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Recommended by Kelly, Administrative Services
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My Friends: A Novel
by Fredrik Backman
An aspiring artist, Louisa notices three tiny, overlooked figures in a famous painting and becomes determined to find their story. Her quest leads back twenty-five years to a distant seaside town where a group of lost teenagers found refuge, love, and a reason to dream on an abandoned pier—a summer that unexpectedly inspired the transcendent work of art. When the painting is placed in eighteen-year-old Louisa's care, she embarks on a surprise-filled, cross-country journey to uncover its origins and decide what to do with it, a testament to the transformative power of friendship and art.
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It's A Love Story
by Annabel Monaghan
Jane Jackson, a Creative Executive at Clearwater Studios, believes true love is a lie after spending her adolescence as the punchline of a national sitcom. Now, she lives by "Fake it till you make it." But that mantra backfires when, desperate to get her project greenlit, she impulsively lies to her one-time crush, pompous cinematographer Dan Finnegan, claiming that pop sensation Jack Quinlan has agreed to write a song for her movie. The problem? Jack was her humiliating first kiss, and she hasn't spoken to him in twenty years. Forced to turn to Dan for a favor—getting access to Jack in his Long Island hometown—Jane is stuck on a week-long road trip with the last person she wants to owe. While trying to cover her huge fib, a surprising new truth might just emerge.
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My Name Is Lucy Barton: A Novel
by Elizabeth Strout
Lucy Barton is recovering slowly from what should have been a simple operation. Her mother, to whom she hasn’t spoken for many years, comes to see her. Gentle gossip about people from Lucy’s childhood in Amgash, Illinois, seems to reconnect them, but just below the surface lie the tension and longing that have informed every aspect of Lucy’s life: her escape from her troubled family, her desire to become a writer, her marriage, her love for her two daughters. Knitting this powerful narrative together is the brilliant storytelling voice of Lucy herself: keenly observant, deeply human, and truly unforgettable.
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Anything Is Possible
by Elizabeth Strout
Here are two sisters: One trades self-respect for a wealthy husband while the other finds in the pages of a book a kindred spirit who changes her life. The janitor at the local school has his faith tested in an encounter with an isolated man he has come to help; a grown daughter longs for mother love even as she comes to accept her mother’s happiness in a foreign country; and the adult Lucy Barton (the heroine of My Name Is Lucy Barton, the author’s celebrated New York Times bestseller) returns to visit her siblings after seventeen years of absence.
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Recommended by Kristine, Community Engagement
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A Children's Bible: A Novel
by Lydia Millet
Contemptuous of their parents, who pass their days in a stupor of liquor, drugs, and sex, the children feel neglected and suffocated at the same time. When a destructive storm descends on the summer estate, the group's ringleaders - including Eve, who narrates the story - decide to run away, leading the younger ones on a dangerous foray into the apocalyptic chaos outside. As the scenes of devastation begin to mimic events in the dog-eared picture Bible carried around by her beloved little brother, Eve devotes herself to keeping him safe from harm.
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The River Is Waiting: A Novel
by Wally Lamb
Corby Ledbetter is struggling. New fatherhood, the loss of his job, and a growing secret addiction have thrown his marriage to his beloved Emily into a tailspin. And that's before he causes the tragedy that tears the family apart. Sentenced to prison, Corby struggles to survive life on the inside, where he bears witness to frightful acts of brutality but also experiences small acts of kindness and elemental kinship with a prison librarian who sees his light and some of his fellow offenders, including a tender-hearted cellmate and a troubled teen desperate for a role model. Buoyed by them and by his mother's enduring faith in him, Corby begins to transcend the boundaries of his confinement, sustained by his hope that mercy and reconciliation might still be possible. Can his crimes ever be forgiven by those he loves?
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The Correspondent: A Novel
by Virginia Evans
For decades, Sybil Van Antwerp, a distinguished lawyer and lifelong letter writer, has used the practice to process her world—from everyday thoughts to critiques for authors like Joan Didion and a deeply personal letter she writes but never sends. Sybil expects her well-ordered life to continue as always. But when letters arrive from someone in her past, they force her to confront a painful period she thought she'd buried. Sybil realizes she must now find and send that unsent letter and, in doing so, find the courage to offer the forgiveness she needs to finally move forward.
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Recommended by Shannan, Marketing & Communications
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The Lost Bookshop
by Evie Woods
‘The thing about books,’ she said ‘is that they help you to imagine a life bigger and better than you could ever dream of.’ On a quiet street in Dublin, a lost bookshop is waiting to be found… For too long, Opaline, Martha and Henry have been the side characters in their own lives. But when a vanishing bookshop casts its spell, these three unsuspecting strangers will discover that their own stories are every bit as extraordinary as the ones found in the pages of their beloved books. And by unlocking the secrets of the shelves, they find themselves transported to a world of wonder… where nothing is as it seems.
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Building A Resilient Life: How Adversity Awakens Strength, Hope, and Meaning
by Rebekah Lyons
Life is hard, and it's tempting to rush past the pain. But what if embracing your struggles could build a peace-filled resilience not dependent on circumstances? Bestselling author and podcast host Rebekah Lyons knows that adversity is inevitable. In Building a Resilient Life, she offers five practical, life-changing rules to equip you with strength for today and help you live into God's unshakable peace. Through a unique blend of story, psychology, theology, and biblical teaching, you'll discover the hope and strength you already possess.
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Eclipse
by Stephenie Meyer
As Seattle is ravaged by a string of mysterious killings and a malicious vampire continues her quest for revenge, Bella once again finds herself surrounded by danger. In the midst of it all, she is forced to choose between her love for Edward and her friendship with Jacob - knowing that her decision has the potential to ignite the ageless struggle between vampire and werewolf. With her graduation quickly approaching, Bella has one more decision to make: life or death. But which is which?
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Save Me
by Mona Kasten
Scholarship student Ruby Bell only wants to keep her head down at the elite Maxton Hall and focus on her Oxford application, a goal that means staying far away from arrogant, rich, and extremely handsome James Beaufort. But when Ruby accidentally uncovers a scandalous secret about the powerful Beaufort family, she is immediately on James’s radar. Forced to work together, they spend more time together than either intended, and the initial hostility gives way to an undeniable connection. Falling for James was never part of her plan, and now he must decide if he will follow the path expected of him or risk everything for the true feelings he has for Ruby.
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Recommended by Michele, Community Engagement
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Shine Shine Shine
by Lydia Netzer
Sunny Mann has created a perfect, secret-filled life in a quiet Virginia town, complete with a picture-perfect facade and a genius husband, Maxon, an astronaut preparing for a moon colony mission. However, her meticulously crafted world shatters when a fender bender exposes her deepest secret—she's bald, and her "normal" Stepford wife act is a total lie. Their strange, profound marriage, formed in childhood by dark secrets and decades-old murders, is already buckling under Sunny's desperate craving for normalcy. Just as their relationship hits the breaking point and Maxon leaves for the moon, a rocket accident threatens everything, forcing Sunny to confront the truths she's hidden and ensuring nothing will ever be the same.
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Still Waters
by Matt Goldman
Estranged siblings Liv and Gabe Ahlstrom haven't spoken in years, but a call from their sister-in-law changes everything: their older brother, Mack, is dead. Moments after hearing he died of a seizure, Liv and Gabe each receive a chilling scheduled email from Mack claiming he was murdered. The siblings return to their family resort in the Northwoods of Minnesota to investigate Mack's ominous claim. What they find at Leech Lake is a tangled web of lies and decades-old betrayal. Now, Liv and Gabe must put their lives on the line to uncover the truth about their brother, their parents, and themselves, all while navigating a small town where someone is willing to kill to keep a secret buried.
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How Can I Help You
by Laura Sims
No one knows Margo’s real name. Her colleagues and patrons at a small town public library only know her middle-aged normalcy, congeniality, and charm. They have no reason to suspect that she is, in fact, a former nurse with a trail of countless premature deaths in her wake. She has turned a new page, so to speak, and the library is her sanctuary, a place to quell old urges. That is, at least, until Patricia, a recent graduate and failed novelist, joins the library staff. Patricia quickly notices Margo’s subtly sinister edge, and watches her carefully. When a patron’s death in the library bathroom gives her a hint of Margo’s mysterious past, Patricia can’t resist digging deeper—even as this new fixation becomes all-consuming.
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A Family Matter: A Novel
by Claire Lynch
1982. Dawn is a young mother, still adjusting to life with her husband, when Hazel lights up her world like a torch in the dark. Theirs is the kind of connection that’s impossible to resist, and suddenly life is more complicated, and more joyful, than Dawn ever expected. But she has responsibilities and commitments. She has a daughter. 2022. Heron has just received news from his doctor that turns everything upside down. He’s an older man, stuck in the habits of a quiet existence. Telling Maggie, his only child—the person around whom his life has revolved—seems impossible. Heron can’t tell her about his diagnosis, just as he can’t reveal all the other secrets he’s been keeping from her for so many years.
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Recommended by Kori, Marketing & Communications
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Close Your Eyes And Count To 10
by Lisa Unger
Charismatic daredevil and extreme adventurer Maverick Dillan invites you to the ultimate game of hide-and-seek. But as the players gather on Falcao Island, the event quickly spirals into a chilling test of survival. A storm rages as a deadly threat stalks the contestants, turning the challenge into something far more sinister than the social media stunt it was intended to be. Enter Adele, a single mother with a fierce determination to protect her children at all costs. When she begins the game, she unwittingly enters a twisted web of deception and intrigue. Can she maneuver through the treacherous storm and the relentless competition and get home to her family? In a ruthless battle for survival where the stakes are higher than ever, the blurry line between the virtual and the real proves that the only person we can trust is ourselves.
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The Woman In Suite 11
by Ruth Ware
Struggling journalist Lo Blacklock sees the press opening of a luxury Swiss hotel, owned by reclusive billionaire Marcus Leidmann, as her last chance to revive her career. Her plans to snag a career-making interview are derailed when, summoned to Marcus's room, she is met instead by a terrified woman claiming to be Marcus's mistress and in immediate danger. Lo is instantly plunged into a thrilling, high-stakes cat-and-mouse pursuit across Europe as she races to save the woman—and is forced to question how much she is willing to sacrifice, and whether she can even trust the person she's fighting for.
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Recommended by Dawn, Community Engagement
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Big Dumb Eyes: Stories From A Simpler Mind
by Nate Bargatze
Comedian Nate Bargatze opens up about his life as a "non-genius," a title he claims to have earned after a seventh-grade accident left his brain "dented" and replaced his dreams of being a math person with a career in standup. In his highly-anticipated first book, the record-breaking comedian shares hilarious, self-deprecating stories about growing up Southern, his unforgettable first car, the challenges of his first apartment, and how his wife keeps him in line. Through his signature clean and relatable humor, Bargatze reflects on everything from Vandy football to the dubious origins of the Philadelphia roll, proving that the "math things" industry's loss is the comedy world's gain.
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365 Gratefuls: Celebrating Treasures, Big and Small
by Hailey Bartholomew
When struggling with depression, photographer Hailey Bartholomew received a life-changing challenge: find something you are grateful for every day for a year. Embracing this assignment, Hailey used her lens to document her "gratefuls," noticing that her depression began to lift in the process. 365 Gratefuls is a collection of these inspiring photographs recounting Hailey's personal transformation from anxiety to an unhindered appreciation of the world. Combined with stories and images from others who have experienced the profound effects of this simple practice, this uplifting book encourages you to look at everyday moments with new eyes and choose gratitude over anxiety.
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Finding Dorothy: A Novel
by Elizabeth Letts
In 1939, Maud Gage Baum, the 78-year-old widow of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz author, meets sixteen-year-old Judy Garland on the set of the film, immediately connecting with the young actress after hearing her sing "Over the Rainbow." This wonderfully evocative story is told in two timelines: Maud's youth as the rebellious daughter of a leading suffragette, and her tough early years in South Dakota with her husband, Frank Baum, whose encounters with the local people—especially a young girl named Dorothy—would inspire his famous masterpiece. Woven into this past is the 1939 story, where Judy is relentlessly badgered by the director, producer, and her ambitious mother. Having once promised to protect the "original Dorothy" back in South Dakota, Maud steps in to take on the job of protecting young Judy Garland.
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Recommended by Emily, Materials Collection
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City of Last Chances
by Adrian Tchaikovsky
There has always been a darkness to Ilmar, but never more so than now. The city chafes under the heavy hand of the Palleseen occupation, the choke-hold of its criminal underworld, the boot of its factory owners, the weight of its wretched poor and the burden of its ancient curse.
What will be the spark that lights the conflagration? Despite the city's refugees, wanderers, murderers, madmen, fanatics and thieves, the catalyst, as always, will be the Anchorwood – that dark grove of trees, that primeval remnant, that portal, when the moon is full, to strange and distant shores. Ilmar, some say, is the worst place in the world and the gateway to a thousand worse places. lmar, City of Long Shadows. City of Bad Decisions. City of Last Chances.
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Katabasis: A Novel
by R. F. Kuang
Alice Law has only ever had one goal: to become one of the brightest minds in the field of Magick. She has sacrificed everything to make that a reality—her pride, her health, her love life, and most definitely her sanity. All to work with Professor Jacob Grimes at Cambridge, the greatest magician in the world—that is, until he dies in a magical accident that could possibly be her fault. Grimes is now in Hell, and she’s going in after him. Because his recommendation could hold her very future in his now incorporeal hands, and even death is not going to stop the pursuit of her dreams. Nor will the fact that her rival, Peter Murdoch, has come to the same conclusion.
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What Moves The Dead
by T. Kingfisher
When Alex Easton, a retired soldier, receives word that their childhood friend Madeline Usher is dying, they race to the ancestral home of the Ushers in the remote countryside of Ruravia. What they find there is a nightmare of fungal growths and possessed wildlife, surrounding a dark, pulsing lake. Madeline sleepwalks and speaks in strange voices at night, and her brother Roderick is consumed with a mysterious malady of the nerves. Aided by a redoubtable British mycologist and a baffled American doctor, Alex must unravel the secret of the House of Usher before it consumes them all.
