By Matt Enis, Lisa Peet, Hallie Rich, & Kara Yorio
This year’s American Library Association (ALA) Annual Conference, held from June 26–30 in Philadelphia, drew 14,250 participants: librarians and library staff, authors, publishers, educators, and exhibitors, including 165 international members. While still not up to pre-pandemic attendance levels, the conference was—by all accounts—buzzing and busy, with well-attended sessions and a bustling exhibit floor.
Across the range of new horror titles this season, four key trends emerge: lengthy reading experiences are returning to the genre; retellings, which are influencing many genres, are at play in horror too, particularly in the gothic novel; authors are reworking standard tropes; and authors are mining the current state of the world to inspire their stories.
Chuck Tingle, the bestselling author of horror novels including Camp Damascus and Bury Your Gays, talks with LJ about his forthcoming book, Lucky Day, using love as fuel for art, and the business of being an author.
Library Journal is seeking submissions for its annual Year in Architecture issue (November 2025). The issue will feature public and academic library projects completed between July 1, 2024 and June 30, 2025. Let us know about your remodeling projects and new buildings by filling out this online form. Material must be submitted by Friday, August 1 to be considered for the issue.
A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna leads holds this week. Also in demand are titles by Daniel Silva, Lisa Scottoline, Lynn Painter, and Sarah Beth Durst. Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah wins the Inside Literary Prize for his 2023 novel Chain-Gang All-Stars. The Guardian ranks Colm Tóibín’s 10 best books, in honor of the Irish author’s 70th birthday. People previews Mark Oppenheimer’s forthcoming biography, Judy Blume: A Life, due out March 2026. Martin Cruz Smith, author of the Arkady Renko series, has died at the age of 82, and presidential advisor and author David Gergen has died at the age of 83.
“When we are doing this work, we're focusing on the future we want for readers, instead of the outrageous obstruction by book banners. The reason that's important is because our outrage takes energy. I'm not saying we shouldn't be outraged, but if that's where we're focused, our energy goes to that, and the book banners win.”
Dobby Gibson wins the Four Quartets Prize for his poem Hold Everything. As a Jew: Reclaiming Our Story from Those Who Blame, Shame, and Try To Erase Us by Sarah Hurwitz is selected as the Summer 2025 Natan Notable Book. The longlist for the Toronto Book Award is announced. A Virginia public library has fought off an operations takeover by the private equity–owned Library Systems & Services. Radish, the online-serial platform for YA romances, is shuttering at the end of 2025. Plus, Page to Screen, new books from Ozzy Osbourne and George Harrison, and profiles of horror novelist Silvia Moreno-Garcia and chef Curtis Duffy.
Novelist Leila Aboulela’s body of work wins the PEN Pinter Prize, while novelist Miriam Toews is honored as an Officer of the Order of Canada. A new AI translation service that charges $100 per novel is causing concern for translators. Penguin says it did due diligence when publishing Raynor Winn’s memoir The Salt Path, which has recently been dogged by allegations of fabrication. When two writers get divorced, who gets custody of their story?, NYT asks. Plus, new title bestsellers and interviews with Lisa Scottoline, Gary Shteyngart, and Elly Griffiths.
The Jerry Kline Community Impact Prize, developed in partnership between the Gerald M. Kline Family Foundation and Library Journal, was created in 2019 to recognize the public library as a vital community asset. When libraries, civic entities, organizations, and the people they serve become close partners, their communities thrive. One winning library will receive $250,000 in unfettered grant monies from the Gerald M. Kline Family Foundation. The winning library will also be profiled in the March 2026 issue of Library Journal and online. Honorable mentions may also be named. Find out more in the guidelines page here. The deadline for nominations is September 15.
“The Great Summer Preview” arrives from The Millions. Elly Griffiths is awarded the Theakston Old Peculier Outstanding Contribution Award. PW rounds up July’s book club picks. The Library of Congress announces the lineup for the 2025 National Book Festival, including Amy Coney Barrett, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Geena Davis, and Ron Chernow. Plus, interviews with Lawrence Burney, Sarah Hartshorne, Parvati Shallow, Christine Brennan, and Bruce Holsinger.
Breaking the Rules: A Fresh Take on Italian Classics, by Joe Sasto, is a starred cooking and food selection. "Innovative yet accessible to home cooks, Sasto’s engaging debut is the perfect guide to helping cooks ignite their creativity in the kitchen." Lessons in Crime: Academic Mysteries, published by Poisoned Pen Press and edited by Martin Edwards, is a starred mystery. "A chocolate box of academic mysteries that will delight all lovers of a good whodunit." And The Kaboom Boys, by Elaine Hume Peake and Don Keith, is a starred fiction title. "Hume Peake and Keith have written riveting historical fiction that captures the extreme physical and psychological stress of war and the bravery required to deal with its aftereffects. Highly recommended."
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