Sponsored by Baen Books
In the smoking ruins of our world, will the struggle for yesterday’s technology spark tomorrow’s global war? Thirty years ago the world ended. Millions died but human ingenuity provided solutions. On the road of destiny, a young goat farmer is accompanied by a mystic warrior monk, a beautiful dragon tamer, a runaway cultist, and a mysterious drunken lecher— all in search of reclaiming humanity’s future. Each carries a single spark of hope. But is it enough to relight the beacons of freedom? A new postapocalyptic novel, from New York Times best-selling author John Ringo, Kacey Ezell, and Christopher L. Smith.
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).
Everyone finished digesting Thanksgiving leftovers? Let’s dive back in to libraries and books!
Collection Development Corner
Publishing News
- An update on the publishing battle against book tariffs.
- The heroines of America’s black press.
- The convoluted world of best-seller lists.
New & Upcoming Titles
- Nnedi Okorafor is publishing a middle grade novel in August 2020, called Ikenga.
- Oscar-winning screenwriter Charlie Kaufman is writing a novel, which has been in the works for almost eight years.
- Jill Filipovic will publish a book called OK Boomer: Let’s Talk: Dispatches From a Generational Divide.
- C.L. Polk’s third novel will be released in 2020.
- Best books to read this winter.
- The season’s most-anticipated YA novels.
- Most-anticipated SFF novels of 2020.
- New fantasy for December 2019.
Best Books of 2019
- Chicago Public Library
- Elle
- The Guardian
- New York Public Library
- New York Times
- Time (fiction & nonfiction)
- Best middle-grade and children’s/YA books of 2019.
- Best book covers of 2019.
Best Books of the Decade
- Rising stars of crime fiction in the 2010’s.
- Best novels of the decade (Buzzfeed, Entertainment Weekly)
- Best books of the 21st century from Powell’s and Vulture.
What Your Patrons Are Hearing About
- Labyrinth – Burhan Sönmez; transl. by Umit Hussein (New York Times, NPR)
- The Second Sleep – Robert Harris (New York Times, NPR)
- The Lying Lives of Adults – Elena Ferrante (Guardian)
- The Deep – Rivers Solomon (NPR)
RA/Genre Resources
- How translated fiction can open up the world.
On the Riot
- Great noir by female authors.
- A beginner’s guide to Chinese science fiction.
All Things Comics
- What does the future hold for the DC film universe?
- 25 best comics of the decade.
On the Riot
- 5 middle grade/YA comics with awesome adult characters.
Audiophilia
- 8 audiobook classics written & narrated by women.
- 5 small press audiobooks to give as gifts this year.
Book Lists, Book Lists, Book Lists
Children/Teens
- 7 kids books about eating too much.
- 16 YA novels with a shiny crown on the cover. (Display idea, anyone?)
- 16 YA novels about food.
Adults
- 15 books to read if you can’t get enough holiday cheer.
- 25 (more) crime books you can finish in an afternoon.
- 12 books to read if you enjoyed Knives Out.
- 20 standalone novels for anyone who doesn’t have time for a series.
- The 11 best cookbooks for eating your way around the world.
- 8 memoirs and biographies of iconic musicians.
On the Riot
- 9 solid YA fantasy novels from 2019.
- Reading pathway for Bernardine Evaristo.
- 6 dangerous books for Black Friday.
- 20 must-read short story collections by women in translation.
- 20 awesome 2019 titles for gifting.
- 9 new holiday romances.
- 20 personal development books for your best 2020.
- 20 must-read time travel books.
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! Friday is only a few days away!
–Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter. Currently reading Heaven, My Home by Attica Locke.