Library opens voting for UCSB Reads 2027

So many books. So little time. Fortunately for the newest installment of UCSB Reads, what began as a longlist of recommended reading is now a shortlist. And to help select a winner, UCSB Library is encouraging everyone to vote. 

UCSB Reads 2027 is the 21st edition of the award-winning campus- and communitywide book program, bringing Santa Barbara readers together to share in the exploration of one common book about a compelling issue of our time. Each year, an advisory committee of UCSB faculty, staff, students and community partners selects a thought-provoking interdisciplinary book by a living author that encourages a wide range of readers to engage with a contemporary social, political, cultural or scientific issue.  

The UCSB Reads 2027 Advisory Committee invites students, faculty, staff and community members to vote for their top UCSB Reads 2027 pick by Aug 26. One survey participant will be randomly selected to receive a free copy of the chosen book.

UCSB Library’s shortlist for 2027 features five nonfiction titles and one fiction title.

“40 Maps That Will Change How You See the World” (2024) by Alastair Bonnett is an intriguing visual journey through forty unconventional maps that challenge traditional worldviews and reveal hidden histories, environmental shifts and global connections.

“Enshittification: Why Everything Suddenly Got Worse and What to Do About It” (2025) by Cory Doctorow is sharp, timely critique of how major tech platforms degrade their services for profit, and how regulation, interoperability and user advocacy can help reclaim an open digital world.

“Is a River Alive?” (2025) by Robert Macfarlane. A lyrical and profound exploration of environmental philosophy that journeys along global waterways to examine what happens when rivers are legally recognized as living entities.

“Monsters: A Fan's Dilemma” (2023) by Claire Dederer. A nuanced interrogation of the ethical and emotional struggle of loving great art created by morally compromised or abusive people.

“Raising Hare: A Memoir” (2024) by Chloe Dalton. A moving and tender memoir detailing the quiet bond forged when an orphaned leveret is rescued in the English countryside, offering deep insights into human connection with wild nature.

“Wild Dark Shore” (2025) by Charlotte McConaghy. An atmospheric and suspenseful novel set against the stark Antarctic landscape, following isolated characters whose past secrets and environmental fragility collide in a fight for survival.

The shortlisted books are available at UCSB Library, Santa Barbara Public Library and Goleta Valley Library. 

The selected book for UCSB Reads 2027 will be announced in the fall, and the program will kick off in early 2027 with a free book giveaway for UCSB students. Throughout the winter and spring quarters, the library will sponsor a variety of events to explore the book’s themes. UCSB Reads 2027 will culminate in the spring at Campbell Hall, with a public lecture by the author, co-presented by Arts & Lectures.