Culpeper County Library271 Southgate Shopping Center, Culpeper, Virginia 22701 | 540-825-8691https://www.cclva.org
Must-Read Books
May 2026

Adult Fiction
The Moonshine Women
by Michelle Collins Anderson

The Strong family farm, hunt, and make moonshine in the Ozark Mountains during Prohibition, but when tragedy strikes, the three Strong sisters move to Hot Springs, Arkansas. Because the youngest has a talent for moonshine, they keep the family business going despite all odds in this richly detailed novel. Try this next: Jess Montgomery's Kinship novels, starting with The Widows; Jeannette Walls' Hang the Moon.
 
Yesteryear
by Caro Claire Burke

With millions of social media followers, Natalie Heller Mills carefully curates her trad wife life featuring a charming Utah ranch, a cowboy/political scion husband, and five children (with one on the way!). What her followers don't know is that she has nannies and plenty of other help. Then one morning she wakes up and it's somehow 1805. Anne Hathaway has snagged film rights for this buzzy, twisty debut novel that's great for book clubs. Try this next: Anna-Marie McLemore's The Influencers; Alli Hoff Kosik's Too Blessed to Stress.
 
All Booked Up
by Melody Carlson

Having lost her husband to cancer a year earlier, 61-year-old Riva Owen deals with grief and tries to pay her mortgage. She doesn't want to leave the old Victorian that's been in her family for generations, so after praying, she takes in four women boarders. This leads to new friends and experiences, as well as drama and romantic rivalries in this fun and moving Christian novel about single older women. Try this next: Lauraine Snelling's The Florence Legacy.
 
My Grandfather, the Master Detective
by Masateru Konishi

Kaede, a 27-year-old teacher and crime novel reader, often uncovers puzzling events as she goes about her day. With her beloved grandfather, a former member of a mystery club whose Lewy body dementia hasn't affected his armchair crime-solving skills, she explores six mysteries, including a locked room murder and a missing persons case. For fans of: novels that reference classic mysteries; cozy Japanese stories.
 
The Fortune Flip
by Lauren Kung Jessen

Seeking reassurance from a fortune teller, unlucky data analyst Hazel Yen has a run-in (literally) with Logan Wells, a perpetually lucky carpenter with whom she shares a kiss -- and a winning lottery ticket. When they cash in their winnings, their fortunes flip. As they work together to change Logan's (now bad) luck, they find themselves learning more about themselves -- and each other. For fans of: One & Only by Maurene Goo.
 
Apparently, Sir Cameron Needs to Die
by Greer Stothers

Sir Cameron, a handsome but cowardly knight, teams up with the reclusive and short-tempered sorcerer Merulo when a prophecy ties them together and puts Cameron in immediate peril. As Merulo's ambitious plans come closer to fruition, Cameron realizes he may be more drawn to the sorcerer than previously planned. This "ambitious and decidedly weird" (Library Journal) debut combines fantasy cliché deconstructions with thoughtful explorations of queer self-discovery and autonomy. 
Adult Nonfiction
This Land Is Your Land: A Road Trip Through U.S. History
by Beverly Gage

Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Beverly Gage's engaging travelogue surveys 250 years of American history via visits to 13 places that have shaped the country, from Independence Hall to Disneyland and everything in between. Try this next: American Rambler: Walking the Trail of Johnny Appleseed by Isaac Fitzgerald.
 
London Falling: A Mysterious Death in a Gilded City and a Family's Search for Truth
by Patrick Radden Keefe

In his richly detailed latest, award-winning journalist Patrick Radden Keefe (Say Nothing) chronicles the shocking death of 19-year-old Zac Brettler in 2019 London, revealing how Brettler's secret life posing as the son of a Russian oligarch spurred his involvement in the city's seedy underworld. For fans of: Blood Will Out: The True Story of a Murder, a Mystery, and a Masquerade by Walter Kirn.
Chain of Ideas: The Origins of Our Authoritarian Age
by Ibram X. Kendi

National Book Award-winning author Ibram X. Kendi's (Stamped from the Beginning) thought-provoking latest details the origins and evolution of the great replacement theory -- the far-right conspiracy that claims white European people are deliberately being replaced by non-white immigrants -- examining how leading politicians in the United States, United Kingdom, Israel, and more openly propagate these views. Further reading: The Great White Hoax: Two Centuries of Selling Racism in America by Philip Kadish.
Youth Fiction
102
by Matthew Cordell

Sick with a fever of 102, young George goes on a surreal, imaginary adventure in a miniature world. Meticulously cross-hatched ballpoint pen illustrations from Caldecott Medalist Matthew Cordell provide texture and atmosphere, as well as a wealth of details that reward close reading. For fans of: David Wiesner, Chris Van Allsburg, and Henry Cole.
The Escape Game
by Marissa Meyer

Despite the fact that a contestant died on the fourth season of reality show The Escape Game, ruthless producers have greenlit a fifth season. Sierra joins the cast to solve high-stakes escape rooms...and find out who murdered her sister. Fans of puzzle-filled mysteries will devour this exhilarating thriller.
A Potion, a Powder, a Little Bit of Magic: Or, Like Lightning in an Umbrella Storm
by Philip C. Stead

After her friend Perseverance the turtle is imprisoned, goatkeeper Bernadette sets out on a rescue mission, aided by a memory-impaired magician and a Boat That Does Not Grant Wishes. This illustrated fantasy -- in which the chapters are out of order and the author can't control the characters -- is witty, whimsical, and hilariously weird. Read-alikes: Matt Phelan's Knights vs. Dinosaurs; Kate DiCamillo's The Beatryce Prophecy.
Contact your librarian for more great books!
Culpeper County Library271 Southgate Shopping Center, Culpeper, Virginia 22701 | 540-825-8691https://www.cclva.org