Sponsored by We Are Water Protectors written by Carole Lindstrom, illustrated by Michaela Goade
Inspired by Indigenous-led movements, this lyrical picture book is an urgent rallying cry to safeguard the Earth’s water from harm and corruption.
Welcome to Check Your Shelf. How the heck did we get through April so fast when March was a thousand years long?
Collection Development Corner
Publishing News
- How Bookshop.org has helped indie bookstores take a slice out of Amazon.
- Kensington Publishing is increasing the size of its mass market paperbacks in an effort to increase sales.
- Lambda Literary has put out an urgent call for donations.
New & Upcoming Titles
- Becky Albertalli has a Simonverse novella coming out on June 30th.
- Update on the tell-all book from Michael Cohen, which has yet to be sold to a publisher.
- New & upcoming books from Asian and Asian American authors.
- International crime novels, debut crime titles, and true crime titles for April.
- 11 books to watch for in May.
- 17 most-anticipated YA books to read in May.
- 22 best books to read this summer.
What Your Patrons Are Hearing About
- How to Pronounce Knife: Stories – Souvankham Thammavongsa (New York, Washington Post)
- The Knockout Queen – Rufi Thorpe (Entertainment Weekly, LA Times)
- If I Had Your Face – Frances Cha (Washington Post)
- The Book of Longings – Sue Monk Kidd (Washington Post)
- Coyotes of Carthage – Steven Wright (Washington Post)
On the Riot
- How to make impactful purchases at your indie bookstore.
- The best places to find book recommendations on Reddit.
- An in-depth look at the enemies-to-lovers romance trope.
- A brief tour into the world of cozy mystery authors.
All Things Comics
- Due to the coronavirus, San Diego Comic-Con has been cancelled for the first time in 50 years.
- Sony is developing a film based on the One Punch Man series.
- 8 comics about being stuck inside.
On the Riot
- 20 of the best graphic novels for teens.
- Get up to speed with this guide to the X-Men characters.
Audiophilia
- The founder of Audible donated $1 million to launch a new meal delivery service in his hometown of Newark, NJ.
On the Riot
- 5 audiobook memoirs & essay collections written by bi+ women of color.
- New poetry audiobooks to listen to for National Poetry Month.
- How audiobooks helped this reader feel less lonely as a new parent.
Book Lists, Book Lists, Book Lists
Children/Teens
- Green books for eco-minded kids and parents.
- 38 YA fantasy worlds to disappear into.
Adults
- Books with happy endings.
- 15 best mystery novels for any mood.
- 27 debut authors to read in quarantine.
- 7 books about living paycheck to paycheck.
- 21 great books from small presses.
- 6 books about women athletes.
- 10 memoirs to keep you company in isolation.
- 24 feminist books to read after watching Mrs. America.
- Required reading list for National Poetry Month.
- 36 great books you may not be aware of.
- 8 novels to make you question reality.
On the Riot
- 7 books for curious kids.
- 12 picture books for Earth Day.
- 8 picture books about nature.
- Picture books about changing seasons.
- Middle grade books that help kids unpack complex conversations.
- 15 of the best nonfiction books for middle graders.
- YA earworm titles to get stuck in your head.
- 6 of the best medieval YA titles.
- Funny self-help books.
- 10 cat behavior books if you’re having trouble adjusting to your new WFH coworkers.
- 5 quarantine reads to keep your inner activist alive.
- Parenting books to help you get through the pandemic.
- 8 awesome short story collections.
- 9 nonfiction books about nature and climate change.
- 5 nonfiction books that challenge COVID-19-inspired racism.
- 10 medieval and medieval-ish mystery novels.
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.
Virtual hugs. Stay safe, healthy, and relatively sane.
—Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter. Currently re-reading The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton.