SJPL Recommendation News: Spring 2025

Welcome, or welcome back, to our (now) seasonal issue of the Recommendation News. Here we are, once again, in (as I like to call it) the Happy Time of Year. While many bemoan the lost hour of sleep that comes with Springing Forward in March, for me, I'd sacrifice a whole night's sleep just to get the longer days and extra sunlight back; going home when there's still daylight just feels better. Of course, it also opens the time of year where we are most likely to have weather that will permit relaxing outdoors with a book, and thus, we come to our recommended booklists.

For Spring, we will have a lot of lists in-line with seasonal celebrations. In looking at the next few months we could try some Green Reads for Earth Day, or poetry for Poetry Month in April. We have several heritage months upcoming: Arab-American Heritage, Jewish-American Heritage, as well as Asian-American and Pacific Islander Heritage months. And of course Spring spills over into June, which is Pride Month. Our librarians work to create lists to help us theme our reading, and while I could certainly link to each and every one of these lists, I'd love to teach you how to look for these lists yourself! It's honestly quite easy.

Browse Better With Booklists

All our curated lists start with "SJPL Picks" or "SJPL Recommends"; this makes finding lists we make easy.

You can search for lists to browse curated picks! In the top-right corner of this page you will see our search bar. You need to change "keyword" to "list" from the dropdown menu to search for booklists.
Type SJPL Picks to pull up San José's lists first, and then try a genre or search term after. For example, if you were looking for aforementioned Earth Day Green Reads you could try SJPL Picks Green Reads.
Hit the magnifying glass to search and you will pull up our related lists. To see the results of the Green Reads list search above you can click this link, opens a new window. You will see our four Green Reads lists for different age groups returned first, as well as some other lists from San José's librarians. Try this search strategy for a heritage month, or your favorite genre, or even that niche subject you are looking for, and you'll be able to check out related lists in a jiffy.

Didn't find what you were looking for? Try looking at the profiles that host all our lists to browse everything we have on offer. Check out links that take you directly to our profiles in our Quick Links section below. ↓

Of course, we also curate some pretty specific lists which you may not know the term for; that's why you still need me (I hope!) to show you all the weird and wonderful ways to read with our city's collection. I have four lists to highlight for Spring to show off just how specific and expansive our collection is; one each for Adults, Teens/YA, Middle Grade readers (~grades 3-7), and Young Children.

Weird Westerns for Adults

Cover of Red Rabbit by Alex Grecian I have a confession. I may be featuring this list because it is one of my favorite themes in media. Being the person I am it may surprise many to learn that I'm into bucking broncos, snakes in my boot, and cowboys, but there's always been something about the legend of the Wild West that has held it's appeal; and apparently I am not alone. While many have predicted the eventual irrelevance of the genre, it seems that, truly, the Western never dies. In the case of this list, though, the Western may even be undead.

Weird Westerns is a blending of genres; they take the Western and add speculative elements to have you hollering n' airing yer lungs in surprise as the action unfolds. There will still be yellow-bellies, varmints, outlaws, and buckaroos, but you can expect a healthy dose of wizards, zombies, vampires, and Dystopia, too. Essentially, a Weird Western crosses the Western with genres like Science fiction, Fantasy, and Horror.

This list includes a genre guide to help any would-be Weird Western fans keep an eye out for dated tropes and representation to keep evolving this classic genre into the 21st century and possibly beyond.

Weird Westerns Booklist for Adults, opens a new window

Books About Prom for Teens

I remember both of my proms- junior and senior. I certainly wasn't popular enough to be invited as a freshman or sophomore, but those nights I definitely made some memories. My junior year was a less serious affair- I borrowed a dress, went with a group of my closest girlfriends, and we got Taco Bell for dinner. My senior year was a little more...formal. I traveled to Portland to shop for my dress (I grew up in Oregon), and spent the most money I've ever spent on a single garment for a beautiful, grass green, Grecian style dress; plus, for the first time, I had a date to a dance. He took me out for Thai food. Ooo la la!

Why share my prom memories? Because it just goes to show that for many US teens this is a culminating event; we spend our youths consuming stories about prom, somewhat a farewell to our "childhood"; one may even argue it is the Quintessential American High School Experience. There's excitement there, as well as the promise of a stage to reinvent yourself, an opportunity to try something new, or a last hurrah as a high schooler. It's no wonder that books about prom continue to be written and read- they contain all that excitement, whether you're daydreaming about your prom or reminiscing on your big night as you approach your 20th (Aahh!!) and beyond high school reunion. Typically, prom season is May, but you can, of course, enjoy these books whenever.

YA Books About Prom, opens a new window

Adventure & Survival Stories for Middle Grade Readers

As I've aged up, I've found that there are less and less stories that are tagged as "Adventure"; while many of the books written for adults contain an adventure, the adventure isn't the point of the book, it simply contains one. Yet, I find that the desire for adventure and/or survival tales doesn't go away just because someone grows up. As a librarian that regularly responds to your 5forU requests, opens a new window I can tell you that I am not alone in this. So, kids, enjoy your stories of pure adventure while you still can! Or, alternatively, any authors reading this can take note of this unfulfilled need.

Through my work as a children's librarian I can also safely say that kids are fascinated by these genres. The continuing popularity of the I Survived series, opens a new window is but one indicator of this. The books on this list will encompass two distinct but certainly related genres. These books will feature characters that are; on a youthful exploration of their world; swept up in an epic journey; or grappling with the elements as they fight for their lives. Regardless, reading one of these will no doubt bring page-turning excitement to your shelves.

Adventure & Survival Stories for ~Grades 3-7, opens a new window

Books for Train Lovers

Again, speaking from my experience as a children's librarian, I find that most young children go through some recognizable phases that no parenting book will detail, although most parents will be familiar. Not all children go through all of these phases- but they typically go through one or two. These phases include: dinosaur, princess, unicorn, garbage truck, shark, airplane, and, of course, train.

If you're looking to get on the right track with the young train lovers in your life, no need to run out of steam looking for the right read. We've made it easy to choo-choose a great read to capture a train-lover's attention, and keep them chugging along building their reading skills.

Books for Train Lovers, opens a new window

SJPL Picks: Quick Links

If this month's featured reads aren't quite what you're in the mood for, or you're looking to expand your browsing further, try checking out any and all of the lists from our librarians on our SJPL Picks team. All our lists will be labeled "SJPL Picks" or "SJPL Recommends".

SJPL 5forU, opens a new window

If you're looking for further recommendations and aren't in the mood to browse, let us do the browsing for you! San José Public Library's 5forU team offers personalized recommendations via email. You can also fill in the profile on someone else's behalf and we can find just the right titles - perfect for caregivers looking to recommend books to their children, for book clubs stumped on what to discuss next meeting, or if you're hoping to give the gift of literature. Just fill in the profile and we'll do the rest - and remember, the more information you give us in the profile, the better and more tailored your recommendations will be! Hearing exactly why you love or hate a book gives us more clues to find your new favorite- it just so happens to be what we love to talk about, too, so don't hold back. Ready to begin your 5forU journey?

Start your 5forU Request!, opens a new window