Categories
Check Your Shelf

In Da Publishing Club

Welcome to Check Your Shelf. I’m still enjoying the wave of Cillian Murphy fandom after the Oscars, so I’m rewatching Red Eye and being transported back to high school, when I thought this movie was the pinnacle of cinematic achievement. Before Thomas Shelby, there was Jackson Rippner.

Collection Development Corner

Publishing News

“The gigification of publishing” — an analysis of Authors Equity’s publishing model.

Human translators are not convinced that AI will ever be able to adequately translate literature.

New & Upcoming Titles

50 Cent is publishing a financial heist novel, which is not a sentence I ever expected to write.

NFL coach Bill Belichick is reportedly shopping around a business book.

John Grisham is publishing his first nonfiction book in 18 years.

Jean Hanff Korelitz is publishing a sequel to The Plot, titled (fittingly) The Sequel.

Here’s a first look at Christine Blasey Ford’s new memoir, One Way Back.

Mary L. Trump has written a memoir about her late father, called Who Could Ever Love You?

Here’s an excerpt from Stephen Graham Jones’ final installment in the Indian Lake trilogy: The Angel of Indian Lake.

Cover reveal for Sum 41’s Deryck Whibley memoir, Walking Disaster.

6 recent and upcoming haunted house novels.

The best books of 2024 (so far).

The best & most anticipated mysteries and thrillers of 2024 from Elle and Goodreads.

Weekly book picks from Crime Reads, LitHub, New York Times.

April picks from Barnes & Noble (adults, teens, children).

What Your Patrons Are Hearing About

James – Percival Everett (Datebook, NPR, Vulture)

The Morningside – Téa Obreht (Entertainment Weekly, New York Times, Washington Post)

The Divorcées – Rowan Beaird (New York Times, Washington Post)

RA/Genre Resources

Talking Dune: books and movies.

Two decades in, Holly Black (the queen of faerie fantasy) is doing just fine.

On the Riot

The best new weekly releases to TBR.

What is fabulism?

The best recent mysteries for your book club.

Want to make your book club the best club? Sign up for our In the Club newsletter. In the Club will deliver recommendations for the best books to discuss in your book clubs. From buzzy new releases to brilliant throwbacks, the books highlighted in this newsletter will drive your book club discussions. We’ll also share some book club-friendly recipes and interesting bookish updates from all over. If you become a paid subscriber, you get even more recommendations, plus community features. In other words, we’ll keep you well-met, well-read, and well-fed. Sign up today!

All Things Comics

Everything you need to know about Heartstopper Season 3.

Audiophilia

Heyyyy! It’s my Read or Dead cohost, Kendra Winchester, featured on AudioFile’s Behind the Mic podcast!

Book Lists, Book Lists, Book Lists

Children/Teens

11 picture books about spring.

Libros en Español: authentic Spanish picture books.

YA reads trending on BookTok.

Adults

The 25 best historical fiction novels of all time.

29 of the most emotionally charged books ever, according to readers.

8 books featuring Colombian protagonists.

8 dark science mystery novels.

6 books to prepare you for April’s total solar eclipse.

8 great novels featuring time travel.

4 books to help you better understand modern China.

Nordic speculative fiction in 5 novels.

7 stories of robot-human relationships.

6 ghost stories from across Latin America.

5 of the best books about the Victorians.

16 monster romance books to make you gasp.

Romantic thrillers to keep you on the edge of your seat.

On the Riot

Taylor Swift lyrics as YA book titles.

9 of the best villains in literature.

The 10 best Hugo Award winners to check out.

8 of the most polarizing romance novels ever written.

10 mystery and crime novels featuring queer ladies.

8 nonfiction books that SFF fans will love.

Softer scares in these “light” horror novels.

Helpful books about sleep and rest.

10 fresh urban fantasy books and series.

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!

a brown tabby cat with its paw stretched onto a person's arm

Jonesy loves to have a paw on us at all times, just to make sure we don’t think about running off.

—Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter.

Categories
Check Your Shelf

Say Gay, Florida!

Welcome to Check Your Shelf. Poor Jonesy isn’t feeling well, so I get to take him to our vet for the first time this week. I’m 99% sure it’s a very straightforward issue, but I hate it when my kitty babies are sick. 🙁 But now we have to be extra careful that he doesn’t dash out of the office when we’re not looking — I don’t want him to spread anything to Dini!

Want to make your book club the best club? Sign up for our In the Club newsletter. In the Club will deliver recommendations for the best books to discuss in your book clubs. From buzzy new releases to brilliant throwbacks, the books highlighted in this newsletter will drive your book club discussions. We’ll also share some book club-friendly recipes and interesting bookish updates from all over. If you become a paid subscriber, you get even more recommendations, plus community features. In other words, we’ll keep you well-met, well-read, and well-fed. Sign up today!

Libraries & Librarians

News Updates

Long Beach adopts a new law giving libraries the power to ban disruptive patrons.

Cool Library Updates

The New Orleans Public Library is officially fine free!

Worth Reading

Check out this new documentary on the untold story of Black librarians.

Book Adaptations in the News

Netflix is planning to adapt Jo Nesbo’s Harry Hole series.

Karin Slaughter is writing and executive producing an upcoming adaptation of her novel The Good Daughter, starring Jessica Biel.

Sony Pictures Television is developing Brad Thor’s Scot Harvath series.

Sarah Paulson has been cast to play Glennon Doyle in the upcoming adaptation of Untamed.

The new adaptation of Salem’s Lot is skipping theaters and going right to streaming on Max.

Bill Hader and Quinta Brunson are starring in an upcoming animated adaptation of The Cat in the Hat.

Liane Moriarty approves of the changes made to the Apples Never Fall adaptation.

Can we even call this an adaptation? The unhinged Glasgow Willy Wonka Experience is being adapted as a musical satire.

Censorship News

ALA once again reports a record number of challenged books in 2023: a 65% increase from 2022 and a 92% increase in the number of titles challenged in public libraries.

State anti-book ban legislation updates.

Ellen Oh, David Levithan, and other children’s and YA authors have mobilized against censorship with “Authors Against Book Bans.”

School officials at Princeton ISD (TX) have removed 148 “inappropriate” books. “The move came after the nonprofit Citizens Defending Freedom (CDF) conducted an audit that found ‘148 inappropriate books in the school’s libraries,’ according to a press release from the organization.”

The state of Florida agreed to settle a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the “Don’t Say Gay Act.” The settlement “dramatically limits the law’s application to a narrow set of circumstances that seldom occur in K-12 public schools.” In other words, Say Gay, Florida!

Dixfield (ME) schools are considering a new material selection procedure, which would require librarians to send materials to the superintendent for consideration if they come across “inconsistent” reviews for said materials. Because librarians can’t be trusted to evaluate conflicting information?

(Paywalled): Heartstopper will stay on library shelves at Milford Harborside School (NH).

Back in November, someone discovered a number of books in the trash outside a Staten Island elementary school, all of which covered Black history, LGBTQ+ themes, and had critical notes attached to the books. One book about an immigrant at the border had a note attached that said, “Our country has no room and it’s not fair.”

The Manheim Township School District (PA) removed a formerly challenged library book due to low circulation…is it weeding, or censorship in disguise?

(Paywalled): A new banned materials policy in Wicomico County Schools (MD) will limit who can challenge books.

Floyd County Schools (VA) have ended their One Division, One Book program this year because the selected book, Wishtree, has a three-line passage where the main tree character discusses pronouns.

(Paywalled): “A novel listed in the top three most challenged books nationwide was found in the Norfolk High School library [VA].” Oh, for crying out loud, it’s not a weapon! (The book is The Bluest Eye.)

“Chickahominy District Supervisor [VA] Danielle Floyd is calling for policy changes after a book featuring families with same-sex parents was read to toddlers at Atlee Branch Library.”

A recent investigation in Albemarle County schools (VA) revealed that nine books have “instructional parameters,” which is a fancy way of saying that the books aren’t banned, but they have rules for how they can be used in schools.

A class of fourth graders are protesting the Charlotte-Mecklenburg (NC) school administration’s recent decision to discontinue the use of the online library service Epic. FOURTH. GRADERS.

The expansion of the Anderson County Library Board (SC) has many concerned that the move will allow more pro-censorship candidates to serve on the board.

A look at the directives being issued by the Prattville Library Board (AL) after they fired the director and several staff members walked out. They have also hired an interim director while protests and book challenges continue. Meanwhile, CNN host and Prattville native Kaitlan Collins interviewed the recently fired director, and the library itself has had to cut hours and programs as staff members quit in protest.

The North Shelby Library (AL) opposes a bill that would give control of its board to local politicians.

“At the rate things are going, Rapert and a few other censors will want to be your and my conscience next and decide which books those of us over 18 can or can’t read as well.” This is in Arkansas.

The Camden County Library [MO] has a new director, who has proposed several “compromises” to avoid banning books, including moving books from the children and teen sections to the adult section (still censorship) and having library staff contact a child’s parents directly if the child attempts to check out a “flagged” book, which YIKES ON BIKES, BATMAN, that is a terrible idea!!

Knox County Schools (TN) will decide next month if they’re going to ban Gender Queer and Fun Home.

“Tennessee lawmakers propose changes to how books get removed from school libraries.”

The Mentor School District (OH) voted to keep Right Now: Real Kids Speaking up for Change and Empire of the Storms.

“A vote by the West Prairie Board of Education [IL] is raising concerns about the possibility of book bans in the school district.” The board voted to approve a state policy about library media programs, but not before making changes to the policy wording. Specifically, the board voted to remove a line about complying with rules set by the Illinois State Board of Education (a trustee said she didn’t want an outside agency such as the ISBE telling the district what to do), as well as a line about adhering to ALA principles.

Why ban books when you can ban book awards? The Millburn School District 24 Board (IL) has canceled its participation in the Rebecca Caudill Award voting process because at least one trustee was concerned that there was a “political or cultural angle” to the program.

A book battle at the Iron River Public Library (WI) has drawn the attention of the national hate group MassResistance.

Mauston Public Schools (WI) are using BookLooks to review books in the classrooms and libraries.

A new Iowa poll shows that half of residents believe that the state’s new book ban law “goes too far.”

The Nebraska Board of Education voted “No” on a proposed rule that would have prohibited sexually explicit materials in school libraries and remove the requirement to buy a minimum number of new books each year.

A recently proposed bill in Nebraska that would have held school librarians and teachers criminally responsible for providing “obscene materials” to minors has failed.

Billings Public Schools (MT) is reviewing their book selection policies.

Idaho librarians from across the state testify in opposition to the revived library materials bill.

The Book of Mormon and the Quran are still on the shelves in the Davis School District (UT) after being challenged.

(Paywalled): Arizona school district approves policy allowing student punishment for sharing books.

A group of Orange County (CA) adults are raising a stink over “inappropriate” books in school libraries, but don’t worry…their goal was never to “make some kind of spectacle.”

The Redlands Unified School Board (CA) discussed whether or not to ban The Bluest Eye.

Meanwhile, in Orange County, voters have recalled two anti-LGBTQ+ school board members, who “led the conservative majority on the board through a series of culture war battles, including banning Pride flags at Orange County schools, shutting down a digital library that students depended on over concerns about LGBTQ+ content, and a policy requiring schools to get parental permission before using a student’s chosen name or pronoun.”

EveryLibrary and PEN America have released a statement in opposition to a proposed ordinance in Huntington Beach (CA), which would “establish a so-called community parent/guardian review board with the power to approve or reject children’s books and materials based on their content, specifically sexual content.”

Books & Authors in the News

Multiple authors have withdrawn from PEN America’s annual World Voices festival over the organization’s response to the war in Gaza.

Authors Brian Keene, Abdi Nazemian, and Stewart O’Nan have sued Nvidia for AI tech copyright infringement.

Is it a betrayal to publish dead writers’ books?

Numbers & Trends

The best-selling books of the week.

Award News

The National Book Foundation announces its 2024 5 under 35 honorees.

SFWA announces the finalists for the 59th Nebula Awards.

The judges for this year’s National Book Awards have been announced.

Bookish Curiosities & Miscellaneous

Why is fashion so into books right now?

On the Riot

What’s a Carnegie library?

a brown tabby cat sitting near the edge of a basket

LOOK AT DAT FACE!! And those precious wittle paws!! I can’t with this cat.

All right, friends. Let’s check back on Tuesday!

—Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter.

Categories
Check Your Shelf

Founding Mothers and Fake Wedding Dates

Welcome to Check Your Shelf. Exciting news in the Horner household — we adopted a new kitty over the weekend!! He came to us as “Todd,” but I think we’re leaning towards renaming him Jonesy. He’s a tabby, just over a year old, has the sweetest face I’ve ever seen, and is SUCH a snuggler! We have him sequestered in the office, but he’s already escaped four times. He’s very eager to explore the rest of the apartment!

Want to make your book club the best club? Sign up for our In the Club newsletter. In the Club will deliver recommendations for the best books to discuss in your book clubs. From buzzy new releases to brilliant throwbacks, the books highlighted in this newsletter will drive your book club discussions. We’ll also share some book club-friendly recipes and interesting bookish updates from all over. If you become a paid subscriber, you get even more recommendations, plus community features. In other words, we’ll keep you well-met, well-read, and well-fed. Sign up today!

Collection Development Corner

Publishing News

Publishers have filed an appeal brief in the Internet Archive copyright suit.

Albert Whitman & Company is once again under fire for delayed payments to authors and agents.

Zando is launching a new romance imprint, Slowburn, to capitalize on BookTok’s current love of steamy adult romances.

TikTok turns to creators to fight a possible ban.

The CEO of Allstora, RuPaul’s new bookstore, apologizes for carrying books by anti-LGBTQ+ extremists.

Authors Equity, and why publishing models that rely on gig workers are bad for everyone.

Authors push back on the growing number of AI “scam books” that are flooding Amazon.

How will AI change life for literary translators?

University presses are racking up legal bills over AI copyright breaches.

Generative AI’s privacy problem. Meanwhile, Amazon, Google, and other major companies have quietly tamped down generative AI expectations.

New & Upcoming Titles

A new book about Ted Lasso is coming!

Al Pacino is publishing a memoir in October.

Director Jon M. Chu (Crazy Rich Asians, In the Heights) is publishing a memoir.

Jessica Biel is publishing a children’s book about periods.

Nghi Vo has a new novella coming out.

NYC mayor Eric Adams is writing another book? Maybe?

Here’s the cover reveal for Maureen Johnson’s first standalone teen thriller in years: Death at Morning House.

Celebrity book club picks for March 2024.

Weekly picks from Crime Reads, LitHub, New York Times.

Spring 2024 picks from The New York Times (fiction, nonfiction).

What Your Patrons Are Hearing About

James – Percival Everett (Atlantic, New York Times, Slate, Washington Post)

Wild Houses – Colin Barrett (New York Times, Washington Post)

Watch Where They Hide – Tamron Hall (Essence, USA Today)

RA/Genre Resources

Crime novels for people who don’t like crime novels.

The new boom in Latin American fiction.

The Atlantic has a piece on the great American novels.

Anne Helen Petersen is the latest person to analyze A Court of Thorns and Roses.

Where to start with Chris Bohjalian’s books.

On the Riot

It’s time for publishers to tell the truth about posthumously published books.

A Q&A with Authors Equity CEO Madeline McIntosh.

Recent hit books on Goodreads.

New WWII historical fiction for 2024.

8 fabulous LGBTQ+ middle grade books for readers of all ages.

13 book club picks for March 2024.

Cookbooks & foodie memoirs for your book club.

The best new releases to TBR.

Audiophilia

The state of audiobooks, from AI to ads.

Kirkus picks 20 great reads on audio.

The best kids’ audiobooks about animals.

On the Riot

The best romantasy audiobooks to sweep you away.

Book Lists, Book Lists, Book Lists

Children/Teens

10 short middle grade books.

Exceptional World War II books for kids ages 10-12.

Adults

7 novels about African women in all their complexities.

8 Canadian books to read if you loved Carley Fortune’s Meet Me By the Lake.

8 books to read if you loved Bad Cree by Jessica Johns.

22 of the funniest novels since Catch-22.

Creepy cultish reads.

5 of the best books inspired by classic novels.

Books about founding mothers who changed the modern world.

Fake wedding date romance books.

On the Riot

10 must-read YA duologies.

10 of the best completed historical romance series.

11 of the best memoirs by transgender and nonbinary authors.

8 emotional memoirs about BIPOC families.

8 ridiculously good fantasy books like Baldur’s Gate.

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!

a brown tabby cat sitting in a person's lap

Meet Jonesy!! Seriously, this cat is so adorable I can’t stand it. And when one of us even thinks about leaving the office, he turns and stares at us with these giant Pixar eyes and we’re immediately helpless. We can’t wait until he has full reign of the apartment with Dini!

All right, friends. Have a good week, and I’ll be back on Friday!

—Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter.

Categories
Check Your Shelf

How Book Bans Silence Sexual Violence

Welcome to Check Your Shelf. I saw a TikTok recently that said, “Have you been feeling anxious lately for no reason? Having trouble sleeping? Feeling jittery and out of sorts? Well, it’s officially four years since the pandemic began, and THE BODY KEEPS SCORE.” I’m sure that’s not the only reason I’ve been feeling twitchy and off-kilter this week, but I’m also sure that explains a lot of it. So I’m just going to hunker down until that sensation passes…hopefully you all are getting through the lockdown anniversary jitters too.

Want to make your book club the best club? Sign up for our In the Club newsletter. In the Club will deliver recommendations for the best books to discuss in your book clubs. From buzzy new releases to brilliant throwbacks, the books highlighted in this newsletter will drive your book club discussions. We’ll also share some book club-friendly recipes and interesting bookish updates from all over. If you become a paid subscriber, you get even more recommendations, plus community features. In other words, we’ll keep you well-met, well-read, and well-fed. Sign up today!

Libraries & Librarians

News Updates

ALA says that 2025 will see the last LibLearnX conference.

Libraries struggle to afford the demand for eBooks and seek new state laws in an ongoing fight with publishers.

Libraries in Northeast Ohio are trying to provide childcare services to local families.

Worth Reading

Why suppression of libraries corrupts a nation.

Libraries in western Washington confront the challenges of being open to all.

Book Adaptations in the News

Netflix has acquired the rights to Laura Dave’s upcoming book The Night We Lost Him.

20th Century Studios has won distribution rights to Daniel Kraus’ Whalefall.

The BBC has acquired the crime drama series Rebus, which is based on Ian Rankin’s Inspector Rebus series.

Casting update for We Were Liars.

Trailer for The Wild Robot, which is based on the book by Peter Brown.

Censorship News

Don’t forget that higher education is a censorship target too.

EveryLibrary has written a draft report on Divisive Politics and Threats to Academic Libraries.

Don’t say rape: how the book banning movement is censoring sexual violence.

Texas’ takeover of Houston schools has led to major library cuts and teachers quitting.

Florida’s resident mass book banner, Bruce Friedman, says that the state legislature’s effort to curb “frivolous” book challenges won’t slow him. Of particular note is the fact that Friedman was responsible for over one-third of all the book challenges in Florida last year. In the ENTIRE STATE. He’s filed 750 complaints over the course of 18 months.

PEN America applauds the recent decision to uphold the preliminary injunction against Florida’s Stop WOKE Act for “blatant viewpoint discrimination.”

Pasco County Schools (FL) have restricted access to The Letter Q to high school students only.

Alachua County Schools (FL) voted to retain It Feels Good to Be Yourself.

Delaware and Connecticut legislators propose anti-book ban measures.

Stratford Public Schools (CT) may lose all remaining librarian positions.

The South Western School Board (PA) has tentatively approved a policy that allows teachers to misgender students and is discussing another policy that would require parents to decide if they want their child to choose any book from a classroom library. Both of these policies were drafted under the pro bono guidance of the right-wing Independence Law Center.

The West Virginia legislature has taken the currently stalled library obscenity bill and added it to a bill targeting AI-generated child pornography in the hopes of getting it passed.

Maryland’s ban on book bans is set to advance.

A group of parents at the Atlee Public Library (VA) got upset that library staff used The Family Book for story time — so upset that they left the story time event and complained to a county supervisor.

Fluvanna County High School (VA) is evaluating 24 books that were challenged by a single resident.

Back in January, a principal at Haywood County Schools (NC) banned Dear Martin from classrooms after a single parent complained.

Public and school libraries and their employees would be subject to a newly filed state obscenity law in Louisiana.

Louisiana state law requires parish library board members to serve staggered terms, which the St. Tammany Parish Library hasn’t complied with for over 20 years. But Councilman David Cougle has put forward a proposal to remedy the situation, which many see as an opportunity for Cougle to advance his book banning agenda. Look, I’m very much in favor of library boards following state law, but I’m also very much against local politicians with book banning agendas. The decision has ultimately been postponed.

Northview Public Schools (MI) heard an appeal against their decision to retain 8 challenged books, and they voted (again) to keep the books.

Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp. (IN) will keep People Kill People on library shelves.

“Following a heated exchange in public testimony, including threats to flip tables, the 5-3 vote put an end to Aurora board member Kirk Penner’s third attempt to get the motion passed.” This is in Nebraska.

The Oklahoma State Department of Education has agreed not to remove any books from Edmond Public Schools until the Oklahoma Supreme Court has a chance to hear the schools’ case. How gracious of them.

An update on former Campbell County (WY) Library director Terri Lesley, who was terminated for allegedly refusing to ban books. She has since filed a complaint with the EEOC over the board’s decision to fire her.

Fremont County Public Library (WY) will not ban two Ellen Hopkins books.

“Several Flathead County Library [MT] trustees want to remove the young adult fiction designation owing to the genre’s wide age range that they argue fails to give parents enough guidance on whether a book is appropriate for their child.”

“But it’s not just mentions of race and racism that are deemed objectionable; the parents take issue with virtually any difficult subject. In Flannery O’Connor’s renowned short story ‘A Good Man Is Hard to Find’ (1953), the treatment of topics such as murder, sin, selfishness and guilt are, according to these parents, of grave concern.” This is in Placer County High School (CA).

Chino Valley Unified School District (CA) “is considering a new policy that could remove books with ‘sexually obscene content’ from school libraries, classrooms, and all other district facilities.”

The Palmer City Council (AK) requested an overview of city law as it pertains to the public library, specifically if librarians could be arrested for distributing “obscene materials” to minors. “This concern arose when the Palmer Police Department had members of the public asking for the police to arrest the Palmer Public Librarians citing the Alaska criminal code defining ‘Distributions of obscene materials to minors.’”

Canadian libraries, book stores, and authors are watching the book ban situation closely.

Surrey Schools in British Columbia have elected to remove four “classic” books from their curriculum, but sorry, conservatives, it’s not a book ban because the books are still available in classrooms and teachers can still opt to use them with permission.

Numbers & Trends

Many countries are seeing publishing revenue increases despite falling unit sales, which, in layman’s terms, proves what we already knew: books are getting more expensive.

The best-selling books of the week.

Award News

Here are the bookish Oscar winners, and here’s the full list of winners.

The inaugural Libby Book Award winners have been announced.

The 2024 International Booker Prize longlist has been announced.

The British Book Awards shortlist has been announced, and can we talk about how cool it is to have a “Pageturner” category??

Pop Cultured

The 25 best mystery movies on Netflix.

Bookish Curiosities & Miscellaneous

Dakota Johnson is starting a book club.

On the Riot

Is book culture here to save us from late-stage capitalism?

a black and white cat stretched out on its back with its front paw stretched towards a computer screen

HE’S BEAUTY AND HE’S GRACE.

Well, that’s all I have for this week. Check back again on Tuesday!

—Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter.

Categories
Check Your Shelf

RuPaul’s Online Bookstore – Toot or Boot?

Welcome to Check Your Shelf. I’m writing this newsletter fresh off of Ryan Gosling’s Oscar performance of “I’m Just Ken” at the Oscars, which was pink, sparkly, and absolutely ridiculous. I’m also going to demand more hot pink tuxedoes at all future awards ceremonies. (Also also, here’s an explanation for the newsletter title for anyone who needs it.)

Collection Development Corner

Publishing News

RuPaul announced a new online bookstore, but the announcement is getting a lot of critical feedback due to its selection of controversial right-wing and anti-LGBTQ books.

The fanfiction community is rocked by Etsy sellers turning their work into bound books.

Publishing adjacent news, but here’s why the political clock is ticking for TikTok.

New & Upcoming Titles

Haruki Murakami announces his first novel in six years, set to be published in November.

Kate Conger and Ryan Mac, tech reporters for the New York Times, are publishing a book about Elon Musk’s Twitter takeover, called Character Limit: How Elon Musk Destroyed Twitter. It’ll be out in September.

Digital content creator and online celebrity Ms. Rachel announces a multi-book deal with Random House.

Gabriel Garcia Marquez wanted to destroy his last novel. It’s about to be published.

One Tree Hill star Bethany Joy Lenz announces a memoir about her decade spent in a Hollywood cult.

Dolly Parton announces a cookbook with her sister, Rachel.

6 new books about mothers and motherhood.

7 brand new cocktail books to add to your home bar.

The best sci-fi books of 2024 so far.

Weekly book picks from Crime Reads, LitHub, New York Times, Wall Street Journal.

March picks from New York Times, People, Reactor (SF, SFF crossover), Time, Vanity Fair, Washington Post.

Spring 2024 picks from Bustle, Datebook.

What Your Patrons Are Hearing About

Anita de Monte Laughs Last – Xochitl Gonzalez (New York Times, NPR, Washington Post)

The Hunter – Tana French (Esquire, Washington Post)

Parasol Against the Axe – Helen Oyeyemi (New York Times, Washington Post)

The House of Hidden Meanings – RuPaul (New York Times, Washington Post)

RA/Genre Resources

The Washington Post does a deep dive into Dune.

The enduring appeal of the suburban gothic.

Espionage thriller authors pick their favorite fictional spies.

On the Riot

The best new weekly releases to TBR.

March picks for romance, horror, nonfiction, children’s books.

New nonfiction by women to use for your book club.

All Things Comics

Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama has died at 68.

On the Riot

March picks for comics and graphic novels.

Audiophilia

The 2024 Audie Winners have been announced! (And if you listen to the latest episode of Read or Dead, you’ll hear Kendra and me raving about S.A. Cosby’s All The Sinners Bleed, which won for Best Thriller/Suspense and was nominated for Audiobook of the Year!)

Here are the winners of AudioFile’s March Earphones Awards.

Brandon Sanderson talks about the deal he brokered with Audible and the changes he hopes to see.

35 celebrity memoir audiobooks narrated by the stars themselves.

On the Riot

10 of the most pre-ordered audiobooks for Spring 2024.

Book Lists, Book Lists, Book Lists

Children/Teens

10 engaging picture books for fans of Pete the Cat.

New Easter picture books to read with your little bunny.

Adults

Some of the best books written by and about powerful women.

A reading list of women behaving badly.

7 books written as letters to family members.

10 iconic fantasy novels ripe for rediscovery.

5 books about the Oscars.

5 books about democracy in crisis.

7 modern gothics featuring an intersectional feminist perspective.

10 gripping books about history’s greatest mysteries.

On the Riot

7 conversation-starting books to read for Women’s History Month.

11 of the best books about politics to read before the election.

9 books set in ancient worlds.

8 of the best haunted house stories to make you shiver.

10 fresh paranormal romance reads.

8 thrilling novellas to read in one sitting.

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!

a black and white cat sitting on the edge of a bathtub

Who told Dini about the time change?? Because this is him pestering us for his afternoon snack a full hour early. I know he’s not smart enough to read a clock.

Well, that’s all for me. I’ll be back on Friday!

—Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter.

Categories
Check Your Shelf

Fyre Fest For Kids

Welcome to Check Your Shelf. I can hardly believe it, but I’m coming up on my five-year anniversary at my current library! So much has happened over the last five years—I’m looking at you, COVID—that I feel like I’ve been there forever, and yet, compared to several of my coworkers, my tenure is still very short. (I have multiple coworkers who have been there 15-20+ years!) But of course, the most important part of this upcoming anniversary is that I need to bring in donuts for my coworkers!

Want to make your book club the best club? Sign up for our In the Club newsletter. In the Club will deliver recommendations for the best books to discuss in your book clubs. From buzzy new releases to brilliant throwbacks, the books highlighted in this newsletter will drive your book club discussions. We’ll also share some book club-friendly recipes and interesting bookish updates from all over. If you become a paid subscriber, you get even more recommendations, plus community features. In other words, we’ll keep you well-met, well-read, and well-fed. Sign up today!

Libraries & Librarians

News Updates

Library social media star Mychal Threets has resigned from his position to protect his mental health. I hate that he had to find himself in this position and that so many people were compelled to ruin his joy. I hope he finds a fantastic new position where his love of libraries is celebrated.

Cool Library Updates

A Massachusetts library system will let you pay fines with cat pictures!

Louisiana libraries are helping people apply for food stamps.

Worth Reading

Advancing pro-library stories in this election year.

Book Adaptations in the News

R. F. Kuang’s Babel has been optioned for adaptation.

Stephen King’s The Dead Zone is reportedly moving towards a new film adaptation.

American Psycho is reportedly getting a remake. Now, I have some THOUGHTS about this, as I loved the original and feel that its success was due in large part to having a female director interpret the original source material. However, a random person on Twitter suggested that they cast Jodie Comer as the new Patrick (Patricia?) Bateman, and if the powers-that-be actually do this, I’ll take back every critical comment I’ve made about this remake! DO IT, YOU COWARDS!!

Lionsgate is shopping a Twilight animated series.

The Sisterhood: The Secret History of Women at the CIA is being adapted as a series.

William Gibson’s Neuromancer is getting a TV series on Apple TV+.

Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal are starring in a Broadway revival of Othello.

House of the Dragon Season 2 is premiering in June.

Here’s the trailer for the Netflix Ripley series.

Censorship News

The landmine of Common Sense Media.

EveryLibrary has a piece about fighting back against laws and regulations that harm state library associations.

“It’s best to cancel:” Resilient listening and our kids today.

Referring to book bans as “intellectual freedom challenges.”

The Black History Month books that teachers hope won’t be banned.

A former Llano County (TX) librarian has filed a lawsuit against the county, saying that she was fired after she refused to remove books from the library.

A Denton ISD (TX) grandmother is trying to get the school to ban books that she says promote a “transgender ideology.”

Lake Travis ISD (TX) “considers improving parental access to library books online,” or in other words, making it easier for parents to find something to be offended about in the school libraries. Because the online catalog is too difficult for them, I guess.

The Florida Senate supports limits to book objections.

Hernando County School Board (FL) have decided to retain All American Boys, and ban Fade and All the Things We Do In the Dark.

Brevard School Board (FL) decided to ban The Nowhere Girls despite the review committee’s recommendation to retain it. This whole performative review process is a complete waste of everyone’s time. If the board is just going to do what they want anyway, they should announce that.

Pasco Schools (FL) are dealing with their first book challenge: The Letter Q.

MSAD 6 (ME) will retain Gender Queer, and MSAD 44 (ME) will retain Me and Earl and the Dying Girl.

New Hampshire’s “state-run book banning bill” is dead.

The Brookfield (CT) School Board voted to keep Fun Home on library shelves by a single vote.

The Heartstopper graphic novels are being challenged in the Milford School district.

Lake Luzerne’s public library (NY) has a new director.

“Protests interrupt a Moms for Liberty meeting about removing books in Howard County [MD] schools.” GOOD.

The Virginia Beach School Board is considering a committee to keep “sexually explicit content” out of libraries.

Catawba County Schools (NC) are discussing hiring a court reporter for an upcoming hearing about book bans. Yeah, that’ll be a good use of taxpayer funds.

It’s official: Greenville County Libraries (SC) must move all books by or about transgender people from the children’s section. PEN America issued a statement.

Beaufort County (SC) schools were featured on 60 Minutes after two people attempted to remove 97 books.

A look at the advancing bill in the Georgia legislature that would cut all ties with the American Library Association. Office for Intellectual Freedom director Deborah Caldwell-Stone says, “‘Will [libraries] become arms of the state, only communicating those messages that a political actor believes is appropriate?…It just stuns me. We are the professional membership organization for librarians. Would you do this to the American Bar Association? Would you do this to the American Medical Association?’”

“Under new changes announced Wednesday, it will become easier to move or remove books from the shelves of the Dothan Houston County Library System [AL]…The board’s new policy adds more restrictive language, emphasizing that books ‘that contain graphic and gratuitous illustrations or depictions of sexual acts, unnecessary to the work taken as a whole, will not become part of the collection.’”

Two teenage plaintiffs have joined the lawsuit against Arkansas’ library obscenity law.

“‘Since this is going to be broadcast, I’m not going to be graphic. But there are pictures that are pornographic by anybody’s standard. They’re put in children’s books and they’re put on the library for children,’ said Ragan during an interview with NewsChannel 5.” This is such a tired tactic—claiming that everyone believes books should be censored.

“Kids are getting their hands on sexually explicit material through the library. Now, Perrysburg [OH] residents want something done.” Oh, for the love…LIBRARIES PROVIDE ACCESS. If parents are upset that their kids are accessing books without their knowledge (and at least one parent is, according to the article), that sounds like a PARENTAL problem, not a library problem!

A substitute teacher with the Redford Union School District (MI) lodged a complaint about the book And Then There Were None because of the offensiveness of the book’s original title. The book has since been removed from the curriculum.

The Winnebago County Board (WI) has withdrawn proposals that supported the creation of “adult-only sections” in public libraries.

“444 books have returned to the shelves of the Elkhorn Area School District [WI] after being challenged by a parent in November,” although some of the books have been relocated to the high school and others require parental permission. Also, this isn’t the point of the article, but this sentence just about knocked me over: “The parent sent a 656-page document to Elkhorn Area Middle School and a 1201-page document to Elkhorn Area High School.” Oh my gosh, PLEASE find a better hobby!!

An anti-book-ban bill is on the table in Minnesota.

Tensions are still running high after The Glass Castle was challenged in Grinnell, Iowa.

“An ongoing controversy dating back over a year now bubbled up again on Tuesday night as about 25 patrons attended the Marshalltown Public Library Board of Trustees meeting [IA], most of them asking the board to reconsider its previous decision not to subscribe to two conservative publications, The Epoch Times newspaper and American Rifleman magazine.”

In Colorado, the anti-book ban bill has failed in committee. But the Wellington (CO) town board just banned book bans at their local public library.

Garfield County commissioners (CO) are looking to take control of library board appointments.

Over 1500 people sign a petition against potential censorship in Washoe County (NV) libraries.

San Ramon Valley Unified School District (CA) will retain The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.

“A contracted attorney for the city of Palmer [AK] gave an informational presentation at Tuesday’s regular city council meeting cautioning members of legal concerns regarding the potential banning of books in public libraries.” Maybe it’s just me, but I feel like the fact that city officials need to be told that banning books in public libraries is unconstitutional is exceptionally sad.

It Ends With Us has been banned in Mat-Su schools (AK).

Numbers & Trends

The best-selling books of the week.

Award News

The 2024 Women’s Prize for Fiction and Nonfiction longlists have been released.

Pop Cultured

Issa López, creator of True Detective: Night Country, is returning for True Detective Season 5.

Only Murders in the Building adds Eva Longoria and Eugene Levy to the cast.

Bookish Curiosities & Miscellaneous

Is anyone else cackling at the recent Willy Wonka experience (aka “Fyre Fest for Kids”) in Glasgow??

The Reading Rainbow documentary Butterfly in the Sky is getting a theatrical release through AMC Theaters.

Merriam-Webster says you can end a sentence with a preposition (which lots of us already knew), but apparently, the internet is up in arms.

On the Riot

The Perks of Being a Wallflower turns 25.

How this Rioter started reviewing all of the books they’ve read.

15 tiny ways to celebrate National Reading Month.

a black and white cat snuggled up under a woman's chin

Here’s another photo from my weekend snuggle time with Dini. He woke me up on Saturday morning and wiggled under my chin, so I couldn’t resist taking a selfie!

All right, friends. I’ll be back on Tuesday. Stay groovy.

—Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter.

Categories
Check Your Shelf

Big Books For Big Reading Goals

Welcome to Check Your Shelf. It hit over 70 degrees this weekend, and I had the biggest impulse to lay out on the sidewalk like a lizard. I managed to refrain, but the more warm days we have, the crankier I get when it drops below 50 degrees. I really shouldn’t complain — Chicago has had a very mild winter with minimal snow — but spring is so close I can almost taste it!

Want to make your book club the best club? Sign up for our In the Club newsletter. In the Club will deliver recommendations for the best books to discuss in your book clubs. From buzzy new releases to brilliant throwbacks, the books highlighted in this newsletter will drive your book club discussions. We’ll also share some book club-friendly recipes and interesting bookish updates from all over. If you become a paid subscriber, you get even more recommendations, plus community features. In other words, we’ll keep you well-met, well-read, and well-fed. Sign up today!

Collection Development Corner

Publishing News

If you’re buying the Kara Swisher book on Amazon, make sure it’s not an AI-generated knockoff.

Author David Goggins is suing Amazon for allegedly selling fake copies of his book Can’t Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds.

Related: how to spot AI-generated books online.

Generative AI is challenging a 234-year-old censorship law.

AI is in the midst of a fever dream, and it’s only getting worse.

Fake books are a problem, but a solution may be near.

A prediction of 2024 publishing trends.

The new Lee & Low Diversity Baseline Survey has been released.

Atria has launched a new bilingual imprint dedicated to publishing Latinx/Latine authors in English and Spanish.

New & Upcoming Titles

Jesmyn Ward just signed a three-book deal with Scribner.

Sally Rooney has a new novel coming in September.

Tori Eldridge is publishing a new thriller series that starts with Kuleana.

Alex Van Halen is publishing a book about his brother, Eddie Van Halen.

Here’s an excerpt from Chloe Gong’s upcoming novel, Vilest Things.

And here’s an excerpt from Rebecca Serle’s next novel, Expiration Dates.

The best food books to read this spring.

7 debuts by female authors to read in 2024.

4 new highly anticipated sophomore novels.

4 new books about trailblazing women.

The 8 best romance novels of Winter 2024.

Weekly book picks from Crime Reads, LitHub, New York Times.

March picks from Barnes & Noble, Epic Reads, Kirkus, LA Times, LitHub (SFF), New York Times, Reactor (indie SFF/H), Washington Post.

What Your Patrons Are Hearing About

Wandering Stars – Tommy Orange (Datebook, Esquire, LA Times, New York Times, NPR)

Burn Book: A Tech Love Story – Kara Swisher (Atlantic, New York Times, Seattle Times, Washington Post)

RA/Genre Resources

The essential James Baldwin.

Sarah J. Maas gets another profile.

Where do people hear about books?

What to read next: Louisa May Alcott edition.

On the Riot

The best book club picks for March.

The best weekly releases to TBR.

March picks for mysteries/thrillers, SFF.

What is horromance?

Audiophilia

Spotify has launched a $9.99 audiobook-only subscription tier.

The best audiobooks of February 2024.

13 magical fantasy audiobooks.

Book Lists, Book Lists, Book Lists

Children/Teens

14 absolutely perfect YA series finales.

Adults

5 of the best books to understand the Israel-Palestine conflict.

7 books about the stigma of menstruation.

5 underrated romantasy books.

10 books about boxing.

Big books for big reading goals.

On the Riot

Magical BIPOC reads.

Books about creating, maintaining, and leveling up your friendships.

Best-selling books released during leap years.

8 historical mysteries set outside the US.

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!

a black and white cat sitting next to a person with its head tilted back towards the camera

I can’t with this cat. Dini has been relentlessly needy and cuddly all week, and if I’m doing something else while he’s snuggled up next to me, he keeps looking back at me to make sure I’m paying attention. “See, Mama?? I’m cute!!”

All right, friends. Less than one week till Daylight Savings Time and it stays lighter for longer! I’ll check in again on Friday.

—Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter.

Categories
Check Your Shelf

Tools for Thinking About Censorship

Welcome to Check Your Shelf. Y’all, the weather in Chicago has been wild. We went from sunny and temperatures in the high 70s on Tuesday afternoon, which morphed into tornadoes and damaging hail that evening, and then temperatures in the high 20s by Wednesday morning. If math isn’t your strong suit, that’s a 50-degree temperature drop in 24 hours. Climate change! Weee! But at least Chicago’s resident weather guru Tom Skilling got to end his career with one last tornado watch.

Want to make your book club the best club? Sign up for our In the Club newsletter. In the Club will deliver recommendations for the best books to discuss in your book clubs. From buzzy new releases to brilliant throwbacks, the books highlighted in this newsletter will drive your book club discussions. We’ll also share some book club-friendly recipes and interesting bookish updates from all over. If you become a paid subscriber, you get even more recommendations, plus community features. In other words, we’ll keep you well-met, well-read, and well-fed. Sign up today!

Libraries & Librarians

News Updates

Books can cost Connecticut libraries $15. So why do eBooks cost three times as much?

Plus, Connecticut librarians push a bill that would expand eBook and audiobook access.

Cool Library Updates

Libraries are leading the crusade for new music discovery.

How this poet is bringing literature to prisons.

Worth Reading

These days, when you work in a library in America, there is no lack of emergencies.

Book Adaptations in the News

Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor called out the recent remake of The Color Purple for its erasure of Black lesbian romance.

30% of Netflix’s top shows in 2024 are based on existing IPs.

Casting update for Klara and the Sun.

Censorship News

Tools for thinking about censorship.

What updates should library collection policies include?

The Oscar-nominated short documentary, The ABCs of Book Banning, is free to watch on YouTube.

A new survey captures the national divide on teaching about racial and LGTQ issues.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas, Equality Texas, Transgender Education Network Texas, and other organizations have filed a complaint with the US DoE’s Office of Civil Rights against Keller ISD for its policies that ban all books depicting or referencing transgender or nonbinary people.

Are Houston ISD (TX) students checking out fewer books without librarians? It’s hard to say, because many schools are now using an “honor system” to allow students access to books. Well, isn’t that convenient?

And now, the Spring Branch ISD (TX) has confirmed the imminent elimination of all school librarian positions.

Katy ISD’s (TX) new book selection requirements are seen as “a slap in the face” to librarians. The new policy says that library staff have to read a new title in its entirety before purchasing it for the collection and can no longer rely on publication reviews. What an astonishingly inefficient policy. And not surprisingly, district officials say that “nothing is set in stone.”

In Conroe ISD (TX), the board voted 5:1 to “sell, donate, recycle, or dispose” of over 2,000 books that were removed as a result of their “informal review” process.

The book ban wars expand in Llano County, Texas.

Ron DeSantis wants to rebrand the book banning mess he created. ​​

The Hernando County (FL) School Board is deciding on the fate of three books. A review committee has recommended keeping two of the books (All American Boys, Fade) and removing the third (All the Things We Do in the Dark).

“Alachua County Public Schools [FL] released a statement on Friday in response to a ‘misleading’ social media post about the decision to keep a book in school libraries.” Surprising no one, the misleading social media post came from Libs of TikTok.

After all four staff members at the Newfane Public Library (NY) resigned earlier this month, four of the seven trustees have resigned as well.

NYC library chiefs discuss how they expand access to banned books.

At the end of last year, the Great Barrington (MA) Police Department was contacted about a middle school teacher having Gender Queer in their classroom. The district just revealed that the complaint was filed by a night custodian with the district who had previously filed another (unrelated) false report against the school.

Moms for Liberty takes aim at Howard County (MD) school library books.

Nine books have been permanently removed from Carroll County schools (MD).

The Buncombe County (NC) school board banned Tricks by Ellen Hopkins.

(Paywalled): Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools have ended access to the eBook app Epic due to the state’s controversial “Parents’ Bill of Rights.”

Greenville County Library (SC) is considering a policy that would move any children’s books by or about trans people into a different section.

(Paywalled): Lexington-Richland 5 School District (SC) has returned the challenged King Tut comic to library shelves.

You done messed up, A-a-labama. Freedom to Read advocates blasted the Autauga-Prattville Public Library for their recent policy decisions that essentially prevent library workers from ordering any materials for minors with LGBTQ content. PEN America called the decision a “mockery” of free expression. There’s a petition going to rescind the appointments of four library board members. And Read Freely Alabama posted about the issue on their Twitter. Plus, what federal courts have said about local library book bans and how that might affect the Autauga-Prattville Library.

A Crawford County (AR) mom is a plaintiff in a lawsuit against the county for the county’s decision to relocate LGBTQ+ books out of the library’s “children” section. But she says that she just wants the books returned and would like to avoid a trial if possible.

(Paywalled) Roane County (TN) School District employees are being harassed in public by people who are trying to get books removed.

Goshen (IN) residents are divided over the removal of Gender Queer from the public library, although it appears that the book has since been returned.

“Members of the public organized a demonstration, supporting the right to uncensored reading materials, in response to beliefs that Eastland Baptist Church was attempting to privatize the library.” This is at the Metropolis Public Library (IL).

This article may be paywalled, but the Kenosha County Board (WI) voted sensibly against a proposal to create “adult-only” sections in the public libraries.

Osseo School Board (MN) voted to retain Fun Home.

Employees at the James River Valley Library System (ND) have not found any books that merit complete removal due to “explicit sexual material.”

Who gets to decide which books are appropriate for Oklahoma school libraries?

“Edmond Public Schools is asking the Oklahoma Supreme Court to intervene in an attempt by state officials to ban two books from school library shelves.” The Oklahoma State Department of Education “threatened a potential downgrade to Edmond’s accreditation status” if they didn’t remove the books (The Kite Runner and The Glass Castle). And as a reminder, Chaya Raichik (the person behind Libs of TikTok) was recently appointed to the DoE’s Library Media Review Committee, which made the determination that these books were considered “pornographic.”

“Utah House and Senate representatives have reached a compromise on the measure that fine-tunes guidelines for removal of books from public school libraries…​​The provision added by the Senate that gave rise to Tuesday’s compromise would have given local school boards authority to override the trigger removing books from libraries statewide, at least in their jurisdictions. Now, under the reworked version, only the State Board of Education would have that power, though local school district decisions to remove books would stand.” Great compromise. Make it easier to remove books than to prevent their removal. Anyway, the book banning bill is close to passing, and an anti-book ban bill has been proposed in response.

“A coalition of Utah organizations on Tuesday sent a letter asking Utah Gov. Spencer Cox to veto the controversial HB29, which targets books and other material with sexually explicit passages for removal from school libraries.”

Laurel Public Schools (MT) are reviewing five challenged books that primarily deal with LGBTQ themes.

(Paywalled): The Idaho Senate narrowly killed a harmful library materials bill.

Recently released police bodycam footage shows Idaho Sheriff Robert Norris hunting for “obscene” books at the Hayden Library, which isn’t frightening at all.

New Mexico’s anti-book ban bill is dead.

Las Cruces Public Schools (NM) are now hearing a challenge against A Court of Silver Flames.

San Ramon Valley Unified School District Board (CA) will hear an appeal about their decision to retain The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.

Oregon’s anti-book-ban bill has passed the Senate.

(Paywalled) “The Kennewick School Board has called a special meeting for 9 a.m. Tuesday morning to consider opposing two bills before the Washington State Legislature related to books and curricula on historically marginalized and underrepresented groups.” And apparently, the Central Valley School District Board is of a similar mind.

Books & Authors in the News

Boris Kagarlitsky, a Russian author and outspoken critic of Putin, has been sentenced to five years in prison for criticizing the war in Ukraine.

Ada Limón has been named one of Time’s Women of 2024.

Netflix did not properly secure the rights to Mary Oliver’s poetry in Nyad.

Oprah picks The Many Lives of Mama Love by Lara Love Hardin as her next book club selection.

Bowen Yang as Truman Capote?

Numbers & Trends

What’s behind the astonishing rise in LGBTQ+ romance literature?

Queer literature is booming in Africa.

Gen Z is “obsessed” with book clubs.

The best-selling books of the week.

Award News

Here are the finalists for the inaugural Libby Awards.

The final Bram Stoker Awards ballot has been announced.

Bookish Curiosities & Miscellaneous

The celebrity book club lives on.

On the Riot

8 blockbuster science fiction and fantasy books becoming films.

a black and white cat on a sunny staircase

Dini’s been soaking up every second of sunshine that lands on the staircase! Look how sweet and sassy he is!

All right, friends. Hopefully Chicago doesn’t get hit with a monsoon or an earthquake before the next newsletter comes out. Have a good weekend!

—Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter.

Categories
Check Your Shelf

No Plot, Just Vibes

Welcome to Check Your Shelf. The days are slowly getting longer, which means baseball season is back, baby! Well, okay, spring training is back, which is arguably less fun than regular season baseball, and this year there’s a lot of…um…controversy over the new MLB uniforms, but it feels great to have baseball on TV again!

2024 is the tenth year of the Read Harder Challenge! Join us as we make our way through 24 tasks meant to expand our reading horizons and diversify our TBRs. To get book recommendations for each task, sign up for the Read Harder newsletter. We’ll also keep you informed about other cool reading challenges, readathons, and more across the bookish internet. If you become a paid subscriber, you get even more recommendations plus community features, where you can connect with a community of passionate, like-minded readers in a cozy and supportive corner of the internet. Sign up today!

Collection Development Corner

Publishing News

“Copyright owners’ ability to reach back and recover many years’ worth of damages when they didn’t discover infringement within the statute of limitations will be on the line before the US Supreme Court Wednesday.”

The New York Times reports on the recent surge in AI-written biographies that crop up in the weeks following a celebrity’s death.

Delacorte has a new YA romance imprint.

Tor Books’ romance imprint Bramble is getting a lot of criticism for using AI cover art.

Generative AI’s environmental costs are soaring.

Parisian booksellers along the Seine will not need to shut down their stalls for the 2024 Summer Olympics. French President Emmanuel Macron reversed a decision made by the Paris police chief last summer.

New & Upcoming Titles

Richard Osman announced a new crime series.

Questlove is publishing a new book about the history of hip-hop.

Jenny Slate is releasing her second book this October.

Stephen Colbert and Evie McGee Colbert are publishing a cookbook.

Sabaa Tahir has a new novel coming out this fall.

Here’s a sneak peek at Gisele Bündchen’s upcoming cookbook, Nourish.

And here’s a sneak peek at Laura Dave’s upcoming thriller, The Night We Lost Him.

Cover reveal for Kendare Blake’s Warrior of Legend.

Sneak peek at Lamar Giles’ Ruin Road.

20 novels in translation to read this winter and spring.

10 new gothic reads that explore the darkness within.

Weekly picks from Crime Reads, LitHub, New York Times.

February picks from The Guardian (thrillers).

What Your Patrons Are Hearing About

Splinters: Another Kind of Love Story – Leslie Jamison (The Millions, NPR)

This American Ex-Wife: How I Ended My Marriage and Started My Life – Lyz Lenz (Esquire, New York Times)

The Kamogawa Food Detectives – Hisashi Kashiwai (NPR)

Wandering Stars – Tommy Orange (Washington Post)

RA/Genre Resources

The New York Times has a new feature to help you find your next read.

A guide to the paranormal romance of Molly Harper.

On the Riot

YA authors with debut adult novels coming in 2024.

10 new romance reads for your beach bag.

The best new weekly book releases.

The rise of body horror novels.

Book club theme: “Who TF did I marry?!”

All Things Comics

EC Comics will relaunch this summer.

The Nimona movie is available for free to watch on YouTube! (And yes, it’s legit!)

Seven great graphic novels that go beyond words.

On the Riot

Your go-to guide for how and where to read manga.

The best romance manhwa.

Book Lists, Book Lists, Book Lists

Children/Teens

Picture books featuring memorable Black artists from the past, present, and future.

13 critter-filled chapter books for kids who love animals.

11 books like the Alex Rider series.

8 YA novels for readers who love the fake-dating trope.

16 adult novels for teens looking to move beyond YA.

12 unforgettable YA memoirs that will tug at your heartstrings.

Adults

Black History Month picks.

7 books that celebrate the healing magic of birds.

7 novels inspired by South Asian mythology and folklore.

5 of the best books about grief.

Books that juxtapose the beauty and ugliness of ballet.

5 cozy mysteries set at summer fairs and festivals.

6 books that draw inspiration from folk tales.

6 of the best social thrillers from 2023.

On the Riot

Excellent how-to books for kids.

10 essential Black middle grade authors to read every month this year.

8 horror novels in translation.

8 of the best “no plot, just vibes” books.

7 Black romance novels that celebrate Black joy.

9 of the most thought-provoking mysteries ever written.

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!

a black and white cat sticking its head out of a black and white patterned duffel bag

Every time I pull out my black and white duffel bag, Dini wiggles his way in, and then an hour later, Blaine and I are wandering around the apartment, going, “Where’s Dini?” I think he knows he blends into this bag particularly well…he’s like a chameleon or a cuttlefish.

All right, friends. Hopefully, the weather is warming up a smidge in your neck of the woods. I’ll see you on Friday.

—Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter.

Categories
Check Your Shelf

Book Bans On the Rise in Canada

Welcome to Check Your Shelf. The downside of going on vacation last weekend meant that I had to wait until today (Wednesday) to watch the season finale for True Detective: Night Season, and OMG, it was so good!! I wish it had been a longer season, and I still have plenty of questions, but I am just all about those creepy cold weather vibes!!

2024 is the tenth year of the Read Harder Challenge! Join us as we make our way through 24 tasks meant to expand our reading horizons and diversify our TBRs. To get book recommendations for each task, sign up for the Read Harder newsletter. We’ll also keep you informed about other cool reading challenges, readathons, and more across the bookish internet. If you become a paid subscriber, you get even more recommendations plus community features, where you can connect with a community of passionate, like-minded readers in a cozy and supportive corner of the internet. Sign up today!

Libraries & Librarians

Cool Library Updates

San Francisco wants to offer free drug recovery books at its public libraries.

Worth Reading

Libraries are on the front lines of America’s problems.

Book Adaptations in the News

Anyone But You has set the record for the highest-grossing live-action Shakespeare adaptation.

Apparently, Hulu hasn’t scrapped the Court of Thorns and Roses adaptation?

Curtis Sittenfeld’s Romantic Comedy has been acquired by New Line and Hello Sunshine.

There’s going to be a musical adaptation of The Devil Wears Prada, with Vanessa Williams as Miranda Priestly and Elton John doing an original score.

Trailer for The Sympathizer.

30 hot books headed to the screen.

Censorship News

Targeting demographic data to skew reality.

Book ban battles and reading wars: public libraries and the science of reading.

Unite Against Book Bans now offers a free book resume resource for libraries and schools facing book challenges.

Stop picking on public libraries. For real.

The wave of new bills targeting libraries is a threat to our democracy.

For the people who continue to insist that books have ratings like movies: have you stopped to consider how impossibly time-consuming this endeavor would be?

Ripley’s announced that it will give free copies of its annual Believe It or Not books to Florida residents. This is in response to Escambia County schools flagging several Ripley books for potential removal.

“Governor Ron DeSantis on Thursday came out in support of a proposal to limit book bans in schools—the direct result of his own stupid policies. In a press conference, DeSantis tried to claim that accusations that he has enabled book bans in the state of Florida are ‘a fraud’ and ‘a big hoax.’ He blamed ‘activists’ on both the left and right for ‘hijacking’ the process of banning books, accusing them of submitting book challenges solely to create a media narrative.”

The Alachua County School Board (FL) voted to keep Melissa in the elementary school library.

A former North Fort Myers High School (FL) teacher says that he resigned earlier this year after he came back from Christmas break to find that nearly all of the 600+ books in his classroom library had been pulled for review.

Hillsborough County Public Libraries (FL) have implemented a new type of age-restricted library card.

The New Hampshire House voted down a bill that would have prevented schools from carrying books that included sexual content and nudity, and would have made it easier for parents to flag and challenge books they don’t agree with.

New Jersey’s recently introduced legislation, which would standardize library book challenges and protect library workers from harassment, is getting pushback from conservatives.

The West Virginia House has passed a bill that removes critical protections for public and school librarians from criminal prosecution if a minor encounters content that some consider to be obscene. The bill moves to the Senate next. And not surprisingly, museums and libraries are not happy.

Maryland introduces its own Freedom to Read Act.

Maryland House Speaker Adrienne A. Jones has formally released her “decency agenda,” which focuses on protecting controversial books and diverse materials in libraries, among other anti-disinformation and anti-discrimination acts.

Catawba County Schools (NC) were set to discuss the fate of l8r g8r and The Carnival at Bray, but the complainant withdrew her appeal.

A member of Moms for Liberty is upset that Iredell-Statesville Schools (NC) are partnering with the local public libraries to increase student access to materials, saying that children will be able to access inappropriate books under this new arrangement.

“The South Carolina State Board of Education has passed a new regulation aimed at determining the suitability of books for school libraries,” giving the Board final authority on which books can be offered to students.

The woman who challenged 155 books in Dorchester District 2 (SC) does not have a student in the district.

The Georgia Senate considers controls on school libraries and criminal charges for librarians.

Georgia weighs the loss of LIS accreditation in their discussions of breaking with ALA.

Georgia educators have filed a federal sex discrimination lawsuit against the Cobb County School District, which fired 5th-grade gifted specialist Katie Rinderle last year after she read My Shadow is Purple to her class.

The Alabama Senate has approved a bill that makes it easier to remove library board members.

The Dothan Houston County Library System (AL) has made it easier to ban books and will also create a “limited access” category for certain books, which will move them behind the circulation desk and allow people 19 or older to access them. Yes, 19 or older. Eighteen-year-olds are out of luck. And adults across the board will have limited access even though they are of an “appropriate” age. What an absolutely ridiculous policy.

“LGBTQ members and activist groups are frustrated about a Petal alderman’s request to ban 11 children’s books from the Petal Library [MS].”

“In August 2023, Daviess County Citizens for Decency says they discovered over 200 books they felt contained age-inappropriate and pornographic materials. The Daviess County Library says conducting an audit to address those concerns cost them around $35,000.” Yes, it’s an incredible waste of library funds and taxpayer dollars, but that’s the point here — conservatives are trying to overwhelm libraries and make their larger case against having public, tax-funded institutions.

A new proposal calls for tax-funded libraries in Kenosha County (WI) to create “secure, adult-only” sections. WTF, Kenosha? I know I shouldn’t take stuff like this personally, but I grew up within spitting distance of Kenosha, and this makes me very sad.

After threats of lawsuits, the St. Louis Park Public Schools (MN) will allow families to opt out of their children reading books with LGBTQ+ characters. I hear about these cases, and I wonder where this trajectory leads — when children are able to opt out of reading about LGBTQ+ characters, how do they function as adults who can’t opt out of interacting with LGBTQ+ people in their day-to-day lives?

Kansas legislators want school library books rated for “appropriateness.”

Edmond Public Schools (OK) petition the Oklahoma Supreme Court to intervene in the many book removal demands from the Oklahoma Department of Education.

“The overwhelming majority of testifiers at a public hearing Monday opposed SB 1289, many of whom argued it was unnecessary and potentially burdensome for some libraries and school districts.” And yet the legislation has moved forward in Idaho. Why bother having public hearings in the first place?

Utah is close to passing the bill that “calls for the removal of school library books from collections statewide if three school districts or two school districts and five charter schools determine the materials are pornographic or indecent.”

The people who wanted to ban Jack of Hearts (and Other Parts) in Las Cruces Public Schools (NM) will have a second opportunity to challenge the book.

A proposed ban on banning books in Oregon sparks controversy.

The Mat-Su School Board (AK) has recommended that multiple books be removed from school libraries. 19 books have been reviewed (including It Ends With Us, which the review committee said meets the “local standards of ‘criminal indecency’”), and 38 books are left to be reviewed. Needless to say, we can probably expect more books to be banned here.

Calls to ban books are on the rise in Canada. So is the opposition to any bans.

Montreal’s Jewish Public Library removed and then returned Élise Gravel’s children’s books to the shelves after the author criticized Israel’s attacks on Gaza.

The Ottawa Public Library denied seven formal challenges to remove items last year.

A number of Pride-themed books were returned to the Calgary Public Library (Alberta) with significant damage, and the police’s Hate Crime Prevention team is now investigating.

Books & Authors in the News

“A federal judge in California this week dismissed four of six claims made by authors in a now consolidated lawsuit alleging that Open AI infringes their copyrights. But the court gave the authors a month to amend their complaint, and the suit’s core claim of direct infringement—which Open AI did not seek to dismiss—remains active.”

Numbers & Trends

Sales for Matthew Perry’s memoir have doubled since the actor passed away.

The best-selling books of the week.

Award News

The National Book Awards have expanded their eligibility to include non-US citizens.

Here’s an update on the ongoing controversy surrounding the Hugo Awards.

The finalists for the L.A. Times Book Prize have been announced.

The winners of the 2024 Southern Book Prize have been announced.

The longlist for the first-ever Women’s Prize for Nonfiction has been announced.

Pop Cultured

15 thrilling movies where (spoiler alert!) the mystery doesn’t get solved.

11 shows like True Detective to watch after you finish Season 4.

Bookish Curiosities & Miscellaneous

Yes, we’re a week past Valentine’s Day, but these bleak Cormac McCarthy Valentine’s Day candy hearts are something else!

On the Riot

Why you should read more books that are just “okay.”

a tabby cat glaring at the camera

Today’s guest kitty is my parents’ cat, Penny, who was rudely awoken from her nap. My mom texted me this photo with the caption, “If looks could kill…”

All right, friends. February is chugging along, and I’ll see you all next week!

—Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter.