Are you looking for your next great read? We can help! Visit us in person, explore reading recommendations online, join an in-person or online book discussion, get recommendations on Facebook, tune in to our televised book club segments, and more. Get started here!
Personalized Reading Recommendations
Whether you are in a reading frenzy or a reading slump, you might just need a short list of title suggestions to support your reading habit or to get inspired. Hoosier Next Read is a personalized book recommendation service from The Indianapolis Public Library. Share your reading preferences, and our Library staff will send you a custom list of 2–5 titles within 7 business days so you’ll always have your next great read ready.
Sunday Nights on Facebook
Join us on Sunday nights at 8:30 p.m. on Facebook for Currently Reading. Enjoy this hour during which book enthusiasts share favorite books and offer suggestion about what to read next. Find out about the books that have everyone talking.
Indy Now Book Club
Catch book recommendations and Library program highlights from your own local librarians once a month on the Indy Now Morning Show with Ryan and Jillian on Fox59. The show airs at 10 a.m. on Wednesdays. Browse our past appearances.
In-Person & Online Book Discussions
Do you love talking about books? Join one of our book discussions or book clubs available both in-person and online.
Online Reading Recommendations
NovelList and NovelList K-8 are online services that offer reading recommendations. Browse both fiction and nonfiction, read-alike suggestions, series information, reviews, and lists of recommended and award-winning books for adults, teens and kids. Learn how to start on this video tutorial. Also try Book Connections which includes a “find the right book for you” feature.
Make a selection from one of the book lists below created by our staff of avid readers. You can also follow our staff’s most recently published lists on the library catalog home page. Don’t miss our If You Like… suggestions that cover all the favorite genres like science fiction, graphic novels, romance, and more. Finally, don’t miss What We’re Reading Teens and What We’re Reading Kids.
Play Your Way! May 30 – August 1
Grab your friends and grab a book because it’s time for Summer Reading at The Indianapolis Public Library! The Library is the ultimate playground for creativity, imagination, and discovery whether you’re a beginning reader or a bookworm. Join the adventure, learn something new, and become a lifelong reader! Learn more about the 2026 Summer Reading Program.
Staff Picks
The Importance of Play in Adult Life
As adults, we don’t always make time in our lives for play. We’re so busy and always balancing so many different tasks– playtime just isn’t a priority once we grow up. But research shows that playing throughout our lives has benefits! Check out these books to learn more about the importance of play, no matter your age.
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Adult Summer Reading 2026: Quick Reads
Check out these books from our Quick Reads collection that fit with our Play Your Way theme for Summer Reading! Building your reading skills and enjoy reading at an easy pace. #IndyPLAdults #IndyPLSRP2026 #QuickReads
Adult Summer Reading 2026: Large Print & Audiobook Suggestions
Check out this list of large print and audiobook titles connected to our 2026 Play Your Way summer reading theme! Find a mix of fiction and non-fiction options available in multiple formats.
Adult Summer Reading 2026: TTRPG Zines
The DIY ethos of indie TTRPG creators is a perfect match for the DIY ethos of zine makers. It’s no surprise that games represent quite a large sub-genre of the format. Here are a few from our collection, with settings spanning all types of fantasy worlds, from traditional medieval, to outer space, to even modern earthly cafes and restaurants. Game mechanics also encompass everything from traditional dice rolls, to coin-flipping, tarot card pulling, or rock-paper-scissors. But there are many more to explore in the collection beyond this list. Where a title references other media, links to examples are also provided.
African-American Music Appreciation Month: Rock Edition
Black musicians and performers have shaped the rock genre from its beginnings in blues right up to the present day. These books take a look at some of those artists and influences that have made rock such an enduring genre of American music.
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Fiction by Pacific Islanders
A collection of novels and stories written by Pacific Islander authors. The interplay between tradition and modern life as well as the preservation of heritage and culture are common themes here.
While You Wait for Theo of Golden
Are you number 408 in line for one of the library’s copies of Theo of Golden? This hugely popular novel that has taken the reading world by storm explores themes of friendship, kindness, and human connection. This list offers suggested titles to tide you over while you wait.
Suit Up for Devil Wears Prada 2
After 20 years, we’re getting a sequel to the iconic Devil Wears Prada movie. With an all-star A-lister cast, we’re guaranteed to have a fun time! Fingers crossed we’ll get some lines as iconic as “By all means move at a glacial pace, you know how that thrills me” and “Florals? For spring? Groundbreaking.”
Prose Tipped on its Nose : Ergodic Fiction
“Ergodic literature refers to books that require active reader participation to navigate the text and understand the narrative. These books often feature non-linear narratives, unconventional layouts, and require readers to make choices, or engage with the text in ways beyond simple page-turning.” “The term was coined by Espen J. Aarseth in his 1997 book Cybertext” ~ Wikipedia. 6/24 In other words, the author requires the reader to follow a narrative through unusual reading mechanics; sometimes solving clues, jumping around pages, following weird visual cues, even reordering chapters.
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Modern Romance
A collection of some of the best romance books in the past few years with a couple of slightly older titles thrown in – just in case you missed them. We have all the usual suspects: friends to lovers, enemies to lover, fake dating, forced proximity and happily ever after. Whatever your heart desires!
Food as Business
If you love food and have dreamed of making it your life’s work – check out these titles and upcoming programs for the foodie entrepreneur. From how-to guides to success stories from other entrepreneurs, these books and programs will inspire you to follow your dream into culinary small business ownership.
If You Liked…Project Hail Mary
these are books that capture the humor, science, survival, cosmic wonder, and big-hearted problem-solving of Andy Weir’s hit novel.
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Spiritual Healing
Spiritual healing involves reconnecting with the Divine or a higher power, which is believed to be the source of life and well-being. It is based on the philosophy that disconnection from this source can lead to various physical and emotional ailments. The practice focuses on harmonizing the spirit or soul, addressing not just physical symptoms but also the underlying emotional and spiritual issues that contribute to overall health.
If You Liked…People We Meet on Vacation
Emily Henry’s iconic writing voice will bring you somewhere warm and sunny, where you’ll meet bookish and heartfelt characters along the way. This list is comprised of some of her recent fiction, as well as other notable summer romance novels.
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Japanese Crime and Mystery Fiction
Locked rooms, crooked houses, and last-minute twists keep mystery fans on their toes in these Japanese mystery and crime novels in translation.
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All About Michael
Explore the story of the late and great King of Pop, Michael Jackson, through a series of memoirs and biographies. From his mesmerizing vocals to his signature dances and style, Michael Jackson changed the landscape of entertainment and music. A true legend, Michael left behind influence and inspiration for generations to come. Let’s celebrate his incredible legacy through literature!
