Author: Katie McLain

Publishers Behaving Badly

Post author By Katie McLain
Post date November 23, 2020

Librarians + Shelter Kitties = A Genius Fundraising Calendar!

Post author By Katie McLain
Post date November 19, 2020

Winter Reading Lists For All Tastes

Post author By Katie McLain
Post date November 16, 2020

Sponsored by Algonquin/Workman Publishing.

What does it mean to be a gay man? This debut novel explores that through the eyes of Oscar and Sebastian in alternating chapters from both their points of view. Let’s Get Back to the Party recounts the men’s struggles with generational envy, cultural identity, the traumas of history, and is an intimate and complex look at gay life. Provocative, and emotionally profound, this debut novel is sure to appeal to readers of Garth Greenwell, Alan Hollinghurst, Claire Messud, and Rebecca Makkai.

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.)

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.

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.

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.

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.

Level Up (Library Reads)

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!!)

Check Your Shelf

Pandemic Library Take-Home Kits

Post author By Katie McLain
Post date November 12, 2020

Recommended Books For All Your Murderino Patrons

Post author By Katie McLain
Post date November 9, 2020

Sponsored by the Oni-Lion Forge Publishing Group.

Eight years ago an earthquake—the Big One—toppled cities, changing life forever. But for Vietnamese American Virginia Crane, the biggest shock occurred shortly after the earthquake, when her mother left and never came back. Now on the verge of her eighteenth birthday, Ginny and her two younger brothers have gotten used to life without a mother, until the arrival of a mysterious package sends tremors through the Crane family’s complacent existence. For the first time, Ginny wants something more than to survive—she wants answers, even if it means leaving her family behind.

Welcome to Check Your Shelf, and LET’S ALL TAKE A DEEP, RELAXING BREATH! I know that this election stuff isn’t over yet and that there’s plenty of hard work ahead of us, but holy cow, it felt good to turn on the news Saturday morning! (And then pour a glass of prosecco at 12:30 in the afternoon, and joy scroll on Twitter, and cry tears of relief, and…)

Yes, libraries are non-partisan, but darn it, I’m injecting a little bit of my residual joy into this newsletter!

Collection Development Corner

Publishing News

Not only were French bookstores ordered to close despite a request to be labeled as essential businesses during France’s second major lockdown (which, okay, I kinda understand), but supermarkets were ordered to stop selling books in order to ward off future complaints of unfair competition.

New & Upcoming Titles

Ruby Bridges has written a children’s book about her experiences, called This Is Your Time.

A first look at Megan Abbot’s new book, The Turnout, which centers around the competitive world of ballet.

New cozy mysteries to curl up with this fall.

50 intriguing opening lines from books published in 2020.

Weekly book picks from Booklist, Crime Reads, LitHub, The Millions, Publishers Weekly, Shelf Awareness, and USA Today.

November picks from Amazon, AV Club, Barnes & Noble, Bitch Media, (YA feminist picks), Bustle, Crime Reads, Entertainment Weekly, Good Morning America, io9 (SFF), Lambda Literary, The Millions (general & poetry), Town & Country, and Washington Post.

Stephen King and Janet Evanovich pick their favorite books of 2020.

2020 picks from Barnes & Noble and Bustle (short story collections).

What Your Patrons Are Hearing About

To Be a Man: Stories – Nicole Krauss (Entertainment Weekly, New York Times, NPR, Washington Post)

White Ivy – Susie Yang (LA Times, New York Times, USA Today, and Washington Post)

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

Vanguard: How Black Women Broke Barriers, Won the Vote, and Insisted on Equality for All – Martha S. Jones (Washington Post)

One Life – Megan Rapinoe (New York Times)

The Best of Me – David Sedaris (New York Times)

On the Riot

10 November YA releases to get on your reading list.

All Things Comics

YA author E. Lockhart is bringing a new teenage superhero to Gotham.

On the Riot

20 scary comics for the haunting season.

Audiophilia

AudioFile announces the November Earphone Award winners.

Four favorite female mystery narrators.

