Cardington-Lincoln Public Library: Must-Read Books: November 2025

Now available on our shelves or on the Libby app...

Adult Fiction

After That, the Dark
by Andrew Klavan

In this newest entry in Andrew Klavan's USA Today bestselling Cameron Winter series, the ex-spy turned English professor finds love--and murder.

The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny
by Kiran Desai

While 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.

Birdlane Island
by V. C. Andrews

Off the coast of Maine, on an island shaped like a seagull in flight, shrouded by mists off the bay, lives a novelist Jason Lorraine and his teenage daughter Lisa. They live a simple life, largely cut off from the mainland, and Lisa's weak health poses a frequent concern. After the sudden and untimely death of Lisa's mother, Jason becomes even more reclusive and protective. Lisa is forbidden to see Jamie, the charming fisherman's son who has quickly become her closest confidante in her grief. The star-crossed lovers steal time with one another, but fate intervenes, and they may never find a happy ending. A brooding artist from out of town, Kyle, arrives and brings more color to Lisa's world. As Lisa fights for love, independence, and agency, will her beloved island become her sanctuary or her prison?

Gelato at the Villa
by Robin Jones Gunn

Needing 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.

The Last Death of the Year
by Sophie Hannah

On 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.

The Ordeals
by Rachel Greenlaw

What a wild ride! Rachel Greenlaw's romantasy debut combines captivating worldbuilding, a seriously twisty plot, and a steamy romance.--Demi Winters, author of The Road of Bones A magical college with death games, a murder mystery, and dangerous magic? Yes, please!--Tessonja Odette, author of A Rivalry of Hearts Twenty-year-old Sophia DeWinter has only known life bound to her cruel uncle, the Collector, thanks to a blood bond he exacted from her as a child. When she learns of Killmarth College, an elite academy for magic wielders outside of the Collector's control, she knows it is her only chance to finally break free. But to gain entry, she will have to compete against other illusionists, masquiers, botanists, and alchemists in a series of brutal trials that many hopefuls don't survive--the Ordeals. Sophia knows her skills as an illusionist are weak; she only makes it through the first challenge by teaming up with a powerful (and insufferably sexy) botanist, Alden Locke. To make it out alive, she will have to hone her magic and learn to identify who is a rival, who could be an ally, and who is a murderer. Because now, not only does she have to protect her heart but her very life. Hopefuls are being viciously picked off one by one between the challenges. In her haste to escape the Collector's trap, Sophia may have fled straight toward her own death sentence.

The Wayfinder
by Adam Johnson

This 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.

Ladies in Hating
by Alexandra Vasti

Rival authors and former acquaintances Lady Georgiana Cleeve and Catriona Lacey find themselves staying at the same haunted manor while researching their next books. When they discover a dead body in the garden, they must work together to solve the mystery -- and decide if it's time to act on their growing attraction to each other. This 3rd steamy Belvoir's Library Regency pairs sweet sapphic romance with supernatural elements. Try this next: A Rare Find by Joanna Lowell.

Adult Nonfiction

We the People: A History of the U.S. Constitution
by Jill Lepore

Harvard 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.

The Great Contradiction: The Tragic Side of the American Founding
by Joseph J. Ellis

The author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Founding Brothers and the National Book Award winner American Sphinx [examines] how America's founders--Washington, Jefferson, Franklin, Adams--regarded the issue of slavery as they drafted the Declaration of Independence and Constitution. In this daring and important work, [a] trusted voice on the founding era reckons with the realities and regrets of our founding and the tragedy of its two great failures: the failure to end slavery and the failure to avoid Indian removal--Provided by publisher.

Disrupt Everything--And Win: Take Control of Your Future
by James Patterson

Disruption is the most powerful force of change in our lifetime. Every day we are confronted with...sudden pivots at our workplace and in the job market, rule-changing technology such as Artificial Intelligence, unexpected crises and a culture of chaos, the sinking feeling that we are losing control of our lives.--

Youth Fiction

The Humble Pie
by Jory John

The Humble Pie likes to give others the spotlight. Aw, shucks!--they deserve it! But when he's paired with his best friend, Jake the Cake, for a school project, he soon realizes that staying in the shadows isn't always as sweet as pie. Readers of all ages will laugh along as their new pie pal discovers that letting your voice be heard always takes the cake!

I Hear the Snow, I Smell the Sea
by Janice Milusich

Neveah, a young blind girl, experiences the beauty of each season through touch, taste, smell, and sound, discovering the wonder of the world around her year-round.

Moonleapers, Book 1: Moonleapers
by Margaret Peterson Haddix

A girl learns she's part of a network of time travelers who fight evil in this suspenseful series starter--

Falling Like Leaves
by Misty Wilson

Gilmore Girls meets Jenny Han in this delightfully autumnal small-town romance (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) about a city girl stuck in a quaint small town who must confront her future and her old flame while the town prepares for an annual fall festival. Ellis has a plan: spend her senior fall prepping her application for Columbia, get into their journalism program, and set the foundation for a respectable career. So when her parents announce that not only are they separating, but Ellis has to move with her mom from New York City to Bramble Falls, Connecticut, to live with her aunt and cousin, it couldn't come at a worse time. From past summers spent in Connecticut, Ellis knows Bramble Falls is idyllic and charming. But it also seems to be full of distractions. There's local barista Cooper Barnett, Ellis's one-time best friend and first kiss who now wants nothing to do with Ellis. And then there's the Falling Leaves Festival, a local autumnal celebration run by Ellis's aunt where people from all over come to see Bramble Falls's beautiful foliage. The house is stuffed with decorations, and every conversation seems to center around the festival. Dragged to every oh-so-charming event from apple picking to pumpkin carving, Ellis can't stop bumping into Cooper...or falling for the quaint town and its quirky residents. As her return to Manhattan gets repeatedly delayed, Ellis finds herself caught between two very different places--and the futures they represent.

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