loss of crime fiction author Philip Kerr and literary novelist Anita Shreve.
• These 1923 copyrighted works will enter the public domain in 2019.
• How do you predict a best-seller?
• New Harry Potter covers are being released for the 20th anniversary of the series’ US publication. You may not need to order them for your library’s collection, but they’d look mighty fine in your personal collection…
• Best home library furniture.

Level Up

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!). Links here will direct to Edelweiss digital review copies. These books hit shelves in July, giving you plenty of time to read and nominate by May 20th.

• It All Falls Down by Sheena Kamal (July 3, 2018): Nora Watts, who was introduced in Kamal’s earlier book The Lost Ones, travels from the Canadian Pacific Northwest to Detroit in search of the truth about her dead father.
• Crux: A Cross-Border Memoir by Jean Guerrero (July 17, 2018): The haunting story of the author’s quest to understand her charismatic and self-destructive father, as he crosses from Mexico to California and battles with his internal demons.
• The Incendiaries by R.O. Kwon (July 31, 2018): A young Korean-American woman at a prestigious American university is drawn into acts of domestic terrorism by a group with ties to North Korea.

 

Thanks for hanging out! We’ll see you back here in two weeks with another edition of Check Your Shelf.

–Katie McLain, @kt_librarylady on Twitter

Currently reading Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer

Happy National Library Week to each and every one of you, regardless of country of origin. At Book Riot, we celebrated libraries all week long, and we wanted to send you a special edition of “Check Your Shelf” to remind you the power of your work. Find some of our pieces from this week, from posts past, and some other fun finds from this week of library love. If you can’t get the Tweets included here to populate in your inbox, click the time stamp and they’ll pop up for you.

Enjoy!

• We’re giving away a Kindle for reading all of those ebooks that you can borrow from the local collection.
• How to support your library this week (& every week). This might be a nice reminder for your patrons who are following you across social media.

Did we do this right? #NationalLibraryWeek pic.twitter.com/e100WyCSAK

— College Library (@college_library) April 9, 2018

• On keeping your personal book collection at the public library. No worries — it’s about the mentality of making the public library your personal collection, not about storing your stuff there.
• Genderqueerness in the library.
• The observations of a former Fine Arts Library page on her work and experiences in the library.
• Who is your favorite fierce fictional librarian?

 

Librarians are the true superheroes – they can help us find our best selves & carve out the future we want, instead of what's thrown at us. Thank a librarian today & bug your elected officials to fund libraries robustly!@ALALibrary #LibrariesLead #NationalLibraryWeek https://t.co/AwxEymIpkn

— Laurie Halse Anderson (@halseanderson) April 10, 2018

 

• On the magic of a community investing in its local library.
• A newly minted librarian talks about how to best love your local librarian. Another nice reminder for your patrons, maybe?
• Chances are you’re familiar with the work of EveryLibrary. But if not, check out what it is they do and consider making a small donation.

 

#tbt: We pity the fool who doesn't love #NationalLibraryWeek!

Mr. T visits Chicago’s Cook County Department of Corrections’ Clarence Darrow Library, 1983. pic.twitter.com/iBZEoVarXV

— American Libraries (@amlibraries) April 12, 2018

 

• That time one of our writers WAS the library ghost.
• Libraries as a constant.
• Get your workout on while you’re at work with the fun librarian workout.

 

The library is dangerous, full
Of answers. If you go inside,

You may not come out
The same person who went in.

—Alberto Ríos#NationalLibraryWeek https://t.co/5qH1M7Hho9 pic.twitter.com/eDIS8uKfdd

— Poets.org (@POETSorg) April 9, 2018

 

• 50 excellent quotes about how great libraries are.
• Get inspired by the social justice themed book displays put together by libraries around the world.
• 16 great library scenes from film.

 

Tradition holds that on the first night of #NationalLibraryWeek, information professionals leave out their cardigans in the hopes that Melvil Dewey will leave hand sanitizer in the pockets.

— Lousy Librarian (@LousyLibrarian) April 9, 2018

 

• Add some flair to your tote bag, purse, or clothes with these great library-themed enamel pins.
• A love letter to the library holds system.

 

Grab One ASAP…

Up in the Book Riot Store, you can snag a Hogwarts House specific library-themed tee. But if you want one, you have to grab it fast: the sale ends on Sunday.

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Thanks for all you do, librarians and library lovers. We’ll be back with our regular edition of curated news and pieces of interest for you next Friday.

–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 this week by Stewie BOOM by Christine Bronstein from Nothing But The Truth Publishing.

Stewie BOOM! and Princess Penelope get ready to have a fabulous play-date with Eric, their awesome friend with autism. This book delves into many ways families can embrace neuro-diversity.

 

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Libraries & Librarians

• 25 libraries every voracious reader must visit. These are some gorgeous spaces.
• Regina Anderson was a powerful librarian behind the scenes during the Harlem Renaissance, and this profile of her is outstanding.
• Yes, bookmobiles are still a thing. We know this, of course, but the piece is really good despite the headline.

Book Adaptations in the News

• The Wicked Deep, a brand new YA book which already hit the bestseller list, is going to be made into a film.
• Sundance film winner The Miseducation of Cameron Post has a distributor and will be hitting big screens this summer.
• Have you been keeping pace with the number of Stephen King adaptations in the works over the next couple of years? Here’s another one for your list.

Books in the News

• Make sure you’re prepared for the holds that’ll come for the new Nicholas Sparks book.
• Parent-child reading is tied to psychological benefits. As librarians, we know this, but having more research to highlight about it doesn’t hurt.
• There’s a new Khaled Hosseini book coming out, and here’s a look at the cover and what it’s about. It might not be a full novel, but readers will be excited to see it.
• Two new Charlotte Brontë manuscripts are being published!

By The Numbers

• Who doesn’t read in America? As much as this headline feels gloom and doom, the data isn’t surprising — and let’s also look at the fact a lot of Americans are reading.
• Responses came to that data, of course, including this look at the science behind why we should be prioritizing reading.
• How about this number: 1 BILLION items have been borrowed via Overdrive since it began in 2013.
• And here are the top 10 most-borrowed authors on Overdrive of all time. There is not a single author of color on this list.
• Black Panther is absolutely crushing it at the box office.

Award News

• Here are this year’s Hugo Award nominees.
• The 2018 PEN/Hemingway Award winner has been announced. If you don’t have a copy of this in your collection yet, grab one! This award often predicts big things for the author.
• Jacqueline Woodson won a huge cash award with the Astrid Lindgren prize.

Pop Cultured

• For readers who love Ready Player One, 25 more books to read.
• Meredith Vieira will be hosting PBS’s series “The Great American Read.”
• Books for readers who love Love, Simon (or the book).

All Things Comics

• The New York Times is starting a graphic novels and comics column.
• Great graphic essays and short stories.
• 14 inclusive comics about coming of age.
• An all-star line up has been announced for this comic anthology that’s being made in response to the Las Vegas shooting last fall.

Audiophilia

• This list of the 50 best audiobooks of all time isn’t especially surprising. It’s a lot of big-title books, with only a few authors of color represented. BUT: it’s worth reading and thinking about lists like this, as it’s what patrons who want to get started with audiobooks are finding in their search, and it could be a great resource for starting RA with new listeners.
• How listening to audiobooks changed the way I read.
• Fifty nifty thrillers on audio.
• Celebrity-read audiobooks that are worth the time.
• Jeremy Irons + TS Eliot. It’s a thing.

Book Lists, Book Lists, Book Lists

• This is from last summer but so good, it’s worth a share: 22 ambassadors recommend one book to read before visiting their country. An excellent book display idea and/or means of expanding reading horizons.
• The best nonfiction of 2018 so far.
• 35 must-read books by women from the last 5 years.
• 25 classic crime novels you can read in an afternoon.
• Thrillers for your spring reading and ordering lists.
• Books to honor the life of Martin Luther King, Jr, who died 50 years ago this month.
• 50 must-read board books, for when your collection needs a refresh.
• British cozy mysteries: a guide to the genre and a reading list.
• Six books by “gravely” disabled people you should read.
• If This Is Where It Ends by Marieke Nijkamp is constantly checked out or readers want more books like it, here’s a place to start ’em.
• 50 must-read classics in translation.

 

Bookish Curiosities 

• Hello, weird cookbooks!
• 7 tips for how to read more books. These are practical and realistic.
• Less curiosity, more timeliness: 47 great authors on their favorite poems.

Level Up

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!). Links here will direct to Edelweiss digital review copies. These books hit shelves in July, giving you plenty of time to read and nominate accordingly.

• An Ocean of Minutes by Thea Lim: “In the vein of The Time Traveler’s Wife and Station Eleven, a sweeping literary love story about two people who are at once mere weeks and many years apart.”
• How To Love A Jamaican: Stories by Alexia Arthurs: “From a magnetic new voice, a debut story collection set in Jamaica and America for readers of Zadie Smith, Helen Oyeyemi, and Imbolo Mbue.”
• Fruit of the Drunken Tree by Ingrid Rojas Contreras: “A mesmerizing debut set against the backdrop of the devastating violence of 1990’s Colombia about a sheltered young girl and a teenage maid who strike an unlikely friendship that threatens to undo them both.”

 

How adorable are these vintage school library advertisements made into coasters? Grab ’em for $14.

 

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Thanks for hanging out! We’ll see you back here in two weeks with another edition of Check Your Shelf.

–Kelly Jensen, @veronikellymars on Twitter and Instagram.

Currently reading Valley Girls by Sarah Nicole Lemon.

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 PRIDE WARS Book One: The Spinner Prince by Matt Laney.

For fans of the Warriors series comes a new clan of super-evolved felines in a world rife with rebellion. Only Leo, prince of Singara, has the power to save-or destroy-his kingdom. But can he conceal  his curse, claim the throne, and protect his realm? A new fantasy series from debut author, Matt Laney!

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Libraries & Librarians

• Atlantic City library and local barber shops partner to encourage children to read
• In censorship news, more than 300 people have signed a petition urging the Orange City Public Library to label and segregate books containing LGBTQ+ content or themes
• Street libraries in Brisbane, Australia 
• Multnomah County Library offers tattoo-based reader’s advisory
• Jason Reynolds calls school libraries “places of recognition for young people.” (I think all libraries need a little more Jason Reynolds, tbh.)
• West Shore Community Library volunteer raises $10,000 for new books by knitting sweaters!

#MeToo: Sexual Harassment Updates From the Publishing World

(Trigger warning for sexual harassment and assault)

• Sherman Alexie’s accusers go on the record about his extended history of alleged sexual harassment
• Due to ongoing sexual harassment claims, Sherman Alexie declines his ALA Carnegie Award for You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me
• Paperback release for You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me delayed indefinitely

Book Adaptations in the News

• Reese Witherspoon extends her literary adaptation resume by adapting In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware.
• If you haven’t seen the new trailer for the second Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them film, you can watch it here.
• Here’s a first look at HBO’s adaptation of My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante!
• Becky Albertalli talks about how Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda became a love letter to gay teens.
• Harper Lee’s estate is filing a legal complaint against Aaron Sorkin’s Broadway adaptation of To Kill a Mockingbird, saying that the new adaptation deviates too much from the novel.

Books in the News

• Sarah Jessica Parker picks the next title for her book club: Anatomy of a Miracle by Jonathan Miles.
• Meanwhile, Reese Witherspoon’s latest pick for her book club is Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows by Balli Kaur Jaswal.
• And in even more book club news, Barnes & Noble is launching a new book club with The Female Persuasion by Meg Wolitzer.
• Hope Never Dies by Andrew Shaffer is the Obama/Biden buddy-detective-story we never knew we needed. It’s out in August of this year.
• Malala has a new book coming out in September!
• Markus Zusak has a new book! Bridge of Clay, which follows five brothers raising themselves and learning about their father’s mysterious disappearance, is his first book in 13 years. Start ordering copies now!
• The former White House employee publishing deals keep rolling in…now it’s Anthony Scaramucci who’s just signed a deal for The Blue Collar President.

By the Numbers

• Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library donates its 100 millionth book to the Library of Congress.
• Trump’s presidency and the #MeToo movement have led to increased business for feminist bookstores. I guess there’s a silver lining in everything.
• April 11 is National Bookmobile Day – check out some of these historical stats about our favorite mobile libraries!

Award News

• 2018 Man Booker International Prize longlist announced
• PEN/Faulkner fiction finalists announced. (Now try saying that five times fast.)
• British Book Award nominees announced
• National Book Critics Circle winners are announced…and they’re all women!

All Things Comics

• The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund and the National Coalition Against Censorship have released a new comic book to help explain and protect student protesting rights.
• 25 favorite fantasy and science fiction graphic novels from Book Riot readers. If you’re not familiar with graphic novels, this would be a great list to keep in your back pocket.
• First annual Excellence in Graphic Literature Awards
• Little Women turns 150 this year! Celebrate with this modernized, multiracial, LGBTQ-inclusive graphic novel adaptation!

Audiophilia

• Nearly 1 in 5 adults listen to audiobooks now!
• Fabulous feminist audiobooks
• The 4 most perfect audiobooks this reader has listened to

Book Lists, Book Lists, Book Lists

• What to read after you see A Wrinkle in Time, because every library needs a display or a read-alike book list for this movie!
• Books if you’re really, really into March Madness
• Read Harder challenge: Read a book with a female protagonist over 60
• 50 of the best horror novels
• 100 contemporary short story collections
• Books by black authors that should be on everyone’s book shelves (including your library’s!)
• Inclusive mysteries and thrillers for January – March, 2018
• Upcoming memoirs for Spring 2018

Book Curiosities & Miscellaneous

• Reading should be a priority because science. (No kidding!)
• What is solarpunk? (Besides your next display theme?)
• How to pack books for a trip.
• Comic book wedding cakes for the ultimate nerdy nuptials.
• Book stores staffed by robots open in Beijing
• Alexa can now add books to your LibraryThing account!

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!). Links here will direct to Edelweiss digital review copies.

• Bruja Born by Zoraida Cordova (June 5, 2018)
  When a bus crash kills Lula’s classmates and her beloved boyfriend, Maks, she knows she can bring Maks back from the dead with the help of her magical sisters. But defying Death is a dangerous proposition and Maks isn’t the only one brought back…
• The Good Son by You-Jeong Jeong (June 5, 2018)
  The Talented Mr. Ripley meets The Bad Seed in this psychological thriller from a novelist known as “Korea’s Stephen King.”
• A People’s History of the Vampire Uprising by Raymond A. Villareal (June 5, 2018)
  Part socio-political satire, part international mystery where a virus turns people into something other than human.
• Call Me American: A Memoir by Abdi Nor Iftin (June 19, 2018)
  The true story of a boy in Somalia who falls in love with America through movies, and then through a miraculous green card.

 

Check back in two weeks for another issue of Check Your Shelf. Thanks for hanging out!

–Katie McLain, currently reading My Favorite Thing is Monsters by Emil Ferris

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 Podkin One-Ear by Kieran Larwood.

Middle earth for middle graders! Redwall meets Watership Down in this breakout new fantasy series of good vs. evil starring three young rabbit siblings who prove that anyone—even little rabbits—can achieve great things.

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Libraries & Librarians

• The odds were stacked against these libraries, but they’re open despite that. The world of libraries is a world of never-ending curiosity and resilience.
• Why many suburban Chicago libraries are dropping fines.
• Libraries are spaces everyone belongs, and that’s what makes them scary to certain politicians. A reminder of the power of the library.
• Worth considering: what we say when we market queer books.
• Who doesn’t love a good library-themed gift?

Book Adaptations in the News

• A television adaptation of Celese Ng’s Little Fires Everywhere is happening and it’s a star-studded production.
• Lupita will star in the adaptation of Trevor Noah’s Born a Crime.
• Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series is coming to television.
• The trailer for HBO’s adaptation of Fahrenheit 451 is out. 
• Sweetbitter has a trailer, and the premiere for the tv series based on the book hits in early May.

Books in the News

• Order up copies of Michelle Obama’s memoir, hitting shelves in early November.
• This NPR interview with Angie Thomas about YA literature, being black in America, and more is your weekly listen.
• Gillian Flynn talks about why dread is her favorite emotion and talks a tiny bit about how she’s following up on her mega hit Gone Girl.

By The Numbers

• The bestsellers in children’s literature from 2017.
• And speaking of children’s literature from 2017, a look at the diversity within those books.

Award News

• The LA Times book prize finalists across all categories have been announced.
• Here’s the full slate of finalists for the various Nebula awards, given by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. It’s a heck of a great resource for discovering new speculative fiction, that’s for sure.
• This year’s Lambda Literary Award Finalists should help fill some holes in your collection and reading life.

Pop Cultured

• What to read after Black Panther. Perfect RA opportunity here!
• You can check out the British Library’s Harry Potter exhibit from anywhere in the world.
• A giant round-up of films inspired by Shakespeare.

All Things Comics

• New editions of Neil Gaiman’s Sandman comics are coming in honor of the 30th anniversary.
• Ta-Nehisi Coates will be writing Captain America.

Audiophilia

• The New York Times is adding a monthly audiobook bestsellers list.
• 10 audiobooks to read beyond Black History Month. Diversify your listening.
• Five audiobook actors talk about delivering passion in their work. Totally fascinating stuff.
• Free audiobooks — two a week! — beginning in late April, thanks to AudioSync.

Book Lists, Book Lists, Book Lists

• Up your knowledge of horror with this great exploration of the genre.
• Genre books in translation. If you’re not strong in your translation collection or RA skills, this could be a good place to jump right in.
• 100 must-read World War II books.
• A look at a handful of short mystery stories.
• Is The Wedding Date flying off your shelves? This booklist offers up more great romances to share with readers.
• Books for book lovers.

 

Bookish Curiosities 

• Designers talk about the process of creating memorable book covers.
• If Hope Hicks looked familiar to you for some reason you couldn’t quite place, maybe it was the fact she modeled for a YA book cover?
• That book dress!
• Did you know Virginia Woolf was an avid photographer? You can peek at some of her work.

Level Up

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!). Links here will direct to Edelweiss digital review copies.

• Lillian Li’s Number One Chinese Restaurant is a multigenerational debut novel about the complicated, complex people working at a well-loved Chinese restaurant.
• Compared to Brain on Fire, Porochista Khakpour’s Sick: A Memoir explores chronic illness, medical misdiagnosis, and the struggle of living with Lyme disease.
• Sophie Lucido Johnson’s graphic memoir doesn’t need much more description beyond the title: Many Love: A Memoir of Polyamory and Finding Love(s). 

 

How great is this librarian cat enamel pin? Me-ow! You can snag one here for $10.

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Thanks for hanging out! We’ll see you back here in two weeks with another edition of Check Your Shelf.

–Kelly Jensen, @veronikellymars on Twitter and Instagram.

Currently reading Educated by Tara Westover on audio. 

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

Libraries and Librarians

• New Federal FY 2019 budget calls for elimination of most federal library funding – learn what you can do here
• ALA President issues statement on White House budget
• How Denver Public Library is meeting the needs of a changing community
• Why you should be a library volunteer
• No one signed up to read to this therapy dog at the library, until his owner posted to Facebook. Now he’s booked through April! (Seriously though, how do you say no to that face??)
• Coloring book for library lovers that also supports ALA

ALA Midwinter 2018 News

• Are libraries neutral?
• Junot Diaz offers tough love for librarians: “…[staffs that are] 88% white means 5000% agony for people of color, no matter how liberal and enlightened you think you are.”
• Imagining a fines free future

ALA Midwinter 2018 Book Awards

• ALA Notable Books
• RUSA Reading List
• RUSA Listen List
• Andrew Carnegie Medals
• ALA Youth Media Awards

#MeToo: Sexual Harassment Updates from the Publishing World

*Trigger warning for sexual harassment/assault*

• Article by Anne Ursu that details sexual harassment in the children’s book industry.
• School Library Journal: “Children’s Publishing Reckons With Sexual Harassment in its Ranks”
• Publisher’s Weekly: “Sexual Harassment in Children’s Publishing Reaches a Crisis Point”
• What to do with books written by authors accused of sexual harassment, or other inappropriate/illegal behaviors.
• Jay Asher removed from Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators after allegations of harassment, now says he was the one harassed and left the organization by choice
• James Dashner dropped by Penguin Random House amid sexual harassment allegations

Book Adaptations in the News

• Fifty Shades Freed dominates international box office
• Trailer for Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
• Jeff Daniels starring as Atticus Finch in Aaron Sorkin’s stage adaptation of To Kill a Mockingbird.
• Entire cast of Big Little Lies returns for Season 2 – prepare for a new wave of holds!