Libro.fm highlights Indigenous-owned bookstores in the USA and Canada.

On the Riot

Some audiobook history with a look at the first audiobook ever recorded.

The National Book Award’s 5 Under 35 honorees on audio.

25 hilarious audiobooks for your holiday road trip.

Book Lists, Book Lists, Book Lists

10 middle grade stories featuring admirable tween boys.

7 great crossover series for middle school & YA readers.

18 YA books about social justice.

41 YA books to help you escape election madness for a minute.

Adults

4 book recommendations from Bill Gates.

8 sci-fi books for people who don’t think they like sci-fi.

New memoir suggestions for book clubs.

15 books from small presses you won’t be able to put down.

10 books like The Queen’s Gambit that prove chess is far from boring.

6 books with dark anti-heroines.

5 books featuring alien oceans.

On the Riot

29 of the best children’s books about disabilities.

10 of the best epistolary YA novels.

12 books like Enola Holmes. (Includes a mix of audience levels!)

8 mysteries and thrillers by Black authors.

The best Korean fiction in translation.

11 essential queer pregnancy books.

4 books about gender shapeshifters.

20 must-read sports romances.

4 opera books to shake up your playlist, and your reading list!

Check it out, murderinos: all of the books that were recommended on the My Favorite Murder podcast this year!

Level Up (Library Reads)

COVID’s still out there, but (fingers crossed) the worst of the election stress is over. Give yourself a big hug this week!

—Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter.

Check Your Shelf

Library Vandalism and Public Restroom Storytime

Post author By Katie McLain
Post date November 5, 2020

Halloween Reading Lists to Take the Scares Into November

Post author By Katie McLain
Post date November 2, 2020

Sponsored by the Oni Lion Forge Publishing Group.

This winter, let a cheerleading axolotl brighten your spirits with Katie O’Neill’s Dewdrop; go questing with a reclusive wizerd, an energetic warrior princess, and an eager archer in Michael Sweater and Rachel Dukes’ The Wizerd: And the Potion of Dreams!; laugh as a crew of aliens mistakenly conquer an earthly amusement park in Yehudi Mercado’s Fun Fun Fun World; and embrace your differences with a “scary fairy” who learns that creepy and cute make a great combination in Frankie and the Creepy Cute Critters by Caitlin Rose Boyle. Find these and more kidlit reads from Oni Lion Forge in stores now!

Welcome to Check Your Shelf. It’s Election Day, and all I have to say is do whatever you need to do to get through today.

Collection Development Corner

Publishing News

The Strand Bookstore received 25,000 orders in one weekend after appealing to the public for help.

French bookstores ask to be treated as essential services during this new lockdown.

Hachette launches a new BIPOC imprint called Legacy Lit, which will focus primarily on nonfiction, along with a few select fiction titles.

The National Book Critics Circle has asked its members to sign a Criticism Equity Pledge, which promises to provide more coverage of books by BIPOC authors.

Sarah MacLean tweeted a list of romance-friendly indie bookstores, for all your holiday shopping needs!

New & Upcoming Titles

Publishers Weekly’s Top Children’s Books of 2020.

First looks at For Your Own Good by Samantha Downing, Whisper Down the Lane by Clay McLeod Chapman, and Good Company by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney.

Chrissy Teigen is working on her third Cravings cookbook.

16 new books to buy from your local indie bookstore.

20 small press books from 2020 you might have missed.

42 best LGBTQ books of 2020.

24 YA mystery books in 2020 that will keep you guessing until the end.

Book picks for the week from Booklist Reader, BuzzFeed, Crime Reads, New York Times, and USA Today.

October picks from Crime Reads (debut novels) and Shondaland.

November picks from Barnes & Noble, Kirkus, New York Times, and Popsugar (general, mystery/thriller, and romance).

Best books of 2020 from BBC and Elle.

What Your Patrons Are Hearing About

Red Comet: The Short Life and Blazing Art of Sylvia Plath – Heather Clark (LA Times, New York Times, Washington Post)

The Cold Millions – Jess Walter (New York Times, NPR, Washington Post)

Group: How One Therapist and a Group of Strangers Saved My Life – Christie Tate (New York Times, NPR)

Memorial – Bryan Washington (New York Times, Washington Post)

RA/Genre Resources

How the new diversity is transforming science fiction’s future.

Rachel Howzell Hall, Attica Locke, and other authors talk about “writing about cops in a moment of reckoning.”

Can a Black novelist write autofiction?

On the Riot

3 great YA books about witches to read in 2021.

16 of the best horror novels of the year.

Reading pathway for Maureen Johnson.

All Things Comics

On the Riot

6 places where you can read manhwa.

4 creepy creatures in comics.

Audiophilia

Libro.fm is running a special where if you pre-order Obama’s memoir, A Promised Land in print, they’ll send you a free audiobook!

Spine-chilling audiobooks that inspired horror movies.

5 chilling romance audiobooks. (Yes, those two words can co-exist in the same sentence!)

On the Riot

8 audiobooks to escape into.

Book Lists, Book Lists, Book Lists

Children/Teens

11 legitimately funny books to read aloud with your kids.

11 diverting teen reads for stressful times.

8 trans-inclusive fantasy books for fans of Harry Potter. (Most of these are YA titles, but there are one or two crossover adult titles in here as well.)

Adults

10 books that offer a peek inside the White House.

7 books about the making and unmaking of women politicians.

50 of the greatest apocalypse novels.

10 Halloween reads that do more than shock and scare.

13 witchy books to read with your coven this fall.

Books to read if you love The Craft.

20 disturbing nonfiction books you won’t be able to put down…even if you want to.

5 SFF books driven by terrible choices and appalling judgment.

On the Riot

14 children’s books about race and racial diversity.

17 fun monster children’s books.

52 incredible picture book biographies of Black people creating and leading.

8 great picture books for Halloween.

10 historical mystery series to whisk you away.

Conquer your demons with 5 mathematical sci-fi books.

10 recent books by Asian American poets.

8 of the best new self-care books to prioritize yourself.

15 of the best philosophy books for beginners.

8 excellent books about democracy in its many forms.

18 books to celebrate Down Syndrome Awareness Month.

9 books to help you understand your anxiety.

20 must-read horror novels you’ve never heard of.

9 gothic novels for every mood.

6 scary nonfiction books.

8 great books featuring cursed objects.

10 books featuring cemeteries.

6 awesome queer Halloween books.

9 creepy books about sinister institutions.

Horror cookbooks are a thing! (And not surprisingly, my husband and I already own the Feeding Hannibal book.)

Some book suggestions for a low-key Halloween.

Level Up (Library Reads)

Let’s check in again on Friday. Stay sane.

—Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter.

Check Your Shelf

Yeah, There’s Library News, But Also FREE BOOKS FOR LIFE!!

Post author By Katie McLain
Post date October 29, 2020

Sponsored by Peachtree Publishing Company.

Why is Antarctica one of the most critical parts of the climate change conversation? And why should we care? Award-winning science writer Mary Batten and New York Times best-selling illustrator Thomas Gonzalez team up in their timely, extraordinary exploration of how organisms in Antarctica—one of the most extreme environments on Earth—have managed to evolve, thrive, and survive in a bitterly cold and hostile climate. A new must-have nonfiction book for young scientists, budding marine biologists, and educators exploring issues around climate change.

Welcome to Check Your Shelf. This has been a WEEK, and thankfully I’m off today, because my work week ended yesterday with me getting a COVID swab up my nose (no symptoms, but I had contact with a potentially positive case at work). But maybe waiting for the test results will distract me from the anxiety of the election? Maybe??

But on a more positive note, IT’S HALLOWEEN TOMORROW! Yeah, we’re all staying inside, but I’m gonna watch all the horror movies I can handle, and then some.

Let’s library.

Libraries & Librarians

News Updates

Charlotte removes the name of a white supremacist North Carolina governor from a branch library.

The Brooklyn Public Library released the shortlist for its 6th annual Brooklyn Public Library Literary Prize.

The NYPL has acquired Arthur Miller’s personal study library.

Cool Library Updates

Little Free Library launches its Read in Color diversity initiative.

Worth Reading

The Panorama Project published a directory of Best Practices for Public Library Events.

Book Adaptations in the News

Children of Blood and Bone has been optioned by Lucasfilm.

On the Come Up by Angie Thomas is coming to the movies!

Project X has optioned the film rights to Mia Sosa’s The Worst Best Man.

Rachel Howzell Hall’s Lou Norton series has been optioned to Lionsgate Television.

Jake Gyllenhaal is starring in and executive producing HBO’s adaptation of The Son by Jo Nesbo.

David Fincher confirms that Mindhunter will not be returning to Netflix for a third season, or at least not any time soon. (So disappointed – that show was mesmerizing.)

Candyman’s release date gets pushed back to August 2021.

First trailer for The Dry!!

New trailer for News of the World.

Books & Authors in the News

A group of parents have threatened to sue the Lake Norman Charter School in North Carolina if they do not remove Elizabeth Acevedo’s book The Poet X from its required reading list for freshmen, but students are fighting back.

Oprah puts aside her usual book club recommendation and instead suggests seven titles that “help her through.”

There have been multiple copies of John Grisham’s A Time For Mercy that contain so many extensive printing errors that Doubleday has recalled copies and is replacing them.

An inside look at Agatha Christie’s 100 year pop culture reign.

Award News

Anna Burns becomes the first Irish woman to win the International Dublin Literary Award.

Richard Owain Roberts wins the 2020 Not the Booker Prize.

The longlists for the Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction & Nonfiction have been released.

Who are you voting for in the Goodreads Choice Awards?

Shortlists for the 2020 British Fantasy Awards.

Take a peep at the shortlist for the 2020 Diagram Prize for the Oddest Book Title of the Year.

Pop Cultured

Tim Burton is directing a live-action Addams Family TV series.

Sneak peak at season 2 of The Mandalorian.

A first look at the Game of Thrones sequel, House of the Dragon.

Bookish Curiosities & Miscellaneous

Free books for life?! Hell to the yes!

Readers have some opinions on the most disappointing book ending.

You can now read the only surviving full draft of a Jane Austen novel, in her own handwriting.

Check out this surreal bookstore that just opened in China.

On the Riot

Library inductions for students, post lockdown.

How to genrefy your library.

How to start a virtual book recommendation service.

How the Tournament of Books changed this reader’s reading life.

How to improve your reading comprehension as an adult.

When reading is more stressor than stress-relief. (I feel this SO HARD right now.)

Go read something scary, people, and gird yourself for Tuesday (and wash your hands!).

—Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter.

Check Your Shelf

It’s Heeeeere: The Publishers Weekly Best of 2020 List

Post author By Katie McLain
Post date October 26, 2020

Sponsored by The Limerence Imprint of Oni Press.

How do you tell someone you want to do stuff with them? How do you ask if they want to do stuff with you? Enter: Sergeant Yes Means Yes from the Consent Cavalry, a beacon of clarity in a fuzzy minefield of questions. Sarge drops in on a diverse range of folks deciding whether to engage in sexual activity in this short and fun comic guide to communicating what you want, don’t want, and how you want it! Find A Quick & Easy Guide to Consent along with the rest of the inclusive and informational Quick & Easy series available now from Oni Press!

Welcome to Check Your Shelf. I gonna take a moment from library stuff to celebrate the fact that my husband and I celebrated our 2 year anniversary on Monday! We’ve both agreed that it hardly feels like it’s been two years since our wedding, and that in the year 2020, it feels like we’ve been married for an eternity. But 7+ months into the pandemic, we still haven’t worn down each other’s nerves, and that’s a good sign for whatever the next few years throw at us.

Okay, back to library stuff!

Collection Development Corner

Publishing News

The Strand bookstore appeals to the public for help, although this appeal has been met with criticism over news that the owner purchased a large amount of Amazon stock earlier in the year.

Jimmy Patterson Books undergoes a reorganization.

A first look at the virtual Latinx KidLit Book Festival being held December 4th and 5th.

