Readers' Services

Reading books at Arlington Heights Memorial Library

Our staff love talking about books and authors and helping you discover your next great read. Browse our book lists or request a personalized list of recommended books to get started. Check out our resources for your own book group and view the library book discussion calendar.

We get hundreds of new books every month. And every month, we send out new lists with interesting, thought-provoking, hot or just-plain-fun books in many different genres. Click the link below and under “What to Read,” select the lists you'd like to have delivered to your email. 

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LitCrate registration for the next session will begin on December 1 - sign up here. Pick-ups for the first subscription box will start January 1

Browse Our Book Lists

Sherri's Most Anticipated Reads 2022

Books I am looking forward to in the first half of 2022.
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Business, Entrepreneurship, and Nonprofit Booklist

Browse our collection of carefully selected, inspirational "must-read" titles and practical guides on topics ranging from leadership, entrepreneurship, starting a business, and running nonprofits. New and relevant titles are added monthly.

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Fresh Starts

Books for a promising New Year
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View and explore all our lists!

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Book Me - Personalized Reading Suggestions For Adults

Do you want to receive a curated list of recommended books? Complete our Book Me form with your reading preferences and we will send you a list of books you might like.

Complete Form

Looking for recommendations for kids, tweens or teens? Learn more about our Book Me service for youth here.

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Staff Favorites

Learn about the titles our staff have read and liked!

The code breaker : Jennifer Doudna, gene editing, and the future of the human race
Posted by jonf on Wednesday, January 19, 2022

The fascinating story of the creation of CRISPR , which gives us the technology to gene editing. It is extremely well written for the layman to understand the complex biology involved.

The book is also very timely as the scientists involved are

See more staff reviews

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Library Book Discussions

Please register to join any of our in person book discussions.

Mystery Group - Classic and contemporary mysteries. 

Novel Experience - Popular fiction. 

Science Fiction - Classic and contemporary science fiction. 

Books and Brews - Popular nonfiction. 

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Page Turners Discussion Group

Do you like discussing books, authors and all things reading-related? Join the AHML Page Turners Adult Readers Discussion Group on Facebook! We welcome all group members to ask questions, offer insights and discuss reading interests. 

Join Today!

Homeland Book Discussion

Upcoming Book Discussions and Events

Sign up to receive a monthly email listing the upcoming month's book discussions.

Book Discussion Emails

 

VIRTUAL: Favorite Things Binge Watch Edition
, , – /Zoom Event

Register
Book Cover VIRTUAL: Senior: Modern Classics Book Discussion: A Woman of No Importance
by Sonia Purcell
, , – /Zoom Event

Register
VIRTUAL: An Evening with Silvia Moreno-Garcia
, , – /Zoom Event

Register

View full calendar ›

books on shelf w text for your book group

For Your Book Group

We have sets of books that you can check out for your book group.

Check out these online resources for book reviews and helpful tools for your own book group.

  • Meet our Book Experts

    With so many library items to choose from, let our expert staff help you select the perfect book, movie or music. Learn more about what our Info Services Advisors recommend.

    Alisa


    Being a Reader's Advisor is a dream job for this former English Lit major. I love reading books, discussing books, listening to audiobooks, matching readers with books...well, you probably get the picture. My favorite genres are literary fiction, psychological suspense, mysteries and memoirs. Lately I've been branching out into other types of nonfiction as well. And I love a great beach read, even in the dead of winter. 

    Alisa's Reviews  •  Alisa's Lists

    Joan


    One of my earliest literary memories is receiving a hardcover Little House on the Prairie for Christmas. I was about 10. I haven’t been without a book by my side since then. Whether it’s discovering an exciting novel by a new author or peeking into lives through a memoir, I still love the anticipation of opening that first page of a good book. My favorite genres are literary fiction, historical fiction, new fiction, memoirs, and social and political nonfiction.

    Joan's Reviews  •  Joan's Lists

    Jon


    I am a middle-aged male who likes short walks on the beach and reading. My favorite genres are mystery, suspense and thriller, and nonfiction.

    Jon's Reviews  •  Jon's Lists

    Lucy


    With such a wide variety of styles within the fiction genre, I find myself gravitating to it first. A strong storyline within a novel is important. My next favorite genre is memoirs, especially listening to them on audiobook when read by the author. Cozy mysteries are my guilty pleasure. I also enjoy watching documentaries and binge-watching television series.

    Lucy's Reviews  •  Lucy's Lists

    Maggie


    Long before working in a library, I was already telling people what books they should read. It only made sense that I become a Reader’s Advisor! Reading and recommending titles to patrons? Spending time discussing those titles? Sign me up! You can find me reading a good cozy mystery series or the latest contemporary romance. I’ll even throw in a thriller to mix it up. A good book for me is a fun escape to another world and a happy ending

    Maggie's Reviews  •  Maggie's Lists

    Sherri


    I love romances of all kinds because I can count on a happy ending, which is not always true in real life. I enjoy stories that make me laugh, take me to faraway places and tell the stories of ordinary people’s lives while showing us important events in our past. My favorite genres are historical fiction, contemporary romance, women’s fiction and psychological suspense.

    Sherri's Reviews  •  Sherri's Lists


    Additional Resources

    Booklist

    More than 120,000 book reviews. Includes the new monthly digital edition of Booklist magazine.


    BookPage

    Monthly magazine highlighting new book releases and author interviews. Current freely available issues available online for January 2020-present. Also visit their YouTube channel for additional features and interviews.


    Books & Authors

    Recommends books for readers. Explore by author/title/genre. Reviews included.


    Video Tutorial

    NoveList Plus

    Find fiction/nonfiction based on your interests. 

    Mobile version


    Video Tutorial