Newsletters Dev – Page 32 – getting it done!

Winter, Gifts, And More!

Post author By Margaret Kingsbury
Post date December 8, 2023

Sponsored by

Happy Sunday, kidlit friends! My daughter’s birthday was last weekend, and she had a blast. We took her out to eat on her actual birthday, and then she had a birthday party with a few friends at a playground over the weekend. I can’t believe she’s six!

It’s happening, readers — we’re bringing paperbacks! 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. The holidays are here, and we’ve got three different levels for gifting (to yourself or others) to suit every budget. Get all the details at mytbr.co.

This week, I review two new wonderful picture books about grandmothers and winter-themed books for all ages.

Bookish Goods

Golden Merry Little Christmas Shirt by DesIndie

This Little Golden Book Christmas T-shirt is so adorable! $25

New Releases

A Gift for Nai Nai by Kim-Hoa Ung

Lyn Lyn’s Nai Nai (grandmother) has been teaching her how to crochet. Nai Nai’s birthday party is approaching, and Lyn Lyn has the perfect idea for a gift — she can crochet her a hat! There’s only one problem: it’s very difficult to crochet a hat. Lyn Lyn decides to ask Nai Nai for help and cleverly tells her the hat is for “her best friend” — which is true! Back matter includes instructions for how to crochet Nai Nai’s hat. This is an adorable picture book.

Laolao’s Dumplings by Dane Liu, illustrated by ShinYeon Moon

Millie loves helping Laolao in the kitchen, especially when the two make dumplings together. When Laolao can no longer make dumplings, Millie goes to Chinatown with her parents to find the dumpling ingredients and makes the dumplings for Laolao. This is a warm, delightful picture book about community, family, and food. The illustrations are lovely and detailed. Back matter includes a dumpling recipe.

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

Riot Recommendations

Winter approaches, and while we are unlikely to get much snow here in Nashville, I love reading winter-themed children’s books. Here are four recent favorites.

Who Jumps More? by Grace Lin (board book)

I adore Grace Lin’s board books in the Storytelling Math series, which follow four children as the seasons change. In this newest addition to the series, Olivia and Mei jump like animals in the snow, comparing their footprints. Mei jumps like a reindeer, and Olivia jumps like a rabbit. When they reach a tree, they try to figure out who jumped more. Another winter-themed board book in this series is The Last Marshmallow, also featuring Olivia and Mei!

Skating Wild on an Inland Sea by Jean E. Pendziwol, illustrated by Todd Stewart (picture book)

In this beautiful poetic picture book, two siblings wake up and hear winter’s song beckoning them to skate on Lake Superior. As they walk to the lake through the boreal forest, they encounter wolf pawprints and listen to the caws of ravens. They lace their skates, and finally, it’s time to join the song and skate. This is such a lovely ode to nature for young skaters to read.

Jo Jo Makoons: Snow Day by Dawn Quigley, illustrated by Tara Audibert (chapter book)

In this stand-alone third book in the Jo Jo Makoons chapter book series, Jo Jo and her classmates are learning about what it means to be healthy and make healthy choices. Jo Jo is intrigued. When the Ojibwe reservation shuts down after a snowstorm, Jo Jo decides to organize an Ojibwe Olympics to help everyone in the community stay healthy. This series is funny and charming.

A World Full of Winter Stories by Angela McAllister, illustrated by Olga Baumert

This anthology of illustrated folktales collects 50 stories from around the world that celebrate winter. The folktales are divided into six categories: “Birds and Beasts,” “Tricks and Troubles,” “Ice and Snow,” “Quests and Journeys,” “Spirits and Magic,” and “Christmas.” This would be a great anthology to read as a family over winter.

I set up a bit of a surprise for my daughter while she was at school: A cat birthday banner with her birthday presents. The banner is being held up with book stacks, ha! She screamed a happy scream when she opened her book present and discovered several Bad Kitty chapter books, her favorites right now.

If you’d like to read more of my kidlit reviews, I’m on Instagram @BabyLibrarians, Twitter @AReaderlyMom, 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

120823-Dec.EACPushes-2023-Giveaway

Post author By Vivek Patel
Post date December 8, 2023

We’re partnering with Love Inspired to give away a Kobo Libra 2 to one lucky winner!

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

Here’s a bit more about Love Inspired: Love Inspired presents a broad range of wholesome and uplifting stories about love and friendship, family and community for readers to enjoy. In addition to Love Inspired’s inspirational romance and inspirational romantic suspense lines, Love Inspired Novels features longer faith-based books that take readers on a journey of emotional exploration. Love Inspired is published by Harlequin.

What's Up in YA

An Underground Candy Hustle, Billy Shakes, and More YA Book Talk: December 11, 2023

Post author By Kelly Jensen
Post date December 8, 2023

Sponsored by

Hey YA Readers!

Before diving into the books for this week, here’s your reminder to share your favorite reads of 2023 for use in one of next week’s “What’s Up in YA?” newsletters. Voting ends on Thursday.

The holidays have arrived, and so has our new paperback level at TBR! If you (or a reader you know) are just over-carrying around bulky hardcovers or are looking for a more budget-friendly option, we’ve got you. Check out all the offerings at mybtro.com/gift, and give personalized reading recommendations customized for any and every reader.

Let’s roll on into this week’s new books and a little bit of talk about Billy Shakes.

Bookish Goods

Bookmobile Decal Stickers by TheNerdyButterfly

Do you dream of a bookmobile sticker for your mug or your new planner? Because I have been looking for one, and I think I’ll be selecting one of these options. You’ve got four cool designs and styles to choose from. $3.50 each, or you can get all four for $10.

New Releases

Second verse, same as the first: it’s December, so book releases are sparser than in previous months. But the good news is that the books hitting shelves this week look excellent.

You can grab the full list of new YA hardcover releases over here. The winter 2024 YA release guide will be coming early in the new year, too.

Seven Minutes in Candyland by Brian Wasson

This book cover is one that has stood out to me this year—it’s bright, and it is delightful—and the description is making me even more excited to pick it up.

Kalvin is a high school sophomore with a unique side hustle: he sells candy at his school, and because he’s got the good stuff with no drama, it’s a successful underground business. Then, one day, his long-time crush, Sterling, stumbles into the storage closet where Kalvin keeps his supply and he begins to talk with her about the bad relationship she is in. Now he’s accidentally become a romance therapist, too—but how long can he put on the act before the truth of his own experiences and models of good relationships emerge?

What happens when his feelings for Sterling become too difficult to hide?

Where There’s Smoke by E. B. Vickers

Calli is 18 and lives in a small town where it seems everyone knows everyone—and everything. She’s just buried her father, and everyone has gone home. Or so she thinks.

Standing there alone is a girl who is scared, bruised, dirty. She can’t speak. Calli knows right then she needs to help the girl, whom she has started to call Ash, but Calli cannot let anyone know about her.

When a detective comes around asking about whether or not Calli has seen or heard anything about a girl who has disappeared from another town, she’s not saying anything.

But it seems as though Ash might have a whole lot to tell.

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

400 Years of the First Folio

Did you know that late 2023 marks the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s First Folio? If you didn’t, now you do. There have been celebrations across the globe this year in honor of the collection.

I did a deep dive into the world of Shakespeare YA retellings last month at School Library Journal, asking several YA authors to share their thoughts on why the Bard’s work continues to not only endure but stays exciting and relevant for today’s teen readers in its original and remixed forms. I hope you’ll take some time to read it and nerd out on the intersections of humor, theater, clever language, and more.

Today, I thought it’d be worthwhile to highlight some recent YA takes on Shakespeare. Some of the names and titles might be familiar if you’ve read the above piece, though I hope you’ll discover a book or two you’re eager to read or to share. All of these have been published between 2022 and now.

Arden High Series by Molly Horton Booth, Stephanie Kate Strohm, and Jamie Green

This graphic novel series will see its second volume hit shelves in February with King Cheer, but you can dive in now with the first book, Twelfth Grade Night.

When Vi begins at Arden High, it’s so she can go to a less fussy school and so she can reinvent herself. It’s a little weird doing it without her twin by her side, but it takes little time for her to feel like she’s settling in. She’s even got a crush on Orsino, a cute guy who is a poet and influencer.

Vi gets pulled into helping with the school’s Twelfth Grade Night dance. She’s eager to help and even more hopeful she can spend the night dancing with Orsino. Too bad Vi’s friends assume she doesn’t like guys and even worse, Orsino wants her to help him catch his own crush, Olivia.

Olivia, who might have feelings for Vi…

Julieta and the Romeos by Maria E. Andreu

It’s summer, and Julieta’s writing teacher is encouraging everyone to share their writing online. Julieta does just that, but in no way did she expect to find her work has a mystery collaborator named Happily Ever Drafter.

She’s in no mood for a romance and doesn’t even believe in happily ever afters. But she’s got her eye on three different people who maybe, possibly, could be the mysterious collaborator.

Maybe she’ll be changing her stance on a relationship sooner than she anticipated.

Teach the Torches to Burn by Caleb Roehrig

Romeo is an aspiring artist in Verona, but he knows that his dreams will never come to fruition. He’s expected to become head of the Montague family and marry a girl approved by the family to create more heirs. Romeo doesn’t even like girls, but he can’t say that.

While sneaking out to a party at the Capulets with his cousin, Romeo finds himself meeting Valentine. Valentine is kind and sweet and really not hard on the eyes–and it seems those feelings are reciprocal.

The two might be falling hard for each other, but their relationship must remain secret for their safety. But what will happen when the future expected of them becomes the present?

That Self-Same Metal by Brittany N. Williams

Joan works as the person who makes and keeps up with the swords for Shakespeare’s acting company. As a member of the Orisha, she’s been given the gift of controlling metal. Her family, all Orisha, are also tasked with keeping an eye on London’s Fae population; usually, there’s nothing to worry about, but there has been more and more Fae activity recently, including some attacks. So when Joan hurts a powerful member of the Fae, she finds herself in the middle of a battle between the human world and the world of the Fae.

Thanks, as always, for hanging out. We’ll see you again on Thursday with your YA paperback releases and YA book news.

Until then, happy reading!

– Kelly Jensen

True Story

Stories from the Heartland

Post author By Kendra Winchester
Post date December 7, 2023

Sponsored by

Every family has their holiday traditions. In the Winchester household, we’re big on Corgi advent calendars and decorating gluten-free sugar cookies. The Corgis, my spouse, and I decorate the tree together while listening to Christmas music. We watch a never-ending list of festive movies. I’m the present wrapper of the family, so you can usually find me on the library floor wrapping presents while Gwen shreds the spare bits of paper that fall to the floor. Dylan is quality-controlling, smudging every gift label.

Today, I have two books for you that are great on audio. So, if you’re the wrapper or decorator in your family, these would be a great choice.

Bookish Goods

Stack of Books Earrings by Coryographies

I love a cute, bookish accessory. These are perfect for holiday gifting for someone on your list or just for yourself! $30

New Releases

Songs on Endless Repeat: Essays and Outtakes by Anthony Veasna So

A couple years ago, Anthony Veasna So’s short story collection came out posthumously. It was celebrated by readers and critics alike. Now, his publisher has put out his nonfiction work.

Safe and Sound: A Renter-Friendly Guide to Home Repair by Mercury Stardust

When something breaks in your apartment, getting it fixed can be…complicated. TikTok Sensation Mercury Stardust is here to save the day! She provides great tips and solutions to common issues for renters.

