Something big is happening. On April 8, 2024, much of North America will experience a solar eclipse, a cosmic alignment of the sun, moon, and Earth. Being right in the path of totality, this once-in-a-lifetime event hasn’t happened in Ohio since 1806, and won’t happen again until 2099. Since there’s a slim chance I’ll make the next one, I’ve been shopping for eclipse glasses, hoping for a miraculously sunny day, and thinking a lot about what’s orbiting around us.

Whether you’re in the path of totality or just living vicariously, pass the time until the celestial show with some of these fiction and nonfiction solar eclipse books available on the Libby app that will satisfy your curiosity for this rare event.

Nightfall by Isaac Asimov & Robert Silverberg

The planet Kalgash is on the brink of chaos — but only a handful of people realize it. Kalgash knows only the perpetual light of day; for more than two millennia, some combination of its six suns has lit up the sky. But twilight is now gathering. Soon the suns will set all at once — and the terrifying splendor of Nightfall will call forth a madness that signals the end of civilization.

Sun Moon Earth: The History of Solar Eclipses from Omens of Doom to Einstein and Exoplanets by Tyler Nordgren

Astronomer Tyler Nordgren illustrates how this most seemingly unnatural of natural phenomena was transformed from a fearsome omen to a tourist attraction. From the astrologers of ancient China and Babylon to the high priests of the Maya, this beautifully illustrated guide takes us around the world to show how different cultures interpreted these dramatic events.

Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse

From the author of Star Wars: Resistance Reborn comes the first book in the Between Earth and Sky trilogy inspired by the civilizations of the Pre-Columbian Americas and woven into a tale of celestial prophecies, political intrigue, and forbidden magic.

Our Moon: How Earth's Celestial Companion Transformed the Planet, Guided Evolution, and Made Us Who We Are by Rebecca Boyle

Far from being a lifeless ornament in the sky, the moon holds the key to some of science’s central questions, and in this fascinating account of our remarkable satellite, award-winning science journalist Rebecca Boyle shows us why it is the secret to our success.

Eclipse by Andy Rash

A boy and his dad experience a total solar eclipse in this heartwarming picture book, based on a trip that author-illustrator Andy Rash took with his son to see the eclipse in August 2017.

He Said / She Said by Erin Kelly

On the eve of a solar eclipse, a couple forced into hiding discovers that they can no longer run from their past in this taut psychological suspense novel. A gripping tale of the lies we tell to save ourselves, the truths we cannot admit, and how far we will go to make others believe our side of the story.

*Title availability may vary by library & region.

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