Skip to Main Content
Downtown Library Closed, Some Spaces Open
- Search our catalog for books, DVDs, and more.
- See which branches have the item, and whether it is currently available.
- Place holds on items (log in required).
Log in to your Account
- See what you have checked out and when it's due
- Submit a renewal request
- Request new items for purchase or inter-library loan
Catálogo en españo
New Fiction and Non-Fiction Print Books
Book Recommendations 2024
HPL Weekly Book Recommendations:
Check out what we're reading
Celebrating women writers all month long.
|
|
Viral Justice
Ruha Benjamin
A passionate and inspiring book on how we can build a more just and joyful world one small change at a time.
"[A] brilliant and impassioned book."
—Paradigm Explorer
"There’s no one better to light the way out and guide us in building a just future than Ruha Benjamin." —-Ms. Magazine
|
|
Maame
Jessica George
New York Times Best Seller
Smart, funny, and poignant novel that shares one young woman's journey to independence and self-discovery.
"...tender and comic, this portrait of a young woman's journey to self-understanding is triumphant." —People
"A pitch-perfect debut. Readers will revel in this." —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
|
|
HPL Weekly Book Recommendations:
Check out what we're reading
It's Women's History Month.
|
|
The Soul of a Woman
Isabel Allende
In a memoir with enormous spirit and heart, Isabel Allende presents a rich and intimate account of her lifelong commitment to feminism.
“[Isabel] Allende is a genius.” —Los Angeles Times Book Review
“Allende teases, tempts and titillates with mesmerizing stories.” —The Washington Post
|
|
Let Us Descend
Jesmyn Ward
Oprah’s Book Club Pick
A beautifully written and lyrical novel that tells the story of an enslaved girl in the years before the Civil War.
"A devastating, deeply moving masterpiece." —Good Housekeeping
“Superb . . . Angry, beautiful, raw, visceral, and heartfelt.” —NPR
|
|
HPL Weekly Book Recommendations:
Check out what we're reading
We're celebrating Black History Month.
This week is for our YA Friends
|
|
How to Live Without You
Sarah Everett
A heart-wrenching coming-of-age story about sisters, family, grief, and second chances.
“A riveting, thought-provoking read.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“Comprising equal parts mystery and tender coming-of-age story.” —School Library Journal
|
|
I Rise
Marie Arnold
A powerful and engaging story about systematic racism and a strong and determined young woman.
"Smart and funny and full of heart. "
—Kwame Alexander, New York Times best-selling author
"A powerful read for justice-minded teens." —ALA Booklist
|
|
HPL Weekly Book Recommendations:
Check out what we're reading
We're celebrating Black History Month.
Rediscover important and beloved literature
|
|
Their Eyes Were Watching God
Zora Neale Hurston
PBS Great American Read Top100 Pick
Originally published in 1937 and a classic of the Harlem Renaissance, this novel has become one of the most important and enduring works of modern American literature.
"A deeply soulful novel that comprehends love and cruelty, and separates the big people from the small of heart, without ever losing sympathy for those unfortunates who don't know how to live properly."
—Zadie Smith
|
|
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
Maya Angelou
"All-TIME 100
Non-Fiction Books" Time Magazine
Originally published in 1969, this modern-day classic is filled with joy, pain, poetry and mystery. It will touch the hearts of all who read it for the first time or over and over again.
“I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings liberates the reader into life simply because Maya Angelou confronts her own life with such a moving wonder, such a luminous dignity.” —James Baldwin
|
|
HPL Weekly Book Recommendations:
Check out what we're reading
We're celebrating Black History Month.
(We are loving the author Kiley Reid this week)
|
|
Come & Get It
Kiley Reid
An Indie Next Pick
Paper thin walls between dorm rooms sets the stage for intrigue and bad behavior in this spellbinding novel about race, class, and privilege.
"An emotionally intense exploration of power dynamics within relationships that doesn’t settle for easy villains and victims." —Library Journal
"Reid is a genius of mimicry and social observation." —Kirkus Reviews
|
|
Such a Fun Age
Kiley Reid
Longlisted for the 2020 Booker Prize
A riveting story about race and privilege with a young black babysitter, her well-intentioned employer, and a surprising connection that threatens to undo them both.
“A plot so beautifully intricate and real and fascinating...” —Washington Post
“[A] hilarious, uncomfortable and compulsively readable story about race and class.” —Time
|
|
HPL Weekly Book Recommendations:
Check out what we're reading
We're celebrating Black History Month.
|
|
In Every Mirror She's Black
Lolá Ákínmádé Åkerström
A Good Morning America Buzz Pick
A compelling and rich story told through the perspective of three women whose lives intersect in an interesting way.
"A striking debut...As entertaining as it is revealing" —Booklist
"An engaging novel that presents the nuanced experiences of Black women from all walks of life." —Essence
|
|
Deacon King Kong
James McBride
Oprah's Book Club Pick
A mystery, a love story, and an urban farce all wrapped up into one incredible novel. A must read for all.
"An exuberant comic opera set to the music of life."—Kirkus Reviews
"Shouldn’t we just get it over with and declare McBride this decade’s Great American Novelist?" —Los Angeles Times
|
|
|
HPL Weekly Book Recommendations:
Check out what we're reading
Non-fiction that reads like a great novel.
|
|
Maybe You Should Talk to Someone
Lori Gottlieb
New York Times Bestseller
Poignant, smart, and funny. This insightful book explores what it means to be human and our path to happiness.
"Authentic . . . raw . . . an irresistibly candid and addicting memoir” —New York Times
"Written with grace, humor, wisdom, and compassion, this [is a] heartwarming journey of self-discovery." —Library Journal
|
|
Bad Blood
John Carreyrou
National Bestseller
Proving truth is stranger than fiction, this is a compelling and wild story of how Theranos founder and CEO Elizabeth Holmes was able to hoodwink so many with her lies.
“Chilling . . . Reads like a thriller . . . Carreyrou tells [the Theranos story] virtually to perfection.” —The New York Times Book Review
". . . riveting, read-in-one-sitting tour de force . . ." —Booklist (Starred Review)
|
|
HPL Weekly Book Recommendations:
Check out what we're reading
Original and thoughtful novels for the times we live in.
|
|
Klara and the Sun
Kazuo Ishiguro
The New York Times Bestseller
A haunting, hopeful novel about life and love in the time of AI.
“A delicate, haunting story, steeped in sorrow and hope.” —The Washington Post
"A masterpiece that will make you think about life, mortality, the saving grace of love: in short, the all of it.” —NPR
|
|
The Glitch
Elisabeth Cohen
A funny and smart novel about an overscheduled, overworked woman who has lost control when a "glitch" enters her life.
"Razor-sharp…a hilarious send-up of tech culture and the notion of women 'having it all'." —The New York Post
"Clever, original, and unabashedly silly fun." —Kirkus (Starred Review)
|
|
HPL Weekly Book Recommendations:
Check out what we're reading
Celebrating The Best of 2023
|
|
The Bee Sting
Paul Murray
The New York Times Top 10 Books of 2023
An epic saga that follows an Irish family through many struggles and fortunes, and the discovery of what it means to be a good person.
"Every paragraph is marked by Murray’s stylistic brilliance and daring.” —The Washington Post
“Murray’s writing is pure joy . . . "
—The New York Times Book Review
|
|
If I Survive You
Jonathan Escoffery
The 2023 Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction
A beautiful collection of linked short stories about a Jamaican family struggling to survive and to remain hopeful at the same time.
"Escoffery's debut is nothing short of breathtaking." —The Today Show
"Remarkable . . . [there is an] immense talent on display in this debut." —Cory Oldweiler, Minneapolis StarTribune
|
|
HPL Weekly Book Recommendations:
Check out what we're reading
It's cold outside.
The perfect time to sink into a good mystery.
|
|
Like a Sister
Kellye Garrett
Shortlisted for the 2023 Edgar Allan Poe Awards
This suspense novel will remind you of Alfred Hitchcock at his best. A mystery filled with murder and intrigue for today's modern times.
"A twisty murder mystery with nuance and heart.” —BookPage
"Sharp, smart, and heartbreaking."
—Reader's Digest
|
|
None of This is True
Lisa Jewell
New York Times Bestseller
A psychological thriller filled with dark secrets, a crime podcast, and birthday twins. (Yes, that is a thing.)
"The book’s unreliable narrator, dark twists and unending suspense will keep you on edge until the very last page.” —NPR
"... a gloriously dark, glittering creepfest..." —Amazon Book Review
|
|
HPL Weekly Book Recommendations:
Check out what we're reading
Starting the year of with the laugh
|
|
You Can't Touch My Hair
Phoebe Robinson
New York Times Bestseller
A hilarious (seriously, you will LOL) and timely essay collection about race, gender, and pop culture from comedy superstar and 2 Dope Queens podcaster Phoebe Robinson.
"…a promising debut by a talented, genuinely funny writer.” —Publishers Weekly
"Honest, touching, laugh-out-loud funny.” —Kevin Bacon, actor and musician
|
|
My Sister, the Serial Killer
Oyinkan Braithwaite
Booker Prize Nominee
You will fly through the pages of this rapidly paced dark comedy that tells the story of two sisters, one who is a killer and the other who is protecting her.
"It’s the wittiest and most fun murder party you’ve ever been invited to.”
—Marie Clare
"...a bombshell of a book—sharp, explosive, hilarious." —The New York Times Book Review
|
|
Hartford Public Library
Central Branch: 500 Main Street. Hartford, CT 06103
Phone: 860-695-6300 | Text: 860-530-4376 | Email: contactus@hplct.org | Chat: www.hplct.org
For Branch locations and hours, click here.