Attack of the Best Lists 2022: NPR Books We Love and Publishers Weekly Best of 2022

This post is part of my year end "Attack of the Best Lists" coverage. To see every post in my "Best Books 2022" series [and more backlist best options] you can use the best lists tag. 

It begins earlier and earlier every year. I used to be surprised when Best Lists started showing up on November 1, but here we are, it's not even Halloween and 2 major year end "best lists" went live last week. I will say I am not surprised they came out early because not only are these 2 of the best and most useful best lists that are available, but they are also updated and available year round.

But since this is the first Attack of the Best Lists for 2022 I do want to remind you that I take all of the best lists that come out this time of year to craft my popular, annual presentation for PCI webinars: Reader's Advisory Year in Review. The registration for those has just gone live as well. 

PCI Webinars: Reader's Advisory Year in Review: 2022

• Tuesday, January 31, 2023; 10:30-11:30am Eastern [FL Libraries only]
• Wednesday, February 1, 2023; 2-3pm Eastern [Everyone else]

Now back to today's featured best lists. And again, a reminder, both are excellent year round resources.

First up: The Books We Love App from NPR.

Click here to enter the site

From the about page which also explains how the books are selected:

Books We Love is NPR’s interactive reading guide. In the past, it’s been a year-end guide we put out annually. But this year, we’ve decided to offer it in summer and winter! So this summer edition of Books We Love focuses on books published in the first six months of the year, from January through June 2022. But what hasn’t changed is the bounty of hand-picked books. Mix and match tags such as Book Club Ideas, Biography & Memoir or Eye-Opening Reads to filter results and find the book that’s perfect for you or someone you love.

I love this list for a few reasons. The first is the filters. Listed in the left gutter of the page in natural language with recognizable categories such as "Biography & Memoir," "Mysteries & Thrillers," or "Young Adult," but also including more intuitive, reader focused categories like "Eye-Opening Reads," It's All Geek To Me," and "The Dark Side," and even choices based on length, this is an excellent portal to "best" books that allows any reader [or library worker] to created highly specific and expertly tailored suggestions.

Second, it is fun to use. The mixing a matching potential is endless because of the breadth of choices. A lot of that breadth is because of the nature of how they add titles to the list. They ask all of their NPR Books contributors to suggest titles. As a result, a huge swath of reading interests are represented in the list. Their intentional inclusion of all voices, even those who only write a few reviews a year, makes this list one of the best. 

Third,  every former incarnation of this list is easily accessible with a single click from the top of this year's list meaning you have over 2,800 customizable suggestions for literally any reader, no matter how picky, at your fingertips. 

Fourth, Books We Love is a great go-to resource all year long because of the breadth and variety of titles included and the ease of backlist access. Users get to steer the ship to find their own suggestion amongst a universe of pre-approved titles. Then they can be as picky as they want, choosing their own filters to narrow it down. And since these lists are VERY broad in terms of the types of books that are included each year, the results are very useful. And they stand up over the test of time. 

When you visit the NPR Book Books We Love portal now and have fun using it for yourself or your patrons, but don't forget about it all year long. It is a wonderful  resource and, after years in existence, the compound interest of titles makes it even more useful. 

Next up is something very similar, PW's Best Books 2022.

Click here to enter the site

Look at that screen shot. From the Best Books of 2022 page on PW you can access by all ages and genres as well as single click access going back to 2010! And it includes their Summer Reads picks and overall Best titles in one place. 

This inclusion of Summer Reads access is key because often, those books are better general reads options but they don't make the year end lists as well. This allows the PW Best Books portal 
Nowhere will you find a resource that puts this many "sure bet" options in front of you so easily. There are literally hundreds of titles here, at your fingertips, both old and new, that you can confidently suggest to readers immediately. And so many readers. Readers who read across all age levels [down to infants] and in just about every genre. 

And, since every title is annotated, you also have a book talk [or annotation] for each title right there. You don't have to have read the book to suggest it. [Reminder: Use the Words of Others.]

I could keep gushing about how much I love this resource but I would rather you played around with it yourself.

Click through, check out the upcoming titles, but also look back at older titles, read the annotations, check genres you love and those you don't normally read, especially those you don't normally read because you will learn much about the current state of that genre [trends, popular authors] this year and going back a few years. You can both get access to some great sure bet suggestions AND brush up on your genre knowledge all in one place.

Spend some time really getting to know this resource. And then use it-- all of it including past years and both summer and year end lists-- to make your own lists for your readers. Make displays [digital displays too], make suggested reading lists by genre, by year, by whatever you want. Just embrace the wealth of information available to you with one click and help readers in ways they would not think to help themselves.

Go check out this database of "sure bet" reads for any season, and keep it bookmarked for use anytime you need a solid suggestion [especially for those hard  to satisfy readers].

And keep an eye out here on the blog for more "Attack of the Best Lists" posts coming soon.

RA for All Roadshow Visits the Haunted Library at Glen Ellyn Public Library

After a busy week at ILA, I am ending the week at a Haunted Library! Sound perfect if you ask me. Here are the details.

Glen Ellyn Public library is in the western suburbs of Chicago. A few months ago, they approached me to help them create a Haunted Library. I got the Chicagoland Chapter of the HWA involved and what you see below is being offered to anyone who wants to come for free. It will be a theatrical event, with students from the local high school [ironically, one of my local high school's biggest sports rivals] reenacting scenes from the author's books. It was a fun process to watch the authors figure out what scenes from their works they wanted staged.

I will be there as a tour guide and cannot wait to take people through. Here is the link for more information and the program description is below but please note ALL are welcome. All ages, people from all communities, everyone:

Haunted Library

Friday, October 21, 2022

6:00pm - 8:00pm

The library will close early on Friday, October 21 at 3 pm and re-open at 6 pm transformed into two floors of bone-chilling hauntings!In the Youth Department, find family-friendly frights, participate in a scavenger hunt, and listen to not-so-scary stories like The Ghosts Went Floating read aloud.

In the North and South meeting rooms, Chicagoland authors Michael Allen Rose, Daniel Kraus (The Death and Life of Zebulon Finch), Damian Serbu (The Vampire’s Angel), Cynthia Pelayo (Children of Chicago), and John Everson (The House by the Cemetery) will talk horror and have books available for purchase.

On the 2nd floor, Glenbard West Theatre students and library staff will enact excerpts from horror stories. Please note that there will be flashing lights and dry ice in use on the 2nd floor.

Visit the library after hours, if you dare!

Where is All the Book Data?

I want to talk about data today. Libraries have gotten very good at using data to help us make decisions and craft our collections. So many of us now rely on it.

It is getting to be so important that systems, like mine, RAILS, have hired entire Data Analysis Teams. You can click here to see what RAILS has done to make data analysis easier for our member libraries. 

I began in public libraries at the start of this century, which means I have watched as the card catalog was replaced by OPAC systems. And I have seen the online catalogs not only take over, but improve, both in terms of the user experience and in how easy they are for us to use to collect and sort data. 

As a trustee I have also seen how useful data can be to communicate with our citizens as well. As organizations funded by public funds, we have been proactive in providing as much open access to our data as possible. In fact, public libraries are going out of our way to get more data out there so that the tax payers can more easily understand what a great deal the public library actually is.

But book publishing, is the exact opposite. As we all expect more access to transparent data, the publishing world has become less open. Even how a "best seller" is calculated has become a trade secret. 

But with libraries leading the way by publicizing their checkout data and with the success of the Panorama Project* which provides data-informed insight on public libraries and their impact on book discovery, author brand development, and sales, the public and professional outcry for more transparent book data is growing. Libraries have been successful at showing our patrons how our checkouts save them money AND at showing publishers how we help make them more money.

And yet, the publishers are digging in for more and more secrecy.

Thankfully, the Post45 Data Collective has stepped up. Click here to read a report from Public Books. Here is a pull out quote that opens the article.

Culture industries increasingly use our data to sell us their products. It’s time to use their data to study them. To that end, we created the Post45 Data Collective, an open access site that peer reviews and publishes literary and cultural data. This a partnership between the Data Collective and Public Books, a series called Hacking the Culture Industries, brings you data-driven essays that change how we understand audiobooks, bestselling books, streaming music, video games, influential literary institutions such as the New York Timesand the New Yorker, and more. Together, they show a new way of understanding how culture is made, and how we can make it better. 

—Laura McGrath and Dan Sinykin

Everyone in the book world needs more accurate, open, and real time book data. In a world where every other industry is getting more transparent, the lack of transparency in publishing is troubling.

I am proud of how libraries have led on this issues [the article even mentions that], but I hope publishers follow our lead.

Please click though and learn more about this issue from the Public Books report. 

*Full disclosure, I was involved with Panorama Project when it first began. Click here for all of my posts about it.

What I'm Reading: Blood Country by Jonathan Janz

The October 15, 2022 issue of Booklist is live and I have an excellent 2nd book in a SF-Horror hybrid series. [I reviewed the first book here.] The entire series is a MUST buy for all public library collections as it will have a wide appeal. Also the book came out YESTERDAY! More below. 

Blood Country

[The Raven: Book Two]

By Jonathan Janz

Oct. 2022. 288p. Flame Tree, $26.95 (9781787586635); paper, $16.95 (9781787586611); e-book, $4.99 (9781787586642). First published October 15, 2022 (Booklist).

Three years after the long-buried genes of monsters thought to only exist in fiction were reactivated by terrorists [in The Raven], Dez, a “latent” with no powers, is hiding in vampire controlled territory with Levi, Michael, a Pyroteknic, and Iris, a Siren. Recuperated from the battle at Four Winds, they must move on to rescue Iris’ young daughter and Dez’s girlfriend from the vampires who kidnapped them at the close of The Raven. After teaming up with a sympathetic, if not completely trustworthy, vampire, Dez and his crew head to the high school, the seat of the Vampire Queen’s power, knowing this might be their final fight. The pacing is fast, the action sequences exciting, but the story is elevated by the space Janz makes for character development, world building, and most importantly, a warmth that radiates out from every page. With a realistically diverse cast, numerous Horror references, and even more monsters emerging from world-wide mythologies, it is also a very fun read. For fans of original, Science Fiction-Horror hybrid trilogies like The Passage or The Strain but also for those who appreciated the heart at the center of The Road.

Further Appeal: I purposely don't give you extra info on Levi above because....spoilers. But he is behind the next book's mission. And this is an important point to make here. We are in book 2 of a planned trilogy. The story here is actioned packed and super fun, but while the mission in this volume is resolved, clearly we are being set up for the next book. And that is great because we know this is a series.

I cannot stress enough how much fun this series is. It both plays with established tropes and monsters and adds something new it all. The action is awesome. The detail of how the school is used to frame so much of the story was fascinating. Since I've read the book, I haven't been able to stop thinking about it. It was very clever.

And the characters-- good and evil-- all are fully formed with the heart of many shining through. The pacing is fast, but Janz makes sure you know who is fighting and why. And none of it is black and white. 

There is also humor sprinkled throughout the action and bloodshed.

A must add series to all libraries. Flame Tree is distributed by S&S so these are very easy to get and add to your library ASAP.

Three Words That Describe This Book: fun, fast paced action, original world building.

Further Readalikes: From the first book's review, I mentioned Malerman and Roanhorse in my review in LJ and Booklist mentioned Lee Child. I stand by those here as well. I have said it before, but Janz's writing also reminds me of Brian Keene.

Side note: I also reviewed Janz's upcoming novella in Library Journal this month; I gave it a STAR. While the stories are very different, comparing theses two books, I clearly see the similarities-- Janz take established tropes and breaks them open to create something completely new.

Janz is an author who is PERFECT for public library collections. Every book is worth a read and they appeal to a wide audience.

RA for All Heads to the Illinois Library Association Annual Conference

Today the Illinois Library Association Annual Conference returns in person in Rosemont, IL. Click here for the conference website.

While I will be busy at the conference, I have set both blogs to keep posting. Don't worry, I have you non IL people covered. 

Not only is this the first time back in person since 2019 for the ILA Annual Conference, but also,  I am now an Executive Board member for ILA, so I have new roles and responsibilities. I am excited about it though. I love learning new things. So, on top of presenting and sponsoring this conference, I am working a 2 hour shift at the information desk for the Trustee Forum and I have a list of exhibitors I am responsible  for visiting and thanking. I am very interested in seeing how that goes and what feedback they have, both as an ILA Board member but also as someone who plans conferences as well.

But back to the event itself. I have 3 presentations, plus I will be at the awards luncheon because I nominated the Trustee of the Year winner! I will also be part of the Trustee Day breakfast, lunch, and forum meetup.

Here are some details with a secret coupon for all of my readers, not just those in attendance:

• Tuesday, October 18th Robin and I presenting our Actively Anti-Racist Service to Leisure Readers in 2 sessions. Both in room 40-41. We will spend the first session- 2:45-3:45- doing our foundational lectures and then the next session- 4-5- facilitating a discussion. You can click here for Robin's slides and here for mine. 
• Secret coupon alert! My last slide has details about the brand new, coming very soon, version of this training via NoveList with a coupon code.
• Please come to RAILS Executive Director, Dee Brennan's, retirement party from 5-7pm in rooms 26-29. It is free, but we are asking people to register here. Come anytime in the 3 hour slot, but there will be a short ceremony at 5:30. I will be there from 5-6:30.
• Wednesday, I will be around but probably will not have much time to attend sessions. Find me at the welcome table from 1-3 however. I will also be at the Membership meeting- 10:15-11:45. And the Exhibits opening w/lunch. 
• Thursday is Trustee Day. We have a breakfast, lunch and forum meeting which will take most of my day. I am also moderating: Get On Board: Encouraging Library Workers to Run for Local Library and School Boards. I will link the handout here to this post on Thursday.

Now for those of you not at ILA Annual. You can follow my adventures on Twitter through my handle or  the hashtag #ILAAC22. You can click through to see the Tweets whether or not you have an account or follow in the gutter of this blog where I post my Twitter feed for the things I tweet and retweet.

I hope to connect with some of you there. But again, for those not anywhere near us, both blogs will be running with content all week.

LibraryReads: November 2022

    It's LibraryReads day and that means four things here on RA for All

1. I post the list and tag it “Library Reads” so that you can easily pull up every single list with one click.
2. I can remind you that even though the newest list is always fun to see, it is the older lists where you can find AWESOME, sure bet suggestions for patrons that will be on your shelf to actually hand to them right now. The best thing about LibraryReads is the compound interest it is earning. We now have hundreds and hundreds of titles worth suggesting right at our fingertips through this archive OR the sortable master list allowing you to mix and match however you want.
3. You have no excuse not to hand sell any LibraryReads titles because there is a book talk right there in the list in the form of the annotation one of your colleagues wrote for you. All you have to say to your patron is, “such and such library worker in blank state thought this was a great read,” and then you read what he or she said.
4. Every upcoming book now has at least 1 readalike that is available to hand out RIGHT NOW. Book talk the upcoming book, place a hold for it, and then hand out that readalike title for while they wait. If they need more titles before their hold comes in, use the readalike title to identify more readalike titles. And then keep repeating. Seriously, it is that easy to have happy, satisfied readers.

So get out there and suggest a good read to someone today. I don’t care what list or resource you use to find the suggestion, just start suggesting books.

Please remember to click here for everything you need to know about how to participate. Click here to see a database of eligible diverse titles sorted by month.

And finally, here is LibraryReads' extremely helpful Resources page.

Now let's get to that list.... 

  

November 2022 LibraryReads List!

Astrid Parker Doesn't Fail 

by Ashley Herring Blake

Berkley

“In this follow-up to Delilah Green Doesn’t Care, Astrid is determined to bounce back from a breakup by going on a TV building reno show. When sparks fly with the show’s carpenter, Astrid is thrown, having never before considered herself queer. With a little guidance from Delilah, she follows her instincts. This is a sweet/spicy romance for fans of Casey McQuiston and Alexis Hall”.

— Amanda Chapman, Davisville Free Library, North Kingstown, RI

NoveList read-alike: Chef's Kiss by T.J. Alexander

The Banned Bookshop of Maggie Banks

By Shauna Robinson

Sourcebooks Landmark

“Maggie takes a temp position at a friend's bookstore and gets more than she bargained for when she discovers the entire town seems to revolve around the legacy of author Edward Bell. Before she knows it, she's selling books from a secret stash, planning author events, and finding love. A fun read for fans of Abbi Waxman and Emily Henry.”

—Jaime Bink, Harford County Public Library, Whiteford, MD
NoveList read-alike: The Book Haters' Book Club by Gretchen Anthony

The Cloisters: A Novel 

by Katy Hays

Atria Books

“Ann lands an internship at the Met’s Cloisters museum, where she works on an exhibit about tarot cards during the Renaissance. After Ann makes a surprising discovery, she sets in motion a series of sinister twists and turns. This great debut set in the atmospheric world of dark academia is perfect for those who loved The Ninth House and Discovery of Witches.”

—Shari Suarez, Genesee District Library, Genesee, MI
NoveList read-alike: Consensual Hex by Amanda Harlowe

Kiss Her Once For Me: A Novel

by Alison Cochrun

Atria Books

“Financially struggling Ellie agrees to get fake-engaged for cash to help get back on her feet. But when she visits her fiancé’s family for the holidays, she finds that his sister is the person Ellie fell for a year before. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll find the queer holiday rom-com you’ve always wanted. For fans of You Had Me at Hola, Take a Hint, Dani Brown and Written in the Stars.”

—Andrea Tucci, Glencoe Public Library, Glencoe IL 
NoveList read-alike: In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren

Legends & Lattes: A Novel of High Fantasy and Low Stakes 

by Travis Baldree

Tor Books

“Weary of her boisterous warrior lifestyle, an orc hangs up her sword and pairs with a succubus to open up a coffee shop in a quirky medieval town. This light, slice-of-life speculative tale is sure to appeal to fans of cozy fantasies like A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking and
The House in the Cerulean Sea.”

—Heidi Schaub, Multnomah County Public Library, Portland, OR
NoveList read-alike: Questland by Carrie Vaughn

Now is Not the Time to Panic: A Novel 

by Kevin Wilson

Ecco

“It's the summer of 1996 in the small town of Coalfield, Tennessee. Awkward teenagers Frankie and Zeke just want to make art, but lose control over their creation. This coming-of- age novel is uniquely compelling about how art can be appropriated by others and morph into legend.”

—Jill Minor, Washington County Public Library, Abingdon, VA
NoveList read-alike: Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

A Restless Truth: 

by Freya Marske

Tordotcom

"This second installment of The Last Binding trilogy focuses on a magical locked-room mystery aboard an early 1900s ocean liner. Full of thrills, steamy romance, and clever humor, this delightful queer historical fantasy will appeal to fans of Naomi Novik and C.L. Polk."

—Jessica Trotter, Capital District Libraries, Lansing, MI
NoveList read-alike: Spellbreaker series by Charlie N. Holmberg

The Rewind 

by Allison Winn Scotch

Berkley

“Frankie and Ezra run into each other at a friend’s wedding, revisiting the highs and lows of their college romance, and discover a lot about themselves and each other along the way. With the 1999 college campus setting, this is a nostalgic and heartfelt journey to a bygone era.
For fans of Just Another Love Song or The Half of It.”

—Alicia Ahlvers, Henrico County Public Library, Henrico, VA

NoveList read-alike: The Road Trip by Beth O’Leary

Someday, Maybe: A Novel 

by Onyi Nwabineli

Graydon House

"This is the story of a woman widowed by the suicide of her husband, who was a photographer. The novel walks through her grief process and what others outside of her grief must see. It's a poignant story, while peppered with occasional humor, but still a heart-wrenching read. For readers of You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty.”

—Theresa Coleman, Indianapolis Public Library, Indianapolis, IN
NoveList read-alike: And This Is How to Stay Alive by Shingai Njeri Kagunda

Two Wrongs Make A Right

by Chloe Liese

Berkley

"Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing gets an update as Jamie and Bea, who have nothing in common, discover they have been tricked into going on a date. They decide to fake their way through it...but will it end in true love? This is a dual perspective, slow burn rom- com full of wit and chemistry. Recommended for fans of Sarah Adams and Alina Jacobs."

—Kaite Stover, Kansas City Public Library, Kansas City, MO
NoveList read-alike: Ben and Beatriz by Katalina Gamarra

The LibraryReads Hall of Fame designation honors authors who have had multiple titles appear on the monthly LibraryReads list since 2013. When their third title places on the list via library staff votes, the author moves into our Hall of Fame.

Click here to access the Hall of Fame Archive for more sure bet library worker favorites

The Last Party

by Clare Mackintosh

Sourcebooks Landmark

“When a body is found floating offshore, the annual lake plunge celebration in Cwm Coed is abruptly canceled. It soon develops that everyone in the community has a reason for wanting the victim dead. Recommended to anyone who enjoys contemporary mystery fiction like I Know You Remember."

—Nancy Eggert, Chicago Public Library, Chicago, IL
NoveList read-alike: The Dry by Jane Harper

Paris Daillencourt is About to Crumble: A Novel 

by Alexis Hall

Forever

“Paris becomes a Bake Expectations contestant but being in a reality competition isn’t easy. Fortunately, he connects with Tariq in spite of the pressure of the competition and his anxiety. A realistic depiction of anxiety balanced by an adorable romance filled with fun characters. For fans of Rosaline Palmer Takes The Cake.”

—Claire Sherman, Clearwater-Countryside Library, Clearwater, FL
NoveList read-alike: A Brush with Love by Mazey Eddings

The Prisoner: A Novel 

by B.A. Paris

St. Martin's Press

“When Ned proposes a business deal - a proforma marriage that will earn her enough money to go to university, Emily accepts, despite her girlfriends having warned her about him. After the marriage, Ned isolates Emily, and everything unravels. Readalikes for this twisty tale include The Couple at Number 9 and The Golden Couple.”

—Tine Kristensen, Fairfax County Public Library, Fairfax, VA
NoveList read-alike: Before I Go To Sleep by S.J. Watson

Ship Wrecked: A Novel 

by Olivia Dade

Avon

“After starring in a TV show together, Peter and Maria’s passion ignites, but what comes next now that their career paths are diverging? There are plenty of sexy scenes, genuine belly laughs, and found family joy, and I was sorry to say goodbye to Peter and Maria. For fans of A Merry Little Meet Cute and One to Watch .”

—Sarah Cameron, Richland Library, Columbia, SC
NoveList read-alike: Well Met series by Jen DeLuca

Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six: A Novel 

by Lisa Unger

Park Row

“Three couples in an isolated luxury cabin in the woods, secrets, and unclaimed DNA tests under the tree. What can go wrong? Told in alternating chapters from different points of view, this is an excellent suspenseful read for chilly autumn nights..”

—Michelle Nebbia, Hillsdale Public Library, Hillsdale, NJ
NoveList read-alike: The Wild Girls by Phoebe Morgan

A Very Merry Bromance

by Lyssa Kay Adams

Berkley

“Gretchen has an unexpected night with Colton and then avoids him for a year. Now she needs his help. Determined to be a part of her life, Colton enlists the help of the Bromance book club to provide support and advice. A story of love and the family you are born into and create.”

—Chris Markley, Kingsport Public Library, Kingsport, TN
NoveList read-alike: In the Event of Love by Courtney Kae