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Experience hilarious, vivacious, and unforgettable characters in his smart, entertaining middle grade novel by award-winning author Ruth Freeman. When Addie’s mom gets a new job at Happy Valley Village Retirement Community, Addie meets Mr. Norris, a grumpy resident and…a former superhero? Addie knows better than to believe superheroes exist, but after experiencing things that she can’t explain, she might have to change her mind. Then when a strange man starts prowling the Happy Valley grounds, Addie and her friends soon stumble into a grand conspiracy involving the Manhattan Project, a shady weapons company, and the fate of the human race.
Welcome to Check Your Shelf. This week marks the beginning of some (COVID-safe) traveling for me, so several of the next newsletters will come to you from exotic locations such as “Massachusetts” and “the Upper Peninsula.” The fall foliage will be giving me all kinds of cozy autumn vibes – can’t wait to fill my phone with photos!
But for the time being, let’s library.
Collection Development Corner
Publishing News
New books will be hard to come by for the rest of the year.
Pearson Education filed a lawsuit against the textbook service Chegg for copyright infringement.
Book influencer Zibby Owens is launching her own press, Zibby Books, in January 2023. Her plan is to release 1 book a month, with a focus on fiction and memoir, and a commitment to publishing diverse literary voices.
New & Upcoming Titles
Lerner Publishing Group and Milkweed Editions are collaborating to create a young reader’s version of the book Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer.
Jhumpa Lahiri has another essay collection coming out next spring, which will focus on her work as a translator.
Martha S. Jones, author of Vanguard: How Black Women Broke Barriers, Won the Vote, and Insisted on Equality for All, has signed a four-book deal with Basic Books that will address the history of race, slavery and identity.
Here’s a closer look at Ken Follett’s upcoming espionage thriller, Never.
And here’s a look at Phoebe Robinson’s upcoming book, Please Don’t Sit On My Bed In Your Outside Clothes.
6 new horror novels for tweens to bring on the late-summer scares.
Weekly book picks from Crime Reads, New York Times, and USA Today.
September picks from Tor.com (horror/genre benders, SFF/H YA).
Fall picks from Autostraddle (queer & feminist titles), Crime Reads, New York Times Book Review, Oprahdaily, Popsugar (Latinx authors), and USA Today.
What Your Patrons Are Hearing About
Harlem Shuffle – Colson Whitehead (Crime Reads, Entertainment Weekly, Esquire, LA Times, Minnesota Star Tribune, New York Times, NPR, Slate, USA Today, Washington Post)
You Got Anything Stronger? – Gabrielle Union (New York Times, People, Vanity Fair, Washington Post)
Unbound: My Story of Liberation and the Birth of the MeToo Movement – Tarana Burke (Oprahdaily, People, Salon)
Fuzz – Mary Roach (LitHub, New York Times, NPR)
Apples Never Fall – Liane Moriarty (New York Times, Washington Post)
Bewilderment – Richard Powers (Guardian, New York Times)
RA/Genre Resources
The troubled golden age of trans literature.
The coming “tsunami” of books on race.
Women crime writers talk about women and violence.
The importance of how we write mental illness in fiction.
In defense of unlikeable girls in YA novels.
On the Riot
9 of the best romantic comedy novels of 2021.
8 must-read poetry collections of 2021.
New weekly releases to TBR.
It’s the Twilight renaissance and we’re just living in in it.
Amazon original stories – what they are and why you should read them.
What makes for a great long-running series?
All Things Comics
Penguin Random House is the new distributor for IDW comics.
Hasan Minhaj has been cast as The Riddler in the upcoming Spotify podcast, Batman Unburied.
DC’s Batman Penguin spinoff series is being developed for HBO Max.
On the Riot
New middle grade graphic novels for summer and fall.
16 of the best romance manhwa for every romance reader.
The best places to find light novels.
The best light novel recommendations for new readers.
Audiophilia
LeVar Burton and Aja Naomi King are narrating the audio version of Jocelyn Nicole Johnson’s My Monticello.
The best vacation listens for the dwindling days of summer.
6 favorite audiobooks from Well-Read Black Girl’s Glory Edim.
On the Riot
8 audiobooks narrated by Adjoa Andoh.
9 works of epic poetry on audio.
Book Lists, Book Lists, Book Lists
Children/Teens
12 picture books that celebrate fall.
Early chapter books with fierce female characters.
13 must-read YA novels by Latinx authors.
13 YA books set in the American Midwest.
YA fantasy romances to make you swoon.
Adults
8 captivating books to read for Hispanic Heritage Month.
11 recent books about Latino life.
8 historical reads for fans of The Alice Network.
10 history books every American needs to read.
4 books to broaden your view of disability.
17 heartbreaking books about love and loss.
11 of the best books based on true stories.
33 books to read if you can’t stop watching Marvel movies.
10 essential Southern Gothic books.
Great books about New York City.
10 crime novels set in the high country of the American West.
5 SF works about sex and technology.
25 best vampire books to read now.
6 cozy mysteries told from a cat’s perspective.
On the Riot
18 books like Shatter Me to obsess over.
Rock out with these YA books about bands.
12 YA romance titles to make you wish you were a teen again.
The best modern Shakespeare adaptations.
20 must-read space fantasy books.
8 new adult LGBTQ romances to fall for.
20 romance novels to read if you like your books on the steamy side.
10 great horror novels about cannibalism.
8 backlist books by female Pulitzer Prize-winning authors.
Fascinating books about the British Royal Family.
Top leadership books to add to your toolkit.
10 of the best books about Los Angeles.
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.
Catch you all on Friday!
—Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter.
