Book Lists

With a few exceptions, the following book lists have reading recommendations for adult readers. The annotations are by LAPL Librarians and other LAPL staff. For Children’s books see Kids’ Path. For Young Adult books see LAPL Teen Web.

African American History Month: Fiction & Literature	Gardens and Gardening
African American History Month: Non-Fiction	Hollywood Biographies & Memoirs
African American History Month: Cookbooks & Food	Immigrants in Fiction
African American History Month: Political Leaders	Jane Austen Spinoffs and Sequels
African Americans in the Civil War	Jewish Heritage: Cookbooks
Anne Frank Day in L.A.	Jewish Heritage: Fiction
Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month: Cookbooks & Food	Jewish Heritage: Graphic Novels
Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month: Fiction & Literature	Jewish Heritage: Histories and Biographies
Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month: Non-Fiction	Jewish Heritage: The Holocaust
Banned Books Week	Jewish Sagas
Baseball: Fiction	Juneteenth: Fiction & Non-Fiction
Best of 2020: Children's Books	L.A. Dreaming - Summer Reading 2024
Best of 2020: Fiction	L.A. Stories: Book to Film
Best of 2020: Graphic Novels	L.A. Stories: Fiction and Literature
Best of 2020: Non-Fiction	L.A. Stories: Food, Cooking, Restaurants
Best of 2020: Teen	L.A. Stories: Gardens and Museums
Best of 2021: Fiction	L.A. Stories: Non-Fiction
Best of 2021: Non-Fiction	Latinx Heritage Month: Cookbooks & Food
Best of 2021: Teen	Latinx Heritage Month: Fiction & Literature
Best of 2021: Children's Books	Latinx Heritage Month: Non-Fiction
Best of 2021: Graphic Novels	LGBTQIA: Gay Fiction & Literature
Best of 2022: Children's Books	LGBTQIA: Gay Non-Fiction
Best of 2022: Fiction	LGBTQIA: Intersex - Fiction
Best of 2022: Graphic Novels	LGBTQIA: Intersex - Non-Fiction
Best of 2022: Non-Fiction	LGBTQIA: Lesbian - Non-Fiction
Best of 2022: Teen	LGBTQIA: Lesbian Fiction & Literature
Best of 2023: Children's Books	LGBTQIA: Transgender - Non-Fiction
Best of 2023: Fiction & Literature	Libraries: Non-Fiction
Best of 2023: Graphic Novels	Love Poetry
Best of 2023: Non-Fiction	Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement
Best of 2023: Teen	Memoirs of Friendship, Love, and Loss
Best of 2024: Children's Books	A Nation Emerges: The Mexican Revolution Revealed
Best of 2024: Fiction & Literature	Native Americans: Cookbooks & Food
Best of 2024: Graphic Novels	Native Americans: Fiction & Literature
Best of 2024: Non-Fiction	Native Americans: Non-Fiction
Best of 2024: Teen	Octavia E. Butler
Beyond Bronte: 18th & 19th Century Fiction by Women	Octavia E. Butler and Her Legacy
Coming of Age: Fiction	Pearl S. Buck: Nobel Prize Literature 1938
Coming of Age: Non-Fiction	Poetry
Culinary: Fiction	Reading By Design: Books About Books
Culinary: Non-Fiction	Short Stories
Daring Women: Culinary	State of Deception: The Power of Nazi Propaganda
Daring Women: Writers	State of Deception: The Power of Nazi Propaganda: Art, Film, Music, Sports
Daring Women: Biographies	State of Deception: The Power of Nazi Propaganda: Children's
The Dream At 50	State of Deception: The Power of Nazi Propaganda: Fiction
Environment: Biographies	State of Deception: The Power of Nazi Propaganda: Teen
Environment: Climate Change - Non-Fiction	Travel With Famous Writers
Environment: Fiction	True Crime
Essays	True Hollywood Stories
Filipino American History Month: Cookbooks & Food	William Shakespeare, Analysis: DVDs, CDs
Filipino American History Month: Fiction & Literature	William Shakespeare, the Plays: DVDs
Filipino American History Month: Non-Fiction	William Shakespeare: Folger Shakespeare Library
Financial Thrillers	William Shakespeare: Inspired

Find A Library

Choose Branch:

Support Your Library

Why support the Library?

The Los Angeles Public Library serves the largest most diverse population of any library in the United States.

Through its Central Library and 72 branches, the Los Angeles Public Library provides free and easy access to information, ideas, books and technology that enrich, educate and empower every individual in our city's diverse communities.

With more people than ever before using the library—a record 17 million last year alone—your support helps the Library provide people with the resources they need to succeed and thrive.

How to support the Library

You can support the Los Angeles Public Library in several ways:

Join a “Friends” group. There is a “Friends of the Library” group for most branch libraries and departments of the Central Library. Friends groups raise money for improvements to their library through memberships, used book sales and other activities. For more information click here or talk to your local librarian.

Join the Library Foundation of Los Angeles. The Library Foundation is a non-profit organization that raises funds for Library enhancement programs such as adult and early literacy, children and teen reading clubs, technology, and cultural programs. Foundation members receive a variety of benefits with their membership. For more information, see http://www.lfla.org.

Make a donation by check to the Los Angeles Public Library and send it to:
Support the Library, 630 W. Fifth St., Los Angeles CA 90071 or call (213) 228-7272.