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Reading Challenge Update: March Winner and April Preview

Happy spring! The end of the semester is in sight and we’re heading into the fourth month of the 2025 Reading Challenge.

Congratulations to Caroline Nicolai, who won the March prize drawing! Caroline wins one of the library’s coveted stocked study rooms: a four-hour reservation for a study room at Snell Library in Boston, which will be filled with snacks and treats for Caroline and friends to enjoy, during Finals Week. Happy reading and good luck on your finals, Caroline!

To be eligible for the prize drawing, make sure to read a book that fits the theme and then tell us about it.

What You Read in March

The March theme was a book that has won or been shortlisted for a major award. Here are some of the award-winners that readers enjoyed this month. (Comments may have been edited for length or clarity.)

Cover of Your House Will Pay

Your House Will Pay, Steph Cha
Find it at Snell Library

Winner of the California Book Award
Winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize

“An absolute page turner and a well written book that brings out the tension between two families of extremely different ethnicities. It reminds us of the victims and sacrifices that had to be made to achieve the peace and acceptance around us.” — Gautam

Cover of All Systems Red

All Systems Red (Murderbot #1), Martha Wells
Find it at Snell Library | Find it at F.W. Olin Library | Read the e-book | Listen to the audiobook

Winner of the Hugo Award for Best Novella
Winner of the Nebula Award for Best Novella

“The Murderbot Diaries blew me away. Wells writes with so much humor, combining thrilling sci-fi action and heartfelt emotion to explore what it means to be a sentient being. I would highly recommend this series to fans of Becky Chambers’ Wayfarers series.” — Bianca

“I love Murderbot and you might, too!” — Anaya

Cover of The Safekeep

The Safekeep, Yael Van Der Wouden
Find it at Snell Library | Read the e-book | Listen to the audiobook

Shortlisted for the 2024 Booker Prize
Winner of the National Jewish Book Award for Debut Fiction

“Strikingly unique, a story that balances family connections, identity, and a post WWII environment. There is a twist at the end, and with the protagonist’s narration placing the reader directly inside her head, one can easily feel deeply connected.” — Caroline

Cover of Martyr!

Martyr!, Kaveh Akbar
Find it at Snell Library | Find it at F.W. Olin Library | Listen to the audiobook

Shortlisted for the National Book Award

“I’m still thinking about this book. A totally unexpected trajectory, and an absolutely absorbing narrative style.” — Molly

Suggested Reads for April

To celebrated National Library Week (April 6-12), your April challenge is to read a book recommended by a librarian or library staff member. Fortunately, Northeastern’s library staff members have you covered!

Check out our list of recommended e-books and audiobooks in Libby and our full list of recommendations in all formats, and make sure to stop by the Reading Challenge table in the Snell Library lobby from 1-3 p.m. on April 9 and April 10 to browse more staff picks!

Here are some highlights:

Cover of Intermezzo

Intermezzo, Sally Rooney
Find it at Snell Library | Read the e-book

Recommended by Dan Cohen, Dean of the Library

Dan says: “You would think that a book animated by the death of a parent would be grim and difficult to read, but as in her earlier books, which I also heartily recommend, Rooney somehow explores the biggest issues through compelling characters whose casual conversations sound a lot like chatting with your best friend, or someone who is more than just a friend. Intermezzo also explores how two brothers with very different neurotypes approach that most human emotion, love.”

Cover of Gwen & Art are Not in Love

Gwen & Art Are Not in Love, Lex Croucher
Find it at Snell Library | Listen to the audiobook

Recommended by Lily Reilly, Entrepreneurship Librarian

Lily says: “This book was the most fun I’ve had reading. If you enjoy the aesthetics of medieval times plus queer shenanigans, you’ll love this book. Who says young adult fiction has to be for teens?”

Cover of Careless People

Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism, Sarah Wynn-Williams
Find it at Snell Library | Find it at F.W. Olin Library | Read the e-book | Listen to the audiobook

Recommended by Jeanine Bell, Access Coordinator

Jeanine says: “Careless People is relevant — a poignant reminder of what people in power are capable of.”

Cover of Against the Loveless World

Against the Loveless World, Susan Abulhawa
Find it at Snell Library | Find it at F.W. Olin Library | Read the e-book

Recommended by Anna Ryerson, Metadata Librarian

Anna says: “An incredibly resonant and compelling novel by Susan Abulhawa, Against the Loveless World follows Nahr, a Palestinian woman caught in the turmoil of displacement and resistance. The writing is beautiful, and the story is one that has stuck with me.”

Cover of Writers & Lovers

Writers & Lovers, Lily King
Find it at Snell Library | Read the e-book

Recommended by Molly Brown, Reference & Outreach Archivist

Molly says: “Set in Cambridge and following the life of a 31-year-old woman who is grieving, in debt, and trying to finish her novel. It’s a great Boston-based book filled with complicated characters and strong narrative prose.”

Cover of MIll Town

Mill Town: Reckoning with What Remains, Kerri Arsenault
Find it at Snell Library | Find it at F.W. Olin Library | Read the e-book | Listen to the audiobook

Recommended by Lauri Fennell, Health Sciences Librarian

Lauri says: “This is so well written it is easy to read about the complex relationship of a paper mill in a rural community in Maine. The book won the Rachel Carson Environmental Award, the Maine Literary Award, and the Inge Fetrinelli Prize. The author shares fond memories of growing up in this community and the eventual cancer area designation that impacted many she knew. It is thought provoking and heartfelt.”

Whatever you read, make sure to tell us about it to enter the April prize drawing. Good luck, and happy reading!

2024 Reading Challenge Update: October Winner and What You Read This Month

This month’s Reading Challenge winner is Berke Maltepe, who will be enjoying a digital gift card to Trident Booksellers & Café! Trident is an independent bookstore and a beloved institution on Newbury Street in Boston, where it’s celebrating its 40th anniversary. Congratulations, Berke!

Big congratulations, as well, to everyone who read a book this month and told us about it. There are two months left in the 2024 Reading Challenge, so keep reading! Hint: for more chances to win, make sure to track your reading with the Massachusetts Center for the Book, too.

The October theme was “a book about a time in history that you’d like to know more about.” Here are some of the history and historical fiction books that readers listed this month:

What You Read in October

Cover of I Must Betray You

I Must Betray You, Ruta Sepetys
Find it at Snell Library

“Ruta Sepetys writes historical novels that illuminate historical events that might not be so familiar to some readers. I Must Betray You is set in Romania in 1989 at the time when Communism was being overthrown in eastern Europe. A 17-year-old student named Cristian struggles to do the right thing when he is coerced into becoming an informant for the secret police just as the dictatorship that has oppressed his country for decades begins to fall. Like many of the author’s grim stories, this gripping novel ends on a hopeful note.” — Linda

Cover of Last Night at the Telegraph Club

Last Night at the Telegraph Club, Malinda Lo
Find it at Snell Library | Find it at F. W. Olin Library

“Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo is a coming-of-age story in 1950s San Francisco, set against the backdrop of the Red Scare. Lily Hu is a Chinese American girl who is starting to question her sexuality after she reads a dime-store novel. She goes to a mysterious club, based on real bars in San Francisco, called the Telegraph Club.” — Galen

Cover of Doomsday Book

Doomsday Book, Connie Willis
Find it at Snell Library | Read the e-book

“The story follows Kivrin, a history student at Oxford who travels back in time to study life in the 14th century. However, due to some miscalculation, she arrives during the time of the plague, which is a period of devastation and mayhem in European history. Willis has written the book with detailed research and emotional depth. The Doomsday Book examines the resilience of humans when we come in contact with a catastrophic event, which makes time-travel both an adventure and also a poignant reflection on how we survive.” — Navya

Cover of The Book Thief

The Book Thief, Markus Zusak
Find it at Snell Library | Find it at F. W. Olin

“What I liked most about the book is that it’s written from the perspective of Death. It gives great insight into the atmosphere in WWII, but is still heartwarming, as it mainly describes the situation of a little girl. It also highlights how people risked their lives to uphold humanity in this time of hatred and injustice. It’s a book that really goes to the heart and is so well written—it’s a bit like art.” — Mirjam

Cover of My Brilliant Friend


My Brilliant Friend, Elena Ferrante
Find it at Snell Library | Find it at F. W. Olin

“Absolutely loved it!.” — Nicole



And What to Read in November

November is a time to relax, with “a relaxing or soul-soothing book.” Here are some soothing suggestions. Need more ideas? Check out Northeastern’s curated selections of e-books and audiobooks! And if you’re in Boston, you can stop by the Snell Library lobby in person on November 19th and 20th for Reading Challenge stickers, bookmarks, and books to check out, and friendly librarians who love talking about books!

Covers of Legends and Lattes, What You Are Looking for is in the Library, Rest is Resistance, and The Psalm of the Wild-Built

Legends & Lattes, Travis Baldree
Find it at F. W. Olin Library | Read the e-book
Legends & Lattes is a cozy fantasy novella following Viv, an orc who has decided to set aside the barbarian lifestyle in favor of opening a coffee shop in a bustling magical city.

What You Are Looking for is in the Library, Michiko Aoyama (translated by Alison Watts)
Find it at F. W. Olin | Read the e-book
Tokyo librarian Sayuri Komachi has a gift: her book recommendations are able to provide readers with exactly what they need. What You Are Looking for is in the Library is a relaxing love letter to libraries, books, and readers.

Rest is Resistance: A Manifesto, Tricia Hersey
Find it at Snell Library | Find it at F. W. Olin Library | Read the e-book
While it may not be a relaxing read, Rest is Resistance is an ode to rest and the transformative power of opting out of grind culture. Author Tricia Hersey connects our current obsession with productivity to systemized patterns of racism, misogyny, and anti-humanism.

A Psalm for the Wild-Built, Becky Chambers
Find it at Snell Library | Find it at F. W. Olin Library | Listen to the audiobook
A self-aware robot meets a space monk, and together they set off on a journey to answer the question: what do people need?

As always, happy reading and good luck in the November Reading Challenge! Make sure to tell us about your book before the end of the month for a chance to win the prize drawing. And for additional chances to win, log your reading with the Massachusetts Center for the Book, too!

Join us for the 2024 Reading Challenge!

The Northeastern University Library is proud to be an official partner for the 2024 Reading Challenge hosted by the Massachusetts Center for the Book. Here’s how it works…

THE CHALLENGE

Read a book!
The Mass. Center for the Book has chosen a reading theme for each month of 2024. To participate in the challenge, read at least one book each month that fits the theme.

Not sure what to read? Northeastern librarians have put together a handy suggested reading list in OverDrive (yes, ebooks and audiobooks count, too!). If you’re on the Boston campus, you can also stop by our monthly tabling events in the Snell Library lobby to check out a selection of on-theme print books—and pick up some great Reading Challenge swag!

2024 Reading Challenge topics by month

Here are the themes for the year:

  • January: A book you read years ago that you may feel differently about now
  • February: A book with a color in the title
  • March: A book whose protagonist has a different culture or lifestyle from you
  • April: A book about nature, the environment, or climate change
  • May: A graphic novel
  • June: A book that inspired a film or television series
  • July: A book by an author born outside the United States
  • August: A book whose title starts with the same letter as your birthday month
  • September: A debut book by a Massachusetts author
  • October: A book about a time in history you’d like to know more about
  • November: A relaxing, soul-soothing book
  • December: A well-reviewed book in your least favorite genre

Tell us about it!
Once you’ve read your book, just fill out a quick questionnaire on the library website. Library staff will draw one name each month to win a prize!

Want more chances to win? Make sure you also complete the submission form on the Mass. Center for the Book website! They’ll be doing monthly drawings and prize giveaways all year.

THE PRIZES

From Northeastern University Library
Prizes for Northeastern students, faculty, and staff will vary by month, but may include:

  • gift cards to local bookstores
  • a stocked study room during finals week for Boston campus students
  • finals week care packages for students at global campuses
  • Northeastern University Library swag

All Northeastern students, faculty, and staff are encouraged to participate in the challenge, even if you’re not based at the Boston campus.

From Mass. Center for the Book
Readers who log their reading on the Mass. Center for the Book website also have the opportunity to win additional prizes! From the MBC website:

  • Dedicated readers will be invited to a year-end celebration hosted by Mass. Center for the Book.
  • If you read a book in each of the 12 months, you will be entered in a drawing to win 1 of 2 totes filled with books.
  • New this year! We will be drawing two names on the last day of each month to win a free book! Make sure you get those entries in before the end of the month!

HAPPY READING!

You can find more information on the Northeastern Library’s 2024 Reading Challenge page. We look forward to hearing about your reading journey!

Springer Books Go "E"

First, I’d like to introduce myself. My name is Amira Aaron and I am the new Associate Dean of the Northeastern University Libraries for Scholarly Resources (books, journals, and Library information in all formats). Today I’m very pleased to announce the availability of the 2010 full collection of eBooks from Springer Publishing, one of the top international publishers of scientific, technical, and medical titles. Our set also includes 2005–2009 volumes from the Computer Collection, including the prestigious Lecture Notes in Computer Science series. Over 4,000 new eBooks are added to the Springer collections each year. The eBooks can be downloaded by chapter and are fully searchable, even on the book chapter level, and they can be printed out and bookmarked online. The Springer eBooks primarily cover the disciplines of science, engineering, and medicine, but there are also titles in business & economics, humanities, social sciences, law, and mathematics. Individual titles can be found in NuCat. There’s one additional feature of the Springer eBook collection that I wanted to mention. The “MyCopy (Buy a Print Copy)” service allows you to easily order your own personal soft cover edition of Springer eBooks purchased by the Library (back to 2005); they will be immediately printed on demand and shipped to you within a few days. Note that sometimes the “Buy a Print Copy” link doesn’t appear right away for the newest eBooks. So why eBooks? Many of you are no doubt avid consumers of eBooks for your personal reading. Academic libraries are also undergoing a huge transformation to eBooks in many disciplines. We are now able to offer 24/7 access to these books from multiple locations for multiple users. With growing numbers of distance education and online classes, many students no longer come to campus on a regular basis, so electronic books and journals are critical to support teaching and research. Searching across the content of many of these eBook collections is powerful and will help you to discover hidden information on a particular topic. In the Library, we also need to deal with space limitations for print materials and an increased need for study space. Finally, we don’t have to deal with lost or damaged books and you don’t have to worry about fines for late returns. Don’t forget to search the Internet Archive and Google Books for the full text of older books online. In the Internet Archive you’ll find over 1100 pre-1923 Northeastern books that we’ve digitized through the Boston Library Consortium. We hope you enjoy exploring the new Springer collection and we’d love to hear from you about your use of eBooks offered by the libraries. Join us for a Faculty workshop on using Springer eBooks this Friday, October 29th, from 10-11 in Room 90, Snell Library. If you have questions, please feel free to contact me at a.aaron@neu.edu or 617-373-4961. For more information visit our Press Release