Booklist Reader

Published by Booklist, an imprint of the American Library Association. Booklist Reader features diverse book and audiobook recommendations, for readers and listeners of all ages. Filled with high-interest, themed lists that showcase books for your family or book discussion group.

From the Publisher

Booklist Reader

Kindness Prevails • As we begin a new year, perhaps what we should all strive for is a bit more kindness to one another and to our own selves. Gift others and gift yourselves some of these sigh-inducing reminders of why kindness matters.

Romances • The very best romance novels from the past year combine humor and serious concerns, complications and joy in stories involving apps, food, screenplays, sports, and mysterious phenomena.

Debut Romances • The most scintillating novels by first-time romance writers during the last year sparkle with intriguing characters navigating predicaments heart-wrenching and hilarious on their way to love.

You Are My Sunshine • A variation on the opposites-attract trope, grumpy/sunshine romances have been popular with readers for decades (though a case can be made that Pride and Prejudice is the original grumpy/sunshine romance). The versatility of this theme means it can be adapted to almost any romance subgenre, and authors can approach this type of romance in a number of different ways. Some grumpy/sunshine romances employ a more lighthearted and humorous tone, such as Alexandria Bellefleur’s Written in the Stars and Tessa Bailey’s It Happened One Summer. In other grumpy/sunshine love stories, the initial grumpiness on the part of one character may mask a deeper, more serious issue, as is the case with Alexis Hall’s Glitterland and Kacen Callender’s Stars in Your Eyes. One thing that remains consistent across this spectrum of romances, however, is the power of love to transform lives.

They Call It Puppy (and Kitty) Love • Pets make everything better and that includes romance novels. Whether they precipitate a meet-cute between their humans or illuminate the loving and caring side of a character who might otherwise come across as cold and unfeeling, pets can play an important role in advancing a romance between two people who might remain romantically clueless without a little help from their furry best friends.

Katy James • Katy James writes contemporary romance books that get to the heart of falling in love while finding one’s place in today’s world. When not writing, she works as an archivist and rare book librarian.

Recent Business Books • From the practical to the historic, the infuriating to the inspirational, these outstanding business titles address everyday concerns and illuminate the countless complexities and paradoxes of the larger business world.

February 2025 • The Top Ten Adult Fiction and Nonfiction Chosen Monthly by America’s Library Staff

Adult • Get your hands on these hotly anticipated books, all out this month.

Romances on Audio • It’s contemporary romance across the board in this year’s top 10 romances on audio!

André Santana • This year’s Voice of Choice, André Santana, was “plummeted into audiobooks” by a friend’s recommendation of Rin Chupeco’s The Bone Witch in 2019. The dive was so deep, just a few years later, in 2024, he performed in more than 70 titles. Santana says, “The fortune of getting fantastic books has really helped me along in my career and I see myself doing this for decades to come.”

PBS Program Highlights

Romances for Youth • Love traverses queer subversions of classic stories, rare-manga hunting, the grumpy/sunshine trope, and more in these top titles.

Boys Love and Girls Love for High-Schoolers • While Boys Love and Girls Love manga are often written for adults overseas, they remain popular with teens and there are plenty...