Announcing the Ultimate End of the Year List Sequence: 31 Days, 31 Lists
The Best Books of the Year lists are beginning to come out right around now. First we saw the Publishers Weekly List. Then the School Library Journal List was presented as part of a live feed on Kidlit TV. The New York Times released their Best Illustrated list for the year. Soon enough the other review journals will get on board, as will Brain Pickings with their annual picks of eclectic, original, artistic books. Marjorie Ingall will do a list of the best books of the year with Jewish themes and characters for Tablet Magazine, the New York Public Library will release their 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing, and on and on it goes.
I love lists. They make me happy. I enjoy few things quite as much as debating the relative merits of one book or another with colleagues. But since I left NYPL I’ve just been making my own little lists. It’s fun but a little lonely. To keep myself in the game I also decided to read every single picture book in 2016 and I think I came pretty close. But what should I do with all this knowledge? I’m not going to review every single amazing book I saw, that’s for sure.
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That when this crazy idea slapped me upside the head with a rubber chicken.
What if I were to do not one list for 2016. Not two lists. Not three. What if I were to do one list for every single day in December? A list every day! It would have to be called . . . .
31 Days, 31 Lists!!
Oh yes!! And here’s how it’ll go. Each day in December this site will produce one list. Sometimes it’ll be a list you’d be able to find elsewhere (best picture books, nonfiction, etc.). Sometimes it’ll be a list you might need but wouldn’t necessarily find elsewhere (picture book readalouds, picture books with photography, etc.). And sometimes it’ll just be a trend I’ve noticed. All these books will be 2016 publications.
Sound like fun? Here’s the schedule:
December 1 – Board Books
December 2 – Board Book Adaptations
December 3 – Nursery Rhymes
December 4 – Picture Book Readalouds
December 5 – Rhyming Picture Books
December 6 – Alphabet Books
December 7 – Funny Picture Books
December 8 – Calde-Nots
December 9 – Picture Book Reprints
December 10 – Math Picture Books
December 11 – Bilingual Books
December 12 – International Imports
December 13 – Books with a Message
December 14 – Fabulous Photography
December 15 – Fairy Tales / Folktales
December 16 – Oddest Books of the Year
December 17 – Older Picture Books
December 18 – Easy Books
December 19 – Early Chapter Books
December 20 – Graphic Novels
December 21 – Poetry
December 22 – Fictionalized Nonfiction
December 23 – American History
December 24 – Science & Nature Books
December 25 – Transcendent Holiday Titles
December 26 – Unique Biographies
December 27 – Nonfiction Picture Books
December 28 – Nonfiction Chapter Books
December 29 – Novel Reprints
December 30 – Novels
December 31 – Picture Books
I don’t pretend that these lists will be complete or that they won’t miss some great publications out there. However, I will at least be able to highlight all those amazing books I’ve seen this year that I wasn’t able to review. And believe me when I say that 2016 was a doozy of a year when it came to fine and fabulous publications.
I cannot wait.
Filed under: Best Books of 2016, Uncategorized
About Betsy Bird
Betsy Bird is currently the Collection Development Manager of the Evanston Public Library system and a former Materials Specialist for New York Public Library. She has served on Newbery, written for Kirkus, and has done other lovely little things that she'd love to tell you about but that she's sure you'd find more interesting to hear of in person. Her opinions are her own and do not reflect those of EPL, SLJ, or any of the other acronyms you might be able to name. Follow her on BlueSky at: @fuse8.bsky.social
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Oh la la! I can’t wait. Thanks for including so many nonfiction categories.
Wonderful! I’ve just started to work on my annual list of Favourite Storytime Books that I share over on Jbrary. Hoping to get it done by mid-December. Very interested to see your December 4th list 🙂
Such a good idea – looking forward to this
Great idea, Betsy!! I’ll be tuning in daily to check them out!! Thank you! 🙂
Your lists will be like receiving a holiday gift each day for the entire month! There is a reason (actually lots of reasons) why this blog is the first one I read each day. Thank you in advance.