Sponsored by Brazen and the Beast
The Year of Hattie is off to a perfect start, until she discovers the most beautiful man she’s ever seen tied up in her carriage, threatening to ruin her plans before they’ve begun. Awakening at her feet, Whit is surprised the woman who frees him is headed for a night of pleasure . . . on his turf. He is more than happy to offer Hattie all she desires…for a price.
Soon, Hattie and Whit find themselves rivals in business and pleasure. If they’re not careful, they’ll have no choice but to give up everything . . . including their hearts.
Welcome to Check Your Shelf! This is your guide to help librarians like you up your game when it comes to doing your job (& rocking it).
Libraries & Librarians
News Updates
- Library Journal covers the controversial proposed changes to the Leander (TX) Public Library meeting room & speaker policies.
- Macmillan CEO John Sargent doubles down on Macmillan’s (stupid) embargo on digital library titles. Also, the Wall Street Journal writes about how library ebook lending poses a rising problem for the publishing industry. (NO IT DOESN’T.)
- West Georgia Library system is the first in the state to eliminate overdue fines.
- This bookless library devotes an entire building to Makerspaces. Related, this library is called Idea Exchange Old Post Office, and some councillors are suggesting that the library board reconsider using the word “library” for these branches because “Idea Exchange” is confusing.
- (TW gun violence) A man was shot to death inside the South Brooklyn branch of the Cleveland Public Library.
- The new Long Beach Main Library will be named after Billie Jean King.
Cool Library Updates
- What the heck is a digital pop up library?
- Librarians and…pig wrestling?
Worth Reading
- A school librarian’s philosophy of lost books.
- NYPL employees share their literary tattoos.
- Jefferson County Public Library (CO) created an online petition to name the Earth’s moon Geoff. Yes, this is real.
Book Adaptations in the News
- Orlando Bloom will not be playing Legolas in the Amazon Lord of the Rings series, saying he’s too old. Pardon me as I try to comprehend how Orlando Bloom is now considered “old.” My high school self is crying right now.
- The Handmaid’s Tale has been renewed for a fourth season.
- Outlander Season 5 won’t air until 2020.
- We’re getting film adaptations for The Confession and Lord of the Flies.
- Lots of series adaptation news: Three Women, Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Barkskins, Challenger Deep, and The Bankers Wife are all being adapted for TV/streaming.
- New trailers for Looking for Alaska and The Goldfinch.
- Just Mercy, starring Michael B. Jordan, will be released in theaters nationwide on January 10, 2020.
Collection Development Corner
New & Upcoming Titles
- Soccer star and all-around American hero Megan Rapinoe has a book deal!
- Daniel Mallory Ortberg is publishing a new memoir-in-essays.
- Lois Lowry is writing her first novel in verse.
- Recently translated Chinese titles available in the US.
- Best debut novels for Summer/Fall 2019.
- Best general fiction & mysteries for August.
- July’s best debut crime fiction and international crime fiction.
- Paste picks the best books of July.
- Vanity Fair: Best books of 2019 so far.
What Your Patrons Are Hearing About
- Lady in the Lake – Laura Lippman (NPR, Salon)
- Chances Are… – Richard Russo (Entertainment Weekly, Washington Post)
- The Lager Queen of Minnesota – J. Ryan Stradal (USA Today, Washington Post)
- My Friend Anna: The True Story of a Fake Heiress – Rachel DeLoache Williams (ABC, Elle)
Books & Authors in the News
- San Francisco Public Library announces There There by Tommy Orange as its 2019 One City One Book.
- Prepare for even more holds on this book: Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane is the next Tonight Show summer read.
Numbers & Trends
- Reprint from last week, because the link didn’t copy correctly: How diverse are the characters in Canada’s top-selling picture books?
- Related: more children’s books feature animals than black people.
Award News
- The Booker Prize longlist was announced, including one of my personal favorites, My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite! Also, Margaret Atwood’s upcoming book made the list, even though it’s not out until September.
- Finalists for the British Fantasy Awards and the World Fantasy Award.
- Check out the longlist for the 2019 First Novel Prize.
- The Ripped Bodice announces the Ripped Bodice Awards for Excellence in Romance Fiction, and Book Riot’s very own Jessica Pryde is one of the judges!
- The Dewey Decibel podcast looks at 50 years of the Coretta Scott King Book Awards.
Pop Cultured
- Blade Runner actor Rutger Hauer dies at age 75.
- A reading list for your patrons who are waiting to see Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
- Books to read if you’re an adult who loves Veronica Mars.
All Things Comics
- First trailer for HBO’s Watchmen series.
- Essential graphic nonfiction for 2019.
Audiophilia
- Best audiobooks for July 2019.
- 8 cozy mystery series perfect for audiobook fans.
Book Lists, Book Lists, Book Lists
Children/Teens
- Best board books for babies.
- 20 awesome science books for kids.
- 17 YA fantasy novels inspired by cultures from around the world.
- 100 books for ambitious teen readers.
Adults
- 50 must-read fantasy books by women.
- 50 must-read fiction books featuring older women.
- 5 books to fuel your F.I.R.E. (Financial Independence, Retire Early)
- 12 books about climate change solutions.
- True crime books that’ll make you sleep with the lights on, plus 50 states of true crime.
- 5 must-reads of Philippine literature.
- 9 books about important historical slave uprisings.
- 5 books about asylum and immigration.
- Urban fantasy books recommended by Seanan McGuire.
Bookish Curiosities & Miscellaneous
- This woman converted a 1962 Volkswagen Transporter into a book bus and it looks so cool!
- Philadelphia public transit users have an opportunity to grab free books on their commute!
- Why book lovers don’t read all the books they already own.
- A look at why we don’t see many memoirs written by Indian women.
Level Up (Library Reads)
Do you take part in LibraryReads, the monthly list of best books selected by librarians only? We’ve made it easy for you to find eligible diverse titles to nominate. Kelly Jensen created a database of upcoming diverse books that anyone can edit, and Nora Rawlins of Early Word is doing the same, as well as including information about series, vendors, and publisher buzz.
Thanks for hanging, and I’ll see you next week!
–Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter. Currently reading Theme Music by T. Marie Vandelly.