Ready to broaden your reading horizons? Every year, we offer up fresh reading prompts as part of our Broader Bookshelf Reading Challenge. Use these staff recommendations and reviews to get started, and don't forget to check out our special events and author visits related to the challenge. 

 

Womb City
The Smoke That Thunders
Staff Picks

2025 Nommo Awards

  • Ellen D.
  • Monday, December 08
The Nommo Awards recognize works of speculative fiction by Africans. That is, "science fiction, fantasy, stories of magic and traditional belief, alternative histories, horror and strange stuff that might not fit in anywhere else." Every other year, the members of the African Speculative Fiction Society (ASFS) nominate works in the following categories: Novels, Novellas, Short Stories, and Graphic Novels.
Blog
Richland Library Main

7 New Books for May

  • Megan M.
  • Thursday, May 07
This month's picks feature family sagas from the South Dakota to the Arctic and murder...

Apr 13 10:30 a.m.

Event
Richland Library Eastover

Book Group: Book and Brew Club

Join The Book and Brew (Tea/Coffee), where each month we explore a book, pairing it with tea and/or coffee that complements the book's themes and mood.

Event Type(s):

Clubs and Groups

Audience(s):

Adults

Feb 09 10:30 a.m.

Event
Richland Library Eastover

Book Group: Book and Brew Club

Join The Book and Brew (Tea/Coffee), where each month we explore a book, pairing it with tea and/or coffee that complements the book's themes and mood.

Event Type(s):

Clubs and Groups

Audience(s):

Adults

Dec 08 10:30 a.m.

Event
Richland Library Eastover

Book Group: Book and Brew Club

Join The Book and Brew (Tea/Coffee), where each month we explore a book, pairing it with tea and/or coffee that complements the book's themes and mood.

Event Type(s):

Clubs and Groups

Audience(s):

Adults

Aug 11 10:30 a.m.

Event
Richland Library Eastover

Book Group: Book and Brew Club

Join The Book and Brew (Tea/Coffee), where each month we explore a book,
pairing it with tea and/or coffee that complements the book's themes and mood.

Event Type(s):

Clubs and Groups

Audience(s):

Adults

May 11 10:30 a.m.

Event
Richland Library Eastover

Book Group: Book and Brew Club

Join The Book and Brew (Tea/Coffee), where each month we explore a book, pairing it with tea and/or coffee that complements the book's themes and mood.

Event Type(s):

Clubs and Groups

Audience(s):

Adults

Mar 09 10:30 a.m.

Event
Richland Library Eastover

Book Group: Book and Brew Club

Join The Book and Brew (Tea/Coffee), where each month we explore a book, pairing it with tea and/or coffee that complements the book's themes and mood.

Event Type(s):

Clubs and Groups

Audience(s):

Adults

Jan 12 10:30 a.m.

Event
Richland Library Eastover

Book Group: Book and Brew Club

Join The Book and Brew (Tea/Coffee), where each month we explore a book, pairing it with tea and/or coffee that complements the book's themes and mood.

Event Type(s):

Clubs and Groups

Audience(s):

Adults

Nov 10 10:30 a.m.

Event
Richland Library Eastover

Book Group: Book and Brew Club

Join The Book and Brew (Tea/Coffee), where each month we explore a book, pairing it with tea and/or coffee that complements the book's themes and mood.

Event Type(s):

Clubs and Groups

Audience(s):

Adults

Oct 13 10:30 a.m.

Event
Richland Library Eastover

Book Group: Book and Brew Club

Join The Book and Brew (Tea/Coffee), where each month we explore a book, pairing it with tea and/or coffee that complements the book's themes and mood.

Event Type(s):

Clubs and Groups

Audience(s):

Adults

Sep 08 10:30 a.m.

Event
Richland Library Eastover

Book Group: Book and Brew Club

Join The Book and Brew (Tea/Coffee), where each month we explore a book, pairing it with tea and/or coffee that complements the book's themes and mood.

Event Type(s):

Clubs and Groups

Audience(s):

Adults

Jul 14 10:30 a.m.

Event
Richland Library Eastover

Book Group: Book and Brew Club

Join The Book and Brew (Tea/Coffee), where each month we explore a book, pairing it with tea and/or coffee that complements the book's themes and mood.

Event Type(s):

Clubs and Groups

Audience(s):

Adults

Jun 09 10:30 a.m.

Event
Richland Library Eastover

Book Group: Book and Brew Club

Join The Book and Brew (Tea/Coffee), where each month we explore a book, pairing it with tea and/or coffee that complements the book's themes and mood.

Event Type(s):

Clubs and Groups

Audience(s):

Adults

Oct 09 3:00 p.m.

Event
Richland Library Operations Center

Richland Library Friends and Foundation Private Book Sale

Donors of $50 or more in the past year are invited to browse thousands of gently used books, CDs, DVDs, and more. All proceeds support library programs and services. Donations can be made online, mailed, or at the door.

Audience(s):

Families

May 12 10:30 a.m.

Event
Richland Library Eastover

Book Group: Book and Brew Club

Join The Book and Brew Club, where each month we explore a book, pairing it with tea and/or coffee that complements the book's themes and mood.

Event Type(s):

Clubs and Groups

Audience(s):

Adults
The Lost Art of Reading Nature's Signs
Great Outdoors U.S.A
Staff Picks

Broader Bookshelf 2026: Nature How-To

  • Sara M.
  • Thursday, January 22
Fulfill the Broader Bookshelf prompt to "Read a book about nature" with one of these books that tells you how to do things - recognize birds, go forest bathing, or introduce your kids to the natural world!
Loathe to Love You
Full Figured 18
Staff Picks

Broader Bookshelf 2026 - Read a Romance Novella

  • Ellen D.
  • Friday, January 09
Check out a book from this list to fulfill the 2026 Broader Bookshelf prompt 14. "Read a novella."Whether a stand-alone story, a group of novellas making up a miniature world, or a cute interstice in an established series, let these romance novellas take you on a tiny adventure!
Rose/House
The Big Book of Science Fiction /
Staff Picks

Broader Bookshelf 2026 - Read a Speculative Fiction Novella

  • Ellen D.
  • Monday, January 05
Check out a book from this list to fulfill the 2026 Broader Bookshelf prompt 14. "Read a novella."Speculative fiction is an umbrella term for science fiction, fantasy, and horror! Sometimes the genres blend - so all are being highlighted here.
Linghun
The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year. Volume 6
Staff Picks

Broader Bookshelf 2026 - Read an Award-Winning Novella

  • Ellen D.
  • Thursday, January 01
Check out a book from this list to fulfill the 2026 Broader Bookshelf prompt 14. "Read a novella."From the Nebulas to the Nommos, from the Shirley Jackson Awards to the Paris Literary Prize, all of these stories have been recognized for being the top of their year.

May 12 6:00 p.m.

Event
Richland Library Main

Book Group: The Melting Plot

The Melting Plot: Bonus Bites is our alternate-month gathering where we shrink the page count and expand the conversation! We begin every session by reading a short article, so there's no preparation necessary.

Event Type(s):

Clubs and Groups

Audience(s):

Adults

Jan 12 6:00 p.m.

Event
Richland Library Main

Book Group: The Melting Plot

The Melting Plot: Bonus Bites is our alternate-month gathering where we shrink the page count and expand the conversation! We begin every session by reading a short article, so there's no preparation necessary.

Event Type(s):

Clubs and Groups

Audience(s):

Adults

Oct 13 6:00 p.m.

Event
Richland Library Main

Book Group: The Melting Plot

Join The Melting Plot, where we read vibrant stories from diverse voices. This month’s title is The Reformatory by Tananarive Due.

Event Type(s):

Clubs and Groups

Audience(s):

Adults

Aug 11 6:00 p.m.

Event
Richland Library Main

Book Group: The Melting Plot

Join The Melting Plot, where we read vibrant stories from diverse voices. This month’s title is Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia.

Event Type(s):

Clubs and Groups

Audience(s):

Adults

Jun 09 6:00 p.m.

Event
Richland Library Main

Book Group: The Melting Plot

Join The Melting Plot, where we read vibrant stories from diverse voices. This month’s title is All Her Little Secrets by Wanda M. Morris.

Event Type(s):

Clubs and Groups

Audience(s):

Adults
The September House
The Mill House Murders
Staff Picks

Welcome Home: Haunted Houses

  • Sally T.
  • Thursday, October 09
Welcome, welcome! Don't mind the door--it creaks. And if you see the lights flicker, no you don't. Enjoy your stay in these novel explorations of haunted houses. Make yourself at home.
Blog
Richland Library Main

8 New Books for September

  • Megan M.
  • Tuesday, September 09
This month's titles range from cozy mysteries to heavy interpersonal relationships...plus a new hilarious and gross Mary Roach title!
Pride
Neither
Staff Picks

Picture Perfect Pride: Queer Picture Books for the Whole Family

  • Sally T.
  • Thursday, June 05
You are never too young to be PROUD of who you are! Embrace queer stories and pride year-round with these excellent picture books that represent a myraid of different queer identities. Some are explicitly about LGBTQ+ rights, some simply feature queer characters on other adventures. Either way, they bring a rainbow of joy to the reader.
Heartstopper. Vol. 01
Just Another Epic Love Poem
Staff Picks

LGBTeens: Queer YA Books

  • Sally T.
  • Wednesday, June 04
Celebrate Pride this June (and all year long) with these novels, graphic novels, and memoirs featuring queer and trans characters and creators.
Growth
The Third Perspective
Staff Picks

Best Business Books of 2024

  • Bland L.
  • Monday, January 06
Check out the best business titles of the year just past, as selected by the Financial Times, Forbes, and McKinsey & Company.
Didion & Babitz
There's Always This Year
Staff Picks

Best Biographies & Memoirs of 2024

  • Bland L.
  • Friday, December 13
Check out this year's most noteworthy biographies and memoirs, as selected by the New York Times, Esquire, and the Guardian.
How to Kill an Asteroid
The Weight of Nature
Staff Picks

Best Science Books of 2024

  • Bland L.
  • Monday, December 09
These titles have been selected by Smithsonian Magazine, the Guardian, and Amazon as the best science books of 2024 (although a couple were actually published in 2023, they still made it onto the lists). Check them out from our collection.
James
Ghostroots
Staff Picks

2024 National Book Awards

  • Bland L.
  • Thursday, November 21
The winners of the 2024 National Book Awards have just been announced. Check out these winners and finalists from our collection in the categories of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, translated literature, and young people's literature.
Spice
On Gaslighting
Staff Picks

Celebrating University Press Week 2024

  • Bland L.
  • Wednesday, November 06
In 1978 President Jimmy Carter proclaimed the first University Press week, “to honor the important role of university presses in advancing and preserving knowledge.” In 2012 the Association of University Presses decided to revive the concept of a weeklong celebration of their members’ contributions to publishing, and it has been observed yearly ever since. This year’s University Press Week falls on 11-15 November.
Creation Lake
Find Me
Staff Picks

2024 Charleston Literary Festival Authors

  • Bland L.
  • Friday, October 04
This year's Charleston Literary Festival, which will run from 1-10 November, has a stellar cast of fiction and nonfiction authors scheduled as speakers. Whether or not you're planning to attend, you can check out many of these writers' works from our collection, including these titles.