Booklist Reader

Published by Booklist, an imprint of the American Library Association. Booklist Reader features diverse book and audiobook recommendations, for readers and listeners of all ages. Filled with high-interest, themed lists that showcase books for your family or book discussion group.

From the Editor & Publisher

Booklist Reader

True-Crime Books • The best true-crime books from the last year focus on victims and survivors, expose the social inequities underlying our criminal justice system, and read like harsher, more tragic crime novels.

Mysteries & Thrillers • The top ten mysteries and thrillers of the year feature multiple narratives, hot-button issues, and, of course, murder.

Debut Mysteries & Thrillers • Historical mysteries, socially aware themes, and superbly rendered settings are just a few of the dominating elements of these ten superlative mysteries and thrillers from first-time writers and authors new to crime fiction.

Recent California Noir • California is the birthplace of hard-boiled detective novels, with James M. Cain, Raymond Chandler, and Dashiell Hammett seeding the genre. Now, longtime heavy hitters continue to add new titles to vibrant series, while California noir blossoms all across the Golden State in tales clever, wrenching, and comedic as ranks of noir writers expand to include women and writers of color, deeply enriching the tradition.

Recent Latinx Fiction • Reader favorites and debuting fiction writers alike have created imaginative, dramatic, and insightful novels and story collections about Latinx culture and families and the dreams and struggles of thoughtful and determined individuals.

Slow-Burn Love Stories • There’s nothing quite like the delayed satisfaction of a slow-burn love story like Shiloh and Cary’s in Rainbow Rowell’s Slow Dance. From sweet romances to more sprawling, literary works, these read-alikes draw out the conflicts and reunions of true love, for deliriously good reading.

Love in a Time of Time-Shifting • Characters are baffled by wrinkles in time and wormholes in these audio and print time-shift tales about the ones that got away, the people we would have been, and love that endures (or doesn’t!).

Adult • Get your hands on these hotly anticipated books, all out this month.

September 2024 • The Top Ten Adult Fiction and Nonfiction Chosen Monthly by America’s Library Staff

September 2024 HALL OF FAME TITLES • The LibraryReads Hall of Fame designation honors authors who have had multiple titles appear on the monthly list since 2013.

Mysteries & Thrillers on Audio • This year’s top 10 audiobooks for crime and thriller listeners include a number of debuts, along with some favorite author/narrator pairings.

Mysteries for True-Crime Podcast Fans • Some of these titles feature full, star-power casts; others are performed by a solo (wow!) narrator. All are high entertainment for sure, like Amy Tintera’s podcast-informed adult debut, Listen for the Lie.

PBS BOOKS

Mysteries & Thrillers for Youth • These MG and YA mysteries push genre boundaries and investigate social issues as thrilling as their plots.

Writer’s Backstory Shining the Light on MWIW

Puzzling Middle-Grade Mysteries • Especially popular with advanced readers, puzzling stories may incorporate ciphers, logic or number games, sophisticated wordplay, or other interactive elements that enhance aspects of the mysterious story line. Prepare to be on standby with pencils, scratch paper, and helpful hints as readers match wits with these impressive fictional problem solvers!

Children & Teens • Get your hands on these hotly anticipated books, all out this month.

Katherine Rundell and Ashley Mackenzie’s Impossible Creatures

Fight for the Freedom to...