University Libraries

By Scott West

It has been some time since the last edition of Reading at Roesch, so there is much to discuss.  I will try to be somewhat consistent and identify the bestselling books currently in the collection as well as award-winning titles now available to readers. Finally, I will share an offer for potential book reviewers.

Bestsellers

Bestselling books are a high priority for the leisure reading collection. Here’s just a sampling from the Feb. 15 New York Times bestsellers:

• Divine Rivals, by Rebecca Ross, No. 1
• Medgar and Myrlie: Medgar Evers and the Love Story That Awakened America, by Joy-Ann Reid, No. 1
• The Creative Act: A Way of Being, by Rick Rubin, No. 2
• The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder, by David Grann, No. 2
• Fourth Wing, by Rebecca Yarros, No. 3
• How to Know a Person: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen, by David Brooks, No. 3
• Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity, by Peter Attia, No. 3
• The Heaven and Earth Grocery Story, by James McBride, No. 4
• Iron Flame, by Rebecca Yarros, No. 4
• Murtagh, by Christopher Paolini, No. 4
• Oath and Honor: A Memoir and a Warning, by Liz Cheney, No. 4
• The Woman in Me, by Britney Spears, No. 5
• Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing, by Matthew Perry, No. 6
• Infinity Alchemist, by Kacen Callender, No. 6
• Elon Musk, by Walter Isaacson, No. 8
• Five Survive, by Holly Jackson, No. 9
• Remarkably Bright Creatures, by Shelby Van Pelt, No. 10
• And more on the way!

This is definitely a good mix of titles. Some have carved themselves a pretty good spot on the list as they continue to draw an audience.  

Award Winners

The number of award-winning books newly available is pretty large but worth considering:

• The Romantic Novelists’ Association’s 2023 Christmas/Festive Holiday Romantic Novel Award: This Year’s For Me and You, by Emily Bell
• Mystery Writers of America’s 2023 Edgar Allan Poe Award (“Edgar”) for Best Novel: Notes on an Execution, by Danya Kukafka
• World Fantasy Convention’s 2023 World Fantasy Award for Best Novel: Saint Death’s Daughter, by C.S.E. Cooney
• Horror Writers Association’s 2022 Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in a Fiction Collection: Breakable Things, by Cassandra Khaw
• Pop Culture Classroom’s 2023 Excellence in Graphic Literature Award for Best in Young Adult Graphic Literature (Fiction): Side Effects, by Ted Anderson
• American Library Association’s 2024 William C. Morris YA Debut Award: Rez Ball, by Byron Graves (also won the ALA’s American Indian Youth Literature Award)
• 2022 Pulitzer Prize for Illustrated Reporting and Commentary: I Escaped a Chinese Internment Camp, by Fahmida Azim et al.
• 2023 Goodreads Choice Awards
  • Best Historical Fiction: Weyward, by Emilia Hart
  • Best Fiction: Yellowface, by R.F. Kuang
• 2023 Kirkus Prizes, presented by Kirkus Reviews: 
  • Young Readers: America Redux: Visual Stories From Our Dynamic History, by Ariel Aberg-Riger
  • Fiction: The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store, by James McBride (No. 4 on the Bestsellers listed above)
  • Nonfiction: Our Migrant Souls: A Meditation on Race and the Meanings and Myth of “Latino,” by Héctor Tobar
• 2023 National Book Awards
  • Poetry: From Unincorporated Territory (åmot) by Craig Santos Perez
  • Nonfiction: The Rediscovery of America: Native Peoples and the Unmaking of U.S. History, by Ned Blackhawk
  • Translated Literature: The Words That Remain, by Stenio Gardel
• Hugo Awards, presented by the World Science Fiction Convention, or “Worldcon”:
  • Lodestar Award for Best Young Adult Book: Akata Woman, by Nnedi Okorafor (I am a big fan of her work!)
  • Best Graphic Story or Comic: Cyberpunk 2077: Big City Dreams, by Bartosz Sztybor (I read this graphic novel on an impulse, and it was way better than expected. Definitely deserved the award.)
  • Best Related Work: Terry Pratchett: A Life with Footnotes, by Rob Wilkins
  • Best Novella: Where the Drowned Girls Go, by Seanan McGuire (I have not read this book but really like other works by McGuire)
• 2023 Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, given by Comic-Con International:
  • Best Digital Comic: Barnstormers: A Ballad of Love and Murder, by Scott Snyder
  • Best Publication for Teens (13-17): Do a Powerbomb! by Daniel Warren Johnson
  • Best Continuing Series: Nightwing: The Battle for Bludhaven’s Heart, by Tom Taylor
  • Best New Series: Public Domain, by Chip Zdarsky
• Lambda Literary Awards, presented by Lambda Literary, an organization dedicated to championing LGBTQ+ books and authors:
  • Bisexual Nonfiction: Appropriate Behavior, by Maria San Filippo
  • Transgender Fiction: The Call-Out, by Cat Fitzpatrick
  • Gay Fiction: The Foghorn Echoes, by Danny Ramadan
  • LGBTQ+ Romance & Erotica: Kiss Her Once for Me, by Alison Cochrun
  • Lesbian Romance: The Rules of Forever, by Nan Campbell

Sorry for the volume there. It has been too long since I wrote. You have lots of possibilities across a broad spectrum of genres, themes, and forms.

Would you like to review books before they are published?

I have been able to acquire advance reader copies (ARCs) from publishers and anticipate receiving more in the future. I want to put these books in your hands for free. The catch is that the publishers would like some sort of review posted online. This can be on familiar sites such as Amazon or Goodreads but can also be on less familiar resources like Edelweiss and Netgalley. Any location is acceptable as the program is about building conversation around the book(s).

The reviews do not have to be fancy. Some sites like a rating of some sort. The review does not have to be positive. In fact, I think publishers want to know negatives before the book hits bookstores for real. If you really love the book, you are welcome to keep it or pass it on to another prospective reader. If you want to return it, that is good too. I may ask for a copy of your review if you do so. The only requirement is that you must be living or working on campus. 

Here is what is available right now (including a link to Amazon for some further information):

• 49 Miles Alone, by Natalie D. Richards (July 2)
• Another Day’s Pain, by K.C. Constantine (April 2)
• Choice, by Neel Mukherjee (April 2)
• Daughters of Olympus, by Hannah Lynn (July 9)
• The Drowning House, by Cherie Priest (July 23)
• Ghost Camera, by Darcy Coates (July 30)
• Help Wanted, by Adele Waldman (March 5)
• The Last Murder at the End of the World, by Stuart Turton (May 21)
• Learning to Think: A Memoir of Faith, Superstition, and the Courage to Ask Questions, by Tracy King (April 9)
• My Darling Dreadful Thing, by Johanna van Veen (May 14)
• The Night the River Wept, by Lo Patrick (July 2)
• The Poisons We Drink, by Bethany Baptiste (March 5)
• So You Wanna Run a Country? by Kevin Holohan (March 5)
• That Night in the Library, by Eva Jurczyk (June 11)
• The Trials of Lila Dalton, by L.J. Shepherd (Aug. 27)
• The Woman in the Garden, by Jill Johnson (July 16)

If you are interested in any of these books, please contact me by email. If the book is still available, I will have it waiting for you at the Hello Desk at Roesch Library.

Borrow, Read, Return, Repeat

UD faculty, staff and students can borrow any of these books using their UD ID. Alumni living in Ohio can receive a free annual borrowing card. If you’re not local, look some of these titles up in your library’s catalog.

— Scott N. West is a collections specialist in the University Libraries.