Sponsored by Lerner Books
Petrograd, Russia: 1917. Seventeen-year-old Katya’s life has been turned upside-down by years of war with Germany. Russia is losing the war, and soldiers are deserting in droves. Working at a munitions factory seems like the most Katya can do to serve her country—until the government begins recruiting for an all-female army battalion. Inspired by her family’s history of military service, Katya enlists. As she endures the challenges of training, Katya finds a shared sense of purpose with the other women in her unit. But when the women’s battalion heads to the front, Katya confronts the horrifying realities of war and must decide what she truly stands for.
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
New & Upcoming Titles
- A first look at the upcoming Nancy Drew prequel novel, Nancy Drew: The Curse, based on the CW series.
- Entertainment Weekly, People, and Vulture all look at Jessica Simpson’s upcoming memoir.
- The Hunger Games prequel, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, appears to focus on a teenage President Snow, which a lot of fans aren’t thrilled about. You can read an excerpt here.
- Former Book Rioter Preeti Chhibber has written an adorable Star Wars picture book called A Jedi You Will Be.
- 10 best debut novelists of 2020.
What Your Patrons Are Hearing About
- American Dirt – Jeanine Cummins (Entertainment Weekly, LA Times, New York Times (here and here), Time)
- A Long Petal of the Sea – Isabel Allende (New York Times, USA Today, Washington Post)
- The Third Rainbow Girl: The Long Life of a Double Murder in Appalachia – Emma Copely Eisenberg (New York Times, NPR)
- Little Gods – Meng Jin (NPR, Washington Post)
On the Riot
- What is speculative fiction?
- How to find the right books for you. (And help your patrons find the right books for them!)
- The final folk of thrillers and horror.
- What all those dead girls say about us.
- A quick and dirty guide to essays.
All Things Comics
- Netflix is producing a Witcher anime film.
- To celebrate Nancy Drew’s 90th anniversary, Dynamite is publishing a comic that…murders Nancy Drew and has the Hardy Boys investigate her murder.
- 20 most-anticipated comics of 2020.
- 13 graphic novels feminists should read in 2020.
On the Riot
- Treat graphic novels like books in 2020 (because they ARE).
- 4 comic movies more deserving of an Oscar than Joker.
Audiophilia
- AudioFile’s best audiobooks of January.
On the Riot
- 5 queer audiobook memoirs read by their authors.
Book Lists, Book Lists, Book Lists
Children/Teens
- 11 picture books to help kids feel warm and cozy.
- 9 books to calm an anxious toddler.
- 7 great contemporary novels for teens.
- Fantasy & sci-fi books for trans kids and teens.
- 14 friends-to-lovers teen romances
Adults
- 10 western mysteries/thrillers
- 9 books to celebrate the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.
- 7 thrillers for domestic suspense lovers.
- 7 empowering books for female gamers.
- 19 books that people say have traumatized them.
On the Riot
- Children’s books for the Lunar New Year.
- 15 children’s books about butterflies.
- 5 YA sci-fi and fantasy novels that tackle climate change.
- YA books about fashion design.
- The beer lover’s big book list.
- 5 baking cookbooks by women of color.
- 20 Martin Luther King Jr. books.
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.
See you on Friday!
Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter.