Sponsored by Book Marks: A Reading Tracker
Meet your new reading buddy: an all-in-one spot to record everything and anything book related. Inspired by bullet journaling, Book Marks offers ideas for setting up a multitude of book tracking pages with a mix of fill-in prompts, charts, lists, and plenty of dot-grid pages to customize. To help expand your literary horizons, the journal also includes a section of recommended reading lists compiled by Book Riot. Use Book Marks to jot down what you’re currently reading, what’s on your nightstand, your favorite quotes, new vocabulary words, memorable characters, your reviews of recent reads, and more. A clever bonus: the back flap has a punch-out bookmark!
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).
Collection Development Corner
Publishing News
- The full RWA board has resigned and will hold a special election in March to fill the Board seats until August. Need a recap? Here’s an extremely detailed account of everything that’s happened with the RWA since December, broken down by date and supported with links to additional news items.
- The Coronavirus outbreak is impacting Chinese publishers, many of which are temporarily shuttered due to the outbreak. UK publishers are also being affected.
- Asian American writers are finally breaking out on their own terms.
- Updates and an amazing speaker list for the 2nd annual Antiracist Book Festival in Washington D.C.
- Amazon is quietly removing white nationalist books from its site.
New & Upcoming Titles
- Marilynne Robinson is publishing a new book in October.
- Naomi Novik is writing a new fantasy trilogy, which publisher Del Rey describes as a “twisted, super dark, super modern, female-led Harry Potter.” SIGN ME UP RIGHT NOW!
- V.E. Schwab’s new book The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue will be released in October.
- A preview of Jeff VanderMeer’s upcoming novel, A Peculiar Peril, which comes out in July.
- Jeff Kinney is expanding his Wimpy Kid universe with a fantasy adventure book, out in April.
- Epic Reads has a great Twitter thread of upcoming YA novels this fall. The covers alone are breathtaking.
- Upcoming true crime books to make 2020 your most paranoid year ever.
- February picks from Crime Reads (international crime, nonfiction, psychological thrillers), O: Oprah Magazine, Popsugar, and Town & Country.
What Your Patrons Are Hearing About
- Weather – Jenny Offill (Esquire, Guardian, NPR, Shondaland, USA Today, Vulture)
- The Regrets – Amy Bonnaffons (NPR, USA Today, Washington Post)
- The Mercies – Kiran Millwood Hargrave (New York Times, NPR, USA Today)
- Eden Mine – S.M. Hulse (LA Times, New York Times)
- Something That May Shock and Discredit You – Daniel Mallory Ortberg (currently Daniel M. Lavery) (LA Times, New York Times)
- And I Do Not Forgive You – Amber Sparks (NPR, Washington Post)
RA/Genre Resources
- Crime Writers of Color has a great list of black crime authors to read for Black History Month.
- Tor.com has a guide to the queer fantasy romance of K.J. Charles.
On the Riot
- 100 upcoming spring releases.
- How the New York Times Best Sellers List became the Big Deal (™) that it is today.
- Reading pathway for Courtney Milan.
All Things Comics
- A first look at The Batman and Robert Pattinson’s camera test.
- Read these comics if you loved Birds of Prey.
On the Riot
- 5 comics (almost) as good as Saga.
- Diverse Green Lanterns from DC Kids.
Audiophilia
- Colin Kaepernick launches a publishing house and lands a deal with Audible.
- 10 best audiobook apps for Android.
- 15 podcasts and audiobooks to improve your commute.
On the Riot
- 15 LGBTQ YA audiobooks to listen to in the first half of 2020.
- 20 must-read audiobooks narrated by black women.
- 15 of the best Audible Escape books.
- 8 great contemporary romance audiobooks.
- What are your audiobook quirks?
Book Lists, Book Lists, Book Lists
Children/Teens
- 5 books that teach your kids about amazing black women in history.
- 16 ice skating books for kids.
- 23 YA romance novels better than a candlelit dinner.
- 15 YA novels to read after watching To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You.
- 7 YA novels to read if you loved watching You on Netflix.
Adults
- 6 SFF books to read for Black Future Month.
- Books for people concerned about Coronavirus.
- 8 impactful books for Black History Month.
- 8 swoony fantasy romances.
- 13 celebrity memoirs to read after finishing Jessica Simpson’s Open Book.
- 10 books about black Appalachia.
On the Riot
- Picture books about parental love that even grumpy cynics will enjoy.
- 8 meta romance novels.
- What to read after Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine.
- Books that would make great video games.
- 3 underrated memoirs by black women that changed this reader’s life.
- 10 feminist historical fiction titles to add to your TBR.
- 4 awesome memoirs by Latinx authors.
- 23 books authors are reading on Instagram this winter.
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.
Keep your eyes on the (Friday) prize! Catch you later!
Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter. Currently reading The Good Nurse: A True Story of Medicine, Madness, and Murder by Charles Graeber.