Category: Check Your Shelf

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

• Remember that Florida county that refused to purchase a New York Times subscription for its library? They’re now seeing a decrease in tourism, as visitors are canceling trips to the area in protest of the decision.
• “I’m 100 percent sure a man designed this:” The newly designed fine arts library at Cornell University features a grated floor that allows book browsers to get a glimpse up the skirts of anyone standing above them.
• A library employee in charge of payroll embezzled more than $260,000 from a Nassau County (NY) library over the course of 6 years by adding money to her paycheck as “other compensation.” Seriously, no one noticed she was doing this??
• Vintage books were discovered inside the walls of a flooded Utah library.
• The Coeur d’Alene Library has seen an increase in cash and donated materials ever since library employees reported that an unknown patron had been hiding books in the collection that were critical of Trump. One of these donations included a giant version of one of Stephen Colbert’s books, donated by Colbert himself!

Cool Library Updates

• Campbell County (KY) Public Library branches created an enormously successful campaign to collect new children’s underwear to support families in need. (Even cooler, Dav Pilkey, author of Captain Underpants, has helped the cause as well!)
• The Santa Clarita (CA) Library launches a new program, Yawáyro: Indigenous Awareness and Literacy Development, to introduce Native American heritage and culture into its children’s literature and programming.
• A look at the Athens-Limestone (AL) Public Library’s Spectrum Storytime, which is designed to reach children with autism.

Worth Reading

• Librarian Jessamyn West explains why she doesn’t think the Macmillan embargo will work out well.
• ALA’s Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Round Table curated a list of resources on creating a safe space for transgender patrons and staff.
• Nontraditional approaches to reaching local leaders.
• Nathan W. Pyle posted a fantastic new comic in support of libraries!

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Book Adaptations in the News

• Sarah Michelle Gellar is starring in the adaptation of Sometimes I Lie by Alice Feeney.
• A first look at the Jordan Peele-produced HBO show, Lovecraft Country.
• HBO Max is adapting the Point Horror books by R.L. Stine.
• Season 2 of You will air on Netflix starting December 26th.
• Amazon officially ordered Season 2 of its Lord of the Rings series, even though Season 1 won’t premiere until 2021.
• Robyn Carr’s novel, Virgin River, is being adapted by Netflix.
• Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson sold screen rights.
• Riley Keough, aka Elvis’ granddaughter, will play Daisy Jones in the Amazon adaptation of Daisy Jones and the Six.
• BBC America announces casting news for The Watch, which was inspired by Terry Pratchett’s Discworld novels.
• Trailers for Dare Me by Megan Abbott and Season 5 of The Magicians.
• Quantum Spy by David Ignatius is headed to NBC.
• Lincoln, the adaptation of Jeffrey Deaver’s Lincoln Rhyme series, gets a new title.

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Books & Authors in the News

• Sarah Dessen’s been in the news after posting about seemingly negative comments made by a recent college graduate about her books, which brought about a Twitter-storm of anger from Dessen fans and fellow authors, as well as an apology from the woman’s alma mater. However, it appears that the quote was taken out of context, and authors are now backtracking and apologizing for contributing to the mob mentality that went after this woman.
• Wheaton Warrenville (IL) District 200 abruptly canceled a visit by author Robin Stevenson, due to “gender identity” issues in her book Kid Activists: True Tales of Childhood from Champions of Change.
• A West Virginia library removed the children’s book Prince and Knight by Daniel Haack because of homophobic protesters.
• James Patterson is receiving a National Humanities Medal at the White House to celebrate his literary achievements

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Numbers & Trends

• Hachette says that A Warning by Anonymous has garnered more preorders than any other nonfiction book at any imprint in Hachette’s entire history.
• A look at the recent board books boom.

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Award News

• The National Book Awards have been announced!
• Finalists for the Barnes & Noble book of the year.
• The longlist for the Dublin Literary Award. 
• Ian Williams won the 2019 Giller Prize for his debut novel, Reproduction.
• From The Intercept: “Peter Handke won the Nobel Prize after two jurors fell for a conspiracy theory about the Bosnia War”

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Pop Cultured

• 50 best things to watch on Disney+.
• Netflix renews The Witcher for a second season.
• Trailer for the new Spongebob movie.
• Author & creator of Fargo, Noah Hawley, is slated to direct the next Star Trek film.

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Bookish Curiosities & Miscellaneous

• A look at an in-progress documentary about the power of children’s picture books.
• Dame Judy Dench asks the public to help purchase a rare Charlotte Bronte manuscript that’s about to be auctioned.
• The smell of old books could help preserve them.
• The power of diverse books.

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On the Riot

• 7 ways libraries are combating the opioid crisis.
• The life cycle of a library book.
• 7 tips for finishing very long books.
• 5 hacks for becoming a morning reader.
• Why this reader always reads the acknowledgements.
• 50+ magical Harry Potter DIY crafts for your next program.

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Thanks for hanging! See everyone on Tuesday!

–Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter. Currently reading The Gone Dead by Chanelle Benz.

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).

An enormous thank you to Liberty for stepping in last week – while she was putting together Friday’s newsletter, I was in the ER after slipping and hitting my head on a patch of ice. Thankfully, hard heads run in my family and I did not give myself a concussion, but I’m now enormously sick of winter.

And now, onto libraries!

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Collection Development Corner

Publishing News

• Amazon Crossing, Amazon’s publishing imprint focused on literature in translation, is now the largest publisher of translated titles in the U.S.
• In order to deal with warehouse congestion issues, Amazon has been cutting book orders to publishers.
• Poisoned Pen Press announces its Haunted Library of Horror Classics line.
• Barnes & Noble announces a new store redesign, its first under the new CEO, James Daunt.

New & Upcoming Titles

• John Bolton has a book deal with Simon & Schuster reportedly worth about $2 million.
• Updates on the Mariah Carey’s forthcoming memoir.
• L.L. McKinney has a queer YA adaptation of Jane Eyre coming out, called Escaping Mr. Rochester.
• Town & Country: Best books of November.
• 5 international crime reads for November.
• Best YA for November.
• Best cookbooks for the holidays.
• Best books this winter.

Best Books of 2019

• Best books of 2019 from Amazon, O: Oprah Magazine, Time, Vogue.
• Kirkus: Best fiction of 2019.
• Best LGBTQ books of 2019 (O: Oprah Magazine) and the best queer debuts (Bookmarks).
• Best children’s books of 2019 (Amazon).
• And keep an eye on this master list of every online end-of-the-year best books list, which is updated DAILY.

What Your Patrons Are Hearing About

• A Song For You: My Life With Whitney Houston – Robyn Crawford (People, Vanity Fair, Washington Post)
• Carrie Fisher: A Life on the Edge – Sheila Weller (USA Today, Vulture, Washington Post)
• The Andromeda Evolution – Michael Crichton & Daniel H. Wilson (USA Today, Washington Post)
• Girl, Woman, Other – Bernardine Evaristo (New York Times, NPR)
• The Queens of Animation: The Untold Story of the Women Who Transformed the World of Disney and Made Cinematic History – Nathalia Holt (Fortune, Los Angeles Times)

RA/Genre Resources

• N.K. Jemisin on why world-building is an exercise in oppression.

Found on the Riot

• Global historical fiction for 2020.
• An introduction to the books of Isabel Allende.

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All Things Comics

• Tananarive Due announces a graphic novel of her latest horror screenplay, which she co-wrote with her husband, Steven Barnes.
• Spike Lee is adapting the graphic novel Prince of Cats by Ron Wimberly, which is described as an 80’s hip-hop take on Romeo and Juliet.
• DC Universe releases a trailer for the animated series Harley Quinn, which premieres on November 29th.
• An interview with Laurie Halse Anderson, whose DC graphic novel, Wonder Woman: Tempest Tossed is out in June 2020.

Found on the Riot

• Short graphic novels and memoirs to read in one sitting.
• Cute graphic memoirs about relationships.
• 10 of the best nonfiction comics to read on Hoopla.

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Audiophilia

• Laura Dern will read the Audible edition of Little Women, which will be an original dramatization.
• 8 audiobooks about inspiring lives of service.
• Best audiobooks for marathon training.

Found on the Riot

• The history and current decline of abridged audiobooks.

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Book Lists, Book Lists, Book Lists

Children/Teens

• Great cookbooks for kids.
• Keep count: 26 YA novels with numbers in the title.
• 14 YA novels about family.

Adults

• 9 books about life for women on the campaign trail.
• Best cookbooks for beginner home cooks.
• Top 10 golden age detective novels.
• 21 books to read after you finish Becoming by Michelle Obama.
• 25 celebrity memoirs worth reading.
• 8 books about queer monstrous women.
• 9 books about dysfunctional families with big secrets in big houses. (That is a MOOD and I’m here for it!)
• 7 choose-your-own escapade books for adults.

Found on the Riot

• 7 YA novels with unconventional narrative structures.
• 25 must-read YA & middle grade books with Asians on the cover.
• 3 YA books about gaming.
• 7 books to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Sesame Street.
• Books that will change the way you think about education.
• Genderbent Sherlock Holmes novels for the 21st century.
• 6 powerful books by disabled authors.
• 7 short books to read at the end of the year to hit your Goodreads goal.
• 10 books to add to your TBR for #NonfictionNovember.
• 9 books that started as NaNoWriMo works.

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Best Books of the Decade

• Entertainment Weekly names Elena Ferrante’s Neopolitan Novels as the best series of the decade.
• Best translated novels.
• Best fiction and nonfiction.

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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! Watch your step and protect those noggins!

–Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter. Currently reading Bellweather Rhapsody by Kate Racculia.

Hello, book lovers! It’s Liberty Hardy again, sitting in today at the last minute for Katie McLain. I cannot do the spectacular job that she does, but I will get close, since much of this has been cribbed from her notes, LOL.

I have some bookish news and lists for you today, to keep you up-to-date on the happenings in library land, and some useful resources for keeping up with upcoming releases. So buckle in!

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Libraries & Librarians

News Updates

• A Michigan woman was facing jail time for failing to return two library books because the world is ridiculous. (SPOILER: The charges were dropped.)
• ALA turns to Congress as Macmillan ignores public call to reverse library eBook embargo.
• Plus a list of libraries currently participating in the boycott of Macmillan eBooks.
• How the Chicago Public School strike affected school librarians.
• The Grand Rapids Public Library is heat-treating all of its returned materials to prevent the spread of bedbugs.

Worth Reading

• Publisher’s Weekly shares an editorial about why libraries are choosing to boycott Macmillan eBooks.
• Confirming what librarians already knew, this study finds that libraries are getting less bang for more buck out of their eBooks.
• A look at unauthorized practice of law in the library, and considerations for librarians facing legal questions from patrons.
• Our libraries feel like home.

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Book Adaptations in the News

• Lady Gaga to star in Ridley Scott’s Gucci murder movie, and yes, this is actually based on a book: The House of Gucci: A Sensational Story of Murder, Madness, Glamour, and Greed by Sara Gay Forden.
• Tembi Locke’s memoir From Scratch is being adapted as a limited series, starring Zoe Saldana and executive produced by Tembi Locke’s sister, the award-winning crime author, Attica Locke.
• Netflix is adapting Jennifer Mathieu’s feminist YA novel Moxie, as well as Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan.
• Neil Gaiman announces that there will be a second season of The Sandman on Netflix, although Season 1 is still a ways away.
• Here’s the first look at HBO’s adaptation of Matt Ruff’s Lovecraft Country.
• Netflix has already renewed The Witcher for a second season.
• Sarah Michelle Gellar will star in a limited series adaptation of Sometimes I Lie, based on the novel by Alice Fenney.
• The pilot of the adaptation of The Peripheral by William Gibson has been picked up for a series.
• Monsterland, the upcoming series based on the short stories from Nathan Ballingrud’s collection, North American Lake Monsters.
• There’s a musical adaptation of Chelsea Clinton’s children’s book She Persisted debuting off-Broadway.
• There’s a musical adaptation of Scotland, PA, the amazing movie of Macbeth set in a 1970s fast food restaurant.

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Books & Authors in the News

• Author Ernest J. Gaines, author of A Lesson Before Dying, dies at age 86.
• Backlash and support aimed at the diverse books program in Loudoun County (VA) public schools.
• Not surprisingly, the Department of Justice is trying to figure out who the anonymous author is who wrote A Warning.
• Author E. Jean Carroll, who made headlines when she accused Trump of sexual assault, sues the President for defamation.
• Oprah selects Olive, Again as her next book club title.
• Reese Witherspoon selects Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes for her November book club pick.
• How Carmen Maria Machado wrote the best memoir of the year.
• Best-selling romance author Sarah MacLean has partnered with Jordandené to create a merchandise line aimed at feminist romance readers. The official collection will be released in February 2020, but you can check out part of the collection here!

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Award News

• Ducks, Newburyport by Lucy Ellmann won 2019 Goldsmiths Prize.
• Goodreads Choice Awards semifinals are live! Start voting!
• Finalists for the Southern Book Prize.
• Shortlist for the Reading Women award.
• Richard Ford is set to receive the Hadada prize from The Paris Review, but multiple authors have questioned this decision since Ford once spit in Colson Whitehead’s face over a bad review.
• A roundup of the major 2019 SFF award winners.

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Pop Cultured

• Here’s the first trailer for Megan Abbott’s Dare Me, debuting on the USA Network.
• Here’s a trailer for Wendy, the “wildly re-imagined” story of Peter Pan.
• And here’s the trailer for the new adaptations of A Christmas Carol.
• And have you seen the trailer for the horror-style remake of The Invisible Man? (TW for abusive relationships.)

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Bookish Curiosities & Miscellaneous

• Check out this map that charts out the wide world of literature – it’s GORGEOUS!
• How to survive a horror novel.
• Harry Potter’s childhood home from Godric’s Hollow is available on Airbnb. Start booking now!

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Seen on Book Riot

• The economic case for supporting libraries.
• Trends in YA since the 2016 election and what they say about society.
• Readers are more satisfied with their lives than nonreaders.
• What happened to adult coloring books?

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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 joining me today! And thanks to Katie for letting me push the buttons on the motherboard.

–Liberty, @franzencomesalive on Instagram

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

• A large number of Bustle staffers were laid off, including its Books senior editor. No word yet on what the upcoming site relaunch will look like.
• Is publishing too reliant on best-sellers?
• How magazines typically aimed at men are rethinking themselves.

New & Upcoming Titles

• Tori Amos announces an upcoming politically-themed memoir.
• Val Kilmer also announces a memoir, coming in April 2020.
• Vox co-founder Ezra Klein announces a new book called Why We’re Polarized, out January 2020.
• Charlie Jane Anders announces her latest book, Even Greater Mistakes.
• The first look at The Empire of Gold, the last book in the Daevabad trilogy by S.A. Chakraborty.
• 10 new books getting major award buzz.
• Best books of November from Barnes & Noble (SFF), BBC, Bookmarks (SFF), CrimeReads (Psychological thrillers, true crime) io9 (SF), The Millions (poetry), PopSugar, Salon

What Your Patrons are Hearing About

• In the Dream House – Carmen Maria Machado (Buzzfeed, New York Times, NPR, USA Today, Washington Post)
• Little Weirds – Jenny Slate (Elle, The Guardian, NPR, Vulture, Washington Post)
• A Warning – Anonymous (New York Times, Washington Post)
• The Starless Sea – Erin Morganstern (Bustle, NPR)
• Out Loud – Mark Morris (New York Times, Washington Post)
• The Witches Are Coming – Lindy West (Bustle, New York Times)
• Nothing to See Here – Kevin Wilson (NPR, Washington Post)
• The Vanderbeekers to the Rescue – Karina Yan Glaser, who’s a fellow Rioter! (New York Times)

RA/Genre Resources

• The science, fiction, and fantasy of genre. Or for readers looking for a snarkier take, you can read this essay: “Science Fiction vs. Fantasy: The Choice is Clear.”
• An introduction to magical realism.

On the Riot

• November YA releases to add to your collection.

 

All Things Comics

• The Washington Post and Scribner are teaming up to create a graphic nonfiction version of the Mueller Report.
• Colin Farrell is playing the Penguin in the upcoming Batman film, and Andy Serkis wants to play Alfred.
• 5 comics to read in November.
• Best manga of November.

On the Riot

• Sweet comics about love.

 

Audiophilia

On the Riot

• 5 great audiobooks narrated by Emily Woo Zeller.
• The joys of rereading books on audio.
• 21 of the best Audible books to gift this season.

 

Book Lists, Book Lists, Book Lists

Children/Teens

• Books that introduce children to different holiday cultures and traditions.
• Tear-jerking historical fiction novels for teens.

Adults

• Must-read crime books set in the American West.
• 100 novels that shaped the worlds of these BBC staffers.
• 20 best nonfiction books of the decade.
• 9 books for Native American Heritage Month.
• 25 best memoirs of the decade.
• 10 books for fans of Battlestar Galactica.
• 33 tearjerkers for the next time you need a good cry.
• 6 legal thrillers with social messages.

Found on Book Riot

• 20 must-read children’s books about family.
• 10 queer YA fantasy series for your next marathon read.
• YA fairy books for fans of Holly Black.
• 5 memoirs from Latina actresses.
• Comfort food cookbooks for winter.

 

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 Allegedly by Tiffany D. Jackson.

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 Florida county commission denied the public library’s request for a subscription to the New York Times for its patrons, saying that the NYT promoted “fake news.” I have no words.
• Since making the decision to go fines free, the Chicago Public Library has seen a remarkable 240% increase in book returns!
• Library advocates deliver the signatures of nearly 160,000 people against the Macmillan eBook embargo to the Macmillan headquarters in New York City.
• Other library systems pledge to boycott Macmillan eBooks until the embargo is removed.
• The Illinois Department of Corrections revises its book ban policy.
• The Little Free Library organization and the founder’s family are clashing over the future direction of the organization.
• The late Philip Roth leaves $2 million to the Newark (NJ) Public Library! Holy cats!
• Firefighters successfully protect the Ronald Reagan Public Library from the encroaching California wildfires.
• Librarian Emma Boettcher is returning to Jeopardy for the Tournament of Champions!
• Raccoons take over the Arkansas State Library! Look at those little trash pandas!

Cool Library Updates

• When the library comes to the homeless shelter.
• The Horror Writers’ Association, Library Journal, and other partners announce the second annual Summer Scares Reading Program.
• This rural library added a horse shelter and a car charging station for its patrons.
• The Montana State University library acquires a collection of fly fishing materials from Fly Fishers International.

Worth Reading

• How to host an escape room at your library.
• How academic librarians support video game scholars.

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Book Adaptations in the News

• Gossip Girl gets a reboot on HBO MAX.
• Hulu is adapting the Clive Barker horror anthology, Books of Blood.
• Amazon is adapting The Power by Naomi Alderman.
• Julie K. Brown’s upcoming book about Jeffrey Epstein is being adapted as a limited series.
• James Patterson’s upcoming book The House of Kennedy is being adapted for streaming with CBS.
• City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert gets picked up for a film adaptation.
• Alexa Martin’s football-themed romcom, Intercepted, is getting an adaptation with Starz.

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Books & Authors in the News

• Lee Child says that he has no problems killing off Jack Reacher, if necessary. Librarians everywhere tremble at the thought of all those angry readers bearing down on the library.

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Numbers & Trends

• 4th and 8th grade reading levels have dropped since 2017.
• In the 1980’s, women were writing 60% of Star Trek tie-in novels. In the 2010’s, that number has dropped to 12%.

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Award News

• ALA reveals the 2020 Carnegie Medal shortlists for fiction and nonfiction.
• Attica Locke wins the Texas Writer of the Year from the Texas Book Festival!
• The World Fantasy Award winners were announced.
• Lots of crime award winners were announced this week with the Anthony Awards, Shamus Awards, and Macavity Awards.

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Pop Cultured

• Take a peep at the full lineup for HBO MAX, including two new seasons of Dr. Who. HBO MAX will begin streaming May 2020.
• Trailers for The Witcher and The Mandalorian.
• Fantastic Beasts 3 production will likely begin in Spring 2020.

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Bookish Curiosities & Miscellaneous

• Tips for raising kids who read.
• If you haven’t seen this viral twitter thread yet about this person reading Dracula for the first time, you really need to. (NSFW, but holy cow is it funny!)

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Found on Book Riot

• The Chicago Teachers’ Union strike may abandon school librarians.
• Sex, nudity, and satanism are why parents believe in school book censorship.
• 59 quotes about libraries & librarians.
• Adapting adult books for young readers.
• What exactly are pre-orders, and why do they matter?
• 50 Harry Potter gifts for all your 2019 gift-giving needs.

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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).

We had SNOW ON HALLOWEEN, and that may be the scariest thing I’ve ever written. And now…on to library stuff!

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Collection Development Corner

New & Upcoming Titles

• Mackenzi Lee announces the third book in the Montague siblings series, A Nobleman’s Guide to Scandal and Shipwrecks.
• Imbolo Mbue’s second novel will be published in June 2020.
• Also coming in June 2020…Elena Ferrante’s next novel! It’s called The Lying Life of Adults and is scheduled for publication on June 9, 2020.
• Don Winslow’s next book, Broken, will contain five novellas and one short story, due to be published in April 2020.
• Check out this coffee table book filled with gorgeous, candid photos of Aretha Franklin, which just came out last month.
• Best books of November from Amazon, Bustle, CrimeReads, Entertainment Weekly, Epic Reads, LitHub, New York Times, Refinery29, and the Washington Post.
• Barnes & Noble picks the best general fiction, mysteries, and thrillers of November.
• Tor.com picks the best fantasy, science fiction, YA SFF, and genre-bending novels for November.
• Foyles released its shortlist for the Best Books of 2019.

