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Southside Reads: 2023 Past Reads

Past Recommendations 2023

Did you miss a month? No worries! You can start at any time during the challenge. Want to catch up but need some help? You'll find our recommendations by month/theme.  Click on the heading to expand the selection with the recommendations.   

Each image of the book cover is a link to a description and more book details from Goodreads.  The Library Availability will give you details of format and availability by library.  Pick your title and start reading! 

Color in the Title (January 2023)

Welcome to Southside Reads! We’re challenging you to read a variety of books in 2023 by assigning a different category to every month, but don’t worry! The categories are broad enough to put your own spin on them.

For January, we want you to read a book with a color in the title. Go out and find a book, but if you want some suggestions to get you thinking, check out the list below (with information about local library availability*):

A Yellow Raft in Blue Water book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Jade is a Twisted Green book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Silver Sparrow book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Red at the Bone book cover with link to Goodreads description page
The Yellow House book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Reservation Blues book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Brown Girl, Brownstones book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Black, White and Jewish book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Djin Patrol on the Purple Line book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Bitter Orange Tree book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Golden Bones book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Through the Ivory Gates book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Brown Enough book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Black Folk Could Fly book cover with link to Goodreads description page
White Teeth book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Purple Hibiscus book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Indigo book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Devil in a Blue Dress book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Orange Mint and Honey book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Death of a Red Heroine book cover with link to Goodreads description page

Key for Local Library Availability

Locations:

  • CVRL - Central Virginia Regional Library
  • LU - Longwood University: Greenwood Library
  • HSC - Hampden-Sydney College: Bortz Library

Services:

*LU Overdrive is available for current students, faculty and staff only.

Book to Screen (February 2023)

Welcome to Southside Reads! We’re challenging you to read a variety of books in 2023 by assigning a different category to every month, but don’t worry! The categories are broad enough to put your own spin on them.

For February, we want you to read a book that’s been adapted for television or film. No restrictions other than that. Go out and find a book, but if you want some suggestions to get you thinking, check out the list below (with information about local library availability*):

Native Son book cover with link to Goodreads description page
The Bell Jar book cover with link to Goodreads description page
The Mystic Masseur book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Goodbye, Columbus book cover with link to Goodreads description page
The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman book cover with link to Goodreads description page
I Never Promised You a Rose Garden book cover with link to Goodreads description page
A Single Man book cover with link to Goodreads description page
The Chosen book cover with link to Goodreads description page
The Planet of Junior Brown book cover with link to Goodreads description page
House Made of Dawn book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Bless Me Ultima book cover with link to Goodreads description page
The Book of Daniel book cover with link to Goodreads description page
If Beale Street Could Talk book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Maurice book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Enemies book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Never Die Alone book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Desert of the Heart book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Exodus book cover with link to Goodreads description page
The Price of Salt book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Seize the Day book cover with link to Goodreads description page

Key for Local Library Availability

Locations:

  • CVRL - Central Virginia Regional Library
  • LU - Longwood University: Greenwood Library
  • HSC - Hampden-Sydney College: Bortz Library

Services:

*LU Overdrive is available for current students, faculty and staff only.

Award Winners (March 2023)

Welcome to Southside Reads! We’re challenging you to read a variety of books in 2023 by assigning a different category to every month, but don’t worry! The categories are broad enough to put your own spin on them.

For March, we want you to read an award winner. No restrictions other than that. Go out and find a book, but if you want some suggestions to get you thinking, check out the list below (with information about local library availability*):

Our Missing Hearts book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Harlem Shuffle book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secretes of the Universe book cover with link to Goodreads description page
The Sentence book cover with link to Goodreads description page
The Vanishing Half book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Deacon King Kong book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Such a Fun Age book cover with link to Goodreads description page
The Water Dancer book cover with link to Goodreads description page
On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Black Leopard, Red Wolf book cover with link to Goodreads description page
On the Come Up book cover with link to Goodreads description page
My Sister, the Serial Killer book cover with link to Goodreads description page
There There book cover with link to Goodreads description page
The Poet X book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Children of Blood and Bone book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Black Cake book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Transcendent Kingdom book cover with link to Goodreads description page
An American Marriage book cover with link to Goodreads description page
In the Midst of Winter book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Long Way Down: The Graphic Novel book cover with link to Goodreads description page

Key for Local Library Availability

Locations:

  • CVRL - Central Virginia Regional Library
  • LU - Longwood University: Greenwood Library
  • HSC - Hampden-Sydney College: Bortz Library

Services:

*LU Overdrive is available for current students, faculty and staff only.

Books about Books (April 2023)

Welcome to Southside Reads! We’re challenging you to read a variety of books in 2023 by assigning a different category to every month, but don’t worry! The categories are broad enough to put your own spin on them.

For April, we want you to read a book about books. Go out and find a book, but if you want some suggestions to get you thinking, check out the list below (with information about local library availability*):

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Less book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Everything is Illuminated book cover with link to Goodreads description page
City of God book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Yo book cover with link to Goodreads description page
An Unnecessary Woman book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Hell of  Book book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Erasure book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Seven Days in June book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Redemption Song book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Infants of the Spring book cover with link to Goodreads description page
The Lost Book of Adana Moreau book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Hotel de Dream book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Pulp book cover with link to Goodreads description page
The Neighbor Favor book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Biblioepsy book cover with link to Goodreads description page
The Pinch book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Greenland book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Katz or Cats book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Click Song book cover with link to Goodreads description page

Key for Local Library Availability

Locations:

  • CVRL - Central Virginia Regional Library
  • LU - Longwood University: Greenwood Library
  • HSC - Hampden-Sydney College: Bortz Library

Services:

*LU Overdrive is available for current students, faculty and staff only.

Virginiana (May 2023)

Welcome to Southside Reads! We’re challenging you to read a variety of books in 2023 by assigning a different category to every month, but don’t worry! The categories are broad enough to put your own spin on them.

For May, we want you to read a book that's related to Virginia. Read with Virginia as the setting, a book by a Virginia author, or even a book with a character named Virginia. Choose your own adventure! Go out and find a book, but if you want some suggestions to get you thinking, check out the list below (with information about local library availability*):

The Known World book cover with link to Goodreads description page
The Burn Journals book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Razorblade Tears book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Miracle Creek book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Lies We Tell Ourselves book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Roots book cover with link to Goodreads description page
The Water Dancer book cover with link to Goodreads description page
An Extraordinary Union book cover with link to Goodreads description page
All Boys Aren't Blue book cover with link to Goodreads description page
The Hemingses of Monticello book cover with link to Goodreads description page
The Glass Castle book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Bloodroot book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Factory Man book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Makeda book cover with link to Goodreads description page
The Other Madisons book cover with link to Goodreads description page
The Hot Zone book cover with link to Goodreads description page
The Kitchen House book cover with link to Goodreads description page
The Unlikely Disciple book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Alma Mater book cover with link to Goodreads description page
On Hallowed Ground book cover with link to Goodreads description page

Key for Local Library Availability

Locations:

  • CVRL - Central Virginia Regional Library
  • LU - Longwood University: Greenwood Library
  • HSC - Hampden-Sydney College: Bortz Library

Services:

*LU Overdrive is available for current students, faculty and staff only.

Out of Your Comfort Zone (June 2023)

Welcome to Southside Reads! We’re challenging you to read a variety of books in 2023 by assigning a different category to every month, but don’t worry! The categories are broad enough to put your own spin on them.

For June, we want you to read a book that’s out of your comfort zone. No restrictions other than that.Go out and find a book, but if you want some suggestions to get you thinking, check out the list below (with information about local library availability*):

The Family Chao book cover with link to Goodreads description page
When We Were Birds book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Florence Adler Swims Forever book cover with link to Goodreads description page
The Shards book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Magodiz book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Yonder book cover with link to Goodreads description page
A Mind Spread Out on the Ground book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Violeta book cover with link to Goodreads description page
River Spirit book cover with link to Goodreads description page
The Quiet Before book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Counterfeit book cover with link to Goodreads description page
The Storyteller's Death book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Send for Me book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Olga Dies Dreaming book cover with link to Goodreads description page
The Charm Offensive book cover with link to Goodreads description page
The Neighbor Favor book cover with link to Goodreads description page
The Sentence book cover with link to Goodreads description page
The Hacienda book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Good Intentions book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Resisting Apartheid America book cover with link to Goodreads description page

Key for Local Library Availability

Locations:

  • CVRL - Central Virginia Regional Library
  • LU - Longwood University: Greenwood Library
  • HSC - Hampden-Sydney College: Bortz Library

Services:

*LU Overdrive is available for current students, faculty and staff only.

That's My Job! (July 2023)

Welcome to Southside Reads! We’re challenging you to read a variety of books in 2023 by assigning a different category to every month, but don’t worry! The categories are broad enough to put your own spin on them.

Go out and find a book, but if you want some suggestions to get you thinking, check out the list below (with information about local library availability*):

All Her Little Secrets book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Weather Girl book cover with link to Goodreads description page
The Kindest Lie book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Yinka, Where is Your Huzband? book cover with link to Goodreads description page
The Vixen book cover with link to Goodreads description page
A Tale for the Time Being book cover with link to Goodreads description page
The Book of Salt book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Afterlife book cover with link to Goodreads description page
In the Midst of Winter book cover with link to Goodreads description page
On Beauty book cover with link to Goodreads description page
John Woman book cover with link to Goodreads description page
The Oxford Murders book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Take My Hand book cover with link to Goodreads description page
The Red Palace book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Memorial book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Interior Chinatown book cover with link to Goodreads description page
My Darkest Prayer book cover with link to Goodreads description page
The Barn at the End of the World book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Upright Women Wanted book cover with link to Goodreads description page

Key for Local Library Availability

Locations:

  • CVRL - Central Virginia Regional Library
  • LU - Longwood University: Greenwood Library
  • HSC - Hampden-Sydney College: Bortz Library

Services:

*LU Overdrive is available for current students, faculty and staff only.

A Long Time Ago (August 2023)

Welcome to Southside Reads! We’re challenging you to read a variety of books in 2023 by assigning a different category to every month, but don’t worry! The categories are broad enough to put your own spin on them.

Go out and find a book, but if you want some suggestions to get you thinking, check out the list below (with information about local library availability*):

Conjure Women book cover with link to Goodreads description page
The Night Watchman book cover with link to Goodreads description page
The Wolf in the Whale book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Haven book cover with link to Goodreads description page
The Personal Librarian book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Woman of Light book cover with link to Goodreads description page
The Good Wife of Bath book cover with link to Goodreads description page
The Voyage of the Morning Light book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea book cover with link to Goodreads description page
This Tender Land book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Wrath Goddess Sing book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Hold Fast book cover with link to Goodreads description page
The Great Mrs. Elias book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Pachinko book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Matrix book cover with link to Goodreads description page
The Prince of the Skies book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Ramadan Ramsey book cover with link to Goodreads description page
The Book of Everlasting Things book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Egypt’s Sister book cover with link to Goodreads description page
The Punishing Journey of Arthur Delaney book cover with link to Goodreads description page

Key for Local Library Availability

Locations:

  • CVRL - Central Virginia Regional Library
  • LU - Longwood University: Greenwood Library
  • HSC - Hampden-Sydney College: Bortz Library

Services:

*LU Overdrive is available for current students, faculty and staff only.

Don’t Read That! (September 2023)

Welcome to Southside Reads! We’re challenging you to read a variety of books in 2023 by assigning a different category to every month, but don’t worry! The categories are broad enough to put your own spin on them.

Go out and find a book that you shouldn’t read, but if you want some suggestions to get you thinking, check out the list below (with information about local library availability*):

Gender Queer cover with link to Goodreads description page
All Boys Aren’t Blue book cover with link to Goodreads description page
The Bluest Eye book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Looking for Alaska book cover with link to Goodreads description page
The Perks of Being a Wallflower book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Lawn Boy book cover with link to Goodreads description page
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Out of Darkness book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Crank book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl book cover with link to Goodreads description page
This Book Is Gay book cover with link to Goodreads description page
The Hate U Give book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Beyond Magenta book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Melissa book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Stamped book cover with link to Goodreads description page
All American Boys book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Speak book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Something Happened in Our Town book cover with link to Goodreads description page
To Kill a Mockingbird book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Of Mice and Men book cover with link to Goodreads description page

Key for Local Library Availability

Locations:

  • CVRL - Central Virginia Regional Library
  • LU - Longwood University: Greenwood Library
  • HSC - Hampden-Sydney College: Bortz Library

Services:

*LU Overdrive is available for current students, faculty and staff only.

Mysterious Reads (October 2023)

Welcome to Southside Reads! We’re challenging you to read a variety of books in 2023 by assigning a different category to every month, but don’t worry! The categories are broad enough to put your own spin on them.

Go out and find a book, but if you want some suggestions to get you thinking, check out the list below (with information about local library availability*):

Time’s Undoing book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Hungry Ghosts book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Valley of Shadows book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Murder in Westminster book cover with link to Goodreads description page
The Shadow of the Empire book cover with link to Goodreads description page
The Red Palace book cover with link to Goodreads description page
The Savage Kind book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Clark and Division book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Murder in Old Bombay book cover with link to Goodreads description page
This Lovely City book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Happiness Falls book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Scorched Grace book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Decent People book cover with link to Goodreads description page
The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida book cover with link to Goodreads description page
A Quiet Teacher book cover with link to Goodreads description page
All That’s Left Unsaid book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Are You Sara? book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Going to Beautiful book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Under Lock & Skeleton Key book cover with link to Goodreads description page
The Family Chao book cover with link to Goodreads description page

Key for Local Library Availability

Locations:

  • CVRL - Central Virginia Regional Library
  • LU - Longwood University: Greenwood Library
  • HSC - Hampden-Sydney College: Bortz Library

Services:

*LU Overdrive is available for current students, faculty and staff only.

Wildcard (December 2023)

Welcome to Southside Reads! We’re challenging you to read a variety of books in 2023 by assigning a different category to every month, but don’t worry! The categories are broad enough to put your own spin on them.

Go out and find a book, but if you want some suggestions to get you thinking, check out the list below (with information about local library availability*):

Wild Seed book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Black Card book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Chain-Gang All-Stars book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Wild Girls book cover with link to Goodreads description page
The Race Card book cover with link to Goodreads description page
All the Sinners Bleed book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Wild Dances book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Caramba! book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Birnam Wood book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Wild Things book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Hello Beautiful book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Holy Wild book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Land of Milk and Honey book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Wild Sweet Love book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Pineapple Street book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Empire of Wild book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Victory City book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Witch of Wild Things book cover with link to Goodreads description page
King book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Wild Tongues Can't Be Tamed book cover with link to Goodreads description page

Key for Local Library Availability

Locations:

  • CVRL - Central Virginia Regional Library
  • LU - Longwood University: Greenwood Library
  • HSC - Hampden-Sydney College: Bortz Library

Services:

*LU Overdrive is available for current students, faculty and staff only.