Author: Katie McLain

Welcome to Check Your Shelf. Last week during a down moment in a Zoom meeting, I looked to the side and said something to one of my cats, who was in the chair next to me. When I looked back at the screen, a coworker was looking at me strangely, and I realized that she couldn’t see the cat, and was slightly puzzled as to why I had just called her “Doodlebug.” So…that was my week last week. Let’s hope for a better one.

Also, here’s a video of said Doodlebug exploring the wonders of the Christmas tree for the first time.

Collection Development Corner

Publishing News

The Tattered Cover bookstore in Denver was recently announced as the largest Black-owned bookstore in the country, but that messaging has met with a lot of criticism from Black booksellers.

Will the latest publishing mega-merger kill off small presses and literary diversity?

Just how white is the publishing industry?

New & Upcoming Titles

Bob Woodward is publishing another book about the Trump presidency.

Rachel Howzell Hall has a new book coming out!

Helene Wecker announces a sequel to The Golem and the Jinni, called The Hidden Palace, which comes out in June.

Zoraida Cordova’s debut adult novel, The Inheritance of Orquidea Divinia, will be released next year.

Seanan McGuire will have four more books coming from Tordotcom.

Kellyanne Conway has reportedly received a multi-million dollar deal for an upcoming memoir.

Melania Trump’s White House memoir may be a coffee table book.

5 recent books about the climate crisis.

November romance picks.

Weekly book picks from Booklist Reader, BuzzFeed, Crime Reads, New York Times, Shelf Awareness, and USA Today.

December picks from Amazon (mystery/thriller, biography/memoir), BookPage (mystery/thriller, romance), and Tor.com (fantasy, science fiction, YA SFF).

Most-anticipated books for 2021 from AARP, O: Oprah Magazine (general picks, romance), and Tor.com (SFF).

Best Books of 2020

Best books of the year from Electric Lit, Entertainment Weekly, LA Times, LitHub, People, Slate, Vanity Fair, Vulture, and Wall Street Journal.

Best books of 2020, as selected by a panel of guest authors for The Guardian.

Best overlooked books of 2020.

Best crime novel picks (Crime Reads, New York Times, and Wall Street Journal)

Best historical fiction from the New York Times.

Best science fiction, fantasy, and horror (LitHub, Wall Street Journal)

Best short story collections (Bookmarks, Chicago Review of Books, Electric Lit)

Best LGBTQ books (New York Public Library, Shondaland)

Best nonfiction picks from Bookmarks (biographies/memoirs, poetry collections), Electric Lit, Kirkus (general nonfiction, biographies, memoirs, music), LitHub (essay collections), Smithsonian Magazine (history, travel, food), Wall Street Journal (political), and Wired (science).

Best children’s books from Read Brightly, Smithsonian Magazine, and Wall Street Journal.

Best YA fiction, and best speculative YA fiction (BuzzFeed, Tor.com)

What Your Patrons Are Hearing About

The Purpose of Power: How To Come Together When We Fall Apart – Alicia Garza (Washington Post)

Crosshairs – Catherine Hernandez (USA Today)

Bag Man: The Wild Crimes, Audacious Cover-Up and Spectacular Downfall of a Brazen Crook in the White House – Rachel Maddow & Michael Yarvitz (New York Times)

The Blade Between – Sam J. Miller (NPR)

On the Riot

The best books you’ve never heard of: Winter 2020.

6 strategies for recommending books to friends so they’ll actually read them.

Reading pathways for Holly Black.

All Things Comics

Ava DuVernay is adapting DC’s Naomi for the CW.

Best graphic novels of 2020.

Best new comics for December 2020.

Why are so many comics creators going to Kickstarter instead of publishers?

On the Riot

15 graphic novels for the middle grade reader on your shopping list.

Audiophilia

Audible’s 10 best audiobooks of 2020.

AudioFile has more best-of lists for 2020: fiction; romance; mystery & suspense; scifi, fantasy, & horror; kids & family; and young adult.

12 reasons to gift audiobooks.

On the Riot

6 summer audiobooks for readers in the southern hemisphere.

18 of the best horror audiobooks to extend the haunting season.

Balancing audiobooks and podcasts during quarantine.

Book Lists, Book Lists, Book Lists

Children/Teens

Best Jewish children’s books of 2020.

Adults

Bill Gates picks 5 books for a lousy year.

10 books that will connect you in a socially distant year.

23 discussion-ready books for your next book club meeting.

8 fat-positive queer books.

14 cozy holiday romances.

6 mysteries that prove you really can’t go home again.

9 books about Krampus and other holiday horrors.

18 books to read at home over holiday break.

16 books about Princess Diana that pull back the curtain.

5 books about the horror of winter.

On the Riot

10 inclusive children’s holiday books for the most wonderful storytimes of the year.

13 fantastic books about East Asian American kids.

10 middle grade books teens want you to read right now.

10 excellent short stories for high school students.

5 YA books about teens who travel (when you can’t).

Read Harder suggestions: a LGBTQ+ history book, a non-European novel in translation, a book about anti-racism, a book you’ve been intimidated to read.

15 books about Appalachia to read instead of Hillbilly Elegy.

10 books like The House in the Cerulean Sea.

25 must-read books about Buddhism.

