2025 Reading Challenge! April

An image of a post-it on a blue background with the text "April: A book written by an Arab author" written on it along with a silhouette of a lantern.

Welcome to the fourth month of the Chester County and Henrietta Hankin Branch Libraries’ 2025 Reading Challenge! The challenge is open to all readers reading at a Young Adult or Adult level in any format.

Each month, there will be a new reading prompt to follow. The reading challenge prompt for April is “A book written by an Arab author.”

Need inspiration for what to read? Check out a few suggested reads below! See the full list on our catalog here. Make sure to also visit the library to explore our interactive book display.

If you need even more inspiration for books to read or listen to, feel free to request Personalized Reading Suggestions or check out the NoveList Plus database.

No registration is necessary to participate in the challenge. To get started, simply pick up a physical tracking log at the Reference Desk or print one out at home using the link provided in the Resources section of the Reading Challenge page at https://bit.ly/CCLReadingChallenge2025.

Happy reading!

2025 Reading Challenge! March

An image of a post-it on a blue background with the text "March: A book with a woman protagonist" written on it along with a silhouette in profile of a woman.

Welcome to the third month of the Chester County and Henrietta Hankin Branch Libraries’ 2025 Reading Challenge! The challenge is open to all readers reading at a Young Adult or Adult level in any format.

Each month, there will be a new reading prompt to follow. The reading challenge prompt for March is “A book with a woman protagonist.”

Need inspiration for what to read? Check out a few suggested reads below! See the full list on our catalog here. Make sure to also visit the library to explore our interactive book display.

If you need even more inspiration for books to read or listen to, feel free to request Personalized Reading Suggestions or check out the NoveList Plus database.

No registration is necessary to participate in the challenge. To get started, simply pick up a physical tracking log at the Reference Desk or print one out at home using the link provided in the Resources section of the Reading Challenge page at https://bit.ly/CCLReadingChallenge2025.

Happy reading!

2025 Reading Challenge! February

An image of a post-it on a blue background with the text "February: A book written by a Black author" written on it along with an image of a raised, clenched fist.

Welcome to the second month of the Chester County and Henrietta Hankin Branch Libraries’ 2025 Reading Challenge! The challenge is open to all readers reading at a Young Adult or Adult level in any format.

Each month, there will be a new reading prompt to follow. The reading challenge prompt for February is “A book written by a Black author.”

Need inspiration for what to read? Check out a few suggested reads below! See the full list on our catalog here. Make sure to also visit the library to explore our interactive book display.

If you need even more inspiration for books to read or listen to, feel free to request Personalized Reading Suggestions or check out the NoveList Plus database.

No registration is necessary to participate in the challenge. To get started, simply pick up a physical tracking log at the Reference Desk or print one out at home using the link provided in the Resources section of the Reading Challenge page at https://bit.ly/CCLReadingChallenge2025.

Happy reading!

2025 Reading Challenge! January

An image of a post-it on a blue background with the text "January: A cozy read" written on it along with an image of a cute, steaming coffee cup.

Welcome to the first month of the Chester County and Henrietta Hankin Branch Libraries’ 2025 Reading Challenge! The challenge is open to all readers reading at a Young Adult or Adult level in any format.

Each month, there will be a new reading prompt to follow. The reading challenge prompt for January is “A cozy read.”

Need inspiration for what to read? Check out a few suggested reads below! See the full list on our catalog here. Make sure to also visit the library to explore our interactive book display.

If you need even more inspiration for books to read or listen to, feel free to request Personalized Reading Suggestions or check out the NoveList Plus database.

No registration is necessary to participate in the challenge. To get started, simply pick up a physical tracking log at the Reference Desk or print one out at home using the link provided in the Resources section of the Reading Challenge page at https://bit.ly/CCLReadingChallenge2025.

Happy reading!

Databases Series: NoveList Plus

Hello! My name is Rebecca, and I am the Information Literacy Librarian here at the Chester County Library. (You might recognize me as the librarian with the purple hair!) Welcome to a new series here on our blog where every week (or thereabouts) I’ll be introducing you to one of the library’s databases. A library database, for those who are unsure, is essentially just an online resource that the library pays for so that you can access it for free with your library card!

First up, we have NoveList Plus. NoveList Plus is what us librarians call a Readers’ Advisory resource. Readers’ Advisory is a service offered by libraries and other organizations that involves suggesting books to readers. We use NoveList to help us out, for example, when someone asks us for suggestions for books in a genre outside of what we normally read, or when we’re looking for a book or author that’s similar to another book or author.

But it’s not only a resource for us; you can easily use it, too! NoveList excels at connecting readers with books that match their reading preferences and moods. Check out its appeal mixer, which allows you to browse by various appeal category combinations, or look through some pre-mixed combinations of appeals. View lists of award winners, popular genres, audiobooks, books that have been made into movies or TV shows, and more. Find resources for your book club, genre guides, articles, read-alikes, and featured content for kids of varying age groups. Looking to find the next book in a series, a list of all the books written by your favorite author, or the publication date for a yet unpublished book? You can find those on NoveList as well!

Play around with it, and maybe you’ll find your next favorite read!

Find it on our website by going to chescolibraries.org –> Tools and Research –> All CCLS Databases –> N –> NoveList Plus