Whether you are curling up with an old favorite or exploring a new genre, many of us are seeking comfort and refuge in reading. Our branches may be closed, but our e-book collection is still waiting for you. Check out this recommended reading list from Min Jin Lee, bestselling author of Free Food for Millionaires and Pachinko, then download a book or two to keep you company.
 

Inheritance: A Memoir of Genealogy, Paternity, and Love by Dani Shapiro

A memoir about identity, paternity, and family secrets—a real-time exploration of the staggering discovery she made last year about her father, and her struggle to piece together the hidden the story of her own life.

 

 

 

 

Chief Engineer: Washington Roebling, the Man Who Built the Brooklyn Bridge by Erica Wagner

As much a part of the New York skyline as the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building, the Brooklyn Bridge is instantly and internationally recognizable. Yet as iconic as it is, its builder, Washington Roebling, is too often forgotten. The Brooklyn Bridge took 14 dramatic years to complete and here the personal story which lies behind that construction is told for the first time. Meticulously researched, and written with revealing archival material only recently uncovered, this is an engaging and illuminating portrait of a brilliant and driven man, and of the era in which he lived.

 

How We Fight for Our Lives by Saeed Jones

Written from the crossroads of sex, race, and power in America, How We Fight for Our Lives is a stunning coming-of-age memoir and a haunting reflection of the nation as a whole.

 

 

 

 

 

The Monk in the Garden: The Lost and Found Genius of Gregor Mendel, the Father of Genetics by Robin Marantz Henig

The Monk in the Garden is a literary tour de force about a little-known chapter in the history of science, and it brings us back to the birth of genetics—a field that continues to challenge the way we think about life itself.

 

 

 

 

The World Broke in Two: Virginia Woolf, T.S. Eliot, D.H. Lawrence, E.M. Forster and the Year That Changed Literature by Bill Goldstein

The World Broke in Two tells the fascinating story of the intellectual and personal journeys four legendary writers—Virginia Woolf, T. S. Eliot, E. M. Forster and D. H. Lawrence—make over the course of 1922, the birth year of modernism.

 

 

 

 

All You Can Ever Know by Nicole Chung

Nicole Chung investigates the mysteries and complexities of her transracial adoption. Told with the same startling insight that has made Chung a beloved critical voice, All You Can Ever Know is a profound and moving chronicle of unexpected family for anyone who has struggled to figure out where they belong.

 

 

 

 

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NYPL cardholders can find these books on SimplyE, the Library's free e-reader app. Plus, new users who live in New York State can apply for a library card directly through the app. Learn more and download for iPad/iPhone and Android.

Interested in more reading recommendations? Sign up for the Library's Book of the Day email.

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Thursday, April 23 is National Library Giving Day. If you can, please consider making a gift to The New York Public Library as we serve New Yorkers remotely and prepare for when we can welcome our community back through our doors.