Spring is almost here, dear readers, even if it seems like we only just began 2023. Perhaps you're welcoming the seasonal change with open arms; perhaps you're stocking up on allergy meds and strategizing for summer reading. Or heck, maybe you're doing all of those at once.
Whatever's happening for you and your library, you can count on one thing across the seasons: NextReads newsletters will arrive on schedule, packed with recommended reads to keep your patrons engaged (and keep you up-to-date). Consider the items below as a sort of spring bouquet gathering some of the brightest blooms from upcoming NextReads newsletters.
- Roll out the red carpet: The 95th Academy Awards are on March 12. Customers will get the Page to Screen newsletter draft on February 23 (with the final newsletter distributed to subscribers on March 2), so you'll have plenty of time to plan a display of books that inspired Oscar-nominated films.
- The wait is almost over: In this spring's Fantasy and Science Fiction newsletter, you'll find highly anticipated titles, like The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty and A Day of Fallen Night by Samantha Shannon. Those who prefer the scarier side of speculative fiction will be thrilled to see Stephen Graham Jones' Don't Fear the Reaper (sequel to the award-winning My Heart is A Chainsaw) in April's Horror newsletter.
- She does have the range: Fantasy and Science Fiction will also give you a taste of brand-new adult books by several authors best known for their kids' or YA fiction: Kelly Barnhill, Roshani Chokshi, Cherie Dimaline, and Veronica Roth.
- Backlist boost: In addition to new books, NextReads newsletters also help to circulate the older titles in your collection with themed lists. This spring, Armchair Travel takes you down winding waterways with books about rivers; Fiction A-Z asks you to like & subscribe with a theme featuring influencers and social media; and Mystery offers a kid's-eye view of crime.
- For the littles in your life: This spring's Picture Books newsletters boast fresh books by big names such as Brian J. Pinkney, Grace Lin, and Marla Frazee. Also, kids and adults alike may appreciate the upcoming author/illustrator collabs between Joy Harjo & Michaela Goade and Mac Barnett & Christian Robinson.
- Recommendations ready-made for middle grade: Chapter book devotees won't want to miss Sara Pennypacker and Matthew Cordell's Leeva at Last, highlighted in Books for Kids and Tweens this spring alongside Angie Thomas' middle grade debut, The Manifestor Prophecy. And for series readers, two noteworthy sequels: Margaret Haddix's Falling Out of Time (sequel to her 1995 classic Running Out of Time) and Thanhhà Lại's When Clouds Touch Us (sequel to Inside Out and Back Again).
- Big and buzzy: Teen Scene's spring newsletters will introduce readers to buzz-worthy debuts in Nick Brooks' Promise Boys and Trang Thanh Tran's She Is A Haunting. However, fans of popular, established authors will also find lots to love with new books from Nic Stone, Angeline Boulley, Becky Albertalli, and Rick Riordan with Mark Oshiro. (Riordan fever continues to heat up with every casting announcement for 2024's Percy Jackson series on Disney+.)
New to NextReads or looking to sharpen those #LibraryMarketing skills? 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 Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute by Talia Hibbert.
