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Books & More

Books are what libraries are famous for and we have plenty of them for readers of all ages. So it doesn’t matter if you prefer fiction or nonfiction, we’ve got you covered. Check out some of our staff favorites or let us create a personalized reading list just for you.

  • Trending Topic
  • Staff Picks
  • Book Club Sets
  • Book Spotlight

TRENDING TOPIC | Caribbean American Heritage Month

Tell it to me singing
Ibis
Sturge Town : poems
Speak to me of home
Sweetness in the skin
Jamaica ginger
The ballad of Jacquotte Delahaye
A house for Miss Pauline
The human origins of Beatrice Porter and other essential ghosts
Passiontide
Belly full
The pepperpot diaries
Las madres
Puerto Rico : a national history
Cuba : an american history
Silk cotton
Relentless
Village weavers
Bodega bakes
The pages of the sea
Ever since we small
The bush tea murder
Honeysuckle and bone
Last Night in Brooklyn
Cocina Puerto Rico
Dengue boy

staff Picks | What We're Reading

A Marriage at Sea
Katabasis
Crouton: One Cat's Adoption Tale
What Happened to Ruthie Ramirez?
The moon is a harsh mistress
The best dog in the world
Woman Down
Hemlock
Last Night In Brooklyn
The Astral Library
Adult braces : driving myself sane
We Are Definitely Human
Sinners
Food Anatomy: The Curious Parts and Pieces of Our Edible World
The Mixed Marriage Project
On Witness and Respair
The Girls Who Grew Big
Brave new world
Kids, wait till you hear this! : My memoir
How to Commit A Postcolonial Murder
Anatomy of an Alibi
The Ballad of Falling Dragons
Everyone In This Bank Is a Thief
The News from Dublin

Book Club Sets | Our Recommendations

Reserve copies for your whole book club with just a few simple clicks. We offer an array of titles perfect for your book club. With your library card, you can check out a set which includes 12 to 15 copies โ€” conveniently packaged in a heavy duty Lexington County Library tote bag. Each set checks out for 1 month (30 days) so everyone has more than enough time to finish the book and discuss.

Weyward
Bells for Eli
Crying in H Mart
Mrs. Dalloway
The Code of the Woosters
Caste
The Bridge of San Luis Rey
The Picture of Dorian Gray
Night
The Underground Railroad
The Optimist's Daughter
The Covenant of Water
Hillbilly Elegy
Remarkably Bright Creatures
Walden, and Civil Disobedience
From #BlackLivesMatter to Black liberation
The Kitchen God's Wife
Dial A for Aunties

Book spotlight | America's 250th

This fierce people
Backcountry resistance
Revolutionary blacks
The Swamp Fox
Obstinate daughters
King's Mountain
Shots heard round the world
From Trenton to Yorktown
Rebels at sea
Liberty is sweet
Franklin and Washington
The Cherokee War of 1776
The british are coming
Women waging war in the American Revolution
The cause
The great contradiction
African Americans and American Indians in the Revolutionary War
The revolutionary
1776

NoveList Plus

Looking for great read-alikes? You can log on to NoveList to browse recommendations for any age group. You’ll need the Discus password provided by South Carolina State Library. If you donโ€™t have a Discus password, call any library branch and we’ll be happy to help.

NextReads Newsletters

Sign up for monthly newsletters based on your favorite genres to get reading recommendations delivered straight to your inbox. Genres and topics include: Christian Fiction, Historical Fiction, Horror, Mystery, New York Times Best Sellers, Page to Screen, Romance, Thrillers and Suspense, and much more.

Monthly Library News

Get the inside scoop on everything happening at your library. Stay connected with exciting events, find fun staff picks and engage with digital resources. Think of it as your monthly invitation to learn, grow and enjoy everything the library has to offer โ€” delivered straight to your inbox.

 

What Should I Read Next?

Would you like to receive personalized recommendations based on what you like to read? Complete this interactive form and we’ll create a custom reading list just for you.

award winners, best sellers & hot topics

Book Lists & Reading Recommendations

Book Awards for Children's Books

Caldecott Medal
Chooch Helped (2025)

Chooch Helped (2025)

Big (2024)

Big (2024)

Hot Dog (2023)

Hot Dog (2023)

Watercress (2022)

Watercress (2022)

We are Water Protectors (2021)

We are Water Protectors (2021)

The Undefeated (2020)

The Undefeated (2020)

Hello Lighthouse (2019)

Hello Lighthouse (2019)

Wolf in the Snow (2018)

Wolf in the Snow (2018)

Radiant Child: the Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat (2017)

Radiant Child: the Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat (2017)

Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World's Most Famous Bear (2016)

Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World’s Most Famous Bear (2016)

The Adventures of Beekle: the Unimaginary Friend (2015)

The Adventures of Beekle: the Unimaginary Friend (2015)

Locomotive (2014)

Locomotive (2014)

This Is Not My Hat (2013)

This Is Not My Hat (2013)

A Ball for Daisy (2012)

A Ball for Daisy (2012)

A Sick Day for Amos McGee (2011)

A Sick Day for Amos McGee (2011)

The Lion & the Mouse (2010)

The Lion & the Mouse (2010)

The House in the Night (2009)

The House in the Night (2009)

The Invention of Hugo Cabret (2008)

The Invention of Hugo Cabret (2008)

Flotsam (2007)

Flotsam (2007)

The Hello, Goodbye Window (2006)

The Hello, Goodbye Window (2006)

Kitten's First Full Moon (2005)

Kitten’s First Full Moon (2005)

The Man Who Walked Between the Towers (2004)

The Man Who Walked Between the Towers (2004)

My Friend Rabbit (2003)

My Friend Rabbit (2003)

The Three Pigs (2002)

The Three Pigs (2002)

So You Want to Be President? (2001)

So You Want to Be President? (2001)

Joseph Had a Little Overcoat

Joseph Had a Little Overcoat

Coretta Scott King
2023 Author Winner

2023 Author Winner

2023 Illustrator Winner

2023 Illustrator Winner

2023 Author Honor

2023 Author Honor

2023 Author Honor

2023 Author Honor

2023 Author Honor

2023 Author Honor

2023 Illustrator Honor

2023 Illustrator Honor

2023 Illustrator Honor

2023 Illustrator Honor

2023 New Talent Award

2023 New Talent Award

2023 New Talent Award

2023 New Talent Award

Newberry Medal
Freewater (2023)

Freewater (2023)

The Last Cuentista (2022)

The Last Cuentista (2022)

When You Trap a Tiger (2021)

When You Trap a Tiger (2021)

New Kid (2020)

New Kid (2020)

Merci Suรกrez Changes Gears (2019)

Merci Suรกrez Changes Gears (2019)

Hello Universe (2018)

Hello Universe (2018)

The Girl Who Drank the Moon (2017)

The Girl Who Drank the Moon (2017)

Last Stop on Market Street (2016)

Last Stop on Market Street (2016)

Crossover (2015)

Crossover (2015)

Flora & Ulysses (2014)

Flora & Ulysses (2014)

The One and Only Ivan (2013)

The One and Only Ivan (2013)

South Carolina Book Awards

South Carolina Book Awards: 2026

The Book That Almost Rhymed
One Day This Tree Will Fall
ARTificial Intelligence
Stokes
Flamingos are Pretty Funky
The Girl Who Figured it Out
The Curious Why
Buffalo Fluffalo
Monster Hands
A Friend for Eddy
Go and Get with Rex
The Yellow Bus
I'm Sorry You Got Mad
Home in a Lunchbox
When Black Girls Dream Big
There Are No Ants in This Book
Neat Nick's Big Mess
Ursula Upside Down
The Man Who Didn't Like Animals
Josรฉ Feeds the World
Shock City
Spark
The Night War
Carter Avery's Tricky Fourth-grade Year
The Legend of the Last Library
The No-brainer's Guide to Decomposition
The Mystery of Locked Rooms
And Then, Boom!
The Master of Mystic Mountain
Heroes
The Dark Skies Mystery
Faker
Medusa
Rougarou Magic
Wander Lost
Trouble at the Tangerine
Let It Glow
The Last Dragon on Mars
Will's Race for Home
Fowl Play
Between Two Brothers
Boy 2.0
Exit Nowhere
The Other Side of Tomorrow
The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman
Breaking into Sunlight
Art Club
A Game of Noctis
And Then, Boom!
Not Nothing
The Girl Who Kept the Castle
Popcorn
Gut Reaction
Bye Forever, I Guess
Not if You Break Up with Me First
The Wrong Way Home
The Sherlock Society
It Came from the Trees
Mid-Air
Shark Teeth
A Deathly Compendium of Poisonous Plants
After Life
Better Must Come
The Black Girls Survives in this One
Blood at the Root
Break to You
The Brightwood Code
Brownstone
Cancelled
Dead Things are Closer than They Appear
Dungeons and Drama
Fortune's Kiss
The Glass Girl
Looking for Smoke
Now, Conjurers
Two Sides to Every Murder
Unbecoming
The Unboxing of a Black Girl
Under the Surface
The Wilderness of Girls

Book Awards for Adult Books

Hugo
The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida (2022)

The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida (2022)

The Promise (2021)

The Promise (2021)

Shuggie Bain (2020)

Shuggie Bain (2020)

The Testament (2019)

The Testament (2019)

Girl, Woman, Other (2019)

Girl, Woman, Other (2019)

Milkman (2018)

Milkman (2018)

Lincoln in the Bardo (2017)

Lincoln in the Bardo (2017)

The Sellout (2016)

The Sellout (2016)

A Brief History of Seven Killings (2015)

A Brief History of Seven Killings (2015)

The Narrow Road to the Deep North (2014)

The Narrow Road to the Deep North (2014)

The Luminaries (2013)

The Luminaries (2013)

Pultizer Prize
Demon Copperhead (2023)

Demon Copperhead (2023)

Trust (2023)

Trust (2023)

The Netanyahus (2022)

The Netanyahus (2022)

The Night Watchman (2021)

The Night Watchman (2021)

The Nickel Boys (2020)

The Nickel Boys (2020)

The Overstory (2019)

The Overstory (2019)

Less (2018)

Less (2018)

The Underground Railroad (2017)

The Underground Railroad (2017)

The Sympathizer (2016)

The Sympathizer (2016)

All the Light We Cannot See (2015)

All the Light We Cannot See (2015)

The Goldfinch (2014)

The Goldfinch (2014)

The Orphan Master's Son (2013)

The Orphan Master’s Son (2013)

Popular Fiction

Christian Fiction
All Booked Up
When Justice Comes
The Good Fortune of Miss Robbins
Without a Clue
Faithful of Heart
A Deeper Well
Taming Lady Temperance
The Bookshop of 99 Doors
Fiction A to Z
Leave Your Mess at Home
Men Like Ours
Good Joy, Bad Joy
Bumblebee Season
Livonia Chow Mein
Mercy Hill
The Left and the Lucky
All Them Dogs
The Take
Seek Immediate Shelter
Historical Fiction
Love & Other Monsters
Honey in the Wound
The Foursome
The Lost Girl of Craven County
Gunner
The Original
Mrs. Benedict Arnold
The Mountains We Call Home
Lidie
A Perfect Hand
Horror
Nothing Tastes as Good
Molka
The Caretaker
Wretch: Or, the Unbecoming of Porcelain Khaw
Acquired Taste
The Bewitching
The Faceless Thing We Adore
Listen to Your Sister
Library Reads
Land
The Children
The Housewife
Villa Coco
The Shampoo Effect
Marion
Scandal of the Summer
The Jellyfish Problem
Mystery
A Very Vexing Murder
The Lost Book of Elizabeth Barton
A Murder Most Camp
Deadly Force
Moonlight Murder
It Happened One Murder
The Dead Can't Make a Living
How to Cheat Your Own Death
The Tuxedo Society
Agnes Sharp and the Wedding to Die for
New York Times Bestsellers
Yesteryear
Whistler
The Calamity Club
The Correspondent
Carl's Doomsday Scenario
Our Perfect Storm
A Parade of Horribles
Rocket's Red Glare
Choke Point
The Dungeon Anarchist's Cookbook
The Gate of the Feral Gods
The Butcher's Masquerade
The Eye of the Bedlam Bride
Land
Harvest Season
Page to Screen
The House of the Spirits
The Testaments
Lord of the Flies
Margo's Got Money Troubles
Remarkably Bright Creatures
Three Bags Full
The Deal
Good Girl, Bad Blood
Romance
The Art of Loving You
How to Fake It in Society
The Duke
The Daisy Chain Flower Shop
Happy Ending
Cherry Baby
An Arcane Study of Stars
Don't Tell Me How It Ends
Don't Fall in Love with Me
Stranger Things Have Happened
Science Fiction
Japanese Gothic
The Subtle Art of Folding Space
Your Behavior Will Be Monitored
Hell's Heart
First Mage on the Moon
Intergalactic Feast
The Last Contract of Isako
Year of the Mer
We Dance Upon Demons
Seek the Traitor's Son
Thrillers & Suspense
Five
The Ending Writes Itself
The Hotel Guest
Mad Mabel
A Deadly Episode
Dark is When the Devil Comes in
The Library After Dark
Boring Asian Female

Popular Nonfiction

Biographies & Memiors
Labor: One Woman's Work
Rasputin: The Downfall of the Romanovs
American Rambler: Walking the Trail of Johnny Appleseed
Selling Opportunity: The Story of Mary Kay
This Dark Night: Emily Brontรซ, a Life
Notes to John
Letters
Byron: A Life in Ten Letters
Crafts & Hobbies
Beekeeping for Beginners
Sisters Gonna Stitch: a Feminist Embroidery Guide
Making with Meaning: More Than 20 Meditative and Creative Crochet Projects
15-Minute Gentle Yoga: Four 15-Minute Workouts for Energy, Balance, and Calm
Rock Gardening: Reimagining a Classic Style
Plant Craft : 30 Projects That Add Natural Style to Your Home
DIY chicken keeping from Fresh eggs daily : 40 projects for the coop, run, brooder, and more
History & Current Events
When the World Sleeps
Vengeance
Inside the Box
The Vast Enterprise
Stealing America
American Rambler
Screen People
The Secret War Against Hate
Nature & Science
The Laws of Thought: The Quest for a Mathematical Theory of the Mind
Beyond Inheritance: Our Ever-Mutating Cells and a New Understanding of Health
To Catch a Fish: Essays on the Joy, Frustration, Curiosity, and Allure of Fishing
The Edge of Space-Time: Particles, Poetry, and the Cosmic Dream Boogie
Becoming Martian: How Living in Space Will Change Our Bodies and Minds
Heart of the Hive: Inside the Mind of the Honey Bee and the Incredible Life Force of the Colony
Insectopolis: A Natural History
Alien Worlds: How Insects Conquered the Earth and Why Their Fate Will Determine Our Future
Tales from the Ant World
New York Times Bestsellers
Communion
The Land and Its People
Strangers
Stripped Down
The Crooked Places Made Straight
London Falling
America, U.S.A.
The Case for America
Take Me to Your Leader
The Anxious Generation
All We Say
Suicidal Empathy
The Gales of November
Spirtuality & Religion
Why I Am Not an Atheist: The Confessions of a Skeptical Believer
The Supreme Gift: Love Is the Greatest Thing in the World
Braving the Truth
Heal Your Hurting Mind
How to Know Your Self
A World Appears
The Beginning Comes After the End
The Glorians
Shaolin Spirit

Children & Teens

Kids & Tweens
Wombat Waiting
Roar
The Mystery of the Stolen World Cup Trophy
The Second Life of Snap
The Chismosas Only Book Club
The Shark Prince
Diamond Fever! A True Crime Story in the Wild West
Picture Books
Farm Shark
Spendin' Time
A Room With a View
Dad
Bear for a Day
Every Monday Mabel
Shark Girl
Everybelly
It's Powwow Time!
Meet the Mini-Mammals: A Night at the Natural History Museum
TeenScene
Holloway
Change of Plans
As I Dream of You
The Fight of Our Lives
Shards of Silence
This Thing of Ours
Fable for the End of the World
The Rose Bargain
Audre & Bash Are Just Friends

Notice: All locations will be closed July 3 and 4 for Independence Day.

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blue dinosaur reading book

Summer Reading

Tick-tock-tick. The countdown has started.

Days
Hours
Minutes
Seconds

Get ready to stomp into Summer Reading beginning May 26. Grab a tracking card, earn prizes and uncover prehistoric levels of fun all summer long.

Dig into the details ยป