New Year, New Reading

Even being a librarian, it can be hard to make time to read the latest titles. With new TV shows, old favorite books, and hanging out with friends, fitting in a recent book can be difficult.

Over the holidays, my sister and I were talking about New Year's resolutions and how hard it is to follow them on your own – including to read more. We agreed to hold each other accountable and read at least one book every month. After, we ended up talking with a friend and she wanted in on this as well… And then another friend was roped in… And then we mentioned it to our mom.

Needless to say, I accidentally started a book club for 2026 with my friends and family. It might be a little difficult to find things we all want to read, considering we have different tastes in books, but that will be part of the fun.

This month we plan on reading The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman, since the movie just came out on Netflix and we all really want to watch it. We have a group chat where we can share our reactions to the book (and hopefully not spoil anything), and talk with one another.

I’m optimistic that we can keep up with it through the year.

The Mercer County Library System has a variety of book clubs you can join throughout the year. While they may not have as eclectic of a book list as mine might end up being, you can pick one that fits your fancy! To see a full list of clubs at all our branches, visit the “Book Clubs” page of our website. In addition to which clubs are offered, you can see when they meet, what each is currently reading, and find their past titles.

If starting your own book club is the way you’d rather go, check out a “Book-Club-In-A-Bag.” BCIAB kits contain at least six copies of a title, biographical information about the author, a plot summary and discussion questions.

If book clubs aren’t for you, the library has other ways to get involved. Try our 2026 Reading Challenge – a just-for-fun way to broaden your reading choices. We also have annual summer reading and winter reading programs – low stress motivation to add reading into your routine.

Lastly, for reading recommendations, try the “Personalized Picks” service – just answer a few questions about the types of books and subjects you like, and librarians will recommend titles for you. There are also NextReads newsletters available for free with the latest titles in a variety of genres.

Happy Reading!

-Emma, West Windsor Branch