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Recommended by Caitlin, Materials Collection
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Death in the Jungle: Murder, Betrayal, and the Lost Dream of Jonestown
by Candace Fleming
Award-winning author Candace Fleming uses riveting first-person accounts to trace Jones’s path from a Depression-era child to the leader of the Peoples Temple. She explores how his promises of equality lured thousands to Guyana, only for his idealistic vision to devolve into a nightmare of mind control. From the gradual indoctrination to the final, fatal act of devotion, Fleming reveals the chilling mechanics of a cult—and the few who tried to stand up to him before it was too late.
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The Corruption of Hollis Brown
by K. Ancrum
Hollis Brown is trapped in a decaying town where his only escapes are his best friends and the adrenaline of a fight. But a chance encounter with a stranger named Walt lands Hollis in a terrifying bind: he has unknowingly traded his autonomy for possession. Walt is the ghost now inhabiting Hollis’s body, carrying a violent history tied to the town’s past. As the two work together to settle Walt’s unfinished business, their shared existence turns into an unexpected, unspeakable romance. But with Hollis’s friends growing suspicious and an exorcism looming, the pair must fight to protect their bond and break the curse that has haunted their town for generations.
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Sisters in the Wind: A Good Morning America Book Club Pick
by Angeline Boulley
Ever since her father’s death, Lucy Smith has lived on the run, choosing the uncertainty of the road over the cold reality of the foster system. But when a persistent investigator named Mr. Jameson tracks her down, Lucy is forced to confront the past she’s been sprinting away from.
Jameson and his fierce companion offer Lucy a truth her father kept hidden: she is Ojibwe, with a grandmother and siblings waiting to welcome her home. Just as the dream of a real family feels within reach, the secrets Lucy is guarding catch up to her. Followed by a shadow from her past, Lucy must decide if she can stop running long enough to claim her future—or if the darkness she’s hiding will swallow her whole.
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Recommended by Ann, Materials Collection
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The Book of Lost Friends
by Lisa Wingate
Across two centuries, the lives of four women intersect through a hidden history. In 1875, an unlikely trio journeys through the post-Civil War South in search of family and fortune. In 1987, a young teacher discovers their story, unearthing secrets that have defined a town for generations.
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Recommended by Shannan, Marketing & Communications
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People We Meet on Vacation
by Emily Henry
Two friends. Ten trips. Their last chance to fall in love. Twelve Years Ago: Poppy and Alex meet. They hate each other, and are pretty confident they'll never speak again. Eleven Years Ago: They're forced to share a ride home from college and by the end of it a friendship is formed. And a every year, one vacation together. Ten Years Ago: Alex discovers his fear of flying on the way to Vancouver.
Poppy holds his hand the whole way. Seven Years Ago: They get far too drunk and narrowly avoid getting matching tattoos in New Orleans. Two Years Ago: It all goes wrong. This year: Poppy asks Alex to join her on one last trip. A trip that will determine the rest of their lives.
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Little Women
by Louisa May Alcott
Louisa May Alcott’s beloved novel Little Women follows the four March sisters—Jo, Beth, Meg, and Amy—as they navigate love, loss, and poverty in Civil War-era New England. Based on Alcott’s own life, this timeless classic transcends the "girl’s book" genre to explore the universal struggle between personal ambition and family duty.
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Recommended by Emily, Materials Collection
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The Isle in the Silver Sea
by Tasha Suri
In a Britain fueled by stories, the knight and the witch are fated to fall in love and doom each other over and over, the same tale retold over hundreds of lifetimes. Simran is a witch of the woods. Vina is a knight of the Queen's court. When the two women begin to fall for each other, how can they surrender to their desires, when to give in is to destroy each other? As they seek a way to break the cycle, a mysterious assassin begins targeting tales like theirs. To survive, the two will need to write a story stronger than the one that fate has given to them. But what tale is stronger than The Knight and the Witch?
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This Gilded Abyss
by Rebecca Thorne
Sergeant Nix Marr wants nothing more than to leave her past—and her royal ex-girlfriend, Kessandra—buried in the deep ocean. But when Kessandra forces Nix to serve as her bodyguard on a high-stakes mission to the abyssal city of Fall, Nix is dragged back into the life she fled. As they board the luxurious submersible Luminosity, Nix discovers the terrifying truth: they aren’t just investigating a massacre; they are trapped with a contagious illness that turns its victims into violent killers. When a murder occurs on board, it becomes clear the disease has already spread. To survive the voyage, Nix and Kess must learn to trust each other again—a nearly impossible task, considering Kessandra is the reason Nix’s best friend is dead.
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Making History
by K. J. Parker
In the Kingdom of Aelia, history isn’t truth—it’s a weapon.
When the power-hungry dictator Gyges decides to expand his empire, he faces a PR problem: he needs a "justified" reason to invade his neighbors. His solution? Round up the University’s elite professors and give them a lethal ultimatum. They must fabricate an entire ancient city from scratch, creating a fraudulent historical trail that proves Gyges's divine right to the land. Now, a dozen academics must put their egos aside and work together to pull off the ultimate deception. They aren't just studying history anymore; they are inventing it. And in Gyges’s court, if the scholars can’t make the lie believable, they’ll lose their heads.
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Solitaire
by Alice Oseman
My name is Tori Spring. I like to sleep and I like to blog. Last year – before all that stuff with Charlie and before I had to face the harsh realities of A-Levels and university applications and the fact that one day I really will have to start talking to people – I had friends. Things were very different, I guess, but that’s all over now. Now there’s Solitaire. And Michael Holden. I don’t know what Solitaire are trying to do, and I don’t care about Michael Holden. I really don’t.
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Recommended by Pat K., Library Volunteer
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The Frozen River: A GMA Book Club Pick
by Ariel Lawhon
In 1789 Maine, the Kennebec River freezes, trapping the body of a man in the ice. Martha Ballard, a midwife and healer, is called to examine the corpse. She recognizes the man as one of two "gentlemen" recently accused of a brutal rape—a crime Martha documented in her meticulously kept diary. When a local physician dismisses the death as an accident, Martha realizes a cover-up is in motion. Despite a legal system designed to silence women, she launches her own investigation, determined to seek justice for the victim of the assault. As winter tightens its grip and the trial nears, Martha’s diary becomes a dangerous piece of evidence that threatens to implicate those she loves most. Based on the life of the real Martha Ballard, The Frozen River is a subversive historical thriller about a woman who refused to let the truth remain buried under the ice.
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The Thread Collectors
by Shaunna J. Edwards
In 1863 New Orleans, Stella uses her skills as a seamstress for a dangerous cause: embroidering intricate maps onto cloth to guide enslaved men to the Union Army. Living under the roof of a man who would kill her for her defiance, she must hide both her clandestine work and her love for William, a Black soldier and musician. In New York City, Lily, a Jewish abolitionist, tirelessly sews quilts and bandages for Union soldiers, including her husband stationed in Louisiana. When his letters suddenly stop, Lily braves the perils of the war-torn South to find him. As the Civil War rages, these two women risk everything for the people they love. Their paths eventually collide in New Orleans, revealing how the smallest threads of courage and connection can alter the course of history. Inspired by the authors' own family lineages, this is a moving story of resistance and the ties that bind us.
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The Incredible Kindness of Paper
by Evelyn Skye
In elementary school, Chloe and Oliver are pen pals with a secret: they can "hear" the messages whispered into their letters. Their magical bond blossoms into a deep friendship, only to be shattered by a sudden disaster that forces them apart. Twenty years later, Chloe is a guidance counselor in New York City, struggling with loneliness and the threat of a layoff. To cope, she writes herself uplifting notes on yellow origami roses. When she begins leaving these roses around the city to spread kindness, she has no idea where they will lead. Across town, Oliver is a successful but haunted financial analyst. He has spent years trying to outrun the trauma that forced him to leave Chloe behind. When one of Chloe's signature yellow roses finds its way into his hands, the past and present collide, offering the pair a second chance to finish the story they started as children.
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Recommended by Kelly, Administrative Services
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Victorian Psycho
by Virginia Feito
Winifred Notty arrives at Ensor House prepared to play the perfect Victorian governess. She’ll dutifully tutor her charges, Drusilla and Andrew, tell them bedtime stories, and only joke about eating children. But the longer Winifred spends within the estate’s dreary confines and the more she learns of the perversions and pathetic preoccupations of the Pounds family, the more trouble she has sticking to her plan. Whether creeping across the moonlit lawns in her undergarments or gently tormenting the house staff, Winifred struggles at every turn to stifle the horrid compulsions of her past until her chillingly dark imagination breaches the feeble boundary of reality on Christmas morning.
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Fourteen Days: A Collaborative Novel
by The Authors Guild
Set in a Lower East Side tenement during the early days of COVID-19, Fourteen Days is a collaborative novel with a unique twist: each neighbor in the building is written by a different literary icon, including Margaret Atwood, Celeste Ng, and Tommy Orange. As the lockdown takes hold, a diverse group of tenants begins gathering on their Manhattan rooftop to trade stories. What starts as a way to pass the time evolves into a deep communal bond, turning strangers into a lifeline for one another. This "Decameron-like" story serves as a heartwarming ode to the people who stayed in the city, revealing how shared narratives can build strength even in the face of suffering and loss.
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The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy
by Brigitte Knightley
Osric Mordaunt, member of the Fyren Order of assassins, is in dire need of healing. Naturally – such is the grim comedy of fate – the only healer who can help is Aurienne Fairhrim, preeminent scientist, bastion of moral good, and member of an enemy Order. Aurienne is desperate for funding to heal the sick - so desperate that, when Osric bribes her to help him, she accepts, even if she detests him and everything he stands for. A forced collaboration ensues: the brilliant Woman in STEM is coerced into working with the PhD in Murders, much to Aurienne's disgust. As Osric and Aurienne work together to heal his illness and investigate the mysterious reoccurrence of a deadly pox, they find themselves ardently denying their attraction, which only fuels the heat between them.
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Little Alleluias: Collected Poetry and Prose
by Mary Oliver
Whether you are a lifelong admirer of Mary Oliver or discovering her for the first time, Little Alleluias is a revelation. This volume collects three distinct books for the first time, offering a profound journey through Oliver's poetry and prose. Oliver’s work is a constant conversation with the sublime, observing the natural world and the human heart with equal reverence. In these pages, she explores the beauty of Provincetown and engages with the legacies of Wordsworth and Emerson. Her writing moves the reader from stillness to action, bridging the gap between humanity and the Earth. Little Alleluias is an invitation to pause, give thanks, and find the peace that every life deserves. It is a masterful collection that asks what passes, what persists, and how we might better revere the world around us.
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Recommended by Kori, Marketing & Communications
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The Storm
by Rachel Hawkins
St. Medard’s Bay, Alabama, is defined by two things: devastating hurricanes and the infamous 1984 murder of political heir Landon Fitzroy. Lo Bailey, the local girl accused of the crime, has been the town's ghost for decades. Now, Lo has returned, accompanied by true-crime writer August Fletcher. While Geneva Corliss, owner of the struggling Rosalie Inn, hopes the publicity will save her business, she quickly realizes Lo’s motives may be more sinister than a mere quest for exoneration. As a new monster storm barrels toward the coast, Geneva begins to suspect that Lo isn't just back to clear her name—she’s back for revenge. In a town where secrets are buried as deep as shipwrecks, Geneva must uncover the truth about that fatal night in 1984 before the coming storm washes everything away.
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The Intruder
by Freida McFadden
Who knows what the storm will blow in... Casey's cabin in the wilderness is not built for a hurricane. Her roof shakes, the lights flicker, and the tree outside her front door sways ominously in the wind. But she's a lot more worried about the girl she discovers lurking outside her kitchen window. She's young. She's alone. And she's covered in blood. The girl won't explain where she came from, or loosen her grip on the knife in her right hand. And when Casey makes a disturbing discovery in the middle of the night, things take a turn for the worse. The girl has a dark secret. One she'll kill to keep. And if Casey gets too close to the truth, she may not live to see the morning.
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Recommended by Dawn, Community Engagement
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The stolen life of Colette Marceau
by Kristin Harmel
For decades, jewel thief Colette Marceau has lived by her family's code: steal from the cruel to give to the needy. But her life as a modern-day Robin Hood began with tragedy in 1942 Paris, when her mother was executed and her young sister, Liliane, vanished along with a priceless diamond bracelet. Seventy years later, the long-lost bracelet surfaces in a Boston museum, forcing Colette to confront the ghosts of the past and a childhood acquaintance to finally learn the truth about her sister's disappearance and death.
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Recommended by John, IT Services
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Desperation
by Stephen King
There's a place along Interstate 50 that some call the loneliest place on Earth. It's known as Desperation, Nevada.
It's not a very nice place to live. It's an even worse place to die.
Let the battle against evil begin.
Welcome to ... Desperation
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Maeve Fly
by Cj Leede
A provocative and unforgettable debut that is both a blood-soaked love letter to Los Angeles and a gleeful send-up to iconic horror villains, Maeve Fly will thrill fans of slashers and the macabre.By day, Maeve Fly works at the happiest place in the world as every child’s favorite ice princess.By the neon night glow of the Sunset Strip, Maeve haunts the dive bars with a drink in one hand and a book in the other, imitating her misanthropic literary heroes.But when Gideon Green - her best friend’s brother - moves to town, he awakens something dangerous within her, and the world she knows suddenly shifts beneath her feet. Untethered, Maeve ditches her discontented act and tries on a new persona. A bolder, bloodier one, inspired by the pages of American Psycho. Step aside Patrick Bateman, it’s Maeve’s turn with the knife.
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Thicket
by Joe R. Lansdale
After smallpox orphans Jack Parker and his sister, Lula, a brutal bandit raid leaves their grandfather dead and Lula kidnapped. To save her, Jack must navigate the feral landscape of turn-of-the-century East Texas alongside an unlikely trio: a bounty-hunting dwarf, a grave-digging son of an ex-slave, and a street-smart woman with dangerous secrets. In a land of oil and outlaws, Jack quickly learns that blood and redemption are the only true currencies.
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The Devil's Element: Phosphorus and a World Out of Balance
by Dan Egan
Phosphorus is a chemical paradox: it is the essential ingredient in the fertilizers that feed billions, yet it is also a primary component of firebombs and nerve gas. In The Devil’s Element, Dan Egan traces the history of this "oil of our time," from its discovery in an alchemy lab to the desperate race to mine it from battlefields and remote islands. While phosphorus fueled a global population boom, Egan warns that our overreliance on it is now poisoning our waterways with toxic "dead zones" and creating a looming scarcity that could trigger global conflict.
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