Senate Hearings on Book Banning From Yesterday

Yesterday the Senate Judiciary Committee hosted hearings entitled, "Book Bans: Examining How Censorship Limits Liberty and Literature."

I urge all of you to visit the page for these hearings where you can view the 2 and a half hour hearings and read the written testimony of the those who participated. 

In particular I suggest you read the testimony of Dr. Emily Knox and Alexi Giannoulias. And if you live in or near IL, both will be speaking at ILA Annual win Springfield this October. Click here to register for that.

Look as bad as things are with the systematic and organized attempts to legally ban books, we need to take a moment and realize how important it is that these hearings happened and that all of us can watch the recording and read the testimony with just a click. Take advantage of the free access to important hearings that have entered he public record. 

Also, after the hearings, which not coincidentally featured the state Librarian of IL, 5 more bomb threats were called into IL libraries and two of them were at two of the biggest libraries in the state (Aurora and Schaumburg). 

I waited until today to have this post though so that I could include some of the reporting about the hearings as well. Giving you a one stop shop to pursue both the primary sources and the post-hearings reports. You cannot ignore this no matter where you live. My state has banned book bans and our libraries have been facing bomb threats for weeks now. A few a week. It is unnerving and upsetting to every library worker in the state. No one is immune here.

So again, go to the hearing website and look at the reports below for summaries.

• Courthouse News Service's report on the hearings
• USA Today's coverage
• Chicago Sun Times coverage (2 of the presenters and the head of committee are from IL)
• Because this also is important to schools, here is Education Week's coverage.
• See what the Guardian [UK] wrote up about the hearings
• Click here to run search for more articles about the hearings, including from conservative sources which look at the hearings from a completely different perspective. You need to know both sides here, so click here.

RA for All Roadshow Presents for Sisters In Crime

Tonight, I am joining others who are writers and librarians, like myself, to give a presentation for the members of Sisters in Crime. Unless you are a member, you cannot join us, but really it is not a program for you. However, it is a program you should know about. 

First that program is:

Building Library Relationships that Work 

Date: Tuesday, September 12, 2023

Time: 8:00 pm - 9:30 pm ET

Cost: Free for members (sign in required) 

Description: Libraries, and librarians, offer tremendous opportunities for authors to meet readers and build their readership. In this webinar, three experience librarians and Sisters in Crime National Librarian liaison, Susan Hammerman, will discuss not only the value that libraries provide authors, but what authors can do for libraries, how to reach out to librarians, and tips for building a relationship that benefit authors, libraries, and the communities they serve.

Click here to see the panelists.

Okay, now back to why I am writing about a program I am doing that you can't watch. It is because all of the writers organizations are asking to know how to work with us, like all the time. For example, the HWA Library Committee can barely handle all the requests we have to appear virtually at our chapter meetings. I am regularly meeting with authors to help hem approach their library the correct way.

You need to understand that authors everywhere know that they should work with us but they don't know how to start. They have no idea what the first step should be. Although it doesn't always seem this way with the ones that do contact us, but the vast majority of authors don't want to be jerks and demand we add their books to our collections. They truly wan to have a relationship with us. But we have not made ourselves available in obvious ways.

So, now that you know this, what can you do? I would highly suggest you offer programs at your library for authors but not for them to work with each other, rather host a program where you can meet them, talk about the ways they can help you (offer programs on writing, or based on research they have done, really anything), and how you can help them. Why not even use the title above to offer-- Building Local Author-Library relationships that work.

A program like this will get a lot of interest and may result in some great collaboration and partnerships that will enhance both parties going forward. 

Give it a try and see where it goes. 

Eds note: I did find out you can register if not a member:

"Non-members are invited to register for the webinar; however, you must establish a Guest Non-member account on our site so that you can sign in to register.  Creating your account is a one-time process, and you can sign in with the same credentials for all future webinars."

They are taking registrations through today. Maybe I will see you there. 

Free, NOT TO MISS, Virtual Slate of Library Programs in October

 

Click here to see the full slate of programing

The HWA Library Committee has been working with Wake County Public Libraries since late last year to help them craft a virtual program called, "Nightmares Not Included: A Celebration of Horror Fiction" for this October. 

Before we get to the awesome programming and Horror resources they have made available to all, I want to use this  opportunity to remind every who reads this that the Horror Writers Association Library Committee is there  to help ANY library who contacts us. We will meet with you to discuss what your goals are-- from one program to a month long series, to anything in between. We work with authors and HWA members to help you make connection. All you need to do to get this process started is email Libraries at horror dot org.

I tell you this because this is exactly what Wake County Public Libraries did. When you look at this slate of programming in awe, know that they did the work to market it, make an awesome lib guide, and run the virtual series. This is part of our regular work at libraries; however, the rate limiting step for all of us is connecting with the authors. That's where the HWA Library Committee comes in. The HWA Library Committee will get you the connections, but you need to give all of us time. You cannot email us in July for October. Laura from Wake County Libraries first emailed Libraries at horror dot org on 11/19/22 for October 2023. 

The Library Committee worked with Laura and her team to discuss their goals, get them in contact with people to help them provide the programs, and provide introductions to get the conversations started. I will be clear, Wake County Public Libraries is paying the presenters an honorarium, but it is way less than their official speaking fees because the bookings went through us, the HWA Library Committee. The committee is not just there to connect libraries with authors, but we are also vetting the library and making sure they will make the experience worth the authors' time. We confirm that the library has bought the author's books and makes them available for checkout. We also make sure the library has set up a way for participants to buy their own copies before during or after the event.

On the other side of the equation, the Library Committee also knows which author's will do the best for a library patron audience. We will give you authors that can deliver.  And finally, we will make sure the authors represent the breadth of Horror, both in the way they write and  their own personal identities. 

Now on to this October's series, which is FREE to anyone and everyone who is reading this. First, click here for the amazing LibGuide they have created for the series. There is info about every program and this link to  the books by all of the participants and a link for more Horror titles for those who want even more options. 

And then there is the list of programs. Look at that flyer. And the supporting web page presented as a Lib Guide.

In that online Lib Guide, there is a page for each program. Let's use Sadie Hartmann's Horror Fiction "Starter Kit," which is opening the entire series, as our example. 

When you click through, you get the description you see here on the left from the print flyer, as well as a tab to learn more about the presenter, and an "In the Media" tab with links to interviews and articles featuring Hartmann. Again click here to see that level of detail.

Of course, I would love to see you all at my panel on 10/11 as I have a chat with four Bram Stoker Award winners-- Stephen Graham Jones, Paul Tremblay, Alma Katsu, and Hailey Piper. You can click through for the specific section of the Lib Guide for details. 

Finally, what I love about this series is the breadth of programs they are offering, both in terms of the topics and times of day. Personally, I am a huge fan of the final program, a Saturday morning virtual event. So fun. 

There is a FAQ page as well which notes that these amazing programs are free, but only available live. Again, anyone reading this can register. The library has kindly made these events available to anyone. And they have set up sales through a local book store, Page 158 Books.

I hope you can join Wake County Public Libraries for some of their "Nightmares Not Included" events. Fell free to let your Horror fans know about the programming as well. 

And use their awesome event as inspiration to do your own. It is not out of reach for you no matter how small your library is. And the HWA Library Committee is here to help-- Libraries at horror dot org.

It is too late for this October, but what about April for Halfway to Halloween?

Authors Who Coined Their Own Subgenres via Book Riot

When I give my genre overview program, one of the things I have to repeat over and over is that "Genre is not static." Too often those of us in the book world think of "Genre" as a wall, impenetrable, unmoving, and unyielding. But in reality, "Genre" is a human construct. It is a way for us to organize stories into smaller chunks.

When we are talking about the umbrella "genres" there are some basic things writers will do and readers expect, but the very best books, in any genre, also use the broad strokes of the category to create something new from it.

I also get at least 1 question at the end of these programs, even after explaining over and over that genre is not a wall meant to box books into a corner, asking how to shelve books that are in multiple genres. And again, I repeat that it doesn't mater. Stop worrying about genre and start worrying about the readers.

[See also this post-- Genrify Your Catalog, Not Your Collection]

The old-school library worker attitude that we must shoe horn every book into 1 category, and only 1 category is well, outdated, but also it is unfair to today's writers and readers. Why? Because, right now, we are in a golden age of rethinking the rules and as a result, we are getting some of the most amazing books, especially in speculative genres, where genre boundaries have been pushed since heir inception. 

And, even better for us readers, this rethinking is fueled by marginalized voices realizing that the old standby White, Cis, Male experience does not speak to them. Instead, they take "Genre" and mold it with their life experience into something fresh, original, new and award winning! It has revitalized so much of today's popular fiction.

Some people think this is "new," but I would argue that it is as old as the genres themselves. Think about the book the birthed both SF and Horror-- Frankenstein by Shelley-- written by a teenage woman in a world that dismissed them and their voice. 

A recent article in Book Riot paired with me giving that Genre talk to a few libraries in the last few weeks, had me thinking about all of this. 

That article is entitled, "Authors Who Coined Their Own Subgenre." Read the list and the commentary. And then think about what else I wrote here today. Expand you idea of genre. Use it as a guide, NOT a fact. 

Current Issue of Booklist is Sci-Tech Spotlight With More Popular Science Titles From Others To Help You Make A Display

Popular science is among the most popular leisure reading areas in nonfiction. I know for me personally it is also a favorite. 

Booklist understands what is popular in public libraries, probably better than any other publication. As a result, the   is a spotlight on exactly these books. 

Click here for the Top 10 Sci-Tech Books: 2023 list and here for the Top 10 Sci-Tech and Environment Audiobooks: 2023.

To help you fill out your lists, displays, and suggestions so you can have even more popular science titles  at your fingertips, check out a few more curated lists:

• Popular Science via Chicago Public Library
• Goodreads page for books tagged "popular science."
• Get Smarter with These 25 Popular Science Books via Book Riot
• Smithsonian Magazine's Ten Best Science Books of 2022
• Also, 2021 and 2020
• Library Journal's Best Science and Technology Books of 2022, 2021, and 2020

Have fun with it.

I like to use each issue of Booklist as a display idea generator precisely because each issue is a "Spotlight" on a topic. This means the lists and content is compiled for you as part of the issue.

Popular Science is a great outside of the box option that can be used year round. The is also an example of your resources working FOR you. Yes, we turn to Booklist for reviews first and foremost, but it is way more than that. This is a great example.

Using Awards Lists As a RA Tool: 2023 Mark Twain American Voice in Literature 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.  

One of my favorite award short lists was announced this week, the Mark Twain American Voice in Literature Award. From their website:

MARK TWAIN AMERICAN VOICE IN LITERATURE AWARD

The Mark Twain House & Museum is proud to announce the titles for the Short List for The 2023 Mark Twain American Voice in Literature Award! The award honors an exemplary work of fiction from the previous calendar year that speaks with an “American Voice” about American experiences, much like Twain’s masterwork, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

Over 120 eligible titles were submitted for consideration. Each book was reviewed by multiple members of the reading committee, resulting in a Long List of 35 incredible books announced in June 2023. After careful deliberation, a select committee has further narrowed the list down to a Short List of 10 phenomenal titles. These novels are being read by our final panel of judges who will ultimately decide the winner of the 2023 award.

THE 2023 MARK TWAIN AMERICAN VOICE IN LITERATURE SHORT LIST 

• BLISS MONTAGE by Ling Ma
• DEMON COPPERHEAD by Barbara Kingsolver
• MERCY STREET by Jennifer Haigh
• MOTHER COUNTRY by Jacinda Townsend
• NIGHT OF THE LIVING REZ by Morgan Tally
• THE HERO OF THIS BOOK by Elizabeth McCracken
• THE KINGDOM OF SAND by Andrew Holleran
• THE RABBIT HUTCH by Tess Gunty
• TOMORROW, AND TOMORROW, AND TOMORROW by Gabrielle Zevin
• TRUST by Hernan Diaz

The winning title will be announced in October and the award, along with its $25,000 prize, will be conferred by its benefactor David Baldacci at the American Voice Award Banquet on November 3 at The Mark Twain House & Museum. Tickets and information for the ceremony will be available shortly.

The Mark Twain American Voice in Literature Award is sponsored by:

David Baldacci and Bank of America

 

The first thing you may notice is that these titles are not brand new. This award is normally a full year behind. They say so above in their about statement. So these are titles that came out in 2022. This is wonderful for you because these are titles that I know you own AND they are probably on the shelf right now.

But what I also love about this award is that it recognizes the "American" experience as captured in a work of fiction and the committee loves genre and marginalized voices. As they should because those authors and story types capture a wider view of America. 

Two years ago I wrote at length about Stephen Graham Jones winning this award for The Only Good Indians which it a MASTERPIECE of American literature. In that post I also talk about why this award is such a great resource. Click through for more on that.

Also of note, all of these books were considered for the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction when I was on that committee last year. And one of these, Night of the Living Rez, was one of our finalists. 

The idea that the jury takes a wide view for this honor, looking at these titles as they express the American Experience is unique for an award. It also warms my American Studies major heart. But more seriously, I have read all or parts of each of these titles (again as er my service on the ACM committee) and I cannot argue with their worthiness for this honor. And taken together, they represent so many valid examples of the "American" experience. This alone, the long list providing a realistically wide view of what "American" means today, makes it a great resource.

If you simply take he last few years' of finalists, you have a diverse (both in identity of he authors and genres offered) display you can title it "The American Experience" and put it up anytime of year. 

The only problem wit this award is that they don't have an archive of winners and finalists; even search of their site doesn't work. They only have the winners at the bottom of the home page for information about the award. But a very specific Google search can penetrate their archived web pages.

I  have done the work for you and cobbled together  places where the shortlist authors have been reported going back to the first award in 2019. The first two are via me. I will make sure to keep posting this award every year so someone is keeping this list of authors. It is too good a resource to be lost, and it appears that 2016-18 are lost except for the winners.

• 2022
• 2021 (also contains a long lost of titles that have been considered over the years)
• 2020
• 2019

What I'm Reading: Cold, Black, and Infinite

Today I am going to give you  a peek behind the trade magazine review curtain because the size of my queue of finished reviews waiting to be published and the reality of what is publishing in September made me giggle.

When reviews are written vs when they publish and in which magazine is so interesting. Case in point the September issue of Booklist has only 1 review by me but the October issue will have 4 while the LJ October issue will also have my column with 8 reviews. So it appears that I wrote 12 reviews at once. But in reality, they were staggered a bit because Booklist has a 1 month turn around from submission to publication, while my LJ column is 2 months. That difference is because the Booklist reviews are published individually but because LJ is a column and it is paired with an interview, they need more time.

Maybe this is much information, but since all of you use Booklist and Library Journal to craft your collections and help readers, I figured you'd be interested.

Well onto my draft review of an excellent collection, put out by a reliable and trusted small press, which you need to add to your collections. Lots of extra info as to why this book is an important add to your collections and a plea to buy his novel as well, all of hat is below.

Cold, Black, and Infinite: Stories of the Horrific & Strange

By Todd Keisling 

Sept. 2023. 350p. Cemetery Dance, paper, $19.99  (9781587678950). 
First published September 1, 2023 (Booklist).

Keisling’s stories have appeared in critically acclaimed anthologies* alongside such established names as Josh Malerman, Gabino Iglesias, and Linda Addison, but this time, he shines on his own with 16 stories, 3 original to this volume. Utilizing well-trod Horror tropes like liminal spaces, haunted house, slashers, and body horror, he probes seriously scary topics like insatiable corporate greed, bullying, and mental health struggles in refreshing ways. Keisling is also a sought after artist, and his skill creating visual unease bleeds into his prose with stories that effortlessly immerse the reader into each story. Standouts include “Midnight in the Southland,” featuring an otherworldly radio show, “Annie’s Heart is a Haunted House," a teenage revenge slasher like you’ve never read, and “We’ve All Gone to Crooked Town, a nightmare on the page. The result, a collection of meaty, thought provoking, and terrifying tales that readers will happily sink their teeth into. For fans of stories by Sarah Read and RJ Joseph as well as anthologies edited by Doug Murano and John FD Taff.

*The Hideous Book of Hidden Horrors edited by Doug Murano just won the Shirley Jackson Award and Under Twin Suns: Alternate Histories of the Yellow Sign edited by James Chambers was nominated for the Bram Stoker.

Further Appeal: I want to stress how Keisling's excellence as a visual artist bleeds into his prose. It makes for a reading experience that includes sight without pictures. 

This book will have a forward by John Langan, who is one of the best horror short story authors of our time, but full disclosure, my PDF ARC did not include it. 

The most important thing I want to include here on the blog (which I could not fit in the review) is that many of these stories are a part of his Devil's Creek universe. What is Devil's Creek, you are probably asking? Well, it is important that you know the answer to that question.

Take a look at the nominees for the 2020 Bram Stoker Awards: 

The 2020 Bram Stoker Awards® Final Ballot
Superior Achievement in a Novel
Jones, Stephen Graham – The Only Good Indians (Gallery/Saga Press) – WINNER
Katsu, Alma – The Deep (G.P. Putnam’s Sons)
Keisling, Todd – Devil’s Creek (Silver Shamrock Publishing)
Malerman, Josh – Malorie (Del Rey)
Moreno-Garcia, Silvia – Mexican Gothic (Del Rey)

Look at that list of novels! I know you own all of them except Devil's Creek and why you don't own it isn't completely your fault for missing it. That is because when Devil's Creek first came out, it was with the very small press listed above AND they went out of business soon after. By the time you went to buy it, there is a good chance it was not available easily.

But thankfully, that has been fixed, and earlier this year, Cemetery Dance, who also is publishing this collection and is a trusted and easy to order Horror small press, re-released Devil's Creek.

As a result, today I am suggesting you order Devil's Creek to  add  to  your collections right now and preorder Cold, Black, and Infinite: Stories of the Horrific & Strange (out 9/26).

Three Words That Describe This Book: immersive, nightmarish, thought provoking

Readalikes: I have plenty of suggestions above. Anyone who appears in those anthologies

is a good choice. Another Cemetery Dance author I think is a good realize as well is Alan Baxter. The two authors have appeared in anthologies together and I reviewed Baxter's novel Sallow Bend last year in Booklist.

RA for All Taking a Long Weekend

 I'll be back Tuesday.

What I'm Reading: Booklist E-Reviews

Today I have 2 e-reviews on Booklist Online. Why are the e-only? Well the reason matters to you, so I will share.

There are always going to be more books that deserve a review than can possibly be reviewed. There is not enough time or space in the trade magazines for every book. However, when I comes to Horror, I take my place as the library world's expert very seriously and work hard with my editors at both Booklist and Library Journal to get as many small press books into their review queues as possible. 

Some of those titles I am able to take on to review for myself, but as it is I am averaging more than 1 review a week for the year, so...

Add to this issue the fact that many small presses do not have review copies ready, even in PDF, with enough lead time for us to get them into the print magazines.

I know that for many libraries, if there is no professional review of a book they cannot even consider it to be added to their collections. So I do everything I can to get reviews for titles I believe in.

Today you can see that in action as I have two books that I think are MUST BUYS for all public libraries. These are titles you need to ge on your shelves and get into the hands of reads right now. I did a quick turn around on these reviews, but they still could not make the print deadlines to be published before they released. They are, however, on Booklist Online as e reviews here, here, and below. This means, you have the documentation to support an order.

The first is an anthology that sells itself and includes MAJOR authors whose titles you own and whose books you pardons request, while the second will appeal greatly to fans of Clay McLeod Chapman's What Kind of Mother which is out in a few weeks. It's a great "While You Wait" option. I have even helped a NJ library book the two of them for a joint, in person event this fall. 

Enough preamble. Here are my draft reviews with bonus appeal info.

The First Five Minutes of the Apocalypse: Tales from the Beginning of the End

Edited by Brandon Applegate

July 2023. 300p. Hungry Shadow, $28.99  (9798986920252); Hungry Shadow, paper, $14.999798986920245). First published August 31, 2023 (Booklist Online).

As Editor Applegate notes in the Forward to this terrifying anthology, the world is always ending, in big and small ways, and Horror provides a way to process that fact and the accompanying intense emotions at a safe distance. He leaves readers with that unsettling thought as they dive into 28 stories that each take widely different looks at those first moments of the end of the world. The stories are short, as the title hints at, but also, each is extremely immersive, as the dread, embedded in the title follows the reader from story to story. Do readers know what is causing the apocalypse in each tale? Sometimes. Do readers know what happens to the characters they are following once those first five minutes are over? Not really. Well known authors like V Castro and Gwendolyn Kiste present a violent Werewolf uprising or a macabre end of the world party. Lesser known voices like Carson Winter present a quieter, more private moment between a couple as they mourn the death of everyone they know and wait for their turn to die while Nick Bouchard’s blog post framed story, “Ten Totally Free Places to Watch the End of the World,” adds a note of hilarious dark humor. From nuclear war to unknowable supernatural forces, the breadth of ideas on how the world will end is as vast as the way the authors recount it. Not only will this book sell itself to readers by the title alone, but it will also introduce them to a wealth of strong voices in Horror.

Further Appeal: You don't actually need any. Just tell people the tile and they will either be super intrigued or completely repulsed. If they are intrigued, they will like it, I promise you.

Three Words That Describe This Book: dread, varied, intriguing

Readalikes: Books by Gwendolyn Kiste and V. Castro will be requested and you should own them. This World Belongs to Us: An Anthology of Horror Stories About Bugs, which I recently reviewed will also make a good fit.

And don't forget about the pre-apocalypse trilogy by Ben H. Winters, The Last Policeman. This would be a great time to promote that backlist gem.

Lacuna’s Point

By Tim Meyer

Aug. 2023. 371p. DarkLit, paper, $20 (9781998851096). 
First published August 31, 2023 (Booklist Online).

Ellie and Mitch are connected by tragedy. 3 years ago their beloved daughters disappeared without a trace somewhere in Virginia. When Ellie receives a cryptic message appearing to be from her daughter’s canceled phone, however, the pair drop everything and head to the seaside, ghost town of Lacuna’s Point. Very shortly after arriving, they realize there is a sinister darkness not only controlling everything and everyone, but also, one that refuses to let anyone go. Meyer relays the original and intriguing plot through multiple points, allowing the pacing to stay fast, without sacrificing the necessary and nuanced development of each character and, especially, the place itself, a place that makes Twin Peaks look boring and safe, a place that is the most important character of all. While the unease is palabale on every page, there is also an existential dread that overlays it all, one anchored by the terror of being a someone who is driven by the need to create art at all costs. Utterly immersive and unapologetically visceral, this small press title will appeal to readers who embraced the weird, cosmic feel of This Thing Between Us by Gus Moreno and both the parental and crab nightmares of What Kind of Mother by Clay McLeod Chapman.

Further Appeal: Many points of view– allows the pacing to stay fast even though there is a lot of world building that needs to happen. It is never too many switches because they are necessary for the reader to understand the complexities of the situation and where each character is coming from. And each is built uniquely and with nuance.

Gives a whole new meaning to “ghost town” Like Twin Peaks– but way more deadly. 

The entire novel is also a metaphor for how terrifying being a creative can be. The need and desire to write, paint, play music, etc… the overwhelming need to make art at all costs is at the heart of this entire book and the anchor for the terror. 

A fast paced, immersive, and visceral pulp Horror tale that will leave you unsettled about your own choices long after you turn the final page.

Three Words That Describe This Book: multiple points of view, Weird, immersive

Readalikes:  The two above and Twin Peaks plus I definitely thought about Chuck Wendig's Wanderers and Brian Keene's The Complex while reading this novel. The feel of both yes, but also how the stories  are told with multiple points of view that allow for robust, nuanced, and emotionally satisfying character development.

Using Awards Lists As A RA Tool: Kirkus 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.  

What is the Kirkus Prize. From their website FAQ:

The Kirkus Prize is one of the richest literary awards in the world, with a prize of $50,000 bestowed annually to authors of fiction, nonfiction, and young readers’ literature. It was created to celebrate the decades of discerning, thoughtful criticism Kirkus Reviews has contributed to both the publishing industry and readers at large. Books that earn the Kirkus star with publication dates between Nov. 1, 2022 to Oct. 31, 2023 (see FAQ for exceptions), are automatically nominated for the 2023 Kirkus Prize. Six finalists in each of three categories will be announced in August. Three winners will be announced at the Kirkus Prize ceremony on Oct. 11, 2023.

Click here to see this year's finalists as reported via LitHub. 

Click here for the Kirkus Prize homepage.

This award pulls double duty as a resource both as an award list AND a year end best list. And it is one the the earliest best lists as well.

Also, like the best of both of these categories of resources, the Kirkus Prize is best used as a resource when you consider the longlist AND the last 9 years of nominees and winners in your suggestions and displays. 

On the main page for all of Kirkus you have super easy access to every nominee and winner going back to 2014. On the banner across the top of every page, there is a tab for "Kirkus Prize" which opens a drop down menu to give you those choices by year. All with little effort. That is extremely helpful for us.

You can easily pick 2 years ago's nominees and use them today as a proven, winning suggestion.

Finally, as it says above, any book that Kirkus gave a star is considered. [You can go to their FAQ page for more detail into the considerations for this prize.] That being stated, how useful this award is to you and your patrons only goes so far as you find Kirkus useful. 

But each year I have found it to be a reliable resource to help readers who are looking for a very general list of  "the best" of the year.