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Must-Read Books October 2025 |
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Heart the Lover
by Lily King
Decades after a tangled college love triangle shaped her life, a woman is forced to confront her old choices and hidden truths in this intimate novel of friendship and desire from the bestselling author of Writers & Lovers. For fans of The Rachel Incident by Caroline O'Donoghue and Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney.
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Love Is A War Song
by Danica Nava
After Muscogee pop star Avery Fox becomes a pariah following an ill-advised Rolling Stone photoshoot, she retreats to her grandmother's horse ranch in Oklahoma to learn more about her heritage. When grumpy ranch hand Lucas Iron Eyes catches her eye, she finds herself torn between returning to the life she thought she wanted and the one she's just now getting to explore. For fans of: Colton Gentry's Third Act by Jeff Zentner.
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The Wilderness
by Angela Flournoy
An era-defining novel about five Black women over the course of their twenty-year friendship. Desiree, Danielle, January, Monique, and Nakia are finding their way through the wilderness, that period of life when the reality of contemporary adulthood - overwhelming, mysterious, and full of freedom and consequences - swoops in and stays. As these friends move from the late 2000’s into the late 2020’s, from young adults to grown women, they must figure out what they mean to one another - amid political upheaval, economic and environmental instability, and the increasing volatility of modern American life. For fans of: An American Marriage by Tayari Jones and Meg and Jo by Virginia Kantra.
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Clown Town
by Mick Herron
While recovering from injury, former MI5 agent River Cartwright investigates a missing book tied to his late grandfather's secrets that draws in the disgraced spies of Slough House, in the ninth novel of the series following Bad Actors. For fans of: The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman and Karla's Choice by Nick Harkaway.
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Mrs. Endicott's Splendid Adventure
by Rhys Bowen
In Surrey, England, 1938, blindsided by her husband's divorce appeal, Ellie impulsively heads to the South of France with housekeeper Mavis and elderly friend Dora until their Bentley breaks down in Saint Benet, where Ellie is drawn to fisherman Nico—but war looms.
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The Academy
by Elin Hilderbrand
When a surprise national ranking thrusts underachieving Tiffin Academy into the spotlight, a viral gossip app begins exposing students' and staff's secrets, unraveling reputations and relationships as the boarding school's carefully curated image gives way to chaos, scandal and unexpected alliances.
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| Blood Slaves by Markus RedmondIn 1710 North Carolina, enslaved man Willie is nearly killed after a foiled escape attempt, but is offered a chance for freedom -- and revenge -- by fellow captive Rafazi, the last survivor of a centuries-old Ghanaian vampire tribe. Try this next: When the Reckoning Comes by LaTanya McQueen; the African Immortals series by Tananarive Due. |
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| 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. |
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| The Dead Come to Stay by Brandy SchillaceAutistic American Jo Jones has relocated to rural England after inheriting a rundown family estate. In her 2nd outing, she once again teams up with handsome detective James MacAdams when her new tenant is killed in a case with links to missing teens. Meanwhile, she unearths more secrets about her ancestors. For fans of: Nita Prose’s Maid novels. |
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Among the Burning Flowers
by Samantha Shannon
It has been centuries since the Draconic Army took wing, almost extinguishing humankind. Marosa Vetalda is a prisoner in her own home, controlled by her cold father, King Sigoso. Over the mountains, her betrothed, Aubrecht Lievelyn, rules Mentendon in all but name. Together, they intend to usher in a better world. A better world seems impossibly distant to Estina Melaugo, who hunts the Draconic beasts that have slept across the world for centuries. And now the great wyrm Fýredel is stirring, and Yscalin will be the first to fall.
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To the Moon and Back
by Eliana Ramage
After fleeing domestic violence for the Cherokee Nation, Steph Harper dedicates her life to escaping Oklahoma and reaching NASA, but her relentless pursuit of independence strains her ties with her sister Kayla, her girlfriend Della and her mother Hannah.
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| Lucky Day by Chuck TingleAfter 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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.
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Just Shine!: How to Be a Better You
by Sonia Sotomayor
There once was a little girl who grew up in Puerto Rico with an incredible ability: she was able to make everyone around her shine. She listened, she understood, she worked hard, and she brought out the beauty in each person she met. In a story inspired by her mother's ability to help people see their own brilliance, Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor shows readers how helping others shine makes the whole world brighter. With art by illustrator Jacqueline Alcántara, Just Shine will help readers find their own inner glow--and recognize that glow in those around them.
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Troubling Tonsils!
by Aaron Reynolds
Jasper Rabbit tells the eerie tale of Charlie Marmot, whose decision to keep his tonsils after surgery leads to creepy, mysterious events.
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Sisters in the Wind
by Angeline Boulley
Ever since Lucy Smith's father died five years ago, 'home' has been more of an idea than a place. She knows being on the run is better than anything waiting for her as a '"ward of the state'. But when the sharp-eyed and kind Mr. Jameson with an interest in her case comes looking for her, Lucy wonders if hiding from her past will ever truly keep her safe. Five years in the foster system has taught her to be cautious and smart. But she wants to believe Mr. Jameson and his 'friend-not-friend', a tall and fierce-looking woman who say they want to look after her. They also tell Lucy the truth her father hid from her: She is Ojibwe; she has--had--a sister, and more siblings, a grandmother who'd look after her and a home where she would be loved.
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| 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. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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