Using Award Lists As a RA Tool: The Pulitzer Prize Winners

This is part of my ongoing series on using Awards Lists as a RA tool. Click here for all posts in the series in reverse chronological order. Click here for the first post which outlines the details how to use awards lists as a RA tool. 

Earlier this week the Pulitzer Prize winners were announced. 

And here is the access to the link with this year's winners in every category as well as the the statement for why they won ( an addition I always enjoy).

I will post the text for the book specific awards below, but please note, all of these awards have implications for your collections and patrons. For example, this year the staff of the New York Times won in the category of "International Reporting" for their "wide-ranging and revelatory coverage of Hamas’ lethal attack in southern Israel on October 7, Israel’s intelligence failures and the Israeli military’s sweeping, deadly response in Gaza."

This topic will become multiple award winning books-- both in fiction and nonfiction in the years to come.  This prize will also have people coming to you now for books set admits or about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

And the Pulitzer Prizes also have awards for drama, music, and poetry. There is a lot to use here to help readers.

Please note, this link take you to this year's winners with access to every winner on the left hand side of the page, going back to 1917. Backlist access made easy.

But here are those promised winners with why they won as well as some of the finalists 

Fiction: Night Watch, by Jayne Anne Phillips (Knopf)

A beautifully rendered novel set in West Virginia’s Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum in the aftermath of the Civil War where a severely wounded Union veteran, a 12-year-old girl and her mother, long abused by a Confederate soldier, struggle to heal.

Finalists: Same Bed Different Dreams, by Ed Park (Random House) and Wednesday’s Child, by Yiyun Li (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)

Drama: Primary Trust, by Eboni Booth

A simple and elegantly crafted story of an emotionally damaged man who finds a new job, new friends and a new sense of worth, illustrating how small acts of kindness can change a person’s life and enrich an entire community.

Finalists: Here There Are Blueberries, by Moisés Kaufman and Amanda Gronich and Public Obscenities, by Shayok Misha Chowdhury

History: No Right to an Honest Living: The Struggles of Boston’s Black Workers in the Civil War Era, by Jacqueline Jones (Basic Books)

A breathtakingly original reconstruction of free Black life in Boston that profoundly reshapes our understanding of the city’s abolitionist legacy and the challenging reality for its Black residents.

Finalists: American Anarchy: The Epic Struggle between Immigrant Radicals and the US Government at the Dawn of the Twentieth Century, by Michael Willrich (Basic Books) and Continental Reckoning: The American West in the Age of Expansion, by Elliott West (University of Nebraska Press)

Biography: 2 winners and only 1 finalist

King: A Life, by Jonathan Eig (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)

A revelatory portrait of Martin Luther King, Jr. that draws on new sources to enrich our understanding of each stage of the civil rights leader’s life, exploring his strengths and weaknesses, including the self-questioning and depression that accompanied his determination.

and

Master Slave Husband Wife: An Epic Journey from Slavery to Freedom, by Ilyon Woo (Simon & Schuster)

A rich narrative of the Crafts, an enslaved couple who escaped from Georgia in 1848, with light-skinned Ellen disguised as a disabled white gentleman and William as her manservant, exploiting assumptions about race, class and disability to hide in public on their journey to the North, where they became famous abolitionists while evading bounty hunters.

Finalist: Larry McMurtry: A Life, by Tracy Daugherty (St. Martin’s Press)

Memoir or Autobiography: Liliana’s Invincible Summer: A Sister’s Search for Justice, by Cristina Rivera Garza (Hogarth)

A genre-bending account of the author’s 20-year-old sister, murdered by a former boyfriend, that mixes memoir, feminist investigative journalism and poetic biography stitched together with a determination born of loss.

Finalists: The Best Minds: A Story of Friendship, Madness, and the Tragedy of Good Intentions, by Jonathan Rosen (Penguin Press) and The Country of the Blind: A Memoir at the End of Sight, by Andrew Leland (Penguin Press)

Poetry: Tripas: Poems, by Brandon Som (Georgia Review Books)

A collection that deeply engages with the complexities of the poet’s dual Mexican and Chinese heritage, highlighting the dignity of his family’s working lives, creating community rather than conflict.

Finalists: Information Desk: An Epic, by Robyn Schiff (Penguin Books) and To 2040, by Jorie Graham (Copper Canyon Press)

General Nonfiction: A Day in the Life of Abed Salama: Anatomy of a Jerusalem Tragedy, by Nathan Thrall (Metropolitan Books)

A finely reported and intimate account of life under Israeli occupation of the West Bank, told through a portrait of a Palestinian father whose five-year-old son dies in a fiery school bus crash when Israeli and Palestinian rescue teams are delayed by security regulations.

Finalists: Cobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives, by Siddharth Kara (St. Martin’s Press) and Fire Weather: A True Story from a Hotter World, by John Vaillant (Knopf)

Author Blurbs As a Go-To Resource With an Assist From Author Alma Katsu

Former Summer Scares author and Spokesperson Alma Katsu's most recent newsletter did a deep dive on Author Blurbs from the author who gives them perspective. You can read her newsletter and signup to get it yourself here, but here is some of the language from that newsletter: 

 I thought that this month I would talk about blurbs. If this is something you have absolutely no interest in, please feel free to skip ahead.

I bring this up because at any given time I might have 6-10 books on the nightstand waiting for a blurb. Yes, even a decidedly not A-list author like me gets asked a lot to blurb. (A blurb, in case you're not sure, is the little one- or two-sentence tag that appears on the cover or back and is designed to make you want to read the book. Or, more truthfully, to make you want to buy the book.)

There's disagreement in the book biz as to whether blurbs drive sales. Most people would say no. Have you ever bought a book solely due to a blurb? But blurbs have other purposes, particularly in the early stages when publishers are sending advance readers copies (ARCS) to booksellers, librarians, and other industry professionals, trying to entice them to read the book and maybe stock it in their store, or acquire it for their library system.

After reading this I reached out to Alma. As she says above, she is not sure how blurbs can be helpful other than driving sales.  So, I sent her one of the posts where I talk about how Author Blurbs are one of my 5 resources you cannot live without. Alma had never thought of this use. 

I thought today would be a good day to show the author side of the blurb process-- please click through and read more because it was fascinating-- and pair it with how we use them in RA Service as a reminder. 

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2023

Resource Alert: Author Recs of Other Authors With a Twist

One of my 5 Resources You Cannot Live Without from my 10 Rules of Basic RA Services page is:

Authors recs of other authors: There isn't a single place you can go per se, but do not forget that many patrons will love trying an author or book that one of their favorite authors recommends. Try searching for a patron's favorite author on Twitter [don't need an account to view] and then see what authors they are promoting there. Most established authors do this. Also the back of a book a patron liked-- does it have blurbs by other authors? Those can be readalike author options. And Fantastic Fiction tries to catalog as many of an author's blurbs or recs that they can. Search an author in the site and scroll to bottom of record for examples. Then use Novelist or Goodreads to find out more about any titles or authors you find.The point here is you are using resources and need to know nothing about any of the authors involved, just that the patron in front of you likes them. [8/19/20 addendum: Same editor as a similar readalike option.]

I love using author recommendations of other authors as a resource so much, I even found a way to include it in Chapter 15: Staying in Horrific Shape:

Author Recommendations of Other Authors: The  least “professional” of my general RA resources, is also one of the most effective, pointing a patron to the authors and titles that their own favorite authors love. Patrons find great joy reading these books, even those in a genre outside their normal comfort zone. Stephen King is the perfect example of this phenomenon. King, the best known horror novelist in the world, is famous for turning previously unknown books into bestsellers just by mentioning his affection for said book. But where do you find this information? A few places, including,  the author’s Twitter feed, front or back covers of a book, or Fantastic Fiction where at the bottom of each author record there is a section which gathers an author’s “recommendations.” As horror authors get more popular themselves, they are well known for paying it forward to others, so you can regularly find today’s most popular horror authors-Victor LaValle, Carmen Maria Machado, Paul Tremblay, and Stephen Graham Jones- suggesting the next generation of great writers to their legions of fans. Why not listen to the authors your patrons already love and pass on their favorites with a comment on how you found the suggestion? When it works, and it does more often than it does not, you look like a genius. Often, the book is better received by the patron than those carefully crafted suggestions you agonized over.

Today though, I wanted to remind you that this works with any public figure who the reader in front of you likes, especially actors in literary adaptations or literary adjacent media. I was reminded of this the other day when Emily Temple over at LitHub gathered the books and authors Pedro Pascal (Games of Thrones, The Last of  Us and the Mandalorian himself) has listed on his socials. So yes, Temple used my resource to help you help more readers.

Click here to see what she gathered for you.

But here's the thing, any of you can do this for any popular public figure and then turn the results into a social media post, make a list for your website, even make a quick display. And that is above and beyond the direct RA interaction I describe above.

There is no better way to stay relevant AND show your patrons that you are actively listening to them than to anticipate what they are looking for. Using popular authors, actors, or public figures and connecting what they are reading, listening to, and watching to the items you have ready for patrons to check out is the easiest way to do  this.

Library Journal Movers & Shakers As a Resource to See the Full Breadth of Librarianship in America

There are a lot of feelings about LJ Movers & Shakers every year. I for one enjoy the chance to celebrate those who are doing excellent work, often without any recognition. And while there were a few years where LJ was clearly making some bad choices and people asked for their awards to be revoked (years where I almost quit LJ as well), They have worked hard to get new leadership in place and turn things around. They still aren't perfect, but it remarkably better.

I love celebrating good things in every facet of life-- big and small-- and this annual event is a great way for me to do that.

This year 3 people I have actually worked with, in person, some over many years, are honored and I can tell you with full confidence, all of them 100% deserve it. In fact, reading their entries, I know that they do even more to make their libraries and the larger library world better every single day. They are Becky Keane, Kelly Jensen, and Alex Vancina. Seeing these three humans honored made my heart soar.

But guess what? I also loved reading the stories of the other 47 people honored here. Reading their entries filled me with joy yes, but it also gave me a full picture of the library landscape across the country. I know this blog focuses on serving readers through the public library, but I am also invested in "Libraries" in general as a ILA Board member, local library trustee, and someone who trains library staff all over the world. I not only need to understand the full landscape of issues and concerns for all libraries, I want to know. You should too.

Movers & Shakers will give you that snapshot-- from all areas of the profession. It will show you the big issues like censorship, but also the small issues like technology infrastructure. It will recap the work done by school, public, special, and academic librarians. It will honor people who do the big showing things, but also, those (like my friend Alex) who work tirelessly behind the scenes but make a HUGE impact. Whether or not you agree with singling out individuals in this way is irrelevant to my reason for this post.

What I am asking you to do is to use this event as a chance to gain a deeper understanding of what is happening everywhere, not just in your community. By reading the entries on each of the 50 people singled out, you may notice that you are dealing with similar challenges. Maybe you can learn from what these people did to help you find new solutions. Or, maybe you see someone singled out for something you know needs to be worked on in your community but you haven't been able to figure out how to begin tackling the challenge. Read about what they did and maybe try their tactics. And of course, for all of them, reach out to an individual that you think may be able to help you with one of your issues or concerns. We are all here to help each other. That is a core value of the profession. 

And because this is me, of course I found the database of past winners (which they did not make easy to find). You can go here to see "Movers" by year going back to 2002 (including those who were recognized but asked for the award to be revoked). I encourage you to go back and look at those who won in the past, especially the last 5 years or so, but all 22 years if you have time. Why? Because it will give you a sense of librarianship in America leading up to right now. How did we get to this moment? Look back and see. It is a quick history lesson, but a thorough one because each year's recipients represent the biggest issues of the year before they were chosen-- in all areas of our profession.

And for those who think they do just as good work as those who are celebrated here...nominate yourself. There are many people who win awards because they took the initiative to let others know why they should be considered. Nothing is stopping you from throwing your hat in the ring. 

Below is part of the introduction with a link to the landing page. Congratulations to all. Not just the winners, but all of us, the everyday Library workers who these 50 individuals represent to us all and to the larger world.

Over the past 22 years, Library Journal’s Movers & Shakers awards have offered a compelling snapshot of what’s up and coming in the library world. The individuals and groups we have featured represent a range of innovative, proactive, and supportive work. But taking the wide view of more than two decades of Movers reveals much about the field’s status quo as well: what was remarkable that is now expected, what caught us by surprise that has been folded into the everyday. 

A look back at Movers history tells stories. The Tech Leaders category was phased out after 2020, when it became clear that almost no aspect of librarianship was not touched by technology in some way. The Storytellers category saw its last entry in 2007 and Collaborators in 2008. The understanding that all library workers are collaborators and storytellers—from directors to behind-the-scenes catalogers, developers, and vendors—is pivotal to what makes this such an important profession. 

Advocacy is a critical part the work; LJ has highlighted Advocates among the Movers since 2003. This year, however, it became clear that a new level needs to be recognized: those stepping up to combat the current wave of materials challenges and legislation that would restrict the freedom to read. This not only means organizing but also forward-facing work—testifying before state legislators, drafting policy, collaborating on legal actions, and creating sanctuary cities. Our new category, Ban Battlers, highlights those efforts. 

These intellectual freedom defenders—our Ban Battlers—are joined by Advocates, Community Builders, Change Agents, Innovators, and Educators to make up the 2024 Movers & Shakers cohort. They are developing programming for patrons with disabilities, providing a place to land after school for teens, creating and restoring balance to their boards, connecting libraries with federal funding, helping design sustainable facilities, teaching community members how to archive their collections, and more—the 50 individuals profiled here demonstrate 50 different ways to move library values forward. 

Click here to explore the 50 different individuals and celebrate everything all of us do every single day to serve our community and profession as we all try to make a difference in people's lives.

Actively Anti-Racist Service to Leisure Readers: How to Properly Apologize for Causing Harm

As a reminder, Robin and I offer a class entitled Actively Anti-Racist Service to Leisure Readers which you can learn more about here.

The main way we offer this class is through Learn with NoveList, but in the last 6 months we have also given versions of this talk in person, together, 2x. We always meet often (virtually) to discuss ways to enhance our training based on the questions/comments we receive and consider current events/issues.

Next week marks 3 years since we gave our first official version of this training-- for Eugene, OR, and both of us have reflected on how different the training is now precisely because we make sure to make it responsive to the questions we receive and other things happening in the larger world.

[Note: we did the very first presentation on this topic together for LibraryReads in Fall 2020]

This constant evolution is also why we have turned down multiple offers to turn this work into a book.

One of the things we added a year ago is a reminder that when you are the person doing the anti-racist work and you misstep, people will come for you. It is easier for people to criticize those doing the work for being imperfect than it is to do the hard work for themselves. Robin and I both share examples of times we have misstepped and how we handled it. I also give examples on how to publicly and in writing include acknowledgment of harm in the work you do at the library and how you can show your commitment to doing better-- both to hold yourself accountable and to set the example for others-- hopefully inspiring change in those around you.

We explain clearly how to properly apologize by acknowledging harm and taking responsibility to do better going forward. I always add this important comment-- when you apologize there is no, "But, I didn't mean it." NO BUTS. It doesn't matter if you didn't mean it and it was an honest mistake. What matters is that you caused harm and/or did not live up to the standards you set for yourself. Then make it clear that you plan to do better going forward. Hold yourself to the standards you want to live up to. No one is perfect. We all misstep. You need to keep moving forward.

