Welcome to Check Your Shelf. I had a fantastic weekend with friends, but my brain isn’t used to being social for two days in a row and I’m exhausted. Can I have a weekend to recover from the weekend?
Collection Development Corner
Publishing News
Romance Writers of America files for bankruptcy.
How a self-published book broke “all the rules” and became a best seller.
Why are debut novels failing to launch?
Are editors still literary tastemakers?
New & Upcoming Titles
Ta-Nehisi Coates is publishing his first nonfiction book in almost a decade!
Malcolm Gladwell has a new book coming out on October 1st that revisits The Tipping Point.
The best books of the year (so far) from New York Times.
Top celebrity memoirs of 2024.
New summer romances from your favorite authors.
June picks from Barnes & Noble, Kirkus.
Summer picks from NPR.
What Your Patrons Are Hearing About
The Road to the Country – Chigozie Obioma (Guardian, New York Times)
Parade – Rachel Cusk (Guardian)
My Favorite Thing is Monsters: Book Two – Emil Ferris (Guardian)
Undue Burden: Life and Death Decisions in Post-Roe America – Shefali Luthra (Washington Post)
This Strange, Eventful History – Claire Messud (Guardian)
You Are Here – David Nicholls (New York Times)
The Last Murder at the End of the World – Stuart Turton (NPR)
The Winner – Teddy Wayne (New York Times)
On the Riot
The hottest queer books of Summer 2024.
Is 2024 the year of queer polyamorous novels?
The best recent LGBTQ+ books to read, according to Goodreads.
10 steamy beach reads to take with you this summer.
The best book club books out in June.
The best weekly BIPOC and LGBTQ+ books.
The best new weekly releases to TBR.
All Things Comics
Alice Oseman shares an update on the final Heartstopper installment.
Comics are ready to get retro.
More books are being adapted into graphic novels. Here’s why that’s a good thing.
Reading through history: graphic novel edition.
On the Riot
Top 10 summer manga to pack in your beach bag.
What to read after you finish Lore Olympus.
Audiophilia
Audiobooks for long-haul listening.
Heart-pounding YA SFF audiobooks.
Book Lists, Book Lists, Book Lists
Children/Teens
12 picture books about body positivity.
7 YA mystery novels to keep you thinking long after you finish the last page.
Adults
7 Japanese murder mysteries to add to your reading list.
What to read while you wait for Sally Rooney’s Intermezzo.
On the Riot
8 YA books for fans of Greek mythology.
5 books to better understand queer and trans identities and issues.
120 book recommendations for every summer reading mood.
8 of the best sophomore novels.
The best sentient houses in literature.
8 spectacular backlist sci-fi and fantasy series worth reading.
8 of the best books about intergenerational friendships.
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!
Never a dull moment with these two knuckleheads. No cats were harmed while I stopped to take a bunch of photos.
Well, that’s all I have for today. See you on Friday!
—Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter.