Celebrity Memoirs, Summerween Reads, and More Library News
I don’t have the exact numbers, but celebrity memoirs seem to be on the rise — I have not one, not two, but three celebrity memoir announcements for this newsletter. Who do you think will be publishing one next?
As a quick heads up, the newsletters for the next couple of weeks will be a little shorter than usual, as I’m going to be on vacation without consistent WiFi access. But don’t worry: the schedule isn’t changing, and I’ll still make sure the most important updates reach your eyeballs!
Collection Development Corner
Publishing News
Behind the scenes of celebrity book clubs.
New & Upcoming Titles
Flatiron is debuting a new imprint next summer, and their inaugural list includes the next crime novel from S.A. Cosby!
Bob Woodward’s new book, War, will focus on conflict abroad and politics at home.
Maureen Johnson has announced a new book which she describes as “a case file in book form,” with a sealed solution in the back of the book! How cool is this??
JR Ward is launching a new 4-book romantasy series.
Ti West’s X horror movie trilogy is getting a set of novelizations written by Tim Waggoner. (I watched the first two movies this summer for the first time [X and Pearl], and I absolutely loved both of them!)
Here’s the cover reveal for Brooke Shields’ upcoming memoir, Brooke Shields is Not Allowed to Get Old.
Michael Caine has a memoir coming out in March 2025.
Jennifer Finney Boylan announces a new book about gender identity called Cleavage: Men, Women, and the Space Between Us.
Liza Minelli has a new tell-all memoir coming out in Spring 2026 (not a typo).
New LGBTQ+ crime fiction to take to the beach.
10 noteworthy authors making their nonfiction debuts this fall.
21 new books for a spooky “Summerween.”
Weekly picks from Crime Reads, LitHub, New York Times, Parade.
August picks from AARP, Amazon, Ebony, People, Reactor (fantasy, SF)
What Your Patrons Are Hearing About
The Art of Power: My Story as America’s First Woman Speaker of the House – Nancy Pelosi (New York Times, Washington Post)
House of Bone and Rain – Gabino Iglesias (New York Times)
The Seventh Veil of Salome – Sylvia Moreno-Garcia (New York Times)
RA/Genre Resources
A look at why “steamy” book sales have skyrocketed.
How Indian-English fiction became an upper-caste echo chamber underwritten by Western universities and publishers.
What Bridgerton reveals about the future of romantasy.
Why readers love, and love to hate, Colleen Hoover.
Alma Katsu ponders why thriller novels aren’t what they used to be.
In praise of weird fiction, horror tales, and stories that unsettle us.
On the Riot
6 new magical middle grade fantasy novels.
New nonfiction for your book club.
New nonfiction about reproductive health and healthcare.
The best new weekly releases to TBR.
11 book club picks for August.
The best BIPOC books out in August.
Audiophilia
The August 2024 Earphones Award winners have been announced.
Audible is testing an AI-powered tailored search feature. Ugh, in the name of all that is good and decent, PLEASE keep AI away from book suggestions!
15 of the best pop culture audiobooks to listen to.
Book Lists, Book Lists, Book Lists
Children/Teens
Early chapter books with fierce female characters.
Books to help kids overcome perfectionism.
Libros en Español: top picks for middle grade readers in Spanish.
Adults
10 incredible sports books to read during the Olympics.
What to read for Women in Translation Month.
7 funny books that will make you laugh and then cry.
Reading about the very near future.
5 essential reads about cults.
5 of the best books about classical music.
Books to read after you’ve seen It Ends With Us.
14 mystery and crime novels by Canadian authors.
7 novels about toxic teacher-student relationships.
7 of the funniest crime novels ever written.
20 must-read books for fans of Jane Austen.
Books to help you read like a brat for “brat summer.”
On the Riot
10 of the best books about puberty.
Compelling historical YA fantasy.
Books to read while watching the Summer Olympics.
The best queer books of the 21st century, according to The New York Times.
10 of the best books on writing and publishing.
Short historical fiction books to read in a weekend.
10 books that expand a classic’s universe.
Books to help you talk about politics without ruining your relationships.
Queer beach reads for every kind of seaside reader.
An infestation of insect-related horror.
8 great romance novels starring teachers.
8 mysteries and thrillers about our obsession with serial killers and true crime.
4 overrated sci-fi classics and 4 other books to read instead.
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!
And Here’s a Cat Photo!
Poor Dini had to go to the vet for his annual check-up last week. However, he’s in great health, didn’t gain any weight from last year, and didn’t try to jump off the table while we were waiting for the vet to come in! He was such a good boy.
Okay, friends – I’ll be back on Friday with a newsletter sent from three time zones away! Have a good week!
—Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter.
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