Sponsored by The Dark Lord Clementine by Sarah Jean Horwitz, new from Algonquin Young Readers
As the only child of the infamous Dark Lord Elithor, twelve-year-old Clementine has been groomed since birth to be the best Evil Overlord she can be. But everything changes the day her father is cursed by a mysterious rival. Now, Clementine must not only search for a way to break the curse, but also take on the full responsibilities of the Dark Lord. As Clementine forms her first friendships and discovers more about her own magic, she starts to question everything she’s been taught. What if the Dark Lord Clementine doesn’t want to be dark after all?
Welcome to Check Your Shelf! This is your guide to help librarians like you up your game when it comes to doing your job (& rocking it).
Collection Development Corner
Publishing News
- The New York Times announces that it will resume publishing its Graphic Novel Bestseller List, which the paper originally dropped in 2017, as well as its Mass Market Paperback Bestseller List.
- The next big reading platform may be…Instagram?
- Entertainment company A24 launches its own book imprint, which will showcase “the singular vision and unbridled artistry” of films such as Ex Machina and The Witch.
New & Upcoming Titles
- A first look at the memoir, Know My Name, which was written by Chanel Miller, the woman who was sexually assaulted by Brock Turner and has now publicly come forward.
- Amazon Original Stories is publishing a new collection of short stories from Guillermo del Toro in 2021.
- There’s a sequel coming for Darius the Great is Not Okay, titled Darius the Great Deserves Better.
- Jenny Lawson (aka The Bloggess) has finished her next book, and I. Can’t. Wait.
- Best nonfiction for 2019.
- Must-read fall memoirs.
- 20 best debuts for the second half of 2019.
- 25 new LGBTQ+ books coming out Fall 2019.
- YA novels, graphic novels, and comics for Fall 2019.
- 50+ new thrillers you really need on your radar.
- Best debut, true crime, and international crime fiction for September.
- October book lists from the Chicago Tribune, New York Times, and Washington Post.
- New fantasy and sci-fi novels, plus YA SFF and genre-bending books for October 2019.
- Best mysteries for October.
- 21 YA novels for October.
What Your Patrons Are Hearing About
- Know My Name – Chanel Miller (CBS News, Elle, New York Times, NPR, People, Vogue, Washington Post)
- The Water Dancer – Ta-Nehisi Coates (Entertainment Weekly, LA Times, New York Times, NPR, Washington Post)
- The Future of Another Timeline – Annalee Newitz (NPR, Paste, San Francisco Chronicle)
- The Dutch House – Ann Patchett (New York Times, NPR, USA Today)
- Over the Top: A Raw Journey to Self-Love – Jonathan Van Ness (Entertainment Weekly, People, USA Today)
- The World That We Knew – Alice Hoffman (Entertainment Weekly, New York Times)
- Heaven, My Home – Attica Locke (NPR, Washington Post)
- Inside Out: A Memoir – Demi Moore (People, Vogue, Vanity Fair)
- The Shadow King – Maaza Mengiste (New York Times, NPR)
RA/Genre Resources
- Smart Bitches, Trashy Books has a new search feature that gives you a fun way to play with subgenres, themes, and archetypes. Check it out here!
- Authors & librarians on why schools and libraries need LGBTQ+ books.
All Things Comics
- Spiderman’s back in the MCU, apparently.
- DC Comics announces the Hill House Comics Line, which will be lead by Joe Hill and will feature a new work by Carmen Maria Machado.
- A new (free!) resource from the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund about banned, challenged, and controversial comics & graphic novels.
- Alison Bechdel and six other authors/artists will be inducted into the Comic Book Hall of Fame on October 4!
- Best comics & graphic novels for October.
- How to get out of a comics slump.
Audiophilia
- Publishers are suing Audible for its Captions program, and now the Authors Guild and the Association of Authors’ Representatives are supporting the lawsuit as well.
- A look at Reese Witherspoon’s first Audible Original: The Baddest Bitch in the Room by Sophia Chang.
- Meryl Streep is narrating a new audiobook production of Charlotte’s Web.
- Larry David is narrating the audio sequel to Go The F*ck to Sleep, which is fantastically called, F*ck, Now There Are Two of You!
Book Lists, Book Lists, Book Lists
Children/Teens
- 11 Rosh Hashanah books for children and babies.
- 50 must-read picture books that will transport you to another place.
- Sports-themed titles featuring girl athletes.
- 6 YA Latinx authors to read during Hispanic Heritage Month.
- 5 books about supernatural teens.
- 20 must-read YA novels by women of color.
Adults
- 100 best books of the 21st century.
- A reading pathway for Donna Tartt.
- 7 of the best books on sexual health.
- 13 books about immigration to read for Hispanic Heritage Month.
- 11 great books about rock and roll.
- Memoirs about surviving the horrors of war.
- Haunting ghost stories and 13 haunted house books that every horror fan needs to read.
- 10 standalone romance series you can read in any order.
- 15 readalikes for Sharp Objects.
- 5 books almost as weird as Gideon the Ninth.
- A guide to all those f*ing sweary self-help books.
- 5 books by queer Korean Americans.
- 6 forking great reads for your favorite characters in The Good Place.
Level Up (Library Reads)
Do you take part in LibraryReads, 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 created a database of upcoming diverse books that anyone can edit, and Nora Rawlins of Early Word is doing the same, as well as including information about series, vendors, and publisher buzz.
Thanks for hanging! See you on Friday!
–Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter.