Annual Circulating Ideas Podcast with the ALA Presdential Candidates

ALA Election ballots went out this morning and Steve Thomas has his annual podcast interviewing the ALA President candidates on Circulation Ideas.

This is a must listen podcast for all library workers whether you are an ALA member or not. Why? Because you need to know what the biggest issues are for our profession. And Steve makes it very easy.

Click here to listen or visit the page which I have posted below.

Thank you to Steve for doing all of the work to provide this valuable resource to our community, each and every year.

307: ALA Presidential Candidates (2026)

~ CIRCIDEAS

Steve chats with Tamika Barnes and Becky Calzada, this year’s candidates for President of the American Library Association. Tamika Barnes is Associate Dean for Perimeter Library Services at Georgia State University, and the current President of the Georgia Library Association, and Becky is the District Library Coordinator for the Leander Independent School District, TX. They discuss their backgrounds in librarianship, what motivated them to run for president, their approaches to ALA’s key challenges including financial transparency, member engagement across all library types, and advocacy during a time of increasing censorship battles, and their aligned values around member-centered leadership.

Read the transcript!

Click here to listen

Tamika Barnes is the Associate Dean for Perimeter Library Services at Georgia State University, where she provides strategic leadership for libraries across five campuses in the metro Atlanta area serving students in more than 30 associate-degree pathways. A nationally recognized leader in the library profession, Tamika has served on the American Library Association Executive Board, recently chaired ALA’s Budget and Review Committee, and will serve as President of the Georgia Library Association in 2026. Her leadership has been recognized through numerous honors, including UCLA Library Senior Fellows, the Bob Richardson Award, and multiple national diversity and advocacy awards. She is also an educator, currently serving as an adjunct faculty member with Syracuse University’s School of Information Studies and previously teaching at North Carolina Central University, UNC Chapel Hill, and UNC Greensboro. Across all roles, Tamika is committed to advancing advocacy, equity, professional development, and strong, transparent library leadership.

Becky Calzada is a District Library Coordinator in Leander, Texas and a co-founding member of Texas #FReadom Fighters, a grass-roots led group of librarians launched back in October 2021. She is the Immediate Past President for the American Association of School Librarians President, has served on the ALA Intellectual Freedom Committee, and is actively engaged in supporting intellectual freedom advocacy both in her state and nationally. She is the recipient of several intellectual freedom awards and is the co-author of Prepared Libraries, Empowered Teams: A Workbook for Navigating Intellectual Freedom Challenges Together published in June 2024. She is featured in The Librarians documentary, a film which spotlights brave school librarians who are on the front lines in the fight against censorship.

SHOW NOTES:

Tamika Barnes campaign site
Becky Calzada campaign site

Click here to go to the Circulating Ideas landing page for this episode.

The 2026 Morning News Tournament of Books Begins Today: Bookish Fun and One of My Favorite Resources

I am on record (many times) writing and talking about how The Morning News Tournament of Books is the best best list for readers, plus it is a super fun way to present it. Also they look back at the year we just finished, so this "best" of 2025 list is not decided until March of 2026. I love that the dust has settled on the year before these books are paired off in judged brackets.

And it all begins TODAY!

But wait, I think I am getting a little ahead of myself here. Let's back up a bit.

What is the Tournament of Books? From the About page:

But it’s not really a contest. We’re not even sure it’s a “tournament.” What the ToB has been and will be, as long as we’re putting it on, is a month-long conversation about novels and reading and writing and art that takes place on weekdays in March.

Here’s how it works. Throughout the year, we gather, read, and assess the works of fiction we think would make worthy Tournament competitors. In December we present our findings in the form of a "long list." We then cull it to a final shortlist of 16 or so books. (Some years we expand the list beyond the core 16 to include an extra set of two or more books that compete in a pre-Tournament play-in match.)

When the Tournament of Books begins in March, each weekday two works of fiction go head to head, with one of our judges deciding which book moves forward in the brackets, according to whatever criteria matters to them. Along the way, the judges reveal their biases and interests, any connections they have to the participating authors, and, most importantly, an elaborate explanation of how they decided between the two books.

Following that day’s decision, we have color commentary in the form of a dialogue between two experts. From the beginning, our ToB Chairmen, authors Kevin Guilfoile and John Warner, have cracked wise, but we’ve also invited into the booth our favorite literary podcasters, independent booksellers from across the country, and novelists like Elliott Holt and Laura van den Berg. Think of it as a bigger-picture view of the proceedings from people who not only have read a ton of fiction, but who are also familiar with the way that the publishing industry makes the sausage, to bastardize a phrase. Then we leave it up to you, the readers, to add your own passionate thoughts and rebukes to the mix in the comments.

As I mentioned above, The 2026 ToB begins today. It is the 22nd year of this bookish fun! Click here  to see the full list of titles that are competing this year. OR Click here for a spread sheet of the full list with summaries of the books.

And please keep scrolling because there is a play in round and this amazing downloadable bracket which you can fill out for yourself. Don't let the college basketball fans be the only ones to have the bracketology fun.

Or make a display of this year's titles but add in titles from past years which are available with one click here-- again scroll down they are all there.

If you want to take an even deeper dive, you can read "A Brief History of the Tournament of Books." 

Everything ToB is organized and easy to find, use for yourself, or to get your readers interacting with books during this "March Madness" season. You go to the About page for the archive, where clicking on that year's winner brings you to the entire ToB for that same year. See 2026's event page here.

And there is always a landing page for the current year. It is an amazing resource of "best titles," but also you have PLENTY of books to make a display that can last you the entire month of March. Remember, there are 22 years of titles that have competed and they are all available with one click (and a scroll down).

When you go to the 2026 landing page, use the drop down menu in the top left by clicking on 2026 to choose how you interact with the ToB as it progresses. There are page options for:

• Today's Match
• The Books
• The Bracket-- filled in as it goes on 
• And info on the Judges

This year, I have a clear book I want to win, and it will come as no surprise to anyone who reads this blog or who has ever met me, it is The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones. And its inclusion in this tourney is another reason I love the ToB as a resource.

The ToB is not your average book award or best list and not only because it is a battle between the books as judged by other writers using a bracket system. With ToB we also get the most diverse list of “best books” you will see anywhere, both diverse in authorship and genre. The Buffalo Hunter Hunter's inclusion as a #2 seed, meaning it is a favorite to win it all, is but one example of this.

And because it happens in March each year, but the books are from the year before, the 2026 ToB uses 2025 books meaning that many of  the titles are already off holds. This is a list of the current reigning "best books" but because of the timing, they are actually available to be read without a wait.

With ToB you not only learn about great books and why they are wonderful, but you also learn about the judges themselves, also a very diverse group of people throughout the publishing industry. You can learn about the judges whose information is after the books themselves on this page. Just the list of judges alone makes for its own resource to suggest books to readers.

Once the tourney begins each “battle” has a full write up which gets to the heart of the two books’ appeal and structure. These essays give us valuable information on who would like the book and why. Readalikes are also often mentioned. This is the easiest link to use to pull up each day's match-up and enjoy it for fun while also learning something new and unique about these popular books. Once it gets going you can follow the matches through the link to the in-progress bracket.

Oh and the comments. The readers who follow along religiously and have entire discussions about each pairing of books for pages and pages are THE BEST. Following just the comments is like reading a novel itself. Plus those are the comments of regular readers. There is even a running commentary on the battle itself by the tournament organizers.

ToB has also become my go-to resource for "literary fiction." Why? Because the ToB takes the idea of "literary" titles, titles worthy of being deemed as worth your time [which I hate, but it is a thing], and gives it a wide berth. I especially love using the backlist titles for book discussions. 

Speaking of the backlist AGAIN, I love the "Wall of Champions," which you can click here and scroll down to see. That page alone is an awesome "sure bet" resource.

I hope you find a way use the ToB as a resource to get your patrons excited about reading. You can use all of the past years to create a diverse (in every way) display to attract a wide swath of readers.

FREE Virtual Women in Horror Panel with Wake County [NC] Public Libraries

Come on, come all to Wake County [NC] Public Libraries on Thursday, March 26 from 6:30 to 8pm for a VIRTUAL, FREE event celebrating Women in Horror.

This event features some of the authors from my book. From the program copy: 

Join us for an online chat with dynamic women crafting the creepiest horror stories around! Explore the horror genre with authors Tananarive Due, Rachel Harrison, Alma Katsu, and Jennifer McMahon moderated by author and horror advocate Becky Spratford. Dive into spooky stories, get writing tips, and hear what inspires these amazing women authors. Whether you're a horror fan or a writer yourself, this panel’s going to be a scream!

We are going to have a lot of fun. We will talk about horror and about being a writer. There will be readings from the panelist's essays from WHY I LOVE HORROR and we will be taking audience questions. 

Click here or on the image below to join us. Let your patrons know about it too. I have verified with the Library that everyone is welcome to sign up. 

These are among your patrons' favorite authors. And they will be sharing their personal roads to becoming horror writers. This is an event readers cannot get anywhere else. And it is FREE and you can watch in your pjs. 

Sign up now.

I hope to see you there.

Summer Scares Programming Guide is Now Live

Huge thanks to Konrad Stump and the HWA's Library Advisory Council for getting the useful (and gorgeous) Summer Scares Programming Guide out for all of you to use. It is 100% free.

You can access it on the Summer Scares Resource Page here or directly with this link.

Below, I have reposted the Summer Scares Resource page as it stands today. It will be updated as the year goes on. We already have 3 known podcasts coming soon that are all about Summer Scares.

There is a lot of information you can use anytime of year to help your horror readers. And check out the links to sign up for the free Booklist Webinars featuring our 2026 authors. I will be at every webinar hanging out in the background to answer your questions. 

Finally, I leave you with this fun fact: 3 of this year's authors are nominated for a 2025 Bram Stoker Award-- Linda Cheng, Ally Russell, and Ally Malinenko.

This is the resource page for the 2026 Summer Scares program. Please visit the Summer Scares Archive for access to the resources and titles from 2019-2025 here.

The 2026 Summer Scares Programming Guide is available for free here.

It includes information on each title, readalikes, program ideas, book discussion questions and more. Basically if you want to use these titles for your summer reading plans, this guide has everything you need.

Please click here for access to our free folder of graphics including title collages courtesy of Kelly Jensen.

The 2026 Adult selections are:

A Botanical Daughter, by Noah Medlock (Titan, 2024) 

Never Whistle at Night, ed. Shane Hawk & Theodore C. Van Alst (Vintage, 2023)

Maeve Fly, by CJ Leede (Tor Nightfire, 2023)

The 2026 Young Adult selections are:

What We Harvest, by Ann Fraistat (Delacorte Press, 2022) 

Gorgeous Gruesome Faces, by Linda Cheng (Roaring Brook Press, 2023) 

Our Shadows Have Claws, ed. Yamile Saied Méndez & Amparo Ortiz (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2022)  

The 2026 Middle Grade selections are:

Garlic and the Vampire, by Bree Paulsen (Harper, 2021) 

It Came from the Trees, by Ally Russell (Delacorte Press, 2023)  

This Appearing House, by Ally Malinenko (Harper, 2022)

Watch the authors talk about their books, horror, and libraries via our Free Booklist Webinars:

• Thursday, March 12, 2026, at 2pm Eastern, featuring our Middle-Grade authors and moderated by Julia Smith. Click here to register.
• Monday, March 23, 2026, at 2pm Eastern, featuring our Young Adult authors and moderated by Kelly Jensen. Click here to register.
• Thursday, March 26, 2026, at 2pm Eastern, featuring our Adult authors and moderated by Jennifer McMahon. Click here to register.

.Recordings will be available for on demand viewing after the live events at https://www.booklistonline.com/webinars-archive.

More information will be posted here as it becomes available.

Click on the image to access the
Summer Scares 2026 Graphics folder

What I'm Reading: Wife Shaped Bodies

The March 2026 issue of Booklist has a review by me inside. As usual, this post includes my draft review and bonus content.

Wife Shaped Bodies
By Laura Cranehill
Apr. 2026. 288p. Saga, paper, $18.99  (9781668098103). 
First published March 1, 2026 (Booklist).

Sporror and body horror collaborate in beautiful unease inside a walled-in community of survivors populated by women whose bodies are covered in elaborate mushroom structures and the men who control them. Opening on Nicole’s wedding morning, as she is being shaved of the mushrooms which have grown across her skin for her entire life, readers watch Nicole leave her house for the first time in her life and make the walk to her husband’s home, a man who has held the rights to marry her since before her birth. With only Nicole’s perspective, readers enter Cranehill’s mesmerizingly immersive, atmospheric and unsettling world, as details are unveiled slowly, at first, and then with increasing urgency as Nicole meets fellow wife Teaghan, with whom she develops an all consuming connection, one that may allow them to expose for all what the men have been withholding. The resulting tale will weave its way into readers’ bodies, leaving an unforgettable mark. For those who enjoyed both the cultish, post-apocalyptic world of The Unworthy by Bazterrica and VanderMeer's Southern Reach series.

Three Words That Describe This Book: sporror/body horror combo, immersive, single pov

Further Appeal:  Other words: atmospheric, near future, post apocalyptic landscape, eco horror, unease that gets its feelers into you-- you feel the fungus grow on your own body...loved that--Gothic, queer, feminist, original, cults, female rage, multiple levels of abuse of the women here-- a lot of psychological abuse to go with the physical, visceral but not bloody. 

Before I go into anything else about this book I need to be clear-- the unease is enhanced because readers only see this strange, near future, apocalyptic world through the eyes of Nicole and only Nicole. She is unreliable in the literal sense as she has only lived her life locked in her parent's home. Now she is venturing out to be wed and live as a wife in the community as the book opens. This is before we learn about the weird, allowed in community the live in. 

The women as all covered in elaborate mushrooms, which they shave once married. The men run this world and are trying to protect the community after the destruction of civilization. The descriptions o the beautiful and carries mushrooms as they grow on the women's bodies is not just beautiful, it is mesmerizing. 

Details are let out in small doses as Nicole befriends and falls in love with another wife (Teaghan)-- but it is not so much romantic as more all consuming-- physically, yes but also Nicole has never had a friend, and this woman is her conduit to the "truth."

Clearly, something is going on with the women in this community. They are being absued physically and psychologically. The men are running things and using them in many ways which we learn over the course of the book. As the details are doled out, they pile up on each other, many of these details are shocking at first, but Cranehill does a great job making every detail build a fuller picture of the world as a hole. Nothing here is for chic value only.

It all adds up in the end, giving readers a picture of this strange landscape. We don't have all the answers of what is going on outside their walled community but we do get closure on the world the story is set in. And it is satisfying in every way-- intellectually, emotionally, and most importantly-- revenge worthy!

I cannot stress enough how well Cranehill does weaving the fungus and mushrooms into the entire novel. Readers feel them, smell them, see them. There were times I was batting something away from my eyes or scratching a part of my body because of what was written on the page. WELL DONE!

Great world building, interesting story, immersive in every sense of the word, and Nicole was a naive protagonist uncovering the truth that I wanted to follow. 

Now, you may be asking, Becky, this sounds like you should have given this book a star. I will say the one complaint I have about this book is that I did feel like the story was stretched in a few places to make this a novel. If it were a novella it would have been a star. A small complaint though. 

Readalikes: As I mentioned about it reminded me of if the cultish post apocalyptic world of The Unworthy by Bazterrica if it joined forces with VanderMeer's Southern Reach series. Also reminded me of Pink Slime by Fernanda Trías and Gather the Daughters by Jennie Melamed

American Booksellers Association's Winter Institute Recaps via PW and Self Awareness

I am back after a long weekend to watch my second kid's Junior recital at college with the whole family in attendance. I will be catching up on emails and such today but first, for all of you, I have something for you to catch up on as well.

Last week the American Bookseller Association had their Winter Institute 2026 (WI2026) in Pittsburgh. This event is comparable to their ALA Annual. Bookseller and authors converge from all over the country. There are panels, an exhibit hall, and tons of ARCs. 

I have said this before, but I know many of you still don't take it as seriously as I do, but understanding what independent booksellers are focusing on, how they are promoting books, and how they are attracting readers-- all of it-- is comparable to what we are doing. We need to be not only paying attention to them, but also, working with them more.

I am doing the working with them more part right now and there will be more on that soon. (Do stay tuned for more on this, I am working on a larger initiative and some smaller collaborations.  

In the meantime, you need to do your part and follow the news from last week's WI2026. I have made it easy for you. 

Click here to pull up all of PW's coverage.

Click here to pull up all of Shelf Awareness' coverage.

There is a lot of information here that you can use. This is the first major gathering of booksellers and authors for 2026. See what they are talking about, what authors were there, what the panels were about, what people said. It is all there. 

I did here from my colleague Lauren, one of the owners of the Twisted Spine, a horror only bookstore in Brooklyn, that there was a general consensus at WI2026 that horror author events are among the most popular at bookstore and this is true all year long. 

Finally, one of the reports that comes out during the Winter Institute is the Lee and Low Baseline Diversity Survey for Publishing. However, this year, Jason Low had to suspend the survey because of the state of book bans. And this suspension is indefinite. He instead released a call to action for everyone to work harder to fight books bans, especially those of children's books. Click here to read his call to action as published in PW.

And follow Kelly Jensen's censorship coverage on Book Riot for the most up to date information and even more action steps.