Books in the News

• Tayari Jones’ An American Marriage was selected as latest Oprah Book Club pick.
• Stephen King announces second book of 2018
• Anthony Horowitz authorized to write official James Bond prequel
• Ibi Zoboi has a Pride and Prejudice remix set in gentrified Brooklyn coming out Sept. 18, 2018
• Cover reveal for Angie Thomas’ latest YA novel, On the Come Up, and it’s AWESOME.

By the Numbers

• Barnes & Noble cuts staff after poor-performing holiday season
• Bookstore sales fall 3.6% in 2017
• Comic book retailers hope to rebound in 2018 following a decline in sales for 2017
• Cobb County, GA residents invest in a brand new stadium for the Atlanta Braves, then told that they have to agree to a tax increase to keep 8 county libraries open 

Award News

• Audie Award finalists announced
• Bram Stoker Award final ballot released

Pop Cultured

• YA books if you love The X-Files
• Celebrity book picks for February 2018

All Things Comics

• Dewey Decibel Podcast: Diversifying Comics, with G. Willow Wilson
• What Black Panther Means to Me
• V.E. Schwab is publishing a new Shades of Magic prequel as a graphic novel
• Rep. John Lewis will continue graphic novel autobiography with new trilogy, Run
• Visionary graphic narratives for Black History Month, and beyond

Audiophilia

• 12 Amazing Audiobook Memoirs
• Representation in audiobook narrators
• The 5 best audiobook narrators, according to one reader

Book Lists, Book Lists, Book Lists!

• April 2018 books to get on your radar ASAP
• Celebrate a belated Galentine’s Day with these books about female friendships
• Read Harder: Books you can read in one sitting
• Figure skating romances to fill the Olympics void
• Ultimate guide to Obama memoirs & books
• 100 Must Read Books with “Love” in the Title (Bookmark this list for a Valentine’s Day 2019 display!)
• YA true crime fiction for fans of “My Favorite Murder”

Bookish Curiosities & Miscellaneous

• Harry Potter-themed Little Free Libraries
• 200 years of Valentine’s Day cards at the University of Toronto library
• Women better represented in Victorian novels than in modern novels; male authors “remain remarkably resistant to giving women more than a third of the character space in their stories.”
• Penguin Random House launching pop-up bookstore in east London next month that will only sell books published by female authors, to coincide with International Women’s Day

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!). Links here will direct to Edelweiss digital review copies.

• Song of Blood and Stone by L. Penelope (May 1, 2018)
  The first book in a new historical fantasy series about an outcast drawn into a war between two ruthless rulers. It’s described as Romeo and Juliet meets Return of the King.
• Welcome to Lagos by Chibundo Onuzo (May 1, 2018)
  After being ordered to kill innocent civilians, an army officer deserts his post and heads into the heart of a political scandal involving the education minister of Nigeria.
• That Kind of Mother by Rumaan Alam (May 8, 2018)
  The story of Rebecca, an overwhelmed new mother, and Priscilla, the new nanny who causes Rebecca to analyze the blind spots of her white privilege.
• Cult X by Fuminori Nakamura, transl. by Kalau Almony (May 22, 2018)
  A literary crime novel that explores the psychology of extremism, fringe religion, and obsession.

 

Check back in two weeks for another issue of Check Your Shelf. Thanks for hanging out!

And don’t forget to head over to our Instagram account to enter to win $500 of Penguin Clothbound Classics!

–Katie McLain, currently reading Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

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).

Libraries & Librarians

• In a world where small town newspapers are disappearing, the library steps in.
• Arapahoe libraries in Colorado join the ranks of libraries going fine free.
• How a library handles a rare — but deadly! — book of wallpaper samples.
• Weird things people say to librarians (& what one person does not say back). #Relatable.

Book Adaptations in the News

• 26 books hitting the big screen in 2018.
• Fire & Fury will be hitting the small screen (& you’ll be hearing more about this book shortly).
• Zendaya’s A White Lie is being made into a film by the Reese Witherspoon machine.
• Speaking of Witherspoon properties, Meryl Streep signed on to play in season 2 of HBO’s Big Little Lies.
• Game of Thrones will be back on the air in April 2019. Maybe. Maybe not. In either case, Winter is Coming Sometime in ’19.
• Margaret Atwood’s “MaddAddam” series will be hitting the small screen.
• Adaptations keep on rolling on for Stephen King, this time for Dr. Sleep.
• The novelization of film The Shape of Water comes out later this month, and it’ll likely fly off shelves.
• We’re going to get a bunch more Dr. Seuss cartoons.

Books in the News

• Young Adult author Jason Reynolds was on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah.
• Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward was named the first book selection in the New York Times/PBS Newshour book club.

By The Numbers

• A record number of libraries surpassed 1 million ebook and audiobook checkouts in 2017. Some systems were circulating as high as 4 million items in their digital collections. Whoa!
• Fire & Fury is checking out of libraries as fast as Harry Potter. 

Award News

• The Mystery Writers of America named their slate of Edgar Award finalists.
• The National Jewish Book Award Winners and Finalists have been announced.
• The 2018 PEN America Literary Awards list is here.

Pop Cultured

• Romance novel recommendations for the characters of the hit show The Good Place. This would make a fun display and even one which could be interactive (“What would you recommend?”).
• Pop culture cookbooks. Throw these together in a delicious display.
• Books to read after watching (or reading) Call Me By Your Name. 

All Things Comics

• Chef Anthony Bourdain has a comic book series, and the first issue is available now.
• 2018 manga to have on your radar.
• 100 excellent comics about brave people who are not superheroes.

Audiophilia

• 50 fantastic Christian audiobooks.
• 10 short mystery audiobooks that are each under 10 hours long.

Book Lists, Book Lists, Book Lists

• 46 books by women of color to read in 2018.
• Books about gentle boys.
• Spring-releasing food and cookbooks to know.
• 10 young adult books set in college.

 

Bookish Curiosities 

• Do you sometimes forget what the book you read was about? There’s science behind this.
• Will you be adding vinyl audiobook short stories to your library collections? Because it’s a soon-to-be option.
• What is confessional poetry? Why is it popular? Here’s a handy guide to this style of writing.

Level Up

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!). Links here will direct to Edelweiss digital review copies.

• They Come in All Colors by Malcolm Hansen (May 29, 2018): A story about a biracial teen boy and his experiences with racial tensions that alternates between New York City and the deep south.
• The Map of Salt and Stars by Jennifer Zeynab Joukhadar (May 1, 2018): The pitch for this one is “the novel that is to Syria as The Kite Runner is to Afghanistan.”
• So Close To Being The Sh*t, Y’all Don’t Even Know by Retta (May 29, 2018): It’s Retta — Parks and Recreation star for those who don’t know — and her book of essays sounds like a collection circulating winner for fans of the show and beyond.

 

How cute is this “Love Your Librarian” tote? $15 on Etsy. Priceless for toting your library goods.

 

____________________

Thanks for hanging out! We’ll see you back here in two weeks with another edition of Check Your Shelf.

–Kelly Jensen, currently reading Mothers of Massive Resistance by Elizabeth Gillespie McRae

Hello! This is a test post for Check Your Shelf so that I can make sure I did all the things I was supposed to do on the ops side.

Alex here – I’m doing a dev test of the new Check Your Shelf newsletter. Below is copy from another one of our fine newsletters (Audiobooks, to be exact), pasted here as a practical sample of content. The rest of this message you can ignore!

Y’all came through big time! You sent me your favorite listens of the year and there were so many fantastic responses that I’m splitting them up between this week and next week’s newsletter. This week, I’m highlighting the crowd favorites–-the books that had several votes and next week I’ll give you the whole big honkin’ list. (So I know what I’m doing with my next 60 Audible credits…)

BUT FIRST: You want to win the Rioters’ 20 favorite books? OF COURSE you do! Enter to win them here.

Crowd favorites

There were a few titles that stood out because so many people said they were among their favorites of the year.

Artemis by Andy Weir, narrated by Rosario Dawson

This was at the top of the list for many of you–-and a handful of you had the same reason: Rosario Dawson’s narration. While many of you liked the plot of Weir’s debut novel, The Martian, better but simply raved about Dawson’s narration.

The protagonist of the novel, Jazz, is a resident of the only colony on the moon. But life on the moon is tough (especially if you’re not super rich) and folks do what they need to do to get by. For Jazz, that means sometimes…taking things that don’t technically belong to her.

And then she comes across the opportunity to commit what seems like the perfect crime. Time for a moon heist!

