Citizen Reader

Hello! Might I just begin by saying it is nice to be back! I missed writing CR, but more importantly, I missed your comments. In a way it was so lovely to look away from the Internet for a while, but who am I kidding? It's not going anywhere, and now I totally need to read it to keep up with Royal Wedding II news. Yes, I'm that pathetic. But Harry and Meghan are SO CUTE. You know you agree with me.

I had a very good month of work, although there's always (a lot of) room for improvement. In writing news, I got a piece about the many actors who have played Hercule Poirot published at Anglotopia, and I also entered an essay in a contest at a new parenting magazine, Parent Co.: "Grateful Is as Grateful Does." If you have a moment, would you consider checking either of those out? If you like them, and you have a Facebook account, please do consider "liking" them. And if you don't like them, please send me criticisms, okay? I need to improve and would like some pointers on how to do that. Thank you, either way. AND NOW! Citizen Reading, GAME ON:

A weekly selection of reading and book news, sometimes with completely inappropriate commentary.

What do the bestseller lists say about publishing in 2017? If you click on only one link this week, make it this one--it's a very good rundown of the year in publishing. And it has my favorite line from this week: "Meanwhile, in fiction, the psychological thriller rooted in domestic and sexual tension—the long tail of Gone Girl—remains a thriving genre. “Readers aren’t sick of those books, but everyone in the book business is,” one editor told me."

"The state of the YA novel: 2017."

Wow, the new Book Pulse site is really informative. Have you been checking it out?

USA Today reviews some of the "Best American" writing collections for you.

What do you think of this new program, wherein "white parents are addressing racism--by reading to their children"?

Amazon sucks. (Related: Barnes & Noble is struggling. Consider buying a book there this holiday season, would you? I know they're not an indie bookstore but it's still more fun to browse there than it is to click around Amazon.)

Librarian professional development: How to become a copyright expert.

National Library Partnership takes aim at low health literacy.

Make all of your displays interactive!

What makes a great financial thriller?

Why we need border fiction "more than ever."

A new kids' book aims to make your kid love Ayn Rand!

Meet the "new queens of spec fic."

Elena Ferrante is back!

Garrison Keillor has been fired from Minnesota Public Radio and "A Prairie Home Companion" is set to be renamed.

The new movie The Man Who Invented Christmas...being brought to you by a bookseller!

Christopher Bollen has won the Bad Sex in Fiction Award. Personally, I still think it should have gone to Matthew Klam. Kablammo!

Aspen Words Literary Prize: Nominees.

Waterstones Book of the Year: Philip Pullman's La Belle Sauvage.

Full list of Grammy nominations.

There's a holiday tree of books in the White House...all chosen based on their green covers. Actually, I can't be too hard on that idea. I once did a holiday book display by shelving green and red books together. It wasn't a very helpful display, but it did look kind of cool.

NONFICTION BOOK NEWS

Somebody has written a book about the history of umbrellas.

On Tina Brown and her new book (which I totally want to read): Vanity Fair Diaries.

New York Times: A review of Walter Isaacson's new biography of Leonardo da Vinci; a biography of Rolling Stone founder Jann Wenner; a "protective" biography of Joni Mitchell; on Jonathan Eig's new (and thorough) biography of Muhammad Ali; on Great Britain's empire and its effect on cuisine; just how important is improv in the world of comedy?; a book on how dinosaurs have been portrayed in art and pop culture (a great holiday gift for that grown-up you know who still loves dinosaurs?); stunt journalist A.J. Jacobs is back, after trying to organize the "largest family reunion ever"; a book in which crime writer Lawrence Block asked other writers to create stories based on famous works of art; oh, God, another book on bookstores that I didn't write; a history of the Yiddish tabloid press; an oral history about Buffy the Vampire Slayer; for all you Anglophiles, a history of the Koh-i-Noor jewel that resides in the Tower of London; a memoir by Hal Prince; a travel writer's (Patrick Leigh Fermor) letters from the road; and a partridge in a pear tree, I mean, a new biography of Christmas.

BOOK LISTS

All the end of year and "best of" book lists are coming in. This is a select list; bless Largehearted Boy, they're compiling the Master List of Best Books Lists for 2017 (for the tenth year in a row!).

New York Times: 10 best books of 2017.

Los Angeles Times: Best Fiction of 2017.

Forbes: 7 of the best business books of 2017.

Books-a-Million: Best Kids' and Teens' Books of 2017.

The Telegraph: Best Poetry of 2017.

Financial Times: Best literary nonfiction of 2017.

Booklist Reader: Best Books, Week of November 27.

LibraryReads "Favorite of Favorites" list for 2017.

Chicago Public Library: Best Books of 2017.

The Millions: 2017: Gift Guide for Readers and Writers.

Booklist: Spotlight on Sci-Tech.

"Must-read Poetry": December 2017.

Scholastic's Spring 2018 books.

AND NOW, YOUR OBLIGATORY NEIL GAIMAN LINK

Here's your first look at Jon Hamm in Gaiman's Good Omens.