HOLIDAY HOURS: All WPL locations will have holiday hours between Dec 24 – Jan 1. To see the full list of holiday hours, click here.

Bird's-eye view of the tops of many books

Featured Reads

We’ve done the legwork to unveil upcoming gems in the publishing world, so that you can easily find your next read. Plus, many of these titles come in physical copy, eBook and audiobook formats to suit your reading preferences.

Fiction

Colin Gets Promoted and Dooms the World
Mark Waddell
The Wayfinder
Adam Johnson
The Leaving Room
Amber McBride
Before I Forget
Tory Henwood Hoen
The Ferryman and His Wife
Frode Grytten; translated by Alison McCullough
Secret Nights and Northern Lights
Megan Oliver
Berlin Shuffle
Ulrich Alexander Boschwitz; translated by Philip Boehm
Helm
Sarah Hall
The Predicament
William Boyd
That’s Not How It Happened
Craig Thomas
Amity
Nathan Harris
The List of Suspicious Things
Jennie Godfrey

Non-Fiction

Maple Syrup: A Short History of Canada's Sweetest Obsession
Peter Kuitenbrouwer
Kin: The Future of Family
Sophie Lucido Johnson
The breath of the gods : the history and future of the wind
Simon Winchester
Nightmare Obscura: A Dream Engineer's Guide Through the Sleeping Mind
Michelle Carr
Palace of Deception: Museum Men and the Rise of Scientific Racism
Darrin Lunde
Turtle Island: Foods and Traditions of the Indigenous Peoples of North America
Sean Sherman with Kate Nelson and Kristin Donnelly
Pleasures of Wintering: Winter-Inspired Rituals for Rejuvenation, Serenity, and Joy.
Erin Niimi Longhurst
Unseen: How I Lost My Vision But Found My Voice
Molly Burke
Why Do I Keep Doing This?: Unlearn the Habits Keeping You Stuck and Unhappy
Kati Morton
I Deliver Parcels in Beijing
Hu Anyan; translated by Jack Hargreaves
The Many Names of Robert Cree: How a First Nations Chief Brought Ancient Wisdom to Big Business and Prosperity to his People
Robert Cree with Therese Greenwood
The Age of Extraction: How Tech Platforms Conquered the Economy and Threaten Our Future Prosperity
Tim Wu

Winter 2026 Kids Picks

Cozy up this winter with a new book! Find your next favourite read with our selection of picturebooks, kid’s chapter books, graphic novels and non-fiction reads.

Picturebooks

A Knot is Not a Tangle
Daniel Nayeri; illustrated by Vesper Stamper
The Secret Hiding Place
Katharina E. Volk; illustrated by Arianna Cicciò
The Language of Birds
Jon-Erik Lappano; illustrated by Zach Manbeck
Broken
X. Fang
Never Give a Baby a Library Card
Erin Sandberg; pictures by Tom Booth
Cat Nap
Brian Lies
Ruby Maps Her World
Jane Yolen; illustrated by Dow Phumiruk
This Is Not a Sleepy Bear Book
Brian Gehrlein; illustrated by Jennifer Harney
The Polar Bear and the Ballerina
Eric Velasquez

Fiction & Graphic Novels

Bunns Rabbit
Alan Barillaro
Agent Cupcake
Katie Longua, Mel Hilario & Lauren Davis
Bad Cheerleader
Alex Thayer
The Vanishing of Lake Peigneur
Allan Wolf; illustrated by Jose Pimienta
Night Chef
Mika Song
The Last Ember
Lily Berlin Dodd
The Free State of Jax
Jennifer A. Nielsen
Indoor Kid
Mat Heagerty; illustrated by Lisa DuBois-Thompson
Chris Makes a Friend
Alex Gino
Busted
Dan Gemeinhart

Non-Fiction

The Dirt!: Wild Life Under the Soil's Surface
Lindsey Leigh
Soup’s On Around the Word
Denyse Waissbluth & Chelsea O'Byrne
The Gland Factory: A Tour of Your Body's Goops, Juices, and Hormones
Rachel Poliquin; illustrated by Clayton Hanmer
Up, Up, Ever Up!: Junko Tabei: A Life in the Mountains
Anita Yasuda; art by Yuko Shimizu
Liftoff!: How the Apollo Moon Missions Made Alma Thomas's Art Soar
Nina Crews
Extreme Places: The Most Remote Homes on Earth
Giles Laroche
Burst Your Bubble!: Outsmart the Algorithms and See What You're Missing
Joyce Grant; illustrated by Jan Dolby
The Roots We Share: 100 Words That Bring Us Together
Susie Dent; illustrated by Harriet Hobday

Past Featured Reads

Explore our previous Featured Reads and consider them for your next book club; each title is available in multiple formats, with multiple copies.

Fall 2025 Featured Reads

Nov 27, 2025 - Waterloo Public Library

Summer 2025 Featured Reads

Aug 18, 2025 - Waterloo Public Library

Summer 2025 Featured Reads: Kids Picks

Aug 18, 2025 - Waterloo Public Library

Early Spring 2025 Featured Reads

May 5, 2025 - Waterloo Public Library

Winter 2024 Featured Reads

Jan 1, 2025 - Waterloo Public Library

Fall 2024 Featured Reads

Sep 24, 2024 - Waterloo Public Library
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