Book Riot news this week

Here come the closures of public schools

Targeting books in public schools and libraries is a targeted approach. You create a frenzy of lies and misinformation about the content in libraries and classrooms, then profit from it by claiming that students are being indoctrinated, and then use those lies to push through voucher programs because your student should have nothing to do with this sort of thing. See also: calling for a book to be banned, claiming that books like this are proof that schools are unable to do their jobs, taking time and money away from schools to put the book through the review process, complaining about the time and money wasted on such a review process, and repeating the cycle until the money, time, and people are all gone.

The Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards 2024

The Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards have been given out annually since 1967 and are among the most prestigious awards for books for young readers. They are presented each June in three categories: picture book, fiction, and nonfiction. These awards are limited to books published in the United States, although the authors of these books can be from any country. Winners are chosen by three judges selected by the editor-in-chief of the Horn Book.

The 2024 awards were announced on June 20. Here are the finalists and awards in each category.

The most read books this week on Goodreads

This week, the list of most-read books on Goodreads was shaken up a bit. After weeks of the same books being only slightly re-sorted from week to week, this time two books by the same author jumped into the top 5 thanks to a new release.

The best-selling audiobooks of all time from Libro.fm

Libro.fm, the independent audiobook service that lets you choose which indie bookstores receive a portion of your audiobook sales, has released a list of the 10 best-selling audiobooks of all time to mark its 10th anniversary. The list is based on sales figures reported to Libro.fm by over 3,000 indie bookstores and includes thought-provoking nonfiction, celebrity memoirs, fantasy, and more.

Midwest Tape/Hoopla “clarifies” its new rating system

The filters are not intended for users, but for librarians in states where ratings are required for purchase. At the time of this writing, only one state requires this, and these materials are already rated by publishers. These filters also will not override the ratings already provided by publishers. This raises the question of whether Why if a corresponding system already exists.

These were the best-selling books in May 2024, even though print sales increased

Book sales in May 2024 were higher than the same period in May 2023, partly due to a sharp increase in the adult fiction market. Copies sold increased by 3 million, thanks to demand for books by authors such as Stephen King and Kristin Hannah. Despite an increase in sales of Julia Quinn’s books, thanks to the release of the next season of Netflix Bridgertonher books did not make it into the top ten best-selling books in May.

Barnes & Noble just bought a popular indie bookstore. What now?

A Tattered Cover that’s owned by Barnes & Noble but is otherwise just Tattered Cover will be the biggest challenge yet to the 30-year-old dichotomy of “indie vs. everyone else.” I don’t think anyone can guess how it will turn out—or what to hope for.

JAMES by Percival Everett is being made into a film

Percival Everett’s novel James, which reimagines The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn from the perspective of the slave Jim, who runs away with Huck to seek freedom and reunite with his family, is set to be adapted for the big screen by Steven Spielberg’s production company Amblin Entertainment. Everett will write the screenplay and Taika Waititi is in initial talks to direct.

Two vague and dangerous bills to ban public books in South Carolina target public and school libraries

South Carolina, like several other states across the country, has taken a position of restricting access to funding for libraries that do not comply with censorship requirements. There are currently two bills pending that directly target the work of public libraries and school libraries in different ways – and by entirely different means.

The best-selling books of the week, according to all lists

For once, this bestseller list is quite different from last week’s. Some of the reigning champions, like Funny Story by Emily Henry, are now only on three of the top five lists. Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez was on all five lists last week and has now completely missed this list. We also have a few new releases, including Eruption, based on notes by Michael Crichton and written by James Patterson – when you put those two influential authors’ names together, it’s an easy win. The film rights are already being bid on.