Read, White, & Blue -Voices of America is AAPLD's special reading challenge to celebrate our nation's 250th birthday. Open to AAPLD cardholders 18 and over, the challenge invites you to read books from 13 all-American categories between now and July 31, 2026. Visit Adult Services at the Main Library or Eastgate Branch to sign up.

Did you know that many upcoming AAPLD book club reads fit Read, White, & Blue categories? Click on the book title to register for the meeting when the book will be discussed. If you attended a book club meeting in March, your book may also fit a Read, White & Blue category. Ask your group leader if you're not sure.

Whether you're a book club enthusiast, or simply book club curious, AAPLD's variety of book clubs make it easy to find one that fits your schedule and what you love to read. Register today!

Stranger Than Fiction, 1st Tuesday of the month, 6:30 p.m., Eastgate: Historical Figures (Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family by Robert Kolker).

Spinecrackers, 1st Friday of the month, 10:00 a.m., Main Library: Regions and Geography (Where The Rivers Merge by Mary Alice Monroe), Historical Turning Points (The Listeners by Maggie Stiefvater), Historical Figures (The Girl From Greenwich Street by Lauren Willig).

Forever Young, 2nd Monday of the month, 6:30 p.m., Eastgate: American Dream (Everything We Never Had by Randy Ribay) and The Pursuit of Happiness (A Long Stretch of Bad Days by Mindy McGinnis).

Unicorns and Spaceships, 2nd Tuesday of the Month, 6:30 p.m. Eastgate: We The People (When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill)

Friends of Fiction, 2nd Wednesday of the month, 7:00 p.m., Main Library: The Pursuit of Happiness (Carrie Soto Is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid).

Happily Ever After, 3rd Monday of the month, 7:00 p.m., Main Library: Regions and Geography (This Could Be Us by Kennedy Ryan), American History (Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid)

Nail Biters, 3rd Tuesday of the month, 6:30 p.m., Eastgate: American History (The Cuban Heiress by Chanel Cleeton), Regions and Geography (With A Vengeance by Riley Sager and Guess Again by Charlie Donlea)

The Next Chapter, 3rd Friday of the month, 2:00 p.m., Main Library: American History (Rules of Civility by Amor Towles), National Parks/Natural Wonders (The Unwanted Guest by Shari Lapena), Historical Figures (Being Henry by Henry Winkler).

Oh, The Horror, last Tuesday of the month, 7:00 p.m. Virtual: Schools, Libraries, and Museums (Chlorine by Jade Song), Regions and Geography (The Z Word by Lindsay King-Miller)

Get ready, get set, go!

Reading Marathon, AAPLD's newest reading challenge starts today, and we're excited! Beginning February 1, AAPLD cardholders, 18 and over, will have the chance to stretch their reading muscles by reading 26 books! With 26 different reading themes-- like 26 miles in a marathon-- there's plenty to keep you reading all the way to the end of November.  Even better, any Reading Marathon books read during Summer Reading, count towards both programs.  To read more about how the Reading Marathon Challenge works, check out our page.

Now if you're thinking, "26 books? Easy peasy!" be sure to stop by the Adult Services desk and tell us what you're reading!  (The rumors are true...library staff love to talk about books.) But if you're thinking, "26 books? You've got to be kidding!" Read on. You can do this, and we're here to help, with 7 tips for success.

1. Review Your To Be Read List- if you keep a list of books you'd like to read, pick up a Reading Marathon log sheet at the Adult Services desk and note which books fit the themes. Use Goodreads or NoveList to see covers, page counts, author info and more.
2. Attend a book club meeting - Many AAPLD book clubs will read at least one book this year that fits a Reading Marathon theme. A few suggestions: The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo (Title = Family; Unicorns & Spaceships, February) Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld (NYT Bestseller; Happily Ever After, April), The Nigerwife by Vanessa Walters (Set overseas; Nail Biters, June), I Have Some Questions For You by Rebecca Makkai (Illinois Author; Fiction Addition, July); Confessions by Kanae Minato (Translated Work; Oh, The Horror!, August); Trippy: The Peril and Promise of Medicinal Psychedelics by Ernesto Londono (Road on the Cover; Stranger Than Fiction, September)
3. Browse our displays - Each month, we'll feature two Reading Marathon themes on display in the Adult Services area by Study Room D.
4. Look Around Your House- The "Own It, Haven't Read It" theme lets you choose a book from your household collection. You might find unread books that fit other themes too.
5. Try an E-book or Audiobook- While there's nothing like curling up with a print book, ebooks and audiobooks are great for reading on the go. Listen on your commute, while working around the house, or on a road trip. Download ebooks so you always have a book handy.
6. Ask us! Need suggestions for what to read, or want to learn to use our reading apps? Your friendly library staff is ready to help.
7. Make reading a healthy new habit - For many of us, the problem isn't what to read, but finding the time. Ebooks can help you fit reading into the small pockets of time you're likely to spend scrolling. Combine audiobooks with walks, or workouts at the gym. Swap your phone, social media and news apps for a book-- especially before bedtime. Your mind and body will thank you!

It's Pride Month, a great time to discover new authors and voices. For thriller, mystery and horror fans, there are plenty of gripping reads featuring Queer characters, sure to keep you turning pages on a long summer night. Click on the titles to place a hold, and add them to your Oceans of Possibility Summer Reading list.

Not signed up for Summer Reading? It's easy-- just register at the library or online, and read three books to win great local coupons and a Summer Reading t-shirt. AAPLD cardholders can keep reading, to earn up to 15 entries for our Grand Prize drawings at the end of the summer.

Have fun, stay cool, and keep on reading!

The Last Drop of Hemlock by Katharine Schellman - New York, 1924. Vivian Kelly has gotten a job at the Nightingale, a speakeasy known to the young and fun as a place where the rules of society can be tossed aside. Of course, things were even better before Uncle Pearlie, the doorman for the Nightingale, was poisoned. Pearlie's death is ruled a suicide, but there have been rumors of a mysterious letter writer, blackmailing Vivian's poorest neighbors for their most valuable possessions, threatening poison if they don't comply. With the Nightingale's dangerously lovely owner worried for her employees' safety, Vivian finds herself digging through a dead man's past in hopes of stopping a killer.

Lavender House by Lev A.C. Rosen - In 1952 the recipes of recently deceased matriarch Irene Lamontaine, head of the famous Lamontaine soap empire, for her signature scents are a well guarded secret―but it's not the only one. The Lamontaine estate offers a unique freedom, where none of the residents or staff hide who they are. But to keep their secret, they've needed to keep others out. And now they're worried they're keeping a murderer in.

Irene’s widow hires Evander Mills to uncover the truth behind her mysterious death. Recently fired from the San Francisco police after being caught in a raid on a gay bar, Andy is happy to accept. Andy had never imagined a world like Lavender House. He's seduced by the safety and freedom found behind its gates, where a Queer family lives honestly and openly. But that honesty doesn't extend to everything, and he quickly finds himself a pawn in a family game of old money, subterfuge, and jealousy―and Irene’s death is only the beginning.

The Shards by Bret Easton Ellis - Bret Easton Ellis's masterful new novel is a story about the end of innocence, and the perilous passage from adolescence into adulthood, set in a vibrantly fictionalized Los Angeles in 1981 as a serial killer begins targeting teenagers throughout the city. Set against the intensely vivid and nostalgic backdrop of pre-Less Than Zero LA, The Shards is a mesmerizing fusing of fact and fiction, the real and the imagined, that brilliantly explores the emotional fabric of Bret's life at 17-sex and jealousy, obsession and murderous rage. Gripping, sly, suspenseful, deeply haunting and often darkly funny, The Shards is Ellis at his inimitable best.

The Spare Room by Andrea Bartz Kelly’s new life in Philadelphia has turned into a nightmare: She’s friendless and jobless, and the man she gave up everything for has just called off their wedding. The only bright spot is her newly rekindled friendship with her childhood friend Sabrina. When Sabrina and her handsome husband offer Kelly the spare room of their remote Virginia mansion, she jumps at the chance. There, Kelly finds herself falling for both her enchanting hosts. At first, Kelly loves being part of this risqué new world. But when Kelly discovers that the last woman Sabrina and Nathan invited into their marriage is missing, she starts to wonder if they could be dangerous . . . and if she might be next.

The Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw - From USA Today bestselling author Cassandra Khaw comes The Salt Grows Heavy, a razor-sharp and bewitching fairytale of discovering the darkness in the world, and the darkness within oneself. You know how the fairytale goes: a mermaid comes to shore and weds the prince. But what the fables forget is that mermaids have teeth. And now, her daughters have devoured the kingdom and burned it to ashes. On the run, the mermaid is joined by a mysterious plague doctor with a darkness of their own. Deep in the eerie, snow-crusted forest, the pair stumble upon a village of ageless children who thirst for blood, and the three 'saints' who control them. The mermaid and her doctor must embrace the cruellest parts of their true nature if they hope to survive.

Just Like Home by Sarah Gailey - “Come home.” Vera’s mother called and Vera obeyed. In spite of their long estrangement, in spite of the memories -- she's come back to the home of a serial killer. Back to face the love she had for her father and the bodies he buried there. Coming home is hard enough for Vera, and to make things worse, she and her mother aren’t alone. A parasitic artist has moved into the guest house out back, and is slowly stripping Vera’s childhood for spare parts. He insists that he isn’t the one leaving notes around the house in her father’s handwriting… but who else could it possibly be?
There are secrets yet undiscovered in the foundations of the notorious Crowder House. Vera must face them, and find out for herself just how deep the rot goes.