Believe it or not, spooky season is approaching! (Yeah, we see all you Halloween people getting ready with your skeleton gifs.) While horror is definitely a library staple for autumn, months ending in "ber" aren't just for scary stories. There are countless angles for displays, programs, and readers' advisory during the fall — and NextReads newsletters are a curated, direct-to-your-email way of maximizing those angles for the readers in your library.
Here's a small sampling of what's new and coming up for NextReads this fall:
- Hispanic Heritage Month kicks off in September, and we're celebrating with themed reading lists in History and Current Events and Biography and Memoir.
- For readers who love prestige (and shiny stickers), autumn is a busy season for book awards. The Governor General's Literary Awards (Canada), the Booker Prize (U.K. and Ireland), and the National Book Awards (U.S.) are all announced in the fall, making it the perfect time to promote Must-Read Books and Fiction A-Z to patrons who want to stay on top of award contenders.
- On a similar note, pop-culture enthusiasts who are looking forward to the Emmys will want to check out September's Page to Screen newsletter, which highlights some of the book-based nominees. Additionally, check out NoveList Plus for a longer Page to Screen list, as well as "For Fans Of" lists inspired by Emmy darlings such as Ted Lasso and Stranger Things.
- Historical Fiction features The Twilight World, a surreal and fascinating new novel from filmmaker and author Werner Herzog. (Your NextReads bibliographers also recommend this clip of Herzog talking about how Baby Yoda made him cry.)
- This fall in Mystery, you'll find bone-chilling Halloween tales in September (so you've got plenty of time to put together a display), plus an October-themed list featuring military veterans for Veterans Day.
- In September, we're focusing on horror for Teen Scene and spooky short stories for Kids and Tweens, followed by all-recent selections for both newsletters in October. Look for fresh books from heavy hitters such as Tiffany D. Jackson, Karen M. McManus, Margaret Peterson Haddix, Kacen Callender, and Colin Meloy (yes, the one from the Decemberists).
- Picture Books this autumn will feature Sam's Super Seats, the debut kids' book from Keah Brown, along with Farmhouse, the latest from two-time Caldecott Medalist Sophie Blackall.
If you're wondering how to get these nuggets of newsletter goodness out from the ol' inbox, wonder no more: A Guide to NextReads Newsletters has you covered with simple how-tos for everything from understanding the Advance List to using LibraryAware for promotional materials.
Rebecca Honeycutt is a Senior Readers' Advisory Librarian at NoveList. She is currently reading Richard Osman’s The Bullet That Missed and listening to C.L. Polk’s Stormsong.
