HDL Readers’ Choice Awards 2026

If you have opinions about the best books of 2025, we want to hear them! Let us know what books you think should win this year’s Herrick District Library’s Readers’ Choice Awards. Vote in person at either library branch from January 2-January 31.

Here are this year's nominees:

Adult Picks:

Memoir

Memorial Days by Geraldine Brooks

Awake by Jen Hatmaker

Finding My Way by Malala Yousafzai

Nobody's Girl by Virginia Roberts Giuffre

Nonfiction:

The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins

Everything Is Tuberculosis by John Green

Strong Ground by Brené Brown

One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad

General Fiction:

We All Live Here by Jojo Moyes

Three Days in June by Anne Tyler

My Friends by Fredrik Backman

The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones

Mystery/Thriller:

Battle Mountain by CJ Box

The Tenant by Freida McFadden

The Black Wolf by Louise Penny

The Impossible Fortune by Richard Oseman

Historical Fiction:

Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid

The Book Club for Troublesome Women by Marie Bostwick

Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall

Circle of Days by Ken Follett

Inspiration:

Out of Time by Irene Hannon

The Keeper by Charles Martin

The Second Story Bookshop by Denise Hunter

The Collector of Burned Books by Roseanna M. White

Sci-Fi/Fantasy:

Katabasis by RF Kuang

The Strength of the Few by James Islington

Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros

Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor

Romance:

Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry

Say You'll Remember Me by Abby Jimenez

Beach Vibes by Susan Mallery

The Love Haters by Katherine Center

Teen Picks:

Manga:

Spy x Family, Volume 13 by Tatsuya Endo

Komi Can't Communicate Volume 32 by Tomohito Oda

My Hero Academia Team Up Missions Volume 5 by Kohei Horikoshi

Blue Lock, Volume 16 by Muneyuki Kaneshiro

One Piece Volume 106 by Eiichiro Oda

Graphic Novel:

Warriors Graphic Novel: The Prophecies Begin by Erin Hunter

Space Boy Volume 21 by Stephen McCranie

True Beauty Volume 6 by Yaongyi

The Cartoonists Club by Reina Telgemeier

A Wizard of Earthsea: The Graphic Novel by Ursula Le Guin

Sci-Fi/Fantasy:

Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins

Fearless by Laruen Roberts

The Rose Bargain by Sasha Peyton Smith

Oathbound by Tracey Deonn

Our Infinite Fates by Lauren Steven

Contemporary:

Glorious Rivals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Fake Skating by Lynn Painter

While We're Young by KL Walther

No Place Left to Hide by Megan Lally

Under the Same Stars by Libba Bray

Tween:

The Elders' Quest by Erin Hunter

One Wrong Step by Jennifer Nielsen

London Calling by James Ponti

Never After: The End of the Story by Melissa de la Cruz

The Fight for the Hidden Realm by Siobhan McDermott

Kid Picks:

Picture Book:

Bluey: Grannies and Other Stories

Peppa Pig and the Apple Stand

My Dog Is Best by David Catrow

The Man Who Didn't Like Animals by Deborah Underwood

Construction Site: Garbage Crew to the Rescue By Sherri Rinker

Reader:

I Want to Be An Artist by Laura Driscoll

Pete the Kitty and the Mermaid's Sandcastle by Kim Dean

A Fairy Finds Her Song by Bea Jackson

Bunny Hop by Sarah Hwang

Biscuit's Puppy Sleepover by Alyssa Capucilli

Early Chapter:

One Last Thing by Aaron Blabey

The Emerald Egg by Kayla Whaley

Cheers-a-Lotl Blows up by CW Estes

Blizzard Rescue by Rekha Rajan

Hocus and Pocus and the Spell for Home by AR Capetta

Junior Fiction:

Diary of A Wimpy Kid: Hot Mess by Jeff Kinney

J Vs. K by Kwame Alexander and Jerry Craft

Serwa Boateng's Guide to Saving the World by Roseanne A. Brown

I Survived the Black Death, 1348 by Lauren Tarshis

A Wolf Called Fire by Roseanne Parry

Comic Book:

Dog Man: Big Jim Begins by Dav Pilkey

Wonder Cat Kyuu-chan [series] by Sasami Nitori

Best Christmas Ever! By Stephen Shaskan

Karen's Grandmothers by DK Yingst

Spy Ski School by Stuart Gibbs

Nonfiction:

How to Build Lego Robots by Hannah Dolan

Pokémon Timelines by Katherine Andreou

Best in Show by David Elliott

Who Is Ariana Grande? By Kirsten Anderson

Deadly Animal Atlas by Camilla De la Bédoyère