Welcome to Check Your Shelf. It hit over 70 degrees this weekend, and I had the biggest impulse to lay out on the sidewalk like a lizard. I managed to refrain, but the more warm days we have, the crankier I get when it drops below 50 degrees. I really shouldn’t complain — Chicago has had a very mild winter with minimal snow — but spring is so close I can almost taste it!
Want to make your book club the best club? Sign up for our In the Club newsletter. In the Club will deliver recommendations for the best books to discuss in your book clubs. From buzzy new releases to brilliant throwbacks, the books highlighted in this newsletter will drive your book club discussions. We’ll also share some book club-friendly recipes and interesting bookish updates from all over. If you become a paid subscriber, you get even more recommendations, plus community features. In other words, we’ll keep you well-met, well-read, and well-fed. Sign up today!
Collection Development Corner
Publishing News
If you’re buying the Kara Swisher book on Amazon, make sure it’s not an AI-generated knockoff.
Author David Goggins is suing Amazon for allegedly selling fake copies of his book Can’t Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds.
Related: how to spot AI-generated books online.
Generative AI is challenging a 234-year-old censorship law.
AI is in the midst of a fever dream, and it’s only getting worse.
Fake books are a problem, but a solution may be near.
A prediction of 2024 publishing trends.
The new Lee & Low Diversity Baseline Survey has been released.
Atria has launched a new bilingual imprint dedicated to publishing Latinx/Latine authors in English and Spanish.
New & Upcoming Titles
Jesmyn Ward just signed a three-book deal with Scribner.
Sally Rooney has a new novel coming in September.
Tori Eldridge is publishing a new thriller series that starts with Kuleana.
Alex Van Halen is publishing a book about his brother, Eddie Van Halen.
Here’s an excerpt from Chloe Gong’s upcoming novel, Vilest Things.
And here’s an excerpt from Rebecca Serle’s next novel, Expiration Dates.
The best food books to read this spring.
7 debuts by female authors to read in 2024.
4 new highly anticipated sophomore novels.
4 new books about trailblazing women.
The 8 best romance novels of Winter 2024.
Weekly book picks from Crime Reads, LitHub, New York Times.
March picks from Barnes & Noble, Epic Reads, Kirkus, LA Times, LitHub (SFF), New York Times, Reactor (indie SFF/H), Washington Post.
What Your Patrons Are Hearing About
Wandering Stars – Tommy Orange (Datebook, Esquire, LA Times, New York Times, NPR)
Burn Book: A Tech Love Story – Kara Swisher (Atlantic, New York Times, Seattle Times, Washington Post)
RA/Genre Resources
The essential James Baldwin.
Sarah J. Maas gets another profile.
Where do people hear about books?
What to read next: Louisa May Alcott edition.
On the Riot
The best book club picks for March.
The best weekly releases to TBR.
March picks for mysteries/thrillers, SFF.
Audiophilia
Spotify has launched a $9.99 audiobook-only subscription tier.
The best audiobooks of February 2024.
13 magical fantasy audiobooks.
Book Lists, Book Lists, Book Lists
Children/Teens
14 absolutely perfect YA series finales.
Adults
5 of the best books to understand the Israel-Palestine conflict.
7 books about the stigma of menstruation.
10 books about boxing.
Big books for big reading goals.
On the Riot
Books about creating, maintaining, and leveling up your friendships.
Best-selling books released during leap years.
8 historical mysteries set outside the US.
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 Edelweiss has a new catalog dedicated to diverse titles, which is managed by Early Word Galley Chatter Vicki Nesting. Check it out!
I can’t with this cat. Dini has been relentlessly needy and cuddly all week, and if I’m doing something else while he’s snuggled up next to me, he keeps looking back at me to make sure I’m paying attention. “See, Mama?? I’m cute!!”
All right, friends. Less than one week till Daylight Savings Time and it stays lighter for longer! I’ll check in again on Friday.
—Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter.