Author: Katie McLain

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 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.

May you all have a peaceful, uneventful week. Catch you on Friday.

—Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter.

Check Your Shelf

Abraham Lincoln, True Crime Writer

Post author By Katie McLain
Post date June 24, 2021

Libraries & Librarians

News Updates

Pride Month book displays at Lafayette (LA) public libraries draw concern from the board vice president.

Cool Library Updates

StoryWalks bring young readers outdoors during the pandemic.

The Evansville Vanderburgh (IN) Public Library has partnered with Legacy Taste of the Garden and Urban Seeds to offer a series of free summer classes for third through fifth graders.

Librarians look to sustain the pandemic surge in graphic novel interest.

Worth Reading

Libraries find success in peer collaboration.

Book Adaptations in the News

Miriam Toews’ Women Talking is being adapted for film, and will star Rooney Mara and Frances McDorman.

Indigenous producer Stories First is adapting Jonny Appleseed by Joshua Whitehead.

Netflix is adapting Maureen Goo’s YA novel Somewhere Only We Know.

Kim Johnson’s This is My America is being adapted for TV by HBO.

Casting update for The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry.

Teaser trailer for The Chestnut Man.

Books & Authors in the News

The Department of Justice drops its case against John Bolton.

(TW: transphobia) Akwaeke Emezi responds to Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s recent viral essay, saying that the essay was intended to incite transphobic attacks towards them.

Persepolis has been removed from the Commack High School required reading list.

Hungary’s vague anti-LGBTQ+ law may see Shakespeare and Sappho banned from classrooms and restricted in bookstores.

Award News

The 2021 Hugo Administration Team has resigned and released a statement on Twitter.

Jason Reynolds wins the Carnegie Medal for Look Both Ways.

Catherine Lacey wins the 2021 Young Lions Fiction Award for Pew.

Hilary Mantel has won the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction for a second time.

The longlist for the McIlvanney Prize for Scottish crime writing has been announced.

Pop Cultured

Disney+ orders a Beauty and the Beast prequel starring Luke Evans and Josh Gad.

Bookish Curiosities & Miscellaneous

When Abraham Lincoln tried his hand at being a true crime writer.

On the Riot

7 Instagram accounts to follow if you’re a school librarian.

Busting the Model Minority Myth: Let’s see Indian Americans fail in literature.

Decolonizing your bookshelf.

A case for being kind to tired booksellers.

How to buy books for people who don’t read.

Books don’t have to explain themselves to you.

The surprising joy of the slow read.

All right, everyone, stay literally and figuratively cool this weekend. I’ll catch you on Tuesday.

—Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter.

Check Your Shelf

50 Years of Pride

Post author By Katie McLain
Post date June 21, 2021

Collection Development Corner

Publishing News

A social justice-themed children’s bookstore opens in West Palm Beach.

A new bookstore in Kansas City opens on Juneteenth and seeks to amplify Black and brown voices.

The great right-wing publishing divide widens.

The challenges of fact-checking a potential Trump memoir.

New & Upcoming Titles

Nnedi Okorafor announces her next novel, Noor.

Michael Wolff is publishing his third exposé of Trump’s presidency, which will focus on his last days in office.

Holly Black announces her first adult novel.

Here’s a first look at Jamie Foxx’s new book, Act Like You Got Some Sense: And Other Things My Daughters Taught Me.

Jared Kushner has an expected memoir for 2022.

24 recent releases for all ages for Pride Month.

15 LGBTQ+ books to get excited about this year.

18 new books from small presses you won’t want to put down.

Weekly book picks from Bustle, Crime Reads, The Millions, New York Times, and USA Today.

The best thrillers to read this June.

Summer reading picks from AARP, LA Times, and USA Today.

The best books of the year so far from Barnes & Noble, Crime Reads, Goodreads, and USA Today.

What Your Patrons Are Hearing About

The Maidens – Alex Michaelides (Entertainment Weekly, Washington Post)

The Sweetness of Water – Nathan Harris (Washington Post)

Bath Haus – PJ Vernon (New York Times)

The Chosen and the Beautiful – Nghi Vo (Washington Post)

RA/Genre Resources

Carnegie Hall announces an Afrofuturism Festival for February 2022.

Readalikes for The Maidens by Alex Michaelides.

A starter guide to Alyssa Cole’s novels.

The 20 best Stephen King books, ranked by Goodreads reviewers.

For literary novelists, the past is pressing.

Female-centered historical novels are dogged by questions of accuracy; hence the author’s note.

On the Riot

The best new books out this week.

4 highly anticipated queer fantasy novels.

6 of the best new dark academia YA books.

5 new YA books that share DNA with classic books.

15 of the best upcoming cozy mysteries for the second half of 2021.

Reading pathways for Mia Couto.

Too weird, or not weird enough: what is slipstream fiction?

If you say there are no good lesbian books, you’re bad at picking books.

The best fan fiction apps and sites.

All Things Comics

Samira Ahmed talks about where she wants to take Kamala Khan and the Ms. Marvel series.

10 times real people appeared in comic books.

On the Riot

8 stellar sci-fi manga titles.

Where to start with Shang-Chi comics.

Audiophilia

Audiobooks on perseverance and renewal.

On the Riot

5 Grammy Award-winning audiobooks to listen to.

6 of the best fantasy books to listen to again and again.

On learning to embrace audiobooks as a reader.

What Rioters like to do while audiobooking.

Book Lists, Book Lists, Book Lists

Children/Teens

24 children’s books about dads that embrace father/son and father/daughter bonds.

5 YA SFF books with asexual leads.

Adults

25 books for kids and adults to celebrate Juneteenth and reflect on the history of slavery.

18 books to read for Juneteenth.

10 books celebrating the rich history of Black cuisine to honor Juneteenth.

42 of the best books by LGBTQ+ authors.

66 LGBTQ+ paperback books to read during Pride, organized by spine color.

LGBTQ short story collections to celebrate Pride.

8 queer books in translation.

7 gay romance recommendations for Pride Month.

5 books to read on social justice that go beyond the instructive.

7 books about teen friendships from the 1970’s to the 2000’s.

13 best beach reads of all time.

25 of the best science fiction books everyone should read.

8 perfect novels set in bookstores.

15 books to read if you loved The Soulmate Equation.

10 genre-bending story collections.

Top 10 books about public spaces.

11 modern fantasies based in classic mythology.

Crime novels that are kinda noir, and kinda not noir.

5 books about interplanetary trade.

On the Riot

13 magical middle grade mermaid books.

10 part-Asian characters in YA novels written by part-Asian authors.

50 years of Pride: the best queer books from every decade 1970 – 2020.

Books about Indian residential schools in Canada: fiction and nonfiction.

6 memoirs by authors of color to find inspiration in.

10 fascinating American cultural histories.

9 riveting memoirs about crime families.

9 contemporary Scottish books you need to read.

10 thought-provoking road trip books.

6 contemporary novels without romance.

20 of the best mafia books.

7 essential classic books of Ireland.

Level Up (Library Reads)

Well, Dini’s started being cute again, so I guess it’s time to wrap this up. Catch you on Friday!

—Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter.

Check Your Shelf

What Do Doll Clothes, Love Letters, and Human Hair Have in Common?

Post author By Katie McLain
Post date June 17, 2021

Libraries & Librarians

News Updates

Here’s what you need to know about Florida’s critical race theory ban.

New York legislature passes a library ebook bill similar to the one recently passed in Maryland.

Harvey Fierstein donates $2.5 million for a theater lab at the New York Public Library.

Cool Library Updates

This Tales and Tails adoption program puts libraries in partnership with animal shelters. (Is there a better pairing than book clubs and cats??)

The Arizona State University has collaborated with the Center for Child Well-Being to create a book collection for children whose parents are incarcerated.

How libraries are supporting older adults with senior-specific wellness programming.

A Grand Prairie (TX) librarian found a way to fight loneliness and social isolation during the pandemic.

Worth Reading

Will libraries get the credit they deserve for stepping up during the pandemic?

Thoughts about the bigger implications of the OverDrive/Kanopy merger.

Book Adaptations in the News

Bryan Fuller will be adapting a remake of Stephen King’s novel Christine and I am HERE FOR IT!

HBO and Ronan Farrow are teaming up for a docuseries based on Catch and Kill.

Tiffany D. Jackson’s Let Me Hear a Rhyme will be adapted as a series for Peacock.

Brother by Ania Ahlborn is being adapted for film.

Joe Hill’s short story “Abraham’s Boys” will be adapted as a feature film.

Harry Melling and Christian Bale are starring in an adaptation of Louis Bayard’s historical mystery novel, The Pale Blue Eye, featuring a young Edgar Allan Poe as a detective.

Liam Neeson is starring in an adaptation of The Black Eyed Blonde, a Philip Marlowe novel written by Benjamin Black.

Here are the release dates for the upcoming Fear Street adaptations.

How authors have been given more agency with their adaptations.

10 Netflix book adaptations that totally missed the mark. (Do you agree?)

Books & Authors in the News

Oprah selects The Sweetness of Water by Nathan Harris as her next book club pick.

Social media backlash is making authors change lines in their already-published books.

Irish author Lucinda Riley, and children’s illustrator Robert M. Quackenbush have passed away.

Numbers & Trends

The most popular in-demand books in US libraries: January – March 2021.

Award News

The Pulitzer Prize winners have been announced!

The Bisexual Book Awards finalists and winners have been announced.

The Women’s Prize for Fiction ceremony has been postponed until September.

Pop Cultured

Robin from Stranger Things is getting a prequel podcast series and a YA novel.

Bookish Curiosities & Miscellaneous

Authors are upset over a recent Goodreads bug that has randomly removed ratings and reviews from the site.

Human hair, doll clothes, love letters, and other strange things found in old books.

On the Riot

It’s not enough to educate yourself as an ally. You also have to teach.

6 of the best romances featuring librarians in love.

How TV shows use books as props.

Reading less, living more: dispatches from a pandemic reading life.

Assigned reading that changed these readers’ lives.

The books we weren’t allowed to read as kids, and why.

An introduction to the Aarne-Thompson Index.

Stay cool, friends. I’ll see you next week.

—Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter.

Check Your Shelf

I’m Picking Up Good Vibration-Based Reading Recs

Post author By Katie McLain
Post date June 14, 2021

Sponsored by Algonquin Books/Workman Publishing

Kiese Laymon called Shruti Swamy’s debut book of stories, A House Is a Body, “one of the greatest short story collections of the 2020s.” Now, Swamy brings us an accomplished and immersive novel about the transformative power of art and the possibilities that love can reveal when we’re ready. The Archer provides both a rich cultural experience and a vivid, urgent exploration of relatable themes like gender, art, and motherhood. Click through to download an e-galley now!

Welcome to Check Your Shelf. Last week involved way too many patrons yelling at staff members about mask policies. Let’s hope this week is more pleasant.

Collection Development Corner

Publishing News

Oxford University Press is closing its printing arm after centuries of publishing.

The hardcover version of Dave Eggers’ next novel will only be available in indie bookstores, although the paperback version will be made universally available.

New & Upcoming Titles

Take a peek at the virtual galley guide for the 2021 ALA annual conference.

Tiffany Haddish is being offered up to $3 million for her next book.

Roger Waters of Pink Floyd teases the possibility of a memoir.

Huma Abedin, Hillary Clinton’s former aide, is writing a memoir.

Paris Hilton has sold a memoir.

Weekly book picks from Crime Reads, New York Times, and USA Today.

June picks from CBC, Crime Reads (psychological thrillers), Seattle Times (mystery/thrillers), and Tor.com (fantasy, genre-bending novels).

Summer reading picks from AARP (nonfiction), Esquire, LitHub, Parade (LGBTQ, beach reads), Popsugar, Town & Country, and Vulture.

Recommendations for books based totally on vibes.

How to navigate the world of literature for grownups.

All Things Comics

Jameela Jamil is playing a supervillain in the upcoming She-Hulk series on Disney+.

The Eisner Award nominations have been announced.

Lord of the Rings is going to be adapted as an anime feature.

The best comics to read in June.

On the Riot

4 YA and middle grade graphic novels featuring some of your favorite superheroes.

7 horror comics to give you chills.

7 of the best YA comics to stack ASAP.

5 romantic manga that mystery and thriller readers will enjoy.

Audiophilia

Cassandra Campbell, Michael Crouch, and Soneela Nankani have been named as the newest Golden Voice Narrators from AudioFile magazine.

In addition, here are 10 romance listens from the newly-inducted Soneela Nankani.

Black narrators you should be listening to.

On the Riot

6 more of the best audiobooks by women for Caribbean Heritage Month.

Book Lists, Book Lists, Book Lists

Children/Teens

22 beautiful and inclusive kids’ books for Pride Month.

Here’s a Twitter thread of recommended middle grade horror novels.

21 YA books spotlighting interracial love.

Adults

A reading list about Palestinian and the struggle for liberation.

What to read when you want to celebrate Pride.

9 books by trans authors changing literature today.

Books for, by, and about Black British LGBTQ+ people.

14 LGBTQ+ books by Indian authors.

24 queer crime novels to read all year long.

5 horror novels that move beyond the “bury your gays” trope.

48 books by Indigenous writers to understand residential schools.

10 must-read books by Caribbean authors to add to your bookshelf.

5 paranormal romance novels with angels.

7 dark, monstrous books by marginalized writers.

Comedic romance novels that deliver the laughs.

Books about people reading books.

10 essential noir novels.

A reading list for when you just need a good cry.

On the evolution of female-driven gothic narratives.

All 408 books in Rory Gilmore’s reading list.

20 best poetry books of all time.

On the Riot

12 coding books for kids who love computers.

8 books about gender fluidity for young readers.

8 great books for the littlest Washingtonians.

4 YA books about fake dating, the LGBTQ+ edition.

5 YA books with crucial sibling relationships by authors of color.

10 delicious books about food, with a side of romance.

8 romantic novels about couples who don’t stay together.

8 queer SFF romantic reads.

8 crime novels with a dash of romance.

6 rockstar romances to vibe with before your next concert.

Illustrated nonfiction books to feed your sense of wonder.

The best English learning books for ESL readers.

6 nonfiction books about amazing real-life Sherlocks.

5 comforting books about friendship breakups.

7 books to help you understand what’s happening in Ireland.

8 recent diverse westerns.

Level Up (Library Reads)

Peace out folks, and stay cool. I’ll see you on Friday.

—Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter.

Check Your Shelf

Please Don’t Donate These Books

Post author By Katie McLain
Post date June 10, 2021

Sponsored by Carina Adores – For Readers Who Love Love

Danny Ip walks into every boardroom with a plan. His plan for struggling tech company WesTec is to acquire it, shut it down, and squeeze the last remaining revenue out of it for his Jade Harbour Capital portfolio. But he didn’t expect his best friend’s younger brother—the hottest one-night stand he ever had—to be there. Tobin Lok has always thought the world of Danny. He’s funny, warm, attractive—and totally out of Tobin’s league. Now, pitted against Danny at work, Tobin might finally get a chance to prove he’s more than just Wei’s little brother…

Welcome to Check Your Shelf, where I am slowly melting in the 90-degree June heat. When did it get so blasted hot??

Libraries & Librarians

News Updates

In the world of library-related monopolies, OverDrive is acquiring Kanopy.

ALA’s Joint Digital Content Working Group has put out a call for change in the library ebook market.

The child-friendly Drag Queen Story Time has been moved from the Derry (NH) library to a private venue after community backlash.

