Newsletters Dev – Page 25 – getting it done!

Merry Critmas!

Post author By Alex Acks
Post date December 26, 2023

Sponsored by

Happy Tuesday, shipmates — and happy Boxing Day, at that. I wish you luck in whatever boxing (I guess???) you take part in to blow off the post-holiday steam. It’s Alex, and since we don’t have much in the way of new releases right now, I want to call attention to some excellent standalone books that came out this year. It’s too late to make Christmas presents of them, but I advocate starting the tradition of New Years’ presents, because what better way to start things than with a book? Stay safe out there, space pirates. I’ll see you on Friday!

Let’s make the world a better place, together. Here are two places to start: Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund, which provides medical and humanitarian relief to children in the Middle East regardless of nationality, religion, or political affiliation; and Ernesto’s Sanctuary, a cat sanctuary and animal rescue in Syria that is near and dear to my heart.

Another option for New Years presents: TBR! Whether you (or a reader you know and love) hate carrying around bulky hardcovers, you’re on a budget, you want a wider range of recommendations or all of the above, you can now get a paperback subscription from TBR, curated just for you by one of our Bibliologists. We’ve got three different levels for gifting (to yourself or others) to suit every budget. Get all the details at mytbr.co.

Bookish Goods

Merry Critmas T-shirt by CoolTshirtStoreShop

The pun is obvious, but still funny. And I’m not saying there’s an overlap between D&D nerds and book nerds, but I’m not NOT saying it. $26+

(Not) New Releases

The Water Outlaws by S.L. Huang

Lin Chong has kept her head down and just done her job, which is training the Emperor’s soldiers in a multitude of weapons. But then she is caught up in a powerful man’s vendetta and ends up tattooed as a criminal and on the run…straight into the arms of the Bandits of Liangshan. They’re criminals and murderers — but they also believe in justice for the downtrodden.

Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh

Kyr has trained her entire life in the depths of Gaea Station, preparing to avenge the murder of Earth at the hands of the majoda and their reality-altering weapon called the Wisdom. But when she gets assigned to bear children until it kills her and her brother is sent to certain death in her place, she takes vengeance into her own hands and emerges into a more complicated universe than she could have ever foreseen.

For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.

Riot Recommendations

And two more 2023 standalones to check out!

The Wicked Bargain by Gabe Cole Novoa

A transmasc nonbinary teen pirate named Mar gets an unexpected visitor to their home on their sixteenth birthday: el Diablo. And rather than bringing a questionable gift, el Diablo has come to take his due in the form of the soul of Mar’s father and every other member of the crew. Mar is faced with the choice of giving up their own soul to save their father — or find a different way against all odds.

The Ferryman by Justin Cronin

Prospera is an archipelago paradise, hidden from the disintegrating societies of the outside world. The residents live wonderful lives until the monitors implanted in their arms drop to 10%. Proctor is a Ferryman, who escorts those whose monitors have dropped too low into retirement… but now he’s having dreams — supposedly impossible — and his monitor percentage is dropping very fast.

See you, space pirates. If you’d like to know more about my secret plans to dominate the seas and skies, you can catch me over at my personal site.

Bookish Goods

Bookish Good of the Week: December 24, 2023

Post author By Erica Ezeifedi
Post date December 24, 2023

Cozy Winter Book sleeve by BookishBling

This book sleeve print is just about as cozy as you can get and perfect for some winter reading. $22 (but on sale for $15 at the time of writing this)

The Kids Are All Right

Puzzles, Toni Morrison, And More!

Post author By Margaret Kingsbury
Post date December 24, 2023

Sponsored by

Happy Sunday and Merry Christmas Eve, kidlit friends! Do you have Christmas traditions? As a kid, we always had cinnamon rolls for breakfast Christmas morning, but I’ve yet to find a good gluten-free substitute, so this year, my spouse bought gluten-free apple cinnamon muffins from Trader Joe’s, which is not exactly the same, but I appreciate the effort. 🙂 We also, of course, make sugar cookies and read ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas. I have several versions of it now. We typically open one present Christmas Eve, too.

Today, I’m reviewing two great new releases and, to celebrate Christmas, a book with a red cover and another with a green cover.

And if you need a last-minute present, we can help! Here at TBR, we pair our customers with a professional book nerd (aka bibliologist) who just gets them. They fill out a survey and then sit back and relax as we pick books just for them. We’ve got three levels — recs-only, paperback, and hardcover — and you can gift a full year or one time, so there are options for every budget! Get all the details at mybtro.com/gift.

Bookish Goods

Book Smart Jigsaw Puzzle by layzegirldesigns

Winter is the perfect time of year for puzzles. I love this book smart one, and it’s such a reasonable price! $13

New Releases

Small-Girl Toni and the Quest for Gold by Giselle Anatol, illustrated by Raissa Figueroa

Like many readers, I love Toni Morrison and was really excited to read this picture book inspired by her childhood. It’s a fictionalized version of a young Toni who loves to tell tall tales. She’s the town storyteller, and she gathers the children together in a quest to find buried treasure that leads them to befriend the town’s outcast. The art is vivid and lovely.

Love Grows by Ruth Spiro, illustrated by Lucy Ruth Cummins

This picture book ticks many boxes. It’s epistolary, so a great read for kids learning about letter writing; it’s about houseplants, another favorite topic; it shows the seasons passing; and it’s about love, making it a lovely Valentine’s read as well. It opens with a child receiving a letter and a houseplant from her beloved aunt. As the seasons pass, she receives more plants and more letters and houseplants, along with instructions on how to care for the plants. The aunt finally visits at the end. End pages contain more information about the plants.

For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.

Riot Recommendations

These two books have nothing to do with Christmas, but I thought it would be fun to do something different and review books with red and green covers — Christmas colors.

The Kindest Red by Ibtihaj Muhammad and S. K. Ali, illustrated by Hatem Aly

It was actually harder than I thought to find a red book that I hadn’t already reviewed in the newsletter before. I thought I’d reviewed this one, but I had not! This heartwarming picture book is a follow-up to The Proudest Blue. Faizah wears a red dress that first belonged to her mother for picture day. In class, she draws a picture of a kind world while her friend draws a superhero. During recess, the two combine their ideas and pretend to be superheroes spreading kindness. When it comes time for pictures, Faizah is upset when she realizes her dress doesn’t match her sister’s. But with community help, her school pictures turn out perfect.

The Cats of Tanglewood Forest by Charles de Lint, illustrated by Charles Vess

As opposed to red, I could think of dozens and dozens of green books. I don’t think I’ve ever officially reviewed a Charles de Lint novel, but his two Newford middle-grade novels are favorites of mine, so I thought I’d go with this! Lillian daydreams about the forest around her aunt’s house having fairies that live within it, but she’s never seen any magic. The forest does have a lot of cats. She feeds and plays with the cats, and then one day, the cats turn her into a kitten, and she finally gets the magical adventure she always wanted. The second book in the series is Seven Wild Sisters. They both have beautiful, full-color illustrations by Charles Vess.

Every year our local zoo hosts a Chinese light festival at night. It’s beautiful! Visiting is one of my favorite winter traditions. We went last weekend.

If you’d like to read more of my kidlit reviews, I’m on Instagram @BabyLibrarians, Twitter @AReaderlyMom, Bluesky @AReaderlyMom.bsky.social, and blog irregularly at Baby Librarians. You can also read my Book Riot posts. If you’d like to drop me a line, my email is kingsbury.margaret@gmail.com.

All the best,

Margaret Kingsbury

Giveaways

122323-Dec.EACPushes-2023-Giveaway

Post author By Vivek Patel
Post date December 23, 2023

We’re partnering with Bookperk to give away a $100 gift card to Bookshop.org!

Enter here for a chance to win, or click the image below!

Here’s a bit more from our partner: Bookperk is the place for readers! Fantastic deals, exclusive giveaways, bookish finds & more — delivered daily for free.

Giveaways

122223-Dec.EACPushes-2023-Giveaway

Post author By Vivek Patel
Post date December 22, 2023

We’re teaming up with HTP Books to give away a Nook Glowlight Plus to one lucky reader!

Enter here for a chance to win, or click the image below!

Here’s a bit more about our partner: HTP Books newsletter celebrates books and popular culture, connecting readers, booksellers, librarians, and book clubs with relevant content and resources.

Swords and Spaceships

A Star-Spanning Space Opera (and More 2023 SFF Series!)

Post author By Alex Acks
Post date December 21, 2023

Sponsored by

Happy Friday, shipmates! It’s Alex, and I’ve got your second round of duologies and trilogies that finished up this year for you to peruse. Also, I found more holiday dragon merch, because I cannot be stopped. Have a wonderful weekend and a good holiday if it’s one you celebrate! Stay safe out there, space pirates — I’ll see you on Tuesday.

Are you looking for the perfect gift for that bookish special someone in your life this holiday season? Tailored Book Recommendations is here to help! Here at TBR, we pair our customers with a professional book nerd (aka bibliologist) who just gets them. They fill out a survey and then sit back and relax as we pick books just for them. We’ve got three levels — recs-only, paperback, and hardcover — and you can gift a full year or one time, so there are options for every budget! Get all the details at mybtro.com/gift.

Bookish Goods

Ancient Gingerbread Dragon by Dibs3dprinting

Did you think I was done digging up holiday-themed dragon stuff? YOU THOUGHT WRONG. This is adorable, and now I want to try to make it out of actual gingerbread, though I fear my skills are not equal to it. $31

(Not) New Releases

Dang good duologies part the second!

Ballad and Dagger by Daniel José Older

Second book: Last Canto for the Dead

Mateo Matisse’s homeland sank into the sea sixteen years ago, which is how he came to be in New York. While his community wants to find a way back home, he’d like to just live his life as a high school junior and piano prodigy. But on the night of the Grand Fete, a community party celebrating their unique culture, the evil that sank the island catches up with them…

Spring’s Arcana by Lilith Saintcrow

Second book: The Salt-Black Tree

Nat would do anything to save her mother, whose cancer diagnosis leaves little room for hope. This includes finding a stolen object of power for a winter goddess — and that means embarking on a road trip with an assassin just to start…

For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.

Riot Recommendations

Another round of triumphant trilogies!

Dragon Pearl by Yoon Ha Lee

Second book: Tiger Honor

Third book: Fox Snare

This star-spanning space opera follows the adventures of young animal spirits who have hidden themselves as humans: foxes, a tiger, and a dragon.

A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske

Second book: A Restless Truth

Third book: A Power Unbound

A young baronet who is just trying to be a good employer and older brother while administering a destitute estate is accidentally appointed as the civil service liaison to a secret, magical society that reveals the truth of what’s been lurking under ordinary reality all the while. But it’s not all paperwork and marveling at magic — his predecessor disappeared under mysterious circumstances, and it only gets more worrisome from there.

See you, space pirates. If you’d like to know more about my secret plans to dominate the seas and skies, you can catch me over at my personal site.

True Story

Don’t Miss These 2023 Titles!

Post author By Kendra Winchester
Post date December 21, 2023

Sponsored by

A few days after Christmas, the Corgis, my spouse, and I are headed to Kentucky to spend New Year’s with my parents. The Corgis LOVE their big backyard. But my favorite is sitting in front of their fireplace, working on my plans for BookTube content. Of course, there’s an Appalachian Friendsmas and endless tacos.

Today, we’re talking about some of the buzziest and best books of the year. But first, bookish goods!

Bookish Goods

Vintage Floral Library Stamp by laseretchedco

I love custom library stamps! This one is the perfect little custom stamp for the corners of one’s favorite books. So cute. $12

New Releases

For these last few weeks of the year, I’m featuring picks from earlier in the year that you won’t want to miss!

A Man of Two Faces: A Memoir, A History, A Memorial by Viet Thanh Nguyen

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Viet Thanh Nguyen writes about his life coming to the U.S. as a Vietnamese refugee, touching on the larger colonial powers at play and the experience of living out his everyday life.

When My Ghost Sings: A Memoir of Stroke, Recovery, and Transformation by Tara Sidhoo Fraser

In one of my most anticipated disability literature releases of the season, Tara Sidhoo Fraser describes her experience of losing her memory after a stroke in her early 30s. She wakes up, seemingly dropped in someone else’s body. Who is she? And will she ever regain her memories and sense of self?

For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter!

Riot Recommendations

A Dangerously High Threshold for Pain by Imani Perry, Read by Imani Perry

Earlier this year, I listened to the audio edition of Imani Perry’s essay, A Dangerously High Threshold for Pain. You may know Perry from her National Book Award-winning book South to America, which was my favorite book of the year when it came out. In this essay, Perry writes about her experiences living with chronic illness and the pressure she feels to be excellent in all things. But the truth is, she can’t do everything. Eventually, Imani is diagnosed with Lupus and Graves Disease, and her doctor warns her that her dangerously high threshold for pain often results in her ignoring her body’s need for rest. Perry narrates the audio version, and her performance has stayed with me since I first heard it.

Wolfish: Wolf, Self, and the Stories We Tell About Fear by Erica Berry, Performed by Lessa Lamb

Sometimes, the very concept of a book catches my eye, and I have to read it ASAP. That’s what happened with Wolfish, a book where Erica Berry delves into societal ideas around wolves. What do wolves symbolize to human civilization? How has that perception impacted society today? These are just a couple of the big questions that Berry examines. Lessa Lamb deftly performs the audio edition, making the listening experience fly by, even in sections that I imagine might be a little dry to read in print. I loved every second of Lamb’s performance.

That’s it for this week! You can find me over on my substack Winchester Ave, over on Instagram @kdwinchester, or on my podcast Read Appalachia. As always, feel free to drop me a line at kendra.d.winchester@gmail.com. For even MORE bookish content, you can find my articles over on Book Riot.

Happy Reading, Friends!

~ Kendra

Read This Book

Read This Book…

Post author By Tirzah Price
Post date December 21, 2023

Sponsored by

Welcome to Read This Book, a newsletter where I recommend one book that I think you absolutely must read. The books will vary across genre and age category to include new releases, backlist titles, and classics. If you’re ready to explode your TBR, buckle up!

Happy almost Christmas to those who celebrate — and if you don’t, I hope that this means you get a long weekend of rest, relaxation, and reading! Today’s recommendation is a book that I’m actually gifting to a friend this weekend, and I really enjoyed it. If you like unlikely sleuths, then read on!

Scorched Grace by Margot Douaihy

Sister Holiday has been a nun for about a year, and she’s not your typical Catholic nun — she’s queer, in her early thirties, heavily tattooed, and she chain smokes and often has a hard time not swearing. But she’s really trying her best to fit in at the New Orleans convent, where she also teaches at St. Sebastian’s Catholic School. But one night, she’s sneaking a smoke out back when the school catches on fire, and a man dies in the flames. Deeply suspicious about who could have committed the arson, Sister Holiday begins to conduct her own investigation. And when other Catholic institutions also go up in flames, she and the New Orleans fire investigator become certain that an arson spree has just begun, and there’s no saying when it’ll stop — or who they’ll burn along the way.

I have to say, I think all I need to say to sell this book is “queer, chain-smoking, tattooed nun solves crimes,” and who wouldn’t want to read that? But I’ll go on, in case you need more prompting. I really loved Sister Holiday’s character. It’s evident from the beginning of the book that she has Gone Through Some Things before becoming a nun, and the author doles out information about her previous life in small doses, weaving it between the present day drama. But this isn’t a Sister Act situation where Holiday is running from a sad or scary past — she truly has faith. She also struggles with her faith. As someone who was brought up in a heavily Christian environment (I even went to a parochial school, what!) I really appreciated that aspect of Margot’s character and her struggle. She has a hard time with people who seem to trust easily in God, and she sometimes lashes out, struggles with patience and frustration, and lets her emotions and her thoughts get the better of her. She also has a healthy dose of contempt for Catholic leadership that rolls in driving expensive cars and makes indiscriminate budget cuts to the convent and the school without understanding their needs (a contempt I also share, Sister Holiday!). But at the end of the day, she also knows that she wants to be a force for good in her community, and she knows that she can be that force for good by serving…and by finding that arsonist.

As for the mystery element, I think it was done well. It’s not an especially twisty mystery — there are very few suspects — but what Douaihy does well is get at the essentials of character. There are so many interesting, unexpected, contradictory people in this book! I found myself reading as much for the characters as I did for the whodunnit, and the New Orleans setting felt compelling and real. The mystery concludes with a satisfying wrap-up, but Douaihy leaves it open for more Sister Holiday mysteries, and I’m happy to report that a sequel is hitting shelves in the first half of 2024: Blessed Water!

Tl;dr: Pick up this book if you like a little irreverent humor and unlikely sleuths!

Happy reading!
Tirzah

Find me on Book Riot, Hey YA, All the Books, and Instagram. If someone forwarded this newsletter to you, click here to subscribe.

Unusual Suspects

How Christmas Murder Mysteries Became a UK Holiday Tradition

Post author By Jamie Canaves
Post date December 21, 2023

Sponsored by

Hello, mystery fans! I’ve been ping-ponging from catching up on movies, reading all the things (add The Dead Cat Tail Assassins to my best of 2024 list!), and listening to podcasts. In the latter category, here are some great new ones if anyone else needs some podcasts: Enthusiastic Encouragement & Dubious Advice; ArchPenemies; What Now? with Trevor Noah; and Wiser Than Me with Julia Louis-Dreyfus.

Bookish Goods

Ghost Pride Parade Bookmark by MilkyTomato

I really enjoyed a bunch of the illustrations in this shop and settled on this bookmark with adorable ghosts, of course. ($7)

New Releases

Coconut Drop Dead (Spice Isle Bakery Mysteries #3) by Olivia Matthews

For fans of foodie cozy mysteries!

Lyndsay Murray is really excited that her Spice Isle Bakery is a vendor in this year’s Caribbean American Heritage Festival. It should be great for business and full of delicious food, fun, and dancing! And it is until the lead singer of a reggae band dies and the police determine it to be an accident. Case closed? Not so fast: Lyndsay’s cousin knew the singer and is not convinced the police got it right, so Lyndsay is brought in for proper sleuthing!

If you want to start at the delicious beginning, pick up Against the Currant.

The Curse of Penryth Hall by Jess Armstrong

For fans of historical and gothic mysteries!

Ruby Vaughn — an American heiress expat in Devon, England, working as a bookseller at the end of WWI — is sent to a Cornish village with rare books for a folk healer. There, she connects with an old, now estranged friend: Tamsyn is happy to see Ruby again, miserable in her marriage, but things take a deadly turn — it’s a mystery! — when Edward, Tamsyn’s husband, is found murdered. The town believes it’s based on a curse, and Ruby decides to start poking around, because she’s going to prove the murder was committed by a human!

Looking for more new releases? Check out our New Books newsletter!

Riot Recommendations

I’ve been watching the newest season of Slow Horses (Apple TV+), so I have spies on the brain — hence more spy books! One is fiction, and one is nonfiction.

The Spy Coast (The Martini Club #1) by Tess Gerritsen

For fans of spy thrillers, teams of spies, and plots around the world!

Maggie Bird was forced into retirement from the CIA because of a tragic case. While living, hopefully in anonymity, in a seaside village in Maine, she finds the past coming for her: there’s a dead body in her driveway, and someone shoots at her! So she calls in her fellow retired ex-CIA operatives to help.

Code Name: Lise: The True Story of the Woman Who Became WWII’s Most Highly Decorated Spy by Larry Loftis

For fans of narrative nonfiction and biographies!

Odette Sansom pretty much became a spy in WWII because when the SOE was trying to recruit her, she decided to take the test to prove she wouldn’t pass. Clearly, she passed. The book takes you into her training, her mission, and her capture. It’s a great read about a woman who immediately got the nickname Angry Gazelle while working as a courier because she was delightfully stubborn.

If you audiobook, Kate Reading does a fantastic narration.

(TW suicide/ torture/ concentration camps)

News and Roundups

Discover the World: AudioFile’s Best Mystery Audiobooks of 202

How Christmas Murder Mysteries Became a UK Holiday Tradition

Fed up with that Hallmark good cheer? Escape with a classic mystery.

Books Save Lives Act Introduced To US Congress

Book Bans Encourage More Book Bans: New PEN Report

Best Movies Based on John le Carré Novels, Ranked

Cover reveal for Sarah Pearse’s next thriller: The Wilds

8 Awesome Book Recs For Totally Killer ’80s Slasher Film Fans

Browse all the books recommended in Unusual Suspects previous newsletters on this shelf. See 2023 releases and upcoming 2024 releases. Check out this Unusual Suspects Pinterest board and get Tailored Book Recommendations!

Until next time, keep investigating! In the meantime, come talk books with me on Bluesky, Twitter, Instagram, Goodreads, and Litsy — you can find me under Jamie Canavés.

If a mystery fan forwarded this newsletter to you and you’d like your very own, you can sign up here.

Check Your Shelf

Libraries & Librarians

News Updates

The Internet Archive seeks a reversal in its book scanning lawsuit.

The Top 10 library stories of 2023.

“Due to a contract dispute between SirsiDynix, a provider Montana libraries have used for over 20 years, and a third party vendor — libraries nationwide are left without an app that provides access to online catalogues.”

Cool Library Updates

These are the top checkouts from the New York Public Library, Timberland Regional Library, Charleston County Public Library, Free Library of Philadelphia, Boston Public Library, San Francisco Public Library, L.A. Public Library.

Worth Reading

When libraries like Gaza’s are destroyed, what’s lost is far more than books.

New Yorkers love their libraries. So why are they always on the chopping block?

Book Adaptations in the News

Author Wiliam Collier has accused director Adam McKay of plagiarizing Collier’s novel Stanley’s Comet in the script for Don’t Look Up.

Amy Adams is starring in and executive producing the series adaptation of Graham Moore’s The Holdout.

Alexander Skarsgård is starring in the Murderbot miniseries on Apple+.

Children of Blood and Bone has a director.

Good Omens has been renewed for a third and final season.

The first trailer for Fool Me Once by Harlan Coben has dropped.

Censorship News

PEN America released a new study showing that book bans lead to more book bans.

When do parents trust their children with materials at the library? Also, most parents want school libraries for their children — but with restrictions.

Banned booktables are a frequent sight at many bookstores. But are they helping the authors who need it most?

Computer book bans and other insights from a year investigating prison censorship.

Publishers Weekly’s People of the Year are Texas booksellers Valerie Koehler and Charley Rejsek, who joined in a federal lawsuit against HB 900.

Rep. Ayanna Pressley has introduced a federal book banning bill.

The State Board of Education in Texas approved guidelines for school library rules, particularly that school libraries “must have policies to prohibit the possession or purchase of books determined to be ‘sexually explicit.’”

A new parent group pushes back on Texas book bans.

The new library board in Corpus Christi (TX) fielded comments from the public about restricting kids’ access to certain books.

The Lake Travis ISD (TX) is considering a new policy that would make it easier to ban books.

A Florida sex scandal shakes Moms for Liberty’s influence.

Lauren Groff is opening a new bookstore in Florida that will focus on Florida literary history and books currently banned in the state.

A new group in Massachusetts is shipping banned books to Florida.

Someone complained about Gender Queer being in a Great Barrington classroom (MA). Then the police showed up.

Almond Public Library (NY) will vote later this month on whether to keep Grandpa’s Pride on the shelf.

Clyde-Savannah Board of Education (NY) may have to wait months for the five challenged books they elected to retain to actually be put back on shelves.

The director of the Northern Cambria Public Library (PA) resigned after several members of the board took it upon themselves to remove issues of Out magazine without following any sort of library policy.

Frederick County Public Schools (MD) reviewed 31 challenged books — Triangles will be banned, two more books will be restricted to high school libraries, and the other titles will remain in the district libraries as-is.

Franklin County Public Schools (VA) have implemented a new policy that informs parents/guardians by email every time their child checks out a book from the library. It’s an opt-out policy as well, not opt-in.

The New Hanover (NC) school board ends its Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee.

“The board, and others across the region, have been hearing complaints about books from speakers during public comments for several months. Since those complaints have come in, Burke County Public Schools [NC] has placed all books already categorized as 14+ content on a checkout suspension until the books can be reviewed for age appropriateness.” Yeah. This is a great policy. /s

Marietta City Schools (GA) have voted to remove 23 books with “sexual, inappropriate content.”

“The Autauga County Commission [AL] has appointed four members to the Prattville library board in the last two weeks, leaving some residents critical that the commission has ‘stacked the board.’ “Stacked the board” in this case means that three of the new board members are affiliated with Moms for Liberty and/or Clean Up Alabama.

The Etowah County (AL) Republican Party passed a resolution urging the Alabama Public Library Service to withdraw from ALA.

“A former Arkansas lawmaker who has proposed suspending funding to libraries suing the state over restrictions on materials was confirmed by the Senate Monday to a spot on the state library board.”

Tennessee has launched a new banned books hotline, but this time, it’s a hotline that students can call and request copies of banned books.

The Wilson County Board of Education (TN) is looking at who can and cannot challenge books in the school system.

Fighting book bans in Kentucky schools and beyond.

The De Pere School Board (WI) updated their book policy so that books can be challenged/reviewed on an annual basis. The policy was previously at three years, and the recommendation was to increase it to five years.

One parent got 444 books (!!!) removed from Elkhorn Area School District (WI).

“A letter sent on behalf of Muslim families in St. Louis Park [MN] threatens legal action unless parents are notified and allow their children to opt out of classroom discussions about sexuality and LGBTQ+ topics.”

The largest teacher’s union in Iowa is teaming up with Penguin Random House to challenge the new state censorship law.

Ottumwa Community School District (IA) has removed 30 books that it believes are in violation of state legislation, but it won’t disclose the book titles.

Saydel Community School District (IA) has removed 21 books for review under the new state censorship law.

The Williston High School library (ND) will not be banning any of the 25 challenged books, although some of them will come with parental alerts if a student checks them out.

A letter to the editor about supposedly “inappropriate” children’s books at the Tillamook County Library district (OR).

The Seaside Public Library (OR) has received its first book challenges in over a decade. The two challenged books are And Tango Makes Three and When Aiden Became A Brother. And the kicker is that the person who submitted the challenges is a city councilor.