|
|
Must-Read Books October 2025 |
|
|
|
| One of Us by Dan ChaonIn 1915, 13-year-old orphaned twins Bolt and Eleanor, who share a psychic connection, run away from a murderous man claiming to be their uncle. They end up with Mr. Jengling’s Emporium of Wonders, which includes a death-foretelling woman and a dog-faced boy. While Bolt settles in, Eleanor doesn’t, and they still have their “uncle” on their trail in this “mesmerizing and macabre historical adventure” (Booklist). For fans of: Amiee Gibbs’ The Carnivale of Curiosities. |
|
| Too Old for This by Samantha DowningIn Samantha Downing’s wry, twist-filled new novel, 75-year-old Lottie Jones -- once a notorious serial killer -- lives quietly under a new identity. But when a journalist starts digging into her past, Lottie must confront old crimes and consider new ones to stay hidden. Murder, however, isn’t so easy at her age. |
|
| What We Can Know by Ian McEwanRising seas have changed the landscape of the United Kingdom, where in 2119 Professor Thomas Metcalfe studies every detail he can find about “A Corona for Vivien,” a lost masterpiece read by an esteemed poet at his wife’s 2014 birthday party. In the second half of this eloquent novel, Vivien herself narrates. Try these next: C. Pam Zhang’s Land of Milk and Honey; Eiren Caffall’s All the Water in the World. |
|
| Automatic Noodle by Annalee NewitzIn 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. |
|
| Buckeye by Patrick RyanOn Victory in Europe Day, 1945, while her husband is away in the Pacific, beautiful Margaret shares a celebratory kiss with married hardware store clerk Cal Jenkins, whose physical disability kept him from enlisting. This leads to a connection between their small-town Ohio families for decades, where their sons grow up together but take different paths in the Vietnam era. For fans of: Read with Jenna books; vivid, heartfelt novels about families and war. |
|
| The Incredible Kindness of Paper by Evelyn SkyeAs a lonely child, Chloe makes a yellow origami rose for her new pen pal, whispering details about herself to the paper. When Oliver receives it, he somehow understands. The correspondents grow close as they grow up, until they lose touch. Years later, Chloe leaves paper flowers across Manhattan, where Oliver finds one in this heartwarming, magical tale exploring love and belonging. For fans of: Lynda Cohen Loigman’s The Matchmaker’s Gift. |
|
| Lucky Day by Chuck Tingle After the Low Probability Event (LPE) kills eight million people in absurd ways, bisexual statistics professor Vera Norrie teams up with Federal LPE Agent Jonah Layne to investigate a Las Vegas casino where the event may have originated, lest further catastrophe strikes. This fast-paced cosmic horror from the author of Bury Your Gays will appeal to fans of Jason Pargin. |
|
| Of Monsters and Mainframes by Barbara TrueloveDemeter, an intelligent interstellar ship that ferries humans between Earth and Alpha Centauri, would rather do anything than ally herself with monsters. However, when an infamous ancient evil begins killing her beloved passengers, she'll have no choice but to assemble a paranormal crew of her own to take him down. For fans of: chilling science fiction horror with authentic and entertaining characters such as Peter Watts' Echopraxia and Mason Coile's William. |
|
| Between Two Rivers: Ancient Mesopotamia and the Birth of History by Moudhy Al-RashidIn her accessible and illuminating debut, historian Moudhy Al-Rashid utilizes eight artifacts, including cuneiform tablets and weapon fragments, to explore everyday life and culture in ancient Mesopotamia. Further reading: The Library of Ancient Wisdom: Mesopotamia and the Making of the Modern World by Selena Wisnom. |
|
| Born in Flames: The Business of Arson and the Remaking of the American City by Bench AnsfieldHistorian Bench Ansfield's thought-provoking exposé details the ongoing legacy of the 1970s arson epidemic, exacerbated by corrupt landlords and predatory insurance companies, that plagued urban neighborhoods throughout the United States, particularly in the South Bronx. Try this next: The Killing Fields of East New York: The First Subprime Mortgage Scandal, a White-Collar Crime Spree, and the Collapse of an American Neighborhood by Stacy Horn. |
|
| Cat Nap by Brian LiesAfter the determined Kitten chases a mouse into a poster for the Metropolitan Museum of Art, their pursuit takes on the styles of ten iconic masterpieces. Kids don’t need any museum knowledge to be fascinated by the hilarious, arresting illustrations (which include stained glass, ceramics, wooden masks, and more), all rendered in meticulous three-dimensional detail by Caldecott Honoree Brian Lies. |
|
| The Poisoned King by Katherine RundellEver since his first excursion, Christopher has been longing to return to the Archipelago, a hidden realm of mythological animals. So when he’s summoned by a dragon, Christopher is thrilled to follow it into a mystery involving a sphinx, a spreading poison, and a small girl bent on revenge. This exciting, illustrated sequel will be most fun if you’ve already read Impossible Creatures. |
|
| Legendary Frybread Drive-In: Intertribal Stories by Cynthia Leitich Smith, editor Sandy June’s Legendary Frybread Drive-In is a food truck that appears wherever Indigenous people across North America need to meet. It provides the setting for the linked stories in this touching and magical anthology that takes readers from Hawai’i to Alaska to Manitoba and many liminal places in between. |
|
| Scarlet Morning by N.D. StevensonAbandoned in the boring town of Caveat, orphans Wilmur and Viola trade their only valuable possession -- the mysterious Book -- to pirate captain Cadence Chase in exchange for a voyage on the high seas. But the secrets they uncover on the journey might have deadly consequences. Packed with complex characters and swashbuckling adventure, this illustrated fantasy from the creator of Nimona kicks off a new series. |
|
Contact your librarian for more great books!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|