In reviews that offer insight, invitation, and illumination, these four LJ reviewers showcase the life-affirming work of reading and writing about books.
Libraries are evolving rapidly and leadership in this space requires more than passion—it demands strategic vision, adaptability, and a keen understanding of data. This article will discuss how library leaders can harness data to make informed decisions, align resources, and foster engagement within their communities.
Nat Cassidy is a playwright of off-off-Broadway speculative works that have been well-received by drama critics. He’s also an established actor of stage and television, where he usually plays monsters and villains, including in the shows Blue Bloods, Bull, Quantico, and Law & Order: SVU. He is also the author of the horror novels Mary, Nestlings, and the forthcoming When the Wolf Comes Home (Tor Nightfire). He talks with LJ about the horror genre, his theater background, and indie publishing.
Welcome to our first AI Watch column! The three of us talk monthly in the Libraries Lead Podcast (available at librarieslead.libraryjournal.com), and now we share content from that segment of the podcast in digital and print form through Library Journal.
The Canada Reads 2025 longlist arrives. Poets & Writers publishes its 20th annual look at debut poets. Longlists are announced for the Republic of Consciousness Prize, United States and Canada, which honors books published by small presses. Sustainable Marketing: The Industry’s Role in a Sustainable Future by Paul Randle & Alexis Eyre wins the Leonard L. Berry Marketing Book Award. Harlequin is eliminating its Canary Street Press and Graydon House imprints. Plus, Page to Screen and interviews with Neko Case, Pagan Kennedy, and Charles Baxter.
“Playwriting’s such a great training ground for writers in general. Writing for the stage really forces you to break stories in a uniquely economical and dynamic way. You’re limited as far as effects go (especially in the low-budget theater I come from), and the main tools at your disposal are the human body and voice. This means you have to rely primarily on compelling scenarios and on human interaction, on things people can do and say to each other.”
The Dublin Literary Award longlist is announced. Jose Ando and Yui Suzuki win Japan’s Akutagawa literary prize, and Shin Iyohara wins the Naoki prize. The Millions releases its “Great Winter 2025 Preview.” LJ recognizes four reviewers of the year. Neil Gaiman responds to misconduct allegations. LibraryReads and LJ offer read-alikes for Alice Feeney’s Beautiful Ugly. Interviews arrive with Rebecca Yarros, Aria Aber, Shane Burcaw and Hannah Burcaw, Jinger Duggar Vuolo, and Marie Kondo. Plus, People shares an excerpt from Suzanne Collins’s forthcoming “Hunger Games” novel, Sunrise on the Reaping, due out March 18.
Kirkus publishes its spring 2025 preview. Mystery Writers of America names Laura Lippman and John Sandford as its Grand Masters for 2025. Matt Bomer will narrate a new audiobook of Hanya Yanagihara’s A Little Life. Melville House plans to publish a paperback version of the Jack Smith report shortly after Donald Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20. Fantasy Magazine will be relaunched this spring. Plus new title bestsellers and interviews with Mike Mignola, Scott Turow, and Pico Iyer.
The winners of the Nero Book Awards are announced. Peter Gizzi wins the T.S. Eliot Prize for his poetry collection Fierce Elegy. Kaya Press receives the Constellation Award. Earlyword’s January GalleyChat spreadsheet is out now. The Giller Prize will feature writers longlisted for the 2024 award in a new online book club. Multiple women accuse author Neil Gaiman of sexual abuse in a new Vulture story. CrimeReads shares an excerpt from Ruth Ware’s forthcoming novel, The Woman in Suite 11, due out July 8. Plus, a new £2 coin in Britain will feature George Orwell to coincide with the 75th anniversary of the author’s death.
Gentlemen of the Woods: Manhood, Myth, and the American Lumberjack, by Willa Hammitt Brown, is a starred history selection. "Written in clear prose with well-founded arguments, this book, heavily illustrated with archival photographs and drawings, makes an excellent addition to history collections. For general audiences interested in Americana." Lidia Yuknavitch's Reading the Waves: A Memoir is a starred memoir. "Brilliant, unflinching, and written with the same heady, literary sophistication as Yuknavitch’s novels. Compounded by real moments of narrative vulnerability, this memoir is as much an act of dismembering as it is of remembering." And in social sciences, Loretta J. Ross's Calling In: How To Start Making Change with Those You’d Rather Cancel is a starred selection. "This is a highly recommended, necessary read for anyone who finds themself grating against those with different political beliefs. Ross’s book has plenty of potential for discussions and healing relations between friends and family and maybe even strangers too."
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