Booklist Booklist, Vol. 121, No. 13/14, March 2025

I’m usually upbeat and positive in these editorials, but this time I’m sorrowful and bereaved. Last week the Booklist team and ALA staff received the devastating news that Booklist’s beloved Operations Manager, Michael Ruzicka, suddenly and unexpectedly passed away. It’s an understatement to say that, to a person, we are grief-stricken and in mourning. Michael began working for Booklist in 2016 and managed multiple and complex administrative processes. Many of you may have reviewed and/or written features for Booklist, in which case you interacted with Michael. Michael also worked with publishers and vendors, processed payments, helped with online updates, prepared and posted Booklist Reviews of the Day, and so much more. I began at Booklist in 2019, and since then I got to know Michael well as we worked closely…

Notable Books, 2025 The Notable Books Council, ALA Reference and User Services Association (RUSA), presents its annual best-of list of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry titles published in the U.S., books selected for their significant contribution to the expansion of knowledge or for the pleasure they provide. This list has been compiled for use by general readers and for librarians who work with adults. All titles were published in 2024. Fiction Anita de Monte Laughs Last. By Xochitl Gonzalez. Flatiron, $28.99 (9781250786210). A Cuban American conceptual artist’s untimely death in 1985 New York City is forgotten until a student uncovers her work while exploring women artists. Fire Exit. By Morgan Talty. Tin House, $28.95 (9781959030553). This poignant story about the secrets of a white man raised on a Penobscot reservation examines…

The Over the Rainbow Booklist Committee of ALA’s Rainbow Roundtable gave careful consideration to fiction, poetry, and nonfiction titles published between October 2023 and December 31, 2024, to create this year’s Top 10 List; all of the books exhibit commendable literary quality and significant LGBTQIA+ content. Bookshops & Bonedust. By Travis Baldree. 2023. Tor, $17.99 (9781250886101). An orc barbarian languishes, injured, in a small seaside village where she learns to love reading and flirts with the dwarven lady who runs the bakery in this cozy, feel-good fantasy. Bury Your Gays. By Chuck Tingle. 2024. Tor Nightfire, $26.99 (9781250874658). A semi-closeted screenwriter is asked to kill off his female characters after a sapphic kiss, and he ends up having to save the world in this fast-paced, monster-filled, thought-provoking horror satire that sets…

The Alex Awards, administered by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) and sponsored by the Margaret E. Edwards trust, honor the top 10 adult books published during the previous year with appeal to readers between the ages of 12 and 18. The full, vetted list of the nominations can be found on the YALSA website. Beautiful People: My Thirteen Truths about Disability. By Melissa Blake. Hachette Go, $29 (9780306830426). With comedic and accessible writing, Blake explores the intersections of disability, social media, pop culture, and activism. Each essay explores her own struggles and successes as a disabled activist and blogger while drawing upon the experiences of other activists and figures in the disability-rights movement. Big Jim and the White Boy: An American Classic Reimagined. By David F. Walker. Art by…

Each year, the Rise: A Feminist Book Project, sponsored by the Feminist Task Force of the Social Responsibilities Round Table (SRRT) of ALA, selects a list of recommended feminist books, fiction and nonfiction, for young readers from preschool through age 18. Titles published in late 2023 are noted; all others were published in 2024. The titles below make up the top 10 picks from the full list, which is available at https://risefeministbooks.wordpress.com/2025/01/14/current-booklist/. Black Girl You Are Atlas. By Renée Watson. Illus. by Ekua Holmes. Penguin/Kokila, $18.99 (9780593461709). Gr. 9–12. Thirty-eight poems inspired by Watson’s own life shine a light on Black girlhood and womanhood in an intersectional collection that shatters stereotypes. The Beautiful Game. By Yamile Saied Méndez. Little, Brown, $16.99 (9781643753980). Gr. 4–7. Argentinian American soccer phenom Valeria navigates the…

The Best Fiction for Young Adults (BFYA) list is compiled annually by a committee of the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) and comprises fiction appropriate for ages 12 to 18. The following titles represent the committee’s top 10 selections from the greater BFYA list. All titles were published in 2024 unless otherwise noted. The full list can be found on YALSA’s website. All the Fighting Parts. By Hannah V. Sawyerr. 2023. Abrams/Amulet, $19.99 (9781419762611). Sixteen-year-old Amina Conteh clashes with her religious father in many ways and is forced to spend more time at their church because of her rebelliousness. When she is assaulted by a church leader, Amina uses poetry to find her voice and seek justice for what happened to her. Bright Red Fruit. By Safia Elhillo. Random/Make…