Congratulations to everyone who completed the third month of the 2026 Reading Challenge! Our March winner is Sandy Chi, who wins a pen and notebook set in honor of the month’s theme: a book written in letters or diary entries. Here are a few of the books you read this month. (Reader comments may be edited for length and clarity.)
84, Charing Cross Road, Helen Hanff
Find it at Snell Library | Find it at F.W. Olin Library
“This book had been on my list for a few years and I’m so glad the epistolary prompt for March finally put it at the top of my list! It’s a calm and very pleasant post-war period correspondence between a New York woman and English booksellers, all of whom are chock full of personality. The people in this book will stay with me. This is a very quick read but it gave me an enormous reading list to follow Helene’s explorations of English literature.” — Alaina
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, Agatha Christie
Find it at F.W. Olin Library | Read the e-book
“I’m a huge Christie fan, so this book hit all the sweet spots for me! One of her most famous endings and deservedly so. Everything about this book is cleverly constructed, and the diary formatting works to structure the mystery in a super interesting way. Plus, lots of great Poirot moments!” — Nobel
“I picked up this book thinking it would be a normal mystery, but Agatha Christie really fooled me in the cleanest way. The story feels simple at first, but every person in that village is acting a little weird, so you keep guessing and second-guessing yourself. And then the ending…bro, I literally closed the book and sat there like WHAT. HOW. HOWWW. I even re-read the last pages because my brain refused to accept it. Honestly, after finishing it, I kept thinking back to early chapters and realizing she hinted so many times and I still missed it.” — Sonali
The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Stephen Chbosky
Find it at Snell Library | Find it at F.W. Olin Library | Read the e-book | Listen to the audiobook
“The Perks of Being a Wallflower has moments that genuinely hit. Charlie’s loneliness feels real and the tenderness is hard to shake. But somewhere along the way, it started feeling more like a mood than a story, and I never quite fully connected with it the way I wanted to.” — Sandy
“This was another great read. It touches on a lot of sensitive topics in a very natural way that makes me use my brain to put it together.” — Masha
The Diary of a Young Girl, Anne Frank
Find it at Snell Library | Find it at F.W. Olin Library
“What makes it remarkable isn’t just the historical context. It’s the interior life on display. A teenager rigorously interrogating her own identity, relationships, and sense of self under conditions of extreme external constraint. It’s one of the most intimate documents we have of consciousness trying to remain intact when the outside world is systematically trying to erase it.” — Fresnel
“Reading Anne Frank’s diary felt different than any other book I’ve read. It’s so honest and so normal in some parts that you forget she’s writing all this while hiding for her life. And then suddenly it hits you again, and the whole thing becomes heavy in your chest. By the time I finished it, I felt this strange mix of sadness and respect. She writes with so much hope, and knowing what happens to her later makes every line feel heavier. I closed the book feeling quiet, like I needed a minute to just sit with it. It stays with you in a way that’s not dramatic, just painfully real.” — Sonali
What to Read in April
In celebration of National Library Week (April 6-12), we’re challenging you to read a book recommended by a librarian in April. You can find a few recommended reads below, and we’ve assembled a big list of recommendations from the Northeastern Library staff, all of which are available in print, e-book, or audiobook format from the library.
Make sure to stop by the Snell Library lobby on Wednesday, April 15, and Thursday, April 16, to browse recommended books from the print collection. It’s also your last chance to pick up Reading Challenge swag this semester. Remember: whatever you read, make sure to tell us about it to enter the prize drawing!
Atmosphere: A Love Story, Taylor Jenkins Reid
Find it at Snell Library | Find it at F.W. Olin Library | Listen to the audiobook
Recommended by: Bahare Sanaie-Movahed, Geospatial & GIS Specialist
Bahare says: “A compelling and emotional read that blends personal journeys with broader themes, making it both engaging and thought-provoking.”
Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood, Trevor Noah
Find it at Snell Library | Find it at F.W. Olin Library | Read the e-book
Recommended by: Karen Merguerian, Head of Arts, Social Sciences, and Humanities
Karen says: “Trevor Noah’s story of growing up in South Africa describes apartheid from a child’s perspective, but at the same time, Noah brings his adult sensibility and his appreciation for humor and absurdity.”
With a Vengeance, Riley Sager
Read the e-book | Listen to the audiobook
Recommended by: Tamara Uhaze, First Year Experience Librarian
Tamara says: “This is a quick mystery/thriller set on an antique passenger train in post-WWII America. As Anna, the protagonist, looks for answers about the downfall of her family, she realizes she is trapped on the train with a murderer. You spend time getting to know each of the suspects and their role in Anna’s life, building toward the reveal of a grand conspiracy. This was an enjoyable read without too much time commitment.”
Shuggie Bain, Douglas Stuart
Find it at Snell Library | Find it at F.W. Olin Library | Read the e-book
Recommended by: Irene Gates, Processing Archivist
Irene says: “A beautifully compassionate portrait of alcoholism, queer adolescence, and working class life amidst high unemployment in 1980s Scotland. A deeply moving book that will make your heart ache.”
The Reformatory: A Novel, Tananarive Due
Read the e-book
Recommended by: Kerri Vautour, Marketing and Communications Manager
Kerri says: “In 1950, a 12-year-old Black boy is sent to a segregated reform school after hitting a white boy who was harassing his sister. Robbie experiences the violence of the reformatory himself, but his ability to see ghosts shows him just how horrifying the history of the place is. The true monsters aren’t the ghosts of the dead; it’s the violence and racism perpetrated by the living.”
The Thursday Murder Club: A Novel, Richard Osman
Find it at Snell Library | Listen to the audiobook
Recommended by: Amanda Calabrese, Integrated Systems Librarian
Amanda says: “This is the funniest cozy murder mystery I’ve ever read (no surprise — author Richard Osman is a British comedian). A group of true crime fans in a retirement community gets involved in solving actual cases, and the characters are so lovable. Ibrahim is my favorite. If you like this one, there are currently four more in the series. They also made a Netflix movie, but if you didn’t like that, the book is way better.”
Happy reading!