2026 Adult Summer Reading Booklist - HPL

Join the Haverhill Public Library for our 2026 Adult Summer Reading Program! On this list, you'll find book recommendations that match this year's iRead theme, Plant a Seed, Read. You'll find tons of romance, mystery, and other general fiction books centered around the culinary world. If you're searching for non-fiction, you'll find cookbooks, memoirs, biographies, and more with environmental, gardening, and farm to table themes.

Learn how you can join the summer reading fun at HaverhillPL.org

Updated May 5, 2026
M
Merrimack Valley Library Consortium
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Around the world in 80 plants
Drori, Jonathan
Paper Book
An inspirational and beautifully illustrated book that tells the stories of 80 plants from around the globe. In his follow-up to the bestselling Around the World in 80 Trees, Jonathan Drori takes another trip across the globe, bringing to life the science of plants by...
Arsenic and adobo
Manansala, Mia P.
Paper Book
A RUSA Award-winning novel! The first book in a new culinary cozy series full of sharp humor and delectable dishes-one that might just be killer.... When Lila Macapagal moves back home to recover from a horrible breakup, her life seems to be following all the typical...
Eat, drink and drop dead
LoTempio, T. C.
Paper Book
A former chef gets mixed up in murder when she moves back to her Southern home town in the first Tiffany Austin food blogger mystery - a culinary cozy that will make your brain work and your stomach rumble!"I was hooked from start to finish!" Laura Childs, New York Times bestselling author of the...
Fake it till you bake it
Wesley, Jamie
Paper Book
Jada Townsend-Matthews is the most reviled woman in America after turning down a proposal on a reality dating show. When she comes home to lick her wounds, Jada finds herself working at San Diego's newest cupcake bakery, Sugar Blitz, alongside the uptight owner and professional football player...
The golden spoon
Maxwell, Jessa
Paper Book
For six amateur bakers, competing in Bake Week is a dream come true. When they arrive at Grafton Manor to compete, they're ready to do whatever it takes to win the ultimate prize- The Golden Spoon. But for the show's famous host, Betsy Martin, Bake Week is more than just a...
Good lookin' cookin' : a year of meals : a lifetime of family, friends, and food
Parton, Dolly
Paper Book
You're invited to pull up a chair to a year of meals, friends, and fun with the Partons, as Dolly and her sister (and favorite cook) Rachel share beloved, crowd-pleasing recipes and family stories. \"Hey, good lookin'-what ya got cookin'?\" ...
The last garden in England
Kelly, Julia
Paper Book
From the author of the international bestsellers The Light Over London and The Whispers of War comes an enchanting novel that is "historical fiction at its very best" (Patti Callahan, New York Times bestselling author) as it follows five women living across three different times...
Legends & lattes : a novel of high fantasy and low stakes
Baldree, Travis
Paper Book
An Instant New York Times Bestseller A Barnes & Noble Best Book of 2022 A Library Reads Pick An Indie Next Pick A Goodreads Best Fantasy Choice Award Nominee The much-beloved BookTok sensation, Travis Baldree's novel of high...
The light eaters
Schlanger, Zoë
Paper Book
"teeming with fascinating and enlightening insights" Observer A narrative investigation into the new science of plant intelligence and sentience, from National Association of Science Writers Award winner and Livingston Award finalist Zoe Schlanger. Look at the green...
Love & other disasters
Kelly, Anita (Romance author)
Paper Book
The first openly nonbinary contestant on America's favourite cooking show falls for their clumsy competitor in this delicious romantic comedy debut! 'Sweet and sexy and wholly delicious. I'm head over heels for these two delightful disasters . . . Anita Kelly writes with...
Mastering the art of French murder
Cambridge, Colleen
Paper Book
Fans of Jacqueline Winspear, Marie Benedict, Nita Prose, and of course, Julia Child, will adore this magnifique new mystery set in Paris and starring Julia Child's (fictional) best friend, confidante, and fellow American. From the acclaimed author of Murder at Mallowan Hall, this...
Mrs. Quinn's rise to fame
Ford, Olivia
Paper Book
In their sixty years together, Jennifer Quinn has only kept two secrets from her husband. One is that her love of baking has just won her a spot as a contestant on primetime TV show Britain Bakes. The other she hopes will stay hidden forever . . . Whisked into an unfamiliar world...
Planta sapiens : unmasking plant intelligence
Calvo, Paco
Paper Book
Rosaline Palmer takes the cake
Hall, Alexis J.
Paper Book
Fans of Casey McQuiston, Christina Lauren, and Abby Jimenez will love this scrumptious and sweet romantic comedy from the author of Boyfriend Material. "[Hall] crafts some of the most sparkling prose in contemporary romance ... we give this fully baked concept...
The serviceberry : abundance and reciprocity in the natural world
Kimmerer, Robin Wall
Paper Book
An Instant New York Times Bestseller From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Braiding Sweetgrass, a bold and inspiring vision for how to orient our lives around gratitude, reciprocity, and community, based on the lessons of the natural world....
What I ate in one year : (and related thoughts)
Tucci, Stanley
Paper Book
'Sharing food is one of the purest human acts' Food has always been an integral part of Stanley Tucci's life- from stracciatella soup served in the shadow of the Pantheon, to marinara sauce cooked between rehearsals and costume fittings, to home-made pizza eaten with his...

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