Every month staff from the Boston Public Library recommend their favorite books, from adult fiction and nonfiction to graphic novels, children’s picture books, and everything in between. We hope this list inspires you to keep reading, especially in our current climate where everyone needs to stay home as much as possible.
Most of these are available as eBooks and eAudiobooks you can access from home. Please check the catalog for other formats that may also be available. Place a hold or check one out today and enjoy a good book!
#BPLStaffPicks
Fantasy. In a wuxia fantasy world reminiscent of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, a bandit walks into a coffeehouse and starts a fight on behalf of Guet Imm, a former anchoress working as a waitress. It all goes downhill from there, at…
Nonfiction. While it is titled "How to Understand Your Gender," this informative book is for everyone, not just people who are questioning their gender. Regardless of your own identity, pick up this book today to learn about gender as a…
Antiracist educator Robin DiAngelo deftly illuminates the phenomenon of white fragility, characterized by emotions such as anger, fear, and guilt, and by behaviors including defensiveness, argumentation, and silence. She also explains how…
Fiction. The narrator, like the author, is an Argentine art critic and tour guide. Maria Gainza's first work to be translated into English is part autofiction, part musings on art -- but mostly this is a book about seeing. A dive into…
Biography/Memoir. Fuller shares visceral memories of her childhood in Africa, and of her headstrong, unforgettable mother as she looks back with rage and love at the life of an extraordinary family in an extraordinary time. Unsentimental…
Fantasy. I loved Jemisin's amazing Fifth Season science fiction triology, and took the opportunity to delve backwards into her body of work. In these stories, she unsurprisingly creates a very vivid fantasy world, inspired by ancient…
Fantasy. What if there were two Londons? One day, Richard Mayhew, a very ordinary man helps a young girl and in doing so he is erased from regular London and dropped into the very real London Below. Through humor, horror, whining, and…
Historical Fiction. Bestselling author Gregory provides an imaginative retelling of the connected stories of Katherine of Aragon, and Henry VIII's two sisters, Margaret and Mary Tudor, who will become the queens of England, Scotland, and…
Memoir. In a series of personal essays, prominent journalist and LGBTQIA+ activist George M. Johnson explores his childhood, adolescence, and college years in New Jersey and Virginia. Covering topics such as gender identity, toxic…
Memoir. Journalist and activist George M. Johnson shares with readers his life story from childhood to college, exploring the concept of intersectionality through the eyes of a young Black queer boy. He expertly discusses tough topics like…
Biography. This book presents the idea that Mather's "hot" piety (versus the usual "lukewarm" piety) was a noteworthy precursor to the Great Awakening and all revivals following in America. A lover of the Bible and a generous supporter of…
