What Caught My Eye Online #70
Summer reading poll, a win for libraries, and more
Welcome to this week’s roundup!
I have a question for you. Summer reading is upon us, and every person on the internet is releasing a summer reading guide. I made one last year, and I’m thinking about making another for this year. Will you give me some feedback about what you’d rather see? Would you prefer a longer guide with book recs for all sorts of genres, even if I haven’t read them? (I’d base my recommendations on the many book reviews I read for work and the readers’ advisory skills I’ve picked up along the way.) Or would you prefer a smaller, more focused guide featuring only titles I’ve read? Thank you!
Here’s what I’ve been loving this week:
New York Times games. One of the first things I do each morning is play Wordle, Connections, and a few other NYT games. I love how they make me think and get my brain going when all I want to do is go back to sleep.
My new spring candle. I just got this candle from Ulta. Not only does it smell amazing, but the jar is so cute and fun. Ulta says the candle smells like tart blackberry, sugar plum, rosewater, and sheer jasmine. I say it smells like spring.
And now for this week’s links!
Utah has banned its 18th book from all public schools in the state. That's ridiculous enough, but students can't even bring personal or public library copies of the banned books to school. I don't have kids, but if I did, I would be livid if the state told me what books my child was allowed to have in their possession.
Speaking of not having kids, here's a book list featuring nine books about childless women.
As someone who catalogs library books, I'm interested in subject headings and making it easy for patrons to find materials. Subject headings are being used to find specific books in U.S. Military libraries that will likely be removed because they clash with the current administration's quest to eradicate any literature that could fall under the DEI umbrella. Check out the list of subject headings here. Whether this military book ban affects you directly or not, American citizens should be concerned that their government wants to limit access to books with the subject heading, "Discrimination — Law and Legislation — United States."
Even with all this nonsense happening, libraries and museums scored a big win in court. A judge “issued a temporary injunction in the case of 21 state attorneys general who sued Donald Trump over the unlawful dismantling of the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS).” Read the whole story here.
The Cut asks, "Was A Million Lives Book Festival the Fyre Fest of BookTok?"
Simon & Schuster is going all in on religion books, tapping Jonathan Merritt as VP and executive editor "to build a list specializing in faith, religion, and spirituality titles."
The American Library Association has spoken out praising former Librarian of Congress, Dr. Carla Hayden, who Trump suddenly fired last week. The ALA is calling her dismissal abrupt and unjust.
The New York Times goes into more detail about Dr. Hayden's firing, writing:
"President Trump fired the librarian of Congress because she promoted diversity, equity and inclusion, the White House said Friday, making Dr. Carla Hayden one of the most high-profile leaders of color to be targeted in the administration’s campaign to suppress discussions about race and gender at America’s cultural institutions. Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, said the administration believed Dr. Hayden 'did not fit the needs of the American people,' and that her firing resulted from 'quite concerning things that she had done at the Library of Congress in the pursuit of D.E.I.' Ms. Leavitt did not offer any evidence of 'D.E.I.' pursuits Dr. Hayden engaged in. She accused Dr. Hayden of allowing 'inappropriate books in the library for children.' The Library of Congress does not lend books to adults or children and as the world’s largest library houses over 34 million books and printed materials."
I love this essay about how having multiple e-readers positively impacted the author's reading life.
Author Elif Shafak writes about why we still need novels. She says:
"It seems to me that the more chaotic our times, the deeper is our need to slow down and read fiction. In an age of anger and anxiety, clashing certainties, rising jingoism and populism, the division between 'us' and 'them' also deepens. The novel, however, dismantles dualities."
Like most readers, I judge books by their covers all the time. I appreciate beautiful cover art and the work and creativity that go into producing it. Here's a look at a new imprint called 831 Stories that uses a color-blocked, minimalist approach for their romance novels. I love the design! I also love this pivot to minimalism for romance since so many romance covers look similar, thanks to their bright colors and illustrated characters.
Lit Hub features an excerpt from Joy Harjo's new book about her mother's death.
Yes, I do want to read seven Southern Gothic books set in small towns.
PBS is streaming a new documentary called Free for All: The Public Library.
The New York Times shares the best books of the year so far.
Check out these mystery series from around the world.
If you want to read something that's "the novelistic equivalent of a hot cup of cocoa and a warm blanket," try these five titles.
Have you ever wondered what the most popular animals are to show up in children's books? I hadn't until I saw this list!
Powell’s is highlighting many debut novels and is offering 20% off.
Sara Hildreth shared this touching reel featuring Ocean Vuong, whose new novel was just chosen as an Oprah’s book club pick. He’s with Oprah and shares how her book club made reading accessible to so many people, especially women. This is a beautiful clip that gave me chills and brought tears to my eyes. You can view the entire segment here.
Sharon McMahon offers important reminders about authoritarianism. She says:
“Authoritarianism isn’t a tsunami, it’s a slow erosion, one unchecked decision at a time. And it thrives when we stop noticing.”
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What have you been noticing lately? One of the things I aim for in this newsletter is to notice and push back against authoritarianism, especially when it’s directed toward books and literacy. Let’s keep noticing and pushing back together. I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments. Thank you for being here!