Sponsored by Monkfish Publishing
An indispensable guide for anyone who desires meaningful experiences without having to commit exclusively to one path or having to fear they might be “doing it wrong.” Award-winning author Sarah Bowen is a voracious bookworm, an unrelenting researcher, and a passionate lover of pop culture. As a result, Spiritual Rebel is an overflowing treasure trove of modern practices and resources to inspire the Force within you by whatever name you call it. As seen in Spirituality & Health Magazine’s “100 Books We Love”
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
- Remember that Florida county that refused to purchase a New York Times subscription for its library? They’re now seeing a decrease in tourism, as visitors are canceling trips to the area in protest of the decision.
- “I’m 100 percent sure a man designed this:” The newly designed fine arts library at Cornell University features a grated floor that allows book browsers to get a glimpse up the skirts of anyone standing above them.
- A library employee in charge of payroll embezzled more than $260,000 from a Nassau County (NY) library over the course of 6 years by adding money to her paycheck as “other compensation.” Seriously, no one noticed she was doing this??
- Vintage books were discovered inside the walls of a flooded Utah library.
- The Coeur d’Alene Library has seen an increase in cash and donated materials ever since library employees reported that an unknown patron had been hiding books in the collection that were critical of Trump. One of these donations included a giant version of one of Stephen Colbert’s books, donated by Colbert himself!
Cool Library Updates
- Campbell County (KY) Public Library branches created an enormously successful campaign to collect new children’s underwear to support families in need. (Even cooler, Dav Pilkey, author of Captain Underpants, has helped the cause as well!)
- The Santa Clarita (CA) Library launches a new program, Yawáyro: Indigenous Awareness and Literacy Development, to introduce Native American heritage and culture into its children’s literature and programming.
- A look at the Athens-Limestone (AL) Public Library’s Spectrum Storytime, which is designed to reach children with autism.
Worth Reading
- Librarian Jessamyn West explains why she doesn’t think the Macmillan embargo will work out well.
- ALA’s Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Round Table curated a list of resources on creating a safe space for transgender patrons and staff.
- Nontraditional approaches to reaching local leaders.
- Nathan W. Pyle posted a fantastic new comic in support of libraries!
Book Adaptations in the News
- Sarah Michelle Gellar is starring in the adaptation of Sometimes I Lie by Alice Feeney.
- A first look at the Jordan Peele-produced HBO show, Lovecraft Country.
- HBO Max is adapting the Point Horror books by R.L. Stine.
- Season 2 of You will air on Netflix starting December 26th.
- Amazon officially ordered Season 2 of its Lord of the Rings series, even though Season 1 won’t premiere until 2021.
- Robyn Carr’s novel, Virgin River, is being adapted by Netflix.
- Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson sold screen rights.
- Riley Keough, aka Elvis’ granddaughter, will play Daisy Jones in the Amazon adaptation of Daisy Jones and the Six.
- BBC America announces casting news for The Watch, which was inspired by Terry Pratchett’s Discworld novels.
- Trailers for Dare Me by Megan Abbott and Season 5 of The Magicians.
- Quantum Spy by David Ignatius is headed to NBC.
- Lincoln, the adaptation of Jeffrey Deaver’s Lincoln Rhyme series, gets a new title.
Books & Authors in the News
- Sarah Dessen’s been in the news after posting about seemingly negative comments made by a recent college graduate about her books, which brought about a Twitter-storm of anger from Dessen fans and fellow authors, as well as an apology from the woman’s alma mater. However, it appears that the quote was taken out of context, and authors are now backtracking and apologizing for contributing to the mob mentality that went after this woman.
- Wheaton Warrenville (IL) District 200 abruptly canceled a visit by author Robin Stevenson, due to “gender identity” issues in her book Kid Activists: True Tales of Childhood from Champions of Change.
- A West Virginia library removed the children’s book Prince and Knight by Daniel Haack because of homophobic protesters.
- James Patterson is receiving a National Humanities Medal at the White House to celebrate his literary achievements
Numbers & Trends
- Hachette says that A Warning by Anonymous has garnered more preorders than any other nonfiction book at any imprint in Hachette’s entire history.
- A look at the recent board books boom.
Award News
- The National Book Awards have been announced!
- Finalists for the Barnes & Noble book of the year.
- The longlist for the Dublin Literary Award.
- Ian Williams won the 2019 Giller Prize for his debut novel, Reproduction.
- From The Intercept: “Peter Handke won the Nobel Prize after two jurors fell for a conspiracy theory about the Bosnia War”
Pop Cultured
- 50 best things to watch on Disney+.
- Netflix renews The Witcher for a second season.
- Trailer for the new Spongebob movie.
- Author & creator of Fargo, Noah Hawley, is slated to direct the next Star Trek film.
Bookish Curiosities & Miscellaneous
- A look at an in-progress documentary about the power of children’s picture books.
- Dame Judy Dench asks the public to help purchase a rare Charlotte Bronte manuscript that’s about to be auctioned.
- The smell of old books could help preserve them.
- The power of diverse books.
On the Riot
- 7 ways libraries are combating the opioid crisis.
- The life cycle of a library book.
- 7 tips for finishing very long books.
- 5 hacks for becoming a morning reader.
- Why this reader always reads the acknowledgements.
- 50+ magical Harry Potter DIY crafts for your next program.
Thanks for hanging! See everyone on Tuesday!
–Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter. Currently reading The Gone Dead by Chanelle Benz.