Congratulations also to our May 2026 Hall of Fame picks by authors who have been voted for consistently by public library staff!

Congratulations to our newest LibraryReads picks for May 2026! These are the fresh new titles that public library workers in the USA voted for as top reading suggestions. You can find a print-friendly PDF at libraryreads.org.

I’m looking forward to this one!

We knew it would happen, but it doesn't make it better. Rutherford County Library's Director, Luanne James, was fired last night for refusing to be complicit in the board's demands to restrict 130+ books from minors. archive.ph/3gcPz

I'm applying because I have nothing to lose but time spent on the application (and that is a gain for clarifying why I want to create a picture book)! #PBRisingStars

Bill Watterson is my favorite cartoonist. I adored the relationship btw Calvin and Hobbes as a child. But as I've gotten older, these strips feel even more tender and insightful. My respect for him grew when I learned of his stance against merchandising. Such principles are almost unheard of today.

One of the core purposes of right-wing media is to rewrite your memory and reprogram your moral response to an event you saw with your own eyes. George Floyd died of a heart attack. Jan 6 was a peaceful picnic. This process has already begun

I don't know who needs to hear this, but cops are not allowed to shoot people just because you didn't do what they said. That is called murder when they do that. Some cops are working hard to convince people otherwise.

The thing that jumps out to me here is that the article says the doctor’s *colleague* went looking for the fake studies. It suggests the doctor who used ChatGPT didn’t check for himself and uncritically assumed they were real. www.wsj.com/tech/ai/hosp...

Rethinking Schools published my article about pushing back on some of the arguments made by those seeking to rush AI tools into schools.

I've updated my document that tackles four of the common arguments used to encourage teachers to use AI. I hope this will be helpful to those educators wanting to push back on AI mania.

Love this from Guillermo del Toro

Literally a publication for eight-year olds 40 years ago

Three million people live in Caracas, five million in the metro area. It's one of the densest cities in South America. Remember this in the morning when they try to spin this as anything other than a cold-blooded attack on a major civilian center.

Romance is not my cup of tea (because I’m ace and demiromantic and i just don’t vibe with most of it) but I still know it takes some serious writing chops to write good romance. I wish more people would realize there’s a difference between “bad” and “not my cup of tea.”

Did anyone else not know about this bipartisan letter????? I mean, usually when I say bipartisan, I’m talking about like one republican joining Democrats, but this is significantly more

Not a historian but like to research. The AI might summarize what I'm looking for, but it doesn't find what I'm *not* looking for. The book on the shelf next to the one I wanted. The insight in chapter 6 based on the quote I needed from chapter 4.

I’m embarrassed for these people. I was at a writing retreat this summer that suggested we use genai for ideation. They told academics to use a plagiarism machine for ideas. If you are doing this, do us all a favor and leave the field. If you have no more ideas, you shouldn’t be an academic.

Vigil in London for Palestinian prisoners held in Israel https://aje.io/krimvr

Also, again, a reminder that "AI" is such a broad and useless marketing term that it's almost entirely useless. I can't say I will never use "AI" because it covers so much programming ground, including ground previously not under its umbrella. I can say what creative things I won't use it *for.*

In case you have never seen this.

Day 10 of #LibFaves25 is PROJECT MIND CONTROL by John Lisle. It’s about the terrible and reckless experiments done by the CIA to manipulate people’s behavior in the name of national security. Chilling narrative nonfiction @macmillanlib.bsky.social

It's simple — @propublica.org workers should not be replaced by artificial intelligence. Our contract proposal specifically says that generative artificial intelligence ("GAI") should not be used to replace employees. Management struck out this entire section in their response to our proposal.

I swear to fucking god mozilla, *everyone hates this idea*. Do NOT succumb to The Fear & the Monetization Disease. You don't need to have a "modern AI browser", at all, ever. You need to be th comany that respects user privacy, meaningful consent, & choice; the one w/ The Browser That Fucking Works

For the 9th day of #LibFaves25 I give you I WOULD DEFINE THE SUN: POEMS by Stephanie Niu (Vanderbilt University Press). A stunning debut collection. #BookSky

If you are managing people (e.g. PI, HoD, etc) the best thing you can do at this time of year is actively help your people let go of false end of the calendar year urgency. Can that wait until January? Say so. Out loud. They can decide what to do but relieve the pressure to do it because of you

My Day 8 pick for #LibFaves25 is THERE IS NO PLACE FOR US by Brian Goldstone which makes the saying that the average person is way closer to being homeless than a becoming a billionaire more concrete. A sort of sequel to EVICTED by Matthew Desmond. #BookSky @prhlibrary.bsky.social

This is why I like efforts like NPR’s Books We Love and #LibFaves25 because they lead me to discover less publicized titles.

Day 7 #LibFaves25 is a poetry collection: END OF EMPIRE by Marissa Davis—intense, beautiful, cutting. @prhlibrary.bsky.social #BookSky

My Day 6 #LibFaves25 is TOO SOON by Betty Shamieh because the narrator’s voice is so sure and funny. @simonandschuster.bsky.social #BookSky

Each semester I go in my classroom and I try to figure out what we would use to block the doors, if it would be safe to crawl out the windows, where we could hide if there was a mass shooter in campus. It’s such an indictment of this country how we have normalized these preventable tragedies.

My #LibFaves25 Day 5 pick is THE DREAM HOTEL by Laila Lalami even though it was one of the most stressful reads of the year with a plausible too-near future dystopian scenario. #BookSky @prhlibrary.bsky.social

This is your annual reminder that if you are in the US and have FSA funds that you won't use, Menstrual products are covered by FSA funds and can be donated to food pantries and shelters.

Oprah Pursues Dr. Phil On Ship Through Arctic https://theonion.com/oprah-pursues-dr-phil-on-ship-through-arctic/

RETURN HOME x The Sameer Project chuffed.org/project/1491...

Day 4 of #LibFaves25 was worth staying up past 12am to finish—THE WILDERNESS by Angela Flournoy follows a group of Black women from their 20s to their 40s as they move homes, change jobs, and find new partners. Their friendship is the constant through it all. #BookSky @librarylovefest.bsky.social

My Day 3 #LibFaves25 pick is SKY DADDY by Kate Folk because the author managed to carry out an absurd premise—a woman in love with airplanes—with humor and surprising tenderness. @prhlibrary.bsky.social

The other two books @noethematt.bsky.social mentioned as essentials are on my bookshelf so I perked up when he mentioned this one.

I missed Day 1 of #LibFaves25 but it would be ONE DAY EVERYONE WILL HAVE ALWAYS BEEN AGAINST THIS by Omar El Akkad. It’s rare that I’ll reread a book and this is the only one I read twice this year. And I want to read it again. #BookSky @prhlibrary.bsky.social

My #LibFaves25 for Day 2 is UNFIT PARENT by Jessica Slice. It’s about how the needs and creativity of disabled parents are often dismissed. #BookSky @prhlibrary.bsky.social

Library folks! Starting today (12/8) count down your 10 favorite books published in 2025, 1 per day, through 12/17. TITLE in caps, tag #LibFaves25! I’ll be the tally taker today and I’ve got an awesome crew to help me out the other days. At the end, we’ll share the top titles and full list. 📚🩷

Wow: Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention (named for Holocaust survivor Raphael Lemkin, who coined term "genocide") calls Clinton's remarks "genocide denial." "Young people in the US are not stupid or gullible. They simply reject genocide – something the Secretary might consider doing as well."

Day 1 #LibFaves25 This was an odd year and I have *so many* books I want to suggest but I'm starting with one of my earliest 2025 reads: THE RIVER HAS ROOTS by Amal El-Mohtar. Murder ballads, Fae, and romance. @libraryreads.bsky.social Pick!

Supporting people's capacity for joy and connection is important work. One little thing at a time. Your delight is not frivolous.

✨WE ARE LIVE!✨ Almost 400 amazing items are available to help #KidLit4Ceasefire families survive the genocide in Gaza! 322 still without bids: www.32auctions.com/organization...