2026 Reading Challenge: April Recap and May Preview
Happy end of the semester and congratulations to everyone who managed to read a book recommended by a librarian this month in between final exams, papers, and graduation prep. Our April winner is Quoc Hung Le, who receives a Northeastern University Library READ poster featuring Paws the Husky. Below are some of the librarian-recommended titles you enjoyed this month. (Read comments may be edited for length or clarity.)
Everything is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection, John Green
Find it at Snell Library | Find it at F.W. Olin Library | Read the e-book | Listen to the audiobook
“I fell in love with John Green’s books through his YA works like The Fault in Our Stars and Looking for Alaska, so picking up Everything is Tuberculosis felt like stepping into a completely new territory. It’s a departure from his fiction, but his voice is just as compelling. He takes a disease that feels like a relic of history and reveals how present, and how devastating, it still is today. The framework he builds is brilliant, and his ability to connect one illness to the sweep of global health and human history makes this impossible to look away from.” — Erin
“I’m loving John Green’s non-fiction era! This book combined history and science with a moving human story and an inspiring call to action.” — Kimberly
The Old Man and the Sea, Ernest Hemingway
Find it at Snell Library | Find it at F.W. Olin Library
“Above all else, The Old Man and the Sea is a story about the pursuit of greatness and the cost of such a pursuit. How far are we willing to push ourselves to accomplish our dreams? Are they even worth it? And, most importantly, where do we go once we do accomplish our dreams? As an aspiring creative and writer, The Old Man and the Sea challenged me to reflect on how far I’m willing to go and whether the journey alone is enough of a struggle.” — Alex
The Thursday Murder Club, Richard Osman
Find it at Snell Library | Listen to the audiobook
“Such an instant classic! Very Agatha Christie inspired, which always means it’s a blast. As a huge fan of cozies and murder mysteries, I’d highly recommend it!” — Nobel
“A great cozy read for the recent rainy days, with lovable characters and an intriguing set of mysteries. Excited to watch the movie next!” — Alaina
Wild Dark Shore: A Novel, Charlotte McConaghy
Find it at Snell Library | Read the e-book | Listen to the audiobook
“What a fascinating read this was! At times you try to guess the ending but don’t always get exactly what is going to happen until it happens. I would read this again; it was interesting to see how the different narrators handled the same tragedy.” — Rose
Shadow Ticket, Thomas Pynchon
Find it at Snell Library | Listen to the audiobook
“A dense novel that blends conspiracy, history, and surreal humor. Like much of Pynchon’s work, it challenges readers with its nonlinear structure and layered references, rewarding close attention with sharp insights into power, paranoia, and modern society.” — Sandy
What to Read in May
Next, we’re challenging you to read a book with a non-human protagonist. Your book could feature an unsung animal hero, a cast of fantasy creatures, a sentient robot, or an office printer turned unexpected romantic lead. We’ve highlighted some recommended reads below, and you can also check out all our e-book and audiobook recommendations in Libby!
Pony Confidential: A Novel, Christina Lynch
Listen to the audiobook
Pony has been passed from owner to owner for longer than he can remember. Fed up, he bursts out and goes on a cross-country mission to reunite with Penny, the little girl whom he hasn’t seen in years. Penny, now an adult, is living an ordinary life when she gets a knock on her door and finds herself in handcuffs, accused of murder and whisked back to the place she grew up. Pony knows that Penny is no murderer. So, as smart and devious as he is cute, the pony must use his hard-won knowledge of human weakness and cruelty to try to clear Penny’s name and find the real killer.
Fox and I: An Uncommon Friendship, Catherine Raven
Read the e-book
When Catherine Raven finished her PhD in biology, she built herself a tiny cottage on an isolated plot of land in Montana. She viewed the house as a way station, a temporary rest stop where she could gather her nerves and fill out applications for what she hoped would be a real job. Then one day she realized that a mangy-looking fox was showing up on her property every afternoon at 4:15 p.m. She had never had a regular visitor before. How do you even talk to a fox? She brought out her camping chair, sat as close to him as she dared, and began reading to him from The Little Prince. From the fox, Catherine learned the single most important thing about loneliness: we are never alone when we are connected to the natural world. Friends, however, cannot save each other from the uncontained forces of nature.
Shark Heart: A Love Story, Emily Habeck
Listen to the audiobook
For Lewis and Wren, their first year of marriage is also their last. A few weeks after their wedding, Lewis receives a rare diagnosis. He will retain most of his consciousness, memories, and intellect, but his physical body will gradually turn into a great white shark. As Lewis develops the features and impulses of one of the world’s most predatory creatures in the ocean, his complicated artist’s heart struggles to make peace with his unfulfilled dreams. A sweeping love story that is at once lyrical and funny, airy and visceral, Shark Heart is an unforgettable, gorgeous novel about life’s perennial questions, the fragility of memories, finding joy amidst grief, and creating a meaningful life.
Annie Bot: A Novel, Sierra Greer
Read the e-book
Annie Bot, a custom AI girlfriend, was created to be the perfect companion for her human owner Doug. Designed to satisfy his emotional and physical needs, she has dinner ready for him every night, wears the outfits he orders for her, and adjusts her libido to suit his moods. Doug says he loves that Annie’s AI makes her seem more like a real woman, so Annie explores human traits such as curiosity, secrecy, and longing. But becoming more human also means becoming less perfect, and Annie starts to wonder: Does Doug really desire what he says he wants? And in such an impossible paradox, what does Annie owe herself?
I Got Abducted By Aliens and Now I’m Trapped in a Rom-Com, Kimberly Lemming
Listen to the audiobook
Dorothy Valentine is close to getting her PhD in wildlife biology when she’s attacked by a lion. On the bright side, she’s saved! On the not-so-bright-side, it’s because they’re abducted by aliens. In her scramble to escape, Dorothy and the lion commandeer an escape pod and crash-land on an alien planet. Dory and her new lion bestie, Toto, are saved in the nick of time by a mysterious and sexy alien, Sol. On their new adventure, they team up with the equally hot, equally dangerous Lok, who may or may not be a war criminal. As this ragtag group of misfits explore their new planet, Dory learns more about how and why they’ve all ended up together, battles more prehistoric creatures than she imagined, and questions if she even wants to go back home to Earth in this hilarious and steamy alien romance adventure comedy romp.
Remember: whatever you read, make sure to tell us about it to enter the prize drawing!
