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 Publisher

Booklist Reader

Environment & Sustainability Books

The Perils of Plastics and Toxic Chemicals • These gripping stories of corporate greed and malfeasance resulting in health and environmental crises followed by attempted cover-ups are told by courageous and indomitable whistleblowers and equally valiant and determined journalists, reminding us that truth-tellers and reporters are crucial to our well-being and that of the entire living world.

Novels of Fires and Floods • Visions of Earth besieged by floods and wildfires propel these intensely dramatic, vividly imagined, psychologically rich, and ecologically conscious novels and one linked-story collection, each a tale of nature’s beauty and wonders and human hubris and vulnerability.

Indigenous Horror • In a genre often driven by real-life histories of violence, Indigenous horror comes with a deep well of intergenerational trauma and atrocity, as well as thousands of years of tradition, legend, and beliefs to draw from. Readers are compelled by the rich, haunting work of Indigenous authors, and these volumes are a testament to a growing, exciting set of voices.

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

Michael Connelly • We caught up with Michael Connelly as Nightshade, his fortieth book, was poised for release. Nightshade launches a new series with a new protagonist, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Detective Stilwell, who has been banished to a lowly posting in an intriguing setting.

Sam Lumley • Sam Lumley is an Autistic, queer author writing about people who are Autistic, queer, having fun, becoming more comfortable in their own skin, finding romance, solving mysteries—and sometimes, all of the above. Visit him at SamLumley.com.

July 2025 • The Top Ten Adult Fiction and Nonfiction Chosen Monthly by America’s Library Staff

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

PBS BOOKS Program Highlights

Young Adult Abigail Marks for HarperAudio • HarperAudio’s How the Boogeyman Became a Poet, produced by Abigail Marks, is the first memoir-in-verse to win the Odyssey Award. It is the story of the poet Tony Keith Jr., the book’s author and narrator, as he comes of age and discovers himself as a young gay Black man and as a poet. Throughout the audiobook, listeners are continually presented with new experiences through the judicious and inventive use of sound and music, all while hearing the relatable, rhythmic story directly from the poet himself. We asked Marks about these creative production choices.

YA Odyssey • How the Boogeyman Became a Poet, written by Tony Keith Jr., is a coming-of-age memoir in verse. Teen listeners seeking similar vulnerability and authenticity in poetic form will love these audiobooks.

Youth Andy T. Jones for Dreamscape • From its first moments, A Plate of Hope, this year’s Odyssey Winner for youth, transports listeners into the cultural and culinary life of the great philanthropist José Andrés of World Central Kitchen. Through the judicious and heartfelt efforts of producer Andy T. Jones for Dreamscape, we hear music, sound effects, and voices that convert this picture-book biography into a sensory feast.

Youth Odyssey • Young listeners who are inspired by the life of World Central Kitchen’s chef José Andrés in A Plate of Hope will enjoy these audio and video interpretations of the lives of other real-life role...