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Designing for delight and flexibility is demonstrated in many of this year’s submissions, fostering gathering, play, and communal experiences.

GMA Book Club pick author Disha Bose offers a coming-of-age story about a woman who moves from Calcutta to Ireland, while Oprah’s Book Club author Wally Lamb returns with a novel about a young father in prison who finds kinship with the prison librarian.

LJ Best Booker Shokoofeh Azar has a new book, Lambda Award winner Marisa Crane returns with a coming-of-age novel, and Scotiabank Giller Prize winner Madeleine Thien offers a story that leaps across centuries; plus five debuts to note.

Lost and Lassoed by Lyla Sage is the top holds title of the week. LibraryReads and Library Journal offer read-alikes for patrons waiting to read this buzziest book.

Titles not to miss across fiction, nonfiction, audio, and reference.

All the April 2025 Prepub Alerts in one place, plus a downloadable spreadsheet of all titles from every post.

This year’s investigation into the realms and labs of fantasy and science fiction reveals a genre with pure magnetic attraction, while genre blends—from romantasy to SF mystery to SFF horror—redefine what’s possible and rocket toward their day in the sun.

With fluid writing and an unputdownable story, Jessen’s witty rom-com leans hard into the fake-dating trope with great success.

This momentous tour de force overtops existing works on robots by leaps and bounds, approaching the subject with a subtlety that allows readers to focus on the effects robots are sure to have in the future.

Appearances are deceiving in this fast-paced thriller, and the characters are introduced gradually so as not to overwhelm the outstanding series debut.

It is one of our favorite times at LJ, the weeks before we announce the Best Books of the year. Look for our list of 2024’s not-to-miss titles in the December issue. As we count down to our big reveal, we are delighted to highlight some of our 2023 picks, titles we still treasure, reread, and suggest widely. To start the countdown, look for the witty, deeply clever, and read-it-like-you-just-robbed-some-pirates fast The Secret Service of Tea and Treason by India Holton. 

By day, Michael Nayak is Doctor/Major Nayak at DARPA (the United States Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency). He talks with LJ about his debut novel, Symbiote, his tenure at the South Pole, his writing inspiration, and the work of DARPA imagining the future.

LJ interviews the editors of The Oxford Dictionary of African American English. This first-of-its-kind resource of 1,000 words (planned for publication in 2025) aims to record the most comprehensive, accurate, and up-to-date picture of African American English yet.

Suad Aldarra is awarded the Rooney Prize for Irish Literature. LJ kicks off its countdown to the reveal of the best books of 2024. People shares best books for Native American Heritage Month. DK acquires UK-based digital publisher Canelo. LibraryReads and LJ offer read-alikes for Lost and Lassoed by Lyla Sage, the top holds title of the week. Plus, interviews arrive with Peter Ames Carlin, Jody Hobbs Hesler, and Jenna Tang.

Shortlists for the inaugural PEN Heaney Prize and the Voss Literary Prize are announced. Simon & Schuster will distribute ACC Art Books. Politico writes about how Jon Grinspan’s 2021 book, The Age of Acrimony: How Americans Fought To Fix Their Democracy, 1865–1915, has become a cult favorite among members of Congress. Martha Stewart’s 100th cookbook arrives this week, along with a new Netflix documentary on her life; Eater looks at Stewart’s other 99 cookbooks. Plus, USA Today highlights Salma Hayek’s new series adaptation of Laura Esquivel’s novel Like Water for Chocolate.

This comprehensive guide explores how leading libraries worldwide leverage technology to enhance student engagement, streamline operations, and support academic excellence in the library. These libraries, large and small, are prepped to handle and embrace innovations without losing sight of their core mission. Download the whitepaper

LJ’s 2024 Year in Architecture trends see libraries simultaneously designing for pragmatic concerns, such as safety and site constraints, and an equally important quotient of delight—achieving harmony in the process!

Color, color everywhere! To create welcoming, dynamic spaces, libraries have integrated vivid colors into their designs to connect, invite, comfort, and even surprise.

This year’s crop of libraries demonstrates a continued commitment to the well-being of library workers and patrons through biophilic design, a tried-and-true construct to connect people with nature in hopes of improving human health.

The successful renovation of a historic structure for contemporary use is a vivid example of how libraries respond to rapidly evolving community conditions. This year, a variety of approaches create modern facilities that honor history.

As libraries expand into community hubs serving multiple purposes, they have introduced playfulness into their designs to encourage exploration, discovery, and above all, wonder.

Libraries continue to emerge from the pandemic, with spaces designed to promote social interaction along with quiet study—places that work for everyone.

Lost and Lassoed by Lyla Sage leads holds this week. Also in demand are titles by Isabel Ibañez, Phillip Margolin, Bill Zehme, and Beatriz Williams. People’s book of the week is The Blue Hour by Paula Hawkins. The Southern Book Prize finalists, Waterstones Book of the Year shortlist, and Audiofile November Earphones Award winners are announced. Martha Stewart’s latest cookbook arrives, along with November book previews. Music legend Quincy Jones has died at the age of 91.

LJ has received an Eddie award for its February 2024 cover story “Hungry for Connection: Addressing Loneliness Through the Library,” by Editor-in-Chief Hallie Rich. In May, 2023, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy issued an advisory calling attention to loneliness, isolation, and a lack of connection as a public health crisis increasing the risk of mental health challenges and even premature death. LJ’s feature examined how library programs “can build the very relationships our nation’s public health experts say we most need to cultivate.”

LJ’s 2024 Year in Architecture trends see libraries simultaneously designing for pragmatic concerns, such as safety and site constraints, and an equally important quotient of delight—achieving harmony in the process!

The data for new academic library buildings and renovations featured in LJ's Year in Architecture 2024.

The data for new public library buildings and renovations featured in LJ's Year in Architecture 2024.