Galesburg Public Library

Readers Advisory

Not sure what to read next? Would you like a librarian to help you find your next favorite book? Select one of the options below to send a Readers’ Advisory Request and let us help you out!

 

Galesburg Public Library Blogs

The GPL Blog features book reviews written by Galesburg Public Library staff and readers.

You can access GPL’s archived blog of all reviews written prior to 2021 at Books You Can Die in the Middle Of.

  • Book Browse
    Site includes recommendations, reviews, and excerpts of current fiction and nonfiction books.
  • BookMarks
    Book review website that aggregates newspaper, journal, and trade publication book reviews.
  • BookReporter
    Includes a wide variety of information including reviews, updates on paperbacks and bestsellers, and author bibliographies and information.
  • Fantastic Fiction
    Books and series for over 30,000 authors.
  • Goodreads
    Social networking site with book reviews, information, and recommendations.
  • Stop, You’re Killing Me!
    A resource for lovers of mystery, crime, thriller, spy, and suspense books that lists over 5,400 authors and chronological lists of their series and non-series titles.
  • What’s Next
    Database maintained by the Kent District Library to help you find the next book in a series.

Consider joining one of the library’s book clubs.

Start your own book club using the library’s book club kits. Each kit contains 5 to 20 copies of a book and a set of discussion questions. One member of a club can check out the kit, distribute books to the club members, collect the books after discussion, and return the kit to the library. This is an easy way for a book club to find enough copies of a book for everyone in the club. The kits check out for six weeks. New titles are added once or twice a year. If you have questions about the kits, would like help starting a book club, or would like to suggest a title to be added, please contact the Reference Desk at reference@galesburglibrary.org or (309) 343-6118.

Current Book Club Kit Titles

Given advance notice, the library may be able to interlibrary loan your book club selections. Contact the Reference Desk at (309) 343-6118 or stop by during library hours for additional information. Your turn to lead the discussion? ReadingGroupGuides.com is a helpful resource.

Genre Lists

The Galesburg Public Library happily offers readers advisory services to patrons in need of a little help. Whether you are looking for new books similar to your old favorites, want to try something new or are simply out of ideas, we are glad to help. Stop by the Reference Desk any time to ask for a recommendation, or check out our Genre Lists available on the display shelf near the public internet machines. Genre lists can also be viewed by clicking the links below:

Best Books of the Year

Every year, the Galesburg Public Library tracks books of the year lists published in literary journals and trade publications, national newspapers, book awards groups, and popular websites, arts and culture outlets, and blogs in order to determine the definitive best books of the years. The Top 20 (or, Top 15 for some of the early years) for each year can be found below, as well as a lengthy list of honorable mention titles for each year.

Click on the image to view the entire list for previous years.