It likely the folks at Audible know they’ve got a hit on their hands because they’ve got a whole bunch of extra stuff on the site to accompany the audiobook, like this “Unofficial Guide to Artemis” PDF.

Born a Crime by Trevor Noah, narrated by Trevor Noah

This had the most votes of any one book and if you listen to it for roughly 30 seconds, you’ll understand why. Growing up bi-racial in (post?) Apartheid South Africa was tough for Trevor Noah, but he reflects on his childhood with as much warmth as seriousness, and you’re fully on board right away. At the risk of being a cheeseball, it’s also just really inspiring to follow Noah from the kid who feels like he doesn’t fit in, to hosting one of the most popular late-night shows on television. And couldn’t we all use some feel goods these days?

Reader Dana says, “This was excellent for so many reasons, but mainly because of Noah’s narration. He’s wonderful. The story is moving and eye-opening as well. It’s getting a lot of good press and deservedly so. I recommend that anyone who wants to read this book should check out the audiobook. I can’t imagine it without Noah’s voice.”

Gentleman’s Guide to Vice & Virtue, The by Mackenzie Lee, narr. Christian Coulson

“Henry “Monty” Montague wants to have one last hedonistic hurrah before he has to take over his family’s estate. So he and his crush and best friend, Percy, go on a yearlong escapade before they settle into adulthood. “But when one of Monty’s reckless decisions turns their trip abroad into a harrowing manhunt, it calls into question everything he knows, including his relationship with the boy he adores.”

As for the narration, one reader says, “I’d listen to Christian Coulson read the back of a shampoo bottle.”

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

I’ve raved about this title so many times that I’ll try to keep it brief here. When 16-year-old Star Carter witnesses the murder of her childhood friend at the hands of a police officer, the two worlds she’s been oscillating between collide. It’s a great, important story in its own right It’s an important and compelling story and listen to what the Audible Editors’ have to say about the audiobook.

“Every now and then a book comes along that speaks to your soul. Angie Thomas’ debut novel, The Hate U Give, is one such book. Each editor here has listened, and the feeling afterwards is unanimous – this is one of the best performances we’ve ever encountered…

Narrator Bahni Turpin manages to give voice to such a broad and rich cast of characters, each with their own authentic perspective, demonstrating the power of performance to bring new depth to a complex social issue. We believe this is truly the definition of required listening.”

I honestly don’t think a better review is possible. And it’s well deserved.

Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds, narrated by Jason Reynolds

“An ode to ‘Put the Damn Guns Down’, this is National Book Award finalist and New York Times bestseller Jason Reynolds’ fiercely stunning novel that takes place in 60 potent seconds – the time it takes a kid to decide whether or not he’s going to murder the guy who killed his brother.” The book is narrated by the author, which is exactly what one reader found so compelling about it. She said, “I specifically wanted to listen to this to hear the author’s narration and I wasn’t disappointed. Such a powerful listen.”

Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders, narrated by Nick Offerman, David Sedaris, and a million other people

Emily, an editor at Audible says, “the listener finds himself in the Georgetown Cometary, where young Willie Lincoln has been laid to rest and his grieving father (the president) keeps returning in a state of stumbling and stricken shambles, to the shocked confusion of the self-unaware dead. Perhaps most interestingly, the real events of the time (those things happening outside of the graveyard) are depicted entirely through historical snippets and citations so that the listener comes eventually to realize that these are also merely the impressions of the dead, even if not fictional.” As for me, I was sold on this audiobook as soon as I realized Nick Offerman was one of the narrators. One of you said that this was among the books that “weirdly made you look forward to your commute,” which is a ringing endorsement if I’ve ever heard one.

And finally, I’m embarrassed to say that I hadn’t even heard of this series and so many of you raved about it. The Themis series. The first book in the series,Sleeping Giants, is described as “An inventive debut in the tradition of World War Z and The Martian, told in interviews, journal entries, transcripts, and news articles, Sleeping Giants is a literary thriller fueled by a quest for truth – and a fight for control of earthshaking power.” Kirkus said of the book,“This stellar debut novel…masterfully blends together elements of sci-fi, political thriller and apocalyptic fiction….”, and most importantly, a newsletter reader said, “I need the next one ASAP!!”

I’ll get you the full list next week.

Happy holidays/winter/cozy book weather,

~Katie