Category: Check Your Shelf

Welcome to Check Your Shelf, where there will be no news items about murder wasps.

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Collection Development Corner

Publishing News

• Harlequin announces a larger mass market paperback format.
• Taco Bell has its own literary magazine, again proving my theory that the world is a giant Mad Lib, and we’re just living in it.
• For the life of me, I can’t remember if I included a link in a previous newsletter that Barnes & Noble would no longer be carrying magazines. If I did, or if you also heard that news floating around, that is apparently not true, and the article that originally included the information has since been updated.

New & Upcoming Titles

• A preview of Tana French’s upcoming novel, The Searcher! (She swears it’s less depressing than The Witch Elm.)
• Meghan and Harry are working with two journalists on a biography, due out in August.
• Sandhya Menon announced a new novella from the Dimpleverse.
  
• Mona Awad announced her next book.
• Details about Emma Donoghue’s next book, The Pull of the Stars.
• 25 upcoming notable releases.
• May picks from Amazon, Crime Reads, io9, Time, and Washington Post.
• Most anticipated books of the summer.
• 30 LGBTQ YA novels you’ll want to pick up this spring.
• Mystery & suspense titles by women of color to read in 2020.

What your patrons are hearing about

• The End of October – Lawrence Wright (LA Times, New York Times, NPR, Washington Post)
• Little Family – Ishmael Beah (New York Times, Washington Post)
• Girl Gone Viral – Alisha Rai (NPR)
• Little Eyes – Samanta Schweblin (New York Times)
• Take Me Apart – Sara Sligar (USA Today)

RA/Genre Resources

• An in-depth look at racism within the romance industry.
• The state of crime writing in 2020, part 1 and part 2.
• The rise of magical realism in YA fiction.

On the Riot

• A guide to horror sub-genres.

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All Things Comics

• An online auction to help comic book shops raises over $430,000!
• There’s also a campaign going on to raise money for women and non-binary comic book retailers.

On the Riot

• 10 manga featuring black characters.
• 50 must-read comics about friendship.
• 5 comics to help you feel some feels.
• 10 great novels that were adapted into comics.
• 5 comics about awesome mom figures.

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Audiophilia

• Penguin Random House donates audiobooks to prison and hospital radio stations.
• Libro.fm has a great list of poetry audiobooks.
• 8 new romance audiobooks from your favorite narrators.
• 5 debut novels to listen to in quarantine.

On the Riot

• Get free audiobooks for teens all throughout the summer with SYNC.
• 7 of the best audiobooks by Muslim women authors.
• Fast and fabulous audiobooks under 4 hours.

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Book Lists, Book Lists, Book Lists

Children/Teens

• 22 diverse poetry picture books.
• Asian Pacific American Heritage Month book recs for kids.
• 14 YA novels to read once you’ve finished Normal People.
• 16 books to try based on your most recent favorite show on Netflix.
• 20 books to read to get over a breakup.

Adults

• 6 books by black female authors.
• 11 books if you liked Normal People.
• Seanan McGuire’s personal Top 10 urban fantasy books for adults.
• 10 best book series to reread when you need something familiar.
• 32 short story collections to cure your reading slump.
• Queer comfort reads.

On the Riot

• 11 body positive books for children.
• Feel-good middle grade recs.
• 8 YA thrillers for fans of The Hunger Games.
• Books about whales for all ages.
• 4 pregnancy books worth reading.
• 8 knitting books for short, cute projects.
• Historical fiction picks that don’t take place during WWII.
• Short reads to beat the quarantine gloom.
• Harry Potter readalike recs for adults.
• 13 books like Red Dead Redemption.
• Paranormal cozy mysteries.
• 10 nonfiction titles that will change the way you see books.
• 4 books about caring for aging relatives.

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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.

Virtual hugs. Stay safe, healthy, and relatively sane.

—Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter. Currently reading Winter Counts by David Heska Wanbli Weiden.

Welcome to Check Your Shelf, where we’re going to start hearing a LOT about libraries reopening during the pandemic. I’ll make my position clear right now: libraries should not consider reopening in any form until it is safe for their staff to do so. What that looks like will vary from community to community, but I’m seeing a lot of discussion from libraries that plan to implement curbside services despite extended shelter-in-place orders, and despite COVID cases still being on the rise in their area. I hope these libraries have really good answers as to why they’re risking the safety of their staff like this, because I just can’t think of any.

And now, on with the newsletter.

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Libraries & Librarians

News Updates

• A federal appeals court declares that literacy is a constitutional right.
• ALA announces a virtual option for its canceled annual conference.
• IMLS announces a new research partnership to help support and inform libraries and museums as they consider safe re-opening practices.
• After releasing an initial report that categorized libraries as “low risk” areas of contagion, Forbes has amended their report after getting a LOT of pushback from librarians.
• Despite Texas’ reopening, the Austin Public Library will not open its locations until “it can do so in a manner that does not jeopardize the health and safety of its employees and the community it serves.”
• NYPL may quarantine its books between borrowers in order to make sure they’re not transmitting COVID-19.
• South Sioux City libraries suspend their curbside service because of a COVID spike in their community.

Cool Library Updates

• The Clinton Presidential Library has been turned into a makeshift food bank.
• Here’s a list of the online services and activities being offered by different public libraries in Maine.
• The NYPL challenges people to recreate their favorite book covers at home.
• This Alaska library partnered with a local radio station in order to offer storytime to kids.
• The Library of Congress announces a new app to let people everywhere experience its digital collections.

Worth Reading

• Librarians under pandemic duress: layoffs, napkin masks, and fear of retaliation.
• An open letter to library directors: “I will not reopen the library until I can ensure the health and safety of our staff.”
• Why you shouldn’t be doing curbside service during COVID.
• The martyr complex of librarianship: “Libraries can’t fix everything, not even coronavirus, and I kinda wish we would stop trying.”
• Other (pandemic) duties as assigned.
• Wholehearted librarianship during the pandemic.
• Libraries are the last safe haven during the pandemic.
• Public libraries after the pandemic.
• Five unexpected benefits of eliminating library fines.
• Prepare yourselves…the person cleaning this library put the books back on the shelf in size order.

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Book Adaptations in the News

• Terry Pratchett’s Discworld books are getting “absolutely faithful” TV adaptations.
• Michelle Obama’s Becoming is going to be adapted as a documentary!
• Patrick Ness is working on a Lord of the Flies adaptation.
• Goosebumps is getting another live-action TV series. (But will it live up to the 90’s nostalgia of the original series?!)
• HBO Max and Connie Britton have teamed up for a documentary based on Rebecca Traisters’s best-selling book All the Single Ladies: Unmarried Women and the Rise of an Independent Nation.
• The first Dork Diaries novel is being adapted as a podcast.
• A sequel to the Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark film is in the works.
• 39 book adaptations on Netflix.

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Books & Authors in the News

• The Matanuska-Susitna School Board (AK) has removed five books from the elective high school curriculum, including I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings and The Things They Carried.

Numbers & Trends

• Here’s a number we don’t want to increase: attempts to remove books from libraries last year rose by almost 20%.
• These are the most popular books people are reading during the pandemic, plus a look at how COVID is changing people’s book buying habits.
• Fanfiction is booming in quarantine.
• The Chicago Public Library reported a 51% increase in eBook downloads compared to the same time period in 2019.
• Male leads in fiction sell 10 million more books on average than female leads.
• 9 publishing trends to take note of.

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Pop Cultured

• A new female-centric Star Wars series is in the works, written by one of the co-creators of Russian Doll.

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Bookish Curiosities & Miscellaneous

• A side-effect of the COVID pandemic? Reading got a lot harder.

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On the Riot

• Ways to connect with your patrons during lockdown.
• How to repair a broken book.
• 13 literary adaptations you can stream for free.
• Airbnb’s bookish virtual experiences.
• Bookish TED talks for when you can’t read right now.

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Keep on keeping on, everyone. I’ll see you all next week.

Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter. Currently reading My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing.

Welcome to Check Your Shelf. How the heck did we get through April so fast when March was a thousand years long?

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Collection Development Corner

Publishing News

• How Bookshop.org has helped indie bookstores take a slice out of Amazon.
• Kensington Publishing is increasing the size of its mass market paperbacks in an effort to increase sales.
• Lambda Literary has put out an urgent call for donations.

New & Upcoming Titles

• Becky Albertalli has a Simonverse novella coming out on June 30th.
• Update on the tell-all book from Michael Cohen, which has yet to be sold to a publisher.
• New & upcoming books from Asian and Asian American authors.
• International crime novels, debut crime titles, and true crime titles for April.
• 11 books to watch for in May.
• 17 most-anticipated YA books to read in May.
• 22 best books to read this summer.

What Your Patrons Are Hearing About

• How to Pronounce Knife: Stories – Souvankham Thammavongsa (New York, Washington Post)
• The Knockout Queen – Rufi Thorpe (Entertainment Weekly, LA Times)
• If I Had Your Face – Frances Cha (Washington Post)
• The Book of Longings – Sue Monk Kidd (Washington Post)
• Coyotes of Carthage – Steven Wright (Washington Post)

On the Riot

• How to make impactful purchases at your indie bookstore.
• The best places to find book recommendations on Reddit.
• An in-depth look at the enemies-to-lovers romance trope.
• A brief tour into the world of cozy mystery authors.

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All Things Comics

• Due to the coronavirus, San Diego Comic-Con has been cancelled for the first time in 50 years.
• Sony is developing a film based on the One Punch Man series.
• 8 comics about being stuck inside.

On the Riot

• 20 of the best graphic novels for teens.
• Get up to speed with this guide to the X-Men characters.

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Audiophilia

• The founder of Audible donated $1 million to launch a new meal delivery service in his hometown of Newark, NJ.

On the Riot

• 5 audiobook memoirs & essay collections written by bi+ women of color.
• New poetry audiobooks to listen to for National Poetry Month.
• How audiobooks helped this reader feel less lonely as a new parent.

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Book Lists, Book Lists, Book Lists

Children/Teens

• Green books for eco-minded kids and parents.
• 38 YA fantasy worlds to disappear into.

Adults

• Books with happy endings.
• 15 best mystery novels for any mood.
• 27 debut authors to read in quarantine.
• 7 books about living paycheck to paycheck.
• 21 great books from small presses.
• 6 books about women athletes.
• 10 memoirs to keep you company in isolation.
• 24 feminist books to read after watching Mrs. America.
• Required reading list for National Poetry Month.
• 36 great books you may not be aware of.
• 8 novels to make you question reality.

