Using Awards Lists As a RA Tool: Cundill History Prize Edition

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.  

Well, it has been a busy week, but I still have one more day of posts to give you, and this one has been in draft most of the week but it was bumped for the surprise World Fantasy Award nomination and the NYT Thrillers list.

It's the Cundill History Prize. From the announcement:

The world’s leading prize for a work of history written or translated into English, the Cundill History Prize, has announced its longlist of fifteen books for 2026, chosen from almost 400 submissions from across the world.

Following in the footsteps of recent Cundill History Prize winners, Lyndal Roper (2025) who was announced as 2026 Holberg Prize Laureate earlier this year, Pulitzer Prize winner Kathleen DuVal (2024) and Guardian journalist Tania Branigan (2023), the fifteen longlisted authors will now be in the running for the US$75,000 prize. The Cundill History Prize is awarded annually to a book that demonstrates excellence across the prize’s guiding criteria: craft, communication, and consequence.

The books on this year’s longlist introduce us to topics from across the globe, spanning continents and generations, from the history of the five partitions that shaped modern South Asia to the legacy of the Magdalene laundries in Ireland, from post-Second World War colonial Africa to the hidden story of Indigenous slavery in US history.

Chair of the Jury Emily Greenwood, James F. Rothenberg Professor of Classics at Harvard University, said: “We are always in history but not always conscious of it. The best analytical and interpretative historical works reveal the past to us in staggering, new ways. Not only do the fifteen works on this year’s longlist recover history through fresh archival research, but they also offer new lines of sight on matters that continue to weigh heavily on us in the present.

“Ranging from the late fourth century CE to the present day, these books address topics including the theft of Indigenous land and people, the geopolitical upheaval of partitions, Jewish history and the shifting nature of anti-Judaism and antisemitism, the history of racial laws and immigration in America, autocracy and leadership cults, the party machinery of communism, the delicate dynamics of international diplomacy, passive collusion on the part of entire societies, the amendment of constitutions, colonial looting and post-colonial restitution, and the complex agency of plants—in this case vanilla—in the modern history of human consumption. Some of these works revise seemingly settled histories: the Africanness of St. Augustine; how to tell the history of Mexico; and new understandings of past dreams of liberation, from lost artworks of the American revolution to visions of Pan-Africanism.”

You can see the full longlist of titles here. 

As you can see above, this is a history prize that values, "craft, communication, and consequence." This focus on those three pillars, especially the "communication" piece means that these 15 titles are excellent history reads for a library patron audience.

History is one of the nonfiction area where we see a lot of leisure reading circulation. It might not in the same high numbers as things like true crime, cookbooks, or biography and memoir, but it is popular enough that we can make displays and use prize lists to build out our collections and remind readers of these great books.

And because these are just "History" and not a specific branch or type of history, the titles themselves represent a broad swath of excellent, vetted history writing. You can coincidently add these titles across your dewey areas and suggest them with confidence.

The Cundill Prize also has easy backlist access going back to 2008 here. Since we are talking about history books, backlist titles are less time sensitive. Dig deep into the backlist for this one because history never gets old. (pun intended)

And that backlist will help you make a display of history books. You can even use the prize's mantra as your catchy sign/title-- "History books of craft, communication, and consequence"-- that will draw readers in to see what that means. You can even put the logo for the prize on the sign. And for the online version of your display, add a link to the prize itself.

Because this a a history prize and the jurors are all academics, they also have a great page explaining exactly how they pick their winners. I appreciate the transparency of this page.

Finally, and regular readers know exactly what is coming next, you can make this display interactive but using it as a conversation starter, but asking-- What is your favorite popular history book? This is an excellent way to engage your nonfiction readers in your RA efforts. 

Remember, you can click here for the post where I explain how to ask these conversation starter questions in the library and online to capture your patron's answers and make displays that include them in the RA Conversation. 

Back Monday with 5 reviews by me from the August 2026 issue of Booklist.

Conversation Starter To Display Monthly Question: What Is the Book You Recommend to Everyone You Know

This is part of a monthly series of conversation starters which can be made into evergreen displays that I first proposed here (with 12 examples that could last you full a year). You can expect a new conversation starter on the first week day of a new month. Use the newest one for the next month, or access the long backlist of these ideas anytime by using this link. 

Back in June, I wrote about how to use conversation starters to create evergreen displays (see link above), and in that post I promised to give you one conversation starter a month at the start of each month. I also make it clear in that post that these displays can be small. 3-5 books that you keep rotating. You can even use this link to make it into a scavenger hunt of small displays all over the library.

Here is the first of those first of the month displays themes, and it is one I use in every training program I offer: What is a book you recommend to everyone you know?

This is a question that everyone who is a reader can answer quickly; much more quickly than when you ask people to share a favorite book or the last goo book they read. This is a question that has an immediate and visceral response. It is also a question that changes. I you ask someone this question today, you wil get a few titles, but then ask them 6 months later and you will have a few more.

This makes the question-- and the answers-- evergreen by default. It is also a question that is not tied to any one section of the library-- any genre, format, fiction or nonfiction, kids books, adult books, it is all game with this open ended question.

Start by asking staff this question-- at the very least. Do it through an electronic form so that the answers get filed into a spreadsheet. You can also use resources like this one from Goodreads.

That link will allow you to get the display up immediately, while you wait for staff to reply. 

The title of this display is the question itself: What is a book you recommend to everyone you know?

Why? Because this is interactive. Your display is a conversation. It will draw patrons toward it, their interest piqued. You are asking them a question and presenting some answers, but they will have their own and they will want to tell you!!!

Now, you can follow my more elaborate suggestion on how to ask every patron to help answer this question and add titles to your spreadsheet of options, OR you can start smaller. Put up a white board or bulletin board near the display and allow people to add titles. You can pull them as needed or just leave them there, answers to your question, a way to SHOW your community that you care about their answers. You should be adding these to the spreadsheet overtime as well.

That spreadsheet is key here because it is a way for the library to KNOW what books matter to their patrons. Circulation statistics just show us what checks out. It doesn't tell us if they were enjoyed, let alone a book so treasured the patron recommends it to everyone they know. Asking this question makes an excellent, interactive, and, quite frankly, easy display, BUT it also gives us valuable collection development data.

First, if the books people are recommending to answer this question and their circ stats are not great, this lets us know that the book should stay in our collection. It alerts us that it is a patron fav and we now know to get it on display where another reader will almost certainly give it a try (with a title of a display like that, it is sure to circ now)

Second, this conversation starter allows us to see what books matter to our readers and we can pass that information on to those who buy the books for our collections so that they can look for similar titles. As someone who bought for the fiction collection, I would have loved to have this information. I knew my key patrons and bought books I knew they would like, but this question would have reach more people. Many who never stop to talk to use will answer. You will get a much wider view of the books your readers love and crave. That data is collection development gold!

You can search out readalikes that you have, and add more. All of that will lead to small displays, ones you can title, "So you recommend ..... to everyone you know? Now try this." Those can be online and in small spaces. 

You are asking a question, getting responses to fill a display, gathering valuable collection development data, and then creating more displays. All by asking one question: What is a book you recommend to everyone you know?

You have nothing to lose here. You and your patrons win the second you ask the question.

Back next month with anther question.

Small Displays as an Interactive Scavenger Hunt

One of my favorite things to do is small displays-- clusters of books on an end cap or the end of a shelf with some room, even on the service desk. These small groupings of 3-8 books (max) draw interest on their own; in fact you don't even need a sign.

The stacks are intimidating to browse for most readers and a small cluster of face out books, no matter what is the thing uniting their appearance together, will bring people to investigate what they are. 

However, I admit, it is sometimes difficult to cone up with ideas on what to books to pull for these smaller displays and I am not one for just grabbing whatever is lying around. You can make it look that casual, but you are doing your patrons a disservice if you do not put thought into the books you are highlighting for them. 

One easy way to do small groupings of titles based loosely on genre that don't need a lot of effort to pull is to use lists from places like Goodreads. Here is a recent example, "The 104 Most Popular Fantasy and Science Fiction of the Past 3 Years." Also "Fact vs Fiction History Edition! Pick Your Reading Reality."

These lists and others genre based options are always available on the Goodreads News and Interview blog here. Visiting that page at anytime will give you easy ideas for clusters of books and they tend to do grouping by genre (with a very wide definition of said genre) and include back list. 

Now some of you will still want to put a "sign" or title on these groupings. I get it. So here are 2 ideas on how to make this easy for you to fill displays with books and fun for your patrons. I suggest doing both in tandem.

1. Pick a theme for your small cluster displays and commits to sprinkling them around the library each month. Announce said theme on your website and have a place with a sign in the building as well. So for this month you can use "Popular Fantasy and Science Fiction You May Have Missed," and you use that Goodreads list from above (and other SF/F best lists) to fill the displays. You let people know that the books with this theme will be scattered throughout the library for the month. You closer them, where you can especially on the end of shelves where there is room for a book or 2 or 3 to be placed face out. You make lists on Libby of these titles and place QR codes near the signage to have people explore the digital collections. 
2. You have can make little shelf talkers to hang from the shelves where you put the books or a small sign for your end cap slatted displays and or your service desk that say, ""Monthly Library Scavenger Hunt Titles." Or something similar. Use the phrase "Scavenger Hunt" though. Why? Well first, that is what it is. You are coming up with a topic and scattering the books around, chasing up where they are. We want patrons to visit, find good books, but also have an experience that makes them want to come back and visit again for more books. This is a fund game that will lead them to books they never would have found without your help and it is super easy for you to fill. Second, you can make the signage once and reuse it and/or move it around easily. 

Don't underestimate how much adults like a good scavenger hunt. They will come back in a new month to follow the trail to find a whole new grouping of books. And while I suggest starting with the Goodreads blog, that is not the only place you can find these ideas. Any resource that I write about here or that you like to use will work.

Also, this type of display encourages people to peruse your entire collection. Yes the stacks are intimidating to the average library user, but if they have a reason to get in there and browse the shelves, they will also stop and look at other titles. It is getting them in there that is hard. Once they are in a row and looking at your scavenger hunt display titles, some percentage of them will pull a few there titles off the shelf. Maybe it is an author they have heard of and never read, maybe it is an old favorite, whatever the reason, you are getting patrons to interact with the collection in ways they did not before.

Adults like to have fun at the library too. Too many of you forget that. This is also an idea that you can empower staff from all across the library to help with. Brainstorm ideas together. Find a list of titles from a resource to use as the pull list. Then get everyone who wants to be involved in pulling titles for readers to find. 

Give it a try. And have fun with it. Don't be too worried about signage and having all the books in one place. Once you get started, your patrons will never want you to stop. Trust me, my Trader Joe's has had a scavenger hunt to fine a monkey since they opened. It has expanded to include 2 more stuffed animals that they hide weekly and I swear the adults love it as much as the kids. And most importantly, it brings people back to the store each week. We want our patrons to be repeat visitors as well. Give them a reason more than the books or a program. Get them to plan a visit to do your scavenger hunt every month. And watch those titles you highlight fly off the shelves as a result.

Choose Your Own Book Club: A Guest Post by Matthew Tessmer

ALA starts later this week, and one of my favorite things about ALA and PLA is the chance to meet my readers. A few years ago, at PLA in Columbus, OH, Matthew Tessmer introduced himself to me and Robin. I have kept in touch with Matthew in the ensuing years, even provided training to his library system. 

Recently, I invited Matthew to share his experience with his awesome “Choose Your Own Book Club” with all of you.

And I chose to run it, today, the beginning of the week leading up to the start of ALA Annual to remind all of you that I would love to chat with you at ALA Annual as well. Remember, you know what I look like, but I do not know what you look like. Later this week I will post my planned scheduled so you can find me, but seriously, anytime you see me, stop me. I will have stickers and pens for anyone who does.

If you are not coming to ALA, please also remember that you can reach out to me anytime via email. Ask a question or tell me about something you are doing at your library. It might lead to you sharing with others here on the blog like it did for Matthew.

Speaking of, take it away Matthew...

Thanks to Becky for the opportunity to talk about a reader’s advisory program for adults I’ve been having success with at my library! The program is a free choice book club we host at the library called “Choose Your Own Book Club.” Here’s the description we publicize: “Connect with fellow readers and grow your reading list in this casual book discussion group. Join us to talk about the books you've read or are currently reading.” At the program, each participant gets the floor to discuss their reading life, which usually consists of recounting their most recent reads and why they did or didn’t enjoy them. We’ve grown into a lovely group representing a wide range of demographics and reading tastes. I’m excited to talk about it here not because of how nice of a group or program it is, but for the way it inspires and challenges me to reflect on and put into practice the great RA ideas I have learned from this blog and other like-minded resources.

First, I have found that this program works well to establish and promote the library as the place for bookish conversation. Recently, Becky highlighted our problem of assuming readers know we offer book suggestions instead of actively working to show them. We have made that mistake at my library, too - this program is one of our ways to fix it that aligns with other steps we have taken to better reach our community. One of our long-term goals the past few years has been to strengthen our marketing, especially when it comes to our program offerings. When we were considering how to strengthen our reader services, a natural extension was to create this program focused exclusively on readers’ advisory. The entire program is focused on “cultivating an atmosphere of conversation around books.” Participants get the chance to take the stage and share their book recs and commiserate on reads that didn’t hit the mark. These discussions often lead into some conversation starters. For example, one of the readers expressed an interest in reading more “classics” - this turned into a discussion of what the term “classic” means and led to each member sharing their criteria for “classics” and a book recommendation. Importantly, we don’t stop the conversation when the program ends. I love to tell the program participants that they can keep the conversation going at any time by talking to any library staff person at our service desks, and to encourage their friends who can’t make the program time especially to come do what we love most - talk books!

Second, in addition to taking the opportunity to discuss my personal reading life, I use this program as basically a live display of books I want to highlight and “unshelve” from the collection. My practice of doing this has evolved. At first, I was pretty strict about developing a monthly theme for the materials I would pull out of the collection to highlight. But as Becky has pointed out, limiting the selections in this way doesn’t actually serve the readers in this program. Instead, I share monthly “books that have caught my interest” so that my choices can be more inclusive and more of the program’s readers can be drawn to this live display.

Third, I would be doing the program participants a disservice if I didn’t approach the bookish conversations and unshelved books through an anti-racist lens that elevates and celebrates marginalized voices. I wish I could say that this point goes without saying, but between the active threats to the freedom to read and the complacency of those who (wrongly) think reading and RA service can be apolitical, loudly continuing anti-racist and inclusive reader services is essential. In this program, it looks like making sure that inclusive book display procedures are followed for the books I unshelve. It means getting comfortable with being uncomfortable and sharing additional information and book suggestions when a participant discusses a title like American Dirt. It means making and keeping personal reading goals to read widely and diversely. Being actively anti-racist is the table stakes for being a part of the solution instead of the problem in librarianship. I’m grateful for the part this program plays in keeping me committed and accountable to anti-racist reader services.

And fourth, this program has broadened my view of RA service from transactional reading suggestions towards a wide-ranging service that advances everyday readers’ autonomy. As our readerly community has formed, we spend as much time discussing our reading lives as we do talking about the reading material. These conversations can involve: 1) reflecting on reading tastes as a whole and what impacts them (previous reads, time, place, mood), 2) whether or not certain reading choices make for a “real” reader (both audiobooks and romance are, in fact, real reading!) and 3) affirming the choices readers make for their reading lives (DNF that book if it isn’t working for you!). Each of these are an example of promoting readerly autonomy, as explored in a panel presentation at ALA Annual 2025 by Rutgers Assistant Professor E. E. Lawrence. Here, RA is an autonomy-enabling service that supports patrons in making the choices that steer their own reading lives.

I’ve learned so much from RAforAll over the years, so it’s a dream to get a chance to share this program here. While I don’t think there’s anything ground-breaking being done in this program, I hope it inspires you to continue to reflect on your current programs and services to leisure readers. I know I’ll be back here tomorrow to read and learn something new!

--Matthew Tessmer

Public Services Librarian

Albert Lea Public Library

Attack of the Best Lists 2026: Half Year Check-In (updated w/ NPR Books on 6/30/26)

This post is part of my year end "Attack of the Best Lists" coverage. To see every post in my "Attack of the Best Lists" coverage [and more backlist best of the year options] you can click here. 

We are past the half way point of June now and "best of the year so far" lists are coming fast and furious. I will link to a handful of them be below but first, why should you care about the "best" books of 2026 when we are only halfway there?

Well, there are many reasons from practical to patron service oriented. 

1. Collection development: these are the books you should have in your collections right now. But also, check all of these authors and see if they have other books, releasing previous to these break-out titles, and make sure you have those too. These best lists are there to identify specific "right now" titles, yes, but also use the lists as a prompt to check for backlist options as well.
2. While you wait lists: you are not the only one seeing the lists. They are from major media sources. People are going to be coming in and asking for many of these books, often in larger number from when they first came out. Are you ready with suggestions while they wait on hold? Readlaikes for the specific titles and/or authors. Past titles by said authors (see point 1). Even just "best" books lists from last year-- click here to see my "Attack of the Best Lists" coverage via posts going back in reverse chronological order.
3. Displays but make them interactive: use the lists below to get those "Best of the Year So Far" displays up and then make it interactive. Click here to see how to ask questions of you staff and patrons and then pu the answers on display. The conversation starter here is "what is the best book you have read so far this year?" Don't worry about if it came out this year or not. That does not matter. We are highlighting the books that have brought people joy over the last 6 months and spreading that happiness by displaying as many of the books as possible. This is not a gatekeeping moment where you go..."but that is a 2023 book." NO ONE CARES. DON'T SQUASH THE JOY. You can start the display with the specific 2026 lists linked below, but then expand the display with your staff and patrons responses to broaden the offerings. 
4. Don't forget to bridge the physical-virtual divide and get those displays and the conversation start questions into your online spaces. Asking the questions on social media is a great option. Having a google form with whatever the current conversation starter question is on your website. Posting a picture of the display on social media and linking to a list of the books in the catalog and even making a list on Libby and linking there. Just figure out ways to make the display and conversation available in the building and in your online spaces because our patrons use all of our services and do not see them as separate. The library is a space to visit a building AND a space on their phones and computers. 
5. For fun: look, June is very busy at the library. As schools let out, people come back to the library in droves. We are running summer reading, increasing programming, and serving larger numbers of people. Celebrating all of the great titles we have already seen in 2026, if just fun. Embrace some fun. Enjoy the conversation around "best go the year so far." As I mentioned in point 3, get everyone in the community participating. It is pure innocent positivity. Everyone can have their say and you can be the one to spread the joy.

Here are a handful of those lists from across the publishing landscape to get you started:

• Amazon's Best of 2026 So Far: landing page. This page leads to MANY categories, providing a variety of options for every reader
• Barnes & Noble's Best Books of 20226 (So Far): landing page
• NPR's Books We Love So Far This Year; tabs for Fiction and Nonfiction at the top
• Audible editors offer a midyear roundup of 2026’s top listens thus far
• A few options from GoodReads which also leaves room for backlist options as they are looking at the most read books of 2026.
• Readers’ Most Read Books of the 2026 Reading Challenge (So Far)
• Readers’ Hit New Books of the Year (So Far): sorted by genre and then ranked within that.
• Book Riot breaks down the most read books on Goodreads in 2026 so far
• NYT Book Review Best Fiction and Nonfiction of 2026 So Far (Gift Link)
• 10 Best Books of 2026 So Far via the BBC

I would also direct you to the January-June 2026 LibraryReads lists as well. Those are best lists from your fellow library workers. Click here for the Archive of every year, with 2026 listed first. In general, the LibraryReads archive is an underused "best list" option. 

I Am Presenting a Huddle at ALA Annual with Lila Denning on Better Book Displays

Next week, I will have a full post with my ALA schedule including my signing block of the Bram Stoker AwardⓇ winning WHY I LOVE HORROR at the S&S Booth on Saturday and the Library Insights Preconference Friday, but first, I wanted to let you know about my one presentation during ALA proper. It is a huddle with Lila Denning:

Connect Lounge Huddle: To facilitate discovery and circulation, how can libraries make their reading collection displays more engaging?

Sunday, June 28, 2026

11:00 AM - 11:20 AM CDT

Location: McCormick Place, ALA Connect Lounge, Hall F2 Lobby

The humble book display is often not used to its fullest as the discovery tool it can be. And we often forget how much it can drive increased circulation. But in a world where patrons use the library as both a physical and digital space, and with an understanding that patrons crave interactive experiences, discussion leaders Becky Spratford and Lila Denning will share their decades of experience as librarians and trainers to help huddle participants break down how to create displays that spark conversation, bring patrons of all ages into the library, and have them leave not only with a few good books to read but also a plan to return soon to get some more.

Moderated by Becky Spratford and Lila Denning

 Lila is an expert in passive RA and crafting book displays that help books fly off the shelves. Her secret-- not decorating them and just choosing good books. We are excited to invite anyone, those who serve all ages of readers, from any library type that has a popular reading collection (school, public, academic, even special) to join us as we share some expert tips and gather your ideas. 

I will be taking notes and will have a write up after ALA as well, so even if you cannot make it, I will get you the key information.

As Lila and I have been preparing for the huddle, she posted the slides for a short presentation on 5 Book Display Basics. We are going to use this as our starting point since we only have 20 minutes. (Although, her and I are willing to move the conversation somewhere else to keep it going if needed.)

Again, you now have this information via this post or her blog. Along with the notes I will post and the general reports I will write up from ALA in general, I am committed to making sure that those of you who cannot come to Chicago next week still get as much learning from me out of the event as possible.

Celebrate Audiobook Month with EveryLibrary Live and Me, Plus the Audio Publishers Association's Annual Survey Data

June is Audiobook month and to celebrate, EveryLibrary has a fun slate of live interviews with the voices, authors, and producers behind some of the hottest audiobooks of the moment, with me as one of the interviewers.

But before we get to that exciting, free, live and on demand going on next week, first, I want to draw your attention to the annual survey and press release put out by the Audio Publishers Association every June.  From the public page:

THE AUDIO PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION ANNUAL SURVEYS SHOW AUDIOBOOK SALES JUMP 9% TO $2.43 BILLION

58% of Americans age 18+ have listened to an audiobook - an estimated 157 million people

June 5, 2026, New York, NY – The Audio Publishers Association Sales Survey, conducted by Toluna, shows audiobook sales revenue continuing to grow, reaching $2.43 billion in 2025, 9% over the previous year. Publishers reported over 750,000 active titles in 2025, a 43% increase from 2024.

The Audio Publishers Association 2026 Consumer Survey, conducted by Edison Research at SSRS, adds that among audiobook listeners, 63% listened in the last year and 35% in the last month. Audiobook Listeners averaged 3.8 audiobooks in the last year, and 26% listened to four or more titles in the last year. 

Piracy is a growing concern, and the Audio Publishers Association is actively addressing this issue through a multi-pronged approach. Edison data reports that among those who listened to audiobooks in the last year, 45% reported listening to a free copy on YouTube in the last year. This percentage is up from 38% in 2025 (many audiobooks on YouTube are pirated from legitimate copyright holders).

Key Findings: 

• Audiobooks are valued for being convenient, relaxing, and easy to enjoy while doing other things. Audiobook Listeners cite the ability to multitask (86%) and to listen on-the-go (84%) as the top benefits. Seven in ten enjoy audiobooks as an alternative to screen time (70%).

• Audiobook listening occurs across various platforms. Among those who listened in the last year, many used multiple sources: 49% purchased directly from websites/apps, 48% listened via a subscription service, 46% borrowed through a digital library app, and 42% used credits from a dedicated audiobook service.

• The fastest growing genres in 2025 were Humor, General Fiction and Children’s - including YA - with General Fiction accounting for the largest share of revenue (27%). Science Fiction/Fantasy, Romance, and Mysteries/Thrillers/Suspense make up the remaining top genres by revenue.

• The consumption and number of AI-narrated audiobooks published has increased in 2025, though willingness to try AI-narrated audiobooks dropped year-over-year, from 70% in 2025 to 61% in 2026. Only 16% of Audiobook Listeners have listened to an AI-voiced audiobook, and AI sales revenue amounted to .03% in 2025.

• Sales revenue from Audio First publications has increased in 2025 compared with 2024, increasing from $91.1 million to $136 million (a rise of 50%). The share of Audio First publications also increased slightly, accounting for 6% of the total net revenue in 2025.

How the APA Consumer Study Was Conducted

In February 2026, Edison Research conducted an online survey of 1,706 spoken-word audio listeners ages 18 and older to measure listening behaviors, trends in the market, and provide insightful recommendations to understand and increase audiobook consumption. Respondents were divided into two survey tracks: Audiobook Listeners: 1,020 respondents who have ever listened to an audiobook; and Spoken-Word Listeners (no audiobooks): 686 respondents who have listened to a podcast or spoken-word radio program in the last month but have never listened to an audiobook.

Access to this and additional industry data is available to APA members.

About the Audio Publishers Association

Formed in 1986, the Audio Publishers Association (APA) is a not-for-profit trade association that advocates the common, collective business interests of audio publishers. The APA serves as a networking, educational, and information forum for its members; delivers programs, services, and awards that serve the common business interests for its members; and promotes policies and activities that accelerate audiobook awareness and industry growth.

Click here for a little more of the data breakdown as well. And here for charts with 5-Year Industry Data.

As it says above, the full report is available to members, but there is still a lot here for us to learn from and use. I will crunch these numbers alongside other year end reports this winter, comparing them to what else I see in the overall book world, but for now, take a look at the findings and think about your service to your audiobook readers. Are there places you can make some changes in your service? Are their ways you can reach more of the readers where they are? Share this post and talk about it with your collections people, your service desk people, and any digital services library workers you may have.

And after you are done with that, have some fun-- you and your patrons-- all next week, courtesy of EveryLibrary. 

See below for all of the details, but here is the basics. 3x a night, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday next week, EveryLibrary is hosting conversations with the people behind some exciting audiobooks. 

On a personal note, I am over the moon that I get to do the one about turning the Choose Your Own Adventure Books into audiobooks. 

See the full info from EveryLibrary below. And remember, you can sign up to be reminded when they go live and you can send this out to your patrons to do the same for themselves. But also, ALL of the conversations EveryLibrary has hosted over the years are archived and can be seen at anytime on their YouTube page. Go to the "Live" tab. It is a great channel to have linked on your own websites and to promote for patrons as a place where they can see authors talking about their work. And since EveryLibrary invites every type of author, this is a great resource for all ages. 

I would also suggest pursuing the YouTube recordings every once in a while to see what authors they have. Then when you see one with a new book coming out, or someone popular, add the link to those videos to the catalog record for the book they are discussing, put a QR code on the stacks near that author's books for readers to discover as they browse, and add links to any reading or author lists on your website or in Libby. This is an easy way to make your RA service more interactive AND anticipate your readers' needs. Imagine, they go to the shelf to find a book by David Gutterson and there on the shelf is a QR code to an interview with him (and me).  It is as if the library knew they were interested in something and it magically made the invisible, visible for them. Literally the definition of being seen. 

We claim we aim to meet people where they are. This is an easy way to show them that that is exactly what we are trying to do.

This is the kind of content readers love but have no idea how to find and or access on their own. And just maybe, while your patrons are there watching an interview, they might follow the links to donate to the good work EveryLibrary is doing each and every day for libraries all over the country. 

See below for next week's specific live info. I will be doing the events, live every day at 5 eastern. And again, after they stream live, all interviews are archived here.

Maybe you will see me there. Or in the past via a recording. 

Audio Book Month 2026 - Stories You Hear Come to Life

Audiobook Month 2026 is coming to EveryLibrary Live! with three nights of conversations celebrating storytelling, narration, performance, and the growing cultural impact of audiobooks. 

From June 15–17, readers, listeners, librarians, and publishing professionals are invited to join live and on-demand sessions featuring bestselling authors, award-winning narrators, producers, and audiobook creators from across the industry. 

This year’s event, "Stories You Hear Come to Life", highlights the artistry and accessibility of audiobooks while celebrating the libraries that help connect readers and listeners to these stories every day. 

Featured guests include Ash Perez, John Kenney, Jane Hamilton, Helen Laser, Kelsey Impicciche, Natalie Naudus, and Soman Chainani, along with audiobook producers and special guests from leading publishing houses and audio studios, including Anne Fonteneau (Blackstone) and the Choose Your Own Adventure Audio team.

Audiobook Month 2026 is made possible through the support and participation of major publishing and audiobook partners, including Simon & Schuster, Zibby Media, HarperCollins, Blackstone Publishing, Penguin Random House, and the team behind the iconic Choose Your Own Adventure audiobooks. 

Each evening will be guest-hosted by Gigi Howard from the hit podcast "Drinks in the Library" and Becky Spratford of RA for All and author of the recently released "Why I Love Horror". Together, they bring deep readers’ advisory expertise, energy, and a passion for connecting audiences with books, authors, and audio storytelling. 

RSVP NOW to get a reminder and links each day to these exciting programs.

Event Schedule

Monday, June 15

5:00 PM EDT — Speak Now: Love, Loss, and Second Chances in Full Cast Audio

Featuring Ash Perez discussing the queer romance novel Speak Now and its immersive full-cast audiobook production featuring performers including Jena Malone and Bahni Turpin. Sponsored by Simon & Schuster. 

7:00 PM EDT — Finding Your Way: Humor, Heart, and Reinvention, Read and Heard

A conversation with John Kenney and Jane Hamilton about storytelling, reinvention, and the audiobook experience. Sponsored by Zibby Media. 

Tuesday, June 16

5:00 PM EDT — Choose Your Own Adventure Audio Experience

An interactive look at how the beloved Choose Your Own Adventure books became immersive audiobook adventures, preserving the spirit of reader choice in audio form. 

7:00 PM EDT — Behind the Mic: The Art of Audiobook Narration with Helen Laser

Award-winning narrator Helen Laser shares insights into performance, character development, and the emotional craft of narration. Sponsored by HarperCollins and audiobook publishing partners. 

9:00 PM EDT - The Future of Listening and the Enduring Role of CDs: A Conversation with Anne Fonteneau 

Blackstone CSO Anne Fonteneau will discuss the continued growth of digital listening as well as the enduring role of CDs in libraries and communities.

Wednesday, June 17

5:00 PM EDT — From Screen to Sea with Kelsey Impicciche and Natalie Naudus

Kelsey Impicciche and Natalie Naudus discuss Voice of the Ocean, romantasy storytelling, online creator culture, and bringing fantasy worlds to life through audio. Sponsored by Blackstone Publishing. 

7:00 PM EDT — Power, Youth, and Revolution: Soman Chainani on Young World

Join bestselling author Soman Chainani and Zeno Robinson, the lead narrator of the audiobook, to discuss the immersive full-cast adaptation of "Young World". 

9:00 PM EDT - Still Listening: Why Audiobook CDs Matter in Today's Libraries

We will share a conversation with Cindy Fehmel, Collection Development Librarian/AV for the St. Louis County (MO) Library, one of the nation's largest purchasers of audiobook CDs. Cindy will share insights on patron listening habits, audiobook collection development, and why CDs continue to play an important role in library service even as digital audiobook use continues to grow.

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Libraries are one of the most important pathways to audiobook discovery and access in the United States. Audiobook Month 2026 celebrates not only the creators and performers behind these works but also the public, school, and academic libraries that ensure stories remain free, inclusive, and accessible to everyone. 

Watch live on Facebook and YouTube or catch every session later on-demand. RSVP now to get a reminder sent each day and share the invite with your fellow readers and listeners. Follow along throughout the week on EveryLibrary Live! on Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram.  

When

June 15, 2026 at 5:00pm - June 18, 2026

Where

EveryLibrary Facebook and YouTube Live

Using Awards Lists As a RA Tool: Eisner Awards Edition

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.   

Last week the Will Eisner Comic Industry Award Nominees were announced. From the Awards Landing Page:

Comic-Con is proud to announce the nominees for the 2026 Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards. The nominations are for works published between January 1 and December 31, 2025 and were chosen by a blue-ribbon panel of judges.

Once again, this year’s nominees in 32 categories reflect the wide range of material being published in the U.S. in comics and graphic novels, representing over 170 print and online titles from some 75 publishers, produced by creators from all over the world.

Among publishers, DC Comics has 16 nominations (plus 10 shared), led by Absolute Martian Manhunter with 6 (3 standalone and 3 shared) and Absolute Batman with 5 (2 standalone and 3 shared). Image Comics has 12 nominations plus 9 shared, including 5 for Deniz Camp and Eric Zawadski’s Assorted Crisis Events (3 standalone and 2 shared) and 4 for James Tynion IV and Martin Simmonds’ Department of Truth.

Fantagraphics’ 14 nominations include 3 for graphic memoirs, 3 for U.S. editions of international material, and 3 for archival collections. Abrams imprints account for 9 nominations, spanning eight different categories, while Drawn & Quarterly has 6 nominees, followed by Random House with 5.

Other publishers with multiple nominations include Dark Horse (4 plus 4 shared), Henry Holt (4), First Second (4), VIZ Media (4), Marvel (3 plus 5 shared), and Top Shelf (3 plus 1 shared). Publishers with 3 nominations include Andrews McMeel, New York Review Comics, Pantheon, Peow2, Stacked Deck, and Yen Press. IDW has 2 plus 5 shared, while BOOM! and Oni both have 2 plus 1 shared. Nine companies have 2 nominations each, and another 41 companies or individuals have 1 nomination.

In addition to Absolute Martian Manhunter, Absolute Batman, Assorted Crisis Events, and Department of Truth, works with the most nominations include Jesse Lonergan’s Drome (Best Graphic Album–New, Best Writer/Artist, Best Coloring) and Linnea Sterte’s A Garden of Spheres (Best Graphic Album–New, Best Writer/Artist, Best Painter.

When it comes to creators, Deniz Camp leads the pack with 5 nominations: Best Limited Series (Absolute Martian Manhunter), Best New Series (Assorted Crisis Events), 2 for Best Single Issue, and Best Writer. James Tynion IV follows with 4 nominations, including Best Writer. Those with 3 nominations include Juni Ba, Javier Rodriguez, Jesse Lonergan, Linnea Sterte, Kelly Thompson, and Eric Zawadski. Another 17 creators have 2 nominations.

Named for acclaimed comics creator Will Eisner, the awards are celebrating their 38th year of bringing attention to and highlighting the best publications and creators in comics and graphic novels. The 2026 Eisner Awards judging panel consists of writer Regine Sawyer, librarian Jerry Dear, reviewer/journalist Tiffany Babb, comics retailer Katie Pryde, and comics scholar Randy Duncan.

Voting for the awards is being held online. All professionals in the comic book industry are eligible to vote. Those who voted in 2025 or who registered to vote by May 14 will automatically be invited to fill out the new ballot. The deadline for voting is June 5.

The Eisner Award trophies will be presented in a gala awards ceremony to be held at the San Diego Hilton Bayfront Hotel during Comic-Con on the evening of July 24.

Click here to see the nominees for this year. That page also has the links for past nominees, winners,  judges, and the Hall of Fame. Everything for this, the biggest awards in comics and graphic novels, is all available with one click.

Yes you can use the current slate of nominees for your collection development, but also peruse the last few years of backlist nominees because those comics that were honored, they might be in bound volumes now, meaning you need to add them to your collections as well. 

Graphic novels and comics are great reads any time of year, but as we inch toward Comic Con, interest definitely pique's with those who aren't regular readers. Make it easier for all patrons to find them by pulling them out for display.

Download Booklist's Readers' Advisory Fortune Tellers

Booklist Online has made the fun RA fortune tellers usually only available at conferences available for every library to download and use for free!

They are organized by genre, and the link goes to 7 examples with folding directions, ready to print. Use the templates to make more of your own. 

Fortune tellers are a fun interactive RA activity, especially for those titles with long holds queues because for those titles, this allows your readers to feel like they are "doing something" while they wait. Don't underestimate how much more fun and interactive a fortune teller is for them to identify their next read than using a "While You Wait" list-- EVEN WHEN THE TITLES THEY ARE CHOOSING FROM ARE EXACTLY THE SAME.

Yes you can take that "While You Wait" title list and put them into a fortune teller and I promise you, people will be less cranky about waiting. 

You can do these with your patrons or leave them out near displays, while you wait lists, or at your desks for them to do alone. They are cheap to recreate so if they "walk off," no big deal.

You also still have time to make some of your own for you Summer Reading Programs as well (using the Booklist templates). Consider not just fortune tellers for choosing a title to fit your themes, but also, to have people choose an activity (for those of you who do that as well). 

Click here for the templates. And thank to Booklist for sharing their conference booth fun with everyone.  

Download Booklist's Readers' Advisory Fortune Tellers

Dog Man, Freida McFadden, Stephen Graham Jones--your patrons love these big authors and series, but what should they read while they are waiting for the newest Sarah J. Maas to hit the shelves (or, more realistically, when they are number 98 on that holds list?) Could there be a way to select a book club pick that leaves the final choice up to fate? And where the heck do you start with tween readers?

We have the answer with our handy readers' advisory fortune tellers! With youth and adult picks, you can find everything from Biography/Memoir recommendations to YA Eco-Horror.  

Download Booklist's reader's advisory fortune tellers now!

Library Journal's 150th Anniversary Coverage: Sure Bets (Part 1)

Library Journal is turning 150 this year and they have been celebrating with special coverage. One of my favorite things they have been doing is publishing lists of "Sure Bets" by genre based on  a survey they did with library workers last fall. I wrote about the survey here.

For each genre (or format) they have not only compiled the top titles, but also, they have provided a spreadsheet of every submitted title from the survey!

I need to write that last part again-- LJ did a survey of library workers from across the country and asked for their SURE BET titles across all popular reading areas and are now giving all of us access to all of the answers! 

Sure bets are a category of books that every library worker has some kind of list for. At my library we pooled our knowledge and kept a list that we could all consult. We shared with each other, but it was very informal. We all need a list of those books that would appeal to wide swath of readers, at our fingertips, that we can turn to on a moment's notice and grab a suggestion.

AND NOW WE DO THANKS TO LJ.

They are still revealing more, but here are the ones they have released so far. Remember, it goes beyond the spotlit titles, download the full lists.

• Graphic Novels
• Poetry
• Mystery 
• Suspense & Thrillers
• Romance
• Pop Fiction

Again, there are still more to come. Click here to see all of the genres which the poll covered. Please keep checking back. Later in the year, I will post more as a reminder.

Download the spreadsheets. Use them to make displays. Do the conversation starter exercise to ask your staff and patrons to add titles to the already existing spreadsheet. Get those titles up in a "Great Reads You May Have Missed" display. Consider making said display a permanent one. If you keep asking staff and patrons for their favorite reads, titles they recommend to everyone they know, etc...., you can keep expanding the spreadsheet of possible titles. And you will never run out of backlist titles to keep adding because as the new titles move into the background, those that struck a chord will make their return on you "Great Reads" display.

You can use this link to pull up all of LJ's 150th coverage. Also click here for the poll methodology.

Best Historical Fiction of the Century So Far via Book Riot, with Bonus Becky Thoughts on the Appeal of HF

As I have been updating my Demystifying Genre program (most recent slides here), I keep adding new resource links. Today, as I was swapping the Book Riot link on my historical fiction slide from one discussing the best HF of the last 10 years for this brand new one, "The Best Historical Fiction Books of the Century So Far," I realized I should probably post that list here as well.

Below you can find the introduction written by the workers who created this list as well as a link to see the full annotated list. You can use this to set up displays and even use it for a Conversation Starter to Display so you can gather your patron's titles as well. Click here for more about how to do that 

A final comment about Historical Fiction in general, before we get to the list itself, one of the biggest appeal factors I have been exploring when it comes to Historical Fiction is that its popularity is tied to the fact that readers know how it is all going to turn out. You see, because historical fiction is based on real history, readers can know before the dive in what the outcome will be; maybe not for the entire book, but in general. For example, when you read The Hunger by Alma Katsu, you know they are all going to die before you start. Or if you read a WWII epic, you know Hitler will be defeated. Even if it looks good for a moment in the first example or bad in the second, readers know deep down how it is all going to play out. 

Over the last 26 years of helping readers, one of the things that pops up again and again is that readers often won't try a book, especially by an author who is new to them, if they are worried about how it will all turn out. When we suggest HF, it is a shorthand for them to have an idea of what to expect, and that peace of mind is often enough for them to give an author they have never heard of or have never tried a chance.

Thanks for sticking around for some of my thoughts about Historical Fiction and its appeal. You can see more on slide 20 of my genre presentation. Now, you can find the intro and the link to the list below:

Book Riot's The Best Historical Fiction of the Century So Far Sponsored by Thrift Books

Selecting the best recent historical fiction books feels like a contradiction in terms. Historical fiction is a broad genre, encompassing thousands of years and spanning the entire globe. It can focus on the most well-known figures of all time or highlight everyday lives that don’t typically make it into textbooks. Ironically, historical fiction feels like a timeless genre—how can historical fiction be outdated or fresh?

Despite that, the genre has changed significantly over the decades, especially since the turn of this century. World War II historical novels are still a staple of book club reading lists, and there are always new angles to take on that setting, but we’re also seeing much more diversity in the kinds of people and places historical fiction highlights.

The best historical fiction books of the century so far take us from ancient Greece to the Joseon dynasty in Korea to the Six-Day War in Palestine to 1980s NASA astronaut training. Historical fiction continues to be biased towards recent events, but we are getting to see more of history around the world than we did just a few decades ago. 

The huge scope of the genre made it difficult to put this list together. Our writers had a lot of debates about what historical fiction even is: Does it need to focus on a real historical figure? (We voted “no.”) How far back in time counts as “historical”? (The most recent time period we included is the 1980s.) 

We also nominated many more books than made it onto this final selection. Until the last minute, we added and removed titles to try to curate a selection that represents the breadth of the genre. If you’re interested in which books ended up on the cutting room floor, All Access members will receive the full list of all of our nominations soon.

To make things even more complicated, historical fiction combines seamlessly with almost every other genre, including mysteries, fantasy, romance—even sci-fi. You’ll find some of these historical genre-blending titles below, but we prioritized books that are historical fiction first, with the other genres complementing that.

Here are our picks for the best historical fiction of the century so far.

Click here to read the list