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Must-Read Books November 2025 |
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| The French Kitchen by Kristy CambronBoston's Kat Fontaine, who as a child spent summers in France, follows her brother into the Office of Strategic Services during World War II. Working undercover as a kitchen maid in a chateau occupied by the Nazis, Kat faces danger helping the resistance and hears nothing from her sibling. After the war, she returns to uncover what happened to him, getting help from friends, including Julia Child. Try this next: Amy Lynn Green's The Codebreaker's Daughter.
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| The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran DesaiWhile her relatives in India worry about her, Vermont college student Sonia fights loneliness by dating a famous artist, though his affection is costly. Meanwhile, ambitious Manhattan journalist Sunny hasn't told his widowed mother in India that he has a white girlfriend. Then Sonia and Sunny meet in this sweeping saga, a “masterpiece” (Kirkus Reviews) that examines identity, art, love, and belonging. For fans of: Real Americans by Rachel Khong; Dry Spells by Archana Maniar.
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| Photograph by Brian FreemanPrivate investigator Shannon Wells must unravel a decades-old mystery when her former client, Faith Selby, is found dead. With only a vintage photograph of a girl in a motel parking lot as a clue, Shannon traces the case from Florida to Michigan, confronting dangerous secrets that intertwine with her own troubled past.
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Bog Queen
by Anna North
Bog Queen sparkles like unearthed treasure. --Kaliane BradleyThe latest from New York Times bestselling novelist Anna North--a monumental discovery sets off a clash of worlds, past and present, over the fate of the land that holds us.
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| The Last Death of the Year by Sophie HannahOn New Year’s Eve 1932, Hercule Poirot and Inspector Catchpool holiday on a small Greek island while Poirot investigates a threat against a guest in the rundown house where they are staying. Then a note appears, promising “the last and first death of the year,” which is followed by a murder. This clever latest from Sophie Hannah (Hercule Poirot’s Silent Night) is authorized by Agatha Christie’s estate and will appeal to fans of Colleen Cambridge's Murder at Mallowan Hall. |
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| Bad Bad Girl by Gish JenBased on the life of the author’s mother, this “heartbreaking and stunning” (Library Journal) story follows Loo Shu-hsin, from her privileged but unhappy childhood in Shanghai to 1947 Chicago, where she studies for an advanced degree. Marrying a fellow immigrant, she settles in New York, but she isn’t happy and mistreats her eldest daughter. Try this next: Wendy Chen’s Their Divine Fires. |
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| The Wayfinder by Adam JohnsonThis well-researched, richly layered historical saga from the author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning The Orphan Master’s Son takes place in an evocative South Pacific setting and depicts what happens when teenage Kōrero, who wants to be her small island’s storyteller, meets two brothers, a navigator and a poet, who are part of the Tongan empire. Try this next: Minsoo Kang’s The Melancholy of Untold History.
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| The Bone Thief by Vanessa LillieRhode Island Bureau of Indian Affairs archeologist Syd Walker, who’s Cherokee, returns in this compelling 2nd outing. Having received a promotion, she’s ready when the 300-year-old bones of a child are found at a summer camp run by the powerful Founders Society. But when the remains disappear and a young Indigenous woman goes missing, Syd has to work fast to find answers. Try this next: Marcie R. Rendon’s Cash Blackbear novels.
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| The Vanishing Place by Zoë RankinAfter witnessing a shocking murder in the New Zealand bush, Effie is forced to return to the wilderness she once escaped, drawn by a bloodied girl who mirrors her younger self. In her debut thriller, Zoë Rankin delivers vivid, immersive prose that brings the wild bush to life while unraveling dark family secrets and past traumas. Recommended for fans of Jane Harper.
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| Life, and Death, and Giants by Ronald J. RindoIn a small Wisconsin town, an unwed Amish woman dies giving birth to a son without naming his father. Raised by family members, the kind-hearted boy grows over eight feet tall and finds success in athletics, which takes him into the wider world. Narrated by his grandmother, a veterinarian, a bar owner, and a football coach, this moving story has “unforgettable characters…[and] is a must-read” (Kirkus Reviews). For fans of: fantastical, lyrical coming-of-age novels.
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Automatic Noodle
by Annalee Newitz
In this cozy near-future novella, a group of decommissioned robots suddenly come back online in an abandoned ghost kitchen in San Francisco and decide to make it their own, serving delicious hand-pulled noodles to the humans recovering from the aftermath of war. For fans of: science fiction with hope and heart such as Becky Chambers' Monk & Robot series.
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| We Met Like This by Kasie WestHopeless romantic and dating app-averse literary agent Margot keeps getting matched with Oliver, who she swiped right on three years ago but hasn't seen again since their single bad date. Will these opposites find a second chance at love? This banter-filled adult debut from YA author Kasie West (Better Than Revenge) will appeal to fans of The Right Swipe by Alisha Rai. |
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| We the People: A History of the U.S. Constitution by Jill LeporeHarvard University historian Jill Lepore's sweeping and accessible history surveys the creation and evolution of the United States Constitution, spotlighting key amendments that continue to shape the country. It's "urgent" (Kirkus Reviews) and "essential" (Library Journal) reading. Try this next: The Nation That Never Was: Reconstructing America's Story by Kermit Roosevelt III. |
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The Devil's Castle: Nazi Eugenics, Euthanasia, and How Psychiatry's Troubled History Reverberates Today
by Susanne Paola Antonetta
In The Devil's Castle, Susanne Paola Antonetta weaves a haunting narrative that confronts the darkest chapters of psychiatric history while offering a bold vision for the future of mental health care. In 1939, the eugenics movement growing throughout the West did its worst in Nazi Germany. Through the Aktion T4 euthanasia program, five asylums and an abandoned jail were transformed into gas chambers. Tens of thousands of lives-predominantly adults with neuropsychiatric conditions-were extinguished in those structures, ultimately paving the way for the horrors of the Holocaust. Interlacing her experiences of psychosis with the complex history of psychiatry, Antonetta sheds light on the intersections of madness and societal perceptions of mental difference. She brings to life the stories of Paul Schreber and Dorothea Buck, two historical figures who act as models for mind care and acceptance-- Provided by publisher.
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| Moon Song by Michaela Goade"Come! Haagú! Follow the light." So begins a bedtime story, spun by a Tlingit child for her anxious cousin. Together, they take an imaginary journey through nighttime wonders, from the snow-covered woods to the dark ocean waves to the glowing aurora borealis overhead. Illustrated in jewel-bright colors, this companion book to Berry Song is equal parts enchanting and soothing. |
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| War Games by Alan GratzDesperate to help her poor family, American gymnast Evie competes in the 1936 Berlin Olympics with a secret goal: to join with other Olympians in a high-stakes attempt to steal Nazi gold. Fans of author Alan Gratz will know to expect fascinating details and gripping twists in this historical heist thriller. |
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| The Scammer by Tiffany D. JacksonJordyn’s fresh start at Frazier University was going great until her roommate’s brother moved in. Fresh from prison, Devonte wields conspiracy theories and charisma to develop a cultlike campus following that Jordyn isn’t falling for. Fans of author Tiffany D. Jackson’s brand of thought-provoking thrillers will enjoy this propulsive tale.
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| Fake Skating by Lynn PainterA lot has changed since Dani and Alec fell out of touch in middle school. Finally reunited in hockey-obsessed Southview, Minnesota, they hatch a fake dating scheme that forces them to confront their complicated past. Read-alikes: Rachael Lippincott and Alyson Derrick’s Make My Wish Come True; Ellen O'Clover’s Seven Percent of Ro Devereux.
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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Rochester Hills Public Library
500 Olde Towne Rd
Rochester, Michigan 48307
248-656-2900www.rhpl.org/ |
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