Sponsored by Oni-Lion Forge Publishing Group
Long ago, sprites were the caretakers of gardens. Every flower was grown by their hand. But when humans appeared and began growing their own gardens, the sprites’ magical talents became a thing of the past. When Wisteria, an ambitious, kind-hearted sprite begins to unearth her long-lost talent of gardening, she’ll find her newly honed skills might not be the welcome surprise she intends them to be. Bursting with whimsical art and vibrant characters, Joe Whitt and Rii Abrego’s debut graphic novel, The Sprite and the Gardener, is a beautiful, gentle fantasy about blossoming gardens and budding friendships.
Welcome to Check Your Shelf. The last 14 months of difficult work setups at home have finally caught up to me in the form of a pinched nerve in my shoulder. OW. On the plus side, I get out of garbage duties for a few days at home. (Don’t tell my husband I’m secretly a little glad about this!)
Libraries & Librarians
News Updates
Here is a list of the NYC libraries reopening on May 10th for in-person browsing and services.
Did you see this? The San Francisco Public Library reopened for in-house use, and the staff gave the patrons a standing ovation as they entered the building! *sniff* Who’s cutting onions in here?
Remembering Kathie Coblentz, the NYPL’s third-longest serving employee, who died at 73.
Cool Library Updates
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library opens little libraries in 11 Charlotte, NC locations.
The Niagra Falls Public Library offers fishing equipment to check out through its TackleShare program.
Worth Reading
Gaining patron cooperation on mask wearing.
The library employment landscape.
Vintage supplies that kept libraries running.
Book Adaptations in the News
Amazon snagged rights to Akwaeke Emezi’s upcoming novel, You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty.
Julia Roberts and Reese Witherspoon are adapting Laura Dave’s The Last Thing He Told Me.
Florence Pugh is starring in the adaptation of Emma Donoghue’s The Wonder.
In another Florence update, Florence Welch will be scoring the upcoming Broadway musical production of The Great Gatsby, along with Thomas Bartlett.
Gal Gadot is starring in and producing an adaptation of Meet Me in Another Life by Catriona Silvey.
Don Winslow’s debut novel, A Cool Breeze on the Underground, has been optioned for a limited series.
The cast for Amazon’s Paper Girls series has been set.
Casting updates for The Summer I Turned Pretty, and The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey.
Here’s the trailer for the Netflix adaptation of Jeff Lemire’s Sweet Tooth graphic novel series.
First teaser trailer for the Dexter revival series.
10 greatest movies adapted from crime novels.
Books & Authors in the News
Arundhati Roy speaks out on India’s COVID catastrophe.
Celebrate your bookish pride with the Pride Book Fest making its virtual debut this June.
Numbers & Trends
Data shows that children read more challenging books during lockdown.
Award News
The Edgar Award winners have been announced!
Barnes & Noble announces the winners of its inaugural Children’s and YA Book Awards.
Here are the Top 10 finalists for each category in the Locus Awards.
The shortlist for the Women’s Prize for Fiction has been announced.
The shortlist for the 2021 Ignyte Awards has also been announced.
Bookish Curiosities & Miscellaneous
Libro.fm has a bookstore map that allows you to find AAPI, Black, Disabled, Indigenous, Latinx, LGBTQ+, and/or women-owned bookstores!
On the Riot
10 famous libraries from movies and TV.
Check out this list of the top streaming movies and shows based on children’s books.
What’s the best way to teach reading?
How to start reading again after grad school.
Well, that’s it for me. I’m off to rest my poor miserable shoulder this weekend. Catch you on the flip side!
—Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter. Currently listening to Let’s Pretend This Never Happened: A Mostly True Memoir by Jenny Lawson.