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Longlists are selected for the Reading the West Awards. Finalists are revealed for the Compton Crook Award, for best debut sci-fi, fantasy, or horror novel. Isabel Allende receives the Bodley Medal for her contributions to literature. Giada Scodellaro’s Ruins, Child wins the Novel Prize. Publishing Perspectives analyzes the longlists for the UK Carnegie Medals for children’s books and finds a trend of books about masculinity. Plus, Page to Screen and interviews with Helen Fielding, Charlamagne Tha God, and Charlotte Wood.

Winners of the Society of Authors Translation Prize, the Albertine Translation Prize, and the Westminster Book Awards are revealed. A shortlist is announced for the Athenaeum Literary Award for books from and about Philadelphia. Authors Against Book Bans successfully prevents a book ban in a Florida school district. Plus, a reexamination of the work of Janet Malcolm, interviews with Joe Piscopo and Brigitte Giraud, and new title bestsellers.

Readers can’t get enough of romantasy, so stock the shelves with these binge-worthy genre blends.

The morally gray, villainous characters in these stories are sure to find their way into readers’ hearts. 

Zooming in on titles publishing in the next several months, LJ’s Reviews editors explore the many appeals of genre fiction, especially focused on series titles (likely because they multiply the delights of character and setting). Also on our reading lists is a swath of issue-focused and expansive nonfiction, with books that draw attention to contemporary needs and offer historical context.

We All Live Here by Jojo Moyes is the top holds title of the week. LibraryReads and Library Journal offer read-alikes for patrons waiting to read this buzziest book.

Margaret Atwood announces she will publish a memoir, The Book of Lives, in November. The Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction longlist and the Gwen Harwood Poetry Prize shortlist are announced. LibraryReads and LJ offer read-alikes for top holds title We All Live Here by Jojo Moyes. Barbara Hoffert previews a year of titles to watch for LJ. Plus, Amy Adams will star in and produce the Apple TV+ series Cape Fear, based on John D. MacDonald’s novel The Executioners.

As the new year steams into action, the book season gets in full gear as well, greeting spring, summer, and fall with a long list of titles worth noting. From fiction that focuses on a range of contemporary concerns, to nonfiction reminding us that the past is always prologue, to poetry that summons attention, these are works to know, share, and read.

The 10th-anniversary edition of The Nightingale by patron favorite Kristin Hannah releases next week. The attempted-murder trial of the man accused of stabbing Salman Rushdie onstage in 2022 begins. AAP, IPA, and other groups release a joint statement on AI and copyright. Macmillan CEO Jon Yaged warns about the dangers of banning books. Plus, Thomas Ray’s novella Silencer will be adapted for the big screen.

Vanessa Miller is a bestselling, award-winning author and playwright. Her writing has been centered on themes of redemption and books about strong Black women in pivotal moments of history. Her latest novel, The Filling Station, tells the story of the horrific 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre from the perspective of two young sisters.

We All Live Here by Jojo Moyes leads holds this week. Also getting buzz are titles by Anne Tyler, Brynne Weaver, B.K. Borison, James Patterson and James O. Born, and Heather Fawcett. People’s book of the week is Memorial Days: A Memoir by Geraldine Brooks. The March Indie Next preview is out, featuring #1 pick Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy. Grove Atlantic will launch the new Atlantic Crime imprint this fall. Novelist Tom Robbins has died at the age of 92.

Penguin issues new “First Impressions” editions of Jane Austen with refreshed covers, meant to appeal to young readers, romance fans, and “the BookTok demographic.” The Waterstones Children’s Book Prize shortlist is revealed. Poets & Writers reflects on 20 years of its annual celebration of debut poets. Spotify adds audiobooks from Crooked Lane and Podium. Plus, Page to Screen and new novels from Ian McEwan and John Irving.

The winners of the UK PEN Translates Awards are announced. Notes to John, Joan Didion’s diary from 1999, will be published by Knopf. Literary organizations release a joint statement decrying the Trump administration’s anti-trans executive order. Plus, a new horror novel from Nick Medina, interviews with Sarah Chihaya, Elinor Lipman, and Alton Brown, and new title bestsellers.

Mary’s story is a dangerous and delightful adventure that turns the bigotry and misogyny of Victorian England on its head as she takes charge of her own life and rescues everyone with the help of her friends. Highly recommended for readers caught up in the recent trend of feminist retellings of well-known tales.

Another winner from Jimenez. Readers won’t be able to put down this laugh-out-loud funny romance and will be cheering for Samantha and Xavier even when the chips are stacked against them.

One needn’t have read the previous books in the series to enjoy this installment, but don’t be surprised if readers want to go back and see what they missed. Come for the historical Parisian setting and mystery, stay for the food and wine.

In 1926, Carter G. Woodson envisioned a weeklong commemoration to increase awareness of Black history and culture. In the 1960s, protests against racial injustice helped make it into a monthlong celebration, but the U.S. didn’t formally recognize Black History Month until 1976. This list spotlights collective and individual aspects of Black history and experience. 

The year in audio celebrates stories that prove as timeless as Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and as modern as Kaveh Akbar’s Martyr!, each a testament to the pure joy of being read a story. 

The best videos released on DVD/Blu-ray in 2024 offer a wide sweep of feature films and documentaries, including one originally made in 1941 and many more just recently created. From an upbeat look at the future to a dramatic consideration of Vatican politics, these films highlight just how illuminating on-screen stories can be.

The best videos released on DVD/Blu-ray in 2024 offer a wide sweep of feature films and documentaries, including one originally made in 1941 and many more just recently created. From an upbeat look at the future to a dramatic consideration of Vatican politics, these films highlight just how illuminating on-screen stories can be.

Deep End 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.

The PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction longlist is announced. LJ reveals the Best Media of 2024. Reese Witherspoon selects Isola by Allegra Goodman for her February book club. Jessica Soffer’s This Is a Love Story gets a four-star review from USA Today. LibraryReads and LJ offer read-alikes for top holds title Deep End by Ali Hazelwood. Forthcoming memoirs from Christie Brinkley, Debbie Gibson, and Christine Brown Woolley gather buzz. PEN America releases the Banned Books List 2025, while the Big Five U.S. publishers sue Idaho over book-removal language in House Bill (HB) 710.

Titles not to miss across fiction, nonfiction, graphic novels, and audio.

The Libby Book Awards finalists are announced. Mac Barnett is named U.S. National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature. You Are Here: Poetry in the Natural World, ed. by Ada Limón, is the 2025 Seattle Reads pick. February book club picks include This Is a Love Story by Jessica Soffer (Read with Jenna and B&N), Junie by Erin Crosby Eckstine (GMA), and Blob: A Love Story by Maggie Su (Amazon’s Sarah Selects). Clarkson Potter plans to reissue Martha Stewart’s 1982 book Entertaining, after it finds appeal with a new audience. Mat Youkee’s forthcoming Forty Days in the Jungle will be adapted for the big screen. Plus, authors weigh in on the pros and cons of blurbing.

Deep End by Ali Hazelwood leads holds this week. Also getting buzz are titles by J.D. Robb, Tessa Bailey, Jonathan Kellerman, Pam Jenoff, and Bill Gates. Jimmy Carter wins a posthumous Grammy for the audiobook Last Sundays in Plains. Finalists for the Gotham Book Prize are announced. Audiofile announces the February 2025 Earphones Award winners. This month’s Read with Jenna pick is Jessica Soffer’s This Is a Love Story. People’s book of the week is Too Soon by Betty Shamieh. Plus, February booklists arrive.