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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.

LJ focuses on the most promising debut novels for fall, with titles ranging widely in theme and genre. 

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.

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. 

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.

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

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.

Public and academic libraries alike can benefit from books that draw both browsers and researchers looking for quick facts. Many of the recent and upcoming titles listed offer that versatility, compellingly and factually covering everything from objects carried on the famed Silk Roads to the United States Constitution.

Looking for ways to celebrate Pride Month outside of the parade? Many institutions and organizations have made their projects and collections accessible online, so readers can brush up on their knowledge of queer history. Alternatively, there are an array of films and books that cover topics ranging from the origin of Pride Month to personal queer histories. With this list, readers can discover history that may be new to them in the comfort of their home.

Starred titles reviewed in our June 2022 print issue, spanning mystery and suspense, SF/fantasy, horror, reference, and more.

Essential audiobook titles reviewed in the June 2022 Audio in Depth spotlight. 

To celebrate Pride Month, here are 12 fiction titles featuring queer characters to expand your library's LGBTQIA+ collection.

To celebrate Pride Month, here are 12 nonfiction titles, along with additional resources, to expand your library's LGBTQIA+ collection.

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.

Starred titles reviewed in our May 2022 print issue, spanning audio, mystery and suspense, SF/fantasy, parenting, reference, and more.

With the May 3 news that the U.S. Supreme Court may be poised to reverse Roe v. Wade, which held that pregnant Americans have a constitutional right to choose abortion, readers might be looking for titles addressing the topic to contextualize the issue. Here are five titles, all recently reviewed in LJ.

Librarian Irina Kurylec (Ukrainian Library at the Ukrainian Educational and Cultural Center in Jenkintown, PA) suggests titles in history, political science, graphic novels, poetry, and literature for U.S. library patrons looking to read about the history of Ukraine and recent events in the country.

Essential titles reviewed in our April 2022 print issue, spanning audio, mystery and suspense, SF/fantasy, graphic novels, reference, and more.

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

Essential audiobook titles reviewed in the March 2022 Audio In Depth spotlight.

Olha Aleksic, Jacyk Bibliographer for Ukrainian Collections at Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, suggests the following titles for U.S. library patrons looking to learn more about the history of Ukraine and more recent events.

Essential titles reviewed in our March 2022 print issue, spanning audio, mystery and suspense, SF/fantasy, social sciences, reference, and more.

Essential titles reviewed in our February 2022 print issue, spanning audio, mystery and suspense, SF/fantasy, graphic novels, social sciences, reference, and more.

It’s been 50 years since the release of The Godfather. To mark the occasion, LJ has curated a list of titles that are musts for fans.

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.

Best known for her roles on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and The Golden Girls, Betty White died on December 31, 2021, just before her 100th birthday. Anyone wanting to know more about her remarkable life will enjoy these books.

Essential titles reviewed in our January 2022 print issue, spanning audio, mystery and suspense, SF/fantasy, social sciences, reference, and more.

We caught up with the author-illustrator to get some insight on the creative process and what's next.

Holiday menus, drinks, and food gifts for every palate, whether you're planning dinner for two, cocktails with friends, or a cookie swap. These titles are an excellent source of inspiration to get you through the holidays and beyond, with seasonal options, board style feasts, vegan and gluten-free menus, and more. 

Essential titles reviewed in our December 2021 print issue, spanning graphic novels, mystery and suspense, SF/fantasy, social sciences, reference, and more.

Essential titles reviewed in our November 2021 print issue, spanning mystery and suspense, SF/fantasy, social sciences, reference, audiobooks, and more.

Jeremy Dauber's book sets itself apart, and comics enthusiasts will be enthralled. Douglas Wolk's analysis of Marvel Comics is both a useful introduction and reference guide.

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. 

Essential titles reviewed in our October 2021 print issue, spanning mystery and suspense, SF/fantasy, social sciences, reference, audiobooks, and more.

Librarians are often asked to help patrons with genealogy research; these print titles and online resources will be valuable, whether librarians are experienced with the topic or relative newcomers.

With The Book of Magic, Alice Hoffman's sequel to Practical Magic, coming out in October, now is the perfect time to round up some witchy fiction to get readers in the Halloween mood. Read on for both adult fiction and young adult works with crossover appeal.

The personal finance books most in-demand with readers discuss paying for college, retirement and Social Security, handling money during a crisis, and more.

Books and databases to help those seeking a career change.

LibraryReads and Library Journal offer read-alikes for patrons waiting to read Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney. 

Essential titles reviewed in our September 2021 print issue, spanning mystery and suspense, SF/fantasy, arts and humanities, social sciences, reference, audiobooks, and more.

LibraryReads and Library Journal offer read-alikes for patrons waiting to read A Slow Fire Burning by Paula Hawkins.

LibraryReads and Library Journal offer read-alikes for patrons waiting to read The Noise by James Patterson and J. D. Barker. 

Take one mysterious literary work and embed it inside another, and the result can be greater than the sum of its parts. These complex, riddling novels fully display their authors’ ingenuity and stylistic versatility while providing fiction lovers with a richer, more rewarding reading experience. 

Interested in biographies of Anthony Bourdain? Producer and director Tom Vitale writes a candid account of his longtime friend. Laurie Woolever, Bourdain's longtime assistant, offers a heartfelt retrospective.

Perkins blends personal experiences and pop culture, and will keep readers turning the pages to the very end. Turner examines how three girls from a similar starting place ended up on varying life paths. 

Keisha N. Blain offers a manifesto for anyone committed to social justice. Kate Clifford Larson writes an in-depth portrait of the civil rights activist. 

Key antiracism titles to buy, read, suggest, and host reading conversations around.

LibraryReads and Library Journal offer read-alikes for patrons waiting to read Vortex by Catherine Coulter.

Essential titles reviewed in our August 2021 print issue, spanning mystery and suspense, SF/fantasy, social sciences, reference, audiobooks, and more.

LibraryReads and Library Journal offer read-alikes for patrons waiting to read Devil in Disguise by Lisa Kleypas.

When looking to update a music collection, librarians should consider works that reflect diversity of identity, genre, and experience. The list below can serve as a starting point to ensure that collections convey the contributions of women, especially women of color and queer women. These materials will help ensure that the artists’ legacies remain intact, that their voices are not silenced, and that future generations will recognize their achievements.

LibraryReads and Library Journal offer read-alikes for patrons waiting to read Black Ice by Brad Thor. 

Whether your volunteer gardening goals are motivated by Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) guidelines or more relaxed recreational interests, the following titles should address the fundamentals of establishing a broad range of projects, both large and small.

The horror books most in-demand with readers are from Josh Malerman, Sam J. Miller, Cynthia Pelayo, Clay McLeod Chapman, and Evie Green.

Build your library’s collection of resources about aging with this list, including popular science titles about biogerontology and longevity; memoirs; sociological and anthropological studies of aging around the world; reference books; and podcasts.

LibraryReads and Library Journal offer read-alikes for patrons waiting to read The Cellist by Daniel Silva.

Even after Pride month, it’s important to ensure that your library’s collection includes titles that feature LGBTQ characters. Additionally, as manga’s popularity skyrockets and demand increases, so too will the need for inclusive books in the genre. Here are six manga that star characters of diverse sexualities.

Essential titles reviewed in our July 2021 print issue, spanning mystery & suspense, fiction, social sciences, audiobooks, and more.

LibraryReads and Library Journal offer read-alikes for patrons waiting for Golden Girl by Elin Hilderbrand.

Essential titles reviewed in our June 2021 print issue, spanning mystery & suspense, horror, graphic novels, fiction, social sciences, and more.

Curious about the trees in your backyard, neighborhood, or region? Learn more, whether from a guide by the National Audubon Society, a memoir by Suzanne Simard, or a natural history by Peter Wohlleben.

These selections, both memoirs and sociological reflections, spanning everything from dating to parenting, identity to self-acceptance, are perfect suggestions for Pride Month and all year round.

Royals. Will our hunger to know more about their lives ever be sated? These titles should more than fulfill a desire to learn more about what it means to live the life of a royal.

Build your collection of manga in translation, with this list of recent and backlist manga titles in a variety of genres that will be of interest to adult audiences.

The cookbooks most in-demand with readers are by Ina Garten, Michael Greger, Jamie Oliver, Martha Stewart, and Claire Saffitz.

Book time outside with these guides to hiking, birding, and other ways to spend time in the great outdoors.

Novels highlighting war, identity, and the power of literature in the Middle East and beyond.

Essential titles reviewed in our May 2021 print issue, spanning mystery & suspense, SF/fantasy, romance, fiction, social sciences, and more.

For over 75 years, the librarians of CODES have annually selected the best books to share with readers and add to collections. Here, five members, representing various committees, celebrate a few of the many excellent reads showcased across the 2020 award lists.

The biographies and memoirs most in demand by readers are from Barack Obama, Bob Woodward, Michael Cohen, Matthew McConaughey, and Jerry Seinfeld.

William C. Kashatus writes an essential work on the Underground Railroad. Dorothy Wickenden fills a gap in the telling of women's and abolitionist history.

Essential titles reviewed in our April 2021 print issue, spanning mystery & suspense, sf/fantasy, romance, graphic novels, horror, fiction, social sciences, and more.

Build collections about hip-hop, spanning scholarship, poetry, memoir, and photography, with an eye to representing national and global perspectives and an intergenerational group of authors.

Take pleasure in these fiction picks about gardens and flowers, from the likes of Virginia Woolf and Jessica Francis Kane.

Erling Kagge uncovers what motivates people to walk. Antonia Malchik considers how the United States lost its pedestrian roots. Leslie Carol Roberts chronicles experiences of walking in changing landscapes. 

Thomas Dyja writes an engaging social history of New York. Jelly-Schapiro's entertaining book draws attention to how places are named. The latest by Craig Taylor will delight armchair travelers.

Veteran authors and newcomers deliver exemplary new fiction about the lives of women.

Among the books most in-demand by mystery readers are new entries in long-running series by Janet Evanovich, Louise Penny, and J. D. Robb.

LJ’s thrice-yearly list of debut novels showcases premise and promise. Herewith 50 titles to watch for and savor.

In Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex, Mary Roach examines the science of human sexuality. LJ caught up with Roach ahead of the publication of her new book, Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law.

Build popular science collections that support the scientific inquiries of non-scientists, with titles that will hold the interest of the layperson without sacrificing nuance or accuracy.

In coming months, cozy mysteries will make room for millennial and Gen Z sleuths; travel on pause drives reader desire for far-off settings; and readers can revisit familiar favorites in new titles and formats.

Essential titles reviewed in our March 2021 print issue, spanning mystery & suspense, sf/fantasy, romance, fiction, self-help, social sciences, science and technology, and more.

Trent Preszler uncovers family heirlooms in Little and Often. Paris Without Her by Gregory Curtis explores the depths of grief. Lorenzo Carcaterra's Three Dreamers is a reflective story of family.

Take pleasure in the joy of making something nourishing and the comfort of convivial authorial company with these go-to cookbooks from the likes of Ina Garten and Edna Lewis.

Build dimensional and complete collections with these essential titles that recognize African American history as intertwined with U.S. history and provide intersectional context to lived experiences.

The books most in-demand by parenting readers are about anxiety, social media, toxic masculinity, and multiracial identity.

Complementing LJ’s “Books and Authors To Know: Titles To Watch 2021,” which focuses on fiction and nonfiction, the nearly 100 key poetry titles featured here represent some of the most important and dynamic writing being done today. 

Librarians and LJ editors suggest the spring books collection development and readers’ advisory librarians will want to know, read, share, and buy.

Essential titles reviewed in our February 2021 print issue, spanning mystery & suspense, sf/fantasy, romance, graphic novels, parenting, fiction, social sciences, and more.

Beware the charming, social-climbing sociopath! These murderous Machiavellians are a gift to suspense fiction, as they stop at nothing in their ruthless pursuit of success.

Build collections and help patrons with these key titles for mourning as a family and starting difficult conversations around death.

Winter Reads: Six big titles that will light up the darkest days of the year from Olga Grushin, Jane Smiley, and more.

Emily Levesque discusses her path to astronomy. Jo Marchant considers our stars and skies. Sarah Stewart Johnson explores the history of Mars.

Essential titles and great reads in our January 2021 print issue, spanning mystery & suspense, sf/fantasy, horror, romance, audiobooks, nonfiction, and more. 

The following curated list of memoirs and documentaries should appeal to budding cooks and culinary experts, as well as armchair travelers and globetrotters.

COVID-19 has shaken up the sff publishing landscape, from who does the work to how and when, as well as what readers want and what themes authors address. We highlight the latest trends.

Issac J. Bailey writes a powerful call to action. Kimberly Drew & Jenna Wortham compile writing and artwork around Black lives. Kenya Hunt tells how Black women survive and thrive.

Ijeoma Oluo's words will resonate with all ready to look inward and enact change. Connor Towne O'Neill writes a powerful meditation on collective memory. Ty Seidule shows how history informs our present.

It's hard to keep up with the books published about President Donald Trump and his administration. Here are a few titles published in the past two years to help readers understand the controversies and events that impacted the Trump Administration.