Books Your Librarian Thinks You Should Read

09 Jun 2016

When it comes to book recommendations, librarians are a trusted source for finding great new reads. Each month, librarians across the country are polled by LibraryReads so they can find the ten best books that are being released for that month. With that information, they curate a recommendation list that helps readers find their new favorite books. For your convenience, we’ve compiled all of the librarian favorites so far from 2016 so you can easily find your next favorite book! We’ve also included our recommendations from their lists so you have plenty of books to choose.

Librarian’s Picks

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Vinegar Girl

Anne Tyler

Favorite for June

Part of the Hogarth Shakespeare Project, Vinegar Girl is a modern retelling of The Taming of the Shrew. The main character, Kate Battista, is stuck in the routine of her life and can’t seem to get rid of all of the problems that follow her around. Her father is a crazy scientist, and he tries to get Kate to marry his lab assistant to prevent him from getting deported. Just like Shakespeare’s original work, this new release is clever and witty, and enthusiasts of the Bard are sure to enjoy it.

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Britt-Marie Was Here

Fredrik Backman

Favorite for May

If you’re looking for an inspiring and humorous read, look no further than Britt-Marie Was Here. Britt-Marie is an extrememly organized and neurotic woman who enjoys her day-to-day routine. When her life veers off course and things aren’t going her way, she discovers a hidden imagination within herself that surprises everyone. With its quirky characters and a heart-warming story, you won’t want to put this book down.

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Eligible

Curtis Sittenfeld

Favorite for April

Have you ever wondered what it would be like if the Bennet sisters were living in modern times? Eligible explores Austen’s famous literary world in a fresh, witty style that fans of Pride and Prejudice will love. The characters are as enjoyable and engaging as they are in the original, and the new spin on the story is so funny that you won’t want to put the book down. The story even includes a Bachelor-esque reality show that’s a great parallel to the high society events that the Bennet sisters attend.

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The Summer Before the War

Helen Simonson

Favorite for March

Fans of Simonson’s first novel, Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand, will love her newest release. It’s set in a small English town right before the dawn of World War I, and it shows how the members of the town are affected by the tragedies of wartime. Despite the heavy subject matter, The Summer Before the War is witty and paints a vivid picture of this close-knit, idyllic town. Accompanied by a cozy blanket and a warm cup of tea, you might even feel like you’re in England!

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Salt to the Sea

Ruta Sepetys

Favorite for February

If you liked All the Light We Cannot See, then you might want to pick up the Librarian’s February Favorite. Many stories have been told about World War II, but this one addresses the tragedies of wartime from a unique and untold perspective. Rotating between several different narrators, Salt to the Sea tells the relatively unknown story of the Wilhelm Gustloff ship, which sank on its way to bringing refugees to freedom. This tale of survival is powerfully inspiring, and its compelling plot will leave you speechless.

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My Name is Lucy Barton

Elizabeth Strout

Favorite for January

Starting off the year with a bang, Pulitzer Prize winner Elizabeth Strout released Lucy Barton and received ample praise from the moment readers could get a hold of the book. This novel explores the deep connection that exists between a mother and daughter, even when family difficulties have forced them apart. When tragedy arises and Lucy is hospitalized, her estranged mother shows up to comfort her. This novel is highly emotional and is sure to pull on all your heartstrings.

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Our Picks

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Lily and the Octopus

Steven Rowley

Favorite for June

Sometimes, you need a good cry, and books about dogs are sure to get the tears flowing. Lily and the Octopus is a book about a man and his beloved dachshund Lily, who is getting older and probably won’t live for much longer. This book is raw and emotional, and it will make you want to hold your pets tightly and never let them go. You may become a sobbing mess if you read it, but it will make you appreciate just how wonderful your pets are.

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The Fireman

Joe Hill

Favorite for May

If you loved The Girl with All the Gifts, then you’ll love The Fireman. In this book, a terrible plague has spread across the world that makes people burst into flames after developing weird, beautiful marks across their bodies. In hopes of saving the world, a vigilante who learned how to control the disease uses his newfound powers to avenge all the people who have been wronged. Of all the dystopian and apocalypse books that have been released within the past decade, this one comes on top as one of the best we’ve seen.

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The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu

Joshua Hammer

Favorite for April

How could we not pick a book about bad-ass librarians as one of our favorites? This nonfiction read tells the true story of how a historian became one of the world’s best smugglers in order to save ancient manuscripts from falling into the wrong hands. Recently, as Al Qaeda has gained control of Mali, they have threatened to destroy many of these irreplaceable documents. In this inspiring book, journalist Joshua Hammer documented how the historian fought to preserve important works of literature from the extremists who wanted to get rid of them.

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Jane Steele

Lyndsay Faye

Favorite for March

Fans of Jane Eyre, get ready for this dark and hilarious adaptation of one of your favorite classic novels. Jane Steele is an orphan with a murderous past who is trying to fulfill her place as the rightful heir of her childhood home. In the process, she meets all of the strange and quirky new members of the house, and she attempts to seduce some of them without revealing her criminal ways. The book is a creative and satirical riff on the original, and you’ll definitely love it just as much.

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Find Her

Lisa Gardner

Favorite for February

Find Her is a gripping thriller about survival and endurance that features Detective D.D. Warren, one of Lisa Gardner’s reoccurring characters. A young college woman named Flora is kidnapped while she is on vacation, and she is held captive for over a year. After finally getting released, she is determined to right the wrongs that have been committed against all victims of kidnapping and abuse. Flora becomes a vigilante, and puts her life at risk to get justice. Gardner has been a master of psychological thrillers for a long time, and this new release won’t disappoint her fans.

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The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend

Katarina Bivald

Favorite for January

If you ever want to be reminded of how much you love and cherish books, just pick up The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend. The main character, a Swedish woman named Sara, has flown to a small town in Iowa to meet her beloved bookish pen pal, Amy. When she arrives, she discovers that her friend has passed away and the small town is in shambles. Although Sara is heart-broken, she helps the town turn the tragedy around by opening a bookstore with all of Amy’s books. Books have a way of significantly impacting our lives, and this one will remind you why you love reading as much as you do.

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