Welcome to Check Your Shelf. Another weekend gone and another weekend spent doing literally nothing around the apartment. The shower is dirty, the clothes are unwashed, and the carpet is unvacuumed. Hmph.
Attention librarians, booksellers, and book nerds! You can apply to become a Bibliologist for Tailored Book Recommendations and get paid for your bookish knowledge! TBR is a subscription-based book recommendation service where customers receive three hand-picked recommendations per quarter that are tailored to their specific reading likes and dislikes. Of special interest: bibliologists who can recommend across a variety of genres. Click here to read more and fill out an application.
Collection Development Corner
Publishing News
Denver’s Tattered Cover bookstore has been sold to Barnes & Noble.
Macmillan is launching a new imprint that will focus on “new adult” fiction.
An unhinged history of American publishing: HarperCollins.
Why are fashion brands leaning into the literary world?
A leaked document shows that Amazon’s book business is booming.
Has the DEI backlash come for publishing?
My Kindle thinks I’m stupid now: a journey into Kindle AI slop hell.
A deeper dive into the tech company that’s creating AI reading companions based on famous authors.
How to fix “AI’s original sin.”
The Encyclopedia Project, or how to know in the age of AI.
Can AI think creatively? Can we?
New & Upcoming Titles
Here is Publishers Weekly’s Adult Fall preview, although a reminder that you’ll only be able to view it if a) you haven’t used up your monthly allotment of free articles or b) you pay for a subscription.
Carol Moseley Braun, the first Black woman to be elected to the US Senate, is writing a memoir in 2025.
Goldie Hawn is co-writing a middle grade series with Lin Oliver.
Jennifer Aniston is writing a picture book.
Here’s the cover reveal for Sophie Kinsella’s latest novel, What Does it Feel Like, along with a brief update on the author since her cancer diagnosis.
Here’s the creepy cover reveal for Clay McLeod Chapman’s Wake Up and Open Your Eyes.
Summer reading picks from New York Times, PBS (list 1, list 2).
Best books of 2024 (so far) from CBS, NPR (fiction, nonfiction).
Weekly picks from Crime Reads, LitHub, New York Times.
June picks from People.
July picks from Barnes & Noble (adults, teens, children).
What Your Patrons Are Hearing About
Swan Song – Elin Hilderbrand (Elle, People)
I’m Mostly Here To Enjoy Myself: One Woman’s Pursuit of Pleasure in Paris – Glynnis MacNicol (New York Times, Washington Post)
Sandwich – Catherine Newman (New York Times, NPR)
Little Rot – Akwaeke Emezi (New York Times)
On the Riot
5 new picture books set at Pride parades.
8 great new Pride reads for 2024.
15 of the best LGBTQ beach reads of 2024.
The best queer books of 2024, so far.
The best new weekly releases, and the best new weekly LGBTQ releases to TBR.
Wicked women, magical realism, and more picks for your book club.
All Things Comics
Adult Swim is adapting Anthony Bourdain’s graphic novel series, Get Jiro!
Audiophilia
Libro.fm is celebrating its 10th anniversary this month!
Music publishers file an FTC complaint against Spotify for “fraudulent” practices.
Amazon is accused of an audiobook monopoly in an author class action lawsuit.
John Mulaney is narrating the audiobook version of Glory Days by Simon Rich. (Rich is a former SNL writer.)
Discover exceptional audiobooks with these Earphones Award winners.
On the Riot
Audible’s top audiobooks of 2024, so far.
Libro.fm’s best-selling audiobooks of all time.
10 excellent Black historical audiobooks.
Book Lists, Book Lists, Book Lists
Children/Teens
Board books about big feelings.
Adults
10 banned books by LGBTQ+ authors you don’t want to miss.
8 books recommended by romance author Alexis Hall.
7 funny essay collections by and about millennial women.
5 of the best books about math.
Mystery authors recommend their summer picks.
11 page-turning fiction picks.
25 gay romance books you’ll totally love.
15 delightful romances recommended by Christina Lauren.
8 assassin stories to read right now.
On the Riot
8 celebrity picture books worth reading.
The new bounty of fat kids in picture books.
The spiciest books on BookTok in 2024, according to readers.
72 of the best horror books, according to horror authors.
Books set at Pride celebrations.
9 unputdownable books that will grip you until the last page.
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!
Is Jonesy giving Dini kisses or is he putting Dini in a headlock? Who knows??
That’s all I have for today. Back on Friday!
—Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter.