It’ll be three long months until Scandal returns to TV. In the meantime, your NYPL librarians picked out some books—science fiction to political thrillers to self-help to romance—that everyone’s favorite D.C. fixer might read to pass the time.

Olivia would love The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Troubled computer hacker Lisbeth Salander is just her kind of recruit. —Rosa Caballero-Li, Ask NYPL

If scandalous politics is what they're after, I recommend The Republic of Thieves by Scott Lynch. Forced to help a powerful mage in the city of Karthain, a polis similar to Venice, Locke Lamorra and his best friend must use all the skullduggery at their disposal to rig a political campaign. Unfortunately, Locke’s long-lost love runs the opposing operation. (This is the third book in the Gentlemen Bastards series. Readers may want to pick up the first two for the full background. [Editor’s note: Olivia would definitely want all the details before she got involved.]) —Joshua Soule, Spuyten Duyvil

Olivia is a fixer, so I’m sure she recognizes that she needs to fix a few things in her own life. While she may not read these books all the way through she would have them stacked by her bed for whenever she needs validation that she's not the crazy one: The Narcissist Next Door by Jeffrey Kluger, Emotional Blackmail: When People in Your Life Use Fear, Obligation and Guilt to Manipulate You by Susan Forward, and Freedom from Toxic Relationships by April Carruthers. —Anne Rouyer, Mulberry Street

Ms. Pope, that thoroughly tough political animal, famously believes that love should be life-shattering—that it should hurt. Though she might uncork a fine Bordeaux after a long day and curl up with some Fifty Shades, I think that's too fluffy for her. Instead, I imagine her reading something a little heavier that skews philosophical, like the Marquis de Sade's Letters from Prison. —Nancy Aravecz, Mid-Manhattan

I agree with Nancy: When Olivia's done for the day, she needs something to take her away! I bet the Crossfire quartet by Sylvia Day is on her Kindle or piled on her nightstand. She probably also reads J.R. Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood novels, maybe on her phone—nothing like a sexy non-Twilight vampire to take a girl's mind off all the bloodsuckers on the Hill. And since she really does believe in love, goodness and fairness in the world, she reads or watches Pride & Prejudice at least once a year. —Leslie Tabor, East Manhattan Libraries

I Wear the Black Hat: Grappling with Villains (Real and Imagined)  by Chuck Klosterman: An exploration of the concepts of anti-heroes and villany.

And anything on our political fiction book list, including Scandalmonger by William Safire. —Jenny Baum, Jefferson Market

As a political fixer, Olivia would appreciate Thomas Cromwell's masterful work behind the scenes of Henry VIII's reign as fictionalized in Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies. Mantel conveys Cromwell's intelligence and heart even when he is doing the dirty work for his king, something Olivia Pope and Associates could relate to with their commitment to “walk in the sun” even when surrounded by bloody bodies and political backstabbing. —Caitlyn Colman-McGaw, YA Programming

I think Olivia Pope would read Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, because it is a classic. It's the story of Raskolnikov, a poor student who endures mental and physical punishment for a crime he committed. —Lilian Calix, Hamilton Grange

I don't know if there's anyone left who hasn't read Gone Girl, but Olivia would definitely relate to the devious mind of Gillian Flynn! —Ronni Krasnow, Morningside Heights

Politics, schmolitics. Like Ms. Pope, authors Jane Hyun and Audrey S. Lee recognize that changing people’s behaviors in the workplace has its challenges: “In life and in business, all great relationships are built on the essential principles of trust and respect.” Flex: The New Playbook for Managing Across Differences offers cogent tips for navigating the power gap and leveraging diverse thinking from teams. —Miriam Tuliao, Selection Team

She would read All the King's Men—and she’d act contemptuous of the rural accents but secretly be taking notes. —Barbara Cohen-Stratyner, Library for the Performing Arts

I think Machiavelli’s The Prince would be on her reading list, although she doesn't seem to have taken all his advice to heart. Maybe also Helen Gurley Brown’s Sex and the Single Girl, an early entry (1962) in the “having it all” advice section and considered quite scandalous in its day. —Mary Jones, General Research Division

I think Olivia would like to go back to a more innocent time in her life and read about another smart, intellectual woman, like Kestral in The Winner's Curse and then follow her adventures in The Winner's Crime. Like Olivia, Kestral has a strong father, follows her heart, and has a great mind for political intrigue. —Sandra Farag, Mid-Manhattan

Staff picks are chosen by NYPL staff members and are not intended to be comprehensive lists. We'd love to hear your picks! Leave a comment and tell us what you’d recommend.