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Heart Lamp: Selected Stories by Banu Mushtaq wins the International Booker Prize, marking the first time a story collection has won the award. Sasha Vasilyuk wins the Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature for her debut novel, Your Presence Is Mandatory. The Society of Authors’ Awards shortlists are announced, along with the Romantic Novel of the Year Awards winners. Several major newspapers recently published an AI-generated summer reading list featuring fake titles. LibraryReads and LJ offer read-alikes for top holds title Nightshade by Michael Connelly. Plus, Quentin Tarantino will release books on three of his films.

Ann Cleeves reveals that her next Vera Stanhope book will be the last. Kevin Quigley, Kaitlynne Lowe, Sarah Moore, and Brianna Wolfe win the Donner Prize for Seized by Uncertainty: The Markets, Media, and Special Interests That Shaped Canada’s Response to COVID-19. Publishers Lunch’s Fall/Winter Fiction Buzz Panel is available to watch now. NYT catches up with “The Dresden Files” series author Jim Butcher after 25 years and 14 million books sold. Sourcebooks will publish new editions of Claire Legrand’s “Empirium” trilogy for adult readers. Plus, HBO Max’s It prequel, Welcome to Derry, gets a trailer today.

Nightshade by Michael Connelly leads holds this week. Also in demand are titles by Katherine Center, Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson, and Rachel Gillig. Haruki Murakami wins the Center for Fiction’s Lifetime of Excellence in Fiction Award. The Gotham Book Prize winners are announced, including Paradise Bronx: The Life and Times of New York’s Greatest Borough by Ian Frazier and Movement: New York’s Long War To Take Back Its Streets from the Car by Nicole Gelinas. Finalists for the Orwell Prizes are announced. People’s book of the week is Whistle by Linwood Barclay. Plus, June’s LibraryReads list is out, featuring top pick The Listeners by Maggie Stiefvater.

Yasmin Zaher’s The Coin wins the Dylan Thomas Prize. Carys Davies’s Clear wins the Ondaatje Prize. Paul Reitter wins the Helen & Kurt Wolff Translator’s Prize for his translation of Marx’s Capital: Critique of Political Economy, Vol. 1. The Atlantic publishes its 2025 summer reading guide. Film studio Somesuch launches its own book imprint. Netflix is adapting S.A. Cosby’s All the Sinners Bleed as a series. Plus, Page to Screen and a Time magazine feature on Taylor Jenkins Reid.

The mission of the California State Railroad Museum (CSRM) in Sacramento, CA, is to collect, preserve, and share the deep history of railroads and railroading in California and the rest of the western United States. The organization is also home to a large 19th-century reconstruction of a railroad station and railroad depot, with a still-functional train that gives tours to patrons.

Abi Daré’s And So I Roar wins the inaugural Climate Fiction Prize. Winners of the Commonwealth Short Story Prize are announced. Don Winslow comes out of retirement to publish a new collection of crime novellas, The Final Score. Reese Witherspoon and Harlan Coben team up to write a thriller. Joe Sacco suggests that The Once and Future Riot could be his last work of graphic nonfiction, a genre he pioneered. Iranian novelist Nahid Rachlin has died at age 85. Plus, new title bestsellers and interviews with Prabal Gurung, Daniel Kehlmann, Wendy Corsi Staub, and Michelle Young.

UPDATE: On May 13, Judge John J. McConnell Jr. issued a sweeping preliminary injunction blocking Trump administration officials from acting on the March 14 executive order to dismantle the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS). Furthermore, the court ordered the administration to immediately takes steps to restore the agency’s employees and grant funding activities.

Oprah selects Ocean Vuong’s novel The Emperor of Gladness for her book club. LA Times previews 30 books for summer. Audible opens AI narration to selected publishers. Original Sin by Jake Tapper & Alex Thompson gets buzz. LibraryReads and LJ offer read-alikes for top holds title Marble Hall Murders by Anthony Horowitz. Jeanine Cummins publishes a new novel, Speak to Me of Home, five years after the American Dirt controversy. LitHub celebrates 100 years of Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway. PW reports on the situation at Library of Congress. Plus, a federal judge orders the IMLS to be restored.

From Words and Money: On May 13, federal judge John G. McConnell in Rhode Island issued a sweeping preliminary injunction blocking Trump administration officials from acting on the president’s March 14 executive order to dismantle the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS). Furthermore, the court ordered the administration to immediately takes steps to restore the agency’s employees and grant funding activities.

The British Book Awards are announced; Percival Everett is named Author of the Year and his book James wins Fiction Book of the Year; Patriot by Alexei Navalny wins Overall Book of the Year and best narrative nonfiction book; Margaret Atwood laments the threat to words as she accepts the Freedom To Publish Prize. The PEN America Literary Awards winners are announced, along with shortlists for the Arthur C. Clarke Award and Wales’s Book of the Year. HarperVia will launch a pocket-sized paperbacks imprint, Nomad Editions, in November. Plus, Trump names an acting librarian of Congress.

President Donald Trump has fired Librarian of Congress Dr. Carla Hayden. In a two-sentence email obtained by the Associated Press, sent on the evening of Thursday, May 8, Deputy Director of Presidential Personnel Trent Morse wrote, “Carla, on behalf of President Donald J. Trump, I am writing to inform you that your position as the Librarian of Congress is terminated effective immediately. Thank you for your service.”

Marble Hall Murders by Anthony Horowitz leads holds this week. Also in demand are titles by Danielle L. Jensen, Ocean Vuong, Carl Hiaasen, and Ron Chernow. Seven LibraryReads and six Indie Next picks publish this week. People’s book of the week is The Red House by Mary Morris. Plus, June’s Indie Next preview is out, featuring #1 pick Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab.

Trump has fired Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden. Winners of the Vermont Book Awards, winners of the Sarton and Gilda Women’s Book Awards, and shortlists for the UK Booksellers Association’s Indie Book Awards are announced. They Came for the Schools by Mike Hixenbaugh wins the NYPL’s Helen Bernstein Book Award for Excellence in Journalism. Frank Herbert posthumously wins the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association’s Infinity Award. Plus, Page to Screen and interviews with Jennifer Hope Choi, Rachel Cockerell, Hamilton Nolan, and Jean Grae.

Finalists are announced for the Amazon Canada First Novel Award and the Trillium Book Awards for writers from Ontario, Canada. Margaret Atwood wins the Griffin Poetry Prize Lifetime Recognition Award. Carley Fortune recommends high-stakes romances. Plus, new title bestsellers and interviews with José Andrés, the hosts of the podcast We Can Do Hard Things, and Brendan Slocumb.

The Otherwise Award winners are announced. NYT explores the unusual process of awarding this year’s Pulitzer Prize for Fiction to Percival Everett’s James. My Friends by Fredrik Backman is B&N’s May book club pick, while Good Housekeeping selects Immaculate Conception by Ling Ling Huang. Baltimore romantasy festival A Million Lives is dubbed the “Fyre Fest of books.” Dua Lipa’s book club and author interviews earn high praise. LibraryReads and LJ offer read-alikes for top holds title The Tenant by Freida McFadden. Vanity Fair provides a first look at the adaptation of Stephen King’s The Long Walk. Andy West’s prison memoir The Life Inside will be adapted at BBC. Plus, Practical Magic 2 gets a release date.

The Pulitzer Prizes are announced, with James by Percival Everett winning the top prize in fiction. Combee by Edda L. Fields-Black, Native Nations by Kathleen DuVal, Every Living Thing by Jason Roberts, New and Selected Poems by Marie Howe, Feeding Ghosts by Tessa Hulls, and To the Success of Our Hopeless Cause by Benjamin Nathans also win Pulitzer Prizes. Earlyword’s May GalleyChat spreadsheet is out now. The Original Daughter by Jemimah Wei is the May GMA book club pick. Diana Gabaldon’s 10th and final Outlander book will be titled A Blessing for a Warrior Going Out.

“I’ve shaken hundreds of new immigrants’ hands to welcome them to become new citizens,” says Wang-Ying Glasgow, who hosts naturalization ceremonies at the library as one of her many duties leading adult, teen, and children’s programming for Memphis Public Libraries. The ceremonies are joyous affairs, with Glasgow, herself a naturalized citizen, bringing in Opera Memphis to perform the national anthem.

While viewed as the academic backbone of the two universities it serves, the Loyola Notre Dame Library “struggled like so many other libraries to bring patrons back into the building following the pandemic,” says Mallory Wareham. “We also faced the ever-present challenge of showing our patrons that libraries are far more than just a quiet study space.” 

Libraries and education are a natural fit, and Arturo Agüero enhances educators’ connections to library resources and empowers them to teach in new ways. A founding member of the New York Public Library’s Center for Educators and Schools, in 2021 Agüero became the first Manager of Educator Development. 

Dr. Corinthia Price is the founder of “100 High School Students America Needs to Know About,” a recognition program for students throughout the United States. “When I advised students, I noticed that there was no way to recognize ordinary students doing great things,” says Price. Those saluted by her program have included podcasters, entrepreneurs, and an activist who survived the 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, FL. 

Mary Ton thinks there’s an ethical place for AI in the arts and humanities. She teaches researchers and students about the benefits and limitations of AI in research and the arts, drawing on her background in machine learning, and has presented on the topic across the state. 

Describing himself as “aggressively helpful,” law librarian Kris Turner combines traditional legal research with the evolving generative AI world. “Generative AI technology worries many, creates skepticism in others, and is eagerly embraced by some,” Turner notes. “This wildly disparate level of welcome for GenAI means I especially need to show I am open to questions, challenges, and counterarguments.”

After 13 years as an English teacher, Jesse Braun had a lightbulb moment: “One day I looked at my wife, who is a librarian and photograph archivist, and I thought...I want to be more like her!” Now Braun not only serves as a school librarian, but also teaches Digital Citizenship and Information Literacy classes, is the school’s yearbook advisor, and provides home and hospital instruction for students experiencing temporary disability. 

While working with the children’s literature collection at the University of Minnesota–Duluth—used by education students in their training—Kayleen Jones decided it needed to better represent the Duluth community and broader society. As she reviewed the collection to identify gaps, she was approached by education faculty interested in collaborating to provide hands-on experience for education students to learn about anti-racist practices. 

School librarian Linda Martinez serves three libraries in Texas’s Pharr–San Juan–Alamo Independent School District: Pathways Toward Independence, a program for adults with special needs; PSJA College Career and Technology Academy, which serves adults returning to education; and Buell Central DAEP, which students with behavioral challenges attend until they are readmitted to their regular schools.

Brittani Sterling had planned on going into social work, but when she realized she could help people through librarianship, she chose that path and never looked back. 

Nick Tanzi knew early in his library career that he’d focus on technology. As the World Wide Web gained prominence in the ’90s, he spent much of his time teaching internet and computer basics. After he became a digital services librarian, he created a training curriculum for staff and patrons that became his first book, Making the Most of Digital Collections Through Training and Outreach (Libraries Unlimited). 

Carrie Sanders, youth services coordinator at Maryland State Library Agency, works with the state’s youth librarians on “everything from early literacy to school age programming and teen services.” Maintaining trauma-informed care has been a hallmark of her work. 

When Brent Trout began his tenure as manager of St. Louis County Library’s (SLCL) History and Genealogy Department in April 2022, the first task he was given involved moving 12,949 linear feet of books to four different locations while the department’s new, permanent home at the Emerson History and Genealogy Center in SLCL’s Clark Family Branch was under construction. For two years, the temporary workspace for the department’s staff was a quarter of its original size. But, coming from an early career in the museum field, Trout viewed this challenging transition to SLCL as a fortunate one. 

Aileen Ayala was a math kid and assumed she would go into market research—but she also grew up feeling the library was her “safety net,” and valued volunteer work. The data analyst role at Denver Public Library merges those interests and her degree in quantitative psychology, letting her dig into the “people impact” of library stats. 

In his role as senior emerging technologies librarian, Edwin Rodarte coauthored a multi-million-dollar grant application netting the Los Angeles Public Library (LAPL) 7,000 laptop and hotspot bundles to lend to patrons as part of the library’s Tech2go initiative. He coordinates and supports programs including the 73-branch system’s Tech TryOut Carts, Tech Kiosks, and new Library of Things Program—offering patrons access to equipment ranging from GoPro cameras to car diagnostic toolkits—as well as LAPL’s Cybernaut program, where digital navigators offer one-on-one help to patrons with technology needs.

Do you know what an occupant-propelled land vehicle is? Or a horological device with avian features? Jen Byrnes, Head of Business Insight Center/ Digital Equity Initiative at Rochester Public Library, NY, does: They’re the patent terms for a bicycle and a cuckoo clock, respectively. Among myriad other services, she and her team conduct patent searches for local businesses, which involve using specialist language.

Tomasz Kalata is a library data whiz. That wasn’t his original plan, but his ideas have solved many collection issues for New York Public Library (NYPL) and Brooklyn Public Library (BPL). The Polish-born Kalata is responsible for “transforming” BookOps, NYPL and BPL’s shared technical services division, according to nominator Michael Santangelo, BookOps deputy director of collection management. 

By age 12, Billy Tringali was hooked on manga. “Reading something that came from all the way around the world was magical,” he says. “The stories were so different.” His hometown library in Kingston, MA, where he volunteered, had none, so he donated his collection. “It was incredible to see so many kids reading books that I put on the shelf,” he recalls. 

“I thrive on progress,” says Dr. Jennifer Brown. “If I see a problem, I want to fix it.” Brown’s go-getter attitude has earned her such honors as Virginia Library Association 2019 Librarian of the Year and makes her “a partner and collaborator of choice for projects and initiatives,” according to nominator Clint Rudy. 

As Outreach and Information Services Librarian for Cornell University Library and the Cornell Prison Education Program (CPEP), Maddie Reynolds navigates significant barriers to information provision. Her role, working at Auburn Correctional Facility, Cayuga Correctional Facility, and Five Points Correctional Facility, NY, was created by Cornell, as CPEP plans to begin offering bachelor’s degrees beginning in fall 2026. 

An early adopter of the makerspace movement, school librarian Nathan Sekinger has been spearheading collaborative and creative learning at T. Benton Gayle Middle School for more than 10 years. Sekinger’s makerspace innovations started small—with “toy take apart” projects for students—then adding activities exploring circuits and electronics. The library is now home to a variety of student exercise, play, and discovery spots ranging from stationary bikes to a ping-pong table to tools for invention and STEM learning. 

Even facing fierce political winds, Oklahoma librarians and colleagues Molly Dettmann, Amanda Kordeliski, and Cherity Pennington have successfully defended school libraries, devoting their energies to educating communities and state leaders on libraries’ advantages and responsibilities.

Nicola Andrews and Sandy Littletree, both passionate advocates for Indigenous librarians and librarianship, are coauthors (with 2022 LJ Mover & Shaker Jesse Loyer) of “Information as a Relation: Defining Indigenous Information Literacy.” According to Littletree, the collaboration came from “this desire to talk about what Indigenous librarians are experiencing on the ground and the different practices and ways that Indigenous librarians, particularly in academia, have been drawing on their ways of knowing in their practice and teaching.” 

As with any large-scale feature, Library Journal’s Movers & Shakers—sponsored by Hoopla—is a long, multipart endeavor. From the submissions that pour in after Labor Day to many rounds of judging, writing, photography, editing, layout, and refinement, the Movers process spreads out over a good three-quarters of a year. A lot can happen in that time.

A lot has.

Early in her career, Moni Barrette realized patrons had a passion for comic books. “At that time, there was still stigma and a lack of understanding in the library community about the potential that comics had,” she explains, so Barrette moved into comics advocacy.

Jen Park knew the approach libraries usually took toward political advocacy. “We’d go up to the capitol once or twice a year,” she says. “I always felt like we were leaving something out.” 

Until Janet Hyunju Clarke, Associate Dean of Research and Learning at Stony Brook University Libraries, got involved, the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) students who make up approximately 40 percent of the school’s population had never had a campus club that was open to anyone (as opposed to only students) or celebration related to their heritage. “We wanted to do something at a campus-wide level to show students that their history and experiences matter,” says Clarke. 

Through her mobile outreach work with the Los Angeles Public Library (LAPL), adult librarian Amanda Mellor creates vital connections between LAPL and persons experiencing homelessness. It is essential to bring library resources and support directly to them, says Mellor, whose efforts focus on delivering compassionate and responsive services to adults in the city’s Skid Row community.

With COVID, the scaffolding that Gregory developed to support students all but disappeared, and her work shifted to the purely transactional: Check books in, check books out. When the opportunity to join the Illinois Heartland Library System opened, Gregory transitioned from helping students to helping her fellow librarians.

“After COVID, our local newspapers were filled with stories on how teens were struggling. I thought, ‘Why couldn’t we do something for teens?’” says Renee McGrath, manager of youth services for the Nassau Library System, NY. In answer to that question, she envisioned and piloted Teen Calming Corners.

As Director of Donnelly Public Library (DPL), Sherry Scheline stewards a 1,024 square foot space that has become an anchor institution for Donnelly, ID—a town of fewer than 200 people, with a service population of just under 3,000.

“I have been working with virtual reality in my school library since Google Cardboard hit the educational scene in 2016,” Andrea Trudeau says.

Michelle Matthews, community and employee engagement director at Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library (CHPL), is an Air Force veteran. “As an intelligence specialist,” says Matthews, “I worked with a lot of data and information, but my most valuable piece of service was working with a diversity of people. That taught me to accept people for who they are and where they are”—a lesson she puts into work daily.

As the archivist for San Diego’s Comic Arts Fest, Pamela Jackson curates 100,000 comics and ephemera. That alone would distinguish her, but bigger impact flows from her work at San Diego State University (SDSU). Along with SDSU history professor Elizabeth Pollard, Jackson developed a comics-based curriculum that has students more engaged than ever. 

After graduating from library school, Alejandro Marquez served in the Peace Corps in El Salvador, and the experience still affects his work today. It “really helped broaden my horizons to seeing different cultures and how different people work,” he says, “being empathetic and thinking about the different people out there who need library services and the best way to connect with them.”

When Library Director Natalie Draper started at the Northfield Public Library, she discovered ideas for supporting the community through public engagement sessions. “Something we heard in the engagement that we put into our strategic plan was people needing to feel that sense of belonging in a space,” she says. “A library services community best when the staff reflect the diversity of their community.”

After a $14.9 million bond library expansion referendum failed, Lisa Kropp knew she also needed a way to keep staff morale up. She proposed that the library take on the Sustainable Libraries Initiative certification program, an idea enthusiastically accepted by staff and the library board. Lindenhurst became the third U.S. library to earn the certification. 

Unlike most of his peers, Jason Homer wasn’t a reader as a kid. It wasn’t until freshman year of college, when he hung out in his school library to get away from his triple dorm room, that he “got” libraries. “The more time I spent there, the better I utilized the resources,” he says. “The librarians were really helpful.” After a foray into classroom teaching, Homer realized it wasn’t for him. So, he followed in the footsteps of the librarians who were part of his early-adult memories. 

Thanks to Keloni Parks, a few other adults, and about 17 young library patrons who wrote the verses, the West End Branch of the Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library has its own anthem: “The Place I Want to Be.”

As director of Suffolk Public Library, Clint Rudy participated in Virginia Library Leadership Academy (VALLA) in 2012, became VALLA coordinator in 2018, and in 2022 led a task force to reimagine and revise the academy. The first task: create a team with “a broad spectrum of experiences in life and careers—members from academic, special, and public libraries and with contacts and networking experience.”

Edra Waterman was working in a community mental health center when she heard about Indiana University’s top-notch MLS program. “My job convinced me that I wanted to be in a field that helped people of all backgrounds and situations,” she recalls. “The ethos of the public library as a welcoming place for everyone clicked with me on a fundamental level.”

Court Stevens, executive director of Warren County Public Library, is a former adjunct professor, youth minister, and bookseller; runs a hobby farm (four dogs, 10 goats, 20-something chickens, and three babydoll sheep); and has written 10 novels. A thread of care, energy, and vision runs through these disparate roles. 

Starting off as a library assistant in circulation at Missoula Public Library (MPL), Selya Avila jumped at the chance to take on a new role that aligned with her values when MPL’s director created the Community Engagement Department. 

As the first bilingual Latine/Hispanic Northfield Public Library employee, Angelica Linder saw an opportunity to help with the local implementation of a new Municipal ID—an alternate form of legal identification that helps people with banking, work, and finding a place to live. She worked with city offices to provide a safe space in the library for those applying for the ID, as well as needed translation services. 

He calls himself an “accidental librarian,” but little of Shamichael Hallman’s work is done without intention. He began his career in ministry and found his way into libraries after discovering the fields had a great deal of overlap. While Senior Library Manager of Memphis Public Libraries’ Cossitt Library, he oversaw a significant building renovation that expanded his thinking about the opportunities public spaces provide in fostering civic engagement. 

Kelli Rae Morning Bull’s lived experiences entwine with her initiatives at Calgary Public Library. “My Blackfoot culture is what drives my passion,” she says. “Sharing it with people can be very impactful.” Morning Bull builds relationships with Indigenous community groups and Elders and designs unique services for Indigenous and non-Indigenous patrons alike. 

The Hive® at Spokane Public Library is an artist’s dream come true—a nontraditional library location centered around arts education and free public event space, and home to four Artist- In-Residence studios, where a rotating group of creators work, teach, and inspire each other and the public. Its success is largely the work of Eva Silverstone, who believes that art in libraries is for everyone—“No admission ticket, no prerequisite, almost no dress code (within reason).” 

“When I was 13, I saw Pulp Fiction,” recalls Joe O’Brien. “Being part of that audience was like no experience I’d ever had. We were like instruments in an orchestra of adrenaline, gasping, laughing, or squirming together.” They knew then they wanted to tell stories for a living. 

The Tenant by Freida McFadden leads holds this week. Also in demand are titles by Carley Fortune, Fredrik Backman, Florence Knapp, and Nate Bargatze. Ten LibraryReads and nine Indie Next picks publish this week. People’s book of the week is May Read with Jenna pick The Names by Florence Knapp. Audiofile announces the May 2025 Earphones Award winners. Plus, Columbia University will announce the 2025 Pulitzer Prizes today via livestream at 3 p.m. Eastern time.

Canisia Lubrin’s Code Noir: Fictions wins the Carol Shields Prize for Fiction. The new Read with Jenna book club pick is The Names by Florence Knapp. Winners of the Edgar Awards and the UK’s Charles Tyrwhitt Sports Book Awards are announced. Writers’ Union of Canada reveals the shortlist for the Danuta Gleed Literary Award for the best first collection of short fiction by a Canadian author. The longlists for the League of Canadian Poets Prizes are announced. Plus, Page to Screen and interviews with Margot Douaihy, Margaret Drabble, and David Grann.

On March 26, the Special Libraries Association (SLA) announced its dissolution, following a unanimous vote by 2025 SLA Board members. The SLA Board is currently developing a plan for the dissolution process, which they anticipate should be complete by April 2026.

Matt Huculak was named a 2024 Library Journal Mover & Shaker for his work with researchers, artists, Holocaust survivors, and educators to help develop a graphic book about the Holocaust. We recently spoke with Huculak, who is now director of KULA: Library Futures Academy at the University of Victoria, about the vital importance and relevance of that work and how it came about.

Winners of the Christian Book Awards and nominees for the Splatterpunk Awards are announced. For the first time, S. & S. will distribute books into the Spanish-speaking market in the U.S. and around the world through a partnership with Urano World Publishing Group. Authors Equity has partnered with German new adult romance imprint LYX Books to bring bestselling LYX titles to readers in North America. Plus, new title bestsellers and interviews with Lili Taylor, Geena Davis, and Ana Huang.

Gale recently debuted new personalization and visualization features for its Digital Scholar Lab—a cloud-based research environment designed to facilitate the access and analysis of Gale primary source materials and a researcher’s local humanities and social sciences collections.

Students researching their college choices can’t always find the information they need easily—and this is particularly true for underserved populations. With college applications more competitive than ever, students are also looking for test prep resources and other advice to help them successfully navigate this process. Peterson's can help.

The Oregon Book Award winners are announced. Cyrus Cassells wins the Jackson Poetry Prize. Finalists for the Crime Writers of Canada Awards and German Nonfiction Prize are announced, along with longlists for the CWA Dagger Awards and the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour. Mystery Writers of America’s 79th Edgar Awards will be celebrated tomorrow, May 1; CrimeReads hosts a roundtable with the nominees to discuss the state of crime writing. LibraryReads and LJ offer read-alikes for this week’s top holds title, 25 Alive by James Patterson & Maxine Paetro. British novelist Jane Gardam has died at the age of 96.

The Los Angeles Times Book Prize winners are announced, including Jiaming Tang, Laura Beers, Jesse Katz, Jennine Capó Crucet, Andrea Freeman, Danielle Trussoni, and Kelly Link. The Plutarch Award shortlist, is announced along with the finalists for the RBC Bronwen Wallace Awards for Emerging Writers and the Theakston Awards longlist. Globe Pequot is purchasing Square One Publishers, while Alliance has canceled an agreement to purchase the bankrupt Diamond Comics. Plus, Philip Pullman will publish The Rose Field, the third and final volume in “The Book of Dust” series, in October.

25 Alive by James Patterson & Maxine Paetro leads holds this week. Also in demand are titles by Danielle Steel, Kristen Perrin, Sarah Penner, and Liann Zhang. Five LibraryReads and eight Indie Next picks publish this week. People’s book of the week is Notes to John by Joan Didion. Plus, interviews arrive with Isabel Allende, Jason Bailey, Sarah Penner, Liann Zhang, Drew Harvell, and Bill Belichick.

Tommy Orange’s Wandering Stars wins the Aspen Words Literary Prize. Denene Millner’s One Blood wins Georgia’s top literary award, the Townsend Prize. A coalition of literary advocates are opposing Florida House Bill 1539, which would require schools to remove any book deemed harmful to minors within five days of a challenge. People explores how a Department of Education shutdown could impact book bans. Plus, Page to Screen and where to start with the works of Terry Pratchett.

Shortlists for the Griffin Poetry Prize, the Jhalak Prize, and the Donner Prize are announced. The U.S. Supreme Court seems likely to rule that parents can opt out of LGBTQIA+ stories in their children’s classrooms. The state of Iowa has appealed a U.S. District Court judge’s injunction against the 2023 law that has removed hundreds of books from school libraries. Attorneys for IMLS acting director Keith Sonderling have responded to the lawsuit filed earlier this month by the ALA. Plus, new title bestsellers and an interview with sisters and coauthors Anne and Claire Berest.

The second Independent Publisher and Librarian Forum—IndieLib for short—was held on April 16 in downtown Manhattan, at New York University’s Engelberg Center on Innovation Law and Policy. The event brought together public and academic librarians, representatives from indie publishers and their distributors, and others across the field to learn more about one another’s work and concerns and imagine new ways to move forward.

While those in favor of book bans believe children should be protected from content perceived as inappropriate or abusive, those opposed worry about the societal consequences of censoring information and ideas, the infringement of First Amendment rights, and the negative impacts on authors and publishers. Researchers Uttara M. Ananthakrishnan, Naveen Basavaraj, Sabari Rajan Karmegam, Ananya Sen, and Michael D. Smith set out to examine how bans at the district level affect consumption at the national level.

Winners of the Minnesota Book Awards are announced; Kao Kalia Yang makes history by winning three awards for three different books. Poet and University of Iowa writing program director Christopher Merrill wins the Ottaway Award for the Promotion of International Literature. The shortlist for the Rakuten Kobo Emerging Writer Prize is announced. Oprah selects Matriarch by Tina Knowles for her book club. LibraryReads and LJ offer read-alikes for top holds title and Reese Witherspoon book club pick Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry. Cynthia Erivo will narrate a new audiobook edition of Gregory Maguire’s 1995 novel Wicked. James Patterson and Duane Swierczynski’s forthcoming thriller, Billion-Dollar Ransom, heads to the big screen. Plus, Jeff Kinney will donate 20,000 books a month ahead of the publication of his 20th Diary of a Wimpy Kid book in October.

The British Science Fiction Association Awards winners are announced. Dorian McNamara wins the CBC Short Story Prize. Publishing Perspectives recaps Circana’s Q1 US Print Report, with romance and romantasy leading adult genres. Joan Didion’s Notes to John gets reviewed. Netflix’s Ransom Canyon, based on the novels by Jodi Thomas, gets buzz. Plus, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments in Mahmoud v. Taylor today, concerning LGBTQIA+ books in Maryland's largest school district.

Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry leads holds this week. Also in demand are titles by James Patterson and Candice Fox, Marie Bostwick, Nancy Thayer, and Sarah Damoff. People’s book of the week is Atavists: Stories by Lydia Millet. Brenda Peynado wins the Philip K. Dick Award for her novel Time’s Agent; a special citation was given to Adrian Tchaikovsky for his novel Alien Clay. Infodocket shares details on OCLC’s lawsuit against Baker & Taylor. Isaac Marion is adapting his forthcoming novel The Overnoise as a feature film. Remembrances pour in for Pope Francis, who has died at the age of 88.

Winners of the Publishing Triangle Awards for LGBTQIA+ books are revealed. NYPL announces the finalists for the Young Lions Fiction Award. A lawsuit filed against the Rutherford County Board of Education by the ACLU of Tennessee aims to stop book bans in the county’s school libraries. Mystery writer Peter Lovesey has died at age 88. Plus, Page to Screen and new books from Dolly Parton and Scorsese collaborator Robbie Robertson.

Nominees for the Aurora Awards, for SFF and horror works by Canadian authors, are revealed. A number of authors are named to Time’s list of the 100 most influential people of 2025. The Libertarian Futurist Society announces the finalists for the Best Novel category of the Prometheus Awards. The 2025 Writers’ Trust of Canada Rising Stars are announced. Publishers Weekly talks to IMLS staffers who are worried about the cuts to the agency. Book subscription services are moving into publishing their own titles as well. Plus new title bestsellers and forthcoming books from Priscilla Presley and Zosia Mamet.

Los Angeles is a sprawling city with a range of geographic, economic, and social variables, and the wildfires that affected the Los Angeles metropolitan area in January were a demonstration of that diversity, with the area’s three main library systems—Los Angeles Public Library (LAPL), LA County Library, and Altadena Library District—impacted by the fires to very different degrees.

“The Great Spring Preview” arrives from The Millions. May’s LibraryReads list is out, featuring top pick The Missing Half by Ashley Flowers, with Alex Kiester. The Guggenheim Memorial Foundation fellows are announced. The Aurealis Awards shortlist and finalists for the Sir Julius Vogel Awards are announced. U.S. Army libraries are ordered to remove books with a focus on DEI. Seven Stories Press has acquired Two Dollar Radio. LibraryReads and LJ offer read-alikes for this week’s top holds title, Strangers in Time by David Baldacci. Plus, adaptations are in the works for Laura Lippman’s Tess Monaghan books, Will Leitch’s Lloyd McNeil’s Last Ride, and Josh Malerman’s Incidents Around the House.

The Walter Scott Prize shortlist is announced. The Association of American Publishers has filed an amicus brief in Meta AI copyright case. Interviews arrive with Melinda French Gates, Marie Bostwick, and Kevin Nguyen. Tennis legend Serena Williams will executive-produce a Netflix series adaptation of Taylor Jenkins Reid's Carrie Soto Is Back. Dead Letters by Caite Dolan-Leach will also be adapted for television.

For more than 20 years, Gale’s Eighteenth Century Collections Online (ECCO)—the largest collection ever assembled of English-language books, pamphlets, and periodicals published in the 18th century—has served as an invaluable resource for students and scholars worldwide. Now, this resource is being further enhanced with 1.7 million new pages of content.

Strangers in Time by David Baldacci leads holds this week. Also in demand are titles by Jeneva Rose, Lyla Sage, and Melinda French Gates. Two LibraryReads and three Indie Next picks publish this week. People’s book of the week is The Seven O’Clock Club by Amelia Ireland. Finalists for the PEN America Literary Awards are announced. Earlyword’s April GalleyChat spreadsheet is out now. Toshikazu Kawaguchi’s Before the Coffee Gets Cold, Emma Grey’s Pictures of You, and Emma Rosenblum’s Bad Summer People will get adaptations. Nobel-winning Peruvian novelist Mario Vargas Llosa has died at the age of 89.

This year, we cast both a look back to see what can be learned from the past, and a look forward to consider what might be heading our way in the coming years.

Winners are announced for the Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards for works that deepen understanding of race and diversity. Finalists are selected for the Independent Book Publishers Association Awards and the Stella Prize. The Great Gatsby turns 100. Former Facebook executive Sarah Wynn-Williams, author of Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism, testifies in front of Congress. Andrews McMeel launches a religious book imprint, Amen Editions. Plus, Page to Screen and interviews with Katie Kitamura, Eric Rickstad, and Don Winslow.

Three weeks after the fire was contained, Jessica Gleason, bookmobile librarian at the Wailuku Public Library, bookmobile driver Michael Tinker, and Lāhainā branch manager Chadde Holbron, hit the road to support Maui’s West Side community.

Winners of the Whiting Awards for emerging talents are announced. The Horror Writers Association has announced David Cronenberg, Dame Susan Elizabeth Hill, and Del and Sue Howison as recipients of the Lifetime Achievement Award. Thomas Pynchon will publish his first novel since 2013, and Patti Smith has written a new memoir. Plus, new title bestsellers and interviews with Edna Bonhomme, Peter Godwin, and Belinda Bauer.

As the needs of employers are constantly changing, job seekers and current professionals need upskilling resources that can keep pace with these rapid changes. With Gale Presents: Udemy, libraries can provide access to thousands of high-quality, on-demand online  courses for in cutting-edge skills related to business, technology, leadership, and personal development.

Shortlists for the International Booker Prize, Dinesh Allirajah Prize, and Fortnum & Mason Food and Drink Awards for British food writing are announced. Samantha Mills wins the Compton Crook Award for her debut novel, The Wings Upon Her Back. The Sheikh Zayed Book Awards are announced. ALA files suit over the gutting of IMLS. LibraryReads and LJ offer read-alikes for top holds title The Griffin Sisters’ Greatest Hits by Jennifer Weiner. Plus, the Library of Congress announced its 2025 selections for the National Recording Registry.

A new documentary, Banned Together—available to stream April 10—shines a spotlight on three young freedom to read advocates, and how, together and individually, they are standing up to make a difference.

Allison Jennings-Roche was named a 2024 Library Journal Mover & Shaker for her work at the University of Maryland helping educate students, faculty, and librarians who work with information systems. LJ recently spoke with Jennings-Roche, who is now the associate director of digital initiatives and collections (and a PhD candidate) at the University of Baltimore’s RLB Library, about why it’s vital to understand information, where it comes from, and how it affects everyone.

Garth Greenwell wins the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction for his novel Small Rain. Dawn Porter wins the BIO Award. The Romantic Novel of the Year Awards shortlist is announced. A new NPR/Ipsos poll finds that while American adults enjoy reading, it is not a top priority. A new adaptation of John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath is coming to AMC. Kerry Greenwood, author of the Miss Phryne Fisher mysteries, has died at the age of 70.

Libraries offer a key to action now and hope for the future.

The Griffin Sisters’ Greatest Hits by Jennifer Weiner leads holds as National Library Week kicks off with Right To Read Day. Also in demand are titles by Nita Prose, Jasmine Guillory and Katie Kitamura. People’s book of the week is Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins. ALA reveals the top 10 most challenged books and issues the “State of America’s Libraries Report.” Finalists for the Hugo Awards and Canada’s Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing are announced.

Shortlists for the Carol Shields Prize for Fiction and the Charles Tyrwhitt Sports Book Awards are announced, as are winners of the Association of American Publishers PROSE Awards and the Christopher Awards. Publishers ask Congress to defend libraries as federal library grant funding ends. Picador will reissue more than 100 novels by Georges Simenon. Books are forthcoming from former Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Plus, Page to Screen and Anthony Horowitz’s favorite books.