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

Riot Recommendations

American Harvest: God, Country, and Farming in the Heartland by Marie Mutsuki Mockett

While Marie Mutsuki Mockett’s mother is Japanese, her father comes from a family of wheat farmers in Nebraska. After spending years getting to know her family in Japan, Mockett decides that her next writing project will look at her father’s family. Every year, migratory harvesters arrive at the family farm to help harvest the wheat. So, Mockett decides to travel with the harvesters to get to know them and better understand their world. Starting in Texas, Mockett travels with the group of men and women for weeks as they make their way up to Nebraska. Mockett discovers she carries a lot of assumptions about this more conservative group of blue-collar workers and begins to challenge her own perception of their lives. This book proved endlessly fascinating for me as Mockett began to better understand the world of her father’s family and the people who helped them out on the farm. She portrays herself in all of her messy humanity, making mistakes along the way but always looking to better understand the people around her.

Heartland by Sarah Smarsh

Sarah Smarsh is the first woman in many generations of her family to go to college instead of starting a family right away. After breaking this family norm, Smarsh begins to think about her life as a working-class girl from Kansas and tries to better understand where she comes from. Focusing on the different generations of women in her family, she looks at the history of the heartland and the people who live there. Her prose is intimate, practical, and straightforward. Every word pulls its weight as Smarsh describes her childhood living with a family just trying to scrape by. As a teen, she didn’t have time for a lot of friends or boyfriends; she was going to college. I appreciated Smarsh’s take on her hometown, both the good and the bad. She perfectly captures the feeling of not being able to stay home and achieve your dreams. But having left, you know you will never be able to return, and nothing will ever be the same.

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

Unusual Suspects

BOOKSHOP TEST POST [dupe of Unusual Suspects 12/13]

Post author By Jenn Northington
Post date December 7, 2023

Sponsored by

Hi, mystery fans! The Great British Bake Off Holiday episodes for 2023 have arrived on Netflix! I, for one, am hoping 2024 is the year of gentle reality shows—I miss the pottery and flower ones!

Bookish Goods

Ban Bigots Not Books Shirt on etsy by njdApparel

As we slide into a save-our-democracy election year here’s one of many important issues, on a t-shirt. ($17)

New Releases

The Final Curtain (Kyoichiro Kaga #10) by Keigo Higashino, Giles Murray (Translator)

For fans of Japanese detective series which are completed!

This is a great series that follows Tokyo police detective Kyoichiro Kaga and as the reader you get to watch each clue found and mulled over as he slowly solves the cases. This time around the mystery is a head scratcher of a case that connects to Kaga’s personal life. His cousin, Shuhei Matsumiya, also works for the police, and although there is no evidence, he starts to suspect two unrelated cases have to have some connection: the murder of an unhoused person and a strangled cleaning contractor found in a closet. And that’s before one of the murder victims has an item that is tied to Kaga’s mother’s death a decade prior…

If you want to start at the beginning pick up Malice.

Death in the Dark Woods (Monster Hunter Mystery #2) by Annelise Ryan

For fans of fun mystery series with an amateur sleuth!

Morgan Carter lives in Wisconsin where she owns a bookstore and is a cryptozoologist, believing in plausible existability. Basically, she isn’t certain that creatures like the Loch Ness Monster exist she just doesn’t think it can fully be ruled out. So naturally when a man is found dead from a vicious attack in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest— following sightings of Big Foot— Morgan is asked to help investigate…

If you want to start at the beginning of the series pick up A Death In Door County!

Riot Recommendations

Here are two horror books from this year that work for mystery and thriller readers—whether you already read horror or are looking to dip a toe into the genre.

Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (aoc)

For fans of the film industry and cult followings!

Tristán and Montserrat are living in Mexico City in the early ’90s and are intrigued by the mystery surrounding film-noir filmmaker Abel Urueta, and his abandoned opus. Montserrat is a film editor and Tristán is her soap actor best friend, who she’s in love with. Naturally when Tristán’s new neighbor is none other than Urueta they get sucked into the mystery, which Urueta claims is an actual curse and asks for help filming the missing scene of his opus… What could go wrong?!

Looking Glass Sound by Catriona Ward

For fans of books within books and fictional serial killers!

Wilder Harlow returns to Maine to write about a serial killer who use to leave polaroids of his victims. It’s a case he’s been obsessed with since the late ’80s when he vacationed with his family in Maine and made two friends, all of whom were traumatized that summer…

News and Roundups

Killers of the Flower Moon Isn’t for an Indigenous Audience. It’s for the Wolves

Tirzah and Erica discuss the state of YA cozy mysteries and mention a few to TBR on Hey YA!

The Bullet Swallower Is a Can’t-Miss Mexican Thriller

Ruth Ware cover reveal

Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building Is Making the Leap to ABC

Slow Horses Gallops Ahead with Thrills and High Stakes Comedy

How Eileen’s Thomasin McKenzie and Anne Hathaway brought the twisted queer thriller to life

The 20 Best Books of 2023

‘That’s authoritarianism’: Florida argues school libraries are for government messaging

Here Are The Goodreads Choice Award Winners for 2023

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.

Giveaways

120723-Dec.EACPushes-2023-Giveaway

Post author By Vivek Patel
Post date December 7, 2023

We’re partnering with Dragons & Spaceships to give away a pair of AirPods Pro!

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

Here’s a bit more from our partner: Dungeons & Spaceships – For the Fans, By the Fans. We keep a close eye on the horizon of fantasy and scifi books, ensuring you’re the first to know about shifts in the genre, upcoming releases, and author interviews. Step into a realm where magic meets machinery, where dragons soar amongst the stars, and where every week is a new journey. Join the adventure!

Unusual Suspects

KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON to Arrive on Digital This Week

Post author By Jamie Canaves
Post date December 7, 2023

Sponsored by

Hi, mystery fans! Joy Ride is finally available to stream on Starz, and if you like raunchy comedies, I laughed a lot!

Bookish Goods

Mushroom Corner Postcard by thecleverclove

Send adorable book lover postcards! (1 for $3 or 4 for $11)

New Releases

Gorgeous Gruesome Faces by Linda Cheng

For fans of thrillers, psychological horror, and gorgeous covers!

Sweet Cadence was an all-girl pop group until one member, Mina, died by suicide. Years later, one of the past members, Candie, joins a K-pop workshop with the chance to train in Korea. Except another past member, Sunny, has different plans: infiltrate the workshop to find out what really happened to Mina…

For the Last Time by Heidi Perks

For fans of thrillers, dual timelines, and past secrets!

Maggie is a therapist whose sister has been missing for years. Erin is married to Will, and they’ve recently started marriage counseling with Maggie. When Erin mentions something related to Maggie’s missing sister, Maggie becomes obsessed with how Erin could possibly know that. Rather than recommending the couple to another therapist — per code of ethics — Maggie instead decides to find out what Erin knows and why…

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

Riot Recommendations

Here are two books from this year that I haven’t gotten to yet — for no reason other than I am human, and there are more books than time in my life, which is just rude! — that I think I am going to greatly enjoy when I read them.

A Death in Denmark (Gabriel Præst #1) by Amulya Malladi (aoc)

Why I think I’m going to really enjoy it: Nordic crime, a jazz-loving PI, and Denmark history!

Gabriel Præst works as a PI after being fired from the Copenhagen police department, where he worked in financial fraud. Now, his ex-wife is asking him to prove the innocence of a man convicted of murdering a right-wing politician.

The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies by Alison Goodman

Why I think I’m going to really enjoy it: these amateur sleuths are bored of high society life, there’s a bit of romance, and there are three adventure rescues!

Independently wealthy twin sisters Gus and Julia are respectively unmarried and widowed in Regency England. When they begin helping out a friend being blackmailed, the ladies find themselves rescuing other women who the law won’t help.

News and Roundups

Our critic’s picks: Best mystery fiction books of 2023

Killers of the Flower Moon to Arrive on Digital This Week

How Catalina Island’s past inspired Rachel Howzell Hall’s What Never Happened

Would You Survive? 8 Recent Dark Academia & Deadly Game Books

Tokyo Vice season 2 first look reveals new characters, new dangers

Netflix and Apple TV Plus will fight for crime show dominance in the new year, and I can’t wait

A theater critic and a hotel maid are on the case in 2 captivating mystery novels

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.

Read This Book

Read This Book…

Post author By Tirzah Price
Post date December 7, 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!

Today’s pick is a sapphic Christmas rom-com, in case you’re feeling festive and want your reading to reflect that! I enjoy listening to holiday romances this time of the year to get me in the mood, and this was my latest audiobook read!

Content warning: Emotional abuse

The Christmas Swap by Talia Samuels

Margot Murray has just broken up with her longtime girlfriend and isn’t feeling very festive this holiday season. In fact, the only thing she wants is to get away from her apartment and life and not think about her. So she agrees to do something mad: Pose as her new friend Ben’s girlfriend and go home with him for the holidays. His family owns a boutique hotel in the countryside, so it’s the perfect escape — and she’s a lesbian, so it’s not like she needs to worry about playing with Ben’s heart. Ben’s sister Ellie is home from abroad, itching to put down roots, and she wants to make a life for herself in the family business. The only problem? Her family thinks she’s flighty and rash, and she’s determined to prove them wrong this holiday season. Except, when her brother Ben brings home a girl who is clearly a gold digger who wants him for his money, she has to go about breaking them up.

This is a bonkers setup, but I was totally on board with the intriguing falling-for-your-fake-date’s-real-sister premise, and Samuels does a great job of creating a dreamy countryside getaway setting that I would definitely pack my bags to visit if it were real. This book leans heavily on mixed signals, misunderstandings, and other hijinks, and it’s a dual POV so it’s definitely funny (and occasionally cringe!) to read about how Margot selling her role as Ben’s boyfriend is just making Ellie even more suspicious and determined to expose her. I also enjoyed the supporting cast of characters, which include Ellie’s grandpa, her parents, a sister and nephews, and one very pregnant dog. This book does pack a bit of an emotional punch that I wasn’t expecting — partway through, it’s revealed that Margot’s ex, whom she loved very much, is actually emotionally abusive and manipulative, which Margot is in denial about. Ben and Ellie’s response to supporting Margot through this revelation, and giving her the tools she needs to process and space when she needs it felt very sweet and supportive, and serves as a nice way for Margot to discover what love is supposed to look like, especially as Margot tells Ellie the truth about the fake dating scheme and the women start meeting up secretly. Overall, this is a rather tame romance, but certainly sweet, and perfect if you enjoy Hallmark Christmas movies with a fabulous setting — but with a sapphic twist!

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.

Check Your Shelf

Conservatives Boycott Froot Loops

Post author By Katie McLain
Post date December 7, 2023

Sponsored by

Welcome to Check Your Shelf. Well, cold and flu season has arrived, including for yours truly. I only started feeling crummy earlier tonight, but I’ve also been around people who have come down with colds within the last 48 hours…fingers crossed this doesn’t end up being too annoying.

Libraries & Librarians

News Updates

Montana will no longer require directors to have a master’s degree at the eight largest libraries in the state despite a four-to-one ratio of public comments opposing the change.

The Stanley Milner Library has an in-house nurse to support people in crisis in downtown Edmonton.

The Ottawa Public Library is seeking $3 million in security to address an increase in dangerous incidents and assaults against their staff.

Cool Library Updates

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library has officially launched in Illinois!

St. Louis Public Library is hosting a free Taylor Swift fan convention. They are braver than I am.

Mapping Colorado: Libraries supporting their communities.

Worth Reading

How American librarians helped defeat the Nazis.

Censorship News

Most parents trust, respect, and feel safe with librarians.

Congress has introduced the Fight Book Bans Act. And here’s a look at every current book ban lawsuit.

Conservatives are boycotting Froot Loops for creating a library of diverse children’s books online. Yes, that is a real sentence I had to type in 2023.

The city of Corpus Christie (TX) appointed 5 new members to the public library board, one of whom appears to be pro-book banning.

A controversial proposed library book policy just cost the League City (TX) city attorney their job.

Florida’s attorney general just issued a legal brief, saying that school districts have a First Amendment right to remove any books they choose and that “public school libraries are ‘a forum for government speech,…not a ‘forum for free expression.’” Wow.

(Paywalled): Brevard County (FL) Schools will review 31 challenged books this month.

The Southern Poverty Law Center just threatened a potential lawsuit against the Charlotte County School District (FL) over their LGBTQ+ book bans.

RSU 56 (ME) is currently the only district in the state to have banned Gender Queer, and they’re now considering a policy that would ban all books with sexually explicit material.

Connecticut librarians are looking for legislative help as they face harassment tied to book bans.

Lancaster County (PA) schools are reportedly considering a switch from Scholastic Book Fairs to the “pro-God, pro-America” SkyTree Book Fairs.

Catawba County (NC) schools have removed A Court of Thorns and Roses, citing three primary reasons: “[T]he book contains objectionable content that was not required to convey the story’s central themes, the book lacks literary merit compared to other high school reading material, and the book is part of the same series that was previously removed.”

School District Five of Lexington and Richland Counties (SC) has returned A Court of Mist and Fury to school library shelves after a months-long review process.

The Marietta (GA) school board is planning to hear another appeal against their decision to ban a book. This time, the book is Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, but the last time a book banning decision was appealed (Flamer), the board decided to remove the book anyway.

The Foley Public Library (AL) has moved 11 challenged books out of the YA and children’s sections due to “objectionable content.”

The Central Arkansas Library System hosted a panel discussion on book bans and the future of libraries.

The Public Library of Steubenville and Jefferson County (OH) has been dealing with LGBTQ+ book controversy for over a year and has recently moved to limit public comment at their board meetings.

The Banned Book Nook bookstore in Wilmington, Ohio, is pushing back against book banning efforts in the state.

The Brandywine Community School Board (MI) may implement their own book rating system.

An op-ed on the recently proposed Wisconsin legislation that would require libraries to inform parents about the items their children check out: “Don’t force librarians into the role of Big Brother.”

After NBC 5 Investigates first reported in October on the rise of book banning in the Chicago area over the last three years, the number has continued to climb.

The St. Cloud Library System (MN) has received challenges to 8 individual titles in the last year, with some books receiving multiple challenges.

Penguin Random House files a lawsuit against the state of Iowa over their recently passed book banning legislation. Note that this is separate from the lawsuit filed against Iowa from last week’s newsletter.

“Republican leaders are calling for a prosecutor to enforce obscenity laws to remove hundreds of books from schools in the Colorado Springs area.”

The New Mexico State Board of Education is appealing the decision made by Las Cruces Public Schools to retain Jack of Hearts (and Other Parts) in the school library. Nothing to see here…

Banning Angels in America in Temecula (CA).

“‘How often did you say you visited the library prior to this book?’ asked Action News Reporter Kate Nemarich. ‘Oh, I visited the library years ago. I haven’t been to the library in years, but all of those questions and those answers they’re meaningless,’ said Steve Brandau, Fresno County [CA] Supervisor. This is one of the people who voted for the Parents Matter Act, which creates a panel of parents and guardians who will review all current and future children’s books to be placed in county libraries. In other words, people who have no public library, youth services, or collection development experience will decide what books libraries can add to their collections. I see no problem with this at all.

The Wasilla City Council (AK) heard from the library director about how they select books for the children and teen collections. Among the choice quotes from the article: “Treesh maintained the library would temporarily mark books from the young adult section as those of the adult section until there is more consideration from the city on the matter.”

The Jake Epp Public Library (Manitoba) has decided to forego general best practices and will sticker all children’s books that contain LGBTQ+ content because the Christian books are already stickered.

Books & Authors in the News

Sandra Day O’Connor, the first woman to serve on the Supreme Court, has died at 93.

Numbers & Trends

Less than half of American adults reported reading at least one book for pleasure in the last year.

Award News

Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell has won the 2023 Waterstones Book of the Year award.

Freedom Reads, the National Book Foundation, and the Center for Justice have just launched the first major US book prize to be judged exclusively by incarcerated people.

Bookish Curiosities & Miscellaneous

Oxford Languages has selected “rizz” as their Word of the Year. If you’re like me and aren’t up on all the Gen Z slang, “rizz” is short (?) for “charisma” and apparently started seeing a lot more use after Tom Holland used it in an interview this summer.

On the Riot

How Dungeons & Dragons can help members of the neurodivergent community.

8 video essays about books that will change your perspective.

Secrets of the mega book series of the ’80s and ’90s.

Authors and bookish accounts to follow on Bluesky.

When eye-reading just isn’t working.

a black and white cat peering over the edge of a bed with its paw sticking out

Photo courtesy of my mom, who said Groucho was waving “Hi” to everyone!

Groucho hopes you all have a good weekend. I’ll see you on Tuesday, hopefully, a little less sniffly than I am now.

—Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter.

Swords and Spaceships

A Polar Gothic and a Gravediggers’ Guild

Post author By Alex Acks
Post date December 7, 2023

Sponsored by

Happy Friday, shipmates! It’s Alex, and I’ve got some new releases for you and some SFF in translation! It’s a chilly week here, with the weather swinging wildly, so my new fireplace is getting a workout, and I went looking for something cold-weather appropriate from Etsy. Hope you enjoy! Stay safe out there, space pirates, and I’ll see you on Tuesday!

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.

Bookish Goods

UNnatural Species – Arctic Snow Eater by WhiteOakCreationsPA

I love it when people go speculative with their art in a really neat way. This creator made up a series of fantastical animals (along with scientific names!) while practicing a new felting technique. This happy little guy is an “Arctic snow eater (Arcticum nixcomedentis).” $35

New Releases

Where the Dead Wait by Ally Wilkes

This is a polar gothic (is there any other kind of genre set at the north or south pole?) about William Day, whose previous expedition ended inevitably in cannibalism. Thirteen years later, he goes looking for his once second-in-command, who has gone missing in the Arctic, taking it as a chance for redemption. But what’s waiting for him is more than cold and bad memories…

Descendants of Fire & Water by Didi Anofienem

In an alternate Africa that was never colonized nor subjected to the traumas of the transatlantic slave trade, Essien is the only girl in a family with five boys, raised in a village where women are bred to bear children and bow to the whims of their husbands. But when in a dream one night she is led by an akukoifo to a legendary river, she emerges from the other side with superhuman powers that allow her to overpower any man — and become the first woman to join her land’s military to defend her family. But there’s more to it than woman-turned-soldier…she might well be the goddess her land has been waiting for.

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

Riot Recommendations

Seeing new works of speculative fiction get translated into other languages always makes me happy because it means we’re getting to share stories more broadly. And it makes me even happier when I see works from non-English-speaking authors get translated into English because, selfishly, it means I get to read them…but also, it takes another little chip out of our cultural hegemony. Here are two recently translated works!

They Will Dream in the Garden by Gabriela Damián Miravete, translated by Adrian Demopulos

This book is about the unsettling experience of existing as a woman in Mexico, which takes fantastical and surreal turns from flowers that sprout from the earth and offer cosmic consciousness to those who pluck them to a state-controlled memorial to victims of femicide that’s run by a guardian who would make it a laboratory.

The Annual Banquet of the Gravediggers’ Guild by Mathias Énard, translated by Frank Wynne

An anthropology student comes to a village in the marshlands of western France, determined to understand its culture so he can write his thesis. What he doesn’t know is that Death is quite literal as a being and that once a year, there’s a three-day feast where Death takes up a temporary truce with the living, and the gravediggers take a break to celebrate.

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.