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LJ talks with Audie Award– and multiple-time Earphones Award–winning narrator Eunice Wong to learn more about her creative process and how she has found her voice and style.
The winners of the Lambda Literary Awards are announced. The African Speculative Fiction Society releases the shortlist for the Nommo Awards. Poets & Writers announces its picks for the best debut authors of the summer: ’Pemi Aguda, Jiaming Tang, Michael Deagler, Yasmin Zaher, and Gina María Balibrera. The Oklahoma Supreme Court blocks state effort to ban books from school libraries. The entire author events team at the Free Library of Philadelphia has been fired. A new study from The Economist says that the New York Times bestseller list is politically biased against conservative books.
Library Journal’s galley guide for the 2024 American Library Association conference is now available. Get a jump on reader demand and get in the know; sign up to get a PDF download now.
Debut author Wood has expertly mixed romance with mystery in a novel that leaves more questions than answers. This fast-paced thriller will work well for book clubs and fans of the unreliable narrator trope.
Michelle Moran, author of Maria: A Novel of Maria von Trapp, talks with LJ about research, the Broadway production of the musical, and Maria’s real-life persona.
Harrow’s breathtaking debut delves deep into the raw emotions of grief and the pure beauty of rediscovering joy in an exquisite tale of second chances, featuring an enemies-to-lovers romance.
Aspiring writers can find expert advice and guidance from bestselling author Roxane Gay, publishing pro Lisa Mangum, and New Yorker staff writer Rachel Syme.
Bestselling Jillian Cantor and LibraryReads author Lauren E. Rico have new books on the way, Ava Robinson makes a big debut, and a list of forthcoming series titles.
Not in Love by Ali Hazelwood is the top holds title of the week. LibraryReads and Library Journal offer read-alikes for patrons waiting to read this buzziest book.
On offer this month are a debut memoir from global activist Jaha Marie Dukureh, a biography about Edna Ferber, and two memoirs that reflect on learning the crafts of carpentry and woodworking.
Oprah selects Familiaris by David Wroblewski for her 106th book club pick. Ted Chiang wins the PEN/Bernard and Ann Malamud Award for Excellence in the Short Story. Christina Morina wins the German Nonfiction Prize. LibraryReads and LJ offer read-alikes for buzzy book Not in Love by Ali Hazelwood. V.E. Schwab signs a two-book deal with Tor. Sylvester Stallone’s forthcoming memoir The Steps will be published by Morrow in 2025. A Crazy Rich Asians TV series, based on the books by Kevin Kwan, is in the works, and Netflix is developing a three-part series adaptation of Agatha Christie’s The Seven Dials Mystery.
Summer sounds—waves, bike wheels, ice cream truck bells—are joined by the skilled voices of narrators transforming novels, nonfiction, and poetry in audio editions that fill the season with not-to-miss listens, be they tense thrillers, swoony romances, or reflective fiction.
Fred C. Trump, Donald Trump’s nephew, will publish a memoir, All in the Family: The Trumps and How We Got This Way, on July 30. The Frank R. Paul Award Nominees are announced. Publishers Weekly rounds up book club picks for June. Earlyword’s June GalleyChat spreadsheet is out now. Ursula K. Le Guin’s home will become a writers residency. Thomas Harris’s Hannibal turns 25. Plus, Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman are in talks to star in a sequel to Practical Magic, based on the novel by Alice Hoffman.
“Everything breaks–or ends up breaking something else,” says Carissa Carter, stating the basic premise of Assembling Tomorrow. “But by thinking about the world differently—the way designers do—we still have a chance to design for healing and to transform the future.”
Not in Love by Ali Hazelwood leads holds this week. Also getting buzz are titles by Elin Hilderbrand, Katherine Center, Freida McFadden, and Rufi Thorpe. The James Beard Media Award winners are announced. Vajra Chandrasekera’s The Saint of Bright Doors wins the Nebula Award for Best Novel. Nine LibraryReads and nine Indie Next picks publish this week. People’s book of the week is All Friends Are Necessary by Tomas Moniz. Plus, Costco announced its plan to no longer sell books year-round.
Homer Aridjis’s Self-Portrait in the Zone of Silence, tr. by George McWhirter, wins the Griffin Poetry Prize. Kevin Sinfield wins the top Charles Tyrwhitt Sports Book Award for The Extra Mile. Alicia Elliott wins the Amazon Canada First Novel Award for And Then She Fell. Louise Penny wins the International Thriller Writers’ Silver Bullet Award for public service. A new “Hunger Games” book and movie are announced. Cengage, Elsevier, Macmillan Learning, and McGraw Hill have sued Google for allowing ads to run on sites that pirate textbooks.
This enjoyable coffee-table book, great for perusing and adding to collection displays, is a diverting read for a quick trip to a beautiful home and surrounding buildings. In some ways, this book is a more in-depth and expansive version of an enjoyable TV show about luxury homes without the nitty-gritty construction details.
Riveting, gripping, and atmospheric, the latest from award-winning, Mexico City-based Morrison (The Wait) takes readers on a whirlwind trip across his homeland. Macondo, the magical utopia of One Hundred Years of Solitude, is an object of desire that remains elusive in Morrison’s gritty tale of violence and love.
For librarians interested in expanding their LGBTQIA+ studies, literature, or arts collections, this book serves as a valuable source to complement existing scholarly works.
A fast-paced thrill of a ride from start to finish. Readers of Terri Blackstock and Susan May Warren will love this second installment of the “Lake City Heroes” series from Eason (Double Take).
This novel is a good match for book clubs (with questions included at the book’s end) and a must for thrill seekers and fans of Southern gothic stories.
Broadbent (The Serpent and the Wings of Night) ratchets up the action, treachery, and romance in the second installment of the “Crowns of Nyaxia” series. Perfect for fans of Rebecca Yarros’s romantasy or those who enjoyed K.A. Tucker’s “Fate & Flame” series.
Durst’s (The Bone Maker) cottagecore romantasy takes place on an island of fantastical creatures and people, with romances among found family and friends and illicit spellcasting adding a dash of suspense to the mix. An excellent match for fans looking to take a break from epic fantasy for some feel-good humor and happiness.
If readers are wondering why their cubicle mate chose a snake over a bird or how tattooing went from pirates to celebrities, this book will provide answers or at least encourage new ways of thinking about the stories people tell with their skin.
Cotugno’s (Meet the Benedettos) straight-from-the-headlines plot is undeniably inspired by a certain megastar/athlete romance. A must purchase for most libraries and Swifties.
Hard-biting and vulnerable, this is a recommended read for LGBTQIA+ patrons and twentysomething cis women, especially children of immigrants like the author.
Crook Manifesto by Colson Whitehead wins the Gotham Book Prize for the best book set in or about New York City. Nick Bradley and Ayanna Lloyd Banwo are among the 10 writers selected for the ILX 10 list by Britain’s National Centre for Writing. The Bloody Scotland Debut Prize shortlist has been revealed. Imbalances still remain when it comes to Black authors in the bestsellers lists, The Bookseller reports. Plus, interviews with Morgan Talty, Griffin Dunne, Jacqueline Winspear, and Judi Dench and new title bestsellers.
First proclaimed Gay and Lesbian Pride Month in 1999 and expanded by President Obama in 2011, LGBTQIA+ Pride Month commemorates the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in Manhattan and celebrates the LGBTQIA+ community. The following titles, ranging from romance and mystery to social sciences and poetry, honor the experiences, legacies, and accomplishments of LGBTQIA+ people.
This sometimes unsettling yet consistently delightful fairy tale feels like a marriage of the clever schemes of Trip Galey’s A Market of Dreams and Destiny and the metaphors of Kelly Barnhill’s The Crane Husband.
In this delightful spy thriller romance, disrespectful kids and mob bosses alike fall victim to special agent Gabby Greene, a stay-at-home mom with the lethal combination of a dart gun, just-dyed roots, and a minivan. Bad guys beware.
Inspired by a real-life crime in Australia, the sixth DI Fawley novel is an intricate, carefully plotted police procedural comparable to the best of Ann Cleeves’s Vera novels or Louise Penny’s mysteries.
Reese Witherspoon kicks off an exclusive audiobook partnership with Apple Books with her June book club pick, The Unwedding by Ally Condie. Other book club picks include: Malas by Marcela Fuentes (GMA), Swift River by Essie Chambers (Read with Jenna), You Are Here by David Nicholls (B&N), and Becoming Ted by Matt Cain (Target). The New Brunswick Book Awards and the RBC Bronwen Wallace Award for Emerging Writers are announced. LibraryReads and LJ offer read-alikes for Eruption by Michael Crichton & James Patterson. Bill Gates will publish a memoir, Source Code, next year. Plus, summer booklists arrive.
In 1863, President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which declared more than 3.5 million enslaved people living in Confederate states to be “forever free.” It wasn’t until Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, TX, on June 19 two years later, however, that the enslaved first learned of their freedom. That date became known as Juneteenth, first celebrated in 1866, first declared a federal holiday in 2021. This book list is a Juneteenth commemoration in the form of fiction and nonfiction about its history and the long-standing implications of enslavement and the Jim Crow era.
A wide swath of the past is covered in these titles, from a ninth-century battle in Europe to harrowing and heroic tales of women during World War II and a story of diamonds and murder in the Amazon.
Julia Armfield writes a speculative retelling of King Lear, Gu Byeong-mo considers motherhood and parenting in a new novel, and Amanda Lee Koe reimagines a Chinese folktale.
Eruption by Michael Crichton & James Patterson is the top holds title of the week. LibraryReads and Library Journal offer read-alikes for patrons waiting to read this buzziest book.
The Horror Writers Association announces the winners of the Bram Stoker Awards, with Tananarive Due’s The Reformatory taking the top prize for Superior Achievement in a Novel. The ITW Thriller Award winners are announced, including S.A. Cosby’s All the Sinners Bleed. Time shares “15 LGBTQ+ Books to Read for Pride.” Four of Harlan Ellison’s books will be revised and reissued this year. According to the latest Audio Publishers Association Survey, U.S. audiobook revenue grew by 9%, to $2 billion, in 2023.
The poems in Exits explore the beauty and frailty of life, the cycles of nature, and the potential for renewal. In a time of great uncertainty, Exits responds to prevailing anxieties and to the universal search for meaning. At its core, Exits is a meditation on mortality.
Eruption by Michael Crichton & James Patterson leads holds this week. Also getting buzz are titles by Annabel Monaghan, Brynne Weaver, Lisa Wingate, and Jacqueline Winspear, who bids adieu to her legendary detective Maisie Dobbs. People’s book of the week is Soldier Sailor by Claire Kilroy. Jenna Bush Hager picks Swift River by Essie Chambers for her June book club; B&N’s pick is You Are Here by David Nicholls. Audiofile announces the June Earphones Award winners, Tananarive Due’s The Reformatory wins the Chautauqua Prize, and the Crime Writers of Canada Awards of Excellence winners include Amanda Peters and Nita Prose. Romance Writers of America declares bankruptcy. Plus, remembrances continue for author Caleb Carr, who died last week at the age of 68.
A solid addition to help new and seasoned library professionals conduct their own original research projects. Recommended for any professional literature collection, especially those supporting MLIS programs.
This recommended, engaging, visual reference fosters a distinctive way to learn more about the world of insects. The book’s color photographs enrich the reading experience.
This well-researched, well-written reference is packed with information on one of the world’s foremost intellectual, moral, philosophical, and social systems. It’s an indispensable resource for high school and undergraduate students doing term papers, reports, and projects.
A perfect Olympic-year read. This debut rom-com sparkles and is sure to delight contemporary-romance fans, particularly those who love reading about athletes, celebrities, and tenacious underdog heroines.
This forced-proximity, enemies-to-lovers romantic comedy has plenty of chills and thrills. Readers will stay up late, with all the lights on, to finish Wilkens’s satisfying debut.
With strong friendships, a full cast of delightful characters, and a story told from alternating points of view, this enemies-to-lovers and forced-proximity romance from Burke (Fly with Me) explores serious issues such as neurodivergence, alcohol-use disorder, toxic family expectations, forgiveness, and grief, while still being a steamy, humorous, and hopeful read.
Readers looking for a humorous and cozy read will enjoy Sullivan’s (Love, Naturally) newest rom-com, with its great cast of characters and a slow-burn fake engagement where he falls first and they fall harder together.
With a believable character arc, protagonists who have great chemistry, and a good balance of humor and depth, this enemies-to-lovers romantic comedy from Collins (Love at First Spite) hits all the right notes. Recommend to fans of Rachel Lynn Solomon and Laura Moher.
Boneyard Key has all the small-town charm a contemporary romance reader could want, with a slightly scary addition that adds a thrill without courting nightmares. A must-buy where romantic comedies are popular.
Readers should start with book one in the series, Don’t Want You Like a Best Friend, as Beth and Gwen from that novel play starring roles in Bobby and James’s romance. Fans of the series will enjoy seeing the reluctant heroes maturing and taking responsibility thanks to unconditional love from supportive members of their family.
Combining the concept of 13 Going on 30 with 2000s nostalgia, La Rosa’s memorable storytelling is engaging, bringing readers into a world filled with raw emotions, complex relationships, and intricate character development.
Andie and Kit’s second-chance romance follows a slow-burn path that is filled with corrective conversations, healing, and tenderness for each other’s experiences, while the reality-show backdrop provides a contrasting tension.
With relatable storylines about identity, family, and self-worth and endearing characters, this steamy rom-com is a strong debut and a must-have for romance collections.
Hand Marlowe’s debut to readers who love humorous banter, forced-proximity and one-bed tropes, and a couple who support each other through their personal journeys.
Harrow’s breathtaking debut delves deep into the raw emotions of grief and the pure beauty of rediscovering joy in an exquisite tale of second chances, featuring an enemies-to-lovers romance.
In Shepard’s (Sweeten the Deal) latest, Rose and Tom make a charming couple, although their patterns of behavior might not change enough for some readers to fully embrace the second-chance happily-ever-after. It’s the hapless movie star Boyd and his cadre of fan-fiction-writing devotees who will keep readers rooting for this second chance at marital bliss.
With a delightful mix of comedy, loathing, attraction, and seduction, Williams (Just for December) offers an entertaining and engaging romance and endearing characters. Highly recommended for readers who appreciate contemporary romances with second chances, overbearing families, and secret crushes.
This niche cookbook will be of great interest to a specific group of readers and cooks, paranormal activity aficionados and fans of ghostly legends in particular.
Berg delivers on her promise of maximum flavor and minimum fuss with a wonderful assortment of delicious dishes that easily answer the question of what to serve for dinner tonight.
Even with other terrific guides on the subject, such as Priya Krishna’s Indian-ish (which is cited in Shah’s bibliography), cooks will not be able to resist this vivaciously written and vibrantly packaged paean to Indian American culinary mashups.
Highly approachable and friendly to all skill levels, this book fits the bill for anyone who hesitates to prepare meals; a must-have for time-constrained cooks. Essential for every collection.
Readers certainly do not need to be scientists to enjoy this exceptional, well-written book, but it’s an excellent title for people, especially women and people of color, who are considering a career in marine science. This heartfelt story offers insight into both the stresses and excitement that await them.
Even with other outstanding guides on the subject, like Kelly Fields’s The Good Book of Southern Baking and Cheryl Day’sTreasury of Southern Cooking, Byrn’s wise, winning, and wonderful doorstop dive into the recipes and stories that make up the heart and soul of Southern baking is essential.
A lovely book for nature lovers and for readers interested in wilderness exploration and tracking, filled with both reflection and timeless information.
Readers who fell hard for Okorafor’s award-winning Who Fears Death (recently optioned by HBO, with George R.R. Martin at the helm) will be thrilled to read this novel that dives deeply into the backstory of one of the fundamental but mysterious characters in that tale. Those who enjoyed Shadow Speaker will find a story with a similar form but featuring a much-deadlier young woman who defies the rules that are intended to reduce and confine her gifts and her spirit.
Readers will find this an absolutely immersive pleasure to read. Shaffer delivers an unforgettable and nostalgic experience, especially for fans of “The Chronicles of Narnia” by C.S. Lewis or fairy-tale retellings.
Though the unlikable protagonist may discourage some readers, Buchanan’s novel echoes with alluring nostalgia that’s sure to ensnare others to the very end.
Walter’s (Misrule) adoration of the villains in fairy tales once again comes to life in a queer backstory for the witch queen from “Snow White.” Her prose compels readers’ empathy as she builds the richly complex story of a young woman looking to save the one she loves most.
Readers looking for a wild romp of a sci-fi caper story, complete with long games, big plans, wild heists, and epically flirtatious banter, are going to fall in love with Ada Lamarr every bit as much as Agent Rian White does in this first of a projected trilogy from Revis (Museum of Magic). Perfect for fans of Valerie Valdes and Constance Fay.
Marske’s (A Power Unbound) latest may seem low-stakes, but the romantic tropes are delightful, the worldbuilding is vivid, and the cast of characters all lend a hand in creating a cozy fantasy with heat and heart.