As we flip the page on 2025 and head into a new year, we find ourselves reflecting on the past and considering how to best meet the needs of our community.

It’s winter, it’s cold, and we’re cooped up indoors. Why not put a dent in those 2026 reading goals while you’re already snuggled up on the couch? Introducing Warming Up: A Cozy Little Reading Challenge to kick start your year and commitment to reading.

January 2 is National Science Fiction Day, which honors the significant contributions to the genre by prolific author and editor Isaac Asimov born on January 2, 1920. Asimov is also credited with coining the term “robotics” in a 1941 short story he wrote, and robots do indeed populate a number of the titles in our collection. Read on for kid, teen, and adult science fiction recommendations to help you commemorate the occasion!

Ships have long been an object of cultural fascination, due to both their massive size and their potential for massive problems (onboard and overboard!). Both cruise ships and swashbuckling pirate ships have frequently captured the American imagination. Once a luxury enjoyed by the upper classes, cruise ships are a vacation enjoyed by many today. Pirate ships are a popular trope of modern storytelling, with plenty of historical information to inspire authors and readers alike.

Feeling the call of the sea? From romance to murder, these titles offer readers a chance to sail away to another world.

It’s finally here—and just in time to set your New Year’s goals and for our upcoming Cozy Reading Challenge (details coming soon!) We’re excited to announce our annual Staff Picks list full of our favorite things we’ve read this year. To say we enjoy putting it together would be an understatement. Of course, we are always happy to provide book recommendations (check out My Next Reads if you haven't already), but something about compiling them in one place makes our library hearts extra happy. We hope you find something new to add to your night stand, and if you’re looking for books for the younger readers in your life, be sure to check out our kids and teen lists too.

As we enter the holiday season and near closer to the start of winter, we find ourselves eager to cozy up indoors, get a little crafty, and enjoy culinary comforts with friends and family. If you find yourselves feeling the same, then we hope you will join us to create and celebrate over the coming weeks. Read on to learn more about upcoming events and highlights from our collection.

Take a trip through time and space at Henrico County Public Library. Historical fiction is not confined to corsets and hoopskirts. Read on for windows into different places and eras throughout the world.

Commemorate Native American Heritage Month with the library! Catch a film, join a book discussion, and learn about regional Indigenous culture and history. Read on for program details and to browse recent titles that highlight Native American stories. 

If you thought reading challenges were just for the summer, then think again. Fall is quickly approaching and we’re in the mood for chilly weather and even chillier reads. What better way to welcome the new season than with a spooky reading challenge? If you’re ready to read booo-ks and set new ghouls, we’re inviting everyone (including adults!) to participate in our first ever Haunted Henrico Spooky Reading Challenge. Read on for more details.