Katie's parents never told her "no" when she asked for a book, which was the start of most of her problems. She has an MLIS from the University of Illinois and works full time as a Circulation & Reference Manager in Illinois. She has a deep-rooted love of all things disturbing, twisted, and terrifying and takes enormous pleasure in creeping out her coworkers. When she's not at work, she's at home watching the Cubs with her cats and her cardigan collection. Other hobbies include scrapbooking, introducing more readers to the Church of Tana French, and convincing her husband that she can, in fact, fit more books onto her shelves.
Twitter: @kt_librarylady
Library friends, I’m back with another roundup of links to keep you at the top of your reading, collection development, and display games. We have resources to help you freshen up your Pride Month displays, audiobook news, the greatest idea in library design history, and an AI version of Agatha Christie. (I wish I were kidding about that last one.) So let’s jump in!
Pride Month Display Resources
- 5 new lesbian memoirs & biographies.
- 54 must-read LGBTQ+ YA books by BIPOC authors.
- 9 books that center asexuality.
- 6 queer YA books about nerdy hobbies.
- 13 Bi4Bi romance novels.
- 10 must-read trans women and transfeminine authors from the UK.
- 5 excellent sapphic romances.
- Deliciously queer YA foodie romances.
- 6 LGBTQ+ romances set in small towns.
New & Upcoming Titles
- Gillian Anderson announces an “even more daring” follow-up to her best-selling collection of sexual fantasies.
- Diana Gabaldon has revealed the title for the 10th Outlander book, which will be the last in the series.
- Don Winslow has come out of retirement to publish a new collection of short novels, which will be released this fall.
- Reese Witherspoon and Harlan Coben have teamed up to write a new thriller.
RA & Genre Resources
- The age of genre bending, blending, and juxtaposing.
- A reader’s guide to Colleen Hoover’s books, in order.
- Romance books are back, and moms are obsessed.
- Where to start with Virginia Woolf.
All Things Comics
- 7 graphic memoirs about motherhood.
- 6 compelling comics about war.
- 7 genre-bending graphic novels and comics.
- 6 new manga series to make your library collection even bigger.
Audiophilia
- Simon & Schuster is publishing new celebrity-narrated audiobooks of Ray Bradbury’s novels.
- Audible is expanding its catalog with AI narration and translation services.
- The Court of Thorns and Roses series is getting new audiobook versions in honor of the series’ tenth anniversary.
- 10 can’t-miss audiobooks by indie authors.
- Give the gift of wisdom with these audiobooks for high school and college graduates.
- 8 excellent mystery series to listen to on audio.
- How to record personalized audiobooks for kids with Yoto.
Books & Authors In the News
- Agatha Christie’s estate has given the go-ahead to create a master class in writing taught by an AI-enhanced version of Christie. We talked about this on Read or Dead, and I just don’t understand how there’s a market for this sort of thing. It seems soulless and unnecessary.
- Authors say they were misled by a Baltimore book festival as event organizers promise refunds. The A Million Lives Book Festival is now being referred to as “the Fyre Fest of book festivals” which is saying…a LOT.
- Frederick Backman says his latest book could be his last.
- Mr Beast’s new book will turn literature into clickbait.
- Why everyone’s talking about Dani Francis’ dystopian novel, Silver Elite: the controversy behind BookTok’s new dystopian sensation.
Bookish Curiosities & Miscellaneous
- How millennials and Gen-Zers are putting creative twists on book clubs.
- Jean Hanff Korelitz, author of The Plot and The Latecomer, has some tips for starting and maintaining a thriving book club.
And Finally…
The South Dade Regional Library in Miami is undergoing renovations, which will include the addition of a “Catio” adoption lounge in partnership with Miami-Dade County Animal Services.
This is the greatest idea I’ve ever heard of, but I don’t think I could work at this library, because I would literally not be able to get anything done. I would spend every day in the Catio. Do you think I could teach the cats to approve timesheets and run shelf check lists?
The following comes to you from the Editorial Desk.
It’s Pride Month, and while we celebrate queer literature here all year long, we go especially rainbow bold in June. This week, we’re excited to take a look at the favorite queer books of beloved queer authors.
Read on for an excerpt and become an All Access member to unlock the full post.
It’s Pride month, which is the perfect excuse to buy and read a bunch of queer books. One method I really enjoy for finding new books is to take the recommendations of my favorite authors. Carmen Maria Machado hasn’t led me astray yet. Unfortunately, I don’t have these authors on speed dial, but luckily, they usually have shared their recommendations publicly.
Below I’ve put together queer book recommendations from 11 beloved queer authors. Some are from interviews where they discussed their favorite books, and others are book blurbs. Both the authors’ works and the books they recommend cover a wide spectrum of genres and formats, including graphic novels, literary fiction, poetry, biographies, horror, sci-fi, YA fantasy, and more, so there’s something for every kind of reader.
Akwaeke Emezi recommends…
Vagabonds! by Eloghosa Osunde
“Some of the most spectacular writing I’ve ever encountered in my life… Vagabonds! brought me to tears because it gave me a world in which my country could be home again.”
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English (US) · 