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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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| Gelato at the Villa by Robin Jones GunnNeeding a vacation due to work problems and recent losses, 30-something friends Grace and Claire take a trip to Italy, visiting Venice, Florence, and Bellagio. As they embrace the culture, meet warm locals, and view stunning art, they also grow in their faith, especially Claire, who had left the church years earlier. Though this is the 2nd Suitcase Sisters novel, it can be read on its own. Read-alike: Lauraine Snelling’s Florence Legacy. |
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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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Moderation
by Elaine Castillo
"A bold and inventive novel about real romance in the virtual workplace - bringing Castillo's trademark wit and sharp cultural criticism to an irresistible story about the possible future of love. Girlie Delmundo is the greatest content moderator in the world, and despite the setbacks of financial crises, climate catastrophe, and a global pandemic, she's going places: she's getting a promotion. Now thanks to her parent company Paragon's purchase of Fairground - the world's preeminent virtual reality content provider - she's on the way to becoming an elite VR moderator, playing in the big leagues and, if her enthusiastic bosses are to be believed, moderating the next stage of human interaction. Despite the isolation that virtual reality requires from colleagues, friends, and family, the unbelievable perks of her new job mean she can solve a lot of her family's problems with money and mobility. She doesn't have to think about the childhood home they lost back in the Bay Area, or history at all - she can just pay any debts that come due. But when she meets William Cheung, Playground's wry, reticent co-founder (now Chief Product Officer) and slowly unearths some of his secrets, and finds herself somehow falling in love, she'll learn that history might be impossible to moderate and the future utterly impossible to control"
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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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A guardian and a thief
by Megha Majumdar
In a near-future Kolkata, India, which has been ravaged by climate change and food scarcity, two families seeking to protect their children must battle each other.
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The Irish goodbye : a novel
by Heather Aimee O'Neill
Three adult sisters grapple with a shared tragedy over a Thanksgiving weekend spent in their childhood home, navigating complex relationships and old tensions. A first novel.
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Stone yard devotional
by Charlotte Wood
"Burnt out and in need of retreat, a middle-aged woman leaves Sydney to return to the place she grew up, taking refuge in a small religious community hidden away on the stark plains of rural Australia. She doesn't believe in God, or know what prayer is, and finds herself living this strange, reclusive existence almost by accident. But disquiet interrupts this secluded life with three visitations. First comes a terrible mouse plague, each day signaling a new battle against the rising infestation. Second is the return of the skeletal remains of a sister who disappeared decades before, presumed murdered. And finally, a troubling visitor plunges the narrator further back into her past"
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The Phoebe variations
by Jane Hamilton
When seventeen-year-old Phoebe meets her birth family for the first time, the emotional fallout drives her to flee with the help of her best friend Luna, seeking refuge and transformation in the chaotic home of her friend Patrick O'Connor and his thirteen siblings
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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 Women's Orchestra of Auschwitz: A Story of Survival by Anne SebbaBestselling author Anne Sebba's (Ethel Rosenberg: An American Tragedy) moving account chronicles the lesser-known story of the all-women orchestra at Auschwitz-Birkenau, whose 40 members included both Jewish and non-Jewish musicians and whose conductor, Alma Rosé (Gustav Mahler's niece), demanded excellence to ensure her fellow prisoners' survival. For fans of: The Dressmakers of Auschwitz: The True Story of the Women Who Sewed to Survive by Lucy Adlington.
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Pocket bear
by Katherine Applegate
"A stuffed bear named Pocket helps another stuffed toy find joy, in this book about second chances from #1 New York Times bestselling author, Katherine Applegate"
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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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New Carlisle-Olive Township Public Library
408 S. Bray St.
New Carlisle, Indiana 46552
(574) 654-3046ncpl.lib.in.us |
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