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

• Libraries are fighting to preserve your right to borrow ebooks.
• A look at the Lynda.com/LinkedIn acquisition, and why this is troubling for your patrons’ privacy.

Cool Library Updates

• A North Carolina organization runs a literacy-based anti-racism camp for kids.
• Queens Public Library will host a series of salary negotiation boot camps for women this fall.
• A look at seed lending libraries in the Bay Area.
• These Colorado teens used their library’s Makerspace to create accessible board games!
• Librarians are changing the 50+ dating game. It’s definitely a desired service, but I’m just getting unpleasant flashbacks to all the awkward (and occasionally boundary-crossing) interactions I had with patrons about their online dating efforts.

Worth Reading

• Supporting students who are homeless.
• Libraries can have 3D printers, but they’re still about books.
• Find inspiration for your upcoming programs with these resources!

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Book Adaptations in the News

• Circe is coming to HBO!! I can’t WAIT for this adaptation!
• Robert de Niro is in talks to join the adaptation for Killers of the Flower Moon.
• The Stand adds more actors to the cast, and Stephen King is planning to write a new ending for the show.
• Elizabeth Acevedo is reportedly adapting her latest book, With the Fire on High.
• ABC is planning a miniseries based on Mitchell Zuckoff’s Fall and Rise: The Story of 9/11.
• 13 Reasons Why has been renewed for a fourth and final season with Netflix.

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Collection Development Corner

Publishing News

• We Need Diverse Books celebrates its 5th anniversary and talks about its plans for the next five years!
• Toy company Melissa & Doug is going to be publishing children’s books, with more than 90 titles planned through 2020.

New & Upcoming Titles

• Workman is publishing a biography of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
• Word on the streets is that Meghan Markle is publishing a children’s book! This hasn’t been officially confirmed yet, but we can keep our fingers crossed.
• Edward Snowden has written a memoir, which will be published in September.
• Hillary and Chelsea Clinton team up to write a book about gutsy women throughout history.
• August picks from Amazon, Barnes & Noble (Thrillers & SFF), Book Browse, CrimeReads, Entertainment Weekly, io9, Lambda Literary, LitHub, The Millions, New York Times, Time, Tor.com (SFF, YA SFF, and genre-benders), The Verge, Vulture, and Washington Post.

What Your Patrons Are Hearing About

• Reese Witherspoon picks The Last House Guest by Megan Miranda for her August list.
• Chances Are… – Richard Russo (New York Times, USA Today)
• The Right Swipe – Alisha Rai (NPR)
• The Escape Room – Megan Goldin (New York Times)

RA/Genre Resources

• What does it really mean to “read for pleasure?”
• A guide to Korean noir.

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Books & Authors in the News

• Award-winning author Toni Morrison passed away at 88. To say America has lost a literary giant is a vast understatement.
• Your book group has probably already read Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens, but did you know about THIS dark chapter in the author’s history? (Read the article – it’s bonkers.)
• Sherrilyn Kenyon has reportedly dropped the case against her husband, who she accused earlier of poisoning her.
• Scholastic has pulled children author Tim Tingle’s upcoming book from publication in light of recent allegations of inappropriate behavior.
• A look at a recently discovered short story by John Steinbeck.

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All Things Comics

• Barnes & Noble and Entertainment Weekly pick the best comics & graphic novels for August.
• Comics to get you through a reading slump.
• Graphic novel recommendations based on YA books.

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Audiophilia

• Meghan McCain reportedly has an audiobook coming out next year with Audible.

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Book Lists, Book Lists, Book Lists

Children/Teens

• Picture books to perk up any kid’s summer.
• 21 YA books to read during Romance Awareness Month.
• YA novels starring DC superheroes.
• A reading list for fans of To All the Boys I Loved Before.

Adults

• All of Reese Witherspoon’s book recommendations!
• 8 books about unsung WWII heroes.
• 50 must-read first-person narrative books from the last 20 years.
• 17 Christian fiction authors for your (or your patrons’) TBRs.
• 5 underrated celebrity memoirs by women.
• 8 must-read paranormal books.
• Historical crime novels.
• Marathon-worthy romance series.
• 11 love stories for non-romance readers.
• The 20 most-reviewed books on Amazon.

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Bookish Curiosities & Miscellaneous

• How to conquer your biggest reading fears.
• How white nationalists have co-opted fan fiction.
• A retired Boeing 727 has been converted into a library!

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Level Up (Library Reads)

Do you take part in LibraryReads, the monthly list of best books selected by librarians only? We’ve made it easy for you to find eligible diverse titles to nominate. Kelly Jensen created a database of upcoming diverse books that anyone can edit, and Nora Rawlins of Early Word is doing the same, as well as including information about series, vendors, and publisher buzz.

Thanks for hanging, and I’ll see you next week!

–Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter. Currently reading Southern Lady Code by Helen Ellis.

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

• Library Journal covers the controversial proposed changes to the Leander (TX) Public Library meeting room & speaker policies.
• Macmillan CEO John Sargent doubles down on Macmillan’s (stupid) embargo on digital library titles. Also, the Wall Street Journal writes about how library ebook lending poses a rising problem for the publishing industry. (NO IT DOESN’T.)
• West Georgia Library system is the first in the state to eliminate overdue fines.
• This bookless library devotes an entire building to Makerspaces. Related, this library is called Idea Exchange Old Post Office, and some councillors are suggesting that the library board reconsider using the word “library” for these branches because “Idea Exchange” is confusing.
• (TW gun violence) A man was shot to death inside the South Brooklyn branch of the Cleveland Public Library.
• The new Long Beach Main Library will be named after Billie Jean King.

Cool Library Updates

• What the heck is a digital pop up library?
• Librarians and…pig wrestling?

Worth Reading

• A school librarian’s philosophy of lost books.
• NYPL employees share their literary tattoos.
• Jefferson County Public Library (CO) created an online petition to name the Earth’s moon Geoff. Yes, this is real.

Book Adaptations in the News

• Orlando Bloom will not be playing Legolas in the Amazon Lord of the Rings series, saying he’s too old. Pardon me as I try to comprehend how Orlando Bloom is now considered “old.” My high school self is crying right now.
• The Handmaid’s Tale has been renewed for a fourth season.
• Outlander Season 5 won’t air until 2020.
• We’re getting film adaptations for The Confession and Lord of the Flies.
• Lots of series adaptation news: Three Women, Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Barkskins, Challenger Deep, and The Bankers Wife are all being adapted for TV/streaming.
• New trailers for Looking for Alaska and The Goldfinch.
• Just Mercy, starring Michael B. Jordan, will be released in theaters nationwide on January 10, 2020.

Collection Development Corner

New & Upcoming Titles

• Soccer star and all-around American hero Megan Rapinoe has a book deal!
• Daniel Mallory Ortberg is publishing a new memoir-in-essays.
• Lois Lowry is writing her first novel in verse.
• Recently translated Chinese titles available in the US.
• Best debut novels for Summer/Fall 2019.
• Best general fiction & mysteries for August.
• July’s best debut crime fiction and international crime fiction.
• Paste picks the best books of July.
• Vanity Fair: Best books of 2019 so far.

What Your Patrons Are Hearing About

• Lady in the Lake – Laura Lippman (NPR, Salon)
• Chances Are… – Richard Russo (Entertainment Weekly, Washington Post)
• The Lager Queen of Minnesota – J. Ryan Stradal (USA Today, Washington Post)
• My Friend Anna: The True Story of a Fake Heiress – Rachel DeLoache Williams (ABC, Elle)

Books & Authors in the News

• San Francisco Public Library announces There There by Tommy Orange as its 2019 One City One Book.
• Prepare for even more holds on this book: Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane is the next Tonight Show summer read.

Numbers & Trends

• Reprint from last week, because the link didn’t copy correctly: How diverse are the characters in Canada’s top-selling picture books?
• Related: more children’s books feature animals than black people. 

Award News

• The Booker Prize longlist was announced, including one of my personal favorites, My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite! Also, Margaret Atwood’s upcoming book made the list, even though it’s not out until September.
• Finalists for the British Fantasy Awards and the World Fantasy Award.
• Check out the longlist for the 2019 First Novel Prize.
• The Ripped Bodice announces the Ripped Bodice Awards for Excellence in Romance Fiction, and Book Riot’s very own Jessica Pryde is one of the judges!
• The Dewey Decibel podcast looks at 50 years of the Coretta Scott King Book Awards.

Pop Cultured

• Blade Runner actor Rutger Hauer dies at age 75.
• A reading list for your patrons who are waiting to see Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
• Books to read if you’re an adult who loves Veronica Mars.

All Things Comics

• First trailer for HBO’s Watchmen series.
• Essential graphic nonfiction for 2019.

Audiophilia

• Best audiobooks for July 2019.
• 8 cozy mystery series perfect for audiobook fans.

Book Lists, Book Lists, Book Lists

Children/Teens

• Best board books for babies.
• 20 awesome science books for kids.
• 17 YA fantasy novels inspired by cultures from around the world.
• 100 books for ambitious teen readers.

Adults

• 50 must-read fantasy books by women.
• 50 must-read fiction books featuring older women.
• 5 books to fuel your F.I.R.E. (Financial Independence, Retire Early)
• 12 books about climate change solutions.
• True crime books that’ll make you sleep with the lights on, plus 50 states of true crime.
• 5 must-reads of Philippine literature.
• 9 books about important historical slave uprisings.
• 5 books about asylum and immigration.
• Urban fantasy books recommended by Seanan McGuire.

Bookish Curiosities & Miscellaneous

• This woman converted a 1962 Volkswagen Transporter into a book bus and it looks so cool!
• Philadelphia public transit users have an opportunity to grab free books on their commute!
• Why book lovers don’t read all the books they already own.
• A look at why we don’t see many memoirs written by Indian women.

Level Up (Library Reads)

Do you take part in LibraryReads, the monthly list of best books selected by librarians only? We’ve made it easy for you to find eligible diverse titles to nominate. Kelly Jensen created a database of upcoming diverse books that anyone can edit, and Nora Rawlins of Early Word is doing the same, as well as including information about series, vendors, and publisher buzz.

Thanks for hanging, and I’ll see you next week!

–Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter. Currently reading Theme Music by T. Marie Vandelly.

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).

“Check Your Shelf” is sponsored by Dynamite Entertainment.

MARCH, 1941: Seventeen-year-old James Bond is a restless student in Scotland, an orphan, eager to strike out and make his mark on the world. But a visit by an old family friend coincides with THE CLYDEBANK BLITZ, the most devastating German attack on Scotland during the War. James will fight through hell to survive, coming out the other side determined to make a difference. He’ll find his calling in a new British government service, secret in nature.

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Libraries & Librarians

News Updates

• The Leander (TX) City Counsel will consider new meeting room policies after two library events were canceled due to ant-LGBTQ+ protests. The whole situation smells rotten to me, and apparently the ACLU agrees too.
• Spokane County Libraries wants voters to know that it didn’t host a recent controversial Drag Queen Story Hour as it tries to get approval on a new levy. This is just…ugh.
• A Boston Public Library employee was attacked by a patron one night while leaving the library and sprayed with mace. Reason #197434 why library safety needs to be taken seriously.

Cool Library Updates

• Afghan buses serve as mobile libraries.
• NPR looks at resident social workers in public libraries.
• BBC brings VR experiences to over 150 libraries in the UK.

Worth Reading

• Libraries must draw the line on eBooks.
• The difference between the political and the partisan in libraries, and why LGBTQ displays are NOT partisan.
• How to be a good library patron.

Book Adaptations in the News

• Mindhunter, Season 2 will premiere on Netflix on August 16th.
• Notes from a Young Black Chef by Kwame Onwuachi is getting a film adaptation, starring Lakeith Stanfield!
• The Heritage, which chronicles the history of black athletes and activism, is set to become a mini docuseries, with each episode directed by a different black filmmaker. This sounds really, really interesting.
• Naveen Andrews will star in The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry.
• A first look at the Netflix adaptation of Dracula.
• We’re getting adaptations for Blood Orange by Harriet Tyce and Us by David Nichols.
• Gossip Girl gets a reboot on HBOMax.

Collection Development Corner

Publishing News

• Dean Koontz just signed a 5 book deal with Amazon.
• The publisher of We Need to Talk About Race by Ben Lindsay has been accused of plagiarizing the title and cover style of Reni Eddo-Lodge’s book Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race.
• #BookstoresAgainstBorders has raised over $100,000 for RAICES!

New & Upcoming Titles

• Donald Trump Jr.’s book comes out on November 5th. *sigh*
• 18 highly anticipated YA books for August.
• New SFF and true crime books for July.
• Elle picks the best books of 2019 so far, and Paste picks the best 2019 fiction and nonfiction.

What Your Patrons Are Hearing About

• The Gifted School – Bruce Holsinger (NPR, Washington Post)
• Raised in Captivity: Fictional Nonfiction – Chuck Klosterman (NPR, Washington Post)
• Lady in the Lake – Laura Lippman (New York Times, Time, Washington Post)
• Beijing Payback – Daniel Nieh (New York Times, NPR)
• Three Women – Lisa Taddeo (Entertainment Weekly, Time)
• They Called Us Enemy – George Takei (NPR, Washington Post)
• The Nickel Boys – Colson Whitehead (Barnes & Noble, NPR)

RA/Genre Resources

• 14 awesome RA resources.
• How to keep up with new releases, or for genre fans, how to keep up with new mysteries & thrillers (including the Read or Dead podcast, which I co-host with Rincey Abraham!)

Books & Authors in the News

• A Texas high school banned the comic anthology Love is Love due to “extreme homosexuality.”
• If you haven’t heard about the drama surrounding the New Hampshire poet laureate, the NH governor had a choice between an established literary writer, and a retired dentist who wrote poetry about sex with Condoleezza Rice. Guess who he picked?

Numbers & Trends

• Library Journal looks at the avid reading habits of millennials.
• How diverse are the characters in Canada’s top-selling picture books?
• The best books for summer 2019, according to data.

Award News

• Eisner Award winners were announced at SDCC this weekend! Check out the list here.
• Rosewater by Tade Thompson wins the Arthur C. Clarke Award.
• Shirley Jackson Award winners.
• The Not the Booker Prize enters its 11th year – you can nominate your favorite novel of the year now!
• Game of Thrones breaks Emmy nomination records. You can see the full list of nominees here.

Pop Cultured

• Tom Hanks is Mr. Rogers in the first official trailer for A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood.
• Javier Bardem is in talks to play King Triton in the live Little Mermaid adaptation.

San Diego Comic Con

• A roundup & ranking of all the bonkers announcements that Marvel made at SDCC.
• A roundup of some of the trailers you may have missed at SDCC.

All Things Comics

• Alan Moore is retiring.
• Taika Waititi is officially directing Thor 4.
• IDW is adapting Sleeping Beauties by Stephen & Owen King into a 10-part comic series.
• Retro kid crew comics for fans of Stranger Things.

Audiophilia

• Audible announced a captions program to run text alongside its audiobooks, which publishers are extremely unhappy about.
• Family-friendly audiobooks.

Book Lists, Book Lists, Book Lists

Children/Teens

• 20 rhyming picture books if you’re sick of Dr. Seuss.
• 10 Stranger Things readalikes for all ages.
• YA books about OCD.
• A teen feminist reading list.

Adults

• 6 classic books if you love locked room mysteries.
• 50 must-read books about Greek mythology.
• Up-cycling books to chic your life.
• A full list of all of Bill Gates’s book recommendations since 2012.
• 8 thrillers featuring ambitious women.
• 16 must-read space books.
• Horror novels by Latinx authors.

Bookish Curiosities

• Literary references in Beatles songs.
• 21 bookstores & libraries in Asia every bibliophile needs to visit.
• The best Harry Potter merchandise you can buy at Target. Two of my greatest loves in one article…my wallet is crying already!
• 19 unique themed book club ideas.

Level Up (Library Reads)

Do you take part in LibraryReads, the monthly list of best books selected by librarians only? We’ve made it easy for you to find eligible diverse titles to nominate. Kelly Jensen created a database of upcoming diverse books that anyone can edit, and Nora Rawlins of Early Word is doing the same, as well as including information about series, vendors, and publisher buzz.

 

Thanks for hanging, and I’ll see you next week!

–Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter. Currently reading The Need by Helen Phillips.

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).

“Check Your Shelf” is sponsored by The Medallion by Cathy Gohlke, new in paperback from Tyndale House Publishers.

For fans of World War II fiction comes a story about two couples whose lives are ravaged by Hitler’s war yet redeemed through the fate of one little girl. The German blitzkrieg of Warsaw in 1939 shatters the life of each citizen. Sophie, a British bride, is determined that she and the baby in her womb will stay safe. Rosa faces a terrifying reality: to save her daughter’s life, she must send her into hiding. Her only hope of finding her after the war is the medallion she cuts in half and places around her daughter’s neck.

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Libraries & Librarians

News Updates

• The Washington Digital Library Consortium is organizing a potential 6 month boycott of Blackstone Publishing’s digital audiobooks.
• ALA releases findings on US library programming. You can read the press release here and the full report here.
• The DeKalb County (GA) Public Libraries had to make a change to their book bingo card when a patron noticed that one of the squares read “Read a Christian fiction book.” Also, I’m not thrilled with the headline – the issue isn’t that someone was offended, but rather that libraries shouldn’t be centering one religious or political belief over another.

Cool Library Updates

• Wright State University (OH) installed FitDesk exercise bikes in the library so that students could get some exercise while studying.
• In other bike news: bike sharing programs at your local library.
• These two librarians have planned 141 programs for the Horn Lake Library THIS YEAR ALONE for their local immigrant community.
• How about a community dance?
• San Diego libraries are offering limited edition Pride library cards!

Worth Reading

• I found my American Dream at the public library.
• 28 of the best libraries in the world.

Book Adaptations in the News

• Paper Girls by Brian K. Vaughan is being adapted for Amazon TV.
• Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage is going to be a (terrifying) movie.
• Katherine Heigl is starring in, and executive producing, the Netflix adaptation of Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah.
• George R.R. Martin expounds on the Game of Thrones spinoff series.
• Netflix edits the graphic suicide scene from 13 Reasons Why, although my question is why they’re only just doing this now.

Collection Development Corner

New & Upcoming Titles

• Jessica Simpson has an upcoming memoir.
• Metallica is writing a children’s book called The ABC’s of Metallica.
• Michael Eric Dyson is writing a book about the cultural impact of Jay-Z.
• Book Rioter Jenn Northington and former Rioter Swapna Krishna are publishing an anthology of Arthuriana retellings!
• Best book covers of 2019 (so far).
• Books to read in July from Vulture and O magazine.
• 37 YA fantasy novels to have on your radar for the rest of 2019.

What Your Patrons Are Hearing About

• The Nickel Boys – Colson Whitehead (Entertainment Weekly, New York Times, USA Today, Washington Post)
• The Chain – Adrian McKinty (Entertainment Weekly, the Guardian, NPR, New York Times, USA Today)
• The Need – Helen Phillips (Entertainment Weekly, Washington Post)

RA & Genre Resources

• The state of the thriller.
• 5 tips for school librarians on organizing your summer reading.

Books & Authors in the News

• T.J. Martinson was hired to teach English at Olivet Nazarene University, but then the offer was rescinded, saying that his debut novel, The Reign of the Kingfisher, contained profanity and other elements that conflicted with the school’s religious doctrine.
• James Patterson talks with New York magazine about his 2016 book about Jeffrey Epstein, Filthy Rich.
• Wally Lamb’s anthology You Don’t Know Me: The Incarcerated Women of York Prison Voice Their Truths has been suspended amid payment disputes and charges of bullying.
• Check out this version of the Mueller Report, adapted by Mark Bowden and illustrated by Chad Hurd, the art director for Archer! Get ready to enter the… *DANGER ZONE*!

Numbers & Trends

• If you like information about reading habits, take a look at this data from the Humanities Indicators Project.
• Half of all translated books come from just nine countries.

Award News

• The International Thriller Writer Awards were announced.

Pop Cultured

• The forthcoming James Bond film will feature Lashana Lynch as 007!
• A reading list for fans of Veronica Mars.

All Things Comics

• Harper Collins plans to launch Harper Alley, a new graphic novel imprint, in fall 2020.
• John Carpenter (yes, THAT John Carpenter!) is going to write a Joker comic for DC!
• Big Hollywood names who are getting into comics.
• School Library Journal debuts a new column about manga, and the first post is an all-ages manga starter list.
• Some upcoming late summer/early fall graphic novels for 2019.

Audiophilia

• The science behind audiobooks.
• 25 free Amazon Prime audiobooks you can listen to right now.

Book Lists, Book Lists, Book Lists

Children/Teens

• Book suggestions for baby showers.
• Space books for future astronauts.
• Middle grade graphic novels that are perfect for summer reading.

Adults

• The best cookbooks of the century (so far).
• The New York Public Library has summer reading book lists for adults.
• 5 memoirs & novels about pregnancy.
• Women warriors throughout history.
• Books by or about black journalists.
• 50 must-read backlist romances published in the 2010’s.
• 30 haunted house books that will give you the creeps.

Bookish Curiosities & Miscellaneous

• Police in Herne Bay are trying to track down an anonymous vandal who has been ripping apart books from the local library and the hospice charity shop…this person has ruined over 100 books so far, and it’s dumbfoundingly infuriating.
• The man accused of burning LGBTQ books has lost his motion to dismiss the case.
• EasyJet launches an in-flight lending library with over 60,000 books available across 300 flights!
• The Gone With the Wind mansion is up for sale.
• The differences between hardcover and paperback cover designs.
• 5 things this writer learned about leading a kid’s book group.

Level Up (Library Reads)

Do you take part in LibraryReads, the monthly list of best books selected by librarians only? We’ve made it easy for you to find eligible diverse titles to nominate. Kelly Jensen created a database of upcoming diverse books that anyone can edit, and Nora Rawlins of Early Word is doing the same, as well as including information about series, vendors, and publisher buzz.

 

Thanks for hanging, and I’ll see you next week!

–Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter. Currently reading The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides.

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).

“Check Your Shelf” is sponsored by Dynamite Entertainment.

When Jessica falls in love with her Shakespeare teacher, she begins to act like her studious twin sister Elizabeth to impress him. Now it’s up to Elizabeth to make sure that all’s well that end well – but with Jessica playing her role, will anyone be able to tell which twin is which?

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Libraries & Librarians

News Updates

• The future of eBook pricing.
• The 2020 census may have a citizenship question on it after all.
• Burglar steals valuable comic books from the Friends of the Seattle Public Library.
• This library in Louisville, KY has a SLIDE!!

Cool Library Updates

• How libraries can support children & immigrant families.
• If your library is undergoing renovations, consider taking library services to the park!
• Best tabletop games for the library.
• No-fail slime recipes!

Worth Reading

• Visible or not: Library access for LGBTQ youth.
• Do’s and don’ts of supervising library volunteers.
• Self care tips for school librarians.

Book Adaptations in the News

• Ellen DeGeneres is producing a film adaptation of Uprooted by Naomi Novik.
• Netflix has a Dracula reboot coming.
• Tor.com put together a massive list of almost every SFF/horror/comic book adaptation currently in the works.

Collection Development Corner

Publishing News

• The #BookstoresAgainstBorders campaign raised $48,000+ for RAICES over the holiday weekend!
• As of this fall, MAD magazine will no longer publish new issues.
• Amid growing pressure, Amazon removes books by Dr. Joseph Nicolosi that promote conversion therapy.
• Microsoft closes its eLibrary, erasing all user content.

New & Upcoming Titles

• Tor.com announces a new fantasy series from Seanan McGuire.
• Mackenzie Lee has postponed her upcoming book The Madness Blooms in response to concerns about transgender representation
• Sarah Sanders-Huckabee is writing a book. Of course she is.
• Most anticipated books for the last half of 2019.
• 50 must-read crime titles for July & August.
• 32 buzzy new debuts.
• USA Today’s best-reviewed titles of 2019.
• July round-ups for feminist nonfiction, poetry, indie books, psychological thrillers, romance, YA, and LGBTQ books.

What Your Patrons Are Hearing About

• The Snakes – Sadie Jones (New York Times, Washington Post)
• The Need – Helen Phillips (New York Times, Vulture)
• Three Women – Lisa Taddeo (New York Times, NPR, Washington Post)

RA/Genre Resources

• Essential Florida and Illinois crime fiction.
• How these authors are moving the psychological thriller beyond Gone Girl.
• Genre spotlight on horror.

Books & Authors in the News

• The cover for The Poet X actually contains a plagiarized photo from an Afro-Latinx artist.
• The New York Times profiled Naomi Wolf about her book being postponed and recalled in the US.

Numbers & Trends

• This will probably come as no surprise to anyone working in a public library, but Where the Crawdads Sing is the #1 top seller in 2019.

Award News

• Organizers of the Staunch Prize, which honors books that don’t contain violence against women, have claimed that fictional depictions of sexual assault may influence the outcome of rape cases.
• 26 award-winning Canadian books in 2019.

Pop Cultured

• Did you see the trailer for Mulan yet??
• Halle Bailey (not Halle Berry) has been cast as the new Ariel in the upcoming live-action remake. Plus 10 black princess books to celebrate the news!
• New trailer for Maleficent: Mistress of Evil.
• Reading suggestions for Midsommar. (Did you see Midsommar? That movie MESSED. ME. UP.)
• Reading suggestions for Stranger Things, for your viewers who have torn through the entire season already.

All Things Comics

• What we talk about when we talk about comics: a breakdown of common comic terms.
• Boom Studios announces a Buffy/Angel crossover comic.
• The Walking Dead comic is ending. In related news, an Idaho high school bans the Walking Dead comics series.
• 6 classic baseball manga.

Audiophilia

• Renowned chef Marcus Samuelsson is creating an audio cookbook with Audible called Our Harlem.
• Glamour picks the best summer-listening audiobooks.

Book Lists, Book Lists, Book Lists

Children/Teens

• 12 kids books that promote healthy habits.
• Abundantly illustrated books about the ocean.
• 21 YA books with love triangles.
• Stylized YA books filled with epic art.

Adults

• The top 100 most-discussed fantasy books on Reddit.
• 5 Southern gothic horror novels for summer.
• 7 anthologies that explore a range of Latinx experiences.
• African visions of the future by women and nonbinary authors.
• 50 must-reads from Iowa City.
• 50 must-read books recommended by Roxane Gay.
• 6 thrillers that hinge on split-second decisions.
• 5 books about women’s soccer.
• 6 nonfiction horror books.
• 5 novels recounted by the dead.

Bookish Curiosities & Miscellaneous

• Jose Bello, a student activist, was arrested in California shortly after reading a poem critical of immigration policy at a public forum. The ACLU is supporting his legal fight, saying his arrest was in retaliation of his poetry reading, which violates his first amendment rights.
• 10 of the best-selling books in history.
• Fotis Dulos, a defendant in a missing person’s case involving his estranged wife, is trying to argue that this is a real-life Gone Girl situation. Gillian Flynn is NOT amused.
• Why local news outlets are embracing book clubs.
• 200+ literary names for your next cat!

Level Up (Library Reads)

Do you take part in LibraryReads, the monthly list of best books selected by librarians only? We’ve made it easy for you to find eligible diverse titles to nominate. Kelly Jensen created a database of upcoming diverse books that anyone can edit, and Nora Rawlins of Early Word is doing the same, as well as including information about series, vendors, and publisher buzz.

 

Thanks for hanging, and I’ll see you next week!

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

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).

“Check Your Shelf” is sponsored by Dynamite Entertainment.

The adventure begins for children and adults alike, as the classic character Rainbow Brite comes to comics and brings a little color to your life! Wisp and Willow are best friends who live in a small town. They are inseparable, until one night Wisp discovers something is stealing the color from the world! To escape their grasp, Wisp must use her wits and the help of a new friend…from somewhere else

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Libraries & Librarians

News Updates

• Find ALA Conference coverage here.
• IL lawmakers are questioning prison officials over the removal of hundreds of books from prison libraries.
• ALA issues a statement on the SCOTUS ruling that temporarily blocks the addition of a citizenship question to the 2020 census.
• Jacksonville (FL) Library cancels its sold-out pride prom, saying that it can’t provide adequate safety. However, the event was eventually picked up by a local church.
•  In related news, a 42-year-old white man was arrested for disrupting a Draq Queen Story Hour event at the Lexington Park Library (MD) by running into the room and screaming at participants. Vice also reports on the increasingly threatening methods used by the far right to disrupt or cancel Drag Queen Story Hours.
• Kansas City Public Library does away with late fees, as does the Sonoma County Library (CA) and multiple libraries in New Jersey. 

Cool Library Updates

• The Portage Public Library (WI) has some insights for libraries who want to add to their video game collections.
• Spokane libraries turn to escape rooms for popular programs.
• Bloomington (IN) Public Library’s homebound service goes beyond books.

Book Adaptations in the News

• Warner Brothers is in the VERY early stages of developing a Harry Potter prequel series for TV!!
• Constance Wu is slated to star in a film adaptation of Goodbye, Vitamin by Rachel Khong.
• James Marsden & Amber Heard are reportedly linked to the remake of The Stand.
• Jojo Moyes’ next novel, The Giver of Stars, already has an adaptation planned.
• David E. Kelley, who wrote the Big Little Lies series and created Ally McBeal, is writing & executive producing The Lincoln Lawyer for CBS.
• A Sandman series is coming to Netflix.
• TV adaptations for Made for Love, Station Eleven, State of Wonder, and The Flight Attendant.

Collection Development Corner

Publishing News

• Simon & Schuster becomes the latest Big 5 publisher to change the terms of their digital eBook & audiobook lending model for libraries.
• CEO of Highlights magazine publicly speaks out against the immigration crisis.

New & Upcoming Titles

• Book Riot’s list of the best books of 2019, so far.
• 50 must-read debut novels for the last half of 2019.
• A list of all the books mentioned at the ALA Read ‘n Rave session.
• Prepub alerts for January & February 2020.
• An exclusive look at Alma Katsu’s new book, The Deep!!! I’m so excited for this one!!
• CNN’s Brian Stelter has an upcoming book deal that will examine the relationship between Trump and Fox News.
• July picks from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bustle, Cosmopolitan, CrimeReads, Entertainment Weekly, LA Times, LitHub, New York Times, Time, and Town & Country.
• And apparently there’s a bunch of upcoming SFF titles for July as well: Barnes & Noble, Bookmarks, io9, Tor.com (genre-bending books and YA SFF), and The Verge.

What Your Patrons Are Hearing About

• Reese Witherspoon picks Whisper Network by Chandler Baker for her July book club pick.
• The Most Fun We Ever Had – Claire Lombardo (New York Times, Washington Post).
• Evie Drake Starts Over – Linda Holmes (USA Today, Washington Post)
• Three Women – Lisa Taddeo (NPR, New York Times)
• Searching for Sylvie Lee – Jean Kwok (Entertainment Weekly, Washington Post)
• The Gone Dead – Chanelle Benz (Entertainment Weekly, NPR)

Books & Authors in the News

• Colson Whitehead was featured on the cover of Time magazine.
• Glamour looks at the ways in which romance novelists are targeted for online abuse and harassment.

Numbers & Trends

• Audiobook revenue increased 28.7% in 2018!
• When They See Us was watched by over 23 million Netflix accounts worldwide.

Award Winners

• We’ve got the 2019 Locus Award winners!
• Anna Burns (Milkman) and Patrick Radden Keefe (Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland) win the Orwell Prize.

All Things Comics

• Joe Hill is writing & overseeing a new line of DC horror comics.
• Daisy Ridley is in talks to play Batgirl for Warner Brothers.
• 7 new comics by novelists you love.
• 8 feel-good queer comics and graphic novels.

Audiophilia

• Debbie Macomber recommends audiobooks for multi-tasking.
• A look at graphic novels on audio.
• Audiophile magazine picks “Golden Voice” narrators.
• 7 children’s series available on audio.

Book Lists, Book Lists, Book Lists

Children/Teens

• 10 sibling books to help children welcome a new baby.
• 4 books about famous jazz legends.
• 9 futuristic YA novels.
• A list of #ownvoices books written by transgender and genderqueer authors.

Adults

• The 100 best books to read at every age.
• 50 best memoirs of the last 50 years.
• Every 2020 Democratic presidential candidate’s memoir.
• Best book series for adults in every genre.
• 10 Spanish-language authors that define the canon.
• 50 must-read poetry books.
• 16 books about hackers that will make you want to code.
• 50 must-read short books in translation.

Bookish Curiosities & Miscellaneous

• Madison, WI’s famous indie bookstore, A Room of One’s Own, launches a #BookstoresAgainstBorders fundraiser. And this holiday weekend, Book Riot will match your contributions up to $2500!
• Where are the black Booktubers?
• Can we make Harry Potter studies a real thing? This university adds a Harry Potter class to its curriculum.

Level Up (Library Reads)

Do you take part in LibraryReads, the monthly list of best books selected by librarians only? We’ve made it easy for you to find eligible diverse titles to nominate. Kelly Jensen created a database of upcoming diverse books that anyone can edit, and Nora Rawlins of Early Word is doing the same, as well as including information about series, vendors, and publisher buzz.

Thanks for hanging, and I’ll see you next week!

–Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter. Currently reading Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann.

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).

“Check Your Shelf” is sponsored by Dynamite Entertainment.

Underpowered and overwhelmed, Kenton tries to hold the Sand Masters together as forces political and personal conspire against them. Now, in one final push, Kenton must tap the most dangerous depths of his own abilities to combat the enemies within his own guild, and discover the truth behind the ambush that killed his father and almost destroyed the Sand Masters for good.

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Libraries & Librarians

News Updates

• Librarians protest against CIA presence at ALA Annual.
• Marion Public Library (IA) faces criticism over upcoming Pride events. SERIOUSLY, PEOPLE. LIBRARIES OFFER PRIDE EVENTS. GET OVER IT.
• On a related note: The library at the University of Arkansas posted a quote from Lady Gaga outside the library: “Being gay is like glitter. It never goes away.” The University President ordered the sign to be removed.
• Arizona prisons lift the previous ban on Chokehold: Policing Black Men by Paul Butler.
• Hoopla is expanding to offer multiple models, which will include expanded content and holds lists.
• Urban Libraries Council releases a strong statement against Hachette’s proposed new digital lending models.
• NYPL will no longer be offering Kanopy to its patrons due to rising costs.

Cool Library Updates

• School Library Journal created a curated list of family friendly podcasts to inspire community empathy.
• Summer meals at the library.
• How to start a nerd camp.
• Family-oriented maker camp at the library.
• A pop-up library on the beach?? I’ve been asking if we could have library outside for YEARS! I’m so down with this!

Worth Reading

• Surveying public library services and programs for refugees and immigrants.
• Confronting white nationalism: how libraries can anticipate and counter racist incidents.
• A library thrives in one of Pakistan’s gun markets.
• On radical librarianship.
• Self care is not selfish.

Book Adaptations in the News

• Paramount makes a 7-figure film deal for the upcoming book The Chain by Adrian McKinty.
• Thousands petition Netflix to cancel Good Omens. Amazon Prime responds by promising Netflix to cancel Stranger Things in exchange. The world laughs.
• Shonda Rhimes is adapting the Bridgerton series by Julia Quinn, and Julie Andrews is the first actor cast.
• Kylie Bunbury and Demi Moore are starring in a Brave New World series.
• Rosamund Pike joins the Wheel of Time adaptation.

Collection Development Corner

Publishing News

• Roman & Littlefield acquire Prometheus Books.

New & Upcoming Titles

• Publisher’s Weekly shares a bunch of fall announcements. (You’ll need to log in to read the article.)
• Amazon’s best books of the year (so far).
• Most anticipated YA for July.
• Best debut crime, political thrillers, and international crime novels for June.

What Your Patrons Are Hearing About

• Stay Sexy and Don’t Get Murdered: The Definitive How-To Guide – Karen Kilgariff & Georgia Hardstark (Entertainment Weekly, USA Today)
• The Most Fun We Ever Had – Claire Lombardo (NPR, USA Today)
• Bunny – Mona Award (New York Times, Washington Post)
• Big Sky – Kate Atkinson (New York Times, Washington Post)
• FKA USA – Reed King (NPR, USA Today)

Books & Authors in the News

• (TW sexual assault): E. Jean Carrol accuses Donald Trump of raping her at Bergdorf’s in the mid 90’s in her new book, What Do We Need Men For: A Modest Proposal.
• Janet Mock signs a huge Netflix deal, making her the first publicly transgender woman to call creative shots at a major content company.
• Pioneering romance author Judith Krantz dies at age 91.
• Vulture looks at Sherrilyn Kenyon’s claim that her ex-husband was poisoning her.

Numbers & Trends

• An updated look at diversity in children’s books in 2018.
• 7 stats about diversity in book publishing that reveal the magnitude of the problem

Award News

• Joy Harjo becomes the 23rd poet laureate and the first Native American poet to serve in the position!
• ALA votes to rename the Melvil Dewey Medal, citing Dewey’s history of racism, sexism, and anti-Semitism.

Pop Cultured

• Most of you probably know this already, but Harry Potter: Wizards Unite is now available for iOS and Android in the US.
• Final trailer before Stranger Things Season 3 is available to watch on Netflix, and I am SO DANG EXCITED!!

All Things Comics

• IDW is publishing the Mueller Report as a graphic novel.
• More news about the end of Vertigo and the overall DC restructure.
• Noelle Stevenson is publishing a graphic memoir!!
• Manga sisterhoods.
• Ngazi Ukazu announces a follow-up to Check, Please.
• 10 exuberantly queer graphic novels.

Book Lists, Book Lists, Book Lists

Children/Teens

• Board books that instill positive behavior.
• 7 books about kids loving their natural hair.
• 50 must-read middle grade books about friendship.
• 17 YA historical fiction novels.

Adults

• 10 horrifying horror novels.
• 6 nonfiction books about Chernobyl.
• 8 memoirs about mental illness written by authors of color.
• 50 must-read short books under 250 pages.
• 6 books inspired by your favorite podcasts.
• 8 modern career books for entrepreneurs & creative types.
• 10 SFF books about AIs taking over.
• 15 new historical fiction books for your vacation.

Bookish Curiosities & Miscellaneous

• Okay, this is fantastic. In Germany, tampons and other sanitary products are taxed 19% as “luxury goods” (which anyone who has had a period knows is utter BS), while books are taxed at 7%. So…the founders of a sanitary product company published a book that contains…tampons. It sold out in a single day.
• Historians have discovered a new bible owned by Abraham Lincoln.
• 11 things this Rioter wishes they had known before starting a book blog.

Level Up (Library Reads)

Do you take part in LibraryReads, the monthly list of best books selected by librarians only? We’ve made it easy for you to find eligible diverse titles to nominate. Kelly Jensen created a database of upcoming diverse books that anyone can edit, and Nora Rawlins of Early Word is doing the same, as well as including information about series, vendors, and publisher buzz.

Thanks for hanging, and I’ll see you next week!

–Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter. Currently reading a bunch of classic Nancy Drew novels.

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).

“Check Your Shelf” is sponsored by Libro.fm.

Libro.fm lets you purchase audiobooks directly from your favorite local bookstore. You can pick from more than 100,000 audiobooks, including New York Times best sellers and recommendations from booksellers around the country. With Libro.fm you’ll get the same audiobooks, at the same price as the largest audiobook company out there (you know the name), but you’ll be part of a much different story, one that supports community. In June, Libro.fm is launching their Kids Club and YA Club, which will offer select audiobooks priced under $10 each month, as well as their Summer Listening Challenge–each person to finish will get free audiobook credit and the chance to win free audiobooks for a year! Sign up here to get three audiobooks for the price of one.

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Before we jump in, make sure to check out Book Riot’s Amazon storefront – we’ve put together a selection of our favorite books and bookish things for the summer!

Libraries & Librarians

News Updates

• Why are libraries still having to defend the presence of LGBTQ books in their displays? Also, a New Jersey library defends their Pride flag.
• University of Oklahoma is pilot testing an AI chatbot to assist with common student questions.
• Salt Lake County libraries participate in a gun lock giveaway in the hopes of curbing suicides and gun-related accidents.
• NYPL officially launches its bookmobile service.

Cool Library Updates

• Book clubs for adults with disabilities, and sensory programming for patrons with special needs.
• How the NYPL brought novels to Instagram.
• St. Louis and Boston Public Libraries used Twitter book stacks to face off during the Stanley Cup finals.

Worth Reading

• Ending library fines is a social justice issue.
• School librarians should be required, not fodder for short-term budget cuts.
• How to end a book ban.
• If kids can’t read what they want during the summer, when can they?
• Automated 24-hour access offers solutions for increasing library access. I’m still not a huge fan of this idea but we’ll see…
• When programming isn’t fun anymore.

Book Adaptations in the News

• A first look at Little Fires Everywhere.
• The Pale Horse by Agatha Christie is coming to TV.
• Netflix is developing a Chronicles of Narnia adaptation.
• The first trailer for Doctor Sleep.
• The Perfect Nanny by Leila Slimani is being adapted for film.
• The cast of The Handmaid’s Tale filmed a public service announcement with Harper’s Bazaar and Planned Parenthood, because The Handmaid’s Tale is becoming a lot less fictional.

Collection Development Corner

Publishing News

• After speculation that there may be another bidder for Barnes & Noble, the deadline passed without any new bids.
• Hachette changes its eBook and audiobook lending model. ALA drafts a concerned response.

New & Upcoming Titles

• A Hunger Games prequel? Yes please!! And we only have to wait until May 2020!
• Joe Scarborough of Morning Joe is publishing This Ends Badly: How Donald Trump Conned America.
• Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote a book coming out in September.
• Ibi Zoboi announces the first book in a two book deal.
• Amazon & Barnes & Noble pick the best books of 2019 so far.
• Summer reading lists from LitHub, The Millions, O Magazine, Chicago Tribune, plus a YA summer list from Entertainment Weekly.

What Your Patrons Are Hearing About

• Recursion – Blake Crouch (Entertainment Weekly, New York Times, NPR)
• The Porpoise – Mark Haddon (New Yorker, Time)
• How Not to Die Alone – Richard Roper (New York Times, USA Today)

RA/Genre Resources

• Weeding graphic novels.
• Books your patrons will love based on their taste in movies.

Books & Authors in the News

• If you thought Linda Fairstein was going to go quietly, well, think again.
• Rare Bird releases a statement about Natasha Tyne’s lawsuit.
• After more accuracy questions emerge, Naomi Wolf’s book Outrages: Sex, Censorship, and the Criminalization of Love has been delayed by the publisher.
• Nicholas Sparks’ status as an overall crappy person was confirmed by a lawsuit that claims he fostered a discriminatory environment at his private school, and allegedly banned students from forming an LGBT club. His response is not particularly impressive.
• Discovering an unfinished manuscript by Anthony Burgess.

Numbers & Trends

• Former Waterstones managing director Tim Coates commissioned a survey on how and where readers are getting their books.
• The Guardian shows that the top 100 illustrated children’s books from 2018 show a growing marginalization of female and minority ethnic characters.
• Barnes & Noble researched the summer reading plans for American readers.

Award News

• George R.R. Martin will receive the Carl Sandberg Award from the Chicago Public Library.
• Winner and honor books for the Children’s and Teen Choice Book Awards.
• A new literary award to honor YA books written in an Indigenous language.
• Elizabeth Acevedo wins the Carnegie Medal for The Poet X, the first author of color to ever win the prize.
• Winners of the International Dublin Award, Wolfson History Prize, and the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction.
• Longlists and finalists for the John W. Campbell Memorial Award and the Polari Book Prize.

Pop Cultured

• Fashion icon and author Gloria Vanderbilt dies at 95.
• This is a great time to do tie-in displays with When They See Us and Chernobyl.

All Things Comics

• Marvel Land is coming to Disneyland in 2020 (holy crap!)
• Swamp Thing has been canceled after debuting on May 31st.
• LGBTQIA+ graphic novels for young readers.

Book Lists, Book Lists, Book List

Children/Teens

• 19 pop-up books adults won’t want to share.
• 20 books with LGBTQ characters your kids will love.
• Middle grade LGBTQ books for Pride.
• Queer princess books for readers of all ages.
• YA horror anthologies & collections.

Adults

• 20 horror novels by authors of color.
• Edwardian true crime suggestions.
• 50 must-read books by YouTubers.
• 8 books after you finish Daisy Jones and the Six.
• 8 funny books featuring queer adult women.
• Good books about bad information.
• 7 horrible fictional sisters.

Bookish Curiosities & Miscellaneous

• New York City gave The Strand landmark status, but the owner isn’t happy about it.
• A Harry Potter-themed coffee shop called Steamy Hallows!!
• LeVar Burton gets a Sacramento park named after him.
• Is there a dearth of queer men in science fiction?
• 101 literary tattoos…better book your appointment now!

Level Up (Library Reads)

Do you take part in LibraryReads, the monthly list of best books selected by librarians only? We’ve made it easy for you to find eligible diverse titles to nominate. Kelly Jensen created a database of upcoming diverse books that anyone can edit, and Nora Rawlins of Early Word is doing the same, as well as including information about series, vendors, and publisher buzz.

 

Thanks for hanging, and I’ll see you next week!

–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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Sponsored by Flatiron Books

A lifetime of secrets. A history untold. No. It is a simple word, uttered on a summer porch in 1936. And it will haunt Kitty Milton for the rest of her life and its consequences will ripple through the Milton family for generations. Moving through three generations and back and forth in time, The Guest Book asks how we remember and what we choose to forget, and tells the story of a family and a country that buries its past in quiet, until the present calls forth a reckoning.

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Libraries & Librarians

News Updates

• Ohio Library Council pushes back against state House Speaker Larry Householder’s criticism of library drag events. (On a related note, the last newsletter listed the House Speaker as Larry “Household,” and I apologize for the typo.)
• Kansas prisoners are banned from reading thousands of books, including Game of Thrones.
• The St. Paul Public Library system eliminated late fees over the winter, and the results have been quite positive!
• Patricia Battin, librarian and recipient of the National Humanities Medal, has died at age 89.

Cool Library Updates

• Halifax Public Library system has started offering free menstrual products in all of its bathrooms.
• Has your library started using smart speakers like Amazon Echo to engage with patrons?
• How to support your patrons who are experiencing mental health challenges.

Worth Reading

• Libraries face tough choices when their homeless patrons set up permanent residence.
• How to avoid gender stereotyping during library storytime.
• A DACA librarian is not a threat to America.
• Summer reading incentives for kids: yay or nay?
• The chief librarian and the soap thieves. Anyone else think this would be an amazing band name?
• How a Connecticut librarian and a podcast helped solve this lingering cold case in New Hampshire.

Book Adaptations in the News

• Jane Eyre is now a ballet.
• We’re getting TV adaptations of The Lost Symbol (Dan Brown), The Edible Woman (Margaret Atwood), Bunny (Mona Awad), and Dune: The Sisterhood (Frank Herbert & others), plus an update on the Jack Reacher series.
• Trailers for The Rook and season 2 of Sweetbitter.

Collection Development Corner

Publishing News

• Waterstones purchases Barnes & Noble, which is causing a lot of excitement in the publishing world.

New & Upcoming Titles

• (TW: sexual assault) The survivor from the Brock Turner case is writing a memoir.
• Best books of the year (so far) from Entertainment Weekly, The Guardian, and Vulture.
• Did you miss Book Expo? Check out 9 of the buzzy new releases from the show, along with the featured Shout n Share titles.
• Library Journal posted summaries from the Day of Dialog (including book panel write ups and Editor’s Picks), as well as Book Con.
• And don’t miss the ALA Galley Guide!
• Bustle, L.A. Times, Paste, and Tor.com all have some notable June releases to keep an eye on.
• 8 awesome horror novels from 2019.
• 40 thrillers for summer.

What Your Patrons Are Hearing About

• L.A. Times selects The Library Book by Susan Orlean as its first book club pick.
• Soulless: The Case Against R. Kelly – Jim DeRogatis (Entertainment Weekly, NPR, USA Today, Vulture, Washington Post)
• Mostly Dead Things – Kristen Arnett (New York Times, NPR, Vulture, Washington Post)
• Patsy – Nicole Dennis-Benn (The Atlantic, Entertainment Weekly, NPR, Washington Post)

RA/Genre Resources

• The New York Times pulled together a list of “it” books from previous summers.
• Resources for new horror readers.
• 5 of the best ways to pick a new book – for your patrons who want to read something new but don’t know where to start.
• NPR’s Summer Reader Poll will focus on humorous books. And don’t forget to check out their previous lists on horror, comics, and romance!

Authors in the News

• Linda Fairstein has been dropped by her publisher in the wake of Ava Duvernay’s When They See Us.
• Author Natasha Tynes, who lost her book contract with Rare Bird Books after a social media shaming scandal, is now suing the publisher for $13 million in damages.

Numbers & Trends

• In 2016, people visited public libraries more than a billion times. A BILLION.
• School Library Journal looks at summer programming numbers in public libraries.

Award News

• Tayari Jones wins the Women’s Prize for Fiction with An American Marriage.
• If you missed them, here are the Tony Award winners.
• Shortlist for the Orwell Prize.

Pop Cultured

• Entertainment Weekly is transitioning to a monthly publication beginning in August.
• 12 true crime podcasts to bust through this summer.
• What the fork?! The Good Place is ending after its fourth season.

All Things Comics

• DC Comics is rumored to close Vertigo.
• Lucifer has been renewed for a fifth and final season.
• New trailer for Jessica Jones Season 3.
• Mindy Kaling spoke to Marvel about developing a Ms. Marvel project, and she says the response has been positive.
• 8 classic works of literature as graphic novels and comics.
• 50 must-read romance manga.
• 10 comics to read while you smash the patriarchy.

Audiophilia

• Check out libro.fm’s list of activities for National Audiobook Month!
• The best audiobooks of 2019 so far.

Book Lists, Book Lists, Book Lists

Children/Teens 

• 8 picture books to promote resilience.
• 5 picture books for daddy/daughter reading time.
• 11 intersectional LGBTQ+ YA novels.

Adults

• 50 unapologetically queer authors share the best LGBTQ+ books of all time.
• 12 books to read if you loved (or are waiting for) The Guest Book by Sarah Blake.
• Barnes & Noble has a list of 100 books to read this summer.
• True crime books to read with your book club.
• 50 memoirs that will hit you in the feels.
• 10 joyful queer books for Pride Month.

Bookish Curiosities & Miscellaneous

• Are you a reader who treats reading like homework?
• How fact checking works for nonfiction.
• If you or your patrons are late to the Goodreads game, here’s how to get started.
• How long will it take to read that book?

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.

–Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter. Currently reading Our House by Louise Candlish.

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).

“Check Your Shelf” is sponsored by All the Books, our weekly podcast about new book releases!

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Libraries & Librarians

News Updates

• Several Twin Cities library systems are experimenting with unstaffed libraries. I had a long angry paragraph about this, but ultimately it comes down to THIS IS A BAD IDEA and STOP DEVALUING LIBRARY EMPLOYEES.
• How Emma Boettcher, University of Chicago librarian, beat James Holzhauer on Jeopardy. Heck yes!!
• Fall River Library (MA) hosts an extremely successful first Drag Queen Storytime. Meanwhile, Ohio House Speaker Larry Household denounces drag queen events planned at two Ohio public libraries, and the Delaware County Library’s Drag 101 event has been canceled due to “veiled threats.” The program will now be held at a local comics shop.
• Illinois prison removes more than 200 books from the prison library, the majority of which were about race. Related: why inmates should have the right to read.
• The MacArthur Foundation plans a $5 million grant to create a new Chicago Public Library branch at the Obama Presidential Center.

Cool Library Updates

• This Buzzfeed list of 21 Libraries That Will Make You Say “Damn, That’s CLEVER!” is pretty legit! I screencapped a few suggestions from this list for my own library.
• Serving children with diverse abilities.
• St. Louis County library system officially marks Pride Month with more than 80 activities for all ages at each of its 19 branches.

Book Adaptations in the News

• Adaptation news for The Goldfinch (Donna Tartt), Normal People (Sally Rooney), Looking for Alaska (John Green), Lucky (Alice Sebold), plus a super terrifying trailer for Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (Alvin Schwartz).
• Sarah Dessen signs a movie deal with Netflix.

Collection Development Corner

New & Upcoming Titles

• Mindy Kaling announces a collection of essays via Amazon Original Stories in 2020.
• Debbie Harry and Patti Smith each have a memoir coming out.
• J.K. Rowling is publishing four short eBooks on the history of magic.
• Noteworthy June titles from Amazon, CrimeReads, Entertainment Weekly, io9, LitHub, The Millions, New York Times, and the Washington Post.
• Tor.com gives us the best fantasy, science fiction, SFF YA, and genre-bending titles for June.

What Your Patrons Are Hearing About

• Siege: Trump Under Fire – Michael Wolff (The Guardian, New York Times, NPR, Washington Post)
• The Confessions of Frannie Langton – Sara Collins (NPR, Washington Post)
• City of Girls – Elizabeth Gilbert (New York Times, USA Today, Washington Post)
• On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous – Ocean Vuong (Los Angeles Times, Washington Post)

RA & Genre Resources

• Is diverse fiction a new genre? (No, but we’re starting to treat it like one.)
• A guide for first-time romance readers.
• Where to find trigger warnings for books.

Books and Authors in the News

• Han Kang joined Margaret Atwood and David Mitchell in participating in the Future Library art project by locking away a manuscript that will be published in 100 years.
• Tony Robbins’ next book is being canceled in the wake of misconduct allegations.
• Turkish prosecutors have launched investigations into fiction authors who tackle difficult subjects like child abuse and sexual violence, including award-winning author Elif Shafak.

Numbers & Trends

• Manga sales are up 16% in the U.S. since the beginning of the year.

Award News

• Winners for the Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards, Best Translated Book Awards, and the Lambda Literary Awards.
• Finalists for the International Thriller Writer Awards.

All Things Comics

• It’s official: Robert Pattinson is Batman.
• 20 new graphic novels & memoirs for summer reading.
• 10 of the best webcomics for newbies.

Audiophilia

• 10 audiobooks for wedding season.
• 40 summer road trip audiobooks.
• Marvel is turning its comics into audiobooks with Dreamscape.

Book Lists, Book Lists, Book Lists

Children/Teens

• 7 picture books about autism.
• 15 great read aloud books for older kids.
• Muslim characters in YA.
• YA anthologies & short stories..

Adults

• 10 nonfiction books about China.
• 12 child actor memoirs.
• Fantasy books by women and authors of color.
• NYPL library employees talk about the LGBTQ+ books that were the most meaningful in their personal journeys.
• Ibram X. Kendi compiles an antiracist reading list.
• 7 books about djinn.
• 10 personal finance books by black authors.
• Recommended books by and about Native authors.
• 25 top horror novels on Goodreads.
• 50 must-read books by podcasters.

Bookish Curiosities & Miscellaneous

• How to break up with your book club.
• When childhood books should not be revisited.
• Bookish pets!

Level Up (LibraryReads)

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 out and I’ll see you again next week!

–Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter. Currently reading Duped: Double Lives, False Identities, and the Con Man I Almost Married – Abby Ellin.