Booklists

BOOKLISTS BY GENRE | PAST PRINTED BOOKLISTS | BOOK TALK BOOKLISTS | LINCOLN COMMUNITY PLAYHOUSE BOOKLISTS

The following booklists were compiled by the Readers Advisory staff of the Reference Department at Bennett Martin Public Library or the various branches of the Lincoln City Libraries system. “Hotlinked” titles within these booklists will connect you to the holdings screens in our catalog, so that you can check on the availability of individual books. Titles which are not hotlinked in many of these lists, might not be owned by the Lincoln City Libraries but appear in these lists as recommendations you may wish to pursue through our Interlibrary Loan service, or through other sources.

For lists of books discussed in Book Talks at the library, visit our Book Talk Booklists page.

For additional booklists aimed at Teens or Young Adults, visit our Teen’s “Hey Read This!” Page!

• African American Stories in Nebraska (a Heritage Room booklist featuring African American stories set in Nebraska, by Nebraska authors – both fiction and non-fiction)
• Allure of the Outdoors: Travel and Nature Writings (fiction and non-fiction about travel and nature)
• Alzheimer’s Reading List (non-fiction, fiction and youth materials related to this memory-altering condition)
• Anchors Aweigh! Naval Adventure Fiction
• And Now For Something Completely Different (books and dvds by and about the Monty Python comedy troupe)
• The Art of Collage (books about collage crafting) and Hinged Memories (handout on creating a collage project) (2020 Summer Reading Challenge)
• Authors We Love (favorite authors of some of the staff at Bennett Martin Public Library — both fiction and non-fiction — as of 2023)
• Banned or Challenged Non-Fiction (a 2013 Banned Books Week list – celebrating Non-Fiction titles that have been either banned or challenged at U.S. libraries/schools)
• Bennett Martin Public Library Staff – Favorite Reads of 2020
• Bennett Martin Public Library Staff – Favorite Reads of 2022
• Best Westerns
• Biblical Figures in Adult Fiction (novels featuring prominent biblical characters)
• The Black Detective (mystery novels featuring African-American sleuths)
• Black History Month – Collected Booklists (a page listing six new 2021 BHM lists, plus all past booklists associated with Black Authors and Black History)
• The Brides of the Bachelor (fiction dealing with art, artists and the artistic process)
• By the Numbers (fiction and non-fiction with titles comprised only of numbers)
• Civil War Mysteries (recent mystery novels set in the U.S. Civil War period)
• Classics With a Twist (classic works of English language literature, retold, with an usual twist to the telling)
• The Colors of Love (ethnic/Afro-American and interracial romance fiction)
• Confronting Cancer (fiction dealing with coping with or surviving cancer)
• Crime and Mystery Fiction by Nebraska Authors (2016 update) (pdf document)
• A Crop of Words (Nebraska Poets)
• Culinary Crimes! (mystery/thriller/suspense novels — often series — with a culinary setting or sleuth)
• Dark Futures: Cyberpunk Stories (novels or anthologies in the Cyberpunk science fiction subgenre)
• A Day Full of Graphic Novels (all ages from children through adults)
• Earth Day Non-Fiction: 2022 (non-fiction titles dealing with ecology and the climate)
• Elementary… (Follow-ups, parodies and pastiches featuring Sherlock Holmes and Holmes-like characters)
• En Passant; A Selection of Chess Materials (fiction and non-fiction)
• Epistolary Fiction (novels comprised of various forms of correspondence — from letters, to diaries, to e-mails, to text messages)
• The Essential Photographers (Twenty essential photographers of the 19th through 21st centuries)
• The Essentials of Classic Science Fiction (Twenty essential authors of classic writing contemporary Science Fiction.)
• The Essentials of English Literature (Twenty essential authors of classic British fiction.)
• The Essentials of Horror Fiction (Twenty essential authors of horror fiction.)
• The Essentials of Modern Science Fiction (Twenty of the essential authors of classic Science Fiction.)
• The Essentials of Western/Frontier Fiction (Twenty-one essential authors of classic Western or “frontier” fiction.)
• Experimental Music (a handout prepared by Polley Music Library staff for Lincoln Calling in 2021)
• Fanged Fiction (horror and/or romance novels featuring vampires or vampiric themes — created for our Teen page)
• Fangs a Lot! (horror and/or romance novels featuring vampires or vampiric themes)
• Forensic Fiction (mystery or suspense/thriller novels featuring scientific crime solving)
• Game On! (fiction and non-fiction titles that should appeal to fans of online gaming and role-playing games — on our Teen Cafe Page)
• Genealogy Mysteries (mystery novels with a genealogy theme or background)
• The Gilded Age (non-fiction about the U.S. history era of the 1870s to the early 20th century, plus some novels and movies/TV-series set in that period)
• Graphic Novels (non-superhero graphic novels)
• Haunting Homicides (mysteries set during the Halloween/harvest time of Autumn)
• Heart Land (romance novels by Nebraskans and other mid-west authors)
• Here There Be Dragons (dragons in popular literature, from antiquity to the modern era)
• HerStory: Books About Women Heroes of WWII (a mixture of non-fiction and fiction about noteworthy women involved in WWII)
• Hot Non-Fiction of 2008 (a selection of some of the hottest non-fiction titles added to the libraries’ collection in 2008)
• In Space No One Can Hear You Laugh… (science fiction or fantasy which is humorous, satiric or parodies)
• In Want of More Jane Austen? (sequels to Austen novels, or novels featuring Austen as a character)
• Indigenous Authors Write About Residential Schools (material for both juvenile and adult readers related to the Residential School System attempting to indoctrinate Native Americans in the U.S. and Canada)
• International Authors (a varied selection of fiction and non-fiction by authors from around the world)
• Into the Wild (additional reading recommendations for those who enjoyed the Jon Krakauer book about Chris McCandless)
• Introduction to Parenting (a variety of parenting materials from pregnancy through the teenage years)
• It’s Academic (mystery novels with an academic setting)
• Jazz Albums for Romance Reading (recommentions for music to accompany the reading of romance fiction)
• The John H. Ames Reading Series – 30 Years and 200+ Readings by Nebraska Authors (a comprehensive list (alpha order) of the first 30+ years of The John H. Ames Readings) (pdf document)
• The John H. Ames Reading Series – 30 Years and 200+ Readings by Nebraska Authors by Date (a comprehensive list (chronological order) of the first 30+ years of The John H. Ames Readings) (pdf document)
• Just Desserts – The First Ten Years (the first 95+ mystery novels read by the Just Desserts mystery fiction discussion group) (pdf document)
• Just Desserts mystery fiction discussion group handouts (PDFs created for month group handouts)
  • Mystery Continuations (mystery/thriller/suspense series continued by subsequent authors after the original authors passed away)
  • The Alex Delaware Series by Jonathan Kellerman (up through 2016)
  • The Alexandra “Alex” Cooper Series (up through 2014)
  • The Anna Pigeon mystery series by Nevada Barr
  • The Aunt Dimity mystery series by Nancy Atherton
  • The Benni Harper mystery series by Earlene Fowler (up through 2012 — California-set folk art mystery series)
  • The Bess Crawford WWI Mystery Series by Charles Todd (up through 2014)
  • The Billy Boyle WWII Mystery Series by James R. Benn (through 2021) — WWII-set mysteries featuring a Boston cop in various WWII wartime locations
  • The Bubbles Yablonsky mystery series by Sarah Strohmeyer
  • The Camel Club series by David Baldacci
  • The Carpenter and Quincannon Series by Marcia Muller and Bill Pronzini (up through 2016)
  • The Cat Who… Mystery Series by Lilian Jackson Braun
  • The Charlie Parker thriller series by John Connolly (up through 2019)
  • The Chet and Bernie mystery series by Spencer Quinn
  • The China Bayles mystery series by Susan Wittig Albert (up through 2012 — ex-attorney and Texas herb-shop owner stars in this “amateur detective” series)
  • The Cork O’Connor mystery series by William Kent Krueger
  • The Dave Robicheaux mystery series by James Lee Burke
  • The D.D. Warren series by Lisa Gardner (contemporary mystery/thrillers set in Boston, primarily featuring female detective D.D. Warren)
  • The Death on Demand series by Carolyn G. Hart (contemporary “amateur detective” series featuring South Caroline bookstore owner Annie Laurence Darling)
  • The Doc Ford series by Randy Wayne White (up through 2015 – contemporary “mystery/thriller” series set mainly in Florida, with an ex intelligence operative and current marine biologist getting pulled into mystery plots)
  • The Dorothy Martin series by Jeanne M. Dams (up through 2017 – contemporary “cozy” series, set in small English village, but written by an American author)
  • The Dortmunder series by Donald E. Westlake
  • The Dublin Murder Squad series by Tana French (up through 2013 — contemporary mystery series set in Ireland)
  • The Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James series by Deborah Crombie (contemporary British police procedural – up through 2014)
  • The Easy Rawlins series by Walter Mosley (up through 2021 — historical L.A. detective stories with an African-American focus)
  • The Elvis Cole/Joe Pike series by Robert Crais (contemporary mystery/thrillers mainly set in L.A., featuring a P.I. and an ex-mercenary)
  • The Eve Dallas/”In Death” series by J.D. Robb (a.k.a. Nora Roberts) (near-future police procedural series)
  • The Fiction of Anthony Horowitz (several adult mystery/suspense series, as well as YA/Middle-school series, and stand-alones)
  • The Flavia de Luce mystery series by Alan Bradley
  • The Gabriel Allon thriller/espionage series by Daniel Silva
  • The Gaslight Mystery series by Victoria Thompson (late 1800s/early 1900s NYC) (up through 2021)
  • The Gideon Oliver mystery series by Aaron Elkins (featuring a Columbia University anthropology professor as the sleuth)
  • The Hannah Swensen mystery series by Joanne Fluke (up through 2013 — contemporary mystery series featuring a a baker in a small Minnesota town, inc. recipes)
  • The Harry Bosch mystery series by Michael Connelly (up through 2012 — police procedural series featuring L.A. cop/P.I. Harry Bosch)
  • The Harry Hole mystery series by Jo Nesbo (up through 2016 — police procedural series set in Norway)
  • Hercule Poirot Fictional Canon | Hercule Poirot with Descriptions both by Agatha Christie
  • The Holmes on the Range mystery series by Steve Hockensmith
  • The Home Repair is Homicide mystery series by Sarah Graves
  • The Horse Racing mysteries of Felix Francis
  • The Inspector Banks mystery series by Peter Robinson (up through 2013 — contemporary mystery series set in England’s northern Yorkshire district)
  • The Inspector Armand Gamache mystery series by Louise Penny (updated through 2019)
  • The Inspector Lynley mystery series by Elizabeth George
  • The Inspector Rebus mystery series by Ian Rankin
  • The Jack McEvoy series by Michael Connelly (up through 2020)
  • The Jack Reacher thriller/mystery series by Lee Child
  • The Jack Swyteck legal thriller series by James Grippando
  • The Jade Del Cameron mystery series by Suzanne Arruda (historical mysteries set in 1920s Africa, featuring a female American adventurer)
  • The Jane Ryland/Jake Brogan series by Hank Phillippi Ryan
  • The Jesse Stone mystery series by Robert B. Parker (up through 2008, including books and DVDs)
  • The Joe Grey mystery series by Shirley Rousseau Murphy
  • The Joe Guenther mystery series by Archer Mayor
  • The Joe Leaphorn-Jim Chee mystery series by Tony Hillerman
  • The Joe Pickett mystery series by C.J. Box
  • The Kate Burkholder mystery series by Linda Castillo (up through 2016 — contemporary series set in Amish country)
  • The Kate Fox mystery series by Shannon Baker (up through 2018 — contemporary series set in the Nebraska Sandhills)
  • The Kate Shugak mystery series by Dana Stabenow (up through 2010 — Alaska-set mystery series)
  • The Kay Scarpetta mystery series by Patricia Cornwell (up through 2016 — focusing on a brilliant coroner/forensics expert, set in several different locales)
  • The Kevin Kerney mystery series by Michael McGarrity
  • The Kinsey Milhone mystery series by Sue Grafton
  • The Lincoln Rhymes series by Jeffery Deaver (forensic suspense novels featuring a paraplegic investigator)
  • The Lucas Davenport mystery/thriller series by John Sandford (psychological suspense/procedurals, mainly set in Twin Cities area of Minnesota)
  • The Maggie Hope mystery series by Susan Elia MacNeal (WWII era amateur detective series featuring very capable young woman)
  • The Maisie Dobbs mystery series by Jacqueline Winspear (up through 2010 — British historical mystery series (post WWI))
  • The Marcus Didius Falco series by Lindsey Davis (up through 2018 — historical mysteries featuring a private investigator in Ancient Rome; also a second series with his daughter)
  • The Meg Langslow series and The Turing Hopper series by Donna Andrews (up through 2019 – both contemporary amateur detective series)
  • The Midnight Louis mystery series by Carole Nelson Douglas
  • The Mike Bowditch mystery series by Paul Doiron (up through 2017 — contemporary featuring Maine Game Warden)
  • The Myron Bolitar mystery series by Harlan Coben (up through 2012 — sports agent/investigator solves mysteries, often with quirky friends’ help)
  • The Nero Wolfe series by Rex Stout (complete — classic series featuring Nero Wolfe, gourmand and orchid grower and Archie Goodwin, legman)
  • Nikki Heat and Other Works by “Richard Castle” (legitimate mystery/thrillers ostensibly written by the writer character “Richard Castle” on TV’s Castle, up through 2014)
  • No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith (up through 2006 — follows the adventures of female Botswana sleuth, Precious Ramotswe)
  • The Novel series of Margaret Frazer (three different historical mystery series, all set in medieval times – Dame Frevisse, Player Joliffe, Bishop Pecock)
  • The Novels of Liane Moriarty (up through 2018)
  • The Paul Madriani series by Steve Martini (up through 2015 — legal thrillers)
  • The Peculiar Crimes Unit (a.k.a. “Bryant & May”) series by Christopher Fowler (up from 2016 — quirky British police procedural series that jumps around in time periods)
  • The Peter Decker/Rina Lazarus mystery series by Faye Kellerman (up through 2012 — police procedural series featuring L.A. cop Peter Decker and his wife Rina Lazarus, with strong Jewish cultural elements)
  • The Philip Marlowe series by Raymond Chandler (classic pulp/noir detective mysteries from 1939 to 1958)
  • The Phryne Fisher mystery series by Kerry Greenwood (up through 2008 — Australian historical mystery series)
  • The Rabbi David Small mystery series by Harry Kemelman – complete (published 1964-1996)
  • The Rizzoli and Isles mystery series by Tess Gerritsen (up through 2013 — contemporary mystery series featuring a detective and cororner, set in Boston)
  • The Rosato and Associates mystery series by Lisa Scottoline (up through 2012 — legal thrillers featuring an all-female cast of attornies and investigators at a Philadelpha law firm)
  • The Ryder Creed series and the Maggie O’Dell series by Alex Kava (up through 2016 — O’Dell was first, an FBI profiler, Creed was second, a veteran turned K9 trainer)
  • The Spellman Family mystery series by Lisa Lutz
  • The Suspense Works of Ruth Ware (up through 2021)
  • The Teashop Mysteries by Laura Childs (up through 2012 — cozy/amateur detective series featuring the employees of a Charleston S.C. tea shop)
  • The Temperance Brennan mystery series by Kathy Reichs
  • The Thomas and Charlotte Pitt mystery series by Anne Perry (up through 2012 — Victorian-era England, with a strong wife who assists her police inspector husband)
  • The Tony Hill and Carol Jordan series by Val McDermid (up through 2019 — contemporary British thrllers about a profiler assisting a police investigator with serial killings)
  • The V.I. Warshawski series by Sara Paretsky (up through 2016 — contemporary, featuring a strong female private investigator in the Chicago area)
  • The Vera Stanhope mystery series by Ann Cleeves (up through 2019 – contemporary British police procedural; also includes other series by Ann Cleeves through 2019)
  • The Walt Longmire mystery series by Craig Johnson
  • The White House Chef mystery series by Julie Hyzy (up through 2015 – contemporary “amateur detective” series with lots of culinary tips and political observations)
  • The Wind River mystery series by Margaret Coel (up through 2012 — mystery series based around the Wind River Arapaho Indian reservation)
  • The Works of Dennis Lehane (mainly stand-alones)
  • The Works of Donna Leon (up through 2012 — mainly the Guido Brunetti series)
  • The Works of Elly Griffiths (up through 2021 — three different series – two contemporary, one 1950s)
  • The Works of John Grisham (up through 2022 — four series plus multiple stand-alones, mainly legal thrillers)
  • The Works of John Le Carre (the Smiley series and stand-alones)
  • The Works of G.M. Malliet (up through 2018 — two series, St. Just and Max Tudor)
  • The Works of P.D. James
  • The Works of Patricia Highsmith (mainly stand-alone novels, plus the Ripley series)
  • The Works of Melinda Leigh (up through 2021 — five different contemporary series)
  • The Works of S.A. Cosby (up through 2023 – gritty contemporary stand-alones)
  • The Works of Silvia Moreno-Garcia (up through 2022 — various genres)
  • The Works of Ruth Rendell
  • The Works of Stuart Woods (up through 2014 — five different contemporary series at that time)
• Keep It In the Family (epic or multi-generational family sagas)
• Legal Thrillers
• A Little Dark Reading (paranormal and/or dystopian fiction — created for our Teen page)
• Living Black in America – A Topical Booklist
• Loren Eiseley: A Biographical Note and A Representative Checklist of Materials (updated in 2014)
• Love & Danger: Gothics! (classic Gothic Romances and Gothic novels)
• Makerspaces (non-fiction titles about the new trend of creativity)
• Masterpiece Theater at 35 (a list — in .pdf format — of the first 35 seasons of Masterpiece Theatre productions through Jan 2006)
• Medieval Fiction (general fiction or mysteries set primarily or entirely in the Middle Ages)
• Meet Your Staff – Bennett Martin Public Library (staff favorites from members of the downtown library’s pool of employees)
• Mistletoe Mysteries (mysteries set during the Christmas, Hanukkah or New Years holidays)
• Most Frequently Banned or Challenged Titles in the 21st Century (a 2014 Banned Books Week list – celebrating the titles most frequently banned or challenged at U.S. libraries or schools) (pdf document)
• Most Popular Titles of 2022 (adult, young adult, and children’s)
• Murder by Gaslight (mysteries set in the Victorian Era)
• Murder Multiplied (mysteries/thrillers with Serial Killer plots)
• Murder on the Menu (mysteries with a culinary theme)
• Murder With a Green Thumb (mysteries featuring gardening or gardeners as sleuths)
• Mysterious Nebraska (mysteries written by Nebraska authors or set in Nebraska)
• Mystery Continuations (mystery/thriller/suspense series continued by subsequent authors after the original authors passed away)
• Mystery Fiction by African-American Authors (up to 2020)
• Mystery Fiction by Category (recommendations in 10 popular mystery sub-genres)
• Mystery, Music, Murder, Mayhem (murder mysteries with a musical theme)
• The Name is Bond…James Bond (The history of iconic spy James Bond in print and on film)
• Native Voices (fiction by contemporary Native American novelists)
• Nebraska Authors/Illustrators/Etc.
  • ( see also: related Nebraska Author booklists on our Booklists by Genre index page )
  • Nebraska Author Jonis Agee (a list of this general fiction author’s novels and short story collections)
  • Nebraska Author Bess Streeter Aldrich (a list of this general fiction author’s novels and short story collections)
  • Nebraska Author Willa Cather (a list of this author’s novels, poetry, non-fiction and short story collections)
  • Nebraska Author Dan Chaon (a list of this general fiction author’s novels and story collections)
  • Nebraska Author Mary Connealy (a list of this Christian romance author’s novels and anthologies)
  • Nebraska Author Richard Dooling (a list of this mystery-thriller/general-fiction author’s novels)
  • Nebraska Author Sean Doolittle (a list of this mystery-thriller author’s novels)
  • Nebraska Author Mignon Eberhart (a list of this mystery author’s novels and collections)
  • Nebraska Author Kenneth C. Flint (a list of this fantasy and historical fiction author’s novels)
  • Nebraska Author Tom J. Frye (a list of this general-fiction and fantasy author’s works)
  • Nebraska Author Terry Goodkind (a list of this epic fantasy author’s novels)
  • Nebraska Author Twyla Hansen (a list of this Nebraska State Poet’s poetry collections and other writings)
  • Nebraska Author Kent Haruf (a list of this authors fiction and essays)
  • Nebraska Author and Illustrator Ruth Rosekrans Hoffman (a list of this childrens picture book and non-fiction book illustrator)
  • Nebraska Author and Illustrator Paul Johnsgard (a list of this famed ornithologist’s 100+ books)
  • Nebraska Author Julie Kaewert (a list of this mystery author’s novels)
  • Nebraska Author Stephanie Kallos (a list of this general fiction author’s novels and story collections)
  • Nebraska Author Alex Kava (a list of this mystery/FBI thriller author’s novels)
  • Nebraska Author Weldon Kees (a list of this general author’s novels, poetry and non-fiction titles)
  • Nebraska Author Lorraine “Margaret” Keilstrup (a.k.a. M.K. Lorens, a.k.a. Margaret Lawrence) (a list of this mystery and general fiction author’s works)
  • Nebraska Author William Kloefkorn (a list of this Nebraska State Poet’s poetry collections, novels and memoirs)
  • Nebraska Author Harley Jane Kozak (a list of this mystery author’s novels)
  • Nebraska Author Tosca Lee (a list of works by this Christian historical fiction author, who also writes Christian suspense/thrillers)
  • Nebraska Author Jeff McArthur (a list of works by this Fiction/Non-Fiction multi-focus author, originally from Nebraska, now living in California)
  • Nebraska Author Lise McClendon (a list of this mystery author’s novels)
  • Nebraska Author Patricia McGerr (a list of this mystery author’s novels)
  • Nebraska Author Wright Morris (a list of this general fiction author’s novels and essay collections)
  • Nebraska Author John G. Neihardt (a list of this Nebraska State Poet’s general novels, poetry collections and and non-fiction books)
  • Nebraska Author Tillie Olsen (a list of this general author’s novels and and non-fiction books)
  • Nebraska Film-Maker Alexander Payne (a list of this film writer/director/producer’s films, and books about his work)
  • Nebraska Author Mary Pipher (a list of this non-fiction author’s books, focusing on psychology and cultural influences)
  • Nebraska Author Robert Reed (a list of this science fiction author’s novels and collections)
  • Nebraska Author William J. Reynolds (a list of this mystery authors novels and some of his short stories)
  • Nebraska Author Rainbow Rowell (a list of this general and YA fiction author’s novels)
  • Nebraska Author Brandon Sanderson (a list of this fantasy author’s books)
  • Nebraska Author Timothy Schaffert (a list of this general fiction author’s novels)
  • Nebraska Author Lori Van Pelt (a list of this western author’s story collection and and non-fiction books)
  • Nebraska Author Stephanie Grace Whitson (a list of this general author’s novels and and non-fiction books)
  • Nebraska Author Roger Welsch (a list of this folklorist, humorist and essayist’s extensive body non-fiction books — and a couple of novels)
  • Nebraska Author David Wiltse (a list of this suspense/thriller writer’s novels and some of his plays)
  • Nebraska Author Don Winslow (a list of this mystery/thriller writer’s novels)
• Nebraska Authors, Quilt Reads and Resources at Lincoln City Libraries (a special list composed by the staff of the Heritage Room and Gere Library for a special Quilts program)
• Nebraska Authors Write About Baseball (a special list composed by the staff of the Heritage Room for a baseball display)
• Nebraska Authors Write About Sports (a special list composed by the staff of the Heritage Room)
• The New York Times 100 Notable Books of 2011 (100 noteworthy books, fiction and non-fiction, for 2011)
• The New York Times 100 Notable Books of 2013 (100 noteworthy books, fiction and non-fiction, for 2013)
• The New York Times 100 Notable Books of 2018 (100 noteworthy books, fiction and non-fition, for 2018)
• 1920s Mystery Fiction (a checklist of some of the most popular 1920s and early 1930s “Golden Age” mystery novelists)
• Nordic Noir (Scandinavian mystery fiction, similiar to the novels of Stieg Larsson)
• November 22 1963 – The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy (a list of all library materials on the Kennedy assassination, on the 50th anniversary of that event) (pdf document)
• Old South, New South (fiction set in the U.S. South or Southeast, and with a traditional Southern flavor)
• OLLI 2021 Course: A Mosaic of Mystery Fiction Resources (originally for members of a Summer 2021 OLLI class — six sessions, each with a specific mystery fiction focus)
• One Book – One Lincoln finalists (all the Top 3 or 5 finalists from each year 2002-2020 — including descriptive blurbs)
• One Book – One Lincoln finalists (all the Top 3 or 5 finalists from each year 2002-2020, as a simple list for printing, with covers & titles only)
•  100 Best Young Adult Novels (an overview of recommended YA fiction, both classic and contemporary as of 2021)
• One Small Step… (Fiction and Non-Fiction Dealing With the Apollo Program)
• The Oprah Book Club Selections (mostly fiction, some non-fiction, selected by Oprah from 1996 to the present)
• Ornery Old Men (biographies of +50 men who’ve lived colorful or outrageous lives)
• Pandemics & Plagues in Fiction, DVDs and Non-Fiction
• Presidential Fiction (novels featuring U.S. Presidents)
• Queer Horror (a Top 10 list of LGBTQ+-themed horror fiction)
• Rainbow Reads (a collection of six LGBTQ-themed booklists for adults and teens, both fiction and non-fiction)
• Rainbow Reads — 2022 (New LGBTQ+ Books for Kids, Young Adults & Adults)
• Rainbow Reads — 2023 (New LGBTQ+ Books for Kids, Young Adults & Adults)
• Read for Change (compiled in 2020 in connection with the Read Woke Challenge and the Together, One Lincoln website)
• Recommended Reads: Pedro Pascal (the actor’s favorite books, from a May 2023 book display)
• Regency Romances (a look at the difference between Traditional Regencies and Historical Regencies)
• Remembering…Stephen J. Cannell (pdf document)
• Remembering…Tom Clancy (pdf document)
• Remembering…Elmore Leonard (pdf document)
• Remembering…John Lewis (Civil Rights leader and American Politician)
• Remembering…Ed McBain (pdf document)
• Remembering…Belva Plain (pdf document)
• Remembering…Mickey Spillane (pdf document)
• Remembering…Kathleen Woodiwiss (pdf document)
• Required Reading Worldwide (pdf document)
• Ripper! (horror, mystery and/or non-fiction titles looking at Jack the Ripper)
• Science Fiction and Fantasy Murder Mysteries
• Senior Sleuths (mysteries featuring sleuths in their retired years) (also available as Senior Sleuths – a non-hotlinked pdf)
• 75 Young Adult Novels Every Adult Should Read (pdf document)
• The Sleuth Said “Woof!” (mysteries prominently featuring dogs as heroes or sidekicks)
• Somewhere in Time (time-travel romances)
• Spunky Old Ladies (biographies of +50 women who lived their lives without regrets)
• Star Trek: The Reading List
• Star Wars: The Reading List
  • Star Wars: The New Official Canon (a condensed list of the “official Star Wars novels” in the canon since 2014 — in PDF format)
• Summer Olympics Reading List (2021)
• The Super Bowl and the World of Pro Football (2022)
• Sweetgrass and Desert Sage (mystery novels featuring Native American sleuths)
• Tartan Noir (Scottish mystery fiction, similar to the novels of Ian Rankin or Val McDermid)
• 3000+ Nebraska Authors Z to A (2014) (sampling of some of the 3000+ authors represented in the Heritage Room of Nebraska Authors)
• Time is Relative (science fiction novels with Time Travel plots)
• Time Magazine’s 100 Best Novels, 1923-2005 (critically acclaimed English-language novels)
• Titles By and About Nebraska Science Authors (2014 – includes Loren Eiseley, John Janovy Jr. and Paul Johnsgard)
• Top 100 Novels for Youth – 2020 Edition | also as a printer-friendly double-sided trifold brochure (2020 Summer Reading Challenge)
• TV Tie-Ins (original fiction based on popular television series through the years)
• Victorian Mysteries
• War Stories (military fiction set during wars from 1200 B.C. to the present)
• Westerns on Film and Television (a DVD booklist)
• What Other Cities Are Reading (a list, in pdf format, of community reading selections up to 2004)
• Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story? (A Hamilton-inspired non-fiction reading list)
• Winter Olympics Reading List (2022)
• Word Weavers: A Multicultural List of Fiction by Women
• You’ve Seen the Movie…Now Read the Book! (novels, plays or short stories turned into Oscar-winning movies)

Past Printed Booklists

For a master index to all of the traditional printed (i.e. not on this website!) booklists available from the Reference Department at the Bennett Martin Public Library downtown, click: Alphabetical Index of past printed booklists. For a master index, arranged by subject matter, click: Subject Index to past printed booklists. (Both of these indexes are PDF documents.)

— New addition to this site within the past two months
— Updated with new entries within the past two months

Last updated in May 2023 | sdc