Women writing about women: must-read memoirs, biographies, and autobiographies.

11 of the best books about artificial intelligence.

7 books to get you through unemployment.

5 food novels by Southeast Asian women writers.

5 books for an introduction to disability history in 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 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.

Let’s keep stumbling towards the new year, everyone. Stay hydrated and moisturized!

—Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter.

Welcome to Check Your Shelf. Is anyone else counting down till December 22nd, when the days start getting longer again? I’m almost more excited for extra daylight than I am for Christmas, and I think that just about sums up 2020 for me.

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Libraries & Librarians

News Updates

Amazon Publishing is reportedly in talks to offer ebook access to public libraries.

Allegheny County Jail has reversed its policy banning book delivery to its incarcerated population. For a deeper look, check out this article about the hidden history of the Allegheny County Jail Library.

A look at how Chicago-area libraries have decided whether to stay open or close their doors to the public.

The investigation into the Douglas County Library’s public statement supporting Black Lives Matter has revealed that no library policies were violated.

A Louisiana library has pulled the LGBTQ books from its children’s section.

Cool Library Updates

This Georgia library set up a drive-through food pantry that helped 370 families.

The Canadian government has provided $34.5 million in net zero carbon funding to the facility that will house Library and Archives Canada, as well as the Ottawa Public Library.

How drag queen story hour is helping children grow during the pandemic.

The Books to Go program in West Ottawa Public Schools has helped students stay connected with their school libraries.

Worth Reading

Funding and book borrowing are on the decline at UK libraries.

Librarians will miss BookExpo.

Library books: a small antidote to a life of perpetual dissatisfaction.

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Book Adaptations in the News

Memorial Drive: A Daughter’s Memoir by Natasha Trethewey is being developed as a drama series for Sony.

Shuggie Bain will likely be developed into a TV series.

The Other Passenger by Louise Candlish will be developed into a film.

Ring Shout by P. Djéli Clark is being turned into a series.

Hulu has a Hardy Boys reboot series that you can stream now.

Showtime has already snagged screen rights to journalist John Heilemann’s upcoming book about Joe Biden’s campaigns.

Trailer for Season 3 of American Gods.

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Books & Authors in the News

Jason Reynolds is awesome. On Giving Tuesday, he bought up all of his books from Washington D.C. bookstores and told readers to go pick them up for free.

Pulitzer-winning novelist Alison Lurie has died at age 94.

Roald Dahl’s family has apologized for his anti-Semitism, thirty years after his death.

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Numbers & Trends

Publishers are seeing sales spikes for chess books following the success of The Queen’s Gambit.

Not surprisingly, in-house sales for bookstores are down, but online sales are WAY up.

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Award News

The 2020 Goodreads Choice Awards winners have been announced.

The Science Fiction Writers of America have named Nalo Hopkinson as the 37th Damon Knight Grand Master.

Raven Leilani wins the Center for Fiction’s 2020 First Novel Prize for Luster.

Attica Locke wins the Staunch Book Prize for Heaven, My Home.

Barnes & Noble selects World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments by Aimee Nezhukumatathil and Fumi Nakamura as their 2020 Book of the Year.

The Literary Review has canceled its annual Bad Sex in Fiction award, saying that people have been through too many bad things this year.

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Pop Cultured

Warner Brothers will release all of their 2021 movies in theaters and on HBO Max simultaneously.

Universal is planning a new monster movie in the Van Helsing universe.

New trailer for Wonder Woman: 1984.

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Bookish Curiosities & Miscellaneous

A campaign is underway to purchase J.R.R. Tolkien’s house and turn it into a museum, and the coolest part is that the campaign has been backed by Lord of the Rings actors Ian McKellan, Martin Freeman, and John Rhys-Davies!

A look at how book clubs have adapted during the pandemic.

Is it worse to steal books from a library or a bookstore? (PSST: DON’T STEAL BOOKS!)

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On the Riot

It’s the 2021 Read Harder Challenge!! Plus our annual 2021 Reading Log!

The most popular under-the-radar books in US libraries from July to September.

The benefits of community reading programs.

A look at morality clauses within the literature and entertainment industries.

The pandemic tanked this person’s reading habits. (Don’t worry, it tanked mine too.)

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Well, that’s a wrap folks. Stay warm, and keep your hands well-moisturized! The frequent hand washing and the winter weather have turned me into a lizard.

—Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter.

Welcome to Check Your Shelf. I spent this last weekend getting all my holiday shopping done, but I’ll probably still end up waiting until the last minute to get my wrapping done. Maybe a good time to find a new audiobook? At any rate, it feels really bizarre to have a raging pandemic happening outside, and still be figuring out the logistics of holiday wrapping.

Collection Development Corner

Publishing News

ReedPop is retiring BookExpo and BookCon, although there will likely be attempts to re-invent the conference. Booksellers have said that they aren’t surprised that BEA has been retired.

What a new BookExpo could learn from the Helsinki Book Fair.

Penguin Random House’s purchase of Simon & Schuster has drawn a lot of objections.

A look at some of the (many!) new imprints announced this year.

What are publishers really doing to diversify?

New & Upcoming Titles

Ibram X. Kendi and Jason Reynolds have announced an adaptation of Stamped for kids! Check out the cover here.

Akwaeke Emezi will be releasing their first poetry collection next year

Mary Trump will have another book coming out in July 2021.

Paula Hawkins announced her next suspense novel, which will be released in August of next year.

Sister Souljah has a follow-up to The Coldest Winter Ever, called Life After Death, which will be released in March.

Lauren Groff is writing a new book in 2021.

Melania Trump is possibly shopping around a memoir.

John Cena is releasing an illustrated book of uplifting quotes adapted from his Twitter feed.

11 new books by Native American writers.

13 new books to get cozy with this holiday season.

16 recent holiday romances to fall in love with.

Books that deserved more buzz this year. Plus, this season’s hidden gems.

Weekly book picks from Booklist Reader, Bustle, BuzzFeed, Crime Reads, New York Times, Publishers Weekly, Shelf Awareness, and USA Today.

December picks from Amazon, Bitch Media (YA feminist picks), Lambda Literary (LGBTQ), The Millions, New York Times, Pop Sugar (romance, thrillers, buzzy books), Shondaland, Town & Country, and Washington Post.

32 LGBTQ+ books to look forward to in 2021.

Best Books of 2020

NPR’s Book Concierge is BAAAAACK!

Best picks from Chicago Tribune, The Guardian, New York Times, New Yorker, Parade, Shondaland, and Smithsonian Magazine.

Best debuts of 2020 (Barnes & Noble).

Best romances (BookPage).

Best mysteries & thrillers (BookPage, Seattle Times).

Best memoirs (BookPage).

Best science books (Smithsonian Magazine).

Best children’s books from BookPage (picture books & middle grade), Kirkus, New York Times.

Best art & photo books (BuzzFeed, New York Times).

Best book covers (LitHub).

What Your Patrons Are Hearing About

Long Time Coming: Reckoning With Race in America – Michael Eric Dyson (NPR, Washington Post)

Perestroika in Paris – Jane Smiley (NPR, Washington Post)

RA/Genre Resources

NYPL put together a list of readalikes for recent award-winning titles.

On the Riot

It’s Book Riot’s Best Books of 2020! (MUPPET ARMS!!)

And our best children’s books of 2020! (MORE MUPPET ARMS!!)

20 must-read picture books from 2020.

10 short story collections by Asian authors from 2020.

A response to claims of racism in Naomi Novik’s A Deadly Education.

Foretelling the future of vampire books.

Reading pathways for Ally Condie.

Mood is the most underrated literary device, and the most valuable.

How to get a refresher without rereading the previous book in a series.

All Things Comics

Did you know that Kristin Cashore’s YA novel Graceling is being turned into a graphic novel?

Switch up your reading routine with these 15 graphic novels.

On the Riot

Epic comics to get lost in.

Magical careers in manga.

Audiophilia

Okay, this is just RUDE: Alex Trebek has been omitted from his own memoir’s Grammy nomination, despite narrating a significant portion of the audiobook. And Ken Jennings is pissed.

Epic Reads asks what it’s like working in audiobooks.

AudioFile announced their Best Audiobooks of 2020.

Libro.fm announced that their Thanks for Giving campaign led to over $170,000 being spent at independent bookstores during the last week of November!

On the Riot

6 of the best audiobooks set in the American South.

Book Lists, Book Lists, Book Lists

Children/Teens

10 Kwanzaa books for kids and families.

Children’s books that celebrate diverse holidays and traditions.

YA novels with complicated friendships.

7 YA books that perfectly depict the fake dating trope.

Adults

25 festive holiday romance novels.

10 chilling thrillers to read this winter.

6 novels to read if you love Hallmark movies.

Books about addiction written by women.

Excellent 500+ page novels to lose yourself in.

Get holly and jolly (and slightly murderous) with these Christmas cozy mysteries.

5 unconventional fictional families that will (maybe) make you miss your own.

5 awesomely pulpy books.

On the Riot

7 books with stuffed animals to cheer up your little ones.

8 middle grade and YA fantasy novels written by Indian authors.

5 royal YA fantasy books for fans of The Crown.

5 queer YA books to read if you’re disappointed with Boys’ Love.

8 YA domestic thrillers.

Learn about 8 other classic teen sleuths who weren’t Nancy Drew.

28 sex-positive books for readers of all ages.

5 books about complicated families by BIPOC authors.

8 anti-racist books to help you dig deeper.

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 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.

—Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter. Currently reading Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey.

Welcome to Check Your Shelf. Somehow, in the midst of all *waves vaguely* THIS, we still have our annual Winter Reading Program happening. Maybe this is what people need to keep them occupied right now. Although there’s something innately maddening about trying to figure out the best way to distribute regular prizes via curbside pickup.

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Libraries & Librarians

News Updates

Why are Chicago Public Libraries still open amid soaring COVID rates?

Amazon is under pressure to lift its ban on library sales for in-house eBooks.

Cool Library Updates

King’s University College in Ontario receives a one million dollar donation from one of its former librarians, making it one of the largest individual gifts in the college’s history!

Worth Reading

Can a patron who gets sick sue the library?

College libraries once again have to adjust to shutdowns during this second pandemic wave.

This reader misses libraries, especially the browsing part.

Peep this 2020 holiday gift guide for librarians and book lovers!

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Book Adaptations in the News

Adam Conover, host of Adam Ruins Everything, has teamed up with the Obama’s production company to transform Michael Lewis’ book The Fifth Risk into a Netflix sketch comedy series about the government.

First trailer for the adaptation of Cherry by Nico Walker.

Here’s your first (adorable) look at Clifford the Big Red Dog, which will be made into a movie in 2021!

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Books & Authors in the News

The Romancing the Runoff fundraiser has raised almost $400,000 for the runoff Senate elections in Georgia!

Legendary science fiction author Ben Bova has passed away at 88.

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Numbers & Trends

Over 118 million people attended library programs in 2017!

Award News

Mystery Writers of America announced its 2021 Grand Master and Raven Award recipients.

The 2021 Hugo Awards will include a special category for Best Video Game.

The winners and finalists of the Brooklyn Public Library literary awards have been announced.

Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell is named as the Waterstones book of the year.

The shortlist for the Costa Book Awards has been released.

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Bookish Curiosities & Miscellaneous

Dictionary.com and Merriam-Webster both chose the word “pandemic” for their word of the year.

In 2010, Edie Vonnegut, daughter of Kurt Vonnegut, found 226 love letters from Vonnegut to his wife, Jane. The love letters are now being published in a book called Love, Kurt: The Vonnegut Love Letters, 1941-1945.

What do you get when you cross Where’s Waldo, cats, and Hong Kong markets? You get this adorable photo book!

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On the Riot

50+ alternative careers for librarians.

“Is that all you do?” Self-promotion as a school librarian.

5 indie bookstores that started book subscriptions or personalized care packages to survive the pandemic.

6 places to buy books online that aren’t Amazon.

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We’ve only got a few more weekends before we’re done with 2020, and I know that it’s not like the world’s going to reset on January 1st, but I’m starting a little countdown…let’s tick one more weekend off our lists.

—Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter.

Welcome to Check Your Shelf. Despite this extremely non-traditional Thanksgiving weekend, I still managed to eat enough to strain the waistband on my comfy pants…there’s been a lot of napping in the McLain-Horner household over the last few days.

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Collection Development Corner

Publishing News

And then there were four…Penguin Random House’s parent company is officially purchasing Simon & Schuster.

Penguin Random House employees in Canada have protested the publisher’s decision to publish a new book by Jordan Peterson.

A Somerville (MA) mother started an indie publishing house to showcase more stories of “the South Asian experience.”

A new online bookstore for LGBTQ+ readers opens in the UK.

Scholastic Book Fairs revamp their options for the pandemic.

New & Upcoming Titles

Pope Francis’ new book supports demands for racial justice and speaks out against COVID-19 deniers and conspiracy theorists.

Yusef Salaam, one of the five teens who became known as the “Central Park 5” in 1989, will publish a memoir next year.

Lorde went to Antarctica and is publishing a photo book to prove it.

46 books from 2020 that indie booksellers were grateful for this year.

Books of the week from Booklist Reader, Bustle, LitHub, The Millions, Publishers Weekly, and USA Today.

November picks from Amazon (history), Crime Reads, and LitHub (bio/memoir).

December picks from Epic Reads and New York Times.

Best books of 2020 from BBC, Book Page, (general & SFF), Kirkus (picture books), LitHub (short story collections), New York Times, Shelf Awareness (children’s/YA), Smithsonian Magazine (food), Time (children’s/YA, nonfiction), and Wired (cookbooks).

15 mysteries and thrillers to look for in 2021.

What Your Patrons Are Hearing About

The Thirty Names of Night – Zeyn Joukhadar (USA Today, Washington Post)

The Freezer Door – Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore (New York Times, Washington Post)

Let Us Dream: The Path to a Better Future – Pope Francis (NPR)

A Question of Freedom: The Families Who Challenged Slavery From the Nation’s Founding to the Civil War – William G. Thomas (New York Times)

On the Riot

15 of the best post-apocalyptic books in 2020.

How to find LGBTQ+ new releases.

10+ new self-help books, and how to find more.

Angst all the way down: where to get started with John Green books.

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All Things Comics

Simon & Schuster is launching two new graphic novel lines for young readers.

Kid Quick, DC’s first non-binary character, will appear in next month’s anthology, DC’s Merry Multiverse.

On the Riot

11 comics to relax with.

10 middle grade graphic novels to gift this year.

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Audiophilia

Writer’s groups have been protesting Audible’s exchange policy, which allows users to return their audiobooks within 1 year of the purchase, and allows Audible to avoid paying authors and narrators their royalties. Audible has since altered its return policy.

The Grammy nominees for Best Spoken Word Album have been announced.

Audiobooks to soothe you during Lockdown 2.0.

5 literary thrillers on audio.

On the Riot

The neuroscience of audiobooks.

How to find audiobooks for sleep.

7 audiobooks for Indigenous Heritage Month.

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Book Lists, Book Lists, Book Lists

Children/Teens

12 nonfiction books kids will actually read.

14 YA books that prove that all teens are messy in the best way.

10 YA books with saints & angel mythologies.

Epic Reads has a (dare I say it?) EPIC YA Holiday Gift Guide!

Adults

20 life-changing books to gift to someone you love.

7 books you should read AFTER dinner this holiday season (this is from the Ladies of Horror Fiction, so that should tell you a few things about the content of this list).

6 SFF novels that defy genre distinction.

5 SFF reads with Chinese representation.

5 SFF books with an astonishing number of twists and turns.

5 books about women fighting their way out.

Companion reading for a truly fraught holiday season.

10 romantic books for readers new to the genre.

On the Riot

7 children’s books by Asian writers.

10 ancient mythology and folktale books for kids.

5 of the best morally ambiguous monster hunting YA novels.

YA books set in bookstores.

Food & travel book recommendations for all your pandemic armchair travels.

20 must-read short books for short attention spans.

15 of the best books for teachers

12 books for coping with a COVID winter.

5 new books to read if you love Toni Morrison.

14 books about pop culture to distract you from 2020.

Books you should read if you’re a middle child.

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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 created a database of upcoming diverse books that anyone can edit, and Nora Rawlins of Early Word is doing the same, as well as including information about series, vendors, and publisher buzz.

See you on Friday!

—Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter. Currently reading Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey.

Welcome to Check Your Shelf. Has anyone else been having a ridiculously hard time keeping track of what day it is? Earlier this week, I asked my husband multiple times to confirm that it was still Tuesday (it was). And today, my boss gave me a mini heart attack when he asked me to take care of something at the library, and when I told him I wasn’t there (I’m not normally scheduled for Wednesdays), he said, “But aren’t you supposed to cover for me today?” Thankfully, he quickly realized that he had asked a different staff member to cover his shift, but in that amount of time, I thought I felt my heart stop.

So what day is it again?

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Libraries & Librarians

News Updates

A new rule bans Allegheny (PA) County Jail inmates from receiving books, and limits them to 214 pre-selected eBooks on faulty tablets that cost inmates money.

The Manhattan poetry library Poets House has suspended operations due to economic difficulties during the pandemic, but employees say that the move is a retaliatory measure against staff members’ recent attempts to unionize.

New Orleans mayor LaToya Cantrell and several top public library officials have been accused of misleading the public with their proposed plan to reallocate millions in property taxes.

Cool Library Updates

The Redwood City (CA) Library will be hosting a virtual version of its award-winning Human Library program on December 5th.

Dallas Libraries add 2100 mobile WiFi hotspots to their collections.

New York Public Library released several Best Books of the Year lists for kids, teens, and adults.

Next month, you’ll be able to stream a new documentary for free about Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.

Worth Reading

How libraries handle the legacy of racist murals.

How local libraries shaped the life of Octavia E. Butler.

10 people share why they’re thankful for libraries.

How German librarians played a thirteen-year game of cat-and-mouse with an elusive book thief.

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Book Adaptations in the News

Netflix is working on an adaptation of Forty Acres by Dwayne Alexander Smith, and if you’ve read this book before, you know that it was MADE to be a movie!

Umbrella Academy has been renewed for a third season with Netflix.

Rebecca Carroll is adapting her upcoming memoir, Surviving the White Gaze, for television.

We may be seeing a reboot of Waiting to Exhale from ABC.

First official trailer for Tiny Pretty Things!

Trailer for the long awaited sci-fi adventure Chaos Walking.

New trailer for The Underground Railroad.

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Books & Authors in the News

Bustle looks at how romance authors and their “Romancing the Runoff” fundraiser is helping Stacey Abrams turn Georgia blue.

Warner Brothers TV strikes an overall deal with YA author and activist Kimberly Latrice Jones.

Barack Obama has made his memoir available for free to all Chicago High School students and staff!

The book White Fragility has been removed from a Florida high school after several parents complained.

Bret Easton Ellis bypasses book publishers for his latest story, and instead turns to podcasts.

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Numbers & Trends

Obama’s memoir breaks first day sales records for Penguin Random House, selling more than 887,000 copies in the first day.

Not surprisingly, James Patterson was the decades’ best-selling author.

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Award News

Joy Harjo will serve a rare third term as US poet laureate.

The winners of the National Book Awards have been announced!

Douglas Stuart wins the 2020 Booker Prize for Shuggie Bain.

Everywhere You Don’t Belong by Gabriel Bump wins the Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence.

The shortlist for the 2020 Reading Women Award in nonfiction has been released.

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Pop Cultured

Wonder Woman: 1984 will be released in theaters on Christmas Day, but it will also be available to stream on HBO Max simultaneously.

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Bookish Curiosities & Miscellaneous

Charles Darwin’s notebooks have reportedly been stolen from Cambridge University, although they were originally believed to be mis-shelved as far back as 2000.

Oxford has broken with its tradition of naming a single word of the year, and instead named multiple words of the year for 2020.

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On the Riot

5 favorite fictional librarians from children’s media.

Librarians know…even hardcore book people engage in bad book habits.

Encouraging pleasure reading while the world is on fire.

A call for more people to try reading out loud.

How to strengthen your reading habits.

10 of the best book lights for late-night reading. Or, you know, if you’re looking for ideas for winter reading program prizes…

How to make a DIY book page wreath.

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See everyone on Tuesday. Have a safe weekend!

—Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter.

Welcome to Check Your Shelf. I know technically it’s Thanksgiving this week, but not surprisingly, this hasn’t been a particularly festive holiday season. At the very least, I hope everyone in the US enjoys their day off.

Collection Development Corner

Publishing News

HarperCollins and Penguin Random House are reportedly the leading candidates to purchase Simon & Schuster.

Star Wars author Alan Dean Foster appeals to Disney in a fight over royalties, saying that Disney has not paid him any royalties since they acquired Lucasfilm and 20th Century Fox.

Authors demand better treatment from Albert Whitman & Co.

How are publishers supposed to market books during the pandemic?

New & Upcoming Titles

A look at whether or not publishers will buy Trump’s inevitable presidential memoir, and whether or not indie bookstores would sell it.

Alan Rickman’s 27 handwritten diary volumes will be published as a single book in 2022. *commence ugly crying*

Dial Books For Young Readers are publishing a picture book about the Biden family dogs, Champ and Major, which will be released on January 19th, the day before Inauguration Day.

6 top YA authors, including Angie Thomas, Dhonielle Clayton, and Tiffany D. Jackson, are collaborating on a single novel in 2021.

Mary L. Trump is already shopping around a follow-up to Too Much and Never Enough.

Ernest Cline is talking about a possible prequel to Ready Player One.

A previously unpublished collection of J.R.R. Tolkien essays on Middle Earth will be released next summer.

First look at Laura Lippman’s new psychological thriller, Dream Girl.

Quentin Tarantino is writing the novelization of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.

Get your geeky food & drink on with this Star Trek cocktail guide and this Wonder Woman cookbook.

11 new releases to get you through Thanksgiving.

Books of the week from Bustle, Buzzfeed, Booklist, Crime Reads, The Millions, New York Times, and USA Today.

November book picks from Amazon (nonfiction), Crime Reads, Tor.com (horror & genre bending novels), and USA Today.

Best books of 2020 from Amazon, Kirkus (fiction), New York Times, O: Oprah Magazine, Time, Tor.com, and Washington Post (Top 10, fiction, nonfiction, poetry, graphic novels, mysteries, SFF/horror, romance).

Most anticipated books of 2021 from Buzzfeed (YA) and Marie Claire.

What Your Patrons Are Hearing About

The Promised Land – Barack Obama (Entertainment Weekly, The Guardian, LA Times, New York Times, NPR, Time, USA Today)

Fevers, Feuds, and Diamonds: Ebola and the Ravages of History – Paul Farmer (New York Times, NPR)

This is Not My Memoir – André Gregory & Todd London (New York Times, NPR)

Singular Sensation: The Triumph of Broadway – Michael Riedel (LA Times, New York Times)

On the Riot

Best new books of the week.

7 excellent books released in 2020 by African women of color.

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All Things Comics

Mariko Tamaki is curating a graphic novel imprint for LGBTQIA writers.

Patton Oswalt is writing a Black Hammer comic.

Marvel has (thankfully) nixed the idea of a CGI Chadwick Boseman for the next Black Panther movie.

On the Riot

Comics catch-up: what this reader is planning on reading.

4 comics to distract you from Twitter doomscrolling.

8 controversial comics that will keep you turning the pages.

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Audiophilia

Best audiobooks of the year.

Rebecca Roanhorse talks about Indigenous fantasy with Audible.

Audiobook mysteries set during WWII.

On the Riot

Libro.fm announces the Top 10 audiobooks of 2020 at bookstores.

9 of the best audiobooks narrated by Priya Ayyar.

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Book Lists, Book Lists, Book Lists

Children/Teens

17 books that show kids what it means to be thankful.

31 YA novels to pack for the end of the world.

9 creative Romeo & Juliet retellings.

Adults

5 recent books about the royal family.

15 must-read books if you loved these TV shows.

9 books about mistaken identity.

5 SFF books for the goth in your life.

On the Riot

6 of the best picture books about flying.

20 of the best personalized children’s books to gift in 2020.

5 South Asian children’s books that showcase South Asian identity.

14 books about hope for all ages.

6 creepy books about clowns.

Cookbooks for the wannabe Great British Baking Show contestant.

8 great cookbooks that will make you want to eat your veggies.

10 of the best survival books for when things fall apart.

3 books for mothers returning to work.

Fiction about the end of life.

6 snowy thrillers to chill your bones.

11 older and instant classics about Indigenous people.

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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 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.

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Stay safe this Thanksgiving.

—Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter. Currently reading When No One Is Watching by Alyssa Cole.

Welcome to Check Your Shelf. I thought I was getting used to my entire life being conducted over Zoom now, but this week has been testing my Zoom patience. However, the cold weather means that it’s been a great opportunity to show off my eclectic collection of coffee mugs.

Let’s library.

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Libraries & Librarians

News Updates

An LGBTQ+ display in the Sullivan County (PA) School District is at the heart of a conflict between the district and several parents and board members.

(TW: violence) A Florida librarian was intentionally struck by a group of teens in a van, and is now in critical condition. To say this is horrifying is the understatement of the year.

A New York highway has been renamed after a library security guard who was murdered on the job earlier this year.

Cool Library Updates

Libraries use board games to encourage critical thinking in kids and teens.

Why more Ontario libraries are going fines free. Plus, the Chicago Public Library has said that eliminating late fines was a good move.

Eeee! The staff at the Morgantown (WV) Public Library partnered with local animal shelters to create a fundraising cat calendar! Each month features a different librarian holding an adoptable cat!

Worth Reading

How a British Columbia library’s Drag Queen Story Hour turned into a nationwide fight for intellectual freedom.

Tips for tackling censorship.

Creating a trauma-informed library workforce.

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Book Adaptations in the News

Oprah and Brad Pitt have teamed up for the adaptation of Ta-Nehisi Coates’ novel, The Water Dancer.

The CW is planning a modern Jane Austen anthology series.

Tananarive Due’s upcoming novel The Reformatory has already sold TV rights! Same goes for Grady Hendrix’s upcoming novel, The Final Girl Support Group.

Ann Cleeves’ novel The Long Call will be getting a four-part adaptation.

Casting update for the upcoming Silence of the Lambs series, Clarice.

There’s going to be another adaptation of Eloise, which is also my #1 favorite book from childhood!

There will be a second season of the Alex Rider series. However, HBO has canceled The Outsider after one season.

First trailer for Between the World and Me.

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Books & Authors in the News

Five books have been removed from the required reading list at Burbank (CA) Unified School District after parent complaints of racist language and at least one instance of racist behavior from a student. Here’s a look at what makes this such a unique circumstance.

(TW: sexual misconduct) Jeffrey Toobin has been fired from The New Yorker.

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Numbers & Trends

Trump books are not going to go away after he leaves office.

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Award News

Here’s a look at the controversial eligibility requirements for the Women’s Prize.

Shortlist for the 2021 Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction.

The 2020 Christy Award winners have been announced.

Amazon released the finalists for the 2020 Children’s Choice Book Awards.

Barnes & Noble released its Book of the Year finalists.

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Bookish Curiosities & Miscellaneous

This website gives you the first page of a book without revealing the title or author, allowing you to judge the book based on the writing. Pretty cool!

This literary murder mystery puzzle has been solved for just the third time in almost 100 years.

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On the Riot

The Public movie and librarian representation.

What this reader learned about maintaining a book club and keeping it positive.

Reading through difficult times: books and their readers in 1918-1920.

So you’re still in a pandemic reading slump? (Don’t worry…I am too.)

Keeping up a bookish lifestyle without actually reading.

What giving up fiction did to this reader.

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Take a breath, hydrate, and make sure to eat something. (This is just as much a reminder for myself as it is for other people.) I’ll see you next week.

—Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter.

Welcome to Check Your Shelf. We’ve hit the time of year where I become a permanently lethargic couch slug. Of course, it doesn’t help that I’m working from home 80% of the time, have very little to hold my interest at the moment, and it gets dark outside almost as soon as it gets light, but still…I could have done with a little energy boost this weekend.

I did, however, get a couple of adorable photos of my baby boys and their booplesnoots. (Don’t argue with me, spellcheck. That’s absolutely a word.)

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Collection Development Corner

New & Upcoming Titles

Jonathan Franzen announces the first book in a new trilogy, which will be published in October 2021.

New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman will be writing a book about Donald Trump, to be published in early 2022.

A look at some of the forthcoming books related to the Trump administration.

Senator Tammy Duckworth’s memoir, Every Day is a Gift, will be published at the end of March.

Andrew McCarthy will have a memoir about his Brat Pack years coming out May 2021.

14 of the year’s best mysteries and thrillers.

10 new books from celebrities for your holiday reading list.

21 new books to buy from your local indie bookseller.

Books of the week from Booklist, BuzzFeed, Crime Reads, Locus (SFF), New York Times, Publisher’s Weekly, and USA Today.

November picks from Amazon (bio/memoirs, mysteries), Bitch Media (feminist reads), BookPage (mysteries, SFF), Crime Reads, (psychological thrillers), and Tor.com (science fiction and fantasy).

28 YA books published this year to read before the year ends. Plus, 54 (!) YA SFF books that yes, actually, did come out this year.

Time’s 100 must-read books of 2020.

42 most-anticipated books of 2021. (I’ve added a bunch of these to my TBR.)

What Your Patrons Are Hearing About

The Office of Historical Corrections: A Novella and Stories – Danielle Evans (LA Times, USA Today)

The Arrest – Jonathan Lethem (New York Times, Washington Post)

The Kingdom – Jo Nesbo (New York Times, Washington Post)

A Promised Land – Barack Obama (New York Times, NPR)

No One Ever Asked Me About the Girls: Women, Music and Fame – Lisa Robinson (USA Today, Washington Post)

We Keep the Dead Close: A Murder at Harvard and a Half Century of Silence – Becky Cooper (NPR)

RA/Genre Resources

A brief history of presidential memoirs.

On the Riot

Indie releases to keep an eye on in November.

2020 new releases in translation you may have missed.

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All Things Comics

Emerald City Comic Con and Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo have been rescheduled to December 2021.

New comics to check out in November.

5 graphic novels you don’t want to miss.

On the Riot

Classic comics for a winter’s night.

Winter-themed manga to curl up with.

10 manga like The Gamer to read after catching up with the series.

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Audiophilia

Blue Ivy Carter (daughter of Beyoncé and Jay-Z) narrates the audio version of Hair Love.

November audiobooks to keep your eye on.

5 humorous audiobooks to keep you giggling.

5 sports romance audiobooks.

On the Riot

Have you heard about Chirp? Does it change the audiobook game, and more importantly, is it right for you?

6 of the best audiobooks for Nonfiction November.

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Book Lists, Book Lists, Book Lists

Children/Teens

26 beautiful children’s books about the most impactful LGBTQ+ icons.

15 children’s and YA books that celebrate Native American Heritage Month.

Adults

15 romantic novels that feature characters with disabilities.

Here’s a new subgenre…tropical cozy crime novels.

8 books about feminist folklore.

5 SFF books about star-crossed lovers.

On the Riot

12 snowy picture books.

10 of the best books for 10th graders.

YA books about veterans.

12 YA thrillers for any time of the year.

9 great books about teens with supernatural abilities.

10 books about foster care for adults and kids.

10 lesbian erotica titles for your bookshelf.

10 romance novels with infectious enthusiasm.

8 books about serial killers that will chill you to the bone.

5 winter mysteries cozier than a cup of tea.

9 magical winter fantasy books.

Winter hibernation cookbooks to make you drool.

10 chilling books to read this winter.

10 holiday romance novels to read this year.

9 excellent books set in very cold places.

9 must-read nonfiction books about wine and spirits.

5 books about online harassment.

5 powerful books about domestic abuse.

6 international horror novels you need to read ASAP.

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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 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.

Wash your hands, and get a flu shot. I’ll see you all on Friday.

—Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter. Currently gushing about The Return by Rachel Harrison. (OMG SO CREEPY!!)

Welcome to Check Your Shelf. Now that we’re moving past the election, the realization that we still have a lot of COVID to deal with in our communities. Please continue to wash your hands, wear a mask, socially distance, and remember to get a flu shot! (I’m getting mine today!)

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Libraries & Librarians

News Updates

Despite COVID concerns, library ballot measures did well in this election cycle!

Chicago Public Library says that eliminating fines was a smart move, which is good news for the London (ON) Public Library, which just voted to eliminate fines for their own patrons.

Penguin Random House is extending its temporary licensing agreements on eBooks and digital audiobooks for libraries through March 31st, 2021.

YALSA releases its updated 2019 list of Outstanding Books for the College Bound & Lifelong Learners.

The Vatican enlists bots to protect its library from hackers.

Cool Library Updates

Summer Scares is back to celebrate horror in libraries!

Check this out! Pandemic library take-home kits.

UK author Jeremy Cameron transformed his garage into a lending library that’s always open to everyone in the village of Norfolk.

Worth Reading

A look at how schools and libraries can do better about teaching Indigenous history and stories.

Let the teens lead.

In case it wasn’t already clear, here’s why banning books is problematic.

Inside the New York Public Library’s last secret apartments.

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Book Adaptations in the News

Joe Hill’s novella The Black Phone will be adapted for film.

The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh is being turned into a TV series.

Hugh Laurie and Emilia Clarke are part of the voice cast for the upcoming animated adaptation of Terry Pratchett’s The Amazing Maurice.

Jeff Vandermeer’s upcoming Hummingbird Salamander will be adapted as a Netflix series.

The BBC is producing a miniseries adaptation of Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh.

Hulu cancels Castle Rock after two seasons.

A lawsuit has been filed against Paramount Pictures to transfer the rights to Breakfast at Tiffany’s back to Truman Capote’s estate.

Producers of The Enola Holmes Mysteries on Netflix push back against the lawsuit filed by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s estate.

Netflix announced that season 3 of You is in production.

Netflix India released a trailer for Mismatched, which is based on the YA novel When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon.

10 Hallmark Christmas movies you probably didn’t know were based on books.

Stephen King talks about how to properly adapt his books.

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Books & Authors in the News

Courtney Milan, Alyssa Cole, and the writers behind Kit Rocha have launched the fundraiser Romancing the Runoff, which is soliciting donations for the runoff Senate election in Georgia in January. They’ve already raised EIGHTY THOUSAND DOLLARS!

Remembering the beloved Alex Trebek, who died on Sunday.

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Numbers & Trends

For you infographic fans, here’s a look at the world’s reading habits in 2020.

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Award News

Camilla Pang, age 28, won the Royal Society science book prize for her debut Explaining Humans, making her the youngest writer ever to win the prize, as well as the first winning author of color.

More award firsts: Walter Mosley will be the first African American writer to receive the Distinguished Contribution to American Letters from the National Book Foundation.

Raven Leilani’s debut novel Luster wins the $50,000 Kirkus Prize.

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Pop Cultured

Following lingering allegations of domestic abuse, Johnny Depp is leaving the Fantastic Beasts franchise, at the request of Warner Brothers.

O: Oprah Magazine recommends 20 book podcasts to listen to.

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Bookish Curiosities & Miscellaneous

The Root launches its first bookish podcast with It’s Lit!

Thanks to Powell’s Books, you too can smell like a bookstore.

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On the Riot

Love ‘em or hate ‘em, here’s a look at the history of dust jackets.

The best ereaders you can buy in 2020.

Are you really a library employee if you don’t have a huge collection of bookish socks? Well, here’s your ultimate guide if you need to up your sock game.

10 non-ALA book awards for children and YA books.

Why this reader still uses, and likes, Goodreads.

What happens when a community loses its newspaper?

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Stay healthy, everyone. I’ll see you next week.

—Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter.