Happy New Year! It’s ShelfTalker’s 13th year (!), and since 2007, we’ve grown from one blogger—former bookseller Alison Morris, now at First Book in Washington, D.C, was our very first poster—to five. It’s a pleasure to write about the ups and downs of bookselling, the magical moments in our stores, and the authors and books who inspire us and transform children’s lives. And we especially love to hear from you; your comments bring the incredible children’s books community here to ShelfTalker. Thank you!
There are so many fantastic books coming out this year — stay tuned for Kenny’s post on Thursday for a taste of some of his favorites. As for me, I’m resurrecting my 50/50 Read resolution, which is an easy way to make sure my reading is diverse and rich; at least half of the books I read will be by authors and illustrators of color.
What books are you excited about this year? And have you made any reading resolutions? Please share—your idea might spark inspiration for another reader!
I have started doing a monthly round up of diverse books over at the Mixed-Up Files of Middle Grade Authors blog so I will be reading plenty of diverse titles this year. I’m also going to try to give special attention to debuts and books in translation this year.
For the first time I have found a diversity reading challenge and I’m planning to read 40 this year which is 1/3 of my books. Good for you doing 1/2! That’s awesome!