The December Booklist Reader is here: start reading and sharing digitally today!

Order Booklist Reader in print for your patrons!

Starting with the January 2023 issue, you can share physical copies of Booklist Reader with library-building visitors. Don’t miss out on this valuable patron resource, which brings Booklist’s quality book and audiobook recommendations, author interviews, original features, and so much more directly to readers of all ages. Order your first fifty online today or by calling 1-888-350-0949, and learn more about this exciting patron resource on our blog! 

Torch
by Lyn Miller-Lachmann

​Late 1960s Czechoslovakia is a place of turmoil under the Soviet regime—especially for young people like Pavol, whose lives are dictated by the state. Sadly, his dream of higher education is dashed due to his efforts to thwart Soviet tanks encroaching on Prague. In response, Pavol takes his own life by setting himself on fire. Among those he leaves behind are his friends, each with a secret involving Pavol.

Fine Dining and Fine Dying: Read-alikes for The Menu
By Biz Hyzy

Whether they feature secluded vacations, bizarre meals, or obsessive chefs, the following contemporary thrillers and horror novels will satisfy your hunger for more stories like The Menu.

Shelf Care Podcast Episode #24: Reading Glasses and Other Helpful Insights
By Susan Maguire

On this episode of Shelf Care: The Podcast, host Susan Maguire talks to the hosts of another podcast, Reading Glasses. Mallory O’Meara and Brea Grant chat with Susan about reading wheelhouses, extol the virtues of the library, and encourage folks not to read books they don’t want to read.

Booklist Backlist: A Good Yarn
by Susan Maguire

​Knitters are excellent library patrons, perusing the craft section for new patterns and the fiction section for new novels about their favorite hobby. Here are a few good yarns: mysteries, romance, and fantasy featuring knitting, plus a few excellent fiber-arts instruction books.

 Roberto Clemente Community Academy, Winner of the Cloud Cuckoo Land Library Makeover Contest, Unveils New Look

On November 9, Roberto Clemente Community Academy High School in Chicago unveiled their new school library with a special ribbon cutting ceremony.

2023 Andrew Carnegie Medals Shortlist Announced

Today, the American Library Association (ALA) announced the six books shortlisted for the esteemed Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction, awarded for the previous year’s best fiction and nonfiction books written for adult readers and published in the United States. 2023 selection committee chair Stephen Sposato will announce the two medal winners at the Reference and User Services Association’s Book and Media Awards (BMAs) live streaming event, during LibLearnX on Sunday, January 29th at 4:30 p.m. CT.

The Shelf Care Interview: Tameka Fryer Brown and Nina Crews​

In this episode of the Shelf Care Interview, Julia Smith talks to Tameka Fryer Brown and Nina Crews about their new picture book biography, Not Done Yet: Shirley Chisholm’s Fight for Change,

Carte Blanche: First and Foremost?
By Michael Cart

What is there to say about first novels except that, without them, we would have no literature? In my examination of this notion, I have selected the first YA novels of ten important writers in the field, whose work, past and present, has and continues to have outsize influence on the form, by introducing it, shaping it, enriching it, and confirming with it that young adult literature is literature.

Listen Up: 2022 Debut Narrators
by Heather Booth

As we celebrate new voices in our First Novels section, we are also celebrating new voices in audiobooks that we reviewed in 2022. We welcome these notable voice talents and hope to hear more from each of them in years to come.