Library Love Fest

Library Love Fest's Full ALA Annual Conference 2025 Schedule + Adult Book Buzz RSVP!

Coming soon!

Join us at Library Journal's Spring Day of Dialog on 4/17/25

It's time for Day of Dialog!

Register for the FREE event here.

The HarperCollins booth will be abuzz with information on our 14(!) authors attending. The LLF team will be in the booth to LIVE chat. Stop and say hi!
Don't miss our amazing line up:

 
9:30 – 10:00 AM ET | Morning Keynote with R.F. Kuang, Katabasis

10:05 – 10:55 AM ET | Books about Books: Jeannine A. Cook, It's Me They Follow 

10:05 – 10:55 AM ET | More Novels to Note: Jade Chang, What a Time to Be Alive and Angela Flournoy, The Wilderness

10:05 – 10:55 AM ET | Into the Wild World: Neil Shea, Frostlines

12:55 – 1:45 PM ET | Food for the Soul: Pyet DeSpain, Rooted in Fire

12:55 – 1:45 PM ET | Beyond the Panels: Alison Bechdel, Spent

12:55 – 1:45 PM ET | Switching It Up: Laura Lippman, Murder Takes a Vacation

2:25 – 3:15 PM ET | First Impressions: Allison King, The Phoenix Pencil Company

2:25 – 3:15 PM ET | Nightmares Unleashed: Sam Rebelein, Galloway's Gospel

 
2:25 – 3:15 PM ET | Love and Magic: Akwaeke Emezi, Son of the Morning and Brigid Kemmerer, Warrior Princess Assassin

4:20 – 5:10 PM ET | Crime Time: Lou Berney, Crooks

4:20 – 5:10 PM ET | Worlds Beyond: Michelle Wong, House of the Beast

Find out more about these titles and download egalleys here.

LLF Guest Post by Laney Katz Becker, Author of IN THE FAMILY WAY

The Library Love Fest team has a treat for you! We're excited to share a letter to librarians from Laney Katz Becker, author of In the Family Way! Hear directly from Laney about her forthcoming novel, the background behind the book, and her own connection to libraries.

More about In the Family Way (on sale 6/3/25):
Set in the 1960s before Roe, a poignant and powerful novel in the vein of Lessons in Chemistry and Big Little Lies, about the friendship between a group of suburban housewives who help one another navigate through their personal challenges, marriages, and their pregnancies—both wanted and unwanted.

More about Laney Katz Becker:
Laney Katz Becker is an award-winning author, writer, and a former literary agent. Her books include the debut novel, Dear Stranger, Dearest Friend, and the nonfiction anthology, Three Times Chai, a collection of rabbis’ favorite stories. When she’s not writing, Laney enjoys drawing, sewing, reading, long walks, playing tennis, and canasta. She is a graduate of Northwestern University, raised her two children in Westchester County, New York, and currently lives on the east coast of Florida with her husband and their Havanese.

Download an egalley on Edelweiss or NetGalley.

***

Dear Librarians,

I’m so thankful for this opportunity to tell you about my novel In the Family Way, which will be available from HarperCollins on June 3, 2025.

Set in the mid-1960s, In the Family Way is, at its heart, a story about the friendship between a group of suburban housewives who must rely on each other to navigate through life’s challenges, marital issues, and pregnancies—both wanted and unwanted—during a time when abortion is illegal and the women’s movement is not much more than a fledgling idea. It’s a cross between Big Little Lies (the friendship angle) Lessons in Chemistry, (the feminist bent) and Looking for Jane (an exploration of reproductive rights).

I was inspired to write this novel days after the U.S. Supreme Court handed down the Dobbs decision—which overturned Roe and took away a woman’s constitutional right to an abortion. I was watching the evening news and saw video of a protest. There was an old(er) woman holding up a sign that said “I Can’t Believe I Have to Protest This Sh*t Again.” Next to her was a younger woman, probably in her 20s. Her sign said “We Cannot Go Back.”

“She’s too young to even know what that means,” I yelled at the TV.

Someone really needs to write a novel about what times were like back then, I thought. That’s when it hit me. During all the years it mattered to me, Roe was the law of the land. Even I didn’t have a full picture of what things were like for women (like my mother) who married and had babies before the women’s movement took flight. I was motivated to find out. First stop was, naturally, the library, where I consulted with the research librarian and began working my way through non-fiction books to better understand exactly what women could and couldn’t do “back then.” Once again I found myself thinking Someone really needs to write a novel about all this. Obviously, I decided that someone was me!

In anticipation of the release of In the Family Way I’ve tried—I’ve really tried—to be better about posting book-related news on social media. And I’m fortunate because there’s been a lot of exciting things to share. But, perhaps because I’m a woman of a certain age, I must confess: Instagram and Facebook just don’t do it for me. You know what does?

Hoopla! Libby! CloudLibrary! Whenever I get a notification that a book I’ve put on hold is now available to download to my e-reader, or listen to on my phone… now that is an adrenaline rush! I remember the days “back then” when there were no apps. Instead, I’d visit the Chappaqua library, run toward the “Rapid Read” shelf and hope to get lucky. I also remember how, when we moved from NY to Florida, I grabbed two pieces of mail with my new address so I could get a library card from the Palm Beach Gardens Library. Only once I had that card in my hand did I feel like a true resident in my new hometown.

Nowadays, I do most of my browsing, downloading, and listening through the apps. (I swear I felt a surge of dopamine just typing those words!) However, that doesn’t mean I no longer visit the physical library. I still go for bookclub meetings and to get help from the reference librarian (mostly for my next novel). I also make it a point to be there during the last week of September for Banned Books Week, because seeing all those wonderful covers on display, enticing young adults to pick the forbidden fruit—well, that brings me so much joy.

That said, my most favorite time to visit the library happened just last week when my grandchildren were visiting from Illinois. We had a morning of horrible weather and after baking cookies I asked the six-year-old what he wanted to do next. Without hesitation he asked, “Is the library awake yet?”

On that note, let me send out a gigantic thanks to all of you librarians for all you do, all the readers you inspire, all the writers and authors you assist, for all the lives you touch in ways big and small, and for giving moms like me traditions we can pass along to our children and grandchildren.

***

Thank you, Laney, for taking the time to write such a heartfelt letter and a touching novel. Check out this praise from Catherine Newman, who shares the same sentiment as us:

“In the Family Way bursts with the complexity, drama, and warmth of Call the Midwife, but set at the canasta and kitchen tables of 1960s suburban America. This timely, timeless novel captures not only the reproductive horrors of that era but also political awakening and a kind of nostalgic hope: it's a changing world, and Roe, behind us now, was glimmering on the horizon then. Laney Katz Becker so beautifully reveals that where there are women's hardships, there is consolation to be found, then and still, in each other's company and care.”
— Catherine Newman, New York Times bestselling author of Sandwich

All of our thanks again to Laney! Keep your eye out for In the Family Way, on sale 6/3/25.

The May LibraryReads List is Here!

Hello, librarians!

You voted, they counted, and the winners have finally been announced! Thank you to all who voted.

Kevin Wilson's Run for the Hills, Uzma Jalaluddin's Detective Aunty, and Alexis Daria's Along Came Amor have made the Hall of Fame! And Emily M. Bender and Alex Hanna's The AI Con is a Notable Nonfiction pick!

Find out more about the titles and download egalleys here.

Want to hear how our authors reacted to the big news? Listen to the audiograms below!

 

On Your Radar: HELD TOGETHER by Dr. Rebecca N. Thompson

HELD TOGETHER: A Shared Memoir of Motherhood, Medicine, and Imperfect Love (HarperOne; on sale 4/8/25), by renowned primary care physician Rebecca N. Thompson, MD, is a deeply moving narrative that celebrates the resilience of women as they navigate the diverse and complex journeys of building and sustaining families.

Through deeply personal storytelling, Dr. Thompson shares her own life-threatening pregnancy complications alongside the diverse experiences of twenty-one women she has encountered as a doctor, friend, and colleague. This moving memoir shines a light on the strength found in life’s messiest, most vulnerable moments.

In an early review Library Journal wrote, “This touching, beautifully written work will help many people who have endured loss or complicated paths to parenthood. They are sure to find experiences that resonate with them.”

Held Together addresses:

• Infertility: Grappling with the heartbreak of reproductive challenges and finding strength in perseverance.
• Adoption, fostering, and surrogacy: Showcasing intentional paths to parenthood that redefine traditional family structures.
• Loss: Navigating grief and rediscovering hope after tragic losses of a child, spouse, or parent.
• Complex family dynamics: Celebrating the resilience found in non-traditional and chosen families.
• Healing the healer: Sharing lessons from a physician’s own experience as a patient and advocate for holistic care.

Warm, inclusive, and profoundly inspiring, Held Together is an invitation to connect, reflect, and honor the many ways we define love, family, and motherhood.

As Jodi Picoult writes, “Rebecca Thompson’s moving book proves that there are as many different ways of becoming a family as there are mothers—a personal, compelling reminder of why women’s reproductive health care matters, and why one size does not fit all.”

We wanted this touching memoir to be on your radar, so be sure to download an egalley from Edelweiss or NetGalley. 

Download an egalley on Edelweiss.
Download an egalley on NetGalley.

We're here with our staff suggestions for the June LibraryReads List!

This Spring season isn't feeling very rejuvenating, friends. We're thinking of you. Thank goodness for the comfort of a good read. Stay well and look forward to these June reads. Find out more about them here. Reminder that June LibraryReads votes are due by May 1st!

Before you go, we'd love to know if your contact information is up-to-date in our records. Please take a minute to confirm here.

Much love,

-The LLF Team (Virginia, Lainey, and Grace)

🌷 Check out our staff suggestions for the May LibraryReads List!

I can't believe I'm typing this but...May is right around the corner! Get ready for the May LibraryReads list with these excellent titles. Reminder to get your votes in for the May list by April 1st!

PLUS! If you want even more reading recommendations, tune in to our Galley Gab Fest on March 12th at 2 PM ET. You'll hear about titles that we didn't have time for in our Library Journal webinar on February 25th. You can also catch that replay here!

Happy reading,

-The LLF Team (Virginia, Lainey, and Grace)

☔️ Check out our staff suggestions for the April LibraryReads List!

Spring is...well, six weeks away. BUT that means a little more time indoors with your next read. Find a list of titles to consider for the April LibraryReads list here. Reminder to get your votes in by March 1st for these April titles!

Happy reading,

-The LLF Team (Virginia, Lainey, and Grace)

LLF Guest Post by Boris Fishman, Author of THE UNWANTED

The Library Love Fest team is thrilled to share a letter to librarians by Boris Fishman, author of The Unwanted! He tells you a bit about his forthcoming novel, the backstory behind this latest work, and his own love of libraries.

More about The Unwanted (on sale 3/25/2025):
Award-winning, New York Times Notable author of A Replacement Life—“a born storyteller with a tremendous gift for language” (San Francisco Chronicle)— delivers a fierce and staggering new page-turner full of cruelty, tenderness, and heroism, about a young girl and her parents fleeing civil war and the brutal dictatorship that has targeted their family.

More about Boris:
Boris Fishman was born in Minsk, Belarus, and emigrated to the United States in 1988. He is the author of the novels A Replacement Life (which won the VCU Cabell First Novelist Award and the American Library Association’s Sophie Brody Medal) and Don't Let My Baby Do Rodeo, both New York Times Notable Books of the Year, and Savage Feast, a family memoir told through recipes. His journalism has appeared in The New Yorker, the New York Times Magazine, the Washington Post, the Guardian, the Wall Street Journal, Travel + Leisure, Food & Wine, New York magazine, and many other publications. He has taught at Princeton University and the University of Montana, and now teaches at The University of Austin. 

Download an egalley on Edelweiss or NetGalley.

***

Dear librarians,

I’m thrilled to write you about my new novel THE UNWANTED, out on March 25 from HarperCollins. As the proud recipient of the Sophie Brody Medal for my first novel, A Replacement Life, and an immigrant who received a second education in the libraries of his adopted hometown of New York, it’s an honor to talk to you about my newest book.

THE UNWANTED is the story of a family in flight from civil war in an unnamed country, the lies they tell to protect each other, and how those lies slowly destroy them as a family. It’s a novel about refugees, but ultimately, it’s about power – who holds the power, whether they protect the people without, and what the latter will do for dignity and safety. This is why the country in the novel is unnamed – the name doesn’t matter. The story is always the same.

With this novel, I wanted to emphasize that refugees are not saints – and don’t have to be to deserve our understanding and empathy. They’re like you and me – human and imperfect. I would do exactly the same thing in their situations, and then only if I were smart and brave and resourceful enough. Of course, these ideas live in the background of the story – foremost, this is a novel about a family, the humiliations the adults undergo as “minority-sect” members of their country, the mistakes they make to protect their child, and what happens then.

The novel is a little different from my previous books in that it’s full of drama and incident, with lives in the balance – I wrote it to be a page-turner, a literary thriller. One thing that hasn’t changed is my interest in writing the smartest possible book for the broadest possible audience, a book that’s both complex and a page-turner.

It’s also my first novel without the Russian-speaking and Jewish characters who have populated my previous books, though of course, it’s about the same questions: How does a family survive the trauma of immigration? Where do you belong, if your life has been divided between multiple places? How to find dignity after decades of harm in a country that didn’t want you? How to put yourself back together in a new homeland where you are unavoidably “other”?

I thought these questions were particularly important to ask at this time in our nation’s history. And as you know, no medium can ask them as a novel can.

I love discussing these issues with booksellers and book buyers, but it means something special and essential to discuss it with you. Libraries, perhaps in addition to national parks, are some of the last truly democratic places in our country. When I travel with my children, the first place I take them is the local library – it’s how we get to know the place we’re visiting. At home in western New Jersey, we’re regulars at the local branch of the Hunterdon County library system. You are flame-keepers. Your work is noticed, and deeply valued.

Yours,
Boris Fishman

***

Thank you, Boris, for such a thoughtful letter to librarians! We know you're going to love this novel as much as we do. It's a stunning story that is impossible to put down. We aren't the only ones who think so. Check out some of the praise that's been pouring in for The Unwanted: 

“Breathtakingly propulsive, sweeping in scope, and astoundingly timely, The Unwanted depicts the before, during, and after of a refugee family’s terrifying flight from an unnamed war-torn region. With profound tenderness, the novel depicts its heroine’s hard-fought triumph over brutality in a world teeming with broken people, nations, and promises.”
—Ada Calhoun, New York Times bestselling author of Why We Can’t Sleep 

 

“The Unwanted is a tightrope of a novel: tense, precise, stunning in its scope and power.”

—Téa Obreht, New York Times bestselling author of The Morningside and The Tiger's Wife

 

Many thanks again to Boris! Be sure to get your hands on The Unwanted which is on sale 3/25/2025.

The February LibraryReads List is Here!

Hello, librarians!

You voted, they counted, and the LibraryReads winners have finally been announced! 

Gillian McAllister's Famous Last Words has been selected as a LibraryReads pick for the month of February! And Dream Girl Drama by Tessa Bailey is in the Hall of Fame! See the full announcement here.

And we have a very special audio message from Gillian. Listen here.

🍀 Check out our staff suggestions for the March LibraryReads List!

Happy New Year! 🎉 We hope you had a lovely holiday season surrounded by family and friends...and books, of course! Find a list of titles to consider for the March LibraryReads list here. Reminder to get your votes in for the March list by February 1st! 

Wishing you a happy start to 2025,

-The LLF Team (Virginia, Lainey, and Grace)

Upcoming Writers to Watch Episodes in 2025!

Happy New Year, librarians!

We had an absolute blast hosting Writers to Watch last year. In 2024, we interviewed 40 authors! We're back in 2025 with even more fantastic authors.

For those who may not be familiar with Writers to Watch, it is a live monthly author event that takes place in the evening. Authors talk a bit about their books before taking questions from librarians like you! It is truly a night of literary delight. Since our inaugural episode in 2023, we have hosted authors such as R. F. Kuang, Louise Erdrich, Nnedi Okorafor, Lucy Foley, Rainbow Rowell, Gail Tsukiyama, and more. Writers to Watch is available to stream live on Facebook and Crowdcast. However, you can always catch the replay on our YouTube or our archive. 

It's only January, but we already have a lot in store in the next few months! First, we're kicking off the new year with an OUTSTANDING lineup.

On January 9th, 2025 at 7 PM ET, we are hosting Mary Alice Monroe (Where the Rivers Merge), Blair Underwood and Joe McClean (Sins of Survivors), Kevin Wilson (Run for the Hills), Tennessee Hill (Girls with Long Shadows), and Jeffery Self (Self-Sabotage)! You really do not want to miss this episode, so be sure to RSVP on Facebook and/or register on Crowdcast.

But wait—there's more! Here are the authors that will be joining us in February and March...

We weren't kidding...we've got fantastic books by fantastic authors coming your way! To find all of the upcoming Writers to Watch episodes as well as previous episodes, click here. 

Many thanks again for a fantastic 2024, and we can't wait for what's to come in 2025! We hope to see you soon at one of our virtual events. 

Best,
Virginia, Lainey, & Grace (The Library Love Fest Team)

The January LibraryReads List is Here!

Hello, librarians!

You voted, they counted, and the winners have finally been announced! Thank you to all who voted.

Edward Underhill's The In-Between Bookstore has been selected as a LibraryReads pick for the month of January! Additionally, Nnedi Okorafor's Death of the Author is in the Hall of Fame, and Colette Shade's Y2K is the Notable Nonfiction pick! Congrats to all. 

Want to hear how our authors reacted to the big news? Listen to the audiograms here and find out more about the selections.

☃️ Check out our staff suggestions for the February LibraryReads List!

The holiday season is upon us—if you need a new reading recommendation, we have you covered! Find a list of titles to consider for the February LibraryReads list here. Reminder to get your votes in for the February list by January 1st! 

Wishing you the happiest of happy holidays,

-The LLF Team (Virginia, Lainey, and Grace)

The December LibraryReads List is Here!

Hello, librarians!

You voted, they counted, and the winners have finally been announced! Thank you to all who voted.

Marianne Cronin's Eddie Winston Is Looking for Love and Thea Guanzon's A Monsoon Rising have been selected as LibraryReads picks for the month of December! Additionally, What the Wife Knew by Darby Kane is in the Hall of Fame!

Find out more about the selections here.

Want to hear how our authors reacted to the big news? Listen to the audiograms below.

 

🍁 Check out our staff suggestions for the January LibraryReads List!

It's time to dive back into the TBR book pile! Check out our staff suggestions for the January LibraryReads list below. Reminder to get your votes in for the January list by December 1st! 

Find out more about these and other amazing January reads here.

Until next time,

-The LLF Team (Virginia, Lainey, and Grace)

The November LibraryReads List is Here!

Hello, librarians!

You voted, they counted, and the winners have finally been announced! Thank you to all who voted.

Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, and Karen White's The Author's Guide to Murder has been selected as a LibraryReads pick for the month of November! Additionally, Welcome to Pawnee by Jim O'Heir is a Bonus Pick! 

Find out more about the selections here.

Want to hear how our authors reacted to the big news? Listen to the audiograms below.

💌 Check out our staff suggestions for the December LibraryReads List!

Happy Fall, y'all! We're excited for our next round of reading recommendations. It's time to start thinking about the December LibraryReads list. Reminder to get your votes in for the December list by November 1st! 

Find out more about these and other December reads here.

Until next time,

-The LLF Team (Virginia, Lainey, and Grace)

On sale now: BOOK AND DAGGER by Elyse Graham!

Happy book birthday to Book and Dagger by Elyse Graham! We have been so excited for this book to be out in the world, and now it finally is. This is the thrilling, untold story of the librarians and academics who became OSS spies, invented modern spycraft, and helped turn the tide of World War II.

Book and Dagger has been included in various roundups and had been getting fantastic praise. Check it out:

“Entertainingly conveyed, with great respect and deep appreciation for their ingenuity and drive, Graham's history is a powerful symphony for these unsung heroes whose professional skills and personal courage brought down the Nazi state. The modern intelligence community owes its existence to their rigor and resourcefulness. Readers fascinated by espionage will be eager to checkout Graham's fresh telling of the surprising story of the OSS.” 
— Booklist ⭐️ review

“Thrilling...with a keen ear for narrative prose, Graham builds suspense and intrigue, and the book is a pulpy delight...Book and Dagger is a necessary reminder of the value of the humanities and of the freedom of information and ideas at a time when both of those things are under threat.”
— BookPage ⭐️ review

“An engaging study of wartime American intelligence...Graham makes a good case for studying the humanities as both an instrument of learning and a weapon of war. Bibliophiles with a taste for cloak-and-dagger work will enjoy this lively book.”
— Kirkus Reviews 

“In her lively Book and Dagger, the historian Elyse Graham rescues a cast of scholar-spies from obscurity.”
— The New York Times

***

In May, we hosted Elyse on Writers to Watch (along with three other phenomenal authors)! She talked about the book and took questions from the audience. Watch the whole video here:

If you're like us and can't get enough of Book and Dagger, read Elyse's essay "We Underfunded Our Libraries Once. It Almost Lost Us World War II." It's a brilliant piece that celebrates libraries and sounds the alarm about the dangers of defunding libraries. 

Congratulations to Elyse on the publication of Book and Dagger! 

🍁 Check out our staff suggestions for the November LibraryReads List!

Fall has arrived! We are booked and busy with webinars and author events at the beginning of this Fall season. For now, we're looking ahead to what's coming in November. Don't forget to vote for these November titles by October 1st!

Find out more about these and other amazing November reads here.

Until next time,

-The LLF Team (Virginia, Lainey, and Grace)