Welcome to Check Your Shelf. Over the weekend, my husband and I got to partake in a new tradition with his parents known as Vinyl Night. They invite people over for dinner and drinks, everyone brings a few favorite records, and we each pick a side to play. It was a really chill evening, and a lot of fun if you have family or friends who are into vinyl! We had Ray Charles, Pink Floyd, Fleetwood Mac, Tom Petty, the Isley Brothers, and the Foo Fighters going that night, and we’re already strategizing about which vinyl we want to bring next time!
Now to bring it back to books, make sure to check out Book Riot’s New Release Index, which has been keeping velocireaders in the know about all the latest books since 2017! Subscribe today!
Collection Development Corner
Publishing News
Authors and booksellers urge the Justice Department to investigate Amazon’s domination of the book market.
Fiction authors fear the rise of AI, but also see it as a story to tell. Novelists also remain fascinated by the pandemic, unsurprisingly.
Publishing scammers are using AI to scale their grifts.
A discussion of abridged books.
New & Upcoming Titles
Stephen King says he may continue the Talisman series following the death of his co-author Peter Straub.
Tana French answers questions about her next book, The Hunter.
Kate DiCamillo reveals the cover of her upcoming middle grade novel, Ferris.
Emily Henry has the cover reveal for her upcoming book, Funny Story.
Kellye Garrett has the cover reveal for her upcoming thriller, Missing White Woman.
Another cover reveal! This time for Abby Jimenez’s Just For the Summer.
Copies of the published Oppenheimer screenplay are selling out on Amazon.
Here’s a first look at Karan Feder’s upcoming book, Barbie Takes the Catwalk: A Style Icon’s History in Fashion.
150 of the most anticipated books for fall.
Weekly picks from Crime Reads, LitHub, New York Times, USA Today.
August picks from Crime Reads (international crime fiction).
What Your Patrons Are Hearing About
Wifedom: Mrs. Orwell’s Invisible Life – Anna Funder (Guardian, Washington Post)
The Invisible Hour – Alice Hoffman (Shondaland, Washington Post)
Thin Skin: Essays – Jenn Shapland (LA Times, Shondaland)
The Fraud – Zadie Smith (Guardian, Vogue)
Learned by Heart – Emma Donoghue (Washington Post)
Necessary Trouble: Growing Up at Midcentury – Drew Gilpin Faust (New York Times)
Evergreen – Naomi Hirahara (NPR)
RA/Genre Resources
How women authors are redefining the hip-hop books canon.
Influencer noir and the dark side of fame.
The essential Ursula K. Le Guin.
On the Riot
New summer releases for Women in Translation Month.
Goodreads users’ most anticipated books for fall.
12 queer books from the first half of 2023 you may have missed.
The best new weekly releases to TBR.
How accurate is climate fiction?
All Things Comics
Aubrey Plaza may be playing the role of Kathryn Hahn’s ex in Agatha: Coven of Chaos. (And my husband’s interest in the show just suddenly rose!)
A look at the spike in video game/graphic novel tie-ins.
Why Marjane Satrapi is done with comics, but never with art or the revolution.
On the Riot
Middle grade graphic novels that dive deep.
Join Rebecca & Jeff in the First Edition podcast to consider the 10 finalists for the “It Book” of August and pick a winner.
Audiophilia
A new role for Werner Herzog: the voice of AI poetry.
AI is coming for your audiobooks. You’re right to be worried.
3 gritty new crime fiction audiobooks.
16 mystery audiobook listens for every mystery lover.
Book Lists, Book Lists, Book Lists
Children/Teens
Spanish and bilingual board books.
Adults
10 books about the search for truth.
5 mysteries for performing arts lovers.
27 of the best beach reads.
Picks for Women in Translation Month.
10 novels about mad scientists.
5 fascinating retellings of Norse mythology.
7 books about how marriage really works.
8 unforgettable books about missing persons.
The best books to help you find work-life balance.
Feel-good readalikes for fans of Red, White, and Royal Blue.
A reading list to prepare you for the alien invasion.
20 books like The Only Murders in the Building.
6 lovely books recommended by Emily Henry.
On the Riot
The 20 most influential picture books of all time.
9 of the most unique magic systems in YA fantasy.
20 must-read books about books.
8 nonfiction books about feelings and emotions to help you process.
Books where ghosts help solve a mystery.
Sci-fi books about a dying Earth.
Feminist sci-fi dystopian novels.
20th century books and movies retold.
4 books per season for all you seasonal readers out there.
A year of books: one book for each month.
8 psychopomps across mythology and literature. (You’ll have to click on the link to find out what a “psychopomp” is.)
8 queer baking and cooking romance novels for foodies.
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 that includes information about series, vendors, and publisher buzz.
Gilbert is either the sassiest sleeping cat I’ve ever seen, or he’s just DONE with the week. Either way, I’m feeling it.
Well, that’s it for me. Back again on Friday!
—Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter.