Book Lists
Curated content from our librarians in a variety of genres. This page is home to book lists for adults - you can also find book recommendations for kids and for teens.
See our Racial Equity Resources for curated lists of not just books but also videos, local organizations, podcasts, etc. put together by our librarians with suggestions from groups working on racial equity and social justice in Madison.
- 46 Artists for America's First Ladies updated Feb 2022
- 2022 Cozy Mystery Titles updated Oct 2022
- African American Fiction updated Jan 2023
- African American History & Culture; with Memoirs, Essays, and More updated Jan 2023
- American History updated Dec 2020
- Asian American Fiction updated Jun 2020
- Asian Pacific American History & Culture; with Memoirs, Essays and Poetry updated Mar 2021
- Best Books of 2021 updated Dec 2021
- Best Books of 2022 updated Jan 2023
- Beyond Bestsellers - Fiction, Fall 2022 updated Oct 2022
- Beyond Bestsellers - Fiction, Spring 2022 updated Apr 2022
- Beyond Bestsellers - Fiction, Summer 2022 updated Jul 2022
- Beyond Bestsellers - Fiction, Winter 2023 updated Jan 2023
- Beyond Bestsellers - Nonfiction, Fall 2022 updated Oct 2022
- Beyond Bestsellers - Nonfiction, Spring 2022 updated Apr 2022
- Beyond Bestsellers - Nonfiction, Summer 2022 updated Jul 2022
- Beyond Bestsellers - Nonfiction, Winter 2023 updated Jan 2023
- Beyond Bestsellers: The Best of the New updated Jan 2022
- Biographies updated May 2020
- Birding Books updated Aug 2022
- Black Women's Wellness updated Aug 2021
- Book Clubs in the Media: Oprah's Picks and More updated Feb 2021
- Completed Fantasy Series updated May 2021
- Contemporary Romance updated Feb 2022
- Cookbooks & Food Writing updated Jul 2020
- Cozy Mystery Authors updated Oct 2019
- Crafternoon! Cooking and Cheeseboards, oh my! updated Dec 2020
- Crafternoon! Journaling and Telling Your Story updated Dec 2020
- Crafternoon! Poetry and Papercraft updated Feb 2021
- Crime in Translation updated Nov 2019
- Dyslexia Awareness updated Dec 2020
- Dystopian, Apocalyptic, and Post-Apocalyptic Fiction updated Apr 2020
- Early Madison updated Jul 2020
- East Asia in Wisconsin updated Jan 2021
- Explore Nature in Wisconsin and the National Parks updated Mar 2022
- Gardening Books updated May 2021
- Gerrymandering Book List updated Feb 2021
- Graphic Novel Memoirs and Biographies updated May 2020
- Graphic Novels with (Mostly) Live Action Adaptations updated May 2021
- Historical Romances updated May 2021
- History of the African American Experience in Madison updated Jul 2020
- Latino Fiction updated Jul 2020
- Latino History & Culture; with Memoirs, Essays, and Poetry updated Feb 2021
- LGBTQ+ History, Biographies, and Memoirs updated Mar 2021
- LGBTQ+ Reads for Black History Month (and any other time of year!) updated Feb 2021
- LGBTQ+ Recommended Fiction updated Dec 2019
- LGBTQ+ Romances updated Jun 2021
- Library Book Club Fiction Recommendations updated Jul 2020
- Memoirs updated Apr 2022
- Mental Health Awareness updated May 2021
- Military History updated Dec 2020
- Muslim Authors in Adult Fiction, Memoirs, Poetry and Graphic Novels updated Mar 2022
- Narrative Nonfiction Library Staff Picks updated Jun 2020
- Native American and Indigenous Fiction updated Nov 2022
- Native American and Indigenous History & Culture; with Memoirs, Essays, and Poetry updated Nov 2022
- Naturalist-in-Residence Inspired Book List updated Sep 2022
- Poetry: New and Not-to-Miss Anthologies and Collections updated Mar 2022
- Racial Equity Resources updated Jun 2020
- Read Africa updated Aug 2021
- Remarkable Women: Fiction, History, and Memoirs to Celebrate Women's History Month updated Mar 2021
- Retired Women Sleuths updated Nov 2019
- Spanish LGBTQ+ Reads updated Sep 2022
- Summer Reads for 2021: Buzzed-About Fiction updated May 2021
- Summer Reads for 2022 updated Jun 2022
- Time Travel, Alternate Histories, & Parallel Universes updated May 2022
- Time(is): An Exploration of Black Art in Madison updated Apr 2022
- Too Good To Miss updated Nov 2019
- True Crime updated May 2021
- Walktober updated Sep 2020
- Where the Crawdads Sing Readalikes updated Jun 2022
- Wisconsin Fiction Authors updated Oct 2022
- Wisconsin Film Festival Films on DVD and Blu-ray updated Mar 2019
- Wisconsin Literary Awards updated May 2022
- Women Sleuths updated Nov 2019
- World History updated Dec 2020