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Heart Bones by Colleen Hoover is the top holds title of the week. LibraryReads and Library Journal offer read-alikes for patrons waiting to read this buzziest book.

Hiking, biking, Disney World, and the urban wild—these are the 20 titles library patrons are seeking.

Georgie, All Along by Kate Clayborn is the top holds title of the week. LibraryReads and Library Journal offer read-alikes for patrons waiting to read this buzziest book.

The Cabinet of Dr. Leng by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child is the top holds title of the week. LibraryReads and Library Journal offer read-alikes for patrons waiting to read this buzziest book.

Spare by Prince Harry is the top holds title of the week. LibraryReads and Library Journal offer read-alikes for patrons waiting to read this buzziest book.

Without a Trace by Danielle Steel is the top holds title of the week. LibraryReads and Library Journal offer read-alikes for patrons waiting to read this buzziest book.

Into the West by Mercedes Lackey is the top holds title of the week. LibraryReads and Library Journal offer read-alikes for patrons waiting to read this buzziest book.

Stella Maris by Cormac McCarthy is the top holds title of the week. LibraryReads and Library Journal offer read-alikes for patrons waiting to read this buzziest book.

A World of Curiosities by Louise Penny (Minotaur: St. Martin's, LJ starred review) is the top holds title of the week. LibraryReads and Library Journal offer read-alikes for patrons waiting to read this buzziest book.

The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times by Michelle Obama (Crown) is the top holds title of the week. LibraryReads and Library Journal offer read-alikes for patrons waiting to read this buzziest book.

From the earliest days of the novel, works of fiction have attempted to pass themselves off as nonfiction. These fictional works all imitate that most popular form of nonfiction, true crime.

Featuring witches, magic, time twists, and more, these are the 20 SFF titles that library patrons are seeking.

Desert Star, by Michael Connelly (Little, Brown; LJ starred review), is the top holds title of the week. LibraryReads and Library Journal offer read-alikes for patrons waiting to read this buzziest book.

Going Rogue, by Janet Evanovich (Atria), is the top holds title of the week. LibraryReads and Library Journal offer read-alikes for patrons waiting to read this buzziest book.

No Plan B, by Lee Child & Andrew Child (Delacorte), is the top holds title of the week. LibraryReads and Library Journal offer read-alikes for patrons waiting to read this buzziest book.

It Starts with Us, by Colleen Hoover (Atria), is the top holds title of the week. LibraryReads and Library Journal offer read-alikes for patrons waiting to read this buzziest book.

Perfect for the spooky reading season, these novels feature evil spirits that refuse to stay dead, as well as the people they’ve decided to torment.

Long Shadows, by David Baldacci (Grand Central), is the top holds title of the week. LibraryReads and Library Journal offer read-alikes for patrons waiting to read this buzziest book.

From witches falling in love to classics getting romantic retakes, the upcoming season offers many titles to add to TBR piles with many happily-ever-afters in store for readers.

Our Missing Hearts, by Celeste Ng (Penguin Pr.; LJ starred review), is the top holds title of the week. LibraryReads and Library Journal offer read-alikes for patrons waiting to read this buzziest book.

Fall books bring new treasures to readers, but among all the new, it can be pure pleasure to revisit the old, re-reading past favorites.

Celebrate spooky season with these new titles featuring witches.

The Winners, by Fredrik Backman (Atria), is the top holds title of the week. LibraryReads and Library Journal offer read-alikes for patrons waiting to read this buzziest book.

The Bullet That Missed, by Richard Osman (Pamela Dorman: Viking), is the top holds title of the week. LibraryReads and Library Journal offer read-alikes for patrons waiting to read this buzziest book.

Addressing baking, making dinner, planning snacks, and more, these are the 20 titles library patrons are seeking.

Oath of Loyalty, by Vince Flynn and Kyle Mills (Atria/Emily Bestler Books), is the top holds title of the week. LibraryReads and Library Journal offer read-alikes for patrons waiting to read this buzziest book.

Fairy Tale, by Stephen King (Scribner), is the top holds title of the week. LibraryReads and Library Journal offer read-alikes for patrons waiting to read this buzziest book.

Carrie Soto Is Back, by Taylor Jenkins Reid (Ballantine; LJ starred review), is the top holds title of the week. LibraryReads and Library Journal offer read-alikes for patrons waiting to read this buzziest book.

Fox Creek, by William Kent Krueger (Atria; LJ starred review), is the top holds title of the week. LibraryReads and Library Journal offer read-alikes for patrons waiting to read this buzziest book.

Overkill, by Sandra Brown (Grand Central), is the top holds title of the week. LibraryReads and Library Journal offer read-alikes for patrons waiting to read this buzziest book.

Like the graphic novel series from which is it adapted, Netflix’s The Sandman delivers a cast of complex characters in a richly developed world that blends elements of dark fantasy, horror, and mythology. Here are a few series, graphic novels, and novels sure to satisfy fans hankering for stories in a similar vein.

When the summer days are long and hot, and readers are busy running between neighborhood block parties and backyard barbecues, cooking up a delicious seasonal meal may be at the bottom of the to-do list. However, summer is the perfect time to take advantage of bountiful fresh, local produce and cooking methods beyond the stovetop and oven. These suggestions will help readers slow down, eat well, and enjoy the simplest of summer pleasures.

The Family Remains, by Lisa Jewell (Atria), is the top holds title of the week. LibraryReads and Library Journal offer read-alikes for patrons waiting to read this buzziest book.

The last few years have seen people looking inward in a deeper, more personal way, while they also look outward, striving to change the social landscape. To this end, readers can anticipate a new crop of great novels for curling up with and cookbooks to tempt them back into the warmth of the kitchen, but there are also books that make readers question notions of home and where they fit in the world. 

This season offers illuminating and transformative reads: from nonfiction books that turn the volume up on underrepresented voices to novels that spotlight seasoned sleuths. Here the LJ Reviews editors highlight just some of the books we are suggesting to one another and fellow readers in the last half of 2022.

Black Dog, by Stuart Woods (Putnam), is the top holds title of the week. LibraryReads and Library Journal offer read-alikes for patrons waiting to read this buzziest book.

The Last To Vanish, by Megan Miranda (Scribner/Marysue Rucci Books), is the top holds title of the week. LibraryReads and Library Journal offer read-alikes for patrons waiting to read this buzziest book.

From TV to film, the Gilded Age is all the rage. The following novels illuminate multiple facets of the luxurious—though not-so-golden—era.

Portrait of an Unknown Woman, by Daniel Silva (Harper), is the top holds title of the week (7/18/22). LibraryReads and Library Journal offer read-alikes for patrons waiting to read this buzziest book.

The sports and recreation books most in-demand with readers cover basketball, hiking, baseball, golf, and more.

The It Girl, by Ruth Ware (Scout; LJ starred review), is the top holds title of the week. LibraryReads and Library Journal offer read-alikes for patrons waiting to read this buzziest book.

New key authors are taking possession of the genre by claiming old tropes and making them new; small presses are making huge waves; and the voices of marginalized authors are creating change and energy.

Suspects by Danielle Steel is the top holds title of the week. LibraryReads and Library Journal offer read-alikes for patrons waiting to read this buzziest book.

A bit oddly for an undertaking that demands working with one’s hands, gardening turns out to be a wonderful pastime on TV, and, less surprisingly, within the pages of books, where writers such as Jane Austen and William Shakespeare have set scenes in gardens. The following books celebrate the TV-ness of gardening, four written by garden TV hosts and one by a TikTok star.

The House Across the Lake, by Riley Sager (Dutton), is the top holds title of the week. LibraryReads and Library Journal offer read-alikes for patrons waiting to read this buzziest book.

The Hotel Nantucket, by Elin Hilderbrand (Little, Brown), is the top holds title of the week (6/13/22). LibraryReads and Library Journal offer read-alikes for patrons waiting to read this buzziest book.

The Woman in the Library, by Sulari Gentill (Poisoned Pen; LJ starred review), is the top holds title of the week (6/6/22). LibraryReads and Library Journal offer read-alikes for patrons waiting to read this buzziest book.

Sparring Partners, by John Grisham (Doubleday), is the top holds title of the week (5/30/22). LibraryReads and Library Journal offer read-alikes for patrons waiting to read this buzziest book.

These books were selected by LJ reviewers and editors as titles of particular note in the June 2022 issue of the magazine. Along with all the starred reviews in the June issue, these are essential titles to know, buy, suggest, and read.

Nightwork by Nora Roberts is the top holds title of the week (5/23/22). LibraryReads and Library Journal offer read-alikes for patrons waiting to read this buzziest book.

A picnic book is as essential as a blanket, for reading outdoors is a sublime pleasure that spring invites with blossoms and bright blue skies. Just as what fills a picnic hamper or take-out bag is customizable and endless in its variety, so too are reading choices. Here are a few suggestions based on form.

Something Wilder by Christina Lauren (Gallery) is the top holds title of the week (5/16/22). LibraryReads and Library Journal offer read-alikes for patrons waiting to read this buzziest book.

The Summer Place by Jennifer Weiner (Atria) is the top holds title of the week (5/9/22). LibraryReads and Library Journal offer read-alikes for patrons waiting to read this buzziest book.

These four books were selected by LJ reviewers and editors as titles of particular note in the May 2022 issue of the magazine. Along with all the starred reviews of the May issue, these are essential titles to know, buy, suggest, and read.

LibraryReads and Library Journal offer read-alikes for patrons waiting to read Book Lovers by Emily Henry.

LibraryReads and Library Journal offer read-alikes for patrons waiting to read City on Fire by Don Winslow.

Climate fiction often spans speculative fiction, literary fiction, fantasy, and eco-fiction as it addresses topics such as carbon emissions, vanishing species, and global warming. However, cli-fi seems virtually limitless in its scope, subjects, and approaches, as these novels of lyrical observation, loss, and wonder illustrate.

LibraryReads and Library Journal offer read-alikes for patrons waiting to read Dream Town by David Baldacci.

LibraryReads and Library Journal offer read-alikes for patrons waiting to read The Investigator (Letty Davenport, Bk. 1) by John Sandford.

LibraryReads and Library Journal offer read-alikes for patrons waiting to read Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel.

LibraryReads and Library Journal offer read-alikes for patrons waiting to read What Happened to the Bennetts by Lisa Scottoline.

The sea has fascinated authors throughout time. Popular fiction genres from domestic fiction to wartime novels involve a profusion of pelagic topics and themes.

LibraryReads and Library Journal offer read-alikes for patrons waiting to read The Recovery Agent by Janet Evanovich.

Readers’ Advisory + Reader Engagement = Reader Services for Our Times.

LibraryReads and Library Journal offer read-alikes for patrons waiting to read The Match by Harlan Coben.

LibraryReads and Library Journal offer read-alikes for patrons waiting to read Run, Rose, Run by Dolly Parton & James Patterson.

An always popular genre, crime fiction continues to grow and evolve, keeping its core readership solidly engaged but also attracting new readers. In our 2022 preview, looking at books publishing through the fall, we have found that storytelling is king, across subgenres, as authors build cases with even more attention to characterization, with a character’s psyche, family, and motivations all powering the story. Already popular cozies—light, nearly violence-free mysteries—are going strong.

Wondering if a book is a cozy? Take this quick quiz, and give yourself five points for every time you answer "yes."

Beth Kava has been reading mysteries her entire life. During her long career as a history teacher, she engaged students by helping them think of past events as mysteries to be investigated. She is currently a volunteer in her community and president of the White Plains Library (NY) Foundation, helping to support a library with, among many riches, an ever-enticing section of mysteries. She’s a member of three book groups— including the library’s crime fiction group, Book ‘Em— and her reading choices are eclectic and far-ranging.

LibraryReads and Library Journal offer read-alikes for patrons waiting to read Hook, Line, and Sinker by Tessa Bailey.

LibraryReads and Library Journal offer read-alikes for patrons waiting to read The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley.

LibraryReads and Library Journal offer read-alikes for patrons waiting to read House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J. Maas.

These novels use a fractured narrative style to represent the interior struggles of modern-day lovers.

LibraryReads and Library Journal offer read-alikes for patrons waiting to read Abandoned in Death by J.D. Robb.

In its third annual books preview, LJ presents 445 titles in fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, with the titles revealing strong parallels in how writers across genres are approaching our turbulent world.

Cookbooks focusing on specific locales, travelers unmoored in time, reboots and sequels taking center stage, historical mysteries, and romance: This season offers illuminating, fun, and transporting reads. Here the LJ Reviews team highlights just some of the books we are suggesting to one another and fellow readers in 2022.

LibraryReads and Library Journal offer read-alikes for patrons waiting to read A Game Of Fear by Charles Todd.

LibraryReads and Library Journal offer read-alikes for patrons waiting to read The Magnolia Palace by Fiona Davis.

Including fiction, nonfiction, and reference, these 20 graphic works focus on Black lives and voices.

LibraryReads and Library Journal offer read-alikes for patrons waiting to read One Step Too Far by Lisa Gardner.

Readers who love both science and fiction but not necessarily science fiction should find much to enjoy in these thought-provoking literary works that dramatize the challenges and rewards of real-life scientific inquiry.

LibraryReads and Library Journal offer read-alikes for patrons waiting to read The Last House on the Street by Diane Chamberlain.

LibraryReads and Library Journal offer read-alikes for patrons waiting to read Invisible by Danielle Steel.

LibraryReads and Library Journal offer read-alikes for patrons waiting to read The Ballerinas by Rachel Kapelke-Dale.

The Reaching Across Illinois Library System (RAILS) BIPOC Library Workers Group share favorite titles from the year.

LibraryReads and Library Journal offer read-alikes for patrons waiting to read Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult.

Late fall may seem the wrong time to read gardening books, but it is actually ideal. The following titles, devoted to growing beautiful plants indoors and out, will inspire wintertime dreams of spring and summer gardens to come and keep interior landscapes bright and glowing through chilly days.

LibraryReads and Library Journal offer read-alikes for patrons waiting to read Mercy by David Baldacci.

LibraryReads and Library Journal offer read-alikes for patrons waiting to read The Dark Hours by Michael Connelly.

Ben Cox and Scott Barbour, sff experts at Cuyahoga County Public Library, OH, share tips for working with readers, building collections, and promoting the genres.

Fonda Lee, author of the “Green Bone Saga,” deftly spans science fiction and fantasy. She talks with LJ about the connections and divergences in sff, martial arts, and the authors who inspire her.

This edition of LJ’s thrice-yearly list of top debut novels focuses on the winter season, including a few late 2021 titles and stretching to March 2022. They are all promising titles, with eight especially intriguing offerings highlighted. 

All the April 2022 Prepub Alerts in one place, plus a downloadable spreadsheet and a print-ready PDF of all posts.

LibraryReads and Library Journal offer read-alikes for patrons waiting to read Game On: Tempting Twenty-Eight by Janet Evanovich.

Catherine Sheldrick Ross died on September 11. Professor, dean, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, she was a renowned library and information scholar. She leaves a legacy of research and publications critical to reader, reference, and public services.

LibraryReads and Library Journal offer read-alikes for patrons waiting to read Better Off Dead by Lee Child & Andrew Child.

LibraryReads and Library Journal offer read-alikes for patrons waiting to read The Judge’s List by John Grisham. 

Body horror has been a staple of the horror genre starting as far back as Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. The fear of damage to one’s body and the transformation or destruction of one’s wholeness or identity are features of this subgenre, where the focus is the violation of the human body. It can range from beautiful and haunting to an absolute gore fest. Many contemporary titles incorporate aspects of body horror so readily that sometimes it is taken for granted, but these selections put those elements of the storytelling front and center.

LibraryReads and Library Journal offer read-alikes for patrons waiting to read State of Terror by Louise Penny and Hillary Rodham Clinton. 

The romance genre continues to be strong. LJ spoke to industry experts and looked at upcoming releases from publishers of all sizes, noting that witches, reality TV plots, and books featuring food competitions are trending upward. Contemporary-set romances featuring a wide range of lived experiences are available both as stand-alone novels or as part of continuing series, while a variety of historical settings mean that readers who want love stories set in the past will have plenty to choose from.