And, you actually show that you didn't mean it more by apologizing properly. "Buts" are less authentic because they are about making yourself look or feel better, not about doing the hard, uncomfortable work.

Robin shared a great example of this from another entity that works very hard to be anti-racist-- Lee & Low. You might recognize the publisher's name for their work on "Diversity in Publishing." Click here for my Feb 2024 post to learn more.

Lee & Low, work tirelessly to uplift marginalized voices, very publicly, and loudly. Recently they misstepped and did not live up to their own standards, but it is their apology, acknowledgment, and pledge to do better that I want to highlight because it showed they truly care about the work. This is how you do it. 

For those who have access to X you can click here to read it. But I have also posted screen shots at the bottom of this post. And I will be adding this as an example to my slides as well so that Robin and I can continue to have examples of others who are living up to their ideals despite being imperfect because we all are imperfect,

If you want to have the most up to date information and conversations with Robin and I on the topic of Actively Anti-Racist Service to Readers, there are still 2 live session as part of our 2024 cohort of learns on Learn with Novelist. Click through for details. We will be talking about this in July for sure. 

Basic RA Training Resource Reminder

I am back in the car all day today, but with a busy week of 3 presentation next week I thought today would be a good time to remind you that I always have my most recent presentations and my 10 Rules of Basic RA Service available for you to use for FREE 24/7. Both pages are always in the right gutter of the blog.

My 10 Rules of Basic RA are always here. 

My Recent and Upcoming Presentations page is here.

Both include links to the longer posts I have written about the topics contained within each. My slides specifically are created to be a resource for all. If you have been to the presentation they serve to extend your learning, but, even if you are encountering the slides only, they are purposely created to be an outline of the major points with those links for more context and information. 

And if you have been a part of one of my live presentations in the past, you should still check the slides and "Rules" pages because while the titles of my presentations have stayed the same, the content changes all the time. For example, when I get a really good question during a presentation, I will write a longer post about it, providing a longer answer with context and links. Then, I will add them to the presentation which generated that question.

I call my company RA for All of a variety of reasons, but I live by all of them. It is both the name of my company and my mission statement all in one. In this case one of those definitions  is that I provide as much training to ALL of you on how to serve you leisure readers as possible. You can use the link above to improve your skills and get some new ideas for free.

I want to help all of you help all of your readers whether you hire me or not. Obviously, in person you get more, but I work very hard to make the the resources here as useful as possible to as many people as possible. 

Book Display Idea: Annual Reading Challenges

I am knee deep in moving a kid's things out of a college dorm and into summer housing, but my friend and book display expert, Lila Denning, has this great new post for me to share with you.

Click here for all of her Book Display Ideas on her blog. You can use this ideas at anytime. Her archive is a treasure trove of ideas.  

But here is the specific post I wanted to highlight today:

Book Display Idea - Annual Reading Challenge Suggestions

April 29, 2024

If you need a good idea for a fill-in book display, you can always return to the many reading challenges that pop-up in December and January. These challenges sometimes have an overall theme based upon a genre and sometimes they are very broad. Each month, a prompt to read a certain kind of book is presented. "Read a book that takes place in [city/country]" or '"read a book There are months where readers will struggle to find a title. In addition, some readers will discover a reading challenge that they didn't know existed. This might be an idea you reserve until June when you can set it up a half way through the challenge theme. While I am on record as advising against too many signs and decorations on a display, remember to include information about the challenge and where patrons can find out more. 

Your book clubs can use these challenges for those months where there is a struggle to agree upon a title. There are challenges which focus on books by particular groups of authors such as queer authors or Black authors in addition to genre focused ones. 

These challenges are also a great way to get some attention focused on your back list. 

Here are some challenges you can use: 

• The Candid Cover has what is perhaps the most comprehensive list of reading challenges. Olivia has done a magnificent job providing a wide variety of challenges including those for kids, those on Instagram, and bingo reading challenges. 

• Goodreads has an annual challenge that may be appealing for those readers who use the site. It's centered around readers picking a goal as to how many books they will read for the year. Some find this approach invigorating and drives them to read more and some find that it just causes anxiety. You can suggest novellas or shorter non-fiction to help patrons "catch up." The Carnegie-Stout Public Library (Iowa) has their own version of this type of challenge. 

• Book Riot titles their annual challenge "Read Harder." There are 24 ideas to help readers "explore settings, characters, formats, genres, and perspectives that might be outside of your reading norms" The New York Public Library created a list of suggestions in December that you can use to springboard your own suggestions. 

• The Massachusetts Center for the Book has a reading challenge that would work for any genre of fiction as well as non-fiction. Your local consortia, county system etc can create one for you patrons as part of a larger program. 

• Pop Sugar has a popular reading challenge. There are 45 reading prompts for the year and 5 advanced prompts. This kind of challenge may appeal to those who like to gamify their reading or those looking for a challenge that allows the reader to pick from a list rather than be limited to just one. 

How to Fight Book Bans in 2024: A Practical Guide from Book Riot

As I have mentioned many times here on the blog, Kelly Jensen is doing the hard work chronicling book censorship in America. 

Click on the "Censorship" button below or here to read every thing Jensen and the Book Riot staff have on the topic. I cannot stress enough how important this coverage is both because no one else in the entire US is doing as much work as Jensen to document it all and her advice on what to do is practical and will actually help. 

Case in point, late last week she presented in her words, "the most basic, boiled-down primer for how to fight book bans in 2024. It’s short, sweet, and to the point."

Click here to read it or see the intro with a link to more below, use her advice, and pass it on to your patrons so that you can be part of the solution. Stop being afraid of drawing attention to yourself and start actively trying to help us all regain control and stop this horror novel we are currently living in when it comes to censorship. 

CENSORSHIP

How to Fight Book Bans in 2024: Book Censorship News, April 26, 2024

Kelly Jensen Apr 26, 2024

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

In October 2021, I put together the first comprehensive guide to fighting book bans and challenges at Book Riot during the rising wave of censorship. Despite linking to this again and again and despite it being the foundation from which Book Riot put together an entire ebook last February—How to Fight Book Bans and Censorship—and despite the fact that we are absolutely flooded with “how to” resources everywhere, I’m still asked for more. So let’s do just that. Here’s the most basic, boiled-down primer for how to fight book bans in 2024. It’s short, sweet, and to the point.

Click here to read the full article.

What I'm Reading: Chuck Tingle and Josh Malerman

The May 2024 issue of Booklists has my reviews of the upcoming Chuck Tingle and Josh Malerman novels. Both require that you pre-order them now. They will have wide and happy audiences.

Reminder, you can find the reviews in Booklist or at Booklist Online but below you can find my draft reviews with bonus info and my three words.

But FYI: Both of these books are MUST BUYS!

First, the STAR review:

STAR

Bury Your Gays

By Chuck Tingle

July 2024. 304p. Tor Nightfire, $26.99 (9781250874658). 
First published May 1, 2024 (Booklist).

Self-publishing sensation, Tingle (Camp Damascus) burst onto the traditional publishing scene with one of the best books of 2023, but his follow up is even better. Misha, a semi-closeted, horror screenwriter has built quite a career for himself over the last two decades, but when asked to kill off the female leads of his popular show right after they kiss, he refuses. However, the algorithm, which rules Hollywood, demands he obey, or else. With the help of his best friend and boyfriend, Misha becomes the unlikely hero of not only his own story, but also that of the entire world, endangered by a powerful, insidious evil. Tingle’s effortless narrative flow is awe-inspiring. He begins with an uneasy tone that steadily builds to full on existential terror, along the way taking readers on a highly entertaining fast paced ride, filled with thought-provoking satire, original monsters, and some of the most realistic characters they will encounter on any page, all to prove that love is real and Horror itself is at its core, a celebration of life. A book for anyone who likes the immersive, high-stakes Thrillers of Blake Crouch or Horror novels about making movies like Horror Movie by Paul Tremblay or A Light Most Hateful by HaileyPiper.

Three Words That Describe this Book: perfectly paced, creepy becomes terrifying, a celebration of life Further Appeal: Here are more notes from when I was reading and writing the review. As you will see, I have many many notes. This book has so much in it and all fit was a jot to read and discover, but, alas, in print, I only get 200 words:

• I saw a reviewer who was confused by the screenplay excerpts included. I thought they were perfect, Helped to introduce more unease and disorientation-- ratchet it up. And they ended up being important to the storytelling, the twists, and the overall story; they added necessary detail and framing by showing not telling us what is going on. It also worked because the entire novel is about storytelling and writing screenplays. The pay off is PERFECT for it as well. It is there to knock you off a bit as a reader on purpose.
• This book is perfectly paced, perfectly built– every detail matters– fun, creepy, existentially terrifying, but also ultimately a celebration of life.
• I know Tingle's motto is-- Love is real-- and it is here but it expands to be a celebration of life itself. No one does relationships better in print than Tingle. From love to friendship to mentorship-- he is able to capture on the page the real feelings of true interactions between people and what they mean to each other with depth, care, and truth.
• I am struggling to figure out how much to share. I know reviewers will give spoilers. But I will say that post writer and actor strike issues of AI and more are clearly in this book-- and wow are they chillingly real.
• ½ way exactly, the twist. He is an expert at crafting a story and I was not surprised to look up at the page count when the whole story changed and see it was the middle. Speaking of, prepare to read this in 2 sittings. If you have time 1, but I did two. 
• No detail is left unaddressed. Every detail matters. Creepy turns to terrifying. Effortless flow. 
• Misha is in a race against time, fighting monsters from his past, both human and supernatural. There are very real lives at stake here.
• How does he write these perfect books that are super entertaining with amazing characters and nuanced, realistic relationships, thought provoking about serious issues, existentially terrifying and yet ultimately encased in love.
• This is a book about the creation of art as well, and its effect on all that it ultimately touches.
• Side note: I finished this book during the 2024 Oscar ceremony telecast; there is a crucial extended scene toward the end of the book at that event.

Further Readalikes: The above mentions of Horror Movie by Paul Tremblay and A Light Most Hateful by Hailey Piper are perfect because if you smooshed them together, that is this book,. A story about creating stories– especially screenplays Ala the Tremblay, but also with a Weird, SF element and the excellent relationships of Piper. It really is those two books smooshed together in terms of tone, theme, storytelling and over all message. And every detail matters in all 3 books. It is spectacular to watch it all come together as a reader. And it is done in a way that seems effortless, that it flows naturally, but of course, that was very hard for these authors to achieve and takes great care and skill. If you like Chuck Tingle, please read A Light Most Hateful by Hailey Piper, you will love it, I would be remiss to mention there were definitely Clive Barker vibes here. LA is a character in the story. If you want more of that read the classic, Coldheart Canyon. This book is heavily meta like Looking Glass Sound by Catriona Ward, but with like 3 fewer layers and a faster pace. This is not a judgment on either book. I gave both stars. The similarity here is in the focus on the fact that the power of the story is held by the writer and how what the writer includes or excludes matters. One is more methodically paced on purpose and the other is fast paced. Both are gems.

Second, the upcoming novel from Josh Malerman.

Incidents Around the House

By Josh Malerman

June 2024. 384p. Del Rey, $28 (9780593723128). 
First published May 1, 2024 (Booklist).

Malerman [Spin a Black Yarn] is back with a new novel that begins uneasily and relentlessly builds to full-out, feel it in your gut terrifying. Eight year-old Bela, the sole narrator, lives in suburban Detroit with her Mommy, Daddo, and “Other Mommy,” a being who lives in her closet, but comes out frequently to ask the young girl, “Can I go inside your heart?” Readers enter as “Other Mommy” is losing patience with Bela, getting more bold, even leaving the house to remind Bela that she must say yes, and soon, or else. Bela immediately grabs readers’ attention and pulls them into her disquieting world, while Malerman finds effective ways to add context from the adults’ points of view without sacrificing Bela’s authenticity or the fast pace. Readers will be ensnared for the duration, wanting to look away or take a break from the unceasing onslaught, but they cannot because “Other Mommy” will follow readers, even off the page, not allowing anyone to escape. For fans of Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage and Hex by Thomas Olde Heuvelt. 

Three Word That Describe This Book: Child POV [exclusive], chilling, relentless

Further appeal: My review and the publisher summary give you all that I feel safe enough to say about this book. It is a story you have to experience. It is a full body fear situation. You will scream at the page like a movie. You will scream and the characters from Bela-- who is captivating-- and the adults. 

This book is NOT for the faint of heart. It is intense and bleak but quite a ride. 

Some may not love the exclusive child POV, but in this case, the book won'r work without Malerman committing to it. Bela is just aware enough to that the "Other Mommy" is bad, but also she sees enough to know that things aren't great at home too. Details are filled in by her troubled parents venting their feelings to her while they think she is asleep. 

But to say more than the overall tone and the POV is to ruin the experience of reading this. 

Further Readalikes: The entire thing reminded me of an old school Paperbacks from Hell but with a modern sensibility. I think that is the easiest was to book talk this book. Right away your readers will know exactly who it if for. 

To help library workers, who are my review's main audience I referenced 2 titles that would most easily help them understand who this is for (not that they need help getting Malerman books off the shelf and into readers' hands. The Baby Teeth rec is for the narration and content and the HEX comp is to hint at the bleakness and also some of the appearances of the "monster" scenes are similar.

A tangential rec is A Head Full of Ghosts, but that one is more about making the reader think about what they read and if it is real or not while in this Malerman novel, "Other Mommy" is a real monster. This is not in Bela's head. Instead, Malerman is out there going for the readers' gut, to make them feel the fear in the bodies. If you are still thinking about it after, it is because you are having nightmares-- which is a valid response.

Booklist's Annual Mystery and Thriller Spotlight is Now LIVE!

The May 1 issue of Booklist is always one of the best of the year. It's focused on Crime Fiction and this year it also has a spotlight on True Crime.

I do have two big name reviews in this issue, but I will post them on Monday. Today I want to point you to all of the amazing RA resources that are included in this issue and all focused on titles that have some of the most checkouts at your library.

However, before I get to those details, please remember that every issue of Booklist is a spotlight on something. That spotlight means there are lists of the top books in those categories, for all ages of readers-- including audio-- all available right at your fingertips. That is not even considering that there are extra reviews of upcoming books for said spotlight in that issue as well.

And, to make this RA rich information even more accesible, Booklist now has a print magazine-- Booklist Reader. It is similar to Book Page in terms of how you distribute it to your patrons, but made by librarians for librarians, sharing their most useful RA material with your patrons, directly.

Back to the spotlight articles and lists though. They are always available for free-- both the current and backlist lists. So they are a literal treasure trove of vetted best titles in the categories that you, the library worker, most care about. Every title is annotated as well, so you have information about the book to share with its best reader immediately.

Here are the lists and articles for this current spotlight with 2 years of backlist access include by me to help you add to your collections and help readers:

• Top 10 Mysteries & Thrillers: 2024
• Links for 2023, 2022
• Top 10 Debuts Mysteries & Thrillers: 2024
• Links for 2023, 2022
• Top 10 Mysteries & Thrillers on Audio: 2024
• Links for 2023, 2022
• Top 10 True Crime Books: 2024
• Link for 2023 (only other year)
• Writers & Readers Shining the Light on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women