Brooklyn Public Library Says These Books Offer New Year Mindset

PROSPECT HEIGHTS, BROOKLYN — Need help getting into the "New Year, New Me" mindset?

Brooklyn Public Library just released a list they're calling the BKLYN Books for a New Beginning, filled with titles that could help readers realize their 2023 dreams.

"This time of year is one of reflection and potential change," said Librarian Jess Harwick. "If you're looking for inspiration, motivation, or just permission to be vulnerable, these characters and humans just might give you the hope that you need to take the leap."

Many of the books on the list focus on themes of renewal, opportunity and adventure, which, if 2022 was any guide, we will all need in 2023.

The list includes some BPL favorites, like "Exit West" by Mohsin Hamid, which won the library's coveted fiction book prize in 2017 (and was also shortlisted for the Booker Prize that same year).

Some other titles seem to be almost too perfect, like "The Ten Thousand Doors Of January," by Alix E. Harrow, and "Year Of Yes," by Shonda Rhimes.

Other books are more directly aimed at offering advice, like Haruki Murakami's "What I Talk About When I Talk About Running," which guides readers through how routines and small steps can lead to big changes.

You can view the whole list here, where bookworms can also find out which branches currently carry their first read of 2023.