Percival Everett’s James and Adam Higginbotham’s Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space win Kirkus Prizes. A shortlist is released for the Laurel Prize for environmental and nature poetry. Plus, interviews with Randy Newman, Emily Witt, and Colin Kaepernick, a new memoir by Pope Francis, and new title bestsellers.

November’s LibraryReads list is out, featuring top pick Lost and Lassoed by Lyla Sage. Ken Follett’s forthcoming historical epic Circle of Days will examine the mysteries of Stonehenge. James Patterson launches a new Substack, Hungry Dogs. LibraryReads and LJ offer read-alikes for top holds title The Waiting by Michael Connelly. Riku Onda’s crime novel The Aosawa Murders will get a limited series adaptation, and Phaedra Patrick’s The Little Italian Hotel will be adapted for TV. Plus, the Kirkus Prize winners will be announced tonight.

LJ’s 2024 Placements & Salaries Survey sees new grads grapple with questions of relocation, living wages, and job drift, but eager to begin careers in the field.

Alice McDermott wins the Mark Twain American Voice in Literature Award for her novel Absolution. The Baillie Gifford Prize shortlist is announced, along with the winners of the British Fantasy Awards and the Prix Utopiales. The Waiting by Michael Connelly leads holds this week. Also in demand are titles by John Grisham and Jim McCloskey, Bob Woodward, Debbie Macomber, and David Rosenfelt. People’s book of the week is The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern by Lynda Cohen Loigman. Al Pacino’s memoir, Sonny Boy, arrives. Plus, M.K. Oliver’s buzzy forthcoming debut novel, A Sociopath’s Guide to a Successful Marriage, will get the series treatment at Hulu.

South Korean novelist Han Kang, best known for 2016’s Booker Prize–winning The Vegetarian, wins the Nobel Prize in literature. The shortlist for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize is announced. BBC’s Between the Covers book club has revealed its books and guests for its eighth season, starting with Chris Whitaker’s All the Colors of the Dark. Winners of the New Mexico-Arizona Book Awards and Scholastic UK’s inaugural Graphic Novel Prize are announced. Created by Humans, a company that helps writers license their works for use by AI, has forged a partnership with the Authors Guild. Plus new title bestsellers.

Oprah picks From Here to the Great Unknown by Lisa Marie Presley, with Riley Keough, for her book club. Publishers Weekly rounds up the rest of October’s book club picks. Finalists for the Governor General’s Literary Awards and the Wonderland Awards are announced. October’s Loanstars features top pick The Waiting by Michael Connelly. LibraryReads and LJ offer read-alikes for top holds title The Last One at the Wedding by Jason Rekulak. BBC will adapt Janice Hadlow’s The Other Bennet Sister, to be aired during the 30th anniversary of BBC’s classic Pride and Prejudice series. Plus, the latest on the Princess Diaries 3 film, based on the books by Meg Cabot.

On October 3, the Urban Libraries Council (ULC) announced the six North American public libraries named as Top Innovators for 2024 as part of its annual Innovations Initiative. 

In an effort to minimize student boredom while learning library information, Jacksonville State University (JSU) librarians implemented gamification―introducing game mechanics into non-game environments―which studies have shown can increase engagement and motivation, and in turn, improve learning across age groups and settings. JSU librarians Karlie Loren Johnson and Kimberly Westbrooks analyzed their results in “Quelling the Boredom with Alternative Instruction: Augmented Reality, Escape Kits, and Scavenger Hunts.” 

Former librarian Terah Shelton Harris has been named Target’s author of the year; The Women by Kristin Hannah is book of the year. The Elgin Awards winners are announced. The 2024 Nobel prize in literature will be awarded this Thursday. From Here to the Great Unknown: A Memoir by Lisa Marie Presley with Riley Keough gets reviews and buzz. The Millions revisits Claudia Rankine’s Citizen 10 years after its publication. Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty will get a new series adaptation, courtesy of Nicole Kidman. Colleen Hoover’s Reminders of Him will be adapted for film. NYT looks at weeding in libraries. Plus, LJ announces a new partnership with the Libraries Lead podcast.