Washington DC public school librarians staged a silent “read in” protest to make sure all DC public schools have a full-time librarian, and to appeal to the DC Council to take measures to improve student literacy rates.

A Louisiana judge supports a prison’s decision to take printed books from inmates amid the pandemic.

Cool Library Updates

This teen activist sows seed libraries across the US.

How the Los Angeles Public Library made libraries cool.

Worth Reading

Libraries find new value in offline engagement.

A look inside Philip Roth’s and Marlin Brando’s personal libraries.

Book Adaptations in the News

Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner is set for a feature adaptation with MGM.

Shadow and Bone has been renewed for a second season with Netflix.

N.K. Jemisin’s Broken Earth trilogy landed a 7-figure deal, and she’ll be adapting the books herself!

Taylor Jenkins Reid’s new book, Malibu Rising, will be adapted as a TV series for Hulu.

Jane Casey’s latest novel, The Killing Kind, has been optioned for TV.

The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner is in the works as a drama series at Fox.

MGM is adapting Norman Partridge’s horror novel, Dark Harvest.

20th Century is developing a new Master and Commander film, with Patrick Ness adapting the script.

Lionsgate is adapting Steven Rowley’s latest novel, The Guncle, for film.

Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese is being adapted.

Khaled Hosseini is adapting his own book, A Thousand Splendid Suns.

Jamie Lee Curtis’ production banner and Blumhouse Television are developing a series based on Patricia Cornwell’s books.

Books & Authors in the News

Readers are angered over an Anne Frank reference in Elin Hilderbrand’s new book, Golden Girl. In response, Hilderbrand has asked for the reference to be removed from the novel.

Andrew Cuomo refuses to release records related to his American Crisis book.

Naomi Wolf’s Twitter account has been suspended after she tweeted anti-COVID vaccine misinformation.

Jeanette Winterson burns her own books in protest at “cosy little blurbs.”

Numbers & Trends

TikTok is driving a surge in demand for YA fiction.

Award News

The winners of the 2021 Nebula Awards have been announced.

The 2021 Indie Book Award winners are announced.

Check out the 2021 Orwell Prize shortlists.

C.J. Prince wins the inaugural Sisters in Crime Pride Award.

On the Riot

Why you should start a student library assistant program in your library.

For the love of virtual library events.

Please don’t donate these books.

WorldCat: Your one-stop library catalog.

Do you really own your ebooks?

How to use the Kindle app on your PC.

Book vending machines are the best vending machines.

On the unpredictable impact of books.

Okay, stay cool literally and figuratively, friends. I’ll see you next week!

—Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter.

Check Your Shelf

Publishing’s Challenges and Controversies

Post author By Katie McLain
Post date June 7, 2021

Sponsored by the Oni-Lion Forge Publishing Group.

Join Greta and Minette once more for the heartwarming conclusion of K. O’Neill’s award-winning Tea Dragon series! Over a year since being entrusted with Ginseng’s care, Greta still can’t chase away the cloud of mourning that hangs over the timid Tea Dragon. Meanwhile, Minette receives a surprise package from the monastery where she was once training to be a prophetess. Told with the same care and charm as the previous installments of the Tea Dragon series, The Tea Dragon Tapestry welcomes old friends and new into a heartfelt story of purpose, love, and growth.

Welcome to Check Your Shelf. It is officially summer in northern Illinois, which means the temperature has gone from mid-50’s to 90’s every day. So naturally, I picked today to go on a hike with my husband. It was only a couple miles across very flat terrain, but I still ended up drenched in sweat, sunscreen, and bug spray. But we’re trying to visit different hiking areas in our county this summer, so we’re probably going to try another one this weekend.

Okay, time to talk less about sweat and more about books!

Collection Development Corner

Publishing News

2022 US Book Show dates have been announced.

This new royalty fund allows authors to earn royalties on secondhand books for the first time.

How booksellers were complicit in the resurgence of White supremacy and the rise of Donald Trump.

Publishing’s cancel culture debate boils over.

The conservative publishing industry has a Joe Biden problem.

A list of 40 queer-owned and queer-focused bookstores.

New & Upcoming Titles

Margaret Atwood announces an essay collection coming in 2022.

Sabaa Tahir has a new standalone novel coming out.

Ibi Zoboi is writing a YA Black Panther novel, set to release in 2022.

Indie speculative fiction for May.

May romances kickstart summer with escapism.

10 new LGBTQ books to celebrate Pride Month.

Weekly book picks from Crime Reads and USA Today.

June book picks from Barnes & Noble, Bitch Media, Book Marks (SFF), Bustle, Crime Reads, Entertainment Weekly, Gizmodo (SFF), Good Morning America, The Millions, Oprah Daily, PopSugar (romance, mystery/thriller, YA), Shondaland, and Washington Post (general & mystery/thriller).

Summer reads picks from The Atlantic, Kirkus, Vogue, and Washington Post (mysteries & thrillers).

Best books of 2021 so far.

The best books to read in 2021.

What Your Patrons Are Hearing About

How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning With the History of Slavery Across America – Clint Smith (LA Times, New York Times, NPR, USA Today, Washington Post)

With Teeth – Kristen Arnett (New York Times, USA Today)

Somebody’s Daughter – Ashley C. Ford (New York Times, USA Today)

Everyone Knows Your Mother Is a Witch – by Rivka Galchen (LA Times, Washington Post)

The Thousand Crimes of Ming Tsu – Tom Lin (New York Times, NPR)

Malibu Rising – Taylor Jenkins Reid (New York Times, Washington Post)

RA/Genre Resources

Why We Need Diverse Books is no longer using the term #OwnVoices.

On the Riot

Turning the page: on publishing’s controversies and challenges.

5 great new works of innovative nonfiction.

10 of the best new June YA books to TBR.

Celebrate Pride Month with these LGBTQ books out on June 1st.

An introduction to locked room mysteries.

The cold equation of science fiction.

Reading pathways for José Eduardo Agualusa.

Reading hard books is good, actually.

All Things Comics

If You’ll Have Me, a new YA Sapphic rom-com graphic novel, has sold for a whopping six figures!

On the Riot

Get to know these nine manhwa and manga set in college.

An introduction to josei manga.

Reading mecha manga in lockdown.

Audiophilia

Audiobook sales rose by 12% in 2020.

The June 2021 Earphones Award winners have been announced.

The best lesbian listens by queer authors.

The best mystery series to listen to on audio.

The best audiobooks for your summer drive, sorted by length and who’s in the car.

On the Riot

6 audiobooks for Pride Month.

An ode to audiobooks improving this reader’s life.

Book Lists, Book Lists, Book Lists

Children/Teens

22 sweet picture books that celebrate fatherhood.

Celebrate Juneteenth with these 9 kids’ books by Black authors.

25 of the greatest queer YA books to add to your summer reading list.

17 YA books set in Asia.

Adults

7 beloved LGBTQ+ books paired with new releases.

115 LGBTQ authors share the books that changed their lives.

40 AAPI authors who made the USA Today bestseller list.

26 books to gift for Father’s Day.

At the intersection of journalism and memoir: a reading list.

6 literary thrillers about espionage, spies, and double agents.

Great books about grifters and swindlers.

5 SFF novels with trans women protagonists.

15 books to make you ugly-cry as much as The Last Letter From Your Lover.

Moody crime reads for fans of Mare of Easttown.

7 books about faith and feminism.

On the Riot

Picture books to teach children about residential schools.

The 10 best Eric Carle books.

20 great books about music for young readers.

5 Cruella De Vil-inspired children’s and YA novels.

8 queer romances to read for Pride Month.

10 sci-fi thrillers to get your pulse racing.

5 non-spiritual self-help books to help you sail through troubling times.

8 celebrity novels to add to your TBR.

8 books to read if you love the Serial podcast.

Level Up (Library Reads)

Gilbert has just crawled into my lap, so I guess that’s my cue to wrap this thing up. See you on Friday!

—Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter. Currently listening to A Good Marriage by Kimberly McCreight.

Check Your Shelf

Jeeves, Bring Me My Next Book

Post author By Katie McLain
Post date June 3, 2021

Sponsored by Algonquin / Workman Publishing

The Last Nomad is a triumphant story of one woman’s endurance, a rich portrait of Somali culture, and a perfect book club pick for discussing political and social themes such as women’s rights, body autonomy, refugee crises, and immigration. Click to download an e-galley now!

Welcome to Check Your Shelf. If anyone’s wondering from the last newsletter, the Cubs lost when Blaine and I went to the game on Sunday, but honestly, being back at a live baseball game was hashtag-worth-it. Easily the most enjoyable Cubs loss I’ve ever watched. And now Blaine and I just have an excuse to try and get tickets to another game this season.

But this isn’t a baseball newsletter – this is a library newsletter! Let’s library!

Libraries & Librarians

News Updates

The Maryland state bill that would ensure public libraries the right to license and lend ebooks available to consumers in the state has become law.

(TW: transphobia) Halifax Pride has announced that they are ending their partnership with the Halifax Public Library after library officials said that they would not remove the book Irreversible Damage: The Transgender Craze Seducing Our Daughters by Abigail Shrier from their collections.

This patron returned an overdue Bob Dylan record to an Ohio library 48 years past its due date along with an apologetic note.

Cool Library Updates

In the Rochester Public Library’s recent survey about their shift to a fines free policy, nearly 50% of responders said that eliminating fines improved their access to materials during the pandemic.

Worth Reading

To survive, libraries must transform.

If you want a closer look at how libraries can show the impact of their services, make sure to read this interview with Christian Lauersen, the director at the Roskilde Library in Denmark.

Thieves can make millions at the library.

The book club of this reader’s dreams was at the library all along.

Book Adaptations in the News

Netflix’s Anna K, a contemporary adaptation of Anna Karenina, will be its first Russian original drama series.

Apple orders a series adaptation of The Big Door Prize by M.O. Walsh.

Alex Michaelides’ upcoming novel The Maidens has been snagged for a series adaptation.

Casting update for Sandman and Bridgerton Season 2.

29 movies based on books that are actually worth watching.

Books & Authors in the News

Lois Ehlert, beloved children’s illustrator of Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, has died at age 86.

Akwaeke Emezi made the cover of Time magazine as a Next Generation Leader.

Mary Parrish’s firsthand account of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre has been published 100 years later.

Award News

The winners of the 2021 Lambda Literary Awards have been announced.

David Diop wins the 2021 Booker International Prize for At Night All Blood is Black.

Jalal Barjas wins the 2021 International Prize for Arabic Fiction.

The US Selfies announce their 2021 shortlist.

Bookish Curiosities & Miscellaneous

The Portage NAACP created a coloring book to teach children the ABC’s of social justice.

On the Riot

100 years of the Newbery Medal.

A guide to the fantasy and science fiction award scene.

A day in the life of an indie bookseller.

On the unpredictable impact of books.

Being a “book butler” is actually a thing!

All right, you crazy kids. I hope you all had a relaxing holiday weekend, and I hope you’ve been able to enjoy the shorter work week this week. Catch you on Tuesday!

—Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter. Currently reading Children of Chicago by Cynthia Pelayo.

Check Your Shelf

Gay Royal Romance Novels, Cyberpunk, and MORE

Post author By Katie McLain
Post date May 31, 2021

Collection Development Corner

Publishing News

Roxane Gay starts her own imprint with Grove Atlantic.

Checking in with Black bookstores nearly a year after 2020’s book boom on racism.

How booksellers were complicit in the resurgence of white supremacy and the rise of Donald Trump.

New & Upcoming Titles

4 chilling debut thrillers for your summer reading list.

30 LGBTQ YA books to read this spring. Plus, 23 new LGBTQ+ YA books to add to your TBR.

The best new LGBTQ+ rom-coms to read this summer.

The 31 best books of 2021 (so far).

Weekly book picks from Buzzfeed, Crime Reads, LitHub, and USA Today.

June picks from Epic Reads (YA), New York Times, and Vanity Fair.

Summer picks from Amazon (romance), Star Tribune, Time, and Vulture.

What Your Patrons Are Hearing About

The Kingdoms – Natasha Pulley (New York Times, Tor.com, USA Today)

Heaven – Mieko Kawakami (New York Times, NPR, Washington Post)

King Richard: Nixon and Watergate: An American Tragedy – Michael Dobbs (New York Times, USA Today)

Languages of Truth: Essays 2003 – 2020 – Salman Rushdie (The Guardian, New York Times)

The Other Black Girl – Zakiya Dalila Harris (New York Times)

RA/Genre Resources

Romancing the Discourse is a new monthly online romance lecture and Q&A series hosted by author Ali Williams.

Feminist science fiction in all of its gritty glory.

The gay royal romance novel is having a moment. (USA Today)

On the Riot

Preorder these queer books coming out in June!

19 true crime books coming out in 2021.

Weekly book picks you need to read.

5 new books for AAPI Heritage Month 2021.

A beginner’s guide to reading fan fiction.

Cyberpunk: everything you did (and maybe didn’t) want to know.

All Things Comics

Marvel confirms Oscar Isaac as the star of the upcoming Moon Knight series on Disney+. I’ve never had much interest in Marvel, but I may find myself watching a few episodes of this…

The CW has greenlit Ava DuVernay’s comic adaptation of DC’s Naomi.

Keanu Reeves discussed his comic book debut at the inaugural US Book Show.

We’re getting a graphic novel about the life of Freddie Mercury!

10 Marvel comics with healthy LGBTQ representation.

On the Riot

Graphic nonfiction for middle grade readers.

Simply complicated: why comics aren’t always what they seem.

Communicating science through illustration.

Audiophilia

Celebrating the 2021 Edgar Award winners on audio.

May’s bookseller-recommended audiobooks.

On the Riot

8 of the best audiobooks by Black southern writers.

Book Lists, Book Lists, Book Lists

Children/Teens

The best picture books for growing emotional intelligence.

11 enchanting mermaid books for kids.

Adults

15 of the best books to help you understand the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

An essential reading list on police and Pride.

7 queer books with heartstopping twists.

10 translated books from Haiti to read right now.

10 of the best post-apocalyptic novels.

8 mindbending books you’ll be thinking about for days.

Horror, scifi, and fantasy books that make the most of circus settings.

The best books, podcasts, and documentaries about cults.

7 stories on the absurdity of love.

10 essential noir novels.

12 books featuring the New York underworld.

Nonfiction about crime, corruption, and fraud in Silicon Valley.

11 of the best mental health books.

Literary recommendations for each character on Friends.

11 of the best books on #BookTok.

On the Riot

10 fish books for kids: they don’t get betta than this! (Puns usually make me roll my eyes, but I have to tip my hat to this one…that’s pretty good.)

6 soothing bedtime books for kids.

Middle grade books about mental health.

Dark fiction in YA literature: the horror of coming of age.

4 great YA novels set in the 1950’s.

16 nonfiction books you may have missed because of the pandemic.

6 historical fiction books set in South Asia.

7 books that share the same title.

5 contemporary, game-changing literary fiction novels.

6 books for submitting to the mortifying ordeal of being known. Ouch.

11 books like The Kiss Quotient.

15 of the best romantic thrillers to TBR.

Horror novels set in the woods.

5 of the best horror novels about small towns.

5 of the best horror novels about mothers.

6 great SFF heist novels.

7 books about the attention economy.

Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! Books like Mamma Mia!

5 recent and upcoming cocktail books to whet your appetite.

Level Up (Library Reads)

That’s it for me! I’m off to Wrigley Field, where I sincerely hope the rest of the team can stay off of the Injured List. Go Cubs go, and I’ll catch you all on Friday!

—Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter.