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

Order Booklist Reader in print for your patrons!

You can share physical copies of Booklist Reader with library-building visitors now! 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! 

Just Jerry: How Drawing Shaped My Life
written and illustrated by Jerry Pinkney

​Throughout the book, Pinkney’s illustrations add an expressive, visual component to his storytelling. Because he was working on his memoir when he died in 2021, the pictures are graphite sketches rather than the finished art he had planned. But the look of the sketches, full of vitality and grace, is all his own.

10 Questions for Eleanor Shearer
​By John Charles

In River Sing Me Home, Rachel flees a plantation on Barbado when she discovers that emancipation does not lead to the freedom she’s been promised. She traverses the Caribbean, intent on finding her five surviving children, in this moving testament to a mother’s love.

Trade Secrets: Leveraging Community to Support the Freedom to Read
by Cicely Lewis

Ms. Angela Reid, affectionately known as the Purple Lady, is a retired educator and booklover in my community. On weekends, you can find her distributing free books at community events in underserved areas. I have worked with her and I’m constantly amazed at her energy level. When you think of advocating for the freedom to read, does someone like the Purple Lady come to mind?

Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction & Nonfiction

​Congratulations to the winners of the 2023 Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction, which were were announced by 2023 selection committee chair Stephen Sposato at the Reference and User Services Association’s Book and Media Awards during ALA LibLearnX.

Shelf Care #26: A Deep Dive into Book Groups
By Susan Maguire

On this episode of Shelf Care: The Podcast, host Susan Maguire talks to Indianapolis (IL) Public Library’s Montoya Barker about all things book group. Then, Susan chats with Booklist Audio Editor Heather Booth about what she’s reading and loving.

Read-alikes for The Last of Us: Innovative Takes on Fungi, Zombies, and the Apocalypse
By Biz Hyzy

Fans of the new TV series or beloved video game will want to get their hands on these horror and survivalist tales which likewise feature people who band together to flee war, zombies, or terrifying microorganisms.

Trade Secrets: How to Use Book Awards to Help Readers Find Books They’ll Love
by Stephen Sposato

​​The art of connecting readers with books they’ll enjoy is as challenging as it is rewarding. Book awards can be a helpful and time-saving tool in this wonderful field of matchmaking, but with so many awards available, it’s important to develop some strategies to harness their potential.