The Book News Book Riot Covered this Week

The bestseller lists are not playing nice together this week: there is not one book that all of them agree is a top ten bestseller. While most of these books will be familiar titles, we have a few new titles this week: Intermezzo by Sally Rooney, The Small and the Mighty by Sharon McMahon, and Counting Miracles by Nicholas Sparks.

Among book banners is a common claim that anyone can publish anything and get it in the library. This is patently false and undermines not only the professional skills of library workers, but everyone from the author to their agent to their editor to the review journal editors and reviewers themselves. Just like no doctor tries every medicine they prescribe for their patients, it is untenable for any library worker to read every book put on shelves–and the distinction here is kind of key, given that prescribing medication is just that, prescriptive. Library shelves are open and accessible but not required reading. Like a doctor, though, library workers who select material for purchase rely on the work of other professionals to do their job to the best of their abilities. Those are called colleagues, professional review journals, and community input.