2025 was a great year for reading! Whether you found your new favorite romantasy or did a deep dive into a niche subject, we love to hear what people read this year. We figure you all want to know as well, so here are our favorite books, movies, albums, and more of 2025! These include items that came out this year as long as older backlist titles we just discovered this year.
Happy Birthday, Jane Austen!
Jane Austen was born on December 16, 1775. She looks great for a 250-year-old! Her novels have inspired readers for generations. And while her original works still hold up today, if you're looking for more Austen-like reads, here are some YA and adult novels that are retellings of or inspired by Jane Austen's novels. You can also celebrate with fellow Jane-ites tonight at 6pm in the Hall with a screening of the 2006 Pride and Prejudice film and some Regency crafts!
Book of the Month Picks for 2025
2025 was a pretty good year for the Book of the Month program! 2024 wasn't bad, either! Let's see what 2026 brings!
December 2025 Mid-Month Sudoku
We begin this month's sudoku with a joke that a patron recently shared with us: People are really excited about the new Lego store.
Midterms at MHL
Looking for a place to study for your midterm exams, presentations, and papers in January? Visit Memorial Hall Library from January 12 - 20, 2026 to take advantage of these resources.
Books For Fans of Stranger Things
Are you a fan of Stranger Things? While you wait for part 2 of Season 5, here are some books you might like. These titles are a mix of YA and adult reads that capture the nerdy D&D energy, 80s nostalgia, and scary thrills of Stranger Things.
December Artist of the Month
Elizabeth Levine Wandelmaier has a BFA with Honors in Communications Design from Pratt Institute. She was an award-wining graphic designer in New York City. Staff positions included Doubleday & Co. and Dow Jones & Co. Inc.
New Platform for Andover Historical Newspapers!
Calling all genealogists, historians and local history buffs! Researching our historical newspapers collection just got a whole lot easier. Memorial Hall Library has launched a new, easy-to-use platform for access to The Andover Townsman (1887+), The Andover Advertiser (1853-1866), and The Lawrence American and Andover Advertiser (1866-1907). Keyword searches, date filtering and the ability to easily clip and save articles and photos on our Local News Archive site will enhance your ability to discover stories and photographs from 170 years of Andover news coverage.
December 2025 Puzzle: Words of Wisdom from Gertrude Stein
Fill out this short questionnaire and let us know a little about the person you’re shopping for. In a few days, we’ll email you a short list of 3 to 5 books, music CDs and/or movies (whichever you prefer) that we think will be a good fit. And you can always check them out from the library first if you want to try before you buy.
Transgender Day of Remembrance
November 20th is observed as the Transgender Day of Remembrance. To quote GLAAD: "Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) was started in 1999 by transgender advocate Gwendolyn Ann Smith as a vigil to honor the memory of Rita Hester, a transgender woman who was killed in 1998. The vigil commemorated all the transgender people lost to violence since Rita Hester’s death, and began an important tradition that has become the annual Transgender Day of Remembrance." In honor of Transgender Day of Remembrance, here are some recent memoirs written by living trans and nonbinary authors.