Our yearly roundup of the books, DVDs, TV series and more that we enjoyed last year is here, and it’s filled with great suggestions–from some classics, to 2024 bestsellers, and everything in between.

We hope you’ll see some of your own favorites on the list, and also find some new and different titles to explore in 2025. Enjoy!

Note: Items are listed in alphabetical order (skipping ‘a,’ ‘an,’ or ‘the’ at the beginning of titles). Links will take you to the printed book format (or DVD) in the online catalog when possible, and you may place holds on items there from your online account. In some cases, titles link to digital versions in Libby or Hoopla when a physical copy is not available through the library or LCLC (Lehigh Carbon Library Cooperative).

If no link is provided, we may be able to request the item from a non-LCLC library through interlibrary loan (with the exception of some TV series that are not yet available on DVD); please ask at the desk. Podcast links take you to the respective podcasts.

ADULT READS

FICTION

  • The Alice Network by Kate Quinn (2017). [Reader’s note: It’s about the network of women spies during WWI–who knew? Loved learning about a piece of history I know nothing about.]
  • Before the Fall by Noah Hawley (2016). On a foggy summer night, 11 people–10 privileged, one down-on-his-luck painter–depart Martha’s Vineyard on a private jet headed for New York. Sixteen minutes later, the unthinkable happens: the plane plunges into the ocean. The only survivors are Scott Burroughs (the painter) and a four-year-old boy, who is now the last remaining member of an immensely wealthy and powerful media mogul’s family. As the passengers’ intrigues unravel, odd coincidences point to a conspiracy.
  • The Book of Dreams by Nina George (2019). [Reader’s note: A very human story about four people that come together in painful circumstances. Sam, who has unusual sensory perceptions, is the catalyst that ties it together. Strangely and hauntingly powerful, thought-provoking, and poignant. A wonderful read!]
  • The Book of Love by Kelly Link (2024). [Reader’s note: A spiritual thriller with dazzling plot twists. Engaging and entertaining.]
  • An Easy Death by Charlaine Harris (2018). [Reader’s note: This is a nice cheeseburger of a book. Fun action. Anything by Charlaine Harris is fun. Try her non-vampire works!]
  • The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon (2023). [Reader’s note: Part historical fiction and part mystery, this book tells of the hardship of life in the late 1700’s in Maine through the eyes of midwife Martha Ballard as she becomes involved in solving a crime and bravely stands up to corrupt leaders of the town.  I couldn’t put it down!]
  • A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin (1996+). [Reader’s note: This series has everything you could ask for: action, a thrilling plot, romance, and great descriptions of food.]
  • Go As a River by Shelley Read (2023). [Reader’s note: Set amid Colorado’s wild beauty, it’s a coming-of-age story depicting a resilient young woman whose life is changed forever by one chance encounter. It’s a tragic but uplifting novel of love and loss, family and survival–and hope. I couldn’t put it down.]
  • The Grey Wolf by Louise Penny (2024). The 19th mystery in the bestselling Armand Gamache series. [Reader’s note: One of my favorite events last year was the bus trip to hear Louise Penny talk about her career and books, including her latest, The Grey Wolf. I’ve read the book and passed it along to my sister who is enjoying it as much as I did.  I’m a big Louise Penny fan so it was a great day all around, from the comradeship of the bus trip, and lunch, and the piece de resistance of hearing Louise Penny talk about her life and career!]
  • The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club by Helen Simonson (2024). Constance Haverhill, a young woman navigating post-WWI England in the seaside town of Hazelbourne-on-Sea, befriends Poppy Wirrall, a spirited woman who runs a motorcycle taxi service and is determined to challenge societal norms by forming a women’s motorcycle and flying club–pushing against the expectations for women to return to traditional domestic roles after the war, all while facing societal resistance and navigating personal relationships amidst the changing landscape of British society.
  • James by Percival Everett (2024). A retelling of Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1885) from the perspective of Jim, an enslaved Black man whose escape parallels and overlaps with young Huck’s journey.
  • One Second After by William R. Forstchen (2009). [Reader’s note: The best and worst of humanity in a rural community after an Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) attack on the U.S. disables all electronics.]
  • The Only Woman in the Room by Marie Benedict (2019). [Reader’s note: It’s an exceptional work of historical fiction about the contribution of German/American actress, Hedy Lamarr (nee Kiesler), to the war effort: selling war bonds, adopting a Jewish child, and most importantly, designing and patenting a scientific code for torpedoes to be used more accurately. The plot is fast-moving, an easy read, and will probably induce you to read other works by this author.]
  • The Paris Novel by Ruth Reichl (2024). [Reader’s note: A beautiful and deliciously written story about a young woman estranged from her mother. When her mother dies in an accident, she’s left with an unusual inheritance…money for a one-way ticket to Paris. While there, exploring the city, meeting unusual people, she finds her true self and more. A truly enjoyable and poignant book to read and savor.]
  • A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce (1916). [Reader’s note: A coming-of-age story that gives a voice to the quiet. Even the meekest among us is mighty.]
  • Resurrection Walk by Michael Connelly (2023). [Reader’s note: Describes the value of the ‘writ of habeas corpus,’ a fundamental pillar of the American justice system, as sparring lawyers present their sides of the case of a woman incarcerated, when unjustly accused, for 5 years. If you’ve never read any of the ‘Lincoln Lawyer’ books, start with this one. You won’t be disappointed.]
  • The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry (2008). [Reader’s note: The “scripture” here is the account of her life that a 100-year-old woman is writing. The prose is poetic, lush and memorable. A poignant story of the Irish and their troubled times.]
  • The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin (2014). [Reader’s note: The characters are some of my all-time favorites, and book lovers will love this book!]
  • The Twelve Tribes of Hattie by Ayana Mathis (2012). [Reader’s note: Told by Hattie’s grown children, this story spans the era of The Great Migration through 1980. So moving, and a heartwarming story of true devotion.]
  • When She Woke by Hillary Jordan (2011). [Reader’s note: Creepy thriller. Could this happen in the future?! Kept me on the edge of my seat.]
  • The Women by Kristin Hannah (2024). [Reader’s note: This is a riveting fictional account of Army nurses during the Vietnam War and sadly, what they suffered upon returning home after the war.]
  • The World According to Garp by John Irving (1978). [Reader’s note: If you are in your 20s, you must read ‘Garp!’ Or your 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s…a true classic with humor, profound sadness, and memorable characters.]

NONFICTION

  • Among the Bros by Max Marshall (2023). [Reader’s note: Disturbing, shocking, eye-opening true account of Greek life at the College of Charleston, SC, where interstate drug trafficking ruled for years while fraternity brothers traded, became millionaires, became addicted, partied, and died.]
  • The Art Thief by Michael Finkel (2023). [Reader’s note: Fascinating story of an art connoisseur and the crimes behind one of the largest private art collections.]
  • A Fever in the Heartland by Timothy Egan (2023). [Reader’s note: The determination of a few people truly changed history. Compelling and sobering.]
  • Finding Chika by Mitch Albom (2019). [Reader’s note: Get your tissue box ready! This title isn’t brand new, but it is one of my favorites. I’m a huge fan of Mitch Albom’s nonfiction writing (his fiction, not so much) and this is one of his best! Mitch and his wife are involved in supporting and operating an orphanage in Haiti and this is where they first meet Chika. They soon discover that Chika is seriously ill and needs medical treatment in the U.S. This is her story…no spoiler alerts here.]
  • Last Stand at Khe Sanh: The U.S. Marines’ finest hour in Vietnam by Gregg Jones (2014). In a remote mountain stronghold in 1968, six thousand US Marines awoke one January morning to find themselves surrounded by 20,000 enemy troops. Their only road to the coast was cut, and bad weather and enemy fire threatened their fragile air lifeline. Drawing on in-depth interviews with siege survivors, thousands of pages of archival documents, and scores of oral history accounts, Gregg Jones takes readers into the trenches and bunkers at Khe Sanh to tell the story of this extraordinary moment in American history.

BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR

  • Born Standing Up by Steve Martin (2007). [Reader’s note: Martin’s persistence and determination to do what he knew he was good at is astounding, and his story is moving and funny.]
  • King: A life by Jonathan Eig (2023). [Reader’s note: Because I was too young and uninformed to know all of what was happening during the early 1960s Civil Rights era, and this biography enlightened me about incidents and the impact of Martin Luther King, Jr.]
  • With the Old Breed at Peleliu and Okinawa by Eugene Sledge (1981). [Reader’s note: A young man’s personal account of the ground war at Peleliu and Okinawa–two of the fiercest battles of World War II.]

MOVIES, TELEVISION, PODCASTS & MUSIC

MOVIES

  • Gosford Park (2002), starring Maggie Smith and Helen Mirren. The lives and interactions among a group of upper class and their servants at a weekend hunting party in the English country, and a mysterious murder that occurs among them. [Viewer’s note: A British murder mystery with a star-filled cast, dark humor, and a surprising conclusion.]
  • Knives Out (2019), starring Daniel Craig, Jamie Lee Curtis, Ana De Armas and more. A tribute to mystery mastermind Agatha Christie and a fun, modern-day murder mystery where everyone is a suspect. When renowned crime novelist Harlan Thrombey is found dead at his estate just after his 85th birthday, the inquisitive and debonair Detective Benoit Blanc is mysteriously enlisted to investigate. From Harlan’s dysfunctional family to his devoted staff, Blanc sifts through a web of red herrings and self-serving lies to uncover the truth behind Harlan’s untimely death.[Viewer’s note: Whodunnit based in a Victorian mansion–where else?]
  • The Secret: Dare to Dream (2020), starring Katie Holmes and Josh Lucas. Miranda Wells is a hard-working young widow struggling to raise three children on her own. A powerful storm brings a devastating challenge and a mysterious man, Bray Johnson, into her life. In just a few short days, Bray’s presence re-ignites the family’s spirit, but he also carries a secret, and it’s a secret that could change everything.
  • The Sense of Wonder (2015), starring Virginie Efira and Benjamin Lavernhe. Louise, a widow with two children, almost crushes a stranger with her car. She takes care of him, even if he’s not really wounded. It turns out that he has mental disorders and that they can help each other much more than they thought.

TV SERIES

  • All Creatures Great and Small (DVD, PBS; 2020+). Series set in 1930s and 1940s Northern England, based upon a series of books about a Yorkshire veterinary surgeon, written by Alf Wight under the pen name of James Herriot. [Listener’s note: …because, well, it’s a cup of hot cocoa in a world where we need comfort!]
  • Inspector George Gently (DVD; 2007+). A British crime drama set in the 1960s, based on a series of novels by Alan Hunter, concerning the partnership between the veteran title detective and his mouthy younger sidekick, John Bacchus.
  • Whitstable Pearl (DVD, Acorn TV; 2021+). A British crime drama series based on the Whitstable Pearl novels by Julie Wassmer. With her son grown, single mum Pearl pursues her lifelong dream and starts a private detective agency, which she runs from her family restaurant in the coastal town of Whitstable.

PODCASTS

  • In the Dark | The New Yorker [Listener’s note: The second season of this excellent podcast helped to free Curtis Flowers, a man wrongfully accused of murder who spent 23 years in prison. The host, Madeleine Baran, is excellent, and in 2024 I listened to the newest season about an incident during the Iraq War involving U.S. Marines. Highly recommended.]
  • The Moth [Listener’s note: If you love storytelling yourself or just listening to others, give this podcast a try!  Each weekly, themed broadcast brings well-known as well as unknown storytellers to the stage to tell a true story from their own lives. You’re likely to feel a wide range of emotions as you listen, but isn’t that the point?]
  • Tuesday People | Mitch Albom [Listener’s note: Famed author, Mitch Albom, draws insight from his friendship with Morrie Schwartz (of “Tuesdays with Morrie“) and discusses various topics in a weekly podcast. I’ve found these sessions to be inspiring, thought provoking, insightful, and uplifting.]

MUSIC

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And that’s a wrap! Now we’re on the hunt to find the great reads, DVDs, podcasts and more of 2025…