Fiction A to Z
December 2025

Recent Releases
The Tortoise's Tale by Kendra Coulter
The Tortoise's Tale
by Kendra Coulter

Snatched from her ancestral lands, a giant tortoise becomes an astute observer of societal change. Her journey is one of discovery, as she learns to embrace the music of jazz and the warmth of human connection. The tortoise's story is enriched by her bond with Takeo, the estate's gardener, and Lucy, a young girl who names the tortoise Magic and shares a friendship that transcends species.

For fans of Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt.
Queen Esther by John Irving
Queen Esther
by John Irving

Returning to the world of the Cider House Rules, Dr. Wilbur Larch takes in Esther—a Viennese-born Jew whose life is shaped by anti-Semitism. Queen Esther is not just a story of survival but a profound exploration of identity, belonging, and the enduring impact of history on our personal lives.

Read-alike: This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger.
Heart the Lover
by Lily King

This lyrical story begins in a 1980s college literature class. A woman grows close to two best friends, who call her Jordan after a character in The Great Gatsby. She eventually dates one of the men but falls in love with the other. Decades later, they all meet again.

Read-alike: Caroline O’Donoghue’s The Rachel Incident.
A Guardian and a Thief by Megha Majumdar
A Guardian and a Thief
by Megha Majumdar

In a near-future Kolkata, India, climate change causes flooding and famine. Ma, her elderly father, and her young daughter have precious visas to join Ma’s husband in Michigan. But a desperate resident of the shelter where Ma works follows her, convinced she’s skimming resources, and steals the documents. 

Try these next: Susanna Kwan’s Awake in the Floating City; Rumaan Alam’s Leave the World Behind.
Wreck by Catherine Newman
Wreck
by Catherine Newman

If you loved Rocky and her family on vacation on Cape Cod (Sandwich), wait until you join them at home two years later. Rocky, still anxious, nostalgic, and funny, is living in Western Massachusetts. It all couldn't be more ridiculously normal--until Rocky finds herself obsessed with a local accident that only tangentially affects them--and with a medical condition that, she hopes, won't affect them at all.

For fans of Same as it Ever Was by Claire Lombardo.
Evensong
by Stewart O'Nan

In Pittsburgh, a group of aging church women who call themselves the Humpty Dumpty Club help others in myriad ways, by baking cookies, taking care of pets, running errands, and sitting with the sick. Then one of their own has a bad fall. This quietly moving character-driven story portrays the importance of community and chosen family.

For fans of Elizabeth Strout.
The Irish Goodbye
by Heather Aimee O'Neill

After years apart, all three Ryan sisters gather for Thanksgiving at their parents' home on the East End of Long Island. Though each brings her own current issues, it’s the tragic deaths of two young people in the past that cast shadows over all the Ryans.

Read-alikes: J. Courtney Sullivan’s Maine; Christina Clancy’s The Second Home.
Minor Black Figures
by Brandon Taylor

One hot New York summer after the worst of COVID, Black painter Wyeth faces a creative block and ponders art and identity as he embraces a project restoring a decades-old work by another Black artist. Then, at a West Village bar, he meets a handsome blond man who’s recently left the seminary.

Try this next: Blue Ruin by Hari Kunzru.
Pick a Color
by Souvankham Thammavongsa

Ning is a retired boxer, but to the customers who visit her nail salon, she is just another worker named Susan. But beneath this superficial veneer, Ning is a woman of rigorous intellect and profound complexity while also haunted by memories of paths not taken and opportunities lost.

For fans of All Fours by Miranda July.

 
Palaver
by Bryan Washington

In the weeks before Christmas, a mother arrives unannounced in Japan to visit her estranged son, who isn’t happy to see her. They speak infrequently and haven’t seen each other in years, but can they come to an understanding with each other before it’s too late? 

Try this next: Boy From the North Country by Sam Evan Sussman.
Contact your librarian for more great books!