On the Riot

• 7 books for curious kids.
• 12 picture books for Earth Day.
• 8 picture books about nature.
• Picture books about changing seasons.
• Middle grade books that help kids unpack complex conversations.
• 15 of the best nonfiction books for middle graders.
• YA earworm titles to get stuck in your head.
• 6 of the best medieval YA titles.
• Funny self-help books.
• 10 cat behavior books if you’re having trouble adjusting to your new WFH coworkers.
• 5 quarantine reads to keep your inner activist alive.
• Parenting books to help you get through the pandemic.
• 8 awesome short story collections.
• 9 nonfiction books about nature and climate change.
• 5 nonfiction books that challenge COVID-19-inspired racism.
• 10 medieval and medieval-ish mystery novels.

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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.

Virtual hugs. Stay safe, healthy, and relatively sane.

—Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter. Currently re-reading The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton.

Welcome to Check Your Shelf. This week, I’m struggling against my brain telling me that I need to be doing more as a library employee, that I need to be exceeding all expectations and coming up with new, innovative services, while in reality, I consider it a win if I can email my department once a week and get all of my assigned social media posts up on time. If you’re feeling the same way, just know that I SEE YOU, and I think we need more stories of library employees who are just getting by the best they can. Like, if you’re managing to show up on time for virtual meetings and turn in blog posts, hats off to you. You’re killing it.

Correction from the last newsletter, in which I misspelled Alex Trebek’s name.

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Libraries & Librarians

News Updates

• Here’s ALA’s State of America’s Libraries in 2020 report, along with its annual most-challenged list.
• The city of Moline (IL) has cut off all funding for its public library and has laid off all employees.
• With Book Expo now cancelled, Library Journal has turned its annual Day of Dialog into a free virtual event.
• San Diego Public Libraries face budget cuts and long term challenges of social distancing. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Public Library sees a budget increase from $194 million to $205 million.
• Seattle is reopening five library bathrooms to better meet the hygiene needs of people experiencing homelessness.
• Facebook shut down ads by this public library for some unknown reason, although the library now reports that the ad account has been reactivated.
• Some cities are redeploying librarians to provide critical services during quarantine.
• The Internet Archive claims fair use for its National Emergency Library.
• How the Library of Congress is faring under COVID restrictions.

Cool Library Updates

• The Toronto Public Library is providing free books for kids in food hampers distributed through its pop-up food banks.

Worth Reading

• American Libraries and Publisher’s Weekly look at how libraries are considering the realities of a post-pandemic world.
• Libraries in the Chicago suburbs prepare for eventual reopening.
• Here’s a list of library crowdsourcing projects if you’re looking for something to keep you busy.
• Supporting student reading remains a core service for school librarians during COVID-19 shutdowns. You can see more results from SLJ’s COVID-19 survey here.
• A snapshot of school librarian roles during school closures.
• Ideas for kids during the COVID crisis.
• Visit these 8 world-class libraries from the comfort of your couch.

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Book Adaptations in the News

• Kasi Lemmons, director of Harriet, is adapting Maaza Mengiste’s historical fiction novel, Shadow King.
• Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides is headed to TV.
• Suzanne Collins’ upcoming The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is set to be adapted, which should hardly come as a surprise.
• Millie Bobby Brown is set to play Enola Holmes, the younger sister of Sherlock, in an upcoming Netflix series.
• Updates on Netflix’s adaptation of The Sandman.
• Artemis Fowl is premiering on Disney+ beginning June 12.
• The Princess Bride is also coming to Disney+!
• Season 2 for NOS4A2 has been pushed back by a few weeks to June 21st.
• Trailer for Brave New World.

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Books & Authors in the News

• Starting Monday April 20th, Michelle Obama will be partnering with PBS Kids and Penguin Young Readers to read a favorite children’s books for four weeks.
• Romance author Donna Kauffman has passed away.
• Mitch Albom is writing a new story to raise money for coronavirus relief, and you can read it for free online, one chapter at a time.
• Jason Wright is writing his latest novel in real time via Google Docs, spelling and grammar mistakes and all, and we’re all invited to watch.
• This free coronavirus picture eBook has been downloaded more than 640,000 times in the UK.
• PopSugar starts a virtual book club, with The Herd by Andrea Bartz as its first pick.

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Numbers & Trends

• eBook checkouts of juvenile fiction have jumped 68% since the beginning of March.
• Here are the results from the Panorama Project’s survey of library events and book sales.

Award News

• The LA Times Book Prize winners have been announced.
• The Bram Stoker Awards have been announced.
• The shortlist for the Women’s Prize for Fiction has been announced.
• The International Booker Prize winner announcement has been postponed from May 19.
• For the first time, the International Prize for Arabic Fiction is awarded to an Algerian author.

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Pop Cultured

• JJ Abrams is launching an HBO Max show called Overlook, which is inspired by The Shining.
• Julie Andrews and her daughter Emma Walton Hamilton launch a new podcast geared at young children.
• Disney+ is releasing a Mandalorian docuseries on Star Wars Day (May the 4th). Also Mandalorian Season 3 is in the works.

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Bookish Curiosities & Miscellaneous

• Check out this Books by Bicycle initiative started by avid bikers in Thiruvananthapuram, India.
• Children prefer stories that teach them how and why the world works.
• Cursed books to read at your own risk.
• USA Today highlights a few online book clubs.
• MoMA is selling rare books from their archives, which range in price from $25 to $2500.
• How bookstores are staying in contact with readers during quarantine.
• The exquisite pain of reading in quarantine.

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On the Riot

• An in-depth look at the Library Bill of Rights.
• Prison eReaders and tablets should be free during COVID-19.
• Advice on reading poetry if you’re feeling intimidated.
• Virtual book events you can attend from home.
• Tips to help you stay focused while reading.

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Keep on keeping on, everyone. I’ll see you all next week.

Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter.

Welcome to Check Your Shelf! Well, friends: even in these trying times, we can still count on people to write really dumb op-eds. I’m sure most of you have seen that piece for the LA Times saying that we need to stop wearing comfy clothes to work from home, and all I can say is that I hope each and every one of you are finding joy from wearing whatever the heck you want while we try to navigate this pandemic. Wear those sweatpants, leggings, jammies, Snuggies, and slippers with pride!

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Collection Development Corner

Publishing News

• Not surprisingly, Book Expo has been cancelled.
• We Need Diverse Books launches the Emergency Fund for Diverse Creatives in Children’s Publishing.
• Germany will allow its bookstores to open this week.
• With schools closed, book fairs go online.
• Indie Bookstore Day is going virtual this year, plus how to support indie bookstores during quarantine.

New & Upcoming Titles

• Alex Trebec has a memoir coming out in July.
• Aaand…so does Joe Exotic.
• Becky Chambers has two forthcoming solar punk novellas coming out, the first in May 2021.
• 30 most anticipated books of the summer.

What your patrons are hearing about

• Simon the Fiddler – Paulette Jiles (New York Times, Washington Post)
• The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires – Grady Hendrix (USA Today)
• Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family – Robert Kolker (Washington Post)
• Chosen Ones – Veronica Roth (New York Times)
• Broken – Don Winslow (New York Times)
• Coyotes of Carthage – Steven Wright (USA Today)

RA/Genre Resources

• Horror novel suggestions for every tolerance level.

On the Riot

• Book releases that have been delayed due to COVID-19.
• What is it about creepy kids in horror?
• What is the Great American Novel?

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All Things Comics

• Netflix signs a first-look deal with BOOM! Studios.
• Classic Archie comics are going to be released digitally.
• Can comics survive the coronavirus era?
• Comic creators unite to benefit comic shops.
• 8 comics for all ages to keep kids and parents happy during lockdown.

On the Riot

• 4 politically relevant graphic memoirs.
• Everything you need to know about Ms. Marvel.

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Audiophilia

• 8 ways to listen to an audiobook for free.
• Why audiobooks are a victim of classism.
• Audiobooks to savor…and audiobooks to avoid.
• Best audiobooks of April.
• 9 immersive audiobooks to transport you to another world.

On the Riot

• 4 YA audiobooks narrated by actors.
• Audiobooks make reading more accessible.
• 3 under 3: Audiobooks less than 3 hours long for your single sitting reading pleasure.
• 3 creative ways to use audiobooks to help you focus on reading.

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Book Lists, Book Lists, Book Lists

Children/Teens

• Free picture books for kids that help explain the coronavirus.
• 38 YA fantasy worlds you can disappear into right now.
• 6 YA books that do not f*$% around.
• 16 YA novels with wild plot twists

Adults

• Book suggestions when you need solace during troubled times.
• 48 mystery & thriller recommendations based on trope.
• A drag queen recommends 7 books about rejecting normality.
• Most popular books in every state.
• Cookbooks for quarantining.
• 10 favorite books from Samantha Irby.
• 16 meaty book series to get you through stay-at-home orders.
• 15 fluffy romance novels to make your heart grow three sizes.
• Books about books, if you miss visiting the bookstore.
• 20 long books to fill your time.
• 10 inspiring books on how to write.
• 5 horror novels driven by maternal instinct.

On the Riot

• 6 children’s books by women authors that are perfect for Earth Day.
• 10 of the best fake-dating YA novels.
• 13 books that helped this reader improve their mental health.
• 10 high fantasy novels by women.
• 20 must-read feel-good science fiction novels.
• 22 free romance books to read right now.
• 5 dystopian reads if you need a reminder that things could be worse.
• 20 of the best free Kindle books you can read right now.
• 12 books to help you learn a skill while you’re stuck at home.

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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.

Virtual hugs. Stay safe, healthy, and relatively sane.

—Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter.

Welcome to Check Your Shelf, where everything’s made up and the points don’t matter.

This is the week where I’ve hit a mental brick wall and the thought of sitting down at my corner-facing workspace just makes me want to scream. I don’t know what the solution is, other than frequent snuggle breaks with my cats, but needless to say, I’m grateful for the weekend.

As always, here is Book Riot’s updated COVID coverage.

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Libraries & Librarians

News Updates

• Library workers fight for safer working conditions amid the COVID pandemic.
• The New York Times wrote about closed libraries and the library employees who still have to go in to work.
• The Columbus (OH) Library Board approved the furloughs of over 600 employees, which the CEO said was “gutwrenching.”
• The Akron-Summit County (OH) Public Library is furloughing 339 of its 391 employees.
• Jonathan Newton, a South Carolina librarian, is suing for wrongful termination after he was allegedly forced out of his position for facilitating a Drag Queen Story Time event at the Five Forks Branch Library.
• Miami-Dade libraries are acting as pickup and dropoff locations for unemployment forms, since the Florida unemployment system hasn’t been able to adequately handle the increase in submissions.
• James Patterson is giving a whopping $2.5 million to school librarians to help build their classroom libraries.

Cool Library Updates

• The Cleveland Public Library is making 2000 face shields for first responders using its 3D printers.
• This library is offering a stay-at-home YA book bingo for teens.
• Visit this library’s virtual branch in Animal Crossings: New Horizons.
• This Long Island library called its regular patrons to check in, say “Hello,” and let them know that they were offering services online.
• A library in Japan is testing the use of drones for shelf reading.
• The Evanston (IL) Public Library is collecting recipes for a Coronavirus Community Cookbook.
• Also, the Evanston Library has a Falcon Cam so that viewers can watch the annual nesting of its returning peregrine falcons.

Worth Reading

• Here’s a directory of upcoming webinars & on-demand recordings from library organizations, publishers, vendors, and more. This will be updated frequently, if you’re one of the many library workers who are required to use your time at home for continuing education.
• How to handle paper safely during the pandemic.
• How to avoid misinformation about COVID.
• When “non-essential” is anything but.
• What do people ask a librarian during a pandemic?
• Engaging with patrons on social media.
• Ten ways to change physical school library spaces into virtual ones.
• Taking care of ourselves in this New Normal.
• Nancy Pearl talks about her daily 7 mile walk.

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Book Adaptations in the News

• Hulu’s already snapped up rights to Zakiya Dalila Harris’ upcoming novel The Other Black Girl.
• Stephen King’s ‘Salem’s Lot is headed to the movies which by my count is the…third? adaptation of this novel?
• Michael Arceneaux’s I Can’t Date Jesus is being adapted for TV.
• Universal is adapting the upcoming YA vampire novel, Crave, and Netflix is adapting The Selection by Kiera Kass.
• Entertainment Weekly has a first look at Dune, and OSCAR ISAAC, Y’ALL. I just can’t.
• Trailer for How to Build a Girl, based on the book by Caitlin Moran.
• You can stream The Hunger Games for free on YouTube this Friday (4/17) at 6 PM ET.

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Books & Authors in the News

• Beverly Cleary turned 104 last weekend!
• Oprah picked Hidden Valley Road by Robert Kolker as her next book club pick.
• Barnes & Noble picks Conjure Women by Afia Atakora as its April book club pick.
• Authors are doing readings via Zoom in order to support bookstores, and Tom Hardy is going to read bedtime stories for the BBC.

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Numbers & Trends

• Not surprisingly, book sales are very volatile right now, although bookstore sales were up slightly in February.
• San Francisco’s City Lights Booksellers & Publishers raised nearly $500,000 in four days through a GoFundMe campaign, although multiple indie booksellers have reported issues getting their funds from GoFundMe.

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Award News

• The LA Times Book Prize Ceremony will be virtual, free, and open to the public, so everyone can attend!
• The Pulitzer Prize Awards announcements have been postponed.
• We’ve got the 2020 Hugo Award finalists.
• Akwaeke Emezi wins the 2019 Otherwise Award.
• Here are the 2020 Translated YA Book Prize winners.

Pop Cultured

• The New York Times has a new podcast featuring Cheryl Strayed.
• Disney+ is making a live-action/CG hybrid version of Robin Hood.

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Bookish Curiosities & Miscellaneous

• Italy allows its bookstores to reopen!
• How National Poetry Month is moving online.
• How to support indie bookstores during quarantine.
• The Guardian is updating a list of free online activities for bibliophiles.
• Book organization ideas for your time inside.

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On the Riot

• The Every Library Institute created an emergency fund for librarians and library workers.
• Literary magazines published by libraries.
• Your guide to free Google books (and its limitations).
• A guide to spring cleaning your books.
• Where to find guided reading lesson plans.
• 3 ways to spend a bookish birthday during quarantine.

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Stay safe and healthy, friends. And wash those hands!

Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter. Currently reading The Monster of Florence by Douglas Preston.

Welcome to Check Your Shelf. It is now the 2,467th day of 2020, and I hope you all are settling into some sort of a routine. I spent a lot of time this last weekend watching dumb shark horror movies with my husband, and I stayed up until 2 AM to finish re-reading a book I’ve read at least five times previously. So…quarantine is going well, I think.

Here are all the Book Riot COVID updates.

Collection Development Corner

Publishing News

• Despite multiple employees being diagnosed with COVID-19 at a Barnes & Noble distribution center in New Jersey, Barnes & Noble said that it has no plans to close the facility.
• Ingram will not attend the rescheduled Book Expo.
• A look at how Amazon’s self-publishing arm is a haven for white supremacists.

New & Upcoming Titles

• Fellow Book Rioter Tirzah Price has a Jane Austen murder mystery series for teens coming out in 2021! The first book is called Pride and Premeditation.
• Zoraida Cordova announces a new YA SFF anthology.
• This new storybook aims to help children cope with coronavirus.
• New works by writers with disabilities.
• April picks from Crime Reads (psychological thrillers), and Salon.
• 15 new and upcoming indie press titles to be aware of.
• 40 great books to read this season.
• 29 of the best beach reads of 2020.
• Election-themed YA novels coming out this year.
• A list of 2020 YA books by Muslim authors to add to your TBR.
• The best LGBTQ+ YA books coming out this year.

What Your Patrons Are Hearing About

• Godshot – Chelsea Bieker (Entertainment Weekly, LA Times, NPR, USA Today)
• How Much of These Hills is Gold – C Pam Zhang (New York Times, NPR, USA Today, Washington Post)
• Afterlife – Julia Alvarez (Entertainment Weekly, New York Times, Washington Post)
• Redhead by the Side of the Road – Anne Tyler (New York Times, NPR, Washington Post)
• The Herd – Andrea Bartz (People, Washington Post)
• Joy at Work: Organizing Your Professional Life – Marie Kondo (USA Today, Washington Post)

RA/Genre Resources

• Check out these horror classics you can read for free thanks to Project Gutenberg.

On the Riot

• The ultimate guide to Spring 2020 YA books for your TBR.
• 9 new thrillers to add to your Spring TBR.
• 5 new works of innovative nonfiction.
• Does the general population still prioritize white male authors?
• A closer look at the unreliable narrator.

All Things Comics

• The Marvel Unlimited app will give users access to 12 popular Marvel comics for free until May 4th.

On the Riot

• YA comics and graphic novels being released April – June 2020.
• 25 of the best comics about social justice for every reader.
• 6 new romance manga coming out this year.
• 10 manga for fans of Death Note.

Audiophilia

• 27 immersive audiobooks that’ll take your mind off things for awhile.

On the Riot

• How audiobooks are getting this reader through COVID-19.
• 29 free audiobooks for kids and everyone else.

Book Lists, Book Lists, Book Lists

Children/Teens

• YA recs based on your favorite video game.
• 8 portal fantasies for YA readers.
• 84 standalone YA novels to read when you’re not feeling a series.

Adults

• 5 Korean thriller authors you need to read.
• 36 mystery and thriller recommendations based on pop culture.
• 13 essential pandemic novels.
• 10 inspirational books with advice on how to live in tough times.
• 14 sports novels to fill the Olympic-sized hole in your heart.
• 21 books to keep you in touch with the natural world.
• 5 crime novels with multicultural heroes.
• 7 surreal books that suddenly seem relatable.
• 50 best contemporary novels over 500 pages.

On the Riot

• 11 picture book biographies of social justice leaders.
• 7 of the best homeschooling books.
• 20 social justice books for young adults and middle graders.
• 10 authors who write across age groups.
• 10 funny mystery authors like Janet Evanovich.
• 5 autobiographies of US Olympians to tide you over until 2021.
• The horror & speculative fiction that this reader’s been using as a distraction.
• 10 fantasies to remind you that there’s beauty in the world.
• 8 historical books to understand current social justice movements.
• 6 nonfiction books about revolutions and uprisings.
• 10 queer romance novels about social justice.
• 16 uplifting books.
• 20 must-read novels from 1990.

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.

Sending virtual hugs to anyone who wants them. Stay safe, healthy, and relatively sane.

Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter.

Welcome to Check Your Shelf, your guide to hopefully keeping you a little more sane during quarantine.

My cat almost logged me out of my video meeting this afternoon with his devious little toe beans. Thankfully my coworkers are all very understanding about kitty hijinks.

Here’s the link to Book Riot’s updated COVID coverage. 

And Here. We. Go.

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Libraries & Librarians

News Updates

• Library and museum employees across Canada are being asked to fill in as nursing home aides in order to keep earning their full salaries while their organizations are closed.
• CILIP (the UK’s library & information association) announces the National Shelf Service, which will entail a daily YouTube broadcast featuring book recommendations from librarians.
• The New York Public Library has launched a virtual book club.
• The Regina Public Library in Saskatchewan is using its servers to help scientists analyze COVID-19 data.

Cool Library Updates

• Using 3D printing to make PPE.
• Williamsburg Regional Library rolls out mobile internet access.
• St. Louis County Library is co-hosting an emergency diaper drive.
• Toronto is turning some of its public library branches into food banks.
• The Cushman (MA) Library is maintaining nearly all of its services online.
• You can stream all of the Library of Congress’ film treasures for free.

Worth Reading

• Public libraries’ novel response to a novel virus.
• How libraries are fighting misinformation about COVID-19.
• What a post-COVID world might bring for libraries.
• Avoiding information overload during COVID-19.
• How to organize your home library like a librarian.

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Book Adaptations in the News

• Nicole Kidman is producing and starring in the adaptation of Janelle Brown’s Pretty Things.
• Veronica Roth’s Chosen Ones sells film rights.
• Timothee Chalamet and Armie Hammer will be returning for Find Me, the sequel to Call Me By Your Name.
• NOS4A2 Season 2 will premiere on June 1st.
• We’re getting a TV adaptation of William J. Mann’s historical true crime book Tinseltown: Murder, Morphine, and Madness at the Dawn of Hollywood.
• 33 books being adapted in 2020 (as of right now).

Books & Authors in the News

• Although she wasn’t officially tested, J.K. Rowling says that she very likely had COVID-19 but is fully recovered.
• LeVar Burton is starting a live-streaming reading series on Twitter for readers of all ages.
• Here’s a summary of some of the celebrities reading stories online during the pandemic.

Award News

• The Hugo Awards finalists have been announced.
• The Pulitzer Prize announcements will be postponed until May 4th.
• Chloe Aridjis wins the PEN/Faulkner award for Sea Monsters.
• Here’s the longlist for the Best Translated Book Awards.
• Shortlists for the International Booker Prize and the International Dylan Thomas Prize.

Pop Cultured

• Christopher Meloni is headlining a new spinoff series as Elliott Stabler from Law & Order: SVU.
• Are we getting a surprise new episode of Tiger King on Netflix??
• Artemis Fowl gets released straight to Disney+ due to the pandemic, which may also happen with other upcoming Disney films.
• HBO is making 39 movies and shows available for free on HBO Now and HBO Go, starting April 3rd.
• Here’s a roundup of the free trials and deals for video streaming services.

Bookish Curiosities & Miscellaneous

• How to plan a Zoom book club.
• Reading through difficult times.

On the Riot

• How to host a book tasting for adults at a public library.
• Tales of a Library Unicorn: The Children in Conflict.
• How about some more free coloring pages?
• What to do if you CAN’T read right now.
• Reading tips for parents to help beginning readers.

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Stay safe and healthy, friends. And wash those hands!

Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter. Currently reading Two Girls Down by Louisa Luna.

Welcome to Check Your Shelf, where it’s business as usual from my quarantine couch. I have to say, I’m getting used to working in my slippers.

Here’s Book Riot’s COVID-19 updates from the last few days.

And if you haven’t seen it already, here’s an article about a scientist who had to go to the hospital because he got magnets stuck up his nose. This is the funniest damn thing I’ve read in a LONG time!

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Collection Development Corner

Publishing News

• Macmillan laid off a number of employees and has permanently closed its Thomas Dunne imprint.
• An update on the Powell’s mass layoffs/re-hiring story.
• Half Price Books cuts its workforce by more than 2,000 employees.
• James Patterson donates $500,000 to help save indie bookstores.
• Amazon expands its list of prioritized items, although it doesn’t indicate what that expansion will include.
• An Indiana county has banned the sale of non-essential items, including books.

New & Upcoming Titles

• Angie Thomas has a new book coming out!!! It’s called Concrete Rose, and it tells the teenage story of Maverick Carter, Starr’s father from The Hate U Give.
• Jennifer Weiner’s upcoming novel Big Summer will be released 2 weeks early on May 5th.
• Stephen King’s book If It Bleeds is also getting moved up from May 5th to late April.
• Dav Pilkey announces a new graphic novel series.
• 8 new books to read while you’re stuck inside.
• 2020 books worth reading now.
• 10 new books to look forward to.
• Best books of 2020 so far.
• Best books of April 2020 from Amazon, AV Club, Barnes & Noble, Bustle, Crime Reads, Entertainment Weekly, io9, LitHub, The Millions, Popsugar, Tor.com (fantasy, sci-fi, YA SFF, and genre-benders), Vogue, Washington Post. 
• 35 must-read 2020 books written by women.
• 25 new books to add to your spring reading list.
• 38 most-anticipated romance novels of 2020.
• 44 LGBTQ books that are changing the literary landscape in 2020.
• 26 YA retellings to look forward to in 2020.

What your patrons are hearing about

• Red Lotus – Chris Bohjalian (New York Times, Washington Post)
• Days of Distraction – Alexandra Chang (USA Today, Washington Post)
• Wow, No Thank You – Samantha Irby (Entertainment Weekly, Huffington Post)
• Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family – Robert Kolker (New York Times, People)
• Valentine – Elizabeth Wetmore (Entertainment Weekly, Washington Post)

RA/Genre Resources

• Vox starts its own book suggestion column.
• Penguin Classics and other publishers work to diversify the canon.
• Celebrating 100 years of Agatha Christie.

On the Riot

• Barnes & Noble closes 400+ stores; employees question what happens next.
• Authors push back against the National Emergency Library.
• How to support authors with books coming out during social quarantine.
• 5 new memoirs to make you laugh and cry.
• 14 April YA releases to add to your TBR.
• Short story examples in almost every genre.
• Your complete guide to romance tropes.
• Why reading pandemic lit gives this reader hope.

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All Things Comics

• For the first time in the history of the comic book industry, there are no new print comics debuting as of April 1st.
• Conversely, 2020 is proving to be a great year for graphic novels.

On the Riot

• 8 comforting comics for trying times.

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Audiophilia

• You can stream the Stephen Fry-version of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone for free on Audible.
• 15 audiobooks to entertain you if you’re missing sports.
• 27 immersive audiobooks to take your mind off things.
• SFF audiobooks read by celebrities.

On the Riot

• 5 food memoir audiobooks for your TBR.
• How to find free eBooks and eAudiobooks for kids.

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Book Lists, Book Lists, Book Lists

Children/Teens

• 50 great books to entertain quarantined kids.
• 20 books to help your kids tour the world from home.
• Beyond Little Women: A reading list for bookish girls.
• 21 YA books to read with your feminist book club.
• 21 YA books with honest depictions of depression.
• 12 YA novels to read in celebration of Trans Day of Visibility.

