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 American Library Association (ALA) has filed an amicus brief on the U.S. Supreme Court case, Federal Communications Commission, et al., Petitioners v. Consumers’ Research, et al., which stands to decide the fate of federal programs supporting broadband access for half of the nation’s public libraries. The brief affirms both the constitutionality and the value of the Universal Service Fund and the programs it administers—particularly the E-Rate program, which helps power broadband-enabled services and access in U.S. public libraries and schools.
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.
On the heels of an arctic blast that plunged many states into record low temperatures, the American Library Association’s (ALA) final LibLearnX conference, on January 24–27, brought welcome warmth to its more than 1,600 attendees—including 1,317 registrants, 202 exhibit staff, and 117 participants—in Phoenix. Although considerably smaller than ALA’s Midwinter and LibLearnX conferences of the past, there was a palpable sense of community and nostalgia that this would be the last midwinter gathering.
The best videos released on DVD/Blu-ray in 2024 offer a wide sweep of feature films and documentaries, including one originally made in 1941 and many more just recently created.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.
Core Collections is the gold standard collection development tool. This comprehensive guide helps you build and maintain well-rounded collections of nonfiction and fiction books. Each Core Collection contains authoritative recommendations that are vendor and publisher neutral, and all titles are chosen with guidance by expert librarians.
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.
“We pointed out in our brief a number of ways that libraries rely on E-Rate funds to provide critical communications to their communities. And it’s not just that libraries need these discounts—it’s that their communities need this vital access to high-speed internet for school, for work, for telehealth, for emergency response, for civic and basic communication.”
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.
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.
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.
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.
Sarah Maria Griffin's Eat the Ones You Love is a starred SFF selection. "YA author Griffin (Other Words for Smoke) makes her adult debut with a queer take on Little Shop of Horrors that offers a unique narrator, a celebration of dying malls, and all the facets of love and desire. Fans of John Wiswell’s Someone You Can Build a Nest In should pick this up." This Is Salvaged: Stories, by Vauhini Vara, is a starred short stories title. "A splendid and compelling collection that covers different aspects of the human condition with humor and nuance." And in fiction, Goddess Complex, by Sanjena Sathian, is a starred selection. "This well-crafted, mysterious novel with some dystopian twists is a worthwhile read. Fans of Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale will devour it."
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