Welcome to Check Your Shelf. I’m writing this newsletter before Memorial Day weekend, so I don’t know how everyone’s weekend was, or how my weekend was. I am, however, planning to contact my Senators to ask them how they spent their own Memorial Day recess, because it clearly was more important than the aftermath of the Uvalde shooting.
So. Books.
Collection Development Corner
Publishing News
People of Color in Publishing talk about burnout in the publishing industry.
New & Upcoming Titles
Model Paulina Porizkova is releasing an essay collection, out in November.
Lauren Graham has another essay collection coming out, although no release date has been announced yet.
Here’s the cover reveal for Ross Gay’s upcoming book, Inciting Joy.
Here’s a first look at TJ Klune’s upcoming novel, In the Lives of Puppets.
9 new romance novels for Spring.
Weekly picks from Crime Reads, The Millions, USA Today.
May’s best international crime fiction.
June picks from Barnes & Noble (adults, teens, kids), Kirkus.
Summer picks from Crime Reads, LA Times (thrillers), New York Times, NPR, PopSugar (romances, thrillers), Seattle Times, Time, USA Today.
What Your Patrons Are Hearing About
Either/Or – Elif Batuman (Electric Lit, Washington Post)
Mean Baby – Selma Blair (USA Today)
Sleepwalk – Dan Chaon (New York Times)
Forbidden City – Vanessa Hua (Washington Post)
The Latecomer – Jean Hanff Korelitz (New York Times)
Who Killed Jane Stanford: A Gilded Age Tale of Murder, Deceit, Spirits, and the Birth of a University – Richard White (LA Times)
City of Orange – David Yoon (USA Today)
RA/Genre Resources
What really distinguishes a crime novel.
On the Riot
The best books you’ve never heard of (Spring 2022).
The best new weekly releases to TBR.
How much do most-anticipated and best-of lists overlap?
Resisting the dead girl trope in YA mysteries and thrillers.
Reading pathway for Ruta Sepetys.
World War II, Asia, and historical fiction.
What readers should think about when they encounter the label AAPI.
All Things Comics
Here’s the first official trailer for Thor: Love and Thunder.
On the Riot
Silent and wordless graphic novels to render you speechless.
Audiophilia
Audible alternatives: the best audiobook apps of 2022.
Book Lists, Book Lists, Book Lists
Children/Teens
18 YA books about first-generation teens.
16 heartwrenching contemporary YA novels.
Adults
15 books that center queer joy.
10 Asian romance novels to fall in love with.
Jewish romance novels to celebrate Jewish Heritage Month.
What to read after finishing Conversations With Friends.
What to read when you finish watching Our Flag Means Death.
10 of the most apocalyptic novels.
Must-read classics and their retellings.
The best books for book lovers.
On the Riot
16 of the best children’s books about friendship.
8 nonfiction books about censorship.
Books to read for Jewish American Heritage Month.
10 beguiling books for fragrance lovers.
20 must-read road trip books.
Wedding books, from planning guides to romance novels.
10 massage therapy books for beginners to learn the craft.
9 books to read after Just Mercy.
Some of the best books about female friendship.
8 romance books set in the Jazz Age.
12 Emma retellings to read right now.
12 of the best sapphic romances.
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 Nora Rawlins of Early Word has created a database of upcoming diverse titles to nominate, as well as including information about series, vendors, and publisher buzz.
Dini’s not actually taking a selfie here, but I like to think he secretly stole my husband’s phone and took a photo of his gloriously fluffy tummy.
I hope everyone was able to recharge a bit over the weekend. Let’s gear up for another week.
—Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter.