Every year, we ask our staff and volunteers to spill the beans on the books that sent chills up their spine, made them laugh, made them cry, or made them question why they need sleep in the first place as they read on into the wee hours.

Our latest roundup is here, and it’s brimming with great suggestions. Once again, fiction dominates, so if novels are your jam, you’re in for a treat.

And, in case you missed it, also check out our most circulated items of 2025 for even more great reads to add to your list for 2026. Ready. Read. Repeat.

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 in the online catalog, and you may place holds on items there from your online account.

ADULT READS

FICTION

  • Alchemy of Secrets by Stephanie Garber (2025). A grad student obsessed with folklore is thrust into a hidden magical side of Los Angeles when she’s told she’ll die at midnight unless she finds a legendary alchemical artifact. With time running out and trust hard to come by, she must decide how much she’s willing to risk for the truth.
  • All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker (2024). 1975 is a time of change in America. The Vietnam War is ending. Muhammad Ali is fighting Joe Frazier. And in the smalltown of Monta Clare, Missouri, girls are disappearing. When the daughter of a wealthy family is targeted, the most unlikely hero emerges—Patch, a local boy who saves the girl, and in doing so, leaves heartache in his wake.
  • Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid (2025). [Reader’s note: I couldn’t put this book down! It was cool to hear the perspective of a female astronaut. An amazing story about bravery, friendship and family.]
  • Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney (2025). [Reader’s note: An author is haunted by the fact that his wife is missing. For his new book, he travels to Scotland for a quiet place with fewer distractions (or so he thinks). This book was creepy. I couldn’t put it down!]
  • Buckeye by Patrick Ryan (2025). [Reader’s note: A novel set in Ohio about a family through several decades. Great characters, and the moment I started reading this one I couldn’t put it down. The characters pull the reader into the era between the 1920s and the 1960s and the reader is there with them.]
  • A Discovery of Witches (Book 1 of the All Souls series) by Deborah Harkness (2011). This series (with five books to date) blends fantasy, romance, history, and supernatural mystery, following the witch Diana Bishop and vampire geneticist Matthew Clairmont as they uncover ancient magic, forbidden knowledge, and secrets that bind their world together. Over the course of the novels, they face time‑travel adventures, unravel family and occult histories, confront old enemies, and explore the costs and powers of magic, all while building a life and family together. [Reader’s note: This series is amazing–not your typical witch books.]
  • Don’t Open Your Eyes by Liv Constantine (2025). A twisty psychological thriller about Annabelle, a woman with a seemingly perfect life who begins experiencing vivid, disturbing dreams that start coming true. [Reader’s note: Filled with suspense and lots of twists!]
  • Dream Count by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (2025). Follows the interconnected lives of four women navigating love, ambition, and identity between Nigeria and the U.S., as their choices and longings shape the lives they lead. [Reader’s note: Another chronicle of great female characters struggling to have fulfilling professional lives while also searching for sustaining relationships!]
  • The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune (2020). This one had two fans among staff; read on for notes from both. [Reader’s note #1: If you are not typically a reader of fantasy, this is a great title with which to get started. It grabbed me right away with interesting and unusual characters, a unique setting, and a plot with battles worth fighting. You’ll root for and cheer the residents of the house on the island and marvel at the compassion, love, and acceptance they show for one another. Follow it up with TJ’s new sequel, Somewhere Beyond the Sea (see below).  It’s equally terrific!] —— [Reader’s note #2: Linus Barker is a caseworker in charge of magical youth, and his new assignment is at an orphanage on a quiet island. He has to determine if the kids are dangerous or not. Full of exciting characters who are all so lovable. Highly recommend for Harry Potter fans!]
  • Intermezzo by Sally Rooney (2024). Set in Dublin, Ireland, Intermezzo follows two grieving brothers — one a successful lawyer, the other a competitive chess player — navigating love, intimacy, and disconnection in the aftermath of their father’s death.
  • Last Twilight in Paris by Pam Jenoff (2025). [Reader’s note: This WWII story weaves together dual timelines that gradually reveal a powerful connection. It’s about two resilient women, each navigating their own path in pursuit of truth and liberation, linked by the mystery of a found necklace and the story it holds. Well-written and hard to put down.]
  • The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley (2024). [Reader’s note: Touches of folklore blend with a twisty mystery/thriller. No one is who they seem to be. I enjoyed this book so much that when I finished it, I read three more of Foley’s novels!]
  • The Mighty Red by Louise Erdrich (2024). Set in the Red River Valley of North Dakota amidst the economic crash of 2008, The Mighty Red follows Crystal Frechette, a haul-truck driver, and her 18-yer-old daughter Kismet as they navigate strained family ties and Kismet’s tense love triangle between a wealthy farm heir and a bookish, earnest boy. [Reader’s note: The family relationships, the story that’s mysterious, quirky and poignant, and the great characters! One of my favorite of her many books.]
  • The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue (2020). [Reader’s note: Beautifully written story of nurses in Dublin during the Spanish flu epidemic of 1918. I loved the way the women cared for each other.]
  • The Queens of Crime by Marie Benedict (2025). This novel imagines five legendary women mystery writers—led by Dorothy Sayers and including Agatha Christie—banding together in 1930s London to solve a real murder that has baffling clues and possible ties to high society. As they investigate the case both to prove their talents in a male-dominated literary world and to seek justice for the victim, danger rises and secrets threaten to upend their mission.
  • Mrs. Quinn’s Rise to Fame by Olivia Ford (2024). [Reader’s note: For fans of the Great British Baking Show, this book follows the journey of senior citizen Jenny Quinn as she bravely applies and is selected to be a contestant on a TV show, “Britain Bakes.” Along the way, we learn about Jenny’s past and how a long-buried secret impacts not only Jenny’s life, but those around her. This was a delightful read!]
  • The Quiet Librarian by Allen Eskens (2025). A seemingly mild-mannered Minnesota librarian’s life is upended when her best friend is murdered, forcing her to confront a past she thought she’d left behind. Decades earlier, she survived the horrors of the Bosnian War and reinvented herself in the U.S., but now she must draw on her former strength to protect a child and hunt down the killer before her own secrets are exposed.
  • The Second Chance Convenience Store by Kim Ho-Yeon and Janet Hong (2025). [Reader’s note: A story about life, loss and recovery. A woman fights for her community and a man who lost everything except the will to try again! Heartwarming and uplifting.]
  • The Shack by William Young (2007). Mackenzie “Mack” Phillips’ youngest daughter is abducted and murdered during a family vacation. Years later, Mack receives a mysterious note inviting him back to the abandoned shack where the tragedy occurred. What he experiences there challenges everything he thought he knew about life, loss, and the forces that shape them. [Reader’s note: This book makes you think about life, faith and forgiveness. The plot has unique twists that you may not suspect.]
  • The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides (2019). [Reader’s note: A psychological thriller and keeps the reader guessing until the end.
    It’s about a psychotherapist who is treating a patient that murdered her husband but refuses to speak.]
  • Somewhere Beyond the Sea by TJ Klune (2024). Continues the story from The House in the Cerulean Sea, following Arthur Parnassus and his partner Linus as they care for their magical family on Marsyas Island. When Arthur’s past and external threats force him into a fight for the future of his home and all magical beings, he must protect the ones he loves while facing new challenges that could either strengthen their found family or tear it apart.
  • Time of the Child by Niall Williams (2024). Time of the Child is set in a small Irish village in the winter of 1962. When an abandoned baby is brought to the home of the local doctor and his daughter during the Advent season, caring for the infant transforms their lives and reshapes the rhythms of their close‑knit community. [Reader’s note: The Dickensian characters, the subtle humor, the place, and the love. An Irish gem!]
  • The Unraveling of Julia by Lisa Scottoline (2025). [Reader’s note: A thriller from the beginning! Murder, suspense, love and many exciting twists. Riveting and hard to put down!]
  • Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix (2025). a pregnant teen sent to a strict Florida home for unwed mothers in 1970 finds her voice and power when she and the other girls discover an occult book and begin to dabble in witchcraft. As they use magic to push back against the oppressive adults controlling them, they learn that freedom and power come with a dangerous price.

NONFICTION

BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR

  • Educated by Tara Westover (2018). [Reader’s note: Tara was raised by a survivalist family in rural Idaho, isolated and distrustful of mainstream society. She manages to escape at age 17, and unbelievably rises to the highest level of academic success. The book is very inspirational and clearly shows the power of education.]
  • My Next Breath by Jeremy Renner (2025). [Reader’s note: An incredible account of survival after a catastrophic accident with a 14,000-lb. Snowcat in the mountains, where Jeremy Renner was living at the time. He explains in detail his recovery and how he comes out of it a better person. Very moving!]

JUVENILE & YOUNG ADULT

  • The Bletchley Riddle by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin (2024). [Reader’s note: A historic mystery/adventure by two masters of the genre that will appeal to readers of many ages, including adults.]
  • Don’t Trust Fish by Neil Sharpson; illustrations by Dan Santat (2025). a silly, laugh-out-loud picture book in which a quirky narrator humorously warns young readers why fish are mysterious, rule-breaking creatures you should “never ever” trust. Through absurd examples and playful illustrations, it turns basic animal facts into a wild, fish-centric comedy that kids (and adults) will enjoy.
  • Estranged by Ethan Aldridge (2018). A fantasy graphic novel about a changeling boy and a human boy who must team up to stop a cruel sorceress, uncover hidden truths, and save both the human and faerie realms. [Reader’s note: Interesting story with creative characters and world-building.]

TELEVISION

TV SERIES

  • Slow Horses (2022+; Apple TV+). Based on the book by Mick Herron. A darkly funny spy thriller about a rag‑tag team of British intelligence agents who’ve messed up their careers and been banished to MI5’s Slough House, a dumping ground where “slow horses” do dull work under the cantankerous Jackson Lamb. Despite their status, these flawed operatives repeatedly find themselves drawn into high‑stakes espionage, uncovering dangerous plots and proving that even the overlooked can make a difference.

______

And that’s a wrap! Now we’re on the hunt to find the great reads of 2026…