By Siôn Romaine, Barbara Albee, Cynthia M. Elliott, and Stephen Bosch
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.
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.
In ALA’s State of America’s Libraries report, released in April, the organization reported 821 attempts to censor materials and services at libraries, schools, and universities in 2024, with 2,452 unique titles challenged or banned. These numbers are drastically lower than the year before, but still the third highest number of book challenges since tracking began in 1990.
Freedom to read advocacy, a necessary part of the library and education landscape for years, has taken on an added layer of importance since January, when the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights labeled book bans a “hoax.” 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.
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.
“While much has changed in the marketplace over the decades, the bottom line has not: Library materials keep getting more expensive. Prices have begun trending upward again in recent years and a 5.5–6.5 percent price increase is predicted for 2026.”
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.
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.
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.
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.
The Civility Book: A Guide to Building Bridges Across the Political Divide, by Nolan Finley and Stephen Henderson, is a starred political science title. "This very timely book is highly recommended for all audiences and collections." Nilima Rao's A Shipwreck in Fiji is a starred mystery. "A lively story with engaging characters and fascinating bits about British colonial governance in Fiji. Rao’s second tale about Sgt. Akal (after A Disappearance in Fiji) is first-rate." And in romance, Joanna Lowell's A Rare Find is a starred selection. "Lowell gives readers another entertaining, emotional, and educational romp with a romantic pair that is easy to fall in love with."
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