Book Lists

Browse curated book lists that we’ve put together just for you! These change seasonally or based on current events. You can also find books for our book groups here, as well as further reading.

Books about hiking

Wild by nature : from Siberia to Australia, three years alone in the wilderness on foot by Marquis, Sarah

The national parks coast to coast : the 100 best hikes by Alvarez, Ted

The Appalachian Mountain Club's White Mountain guide : hiking trails in the White Mountain National Forest by

Falcon guide. a guide to the region's best waterfall hikes Hiking waterfalls in New England : by Burakian, Eli

On the trail : a history of american hiking by Chamberlin, Silas.

Hiking! : the ultimate natural prescription for health and wellness by Ferranti, Philip

Walking in the mountains : a woman's guide by Frankel, Edith Rogovin.

AMC's best backpacking in New England : a guide to 33 of the best multi-day trips from Maine to Connecticut by Heid, Matt

Hiking and backpacking : outdoor adventures by

60 hikes within 60 miles. including Coastal and Interior Regions and New Hampshire Boston : by Low, Lafe

Best hikes of the Appalachian Trail : New England by Low, Lafe

AMC's best day hikes near Boston : four-season guide to the 50 best hikes in Eastern Massachusetts by Tougias, Mike

Adventure trekking : a handbook for independent travelers by Strauss, Robert.

Your guide to the national parks : the complete guide to all 59 National Parks by Oswald, Michael Joseph

New England hiking : the complete guide to more than 380 hikes by Lanza, Michael.

Maine & Acadia National Park by St. Louis, Regis

A journey north : one woman's story of hiking the Appalachian Trail by Hall, Adrienne.

Discover Cape Cod : AMC's guide to the best hiking, biking, and paddling by O'Connor, Michael

Classic hikes of North America : 25 breathtaking treks in the United States and Canada by Potterfield, Peter.

Short stories

The traveller : and other stories by Neville, Stuart

Love & other crimes : stories by Paretsky, Sara

That old country music : stories by Barry, Kevin

Tiny tales : stories of romance, ambition, kindness, and happiness by McCall Smith, Alexander

The souvenir museum : stories by McCracken, Elizabeth

First person singular : stories by Murakami, Haruki

The (other) you : stories by Oates, Joyce Carol

Reunion Beach : stories inspired by Dorothea Benton Frank by

Are you enjoying? : stories by Sethi, Mira

Channel kindness : stories of kindness and community by

Books for ocean lovers

A perfect planet : the story of Earth's power and fragility by

The guest book : a novel by Blake, Sarah

A stranger on the beach by Campbell, Michele

Dangerous crossing : a novel by Rhys, Rachel

A cruise to die for by Elkins, Charlotte.

Blue mind : the surprising science that shows how being near, in, on, or under water can make you happier, healthier, more connected and better at what you do by Nichols, Wallace J.

The ocean of life : the fate of man and the sea by Roberts, Callum.

Atlantic : great sea battles, heroic discoveries, titanic storms, and a vast ocean of a million stories by Winchester, Simon.

The wave : in pursuit of the rogues, freaks, and giants of the ocean by Casey, Susan

The soul of an octopus : a surprising exploration into the wonder of consciousness by Montgomery, Sy

The outlaw ocean : journeys across the last untamed frontier by Urbina, Ian

Books for pride month

Tomboyland : essays by Faliveno, Melissa

Girl, woman, other by Evaristo, Bernardine

The prophets : a novel by Jones, Robert, Jr.

Detransition, baby : a novel by Peters, Torrey

The death of Vivek Oji by Emezi, Akwaeke

Black leopard, red wolf by James, Marlon

The thirty names of night : a novel by Joukhadar, Zeyn

Red, white & royal blue : a novel by McQuiston, Casey

On earth we're briefly gorgeous : a novel by Vuong, Ocean

The secret to superhuman strength by Bechdel, Alison

Here for it : or, how to save your soul in America : essays by Thomas, R. Eric

Stand by me : the forgotten history of gay liberation by Downs, Jim

How we fight for our lives : a memoir by Jones, Saeed

The chosen and the beautiful by Vo, Nghi.

Written in the stars : a novel by Bellefleur, Alexandria.

The grief keeper by Villasante, Alexandra

Be gay, do comics! : queer history, memoir, and satire from The Nib by

Gay America : struggle for equality by Alsenas, Linas.

We have always been here : a queer Muslim memoir by Habib, Samra

Books for national bike month

The double bind : a novel by Bohjalian, Christopher A.

The summer before the war by Simonson, Helen

Life is a wheel : love, death, etc. and a bike ride across America by Weber, Bruce

One-way ticket : nine lives on two wheels by Vaughters, Jonathan

Bicycling along the world's most exceptional routes by Penn, Rob.

Foghorn outdoors. 100 of the best road and trail rides New England biking : by Kim, Melissa L.

Aimless love : new and selected poems by Collins, Billy

Bike repair & maintenance by Wiggins, Christopher

Wheels of change : how women rode the bicycle to freedom (with a few flat tires along the way) by Macy, Sue.

Books about growing and eating vegetables

How to create an eco garden : a practical guide to sustainable and greener gardening by Walker, John

The sustainable vegetable garden : a backyard guide to healthy soil and higher yields by Jeavons, John.

The deckchair gardener : an improper gardening manual by Wareham, Anne

Four-season harvest : organic vegetables from your home garden all year around by Coleman, Eliot

Vegetable kingdom : the abundant world of vegan recipes by Terry, Bryant

The 10 things you need to eat : and more than 100 easy and delicious ways to prepare them by Lieberman, Dave

Power foods : 150 delicious recipes with the 38 healthiest ingredients by

Super natural every day : well-loved recipes from my natural foods kitchen by Swanson, Heidi

Vegan for everybody : foolproof plant-based recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and in-between by

Books for Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

The white tiger : a novel by Adiga, Aravind.

Rich people problems : a novel by Kwan, Kevin

China rich girlfriend : a novel by Kwan, Kevin.

The incendiaries : a novel by Kwon, R. O.

A place for us : a novel by Mirza, Fatima Farheen

Little fires everywhere : a novel by Ng, Celeste

The sympathizer : [a novel] by Nguyen, Viet Thanh

East : 120 vegan and vegetarian recipes from Bangalore to Beijing by Sodha, Meera

Cooking with an Asian accent : Eastern wisdom in a Western kitchen by Compestine, Ying Chang.

The steamy kitchen cookbook : 101 Asian recipes simple enough for tonight

Dear girls : intimate tales, untold secrets, and advice for living your best life by Wong, Ali

The making of Asian America : a history by Lee, Erika

Trick mirror : reflections on self-delusion by Tolentino, Jia

How to live safely in a science fictional universe by Yu, Charles

The astonishing color of after by Pan, Emily X. R.

You bring the distant near by Perkins, Mitali

Patron saints of nothing by Ribay, Randy

The American dream? : a journey on Route 66 discovering dinosaur statues, muffler men, and the perfect breakfast burrito by Khor, Shing Yin

Books about Food Waste & Composting

100 days of real food--on a budget : simple tips and tasty recipes to help you cut out processed food without breaking the bank by Leake, Lisa

Basic composting : all the skills and tools you need to get started by

This book stinks! : gross garbage, rotten rubbish, and the science of trash by Flynn, Sarah Wassner

Join the no-plastic challenge! : a first book of reducing waste by Ritchie, Scot

Green machine : the slightly gross truth about turning your food scraps into green energy by Donnelly, Rebecca

Trashing the planet : examining our global garbage glut by Kallen, Stuart A.

Compost city : practical composting know-how for small-space living

Staff Picks: April 2021

Books about Libraries

Public library and other stories by Smith, Ali

The historian : a novel by Kostova, Elizabeth.

The bad-ass librarians of Timbuktu : and their race to save the world

This is what a librarian looks like : a celebration of libraries, communities, and access to information by Cassidy, Kyle

The book woman of Troublesome Creek : a novel by Richardson, Kim Michele

International Women’s Day Reading List

Half of a yellow sun by Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi

In the time of the butterflies by Alvarez, Julia

Lost children archive : a novel by Luiselli, Valeria

Convenience store woman by Murata, Sayaka

Conversations with friends by Rooney, Sally

The god of small things by Roy, Arundhati.

His only wife : a novel by Medie, Peace A.

American Library Association list of most challenged books in 2018

Every year, in honor of National Library Week (April 7-13, 2019), ALA publishes their list of the books that were most often challenged or banned in the past year. Here’s the list with links to our catalog for your banned book reading pleasure!

Reasons: series was challenged because it was perceived as encouraging disruptive behavior, while Captain Underpants and the Sensational Saga of Sir Stinks-A-Lot was challenged for including a same-sex couple	Reasons: banned and challenged for including LGBTQIA+ characters and themes	Reasons: banned, challenged, and relocated because it was believed to encourage children to clear browser history and change their bodies using hormones, and for mentioning “dirty magazines,” describing male anatomy, “creating confusion,” and including a transgender character
Reasons: banned and challenged for including LGBTQIA+ content, and for political and religious viewpoints	Reason: challenged for depicting stereotypes of Mexican culture	Reasons: banned and challenged for sexual references, profanity, violence, gambling, and underage drinking, and for its religious viewpoint
Reasons: banned and challenged because it was deemed “anti-cop,” and for profanity, drug use, and sexual references	Reasons: banned, challenged, and restricted for addressing teen suicide	Reason: challenged and burned for including LGBTQIA+ content
Reasons: banned and challenged for profanity, sexual references, and certain illustrations	Reason: challenged and burned for including LGBTQIA+ content