What Your Patrons are Hearing About

• The Beautiful Ones – Prince (Entertainment Weekly, NPR, USA Today, Washington Post)
• Find Me – André Aciman (Entertainment Weekly, Esquire, Washington Post)
• Nothing to See Here – Kevin Wilson (New York Times, NPR, USA Today)
• Your House Will Pay – Steph Cha (NPR, USA Today)
• Ordinary Girls: A Memoir – Jaquira Díaz (New York Times, NPR)
• Girl, Woman, Other – Bernardine Evaristo (New York Times, Washington Post)
• The Starless Sea – Erin Morganstern (New York Times, Time)

RA/Genre Resources

• A guide to the largest & longest lasting mystery series and franchises.
• The Atlantic looks at the intersection of #MeToo and horror.
• In search of Afro-Solarpunk, parts one and two.
• When middle grade is too young and YA is too old – where are the just-right books for tweens?
• Why we need horror in kidlit.
• 10 ways to keep up with new YA releases.

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All Things Comics

• Sony announces a sequel for Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, but fans will have to wait until 2022.
• The CW is coming out with a series about Superman and Lois Lane at home, called…Superman and Lois.
• Check out this trailer for DC’s Hill House Comics. Plus a look at the horror comics renaissance, and why you should care.
• Best comics & graphic novels for November.
• A comic book-themed bar opens in Oakland.
• Feminist crime comics for fans of My Favorite Murder.
• Fiction & nonfiction books you should read by comic book writers.

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Audiophilia

• Here’s an audio sample of Meryl Streep reading the new Charlotte’s Web audiobook.
• Frontlist & backlist suggestions for the best audiobooks.
• A guide to the best Stephen King audiobooks.

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Book Lists, Book Lists, Book Lists

Children/Teens

• 13 books for tweens.
• 30 best YA novels of the decade.
• 9 YA novels inspired by mythology.
• Awesome YA thrillers that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
• Creepy YA novels for Halloween & beyond.
• 20 YA books with disabled characters.

Adults

• If you loved Nancy Drew as a kid, you’ll totally dig these 15 thrillers now. Plus, all 56 original Nancy Drew novels, ranked.
• The best true crime books of all time.
• Scary feminist reads.
• 8 books to read in honor of Filipino American Heritage Month.
• 10 creepy horror poetry collections.
• 10 readalike authors like Nicholas Sparks.
• 11 books similar to Little Women.
• 8 nonfiction books about motherhood written by writers of color.
• 6 books to read if you’re interested in the Dublin Murder Squad TV series.
• 10 best essay collections of the decade.
• Reading recommendations based on your favorite season of American Horror Story.
• 20 must-read books about cancer.

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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.

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Thanks for hanging! See you on Friday!

–Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter. Currently reading The Borden Murders: Lizzie Borden and the Trial of the Century by Sarah Miller.

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 new ALA report cites incidents of abusive pricing and delay of sales to libraries by major publishers.
• Meanwhile, Macmillan CEO John Sargent says that Macmillan “isn’t trying to hurt libraries” with its ebook embargo. Which may be true, but the fact remains that the ebook embargo DOES hurt libraries, regardless of what Sargent’s intention is.
• Boston Public Library eliminates late fees for children under 18.
• Maia and Alex Shibutani will be speaking at ALA Midwinter 2020 about their upcoming middle grade mystery series. If those names sound familiar, the Shib Sibs won the bronze medal at the 2018 Winter Olympics in ice dancing, and I absolutely LOVE them!
• 80 years after five black men were arrested for staging a sit-in at a whites-only library in Alexandria, VA, those charges have been officially pardoned.
• Scotland’s first lending library (established in 1680!!) gets a funding boost of £100,000!

Cool Library Updates

• The Salt Lake Main Library in Salt Lake City offers tai chi classes for the homeless.
• This Hawaiian library paired with the Revive & Refresh mobile shower van to provide a safe, comfortable place for people experiencing homelessness to shower.

Worth Reading

• Eric Klinenberg writes for LitHub that libraries are essential to contemporary communities & should be funded accordingly.
• Forbes presents a case as to why libraries need to continue eliminating late fees.
• How does your library deal with bedbug issues? This library may end up banning patrons who bring back infested items.
• Noncitizens with non-English language skills can possibly be hired for 2020 census jobs.
• Disaster can strike without warning, so you should probably make a point to update your disaster plan soon. Here are some tips.
• 9-year-old Vihaan Khera built an app for kids to easily exchange books!
• Pedro Reyes, a Mexico City artist, created an Instagram-based library.

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Book Adaptations in the News

• Lee Pace is starring in Apple’s adaptation of Foundation by Isaac Asimov.
• Hugh Laurie is planning another Agatha Christie adaptation.
• Darius the Great is Not Okay is getting a film adaptation.
• Netflix purchases the rights to Jojo Moyes’ The Last Letter From Your Lover, starring Felicity Jones and Shailene Woodley.
• Here’s an update on the HBO MAX Game of Thrones prequel, House of the Dragons, which will be based on the book Fire and Blood.

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Books & Authors in the News

• Ronan Farrow is launching a podcast companion for Catch and Kill, which will feature new audio material and interviews.
• Sheila Weller, author of the unauthorized Carrie Fisher biography, Carrie Fisher: A Life on the Edge, speaks about the controversy surrounding the book and the statement made by Carrie Fisher’s family

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Numbers & Trends

• Slate picks the Democratic presidential candidate based on the popularity of candidate’s books at various American libraries. The results may surprise you.
• Bernardine Evaristo, co-winner of the 2019 Booker Prize reports that her lifetime sales numbers have DOUBLED in the five days since the winners were announced!
• If you have $6 million to spare, you could purchase the former Oxford home of J.R.R. Tolkien himself!

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Award News

• The winners of the Kirkus Prize have been announced.
• The Crime Writers’ Association Dagger Award winners are announced.

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Pop Cultured

• Did you see the Rise of Skywalker trailer yet??

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Bookish Curiosities & Miscellaneous

• Penguin Random House is hosting a book fair for adults reminiscent of the Scholastic book fairs so many of us grew up with in elementary school!
• Halloween may be over, but you can always start planning for next year with these hardcore Harry Potter costume ideas.
• How to determine the reading level of a book.
• Life in a traveling bookstore.
• What words were first used in print the year you were born? My birth year words include “caffeinate,” “intersectionality,” “right-click,” “puggle,” “air quotes,” and “cyberporn.” Quite a list!

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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).

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Collection Development Corner

Publishing News

• Naomi Wolf & Houghton Mifflin Harcourt part ways after the publication delay of her forthcoming book Outrages.
• Amazon Australia reverses its decision and will start selling Ronan Farrow’s book Catch and Kill despite facing serious legal pushback.

New & Upcoming Titles

• Publisher’s Weekly releases its Best of 2019 list.
• The anonymous author of the 2018 Trump resistance op-ed in the New York Times is writing a tell-all book to be published next month.
• Brad Meltzer is writing a nonfiction book about President Lincoln and a little-known assassination plot that ultimately failed. It’ll be out in May 2020.
• Patricia Highsmith’s diaries are going to be released in book form in 2021.
• A first look at Sandhya Menon’s upcoming book 10 Things I Hate About Pinky.
• Book Riot’s Jamie Canavés puts together a Goodreads list of some highly anticipated mystery & thriller titles for 2020.
• Most popular self-help books of 2019.
• 20 of the best LGBTQ books of 2019.
• 7 international crime novels and the best debut crime novels to read this month.
• Barnes & Noble picks the best books of October 2019. 
• Most anticipated YA books to read this November.
• 29 debut YA novels of 2019.
• Fall 2019 new releases in translation.

What Your Patrons Are Hearing About

• All This Could Be Yours – Jami Attenberg (New York Times, NPR, USA Today)
• All the President’s Women: Donald Trump and the Making of a Predator – Barry Levine & Monique El-Faizy (Esquire, HuffPost, Washington Post)
• Find Me – André Aciman (New York Times, USA Today)
• Curious Toys – Elizabeth Hand (NPR, Washington Post)
• How We Fight For Our Lives – Saeed Jones (NPR, Washington Post)
• Agent Running in the Field – John le Carré (NPR, USA Today)

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All Things Comics

• Major changes are happening in the comics industry, and comic stores will have to adapt.
• The story of David Bowie & Ziggy Stardust is coming out as a graphic novel!
• What to read when you’re done with Watchmen. 
• Recommended vampire romance manga.
• SFF webcomics for Halloween.

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Audiophilia

• Uber lets passengers listen to short stories on Audible.
• Psst. You can pick up 35 free (!) horror short stories on audio from Tor!
• Lamar Giles reacts after realizing that he unknowingly selected William Jackson Harper (aka Chidi from The Good Place) to narrate his book Fake ID years ago! Holy shirtballs!
• Awesome audiobook hacks to use with Libby.
• AudioFile magazine lists some spine-tingling mysteries to listen to.
• How to score audiobook ARCs.
• 13 spooky audiobooks for Halloween.

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Book Lists, Book Lists, Book Lists

Children/Teens

• 18 essential fall books for preschoolers.
• 10 awesome picture book biographies.
• 11 witch books for kids of all ages.
• 8 YA books for music lovers.

Adults

• 9 romance novels for people who don’t usually read romance.
• Jewish romance novels.
• 15 authors like Stephen King. Plus Stephen King’s scariest stories, ranked.
• 10 best memoirs of the decade.
• 36 of the creepiest books.
• 9 mind-bending books about parallel universes.
• 7 contemporary monster books written by women.
• 11 books about haunted woods.
• 25 best horror novels of the decade.
• 26 books authors are reading on Instagram this fall.
• 16 of the best adult coloring books for your Christmas list.
• 17 awesome true crime books you need to read immediately.
• 6 themed cookbooks to spice up dinnertime.
• 20 must-read books with love triangles.
• 8 books about Judy Garland.

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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 Ruin by Dervla McTiernan.

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

• King County (WA) Library System will no longer purchase Macmillan eBooks for its digital collection once the Macmillan embargo takes effect, although the Seattle Public Library will not. The King County Library System is also the top digital-circulating public library in the country for the last five years.
• After dropping late fees, St. Paul libraries see circulation increases.
• The Madison County Public Library (NC) had to tweak its policy on service animals when a patron brought a bag of snakes (!!!) into the library and let them slither out onto the front desk (!!!!!!!). Look, I’m not going to cast judgment on people’s pets of choice, but please don’t bring snakes into the library.
• (TW: transphobia) The Toronto Public Library decides to move forward with their controversial event, which gives speaking time to a known trans-exclusionary radical feminist, after hearing from many trans activists and members of the writing community.
• UK libraries receive £125 million in additional funding.
• The Boston Public Library is doing a wedding ceremony giveaway for four couples!! This is so cool!!

Cool Library Updates

• The Sacramento Public Library extends its free meal program to children year round.
• The San Antonio Public Library and the Children’s Hospital of San Antonio teamed up to create a digital kiosk in the surgery waiting room.
• Michelle Obama surprises kids and library staff at Martha’s Vinyeard library! (OKAY MICHELLE OBAMA, NOW COME VISIT MY LIBRARY!)
• New-age librarians in Australia embrace new technologies to accommodate growing community needs.

Worth Reading

• Can a public library ban guns?
• The role of librarians in a historical age of obsession.
• Observations from library tourism.
• 50 fictional librarians, ranked.
• 54+ terrible, wonderful library puns.

Book Adaptations in the News

• Trailer for the fourth (and final) season of The Man in the High Castle, plus a trailer for The Outsider, which debuts on HBO on January 12th.
• An anthology series based on the novels of Mary Higgins Clark is in the works.
• Gabi: A Girl in Pieces by Isabel Quintero is being turned into a one hour drama for HBO.
• A first look at the adaptation of Normal People by Sally Rooney.
• Jacqueline Carey’s Kushiel’s Legacy series has been optioned by Lionsgate.
• Amy Poehler is adapting The Mother-in-Law by Sally Hepworth.
• Just how exactly ARE books turned into movies?

Books & Authors in the News

• Stephen & Tabitha King plan to transform part of their Bangor, Maine property into a scholarly archive and a writer’s retreat. However, a lot of the media coverage has been misleading, so Stephen King posted some clarifying points on his Facebook page.
• The Columbia County (GA) school superintendent removed three books from the curriculum’s supplemental reading list, including Dear Martin by Nic Stone.
• Netflix abruptly halts production on a film about Karl Ove Knausgard, which would have had Mads Mikkelsen in the starring role. I don’t know much about Knausgard or the reasons behind his request to halt production, but I am sad whenever a Mads Mikkelsen project gets curtailed.
• Vulture names Tana French as our best living mystery writer, and you will not hear any arguments from me!

Numbers & Trends

• The number of self-published titles skyrocketed by 40% in 2018.

Award News

• There’s been some significant backlash about the Booker Prize being awarded to two authors, namely because Bernardine Evaristo was the first black female Booker Prize winner.
• After discussions about its controversial namesake, the Tiptree Award has been renamed the Otherwise Award.
• The British Fantasy Award winners are announced.

Bookish Curiosities & Miscellaneous

• Principal Steve Williams challenged his students to collectively read 150,00 minutes over the summer. They read 161,000 minutes, so to honor that achievement, the principal did storytime for the kids with a megaphone from on top of the school roof!
• Scrabble nerds and Star Wars fans can rejoice – the OED adds multiple Star Wars terms to its listings, including “Jedi” and “Padawan.”
• If indie bookstores want to be inclusive, they need to highlight romance.
• When you hate the classics, but you’re an English teacher.
• 50 bookish Halloween costume ideas for couples.

 

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

• 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.