Welcome to Check Your Shelf. I did an early Christmas with my immediate family, and I ended up dropping an accidental book recommendation (The Hunger by Alma Katsu) to my mom and my sister, neither of whom read horror. But when I casually mentioned a book “about something supernatural stalking the Donner Party,” both of them went, “Wait, what??” So that was a fun little gift I got to give! And maybe a gift I can give to some of you too…read the book, it’s awesome!
Are you looking for the perfect gift for that bookish special someone in your life this holiday season? Tailored Book Recommendations is here to help! Here at TBR, we pair our customers with a professional book nerd (aka bibliologist) who just gets them. They fill out a survey and then sit back and relax as we pick books just for them. We’ve got three levels — recs-only, paperback, and hardcover — and you can gift a full year or one time, so there are options for every budget! Get all the details at mybtro.com/gift.
Collection Development Corner
Publishing News
A roundup of the biggest book and publishing news stories from 2023.
A new group of authors allege that Meta used copyrighted books for AI training, despite its own lawyers’ warnings.
James Patterson has awarded $500 holiday bonuses to 600 indie bookstore employees across the country.
New & Upcoming Titles
Tiffany Haddish has a new “tell-all” book coming in 2024.
Jeffrey Deaver is coming out with a new series in 2024.
Olivia Dade has a new paranormal rom-com coming out in 2024, ZomRomCom, which is described as The Last of Us meets My Roommate is a Vampire.
Sophie Hannah has been tapped to write the next Hercule Poirot novel.
Best books of 2023 from Autostraddle, CBC (fiction, nonfiction), Crime Reads (debut novels, espionage), Esquire (horror), Kirkus (YA), New York Times (cookbooks), Time (fiction, nonfiction), Tor.com, Vanity Fair, Washington Post (staff picks).
Weekly picks from LitHub, New York Times.
December picks from People.
What Your Patrons Are Hearing About
Alice Sadie Celine – Sarah Blakely-Cartwright (Star Tribune)
How to Be a Renaissance Woman: The Untold History of Beauty and Female Creativity – Jill Burke (Washington Post)
Oath and Honor: A Memoir and a Warning – Liz Cheney (Washington Post)
Airplane Mode: An Irreverent History of Travel – Shahnaz Habib (New York Times)
Prophet Song – Paul Lynch (NPR)
Let Us Descend – Jesmyn Ward (Guardian)
RA/Genre Resources
Amazon is rolling out a new feature that puts every book you’ve ever purchased on the site — whether it’s digital, physical, or audiobook — into a single searchable hub, which will also provide you with personalized recommendations.
Where to start with David Drake.
What makes a novel unique: on retellings and plagiarism.
A renaissance of gay literature marks a turning point for publishing.
On the Riot
It’s Book Riot’s Read Harder 2024 challenge!
36 exciting new book releases for 2024.
The best self-help books of 2024.
The best microhistories of 2023.
The best cute romances of 2023.
The best new weekly releases to TBR.
Where to start with Tracey Livesay.
A case for all points of view.
Tips and tricks for doing a reading year-in-review.
What murder mysteries get wrong about gardens and poisonous plants.
All Things Comics
Twenty years after its publication, Joe Sacco’s graphic nonfiction book Palestine, has been rushed back into print due to demand.
Audiophilia
The final report for the 2023 Audiobook Survey from Library Journal, School Library Journal, and the Audio Publishers Association.
Remember what Spotify did to the music industry? Books are next.
Book Lists, Book Lists, Book Lists
Children/Teens
The most anticipated 2024 releases for picture books, middle grade/chapter books, and YA books.
16 YA books with Black male protagonists.
Adults
27 of the best etiquette books to read.
15 high-flying fantasy novels with dragons.
7 books that will make you rethink your relationship to nature.
10 novels by BIPOC Norwegian writers.
A NYC reading list that captures the city’s many sides.
5 SFF books set in the American South.
6 novels to read if you love Hallmark holiday movies.
Cozy holiday rom-coms to warm your heart.
6 mystery novels where everyone’s a suspect.
What to read next: Japanese literature edition.
On the Riot
8 of the best winter romances.
20 must-read historical fiction books set in Korea.
8 awesome book recs for Totally Killer ’80s slasher film fans.
10 cozy sci-fi books to give you hope for the future.
Level Up (Library Reads)
Do you take part in Library Reads, 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 has a guide to discovering upcoming diverse books, and Nora Rawlins of Early Word has created a database of upcoming diverse titles to nominate as well that includes information about series, vendors, and publisher buzz.
Guest photo from my parents’ house, where Groucho is having fun with his first Christmas tree. We’ll see how long it stays standing…
All right, friends, I’ll see you on Friday.
—Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter.