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.
2025 Staff Picks & Gift Guide
Explore our 2025 Staff Picks for adults, teens, and kids to discover your next great read from our curated selections. Find the perfect audiobook to accompany your morning walk, or choose a movie to enjoy on a cozy winter afternoon. Whether you’re searching for engaging books, entertaining media, or thoughtful gifts, our 2025 Staff Picks & Gift Guide offers something for everyone to enjoy.
Staff Picks
2025 This Year in Books
Are you ready to wrap up 2025 yet? It’s been a doozy of a year for many of us, so let’s take a look back at some of the biggest events of the year and take time to reflect. There are some good things (or at least interesting things) that happened, too! Check out related reading, including histories, biographies, journalism, and a few novels. And the list ends with a tribute to a optimism and hope. Cheers to a new year!
Advent Devotionals
Advent/Nativity/Annunciation is a season in the Christian tradition that typically spans the four to six week period before Christmas. It is often considered a time for reflection and preparation. Though denominations/traditions vary in their specific practices and names for the season, many use devotionals to focus the intent of their actions and meditations. This list is a small selection of available devotionals, geared towards individuals, families, and/or groups.
Bound Together: Adult Books Celebrating Umoja (Unity)
Umoja, the first principle of Kwanzaa, calls us to honor the strength of unity — within families, communities, and across humanity. These books, spanning fiction, memoir, history, and cultural critique, remind us that we are strongest when we stand together. Each title explores how bonds of solidarity, shared struggle, and collective vision can transform lives and societies.
The Conscientious Consumer
As Black Friday looms ahead (and don’t forget about Small Business Saturday, too!), let’s consider alternative ways of being a consumer in our consumerist society. These books provide ideas on how to buy less stuff and *why* to buy less stuff. Take a look and consider trying one or two (or more!) suggestions to work towards more sustainability and ethics in your consumer habits.
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The Constitution and Bill of Rights in Graphic (Meaning Illustrated) Detail
Did you know that Bill of Rights Day is celebrated December 15th? It commemorates the 1791 ratification of the first ten amendments to the US Constitution. Reading a document from centuries ago, even one so important, might feel like a heavy load. As with any item that’s “inspired by a true story,” you may be inspired to fact-check!
Culinary Book Club – Cookbooks About the Holidays
There are several holidays that are celebrated in November and December. Take a look at a few of the cookbooks that will help you bring some delicious ways of celebrating with friends and family.
Holiday Ho-Ho-Horror and Hauntings
It’s beginning to look a lot like… horror? If you’re not ready for Halloween to be over, unwrap the gift of spookiness during the holidays! Hide under the covers to warm up with one of these chilling holiday horror fiction titles and celebrate the ghoul-tide season.
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Holly Jolly History
Have you ever paused, mid-carol, and wondered “Why would someone give their beloved So Many Birds?!?” Does the presence of eggnog at family gatherings both intrigue and confuse you? Do you fear – but long to befriend – the Yule Cat? Take a factual and fun journey into the merry and sometimes macabre origins of Christmas traditions!
I Read Every Charles Dickens Novel in Order
Charles Dickens wrote five perfect, timeless masterpieces; two bad books; and nine novels that lie somewhere in-between. With so many titles to choose from, it can be difficult for the uninitiated to find a trailhead into the world of Dickens. I spent the last ten months reading all 14 of Dickens’s novels to better guide readers through this strange and lovely domain.
If you are looking for a place to start with Charles Dickens, my recommendation is simple. If it is December, read A Christmas Carol. If it is any other month, you should read Great Expectations, A Tale of Two Cities, David Copperfield, or Oliver Twist.
I will be assigning the novels into three tiers: Perfect Masterpieces (*), Good to great (+), and not recommended (-).
Learn More: Nuclear Power
Nuclear energy both deeply intrigues and deeply terrifies me. I’ve been reading Marco Visscher’s “The Power of Nuclear” to understand the various contexts and histories surrounding this energy source — one that is poised to redefine and transform the global energy paradigm. Here are some more titles that you can explore too.
Light, Legacy, and Learning: Nonfiction Reads for Kwanzaa and the New Year
Kwanzaa invites reflection, renewal, and connection—seven days devoted to the principles that strengthen community and spirit. As one year ends and another begins, these nonfiction reads celebrate Black history, culture, creativity, resilience, and unity. Perfect for thoughtful evenings, family discussions, and envisioning what you’ll build together in the year ahead.
Light Reads to Combat Early Sunsets
The nights are getting longer so here are some books to lighten up your mood.
Making Together Collaborative Collage
Gina Lee Robbins and Vanessa Monfreda are artists and friends who are practiced in leading bilingual, therapeutic art-making experiences. Join them for Making Together: Collaborative Collage Book, in branches throughout 2026. See the Making Together Schedule.
Remembering Alice Wong (1974-2025)
On November 14th, disability rights activist Alice Wong passed away at the age of 51. She was born in Indianapolis and graduated from Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis with a BA in English and sociology (and went on to get a master’s in medical sociology from the University of California). She published several books — a memoir about her own experiences and several anthologies that featured stories and essays from other disabled voices. She founded The Disability Visibility Project, an online community dedicated to creating, sharing, and amplifying disability media and culture. Wong was a huge presence and mentor in the disability advocacy community, often described as taking people “under her wing”. She is survived by her parents, two sisters, and her cats, Bert and Ernie.
This list consists of the titles in our collection from, or that feature, Wong and links to find out more about her and her work.
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Retellings & Reimagining: Manga & Anime Based on Other Stories
While manga and anime often depict original stories, there are quite a few titles that are adaptations of existing classics and mythologies. Some even take liberties to reimagine characters and settings to tell a whole new story.
The Strength Within Us
Created for this year’s Fall Fest and Slammin’ Rhymes Challenge XIX, The Strength Within Us reading list celebrates the power, resilience, and creativity that live in our communities (especially within Black stories and storytellers). Inspired by this year’s theme of inspiration, cultural expression, and collective uplift, this list highlights books that explore what it means to endure, to dream, and to rise.
US Government and Religious Freedom
The “Establishment Clause” of the US Constitution begins “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…” What did the freedom of/from religion mean then, and what does it mean today? On this well-debated topic, here is a collection of diverse 21st-century perspectives to consider, over 200 years after these words were codified.
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Voices of the American Revolution
On November 16th, 2025, PBS began airing “The American Revolution,” a 6-part documentary created by Ken Burns, Sarah Botstein, and David Schmidt. This documentary presents a detailed account of America’s founding. A staple of this type of documentary is narration using first-hand accounts from letters, diaries, and records. The accounts of those who lived this history are illuminating and bring these events to life, painting often mythologized figures as real people. They can also provide fresh insight and perspectives from historically marginalized voices.
While researching this list, it was easy to imagine an infinite number of lists about different topics related to the American Revolution – each equally important and informative. This particular list compiles some of the letters, writings, biographies, and histories of the figures and personalities mentioned in the documentary and is meant to be a complement to the series.
Winter Holiday Romances
Cozy up this holiday season with different romance novels that center Diwali, Hannukah, Christmas, and New Year’s!
Winter Mysteries and Thrillers
Need a chilly read? Here are some winter thrillers to keep you up at night!
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