Adults

• 17 books long enough to get you through a pandemic.
• Books to read after watching Tiger King.
• 15 standalone novels you can read in one sitting.
• 9 books by Muslim women.
• 21 books by Canadian women you need to read right now.
• 100 books to read while you’re stuck at home.
• 17 optimistic fantasies.
• 22 reads to help make time go by faster.
• 10 of the best cookbooks for beginner home cooks.
• 11 books about polyamory and non-monogamy.
• 9 books for fans of Lord of the Rings.
• 7 novels about multicultural families.

On the Riot

• 16 new picture books from Caldecott Award winners.
• 15 awesome dragon books for kids.
• 15 great new LGBTQ middle grade books.
• 10 middle grade books for animal lovers.
• 7 books about magic schools for every reader.
• 6 YA series featuring dragons.
• Books to read if you’re obsessed with Animal Crossing.
• 6 books to read after you finish In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado.
• 10 books if you loved Little Fires Everywhere.
• 12 books to read after Dear Martin by Nic Stone.
• 5 books in which space isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be.
• 5 haunted house stories…that don’t have haunted houses.
• 10 #OwnVoices autism books for Autism Acceptance Month.
• 5 books about horror to help you cope with anxiety.
• 5 crime novels where the crime is beside the point.

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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.

Sending virtual hugs to anyone who wants them. Stay safe, healthy, and relatively sane.

Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter.

This is Check Your Shelf, the quarantine continues, and I’ve been stocking up on $4 mini bottles of prosecco at Target, because these trying times have made me take a long look at my priorities.

Before we jump in, here’s Book Riot’s updated story stream with COVID-19-related articles. 

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Libraries & Librarians

News Updates

• The federal COVID-19 aid package includes $50 million for IMLS, $75 million each for the National Endowments for the Arts and the National Endowments for the Humanities, and $30.8 billion for schools and colleges.
• As COVID-19 spreads, a handful of Louisiana public libraries remain open.
• 489 Edmonton Public Library employees are temporarily laid off.
• Spokane moves its homeless community to the downtown Spokane Public Library building.
• Booklist Reader has put together a roundup of librarian resources, including free webinars and other continuing education resources.
• COVID-19 and the global library field.
• Pandemic preparedness for school libraries.
• This Library Journal survey indicates that most US public libraries are closed, but there’s no consensus on who works, and where.

Cool Library Updates

• How the COVID crisis could help chart a more productive course for digital library materials in the long term.
• A look at how some libraries are doing digital escape rooms and other online programming.
• How library maker spaces can help #flattenthecurve.
• OMG, look at this tiny library for birds!
• Some library-themed backgrounds for your next video call.

Worth Reading

• When no public means no paycheck.
• What closing libraries means for our communities.
• Libraries can’t be our only safety net.
• How to articulate your library’s impact and get what you need.
• How to sanitize collections in a pandemic.
• As life moves online, an older generation faces a digital divide.
• How to add a live chat to your website.

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Book Adaptations in the News

• Andy Weir has a new book coming out next spring (!!!) and the film rights have already been sold, with Ryan Gosling attached to star and produce.
• Here’s the first trailer for Defending Jacob, starring Chris Evans.
• Normal People will air on Hulu on April 29th.
• We’re getting an adaptation of The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein by Kiersten White.
• Outlander and Locke & Key both get renewed for new seasons.
• Here’s an updated list of films delayed because of COVID.
• Stream these literary movies with early releases due to coronavirus.

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Books & Authors in the News

• Beloved children’s author Tomie dePaola dies at age 85.
• Here are the special election results for the RWA’s new Board of Directors.
• Dolly Parton is going to stream a series of bedtime stories on social media for the next ten weeks.
• Sales soar a whopping 2000% for the picture book I Don’t Want to Wash My Hands by Tony Ross as parents look for any possible resource to get their kids to WASH THEIR HANDS.
• On a related note, Samuel L. Jackson reads a new book by Adam Mansbach called, Stay the F*** at Home, and it’s amazing.
• The Virtual Book Channel launches a series of interviews with authors whose book tours have been disrupted by COVID.
• J. K. Rowling launches a new activity website for kids.

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Numbers & Trends

• OverDrive saw 10.1 million books borrowed from public libraries between March 15 and March 23 this year; for comparison’s sake, the same week last year saw 7.7 million downloads.
• Print sales hold steady for the week of March 21st as juvenile nonfiction sales skyrocket.
• Paperback fiction and challenging classic works rose by 35% as readers finally get around to knocking off some of those “bucket list” books.

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Award News

• The SFWA unveils its plans for the virtual Nebula conference.
• The Women’s Prize for Fiction ceremony has been rescheduled till September 9th.
• The Tony Awards have been postponed and will not be rescheduled until Broadway reopens.

Pop Cultured

• The Killing Eve premiere has been bumped up by 2 weeks.

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Bookish Curiosities & Miscellaneous

• Indie bookstores have launched GoFundMe campaigns to survive during the shutdown.
• How book clubs are flourishing during COVID-19. Plus, 10 virtual book clubs you can join now!
• On a related note, this women-centric liqueur company has started a 10 week virtual book club, and yes, they will be making cocktails!
• Merriam-Webster adds multiple COVID-related words to the dictionary.

On the Riot

• The importance of the prison library.
• 10 bookish podcasts to distance yourself from the news.
• 5 bookish ways to stay connected amidst the quarantine.
• Download free coloring pages from over 100 museums and libraries around the world.

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Stay safe and healthy, friends. And wash those hands!
Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter.