Olympics Reading Lists, Romance Recs, and More Book Roundups

Katie McLain Aug 6, 2024

This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Katie McLain

Contributing Editor

Katie's parents never told her "no" when she asked for a book, which was the start of most of her problems. She has a BA in Creative Writing from Lake Forest College and is working towards a master's degree in library science at U of I. She works full time at a public library reference desk in northern IL, specializing in readers’ advisory and general book enthusiasm, and she has a deep-rooted love of all things disturbing, twisted, and terrifying. (She takes enormous pleasure in creeping out her coworkers.) When she's not spending every waking hour at the library, she's at home watching Cubs baseball with her cats and her cardigan collection, and when she's not at home, she's spending too much money on concert tickets. Her hobbies include debating the finer points of Harry Potter canon, hitting people upside the head who haven’t read The Martian, and convincing her boyfriend that she can, in fact, fit more books onto her shelves. Twitter: @kt_librarylady

View All posts by Katie McLain

I’ve been in full-on gymnastics mode for the last week (Simone!! Suni!! Stephen Nedoroscik!!), and I could honestly watch artistic gymnastics for weeks on end. If you’re in the same boat, read on for some Olympics-themed book lists…or at least something to fill your time when the Olympics draws to a close.

Collection Development Corner

Publishing News

German publishing company Ullstein has dropped its German translation of Hillbilly Elegy, saying it was because “Vance represents a ‘demagogic, exclusionary policy.’”

Media mogul Barry Diller’s planned memoir has been mysteriously pulled from Amazon.

Barnes & Noble’s purchase of Tattered Cover has been approved.

Making the case for a judicious number of blurbs on a book cover.

New & Upcoming Titles

John Scalzi just signed a 10 (!!!) book deal with Tor Publishing Group.

A look at several literary translators who have now written books of their own.

Nita Prose just announced the third novel in the Molly the Maid series, coming out in April.

Michelle Obama is publishing a workbook follow-up in conjunction with her memoir The Light We Carry.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries is publishing a book.

Fred Trump III talks about the turning point that led to his decision to publish a memoir about his extended family history.

Katie Kitamura has a new book coming out in April 2025.

Director Jon M. Chu talks about his memoir, Viewfinder.

Here’s a first look at Robert Johnson’s upcoming biography of Kate Middleton.

The 29 best mystery, thriller, and true crime titles of 2024.

14 picks to refill your summer reading list for the rest of the season.

Weekly picks from Crime Reads, LitHub, New York Times, Parade.

August picks from Barnes & Noble, Crime Reads (psychological thrillers), Kirkus, L.A. Times, LitHub (SFF), New York Times.

What Your Patrons Are Hearing About

Someone Like Us – Dinaw Mengestu (Datebook, The Guardian, New York Times, Washington Post)

We Burn Daylight – Bret Anthony Johnston (L.A. Times, New York Times)

Hum – Helen Phillips (L.A. Times, New York Times)

RA/Genre Resources

Time picks the 50 best romance novels.

Embrace your love for romance novels. It’s good for you.

Tessa Bailey just wants you to have a good time.

Casey McQuiston is “trojan-horsing trans romance.”

Where to start reading James Baldwin.

Where to start reading Elizabeth Strout.

On the Riot

The best new weekly releases, plus the best new weekly LGBTQ+ releases.

August picks for mysteries/thrillers, romance, SFF, horror, nonfiction, children’s books.

The best book club picks for August.

24 more of the best book covers of 2024.

All Things Comics

Publisher’s Weekly has a roundup of updates coming out of San Diego Comic-Con 2024.

The 2024 Eisner Award winners have been announced.

On the Riot

The best new comics & graphic novels for August.

Book Lists, Book Lists, Book Lists

Children/Teens

18 books that kids say have helped them find their own voice.

Adults

The best books to read for the Olympics from The Atlantic and People.

30 of the most inspirational books to read in your search for more meaning.

8 books about Americans in Italy.

6 closed circle mysteries to ensnare your brain.

11 empowering body positivity books by women of color.

5 of the best novels about art.

5 entertaining SFF stories with relatively low stakes.

5 thrillers with life or death challenges.

Readalikes for Colleen Hoover’s Verity.

6 mysteries about female friendships gone wrong.

15 great psychological thrillers to bend your mind.

The best books for homeschooling families.

Cowboy romances to take you away.

Make this your summer of sci-fi with these suggestions from Barnes & Noble.

Level Up (Library Reads)

Do you take part in Library Reads, the monthly list of best books selected by librarians only? We’ve made it easy for you to find eligible diverse titles to nominate. Kelly Jensen has a guide to discovering upcoming diverse books, and Edelweiss has a new catalog dedicated to diverse titles, which is managed by Early Word Galley Chatter Vicki Nesting. Check it out!