Author: Katie McLain

Welcome to Check Your Shelf! This is your guide to help librarians like you up your game when it comes to doing your job (& rocking it).

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Collection Development Corner

Publishing News

• Australian book sellers have begun banning Ronan Farrow’s book Catch and Kill following intense legal pressure from former National Enquirer Editor in Chief Dylan Howard.
• Hachette launches a new imprint, Hachette Go, which will focus on nonfiction health, food, self-help, how-to, and related titles.

New & Upcoming Titles

• Tiger Woods is publishing a memoir.
• Sue Monk Kidd’s next book will be released in April 2020.
• The 13 scariest books written this year.
• Best true crime books of October.
• A fall harvest of new horror novels.
• 150 winter new releases to add to your TBR (or your order lists for your library…)

What Your Patrons Are Hearing About

• Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators – Ronan Farrow (Entertainment Weekly, Los Angeles Times, New York Times, NPR, USA Today, Vanity Fair, Washington Post)
• Me – Elton John (Entertainment Weekly, Los Angeles Times, New York Times, Time, Vanity Fair, Vulture)
• Dear Girls: Intimate Tales, Untold Secrets & Advice for Living Your Best Life – Ali Wong (Salon, Time, Vulture, Washington Post)
• The Body: A Guide for Occupants – Bill Bryson (NPR, USA Today, Washington Post)
• Girl – Edna O’Brien (New York Times, NPR)
• Olive, Again – Elizabeth Strout (Entertainment Weekly, NPR)
• Frankissstein – Jeanette Winterson (New York Times, Washington Post)

RA/Genre Resources

• Neurodiverse voices in romance.
• A nonfiction genre primer from NYPL.

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All Things Comics

• The graphic novel adaptation of Dracula will feature the likeness of Bela Lugosi in the lead role. Pretty cool!
• Zoe Kravitz is starring as Catwoman in The Batman.
• This nonprofit keeps surpassing its fundraising goals to create comic book libraries at community schools in Michigan!
• Netflix will animate Jeff Smith’s acclaimed comic book epic, Bone.
• The beginner’s guide to reading webcomics.
• Graphic novel adaptations of Neil Gaiman’s work.
• 19 witchy comics for Halloween.
• 20 must-read supernatural manga.

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Audiophilia

• Best audiobooks of October 2019.
• The viral story of serial killer Edmund Kemper’s audiobook narration tells a bigger story.
• 7 mysterious audiobooks for kids.
• The best audiobooks to listen to while cooking. (Oooh, now there’s a display idea! Pair up cookbooks and audiobooks!)

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Book Lists, Book Lists, Book Lists

Children/Teens

• 17 Halloween books perfect for toddlers.
• 15 dinosaur books for kids.
• Nonfiction books for tweens.
• 50 must-read contemporary YA novels of the decade.
• Queer YA fantasy novels to put on your radar.
• Witchy YA book recs.

Adults

• 10 of the best poetry collections of the decade.
• 5 indigenous speculative fiction authors you need to read. Plus 7 books that explore the many worlds of indigenous scifi and fantasy.
• 40 of the best novels of the 2010’s.
• 5 great American social crime novels, selected by Steph Cha.
• A reading pathway for Bill Bryson.
• 20 essential L.A. crime novels.
• 8 books about whistleblowers.
• 38 paranormal romance novels that are both spooky AND sexy.
• 23 books about angels.
• 10 terrifying works of literary horror.

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Level Up (Library Reads)

Do you take part in LibraryReads, 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.

Thanks for hanging! See you on Friday!

–Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter.

Welcome to Check Your Shelf! This is your guide to help librarians like you up your game when it comes to doing your job (& rocking it).

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Libraries & Librarians

News Updates

• Napa County residents flood the library for access to WiFi and other services after the massive regional power outage. The Napa County Library in downtown Napa saw 1400 more people than usual last Wednesday – I can’t even imagine what that must have looked like inside the building.
• The director of the Batavia (IL) Public Library wrote a letter to the Chicago Sun Times about why late fines are necessary. The  New York Daily News editorial board also had a similar position. But here’s another article about why more libraries are giving up on late fees.

Cool Library Updates

• The director of the Dorcas (ME) Library is hiking the Appalachian Trail to raise funds for her library!
• Library programs that focus on climate change and sustainability.
• Cool things librarians are doing, beyond books.

Worth Reading

• As the welfare state decays, public libraries become sites of social trauma. This is worth a read, and speaks a lot to the type of work that library staff are expected to perform without any sort of meaningful support or training.

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Book Adaptations in the News

• Jeff Daniels and Brendan Gleeson are starring in the CBS miniseries adaptation of James Comey’s memoir, A Higher Loyalty.
• You can stream the adaptation of the YA novel Let It Snow on Netflix beginning November 8th.
• Given all the recent coverage, it should come as no surprise that Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo is being adapted.
• A Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult is getting a limited series.
• HBO is adapting The Most Fun We Ever Had by Claire Lombardo.
• Shailene Woodley and Felicity Jones are starring in the adaptation for The Last Letter From Your Lover by Jojo Moyes.
• Clive Owen & Julianne Moore are starring in Lisey’s Story, based on the Stephen King novel.
• Margot Robbie is in talks to produce and star in the adaptation of After the Flood by Kassandra Montag.
• A list of the book adaptations coming out this fall.
• A plea to watch the movie WITHOUT reading the book first.

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Books & Authors in the News

• Jojo Moyes has been accused of publishing a book (The Giver of Stars) that has “alarming similarities to The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Richardson.
• A professor spoke about whiteness at Georgia Southern University, and several students decided to burn copies of her book instead.
• Harold Bloom, the most notorious literary critic in America, has died at age 89.

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Numbers & Trends

• Kid-oriented comics & graphic novels account for 41% of sell-through at bookstores, along with 28% for manga, while superhero content is at less than 10%.
• A rare hardcover first edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone sells for £50,000!

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Award News

• Olga Tokarczuk and Peter Handke win the 2018 and 2019 Nobel Prize in Literature, respectively. The Washington Post, PEN America, Electric Lit, and Vox write about the issues with Handke’s award.
• Margaret Atwood and Bernardine Evaristo are the co-winners of the 2019 Booker Prize.
• A look at the 2019 National Book Award finalists.

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Bookish Curiosities & Miscellaneous

• Flint names Semaj Brown as the city’s first poet laureate.
• Check out this list of 12 authors and their corresponding TED Talks!
• Literary wedding ideas for people who don’t really understand books. 

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Thanks for hanging! See everyone on Tuesday!

–Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter.

Welcome to Check Your Shelf! This is your guide to help librarians like you up your game when it comes to doing your job (& rocking it).

---

Collection Development Corner

Publishing News

• Poisoned Pen Press announces the Haunted Library of Horror Classics, which (like the name indicates), will republish classic horror titles, beginning with The Phantom of the Opera.
• Amazon’s making a Kindle specifically for kids.

New & Upcoming Titles

• Angeline Boulley, a registered member of the Chippewa Tribe, sold her debut YA novel for a seven figure sum. The novel, The Firekeeper’s Daughter, explores issues of heritage and loyalty after the main character witnesses a murder and must decide between assisting the FBI and protecting her tribal community. SIGN ME UP.
• Michelle Obama is publishing a companion journal to Becoming.
• Marie Kondo is coming out with a workplace and career advice book in April called Joy at Work.
• Rivers Solomon is publishing a work of gothic fiction in 2021!
• Amazon is publishing a short story collection featuring authors such as N.K. Jemisin and Andy Weir.
• Rihanna announces a visual autobiography, which will publish on October 24th. (Yep, this year!)
• All the Star Wars books announced at NYCC this year.
• NPR’s fall book preview.
• O Magazine: 33 must-read books for fall.
• Best thrillers and psychological suspense novels for October.
• Best October books from Salon and Town & Country.

What Your Patrons Are Hearing About

• Ninth House – Leigh Bardugo (New York Times, NPR, Time, USA Today)
• Grand Union – Zadie Smith (Entertainment Weekly, New York Times, NPR, O Magazine)
• How We Fight For Our Lives – Saeed Jones (New York Times, New Yorker, NPR)
• Know My Name – Chanel Miller (The Atlantic, HuffPost)
• Unfollow: A Memoir of Loving and Leaving the Westboro Baptist Church – Megan Phelps-Roper (New York Times, NPR)

RA/Genre Resources

• How to search for books by color!

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All Things Comics

• Wayne Brady joins the cast on the CW superhero franchise, Black Lightning.
• Best new manga of October.
• 5 comics that don’t skimp on the snark.

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Audiophilia

• Must-listen Star Wars books on audio.

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Book Lists, Book Lists, Book Lists

Children/Teens

• 19 must-read picture books for Fall 2019.
• 18 YA novels for your book club.
• Epic YA novels featuring robots and AI.
• Compelling YA historical fiction.

Adults

• 8 angry crime novels for angry women.
• ALL the scary book lists! Creepy book series, books so scary people had to stop reading, classic horror novels that are way scarier than their adaptations, ghost romances, queer Halloween reads, chunky horror novels, space horror.
• Romance novels if you love HGTV.
• 5 books for fans of Malcolm Gladwell.
• Books set in New Orleans that aren’t just about Mardi Gras.
• 9 books to destress your life.
• ALL of Obama’s book recommendations over the years.
• 50 must-read books set in boarding schools.

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Level Up (Library Reads)

Do you take part in LibraryReads, 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.

Thanks for hanging! See you on Friday!

–Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter.

Welcome to Check Your Shelf! This is your guide to help librarians like you up your game when it comes to doing your job (& rocking it).

---

Libraries & Librarians

News Updates

• You’ve probably seen the photos of the $41 million Hunters Point Library in Long Island City, but there’s one major issue: the three fiction sections are ONLY accessible by stairs.
• A patron at the Coeur d’Alene Library in Idaho keeps hiding books that are critical of Trump and his administration, citing the desire to create “liberal angst.” Seriously?
• A Transgender 101 program is on hold at the Mid-Continent Public Library after receiving community complaints. You can read an update from the director here.
• If you’ve read The Library Book by Susan Orlean, you may be familiar with the story of the missing Well of the Scribes sculpture at the Los Angeles Central Library. Part of the sculpture has now been found.
• The New York Public Library will have a J.D. Salinger exhibit on display.
• PLA is awarding $500 mini-grants to 57 public libraries to help librarians assist patrons enroll in the ACA Marketplace.

Cool Library Updates

• The Palatine (IL) Public Library wins the Library Journal 2019 Marketer of the Year Award – take a look at how they created their message using “radical transparency” as a guiding principle.
• Arlington Heights (IL) Library proposes a special card for veterans and active military.
• South Carolina State Library announces a new statewide initiative called Read Eat Grow, which focuses on teaching food literacy.
• Take a look at the new Children’s Library at the State Library of New South Wales!

Worth Reading

• The case for eliminating library fines.
• A look at how referring to patrons as “customers” is detrimental to the purpose of the academic library, and why the word “community” is much more helpful. This is a good article to read for ANY library employee.
• How much coffee do librarians actually drink?

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Book Adaptations in the News

• An update on the adaptation of Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo.
• Inland by Téa Obreht is being adapted for TV.
• The James Patterson/Bill Clinton novel, The President is Missing, is getting a series adaptation starring David Oyelowo.
• Disney options Julie Murphy’s novel, Dear Sweet Pea.

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Books & Authors in the News

• Former National Enquirer editor threatens booksellers over Ronan Farrow’s upcoming exposé, Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators, which comes out on October 15th.
• Bob Woodward interviewed Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey about their best-selling book She Said, but angered audience members as he repeatedly interrupted the authors and kept asking what they thought motivated Weinstein’s abuse.
• Cilka’s Journey, the sequel to The Tattooist of Auschwitz, has been called “lurid and titillating” by the survivor’s stepson.

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Award News

• The finalists for the National Book Awards have been announced. Which of your favorites made the list?

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Bookish Curiosities & Miscellaneous

• In 1960, Lady Chatterly’s Lover was the subject of a trial in Britain that tested the country’s newly relaxed rules against obscene publications. The judge’s copy of the book was sold for thousands of pounds to a private buyer in the US, but the copy has recently been acquired by Bristol University.
• Eric Judy, the former bassist for Modest Mouse, has opened a Seattle bookstore with his spouse, Desirae Wilkerson.
• Have you ever suffered from book burnout?
• A guide to seeking and becoming a book coach.
• Giftable subscriptions for book lovers that aren’t just books!

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Thanks for hanging! See everyone on Tuesday!

–Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter.

Welcome to Check Your Shelf! This is your guide to help librarians like you up your game when it comes to doing your job (& rocking it).

---

Collection Development Corner

New & Upcoming Titles

• We have a title and a cover reveal for the upcoming Hunger Games prequel: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes! Who’s excited?!
• Susanna Clarke announces her first book since Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell was published fifteen years ago.
• More muppet arm news! Yaa Gyasi, author of the incredible novel Homegoing, is publishing a new book in 2020 called Transcendent Kingdom!
• A look at Julie Murphy’s upcoming YA novel, Faith: Taking Flight, which centers a plus-size superhero.
• Dolly Parton just signed a book deal with indie publisher Chronicle Books.
• Bill Gates is publishing a book about climate change.
• Quentin Tarantino is writing a novel.
• Jim Carrey is publishing his first novel, Memoirs and Misinformation, in 2020.
• Ina Garten (aka the Barefoot Contessa) is writing a memoir, but it likely won’t be published until 2023.
• A first look at M.C. Carey’s new series.
• 50 crime novels coming out this fall and winter.
• 50 must-read children’s books from the second half of 2019.
• October book lists from Amazon, Barnes & Noble (Biographies/Memoirs, History & Current Affairs, SFF), BBC, Book Marks (SFF), Bustle, CrimeReads, Entertainment Weekly, io9 (SFF), Lambda Literary, LitHub, The Millions (poetry), Refinery29, Time

What Your Patrons Are Hearing About

• Make it Scream, Make it Burn – Leslie Jamison (New York Times, New Yorker, NPR)
• Things We Didn’t Talk About When I Was a Girl – Jeannie Velasco (Bustle, New York Times, NPR)
• Ninth House – Leigh Bardugo (New York Times, Washington Post)
• Imaginary Friend – Stephen Chbosky (NPR, Washington Post)
• The Book of Gutsy Women: Favorite Stories of Courage and Resilience – Hillary Rodham Clinton & Chelsea Clinton (CBS, Good Morning America)
• Face It: A Memoir – Debbie Harry (New York Times, Washington Post)
• The Topeka School – Ben Lerner (Entertainment Weekly, New York Times)
• Quichotte – Salman Ruchdie (Hollywood Reporter, Time)

RA/Genre Resources

• Horror suggestions based on films and your scary tolerance levels.
• On body horror and the female body.

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All Things Comics

• Abrams debuts a new LGBTQ graphic novel imprint.
• An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir is getting a graphic novel trilogy.
• Vanity Fair looks at the controversy surrounding the Joker film and how it will likely play out at the box office.
• A preview of Carmen Maria Machado’s upcoming comic debut, The Low, Low Woods.
• A sneak peak at three upcoming comics from Joe Hill.
• Dark Horse Comics is releasing a collection of Neil Gaiman’s short graphic fiction.
• The Phantom of the Opera is being adapted as a graphic novel.
• Top 10 comics and graphic novels used in schools.
• 5 spooky graphic novels to get you in the Halloween mood.
• The pros and cons of comic cons.
• What makes a good comic book adaptation?

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Audiophilia

• Penguin Random House released a free, professionally read version of the Ukraine whistleblower complaint.

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Book Lists, Book Lists, Book Lists

Children/Teens

• 25 children’s books about health and safety.
• 50 must-read scary books for kids.
• Awesome co-written YA novels.

Adults

• 10 best debut novels of the decade.
• 7 memoirs from women who know their way around politics.
• Creepy Scandinavian novels by women.
• 15 essential novels of the #MeToo movement.
• A reading list for fans of The Good Place.
• 8 books to read if you loved The Testaments.
• 11 books to help you make sense of the impeachment process.
• Historical romances with queer women characters.
• 10 books about black radicalism.
• Books by women to read during Filipino American History Month.

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Level Up (Library Reads)

Do you take part in LibraryReads, 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.

Thanks for hanging! See you on Friday!

–Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter. Currently reading The Whisper Man by Alex North.

Welcome to Check Your Shelf! This is your guide to help librarians like you up your game when it comes to doing your job (& rocking it).

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Libraries & Librarians

News Updates

• The Chicago Public Library goes fine free!
• Get to know librarian Jean Armour Polly, who was inducted into the Internet Hall of Fame for her instrumental work in bringing free internet access to public libraries.

Cool Library Updates

• The Brooklyn Public Library system has reduced their greenhouse gas emissions by 40% since 2006! Read more about their eco-friendly policies here.
• Three Edinburgh libraries trial “dog friendly days.” ALL THE LIBRARY DOGGOS!!
• A look at this public library’s health fair.
• Ralph McDaniels, an NYC rap icon, is now the hip-hop coordinator for the Queens Public Library, providing educational and creative programming for all 65 branches.

Worth Reading

• A look at the complicated and problematic history of Melvil Dewey and his contributions to the library world.
• Banned Books Week: How to handle challenges.
• How to host a Battle of the Books competition.
• Setting up a teen summer intern program at your library.
• Viewing academic libraries as student success hubs.
• The Bowling Green State University’s Pop Culture Library has the largest collection of romance fiction in any academic library.
• A 17th century secret passage at an Oxford University College gets transformed into a library.
• An incredible look at Syria’s secret library.

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Book Adaptations in the News

• Andrew Scott (aka “Hot Priest” from Fleabag and Moriarty from Sherlock) has been cast as Tom Ripley in the new Showtime adaptation.
• Anna Maiche joins the cast of Tiny Pretty Things.
• Chelsea Handler’s memoir, Life Will Be the Death of Me, is being adapted as a TV series.
• There’s a trailer for the BBC adaptation of The War of the Worlds.
• An update on Kenneth Branagh’s adaptation of Death on the Nile.

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Books & Authors in the News

• Anna Pasternak, great-niece of Boris Pasternak (the author of Doctor Zhivago), claims copyright infringement against Lara Prescott’s debut novel, The Secrets We Kept. Penguin Random House has dismissed these claims as “simply without any merit.”
• Author Kelly Link purchases a bookstore.

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Numbers & Trends

• One in five Americans now listen to audiobooks.

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Award News

• MacArthur Genius Grant award winners are announced, including Ocean Vuong and Valeria Luiselli! Here’s a reading list if you want to get caught up on these authors’ works.
• The Center for Fiction announces the shortlist for the First Novel Prize. If you want even more suggestions, you can check out the longlist here.
• A full list of all the 2019 Emmy award winners.
• The longlist for the 2020 Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction.
• LeVar Burton is hosting the 70th National Book Awards!

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Pop Cultured

• Sam Neill, Laura Dern, and Jeff Goldblum will be reprising their roles from the original Jurassic Park in Jurassic World 3. Will their reprised roles be similar to Jeff Goldblum’s “reprised role” in Jurassic World 2? Is this a blatant cash grab? Do I care one bit? (Nope!)
• Pottermore is shutting down and transitioning to a new website called The Wizarding World that will expand to honor future Harry Potter projects that may not fit within Pottermore’s scope.
• We have a teaser trailer already for Stranger Things, Season 4. We’re not in Hawkins anymore…
• 10 best true crime podcasts

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Bookish Curiosities & Miscellaneous

• Tips on writing disability. 
• A book thief (not a “bookworm,” as this article incorrectly claims) stole 7,000 books from university libraries to resell, and has been sentenced to approximately 2 years in jail.
• A new Kurt Vonnegut museum opens in Indianapolis.
• Halloween decor for book lovers.
• A new Harry Potter holiday home collection from Pottery Barn. Want want want ALL THE THINGS!!
• Helpful readathon hacks.

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Thanks for hanging! See everyone on Tuesday!

–Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter. Currently re-reading The Good House by Tananarive Due.

Welcome to Check Your Shelf! This is your guide to help librarians like you up your game when it comes to doing your job (& rocking it).

---

Collection Development Corner

Publishing News

• The New York Times announces that it will resume publishing its Graphic Novel Bestseller List, which the paper originally dropped in 2017, as well as its Mass Market Paperback Bestseller List.
• The next big reading platform may be…Instagram?
• Entertainment company A24 launches its own book imprint, which will showcase “the singular vision and unbridled artistry” of films such as Ex Machina and The Witch.

New & Upcoming Titles

• A first look at the memoir, Know My Name, which was written by Chanel Miller, the woman who was sexually assaulted by Brock Turner and has now publicly come forward.
• Amazon Original Stories is publishing a new collection of short stories from Guillermo del Toro in 2021.
• There’s a sequel coming for Darius the Great is Not Okay, titled Darius the Great Deserves Better.
• Jenny Lawson (aka The Bloggess) has finished her next book, and I. Can’t. Wait.
• Best nonfiction for 2019.
• Must-read fall memoirs.
• 20 best debuts for the second half of 2019.
• 25 new LGBTQ+ books coming out Fall 2019.
• YA novels, graphic novels, and comics for Fall 2019.
• 50+ new thrillers you really need on your radar.
• Best debut, true crime, and international crime fiction for September.
• October book lists from the Chicago Tribune, New York Times, and Washington Post.
• New fantasy and sci-fi novels, plus YA SFF and genre-bending books for October 2019.
• Best mysteries for October.
• 21 YA novels for October.

What Your Patrons Are Hearing About

• Know My Name – Chanel Miller (CBS News, Elle, New York Times, NPR, People, Vogue, Washington Post)
• The Water Dancer – Ta-Nehisi Coates (Entertainment Weekly, LA Times, New York Times, NPR, Washington Post)
• The Future of Another Timeline – Annalee Newitz (NPR, Paste, San Francisco Chronicle)
• The Dutch House – Ann Patchett (New York Times, NPR, USA Today)
• Over the Top: A Raw Journey to Self-Love – Jonathan Van Ness (Entertainment Weekly, People, USA Today)
• The World That We Knew – Alice Hoffman (Entertainment Weekly, New York Times)
• Heaven, My Home – Attica Locke (NPR, Washington Post)
• Inside Out: A Memoir – Demi Moore (People, Vogue, Vanity Fair)
• The Shadow King – Maaza Mengiste (New York Times, NPR)

RA/Genre Resources

• Smart Bitches, Trashy Books has a new search feature that gives you a fun way to play with subgenres, themes, and archetypes. Check it out here!
• Authors & librarians on why schools and libraries need LGBTQ+ books.

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All Things Comics

• Spiderman’s back in the MCU, apparently.
• DC Comics announces the Hill House Comics Line, which will be lead by Joe Hill and will feature a new work by Carmen Maria Machado.
• A new (free!) resource from the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund about banned, challenged, and controversial comics & graphic novels.
• Alison Bechdel and six other authors/artists will be inducted into the Comic Book Hall of Fame on October 4!
• Best comics & graphic novels for October.
• How to get out of a comics slump.

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Audiophilia

• Publishers are suing Audible for its Captions program, and now the Authors Guild and the Association of Authors’ Representatives are supporting the lawsuit as well.
• A look at Reese Witherspoon’s first Audible Original: The Baddest Bitch in the Room by Sophia Chang.
• Meryl Streep is narrating a new audiobook production of Charlotte’s Web.
• Larry David is narrating the audio sequel to Go The F*ck to Sleep, which is fantastically called, F*ck, Now There Are Two of You!

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Book Lists, Book Lists, Book Lists

Children/Teens

• 11 Rosh Hashanah books for children and babies.
• 50 must-read picture books that will transport you to another place.
• Sports-themed titles featuring girl athletes.
• 6 YA Latinx authors to read during Hispanic Heritage Month.
• 5 books about supernatural teens.
• 20 must-read YA novels by women of color.

Adults

• 100 best books of the 21st century.
• A reading pathway for Donna Tartt.
• 7 of the best books on sexual health.
• 13 books about immigration to read for Hispanic Heritage Month.
• 11 great books about rock and roll.
• Memoirs about surviving the horrors of war.
• Haunting ghost stories and 13 haunted house books that every horror fan needs to read.
• 10 standalone romance series you can read in any order.
• 15 readalikes for Sharp Objects.
• 5 books almost as weird as Gideon the Ninth.
• A guide to all those f*ing sweary self-help books.
• 5 books by queer Korean Americans.
• 6 forking great reads for your favorite characters in The Good Place.

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Level Up (Library Reads)

Do you take part in LibraryReads, 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.

Thanks for hanging! See you on Friday!

–Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter.

Welcome to Check Your Shelf! This is your guide to help librarians like you up your game when it comes to doing your job (& rocking it).

---

Libraries & Librarians

News Updates

• Connecting Banned Books Week with the Macmillan eBook embargo.
• A window was shot out at the San Jose State University Library. The suspect has been charged with attempted murder.

Cool Library Updates

• The Carnegie Library in Pittsburgh is testing out bookmarks that provide information and resources on sensitive topics from abusive relationships to bankruptcy to puberty so that patrons can privately find the information they need.
• Bringing the library to the gym.
• Or you could be like this Maine library and lend out sports equipment.
• Check out the Henrietta (NY) Public Library’s fresh Lizzo display with the bomb lighting!
• This tiny library was created from a recycled shipping container.
• There’s a Little Free Library in Mississippi that looks like a Tardis.
• Is that a dinosaur at the Denver Central Library? Nope, just a giant chicken skeleton.

Worth Reading

• Censorship goes beyond banned books.
• A new PEN America report condemns the proliferation of prison book bans.
• The invisibility of library labor.
• The librarian listened: helping children and caregivers handle mental health conditions. Plus a relevant book list.
• A look at self-directed programming.
• Take a look at this Sicilian library devoted to African immigrants.
• How to save a wet book.

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Book Adaptations in the News

• Some people are talking about the possibility of a Princess Bride remake. Look, I’m not a super diehard Princess Bride fan, but seriously, do we really need to remake everything?
• John Mulaney is playing Henry David Thoreau on Apple TV+’s Dickinson. (*insert John Mulaney English major joke here*)
• A look at the adaptation of Caitlin Moran’s How to Build a Girl.
• V.E. Schwab’s The Archived series is set for the CW.
• The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid will be adapted as a series on the streaming platform Freeform.
• James Patterson’s novel Toys is getting the series treatment as well.

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Books & Authors in the News

• The New York Times is facing some criticism over their coverage of the new nonfiction book, The Education of Brett Kavanaugh by reporters Robin Pogrebin and Kate Kelly. Here is the Time’s response, along with a report by the authors that was published in The Atlantic.
• The US Department of Justice is suing Edward Snowden for the profits from his recent memoir, Permanent Record.
• Thieves were reportedly after the manuscript for The Testaments.
• Oprah starts a new book club with Apple and selected The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates as its first title! Plus, if you purchase her book club selections via Apple Books, a contribution will be made to the American Library Association!
• Alex Gino talks about what it’s like to author the #1 most banned book in the country. (Side note, if you haven’t read George yet, you really should because it’s an absolute delight!)

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Numbers & Trends

• Physical books still outsell eBooks – this article breaks down why.

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Award News

• 2019 National Book Award longlists for Fiction and Nonfiction. You can view all of the longlists here.
• The National Book Foundation named its 5 Under 35 Authors.
• The Nelly Sachs prize was awarded to, and then withdrawn from, Kamila Shamsie over her support of an Israel boycott. Hundreds of authors have come to her defense.
• A video recording of Joy Harjo’s inaugural reading as US Poet Laureate at the Library of Congress.

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Pop Cultured

• Aron Eisenberg, who played Nog on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, passed away at age 50.

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Bookish Curiosities & Miscellaneous

• The owner of the Strand Bookstore in New York City is suing the city over the building’s landmark status.
• Merriam-Webster updated its definition of the word “they” to include it as a gender nonbinary pronoun.
• Book fairies are leaving banned books around Pittsburgh for strangers to find and read.
• This penguin intern at Penguin Random House had the busy on its first day at work!
• The London house that inspired Peter Pan is up for sale.
• Why some people become lifelong readers.
• Why this reader’s Goodreads challenge made them sad.

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Thanks for hanging! See everyone on Tuesday! And don’t forget to enter our giveaway of the year’s 10 best mysteries & thrillers (so far)!

–Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter. Currently reading Mayhem by Sarah Pinborough.

Welcome to Check Your Shelf! This is your guide to help librarians like you up your game when it comes to doing your job (& rocking it).

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Heyyo, Library Land! I know everyone’s probably preoccupied with Banned Books Week, but let’s take a pause to look at some collection development resources.

Collection Development Corner

Publishing News

• Reycraft, a new children’s imprint created by publisher Sera Reycraft, will focus on creating diverse stories for young readers.
• The Library of Congress is partnering with Poisoned Pen Press: Sourcebooks to publish a selection of crime novels originally published between the 1860’s and the 1960’s. The first books will be published in Spring 2020.

New & Upcoming Titles

• Get ready for Old Fourth Ward, the upcoming novel from Tayari Jones!
• Alyssa Cole has two books coming out in 2020, one of which is a thriller!
• Ellen Oh also announced two upcoming book deals.
• A first look at Martha Wells’ full-length Murderbot novel, Network Effect.
• Chris Rock has an essay collection coming out called My First Black Boyfriend.
• If you’ve ever wanted to read a book about a real-life 88-year-old grandmother who was also an international jewel thief, boy do I have good news for you! Make sure you’ve ordered a copy of Diamond Doris: The True Story of the World’s Most Notorious Jewel Thief by Doris Payne, the jewel thief herself.
• September 2019 indie press roundup.
• Best books of 2019 so far from Esquire and Town and Country.
• The Washington Post picks 18 books you need to read this fall. 
• The most anticipated crime novels of 2019, part 3.
• Fall YA books to be on the lookout for.
• Eight new books by Latinx authors that you have to read.

What your patrons are hearing about

• Red at the Bone – Jacqueline Woodson (New York Times, New York Times Magazine, NPR, O Magazine, Paste, Time, Washington Post)
• The Education of Brett Kavanaugh: An Investigation – Robin Pogrebin & Kate Kelly (New York Magazine, New York Times, Vanity Fair, Washington Post)
• Permanent Record – Edward Snowden (Guardian, NPR, Washington Post) 
• Make it Scream, Make it Burn – Leslie Jamison (Entertainment Weekly, New York Times)
• The Dutch House – Ann Patchett (Entertainment Weekly, O Magazine, Washington Post)
• The Secrets We Kept – Lara Prescott (Time, Washington Post)
• Guts – Raina Telgemeier (New York Times, Washington Post)

RA/Genre Resources

• Something to be aware of as we talk about books with patrons: overcoming white bias in literature.
• Liberty has some ways to keep up with new romance releases.
• Are you ready for Banned Books Week?

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All Things Comics

• The Far Side announces a new online era.
• Unseen is the first audio comic designed for blind readers.
• Where to start with She-Hulk.
• The value & educational benefit of reading comics.
• This is the best comics shop in Canada. 
• 10 best criminals in comics.

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Audiophilia

• If you need a rundown of the Audible caption controversy, Locus has a summary for you.
• Looking for Alaska is getting a new audiobook adaptation narrated by Wil Wheaton.
• Mental illness can make it hard to read, but audiobooks can help.
• 4 audiobooks to help you get your sh*t together. (Or you can also watch this Rick and Morty clip.)

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Book Lists, Book Lists, Book Lists

Children/Teens

• 20 must-read books for first and second graders.
• 15 picture books that celebrate Hispanic heritage.
• 25 of the best YA ghost stories.
• 7 YA books about immigration, immigrant camps, and deportation.

Adults

• 12 books for fans of Downton Abbey.
• 8 novels about college life. (There are some YA titles on here too.)
• Shape-shifter romances.
• A reading pathway for Colleen Hoover.
• 8 novels with atypical amateur sleuths.
• Feminist books for dismantling the patriarchy.
• 13 books about social media influencers.
• A crowdsourced list of the 100 best books by women in translation.
• Nonfiction books about the climate crisis.

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Level Up (Library Reads)

Do you take part in LibraryReads, 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.

Thanks for hanging! And don’t forget to enter our giveaway of the year’s 10 best mysteries & thrillers (so far)!

–Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter. Currently reading Finders Keepers by Stephen King.

Welcome to Check Your Shelf! This is your guide to help librarians like you up your game when it comes to doing your job (& rocking it).

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Libraries & Librarians

News Updates

• A successful Drag Queen Storytime in San Diego, where there were mermaids and bubbles and much singing.
• Amazon launches Alexa Answers, which allows Amazon customers to field questions that Alexa is unable to answer. So…a crowdsourced Reference Desk, basically. This should be interesting.
• The Jersey City Free Library renamed itself the Priscilla Gardner Main Library in honor of their director, who was the first African American director in the library’s history and is retiring after a whopping 50 years of working in the same library system! This is incredible!
• Literature Locked Up supports an end to US prison book bans for Banned Books Week.
• San Francisco and Phoenix libraries go fines free!

Cool Library Updates

• File under “B” for “Beekeeping!” Does your library keep bees?
• Hip hop hero sculptures at the Queens Public Library.
• YOU CAN CHECK OUT THERAPY DOGS AT THE VANCOUVER LIBRARY. (Wonder what the late fees are like for those?)
• How about a cursive writing workshop at the library?
• Check out the Chicago Tool Library – a nonprofit organization that rents out donated tools.

Worth Reading

• A look at how the digital divide can disproportionately affect people in poor urban households, since many digital divide efforts focus primarily on poor rural households.
• 12-year-old Yashoda D. Shenoy has been running her own library since January of this year, making her the youngest librarian in India!
• The first public library in the Americas has more than 45,000 books dating back to the 15th century.
• A handy guide to academic libraries for new students.

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Book Adaptations in the News

• We have a trailer and a US release date for Dublin Murders, based on the first two books in Tana French’s Dublin Murder Squad series!!! All the exclamation points!!
• Fleishman is in Trouble is getting a limited series adaptation after a 10-way bidding war for the rights.
• HBO is doing a limited series adaptation of Americanah, starring Lupita Nyong’o!
• Tananarive Due’s amaaaazing horror novel The Good House is finally getting an adaptation, and I am so dang excited, I can hardly restrain myself!
• And Stephen King gets his own section in this newsletter:
  • The Institute has an adaptation deal.
  • Check out the trailer for Doctor Sleep.
  • There’s also a new trailer for Castle Rock, Season 2.
  • The Stephen King/Joe Hill novella In the Tall Grass is coming to Netflix, and you guessed it…there’s a trailer.

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Books & Authors in the News

• Cokie Roberts, the pioneering broadcaster, journalist, and best-selling author, has died at age 75.
• Author Anne Rivers Siddons has died at age 83.

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Numbers & Trends

• People who read before bed tend to sleep better, eat healthier, and make more money, according to Real Simple. As John Oliver once said, “Not my findings…the findings of science!”

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Award News

• We’re getting the longlists for the 2019 National Book Awards! Translated Literature and Poetry longlists are here, and we’ll make sure to include the lists for Nonfiction & Fiction next week, which will be posted after the newsletter is submitted.
• A UK bookseller erroneously placed stickers on its copies of The Testaments by Margaret Atwood that claimed the book had won the 2019 Booker Prize…which hasn’t been decided yet.
• 2019 Kirkus Prize finalists.
• Tor.com looks at gender and the Hugo Awards.

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Bookish Curiosities & Miscellaneous

• Scholars believe that they’ve found John Milton’s copy of Shakespeare’s first folio, complete with Milton’s notes and edits. This is being called one of the most important literary discoveries of modern times.
• A school vending machine that rewards kindness with books.
• Are you familiar with the “Don’t have a bookmark?” meme that’s been going around on Twitter? Hopefully not, but in case you’re curious, you can read about it here.
• On a related note, please don’t use tacos as bookmarks. And please don’t let tacos go uneaten.

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Thanks for hanging! See everyone on Tuesday! And don’t forget to enter our giveaway of the year’s 10 best mysteries & thrillers (so far)!

–Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter. Currently reading Speaking of Summer by Kalisha Buckhanon.