How publishers are making their titles stand out in a very crowded fall season.

New & Upcoming Titles

We’ve hit that time of year: Publishers Weekly released its Best Books of 2020 list.

Tamsyn Muir signs a five-book deal with Tordotcom Publishing.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg will have a book published in 2021.

Bill Gates is publishing a book about climate change in February 2021.

2020 has been a great year for crime fiction.

A look at celebrity memoirs from 2020.

New holiday romance novels that are basically Hallmark movies in book form.

Books of the week from Crime Reads, Lit Hub, New York TImes, and USA Today.

11 feminist picks for October.

October picks from The Millions and Parade.

November picks from Barnes & Noble and Epic Reads.

Bustle picks their best books of 2020. And so does Tana French.

What Your Patrons Are Hearing About

Dark Archives: A Librarian’s Investigation Into the Science and History of Books Bound in Human Skin – Megan Rosenbloom (New York Times, NPR)

Ring Shout – P. Djèlí Clark (NPR)

White Tears/Brown Scars: How White Feminism Betrays Women of Color – Ruby Hamad (Washington Post)

The Once and Future Witches – Alix E. Harrow (NPR)

RA/Genre Resources

Unquiet spirits: the lost female ghost-story writers returning to haunt us.

On the Riot

Best book covers of 2020.

Queer characters don’t need a romance to prove that they’re queer.

A philosophical question: who creates meaning in fiction? Authors, readers, or both?

All Things Comics

A look at how IDW Publishing has been weathering the “new normal.”

Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari will be turned into a graphic novel.

On the Riot

7 fall and winter graphic novel releases for kids and young adults.

The Baby-Sitters Club, from novels to graphic novels.

4 unsettling comics about dreams.

4 great global graphic memoirs.

The difference between lesbian manga and yuri manga, and where you should start.

Audiophilia

October’s bookseller-recommended audio picks.

4 audiobooks about first contacts that will make you wonder if we’re alone in the universe.

Spooky October audio picks.

On the Riot

9 audiobooks by debut authors.

10 free audiobooks you probably didn’t know were in the public domain.

Book Lists, Book Lists, Book Lists

Children/Teens

21 kids books that celebrate lesser-known African Americans and their contributions to history.

125 kids books that the staff at the New York Public Library love.

8 political YA books to encourage you to vote.

10 YA books with Filipino representation.

Adults

30 books to help us understand the world in 2020.

12 mystery novels featuring Black, Indigenous, and POC protagonists. (This is a REALLY solid list!)

31 best thrillers of all time. (How many have you read? Or better yet, how many of these does your library own?)

40 books about witches and witchcraft.

5 great books about the Korean diaspora.

15 feel-good books designed to lift your spirits.

31 of the best Thanksgiving books to help celebrate the holiday.

20 of the scariest books you’ll ever read.

17 books that will give you the same romantic thriller vibes as Rebecca.

The scariest novel set in every state. (Note that this list is fairly heavy on white male authors, which is sad but perhaps not surprising.)

9 complicated and surprising female narrators.

10 African SFF novels that offer a breath of fresh air.

Top 10 books about creative writing.

On the Riot

16 gorgeous fall books for toddlers.

7 books for young readers where school is the social setting.

9 great eerie reads for middle schoolers.

5 middle grade UK books that celebrate diversity.

7 romance novels that involve hilarious pranks on your significant other.

9 diverse memoirs you should add to your TBR.

6 books to read if you liked Transcendent Kingdom.

15 more fabulous books about drag.

10 perfectly creepy supernatural books for Halloween.

9 books where women take charge.

5 books about social justice for Filipino American History Month.

8 books about digital activism.

Level Up (Library Reads)

Take a deeeeeep breath this week, folks. See you on Friday.

—Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter.

Check Your Shelf

Bill Bryson Talks Retirement, Plus More Adaptation News Than You Can Shake a Stick At

Post author By Katie McLain
Post date October 22, 2020

Sponsored by Algonquin / Workman Publishing

Maddy Donaldo, homeless at twenty, has made a family of sorts in Golden Gate Park. When she witnesses the murder of a young homeless boy and is seen by the perpetrator, her life is upended. Everyone from the police to the dead boy’s parents want to talk to her. As adults pressure Maddy to give up her secrets and reunite with her own family, she must decide whether she wants to stay lost or be found. Set against the backdrop of a radically changing San Francisco, this debut follows the lives of those who depend on makeshift homes and communities.

Welcome to Check Your Shelf. To share a little bit of good news (for once), my colleagues and I successfully hosted a live virtual Halloween-themed trivia program! It took multiple platforms and three people working behind the scenes to make it run smoothly, but it was a lot of fun!

Let’s jump into some news.

Libraries & Librarians

News Updates

Investigators are searching for a person who intentionally tossed a burning newspaper inside an official ballot box, which was located in front of the Baldwin Park (CA) Library. *ALL THE RAGE EMOJIS*

Worth Reading

How Little Free Libraries fight racism.

Librarianship in the time of COVID.

COVID took away our family’s second home: the library.

Book Adaptations in the News

Emma Roberts is producing a teen series based on V.E. Schwab’s short story, First Kill.

Sadly, HBO Max is no longer moving ahead with their adaptation of Americanah.

Apple TV+ has halted production on Sarah Perry’s The Essex Serpent.

Showtime is no longer moving forward with James Patterson’s and Bill Clinton’s The President is Missing.

Hulu is adapting Charles Yu’s novel Interior Chinatown for television.

Gabrielle Union’s production company has optioned the rights to The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls.

Ava DuVernay is directing the Netflix adaptation of Caste: The Origins of Our Discontent.

Showtime revives Dexter as a limited series, AND Michael C. Hall is coming back to play everyone’s favorite serial killer!

A24 has snagged TV rights to Bryan Washington’s novel Memorial.

Angelina Jolie is in talks to star in the film adaptation of Lisa Genova’s Every Note Played, alongside Christoph Waltz.

Dean Koontz’s Devoted is being adapted for TV.

I Know What You Did Last Summer is headed to Amazon, but let’s be real: nothing will ever beat the mid-90’s star power and overall horror movie cheese of the original.

Reba McEntire is starring in NBC’s new series adaptation of Fannie Flagg’s Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe.

Here’s a first look at the upcoming Bridgerton series, based on the romance novels by Julia Quinn.

Trailers for Hillbilly Elegy, Firefly Lane, The Flight Attendant, and The Underground Railroad.

Books & Authors in the News

The Bolton/DoJ drama continues as John Bolton insists on a jury trial, claiming he didn’t break any laws with the publication of The Room Where It Happened.

Author Jeffrey Toobin has been suspended from the New Yorker and will take time off from CNN after a “Zoom call incident.” (Content warning for unexpected/unwanted public exposure)

Bill Bryson says that he’s retiring from the writing life.

Ian Rankin talks about how he became a suspect in a real-life case while researching his first novel.

This five-year-old from Georgia wrote a book about getting through the pandemic for other kids. I’m such a sucker for tiny children writing their own books!

Numbers & Trends

August bookstore sales dropped 30.7% from last year, although overall sales for the first 9 months of the year were up 6.4%.

Award News

The winners of the Inaugural Ignyte Awards have been announced!

The winners of the 2020 Anthony Awards have been announced as well.

Here are the shortlists for the Baillie Gifford Prize and the TS Eliot Prize.

Voting for the 2020 Not the Booker Prize is officially up and running.

The Ford and Mellon Foundations have teamed up to award $1 million in grant money to 20 Disability Futures Fellows across a wide variety of creative fields.

Bookish Curiosities & Miscellaneous

A first collection of Shakespeare’s plays sells for almost $10 million.

On the Riot

This reader pens an ode to the libraries they’ll miss when they move.

If you don’t already have too many tote bags, take a look at these library-themed totes! (And you’re all a bunch of liars if you say you don’t have too many tote bags!)

A history of book clubs.

What’s the science behind reading?

Celebrate good news this weekend, however you can. I’ll catch you all next week!

—Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter.