Libraries are where people come together, where we find and build communities. They are places of comfort and of solace, of learning and of joy. To bring in 2026 – the National Year of Reading – we have created a list of books that celebrate the power of libraries.

To celebrate this year's Disability Awareness Month, we put together a collection of books to highlight pioneers, activists, role models, and some legendary fictional characters that inspire us all to champion inclusiveness.

And once again it’s time to go back to school! This year we have chosen a selection of much loved coming-of-age stories, some of which were recommended by us by young readers from Hackney.

This summer the Great Hackney Libraries Quest is back! Our theme this year is Let’s Play – we’re here to get you reading about adventures and games and using your imagination. Play is for everyone!

This month, we are reading and celebrating stories by  Queer, Trans and/or Intersex people, who are also Black, Indigenous and/or people of colour. These books are full of life and joy, good humour and sadness, grief and love.

Sixteenth May is Romani Resistance Day, when we remember the rebellion of Romani prisoners in Auschwitz against their Nazi jailors in 1944. We have created a reading list celebrating and exploring Gypsy, Roma and Traveller histories.

April is Stress Awareness Month, so we have put together a self-care toolkit to feed and nurture our capacity for wellbeing. From fiction to science and self-help, here’s a selection of books tackling the all-too-common issues of stress and burnout.

This month, we’re celebrating all the women who have contributed to the history of London – from the big names you might already know, to the ordinary women who move the world forward every day.

This year marks 20 years of UK LGBT+ History Month! This year’s theme is Activism and Social Change. We have created a list of books about LGBT+ activists to celebrate the long history of ordinary LGBT+ people changing the world and their communities.

Our reading list this January has been curated in collaboration with Hackney Museum. The museum cares for over 9,000 ​objects, artworks, images and oral history recordings, and inspires many visitors every year – from schoolchildren to celebrated authors.