It’s time for Summer Scares, and the popular horror-reading program is in fine form again. Shelf Care host Susan Maguire spoke to librarian Becky Spratford, author Kendare Blake, and Booklist’s Julia Smith about this year’s selections for adult, teen, and middle-grade readers; transgressive horror; and Hellmouth Pokémon, as you do. She also spoke to Jocelyn Codner and Carina Stopenski, both of the Horror Writers Association’s Library Advisory Council, about the Summer Scares program guide, why libraries should serve horror readers, and what they’re reading and loving.
Here’s what we talked about:
Summer Scares Resource Page
Find Him Where You Left Him Dead, by Kristen Simmons
iRead Summer 2025: Level Up at Your Library
The Getaway, by Lamar Giles
Devils unto Dust, by Emma Berquist
Reprieve, by James Han Mattson
Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke and Other Misfortunes, by Eric LaRocca
The Luminous Dead, by Caitlin Starling
Summer Scares webinars: for Adult, YA, and Middle Grade 
All These Bodies, by Kendare Blake
In Every Generation, by Kendare Blake
Summer Scares Program Guide
HWA Young Adults Write Now scholarship
(or email libraries@horror.org)
Stoker Con 2025 Librarians’ Day
Stag Dance, by Torrey Peters
Detransition, Baby, by Torrey Peters
It Came from the Trees, by Ally Russell
Hide and Seeker, by Daka Hermon
Ravenous Things, by Derrick Chow
Eerie Tales from the School of Screams, by Graham Annable, art by the author
Skunk and Badger, by Amy Timberlake, illustrated by Jon Klassen
The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest, by Aubrey Hartman, illustrated by Macin Minor
Bad Badger: A Love Story, by Maryrose Wood, illustrated by Giulia Ghigini
Reluctant Witch, by Melissa Marr



Episode 41: Summer Scares 2025

In this episode, the last part of a mini series on the Journey of a Library book, we talk to Georgia, Patron Services Assistant Supervisor at Niles-Maine District Library about the role that her department plays in getting the book into a reader’s hands.

Tech Bytes #41 - The Journey of a Library Book: Patron Services

Episode 42 Show Notes
In this episode of Booklist’s Shelf Care: The Podcast, host Susan Maguire talks to librarian and horror expert Becky Spratford about the forthcoming collection of essays she edited, Why I Love Horror, what Mary Shelley might think about the current trend of monster romance, and, of course, why she loves horror. Then Booklist’s Audio Editor Heather Booth presents an epic rant against AI-narrated audiobooks, and Susan and Booklist Senior Editor, Adult Books Annie Bostrom chat about two water-related books they’re loving.

Here's what we talked about:

Becky’s early “Why I Love Horror,” featuring Booklist folks
The Readers’ Advisory Guide to Horror, by Becky Siegel Spratford
Danse Macabre, by Stephen King
Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley
“The Lottery,” by Shirley Jackson
Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, by Seth Grahame-Smith
The Hunger, by Alma Katsu
Buffalo Hunter Hunter, by Stephen Graham Jones
James, by Percival Everett
Horror for Weenies, by Emily Hughes
Circulating Ideas podcast, hosted by Steve Thomas
LibraryReads Hall of Fame
Where the Sidewalk Ends, by Shel Silverstein 
The Grip of It, by Jac Jemc
Horror Makes Us Happy podcast with Becky Spratford
The Bewitching, by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Mexican Gothic, by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Cynthia Pelayo
101 Horror Books to Read Before You're Murdered, Sadie Hartmnn
Paperbacks from Hell, by Grady Hendrix 
A Plate of Hope: The Inspiring Story of Chef José Andrés and World Central Kitchen, by Erin Frankel and Paola Escobar. Read by Luis Carlos de la Lombana. (Odyssey Award Winner, 2025)
How the Boogeyman Became a Poet, by Tony Keith Jr. Read by the author. (Odyssey Award Winner, 2025)
The Secret History of the Rape Kit: A True Crime Story, by Pagan Kennedy. Read by Claire Danes
The Mysterious Benedict Society, by Trenton Lee Stewart. Read by Del Roy
Listening Still, by Anne Griffin. Read by Nicola Coughlan
A Marriage at Sea: A True Story of Love, Obsession, and Shipwreck, by Sophie Elmhirst
Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster, by Jon Krakauer
The Love Fix, by Jill Shalvis
The Listeners, by Maggie Stiefvater

Episode 42: Why I Love Horror

In this episode, we discuss an exciting opportunity to grow your digital skills and get connected at Niles-Maine District Library.

https://www.nileslibrary.org/learn-to-own

Tech Bytes #43 - Digital Equity and Learn-to-Own

In this episode of Booklist’s Shelf Care: The Podcast, we’re coming to you live from ALA’s Annual Conference in Philadelphia. Audio Editor Heather Booth chats with three authors who were excited to share insight into their forthcoming books and what libraries mean to them: Victor Piñeiro (The Island of Forgotten Gods, August 2025, Sourcebooks Young Readers), E. Lockhart (We Fell Apart, November 2025, Delacorte), and Kevin Henkes (Is It Spring?, February 2026, Greenwillow). 

Here's what we talked about:

Read n Rave list
The Island of Forgotten Gods, by Victor Piñeiro
Time Villains, by Victor Piñeiro
The Land of Oz, by L. Frank Baum
We Fell Apart, by E. Lockhart
We Were Liars, by E. Lockhart
Song of Achilles, by Madeline Miller
They Both Die at the End, by Adam Silvera
Family of Liars, by E. Lockhart
The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau Banks, by E. Lockhart
Is It Spring?, written and illustrated by Kevin Henkes
Sun Flower Lion, written and illustrated by Kevin Henkes, 
Finding Things, by Kevin Henkes, illustrated by Laura Dronzek
Waiting, written and illustrated by Kevin Henkes
Chrysanthemum, written and illustrated by Kevin Henkes
Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse, written and illustrated by Kevin Henkes
Garth Williams
American Picture Books from Noah’s Ark to the Beast Within, by Barbara Bader


Episode 43: Live from ALA!

Checking In, Checking Out is a podcast produced by The Niles-Maine District Library. 

In this episode, we talk about What’s Next?, a service that allows library users to get book recommendations from librarians based on their reading preferences. 

https://nmdl.info/whats-next

Episode 02: What's Next?

On this episode of Shelf Care: The Podcast, host Susan Maguire sits down with two of our favorite Sara(h)s. First, librarian and Booklister Sara Martínez talks about REFORMA’s National Book Award winner and tips for Spanish-language collection development. Then, Sarah Hunter, Editor, Books for Youth and Graphic Novels, drops some book suggestions perfect for fall reading.
Here's what we talked about:
REFORMA.org
Pura Belpré Award
REFORMA’s 2024 National Book Award (includes longlist and shortlist)
Malas, by Marcela Fuentes
Spanish Sure Bets for Adult Readers: Summer 2025
ALA Free Pass Program
Spanish-language book stores: Liberías Gandhi in Mexico, Casa del Libro in Spain
America Reads Spanish newsletter
Guatemalan Rhapsody, by Jared Lemus
Brother Brontë, by Fernando A. Flores
Starling House, by Alix E. Harrow
By the Fire We Carry: The Generations-Long Fight for Justice on Native Land, by Rebecca Nagle
Loudmouth: Emma Goldman vs. America (a Love Story), by Deborah Heiligman
Angelica and the Bear Prince, by Trung Le Nguyen, art by the author
Cat Nap, by Brian Lies, art by the author
Popo the Xolo, by Paloma Angelina Lopez, illustrated by Abraham Matias
The Witch in the Tower, by Júlia Sardà, illustrated by the author
The Queen in the Cave, by Júlia Sardà, illustrated by the author
More Weight: A Salem Story, by Ben Wickey, art by the author


Episode 44: A Tale of Two Sara(h)s

Checking In, Checking Out is a podcast produced by The Niles-Maine District Library. 

In this episode, record live at the library's Trick or Treat Trail on October 30, 2025.

Live on the Trick or Treat Trail

Fairy tale retelling are having a moment, a moment that has extended for, like, millennia, but now the trend feels particularly hot. Host Susan Maguire sat down with librarian and Booklist reviewer Lucy Lockley about what’s behind the fanfare and some titles and authors you should know. Then Audio Editor Heather Booth spoke to an art educator Heather Kostal about how she uses audiobooks in the classroom. Finally, Books for Youth’s Ronny Khuri and I chatted about picture books about poop and other topics. We cover everything!

Here's what we talked about:
Ella Enchanted, by Gail Carson Levine
The Kingdom of Sweets, by Erika Johansen
The Swallowed Man, by Edward Carey
A Sorceress Comes to Call, by T. Kingfisher
Alice, by Christina Henry
Horseman, by Christina Henry
Gods of Jade and Shadow, by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Wicked, by Gregory Maguire
Mary McMyne
After the Forest, by Kel Woods
Sistersong, by Lucy Holland
Song of the Huntress, by Lucy Holland
Uprooted, by Naomi Novik
The Summer War, by Naomi Novik
The Witch’s Heart, by Genevieve Gornichec
A Spindle Splintered, by Alix E. Harrow
Thief Liar Lady, by D. L. Soria
Hemlock & Silver, by T. Kingfisher
After Happily Ever: An Epic Novel of Midlife Rebellion, by Jennifer Safrey
Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries, by Heather Fawcett 
Crocodile on the Sandbank, by Elizabeth Peters (Ameila Peabody series)
The Maiden and Her Monster, by Maddie Martinez
Cinder House, by Freya Marske
Women of the Fairy Tale Resistance: The Forgotten Founding Mothers of the Fairy Tale and the Stories That They Spun, by Jane Harrington, illustrated by Khoa Le
F*cked Up Fairy Tales: Sinful Cinderellas, Prince Alarmings, and Other Timeless Classics, by Liz Gotauco
The Long Walk to Water, by Linda Sue Park, read by David Baker
The Boxcar Children series
The Invention of Hugo Cabret, by Brian Selznick, read by Jeff Woodman
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, by E. L. Konigsburg
The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins, read by Tatiana Maslany
Murder of a Movie Star, by L. B. Hathaway
Henry Is an Artist, written and illustrated by Justin Worsley
Little Moments in a Big Universe, written and illustrated by Todd Stewart
Max in the Land of Lies, by Adam Gidwitz
Max in the House of Spies, by Adam Gidwitz


Episode 45: Once Upon a Fairy Tale Retelling

On this episode of Shelf Care: The Podcast, host Susan Maguire speaks to Seattle Public Library Reader Services Librarian Misha Stone about nerding out about reading, reading more (or at least reading more intentionally), and the thrill of the backlist (along with Heated Rivalry, of course). Then, Booklist’s Audio Editor Heather Booth drops some brief but powerful insight into what makes an audiobook reader, and what makes them valid readers (because, yes, audiobooks count as reading), and what you can look forward to in Booklist. Finally, Booklist’s Editor-in-Chief and Adult Books Editor Donna Seaman chats with Susan about some forthcoming books all kinds of readers can look forward to. 
Here's what we talked about:
To register for Readers’ Advisory: Ideas and Practice, visit booklistonline.com/webinars  
Take our brief Readers’ Advisory survey (please and thank you!)
How to Read More in 2025 – Shelf Talk (from Seattle Public Library)
“Read, every day, something no one else is reading. Think, every day, something no one else is thinking.”
― Christopher Morley
Heated Rivalry, by Rachel Reid
Go Set a Watchman, by Harper Lee
Cat Sebastian 
Pagebound 
GoodReads
The Storygraph
SPL’s Your Next Five Books
Hemlock & Silver, by T. Kingfisher
The Mountains We Call Home, by Kim Michele Richardson
The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek, by Kim Michele Richardson
 “Reading Is a Vice,” by Adam Kirsch, published in The Atlantic on Jan. 2, 2026
Lois McMaster Bujold’s Vorkosigan saga 
Outlander, by Diana Gabaldon
The Glorians: Visitations from the Holy Ordinary, by Terry Tempest Williams
The Beginning Comes After the End: Notes on a World of Change, Rebecca Solnit 
Men Explain Things to Me, by Rebecca Solnit
Figuring, by Maria Popova
Traversal, by Maria Popova
Isola, by Allegra Goodman
This Is Not about Us, by Allegra Goodman
The Red Convertible: Selected and New Stories, 1978 – 2008, by Louise Erdrich
Python’s Kiss, by Louise Erdrich
Discipline, by Larissa Pham
Pop Song: Adventures in Art and Intimacy, by Larissa Pham
No Way Home, by T. C. Boyle
Five Weeks in the Country, by Francine Prose

Episode 47: Three Conversations about Reading

Where we talk all things readers’ advisory, collection development, reference, and other library-related bookish stuff, from your friends at Booklist. Want more? Is it even possible? Go to www.booklistonline.com/newsletters to discover the magic.

Checking In, Checking Out is the official podcast of Niles-Maine District Library.

With each mini episode, we'll share a little bit of new or useful library-related information. Tune in for staff picks, book talks, technology news and more!

New tracks tagged #Public Libraries