Have you been keeping up with the Massachusetts Reading Challenge? Sponsored by the Massachusetts Center for the Book, this year-long challenge is a great way to read more! To participate, readers must read a book that falls under the theme or genre for that month. The year is not quite yet over, so please find below some suggested titles to finish up the challenge!
September: A book by an author with your first or last name.
How Will I Know You? by Jessica Treadway- Looking for a good mystery to cozy up with this fall? Look no further than How Will I Know You? The tragic murder of a high school student in a small town and the ensuing investigation will pull you in as the story is told in four different perspectives - the victim’s mother, one of the suspects, someone from the investigation, and the victim’s best friend. Also available as an ebook.
The Revolutionary Samuel Adams by Stacy Schiff - Perhaps historical nonfiction is more your cup of tea. This 2022 biography of Samuel Adams sets the scene of the American Revolution in Boston and sheds light on Adams, the leader of it all. Schiff is a Pulitzer Prize winning biographer, and her account of Adams is both entertaining and insightful. Also available as an ebook.
Search the catalog using the ‘Author’ field to find an author who shares your name!
October: A bestseller from the year you turned 18.
This is a fun one as it gives you a glimpse into what was popular at the time! Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you need assistance finding archived bestseller lists. For example, I turned 18 in 2010. Some bestsellers of 2010 included The Help by Kathryn Stockett, Change Your Brain, Change Your Body by Daniel G. Amen, and Caught by Harlan Coben.
November: A book recommended by a local bookseller.
Check out our neighbor, Beacon Hill Books, for recommendations. A tip - check to see if your favorite local book shop has social media. Oftentimes, staff will post top picks, book suggestions, plot summaries, and more!
December: A book published in 2023.
Interstellar: The Search for Extraterrestrial Life and Our Future in the Stars by Avi Loeb- Published in August of this year, comes Avi Loeb’s anticipated follow up to his 2021 book Extraterrestrial. Interstellar is an exciting and accessible read on the advances in technology to make contact with alien life. In addition, author Avi Loeb was at the State Library this month speaking on Interstellar. You can view the recorded author talk on our YouTube channel!
Harvard Square: A Love Story By Catherine J. Turco - Author, economic sociologist, and Harvard Square resident, Catherine Turco delves into the history of this Cambridge neighborhood. Described as intellectual and emotional, this book explores urban change and what it means for the people who inhabit, frequent, and enjoy marketplaces like Harvard Square.
More 2023 Titles Below!
- Under the Skin: Tattoos, Scalps, and the Contested Language of Bodies in Early America by Mairin Odle
- Easy Money: American Puritans and the Invention of Modern Currency by Dror Goldberg
- American Inheritance: Liberty and Slavery in the Birth of a Nation, 1765-1795 by Edward J. Larson
- Ending Epidemics: A History of Escape from Contagion by Richard Conniff
- A Constitutional Culture: New England and the Struggle against Arbitrary Rule in the Restoration Empire by Adrian Chastain Weimer
We continually add new titles to the collection, so stop by room 341 of the State House to browse!
As a Reading Challenge Partner, please contact the Reference Department (reference.department@mass.gov) with any questions! September is Library Card Sign-Up Month! Massachusetts State Employees are eligible for a State Library Card. Sign up today so you can check out any of the titles above or read as ebooks!
April Pascucci
Legislative Reference Librarian