Sponsored by Baen Books.
Something has been discovered on the Moon but the Lunar Mining Colony that might have great scientific and economic importance. But there is a problem with security capabilities. Nobody considered that an occasion would arise creating a need to defend the colony from Earth! But that day has come. The Lunar colonists perceive this discovery as their own. But the governments of the Earth don’t aagree with the Lunarian’s philosophy. As far as the Earth is concerned, they paid for everything on the Moon, so it belongs to them. There is only one solution: Battle Luna!
Welcome to Check Your Shelf. Another week in the books – I hope everyone gets a chance to enjoy the weekend.
Libraries & Librarians
News Updates
- The Internet Archive has shuttered the National Emergency Library, in response to a publisher lawsuit.
- ABC News puts a spotlight on libraries’ responses to COVID-19.
- YALSA’s 2020 YA Services Symposium will be held virtually.
- The ALA Book Award Celebration will be held on YouTube on June 28th.
- Publishers Weekly is launching a newsletter for teachers and school librarians.
- The Eckhart Public Library (IN) faces controversy after removing a Pride Month display.
- Louisiana State University is renaming its library, which was originally named after a former school president who advocated for segregation.
Cool Library Updates
- How the Nashville Public Library shifted their summer activities online.
- Kids and teens can get free eye exams and glasses at Gwinnett libraries in Georgia.
- Summer reading assignments delivered by library drones!
- Kansas City area libraries are working to get anti-racist books in the hands of readers.
- The National Library of Israel will digitize 2500 rare Islamic manuscripts.
Worth Reading
- Prioritizing staff mental health when figuring out reopening plans.
- Security experts on how to reopen libraries safely.
- Many libraries are having to figure out their reopening plans on their own.
- Can libraries be reinvented in the COVID age?
- Libraries are dealing with a new demand for books and services during the pandemic.
- How to tackle library signage in a pandemic.
Book Adaptations in the News
- Gabrielle Union’s production company options the memoir All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson for TV.
- Hulu is adapting The Other Typist by Suzanne Rindell, with Kiera Knightley starring and executive producing.
- Jessica Chastain options Alice Feeney’s His and Hers for TV.
- Horrorstor by Grady Hendrix and Devolution by Max Brooks are getting film adaptations.
- NBC cancels its Lincoln Rhyme series.
- Here’s the trailer for You Should Have Left, which is based on the novella by Daniel Kehlmann.
Books & Authors in the News
- Book Riot has announced that in light of J.K. Rowling’s transphobic statements, we will no longer be covering her or any of her products or series.
- The Trump administration sues to block the publication of John Bolton’s forthcoming book.
- Harlem mystery author Grace Edwards has died at age 87.
- Kristen Bell faces criticism over her upcoming picture book The World Needs More Purple People.
Numbers & Trends
- For the first time ever (seriously??), two Black British women top both both the fiction and nonfiction charts in the UK: Bernardine Evaristo’s Girl, Woman, Other and Reni Eddo-Lodge’s Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race.
- This Black bookstore owner is selling out of books for the first time in 30 years.
Award News
- More than half of the National Book Critic’s Circle members have resigned following the publication of an internal email written by one of its members, who disagreed with certain statements made by the board in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.
- The Oscars have been postponed until April 25, 2021. Other award ceremonies are likely to shift as well.
- English PEN Translate Awards were announced.
Pop Cultured
- The opening date for the new James Bond movie No Time To Die is set for November 20th.
- Wonder Woman: 1984 and Godilla vs. Kong have been postponed again.
Bookish Curiosities & Miscellaneous
- Merriam-Webster officially moves to update its definition of racism.
On the Riot
- 8 picture books written by librarians.
- How to find adult summer reading challenges in 2020.
- How to organize your bookshelves.
Take a breath and take care of yourselves. And if you have pets at home, give them as many snuggles as they’ll allow. (Spoken by the owner of a sick kitty.)
—Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter.