The most popular book genres

July 9, 2024

Katie’s parents never said “no” when she asked for a book, which was the beginning of most of her problems. She has a BA in Creative Writing from Lake Forest College and is working on her master’s in library science at the U of I. She works full time at the reference desk at a public library in northern Illinois, where she specializes in reader advice and general bookishness, and she has a deep-rooted love of all things disturbing, twisted, and terrifying. (She takes enormous pleasure in scaring her coworkers.) When she’s not spending every waking hour at the library, she’s at home watching Cubs baseball games with her cats and her cardigan collection, and when she’s not at home, she’s spending too much money on concert tickets. Her hobbies include debating the finer points of the Harry Potter canon, hitting people who haven’t read The Martian on the head, and convincing her boyfriend that she can actually put more books on her shelves. Twitter: @kt_librarylady

View all posts by Katie McLain

vultureThe best books of 2024, so far.

Weekly tips from Crime reading, New York Times.

July selection from Barnes & Noble, LitHub (SFF), New York Times.

What your customers hear

Long Island Compromise – Taffy Brodesser-Akner (Guardian)

The God of the Forest – Liz Moore (New York Times)

The Cliffs – J. Courtney Sullivan (New York Times)

State of Paradise – Laura van den Berg (New York Times)

RA/Genre Resources

Romantasy is a $610 million company that is taking over the book publishing industry. And romance bookstores are booming, too.

On the uprising

Youth selection for summer 2024.

The best new BIPOC crime novels to read this summer.

The best new LGBTQ+ books of 2024 so far.

The best weekly new releases to read.

7 of the best LGBTQ+ books this week.

July selection for SFF, romance, horror and children’s books.

The most popular book genres currently.

Everything about comics

On the uprising

The hottest new comics and graphic novels in July.

Audiophilia

4 new audiobook memoirs for music lovers.

On the uprising

The best new mystery/thriller audiobooks.

8 of the best new audiobooks for young adults.

Booklists, booklists, booklists

Children/Young people

10 great new children’s books for your beach bag.

11 adorable butterfly books for children.

15 children’s books that deal with disabilities and differences.

6 children’s fantasy books to read this summer.

21 multicultural fairy tales that will delight children and young people.

14 gripping thrillers for young adults to read this summer.

Adult

10 books about women who clash with wild creatures.

7 novels about learning and mastering a new skill.

7 thrillers with shocking twists.

9 novels with complex family dynamics.

Books that explore secret ecosystems and shadow economies.

8 workplace thrillers that make you want to work remotely.

What to read during Shark Week!

8 microstories you absolutely have to read.

On the uprising

Picture books and novels for middle school students for Disability Pride Month.

10 survival thrillers that test human endurance.

Level Up (Reading from the Library)

Do you participate in Library Reads, the monthly list of the best books chosen only by librarians? We’ve made it easy for you to find eligible diverse titles to nominate. Kelly Jensen has a guide to discovering upcoming diverse books, and Edelweiss has a new catalog dedicated to diverse titles managed by Early Word Galley Chatter Vicki Nesting. Check it out!

a selfie of a smiling man and woman in Cubs jerseys

Cat photos will return in the next newsletter, but in the meantime, enjoy this photo of Blaine and I enjoying the Cubs’ win on Friday! That’s been a pretty rare occurrence this season, so I’m glad they decided to win on a day we paid money to see them!

So, friends, I’ll be back on Friday! Peace out!

—Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Þjórsárdalur.

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