Curating a Reading List

By Gail Hedstrom, Library Director

Curating a Reading List

There are many ways for people to discover books.  I love the idea of discovering a book while browsing the shelves or being fortunate enough to find a highly anticipated new release in the library’s new display area. I also appreciate lists curated by others.

Lists of books we hope to read are often referred to as a TBR list, which stands for “to be read”.  There are also lists other people or organizations create from which we may glean some titles to add to our personal TBR list.  You have likely seen these lists in newspapers, magazines, Instagram, Pinterest, and other online platforms.  It seems there are reading lists for every topic imaginable.

I create my TBR list by selecting one or two titles from several lists.

There are a few book lists that I regularly consult, such as The New York Times “Books We Recommend This Week,” and Ann Patchett’s “New to You,” video book recommendations which are reliably excellent.  Patchett’s list validates one of my pet peeves: people who feel they need to read what’s new, this is not true. You should read what’s good, or what you haven’t already read.

There are very niche book lists that I find intriguing.  I recently saw a list called “The Best 36 Farming Books” from this list I am adding to my TBR, “Goat Song” by Brad Kessler, and “Good Husbandry” by Kristin Kimball, both memoirs of a farming life.  I am also adding “The Sheer Ecstasy of Being a Lunatic Farmer” by Joel Salatin, because how could I not add that title?

The list “11 Books for the Car Enthusiast in Your Life” includes, “Robot, Take the Wheel: The Road to Autonomous Cars and the Lost Art of Driving” by Jason Torchinsky and “Travels with Charley” by John Steinbeck, a travelogue of a road trip Steinbeck took with his dog in the 1960s (this is for sure going on my TBR list).

The quality of a book list can be subjective and controversial.  Not long ago the New York Times published a list of “The Top 100 Books of the 21st Century;” rarely have I encountered such a controversial list.  People were so upset by some of the books not included, as well as some that were, that they created their own “Best of the 21st Century” lists.  Speaking of controversy, recently, the Chicago Sun-Times published a reading list titled “Summer Reading List for 2025.” This list was laden with misinformation, attributing nonexistent titles to famous authors.  The Chicago Sun-Times did admit that the inaccurate list was generated by AI; a testament to why fact-checking is important.

I encourage you to create your own TBR list, and I hope you will seek out a wide range of book list possibilities as you curate your list.  If you need inspiration stop by the library and we will be happy to help.