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Veal
by Mackenzie Nolan
Failed capitalist Delores "Lawrence" Franklin moves to the small town of Mistaken Point, known both for its university and the grisly, unsolved murders of young women. Enrolled alongside her best friend, Stasia, Lawrence takes a job at the local arcade where she meets Francesca "Franky" Delores—a gritty outcast convinced that a monstrous patchwork creature, born of hatred, is responsible for the town's haunting string of violence. Motivated by an undeniable attraction to Franky, Lawrence ignores her better judgment and joins Franky and Stasia in a sticky, summertime hunt for a yellow-eyed monster. As the group searches for a creature only Franky believes in, they uncover surprising truths about womanhood, relationships, and the lasting power of urban legends.
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Recommended by Amanda, Materials Collection
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Monsters and Mayhem in Cross-Stitch: Designs & Instructions for 25 Creatures & Cryptids
by April LaBranche
Featuring 25 captivating patterns for all skill levels, this collection invites crafters to enjoy hours of imaginative stitching. From legendary beasts like fire-breathing dragons and mischievous goblins to modern cryptids such as Big Foot and Mothman, these whimsical designs are sure to delight both avid stitchers and fans of fantasy.
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Everything You Wanted To Know About Indians But Were Afraid To Ask
by Anton Treuer
From the acclaimed Ojibwe author and professor Anton Treuer comes an essential book of questions and answers for Native and non-Native young readers alike. Ranging from "Why is there such a fuss about nonnative people wearing Indian costumes for Halloween?" to "Why is it called a 'traditional Indian fry bread taco'?" to "What's it like for natives who don't look native?" to "Why are Indians so often imagined rather than understood?", and beyond, Everything You Wanted to Know About Indians But Were Afraid to Ask does exactly what its title says for young readers, in a style consistently thoughtful, personal, and engaging.
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Recommended by John, IT Services
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The Sisters Brothers
by Patrick deWitt
Hermann Kermit Warm is going to die. The enigmatic and powerful man known only as the Commodore has ordered it, and his henchmen, Eli and Charlie Sisters, will make sure of it. Though Eli doesn't share his brother's appetite for whiskey and killing, he's never known anything else. But their prey isn't an easy mark, and on the road from Oregon City to Warm's gold-mining claim outside Sacramento, Eli begins to question what he does for a living - and whom he does it for. With The Sisters Brothers, Patrick deWitt pays homage to the classic Western, transforming it into an unforgettable comic tour de force. Filled with a remarkable cast of characters - losers, cheaters, and ne'er-do-wells from all stripes of life - and told by a complex and compelling narrator, it is a violent, lustful odyssey through the underworld of the 1850s frontier that beautifully captures the humor, melancholy, and grit of the Old West, and two brothers bound by blood, violence, and love.
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Heavenly Tyrant
by Xiran Jay Zhao
After suffering devastating loss and making drastic decisions, Zetian finds herself at the seat of power in Huaxia. But she has also learned that her world is not as it seems, and revelations about an enemy more daunting than Zetian imagined forces her to share power with a dangerous man she cannot simply depose. Despite having vastly different ideas about how they must deconstruct the corrupt and misogynist system that plagues their country, Zetian must join this man in a dance of truth and lies and perform their roles to perfection in order to take down their common enemy, who seeks to control them as puppets while dangling one of Zetian’s loved ones as a hostage. With political unrest and perilous forces aiming to undermine Zetian at every turn, can she enact positive changes as a fair and just ruler? Or will she be forced to rely on fear and violence and succumb to her darker instincts in her quest for vengeance?
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We Solve Murders
by Richard Osman
Steve Wheeler is enjoying retired life. He does the odd bit of investigation work, but he prefers his familiar habits and routines: the pub quiz, his favorite bench, his cat waiting for him when he comes home. His days of adventure are over: adrenaline is daughter-in-law Amy’s business now. Amy Wheeler thinks adrenaline is good for the soul. As a private security officer, she doesn’t stay still long enough for habits or routines. She’s currently on a remote island keeping world-famous author Rosie D’Antonio alive. Which was meant to be an easy job... Then a dead body, a bag of money, and a killer with their sights on Amy have her sending an SOS to the only person she trusts. A breakneck race around the world begins, but can Amy and Steve stay one step ahead of a lethal enemy?
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This Is How You Lose The Time War
by Amal El-Mohtar
Among the ashes of a dying world, an agent of the Commandant finds a letter. It reads: Burn before reading. Thus begins an unlikely correspondence between two rival agents hellbent on securing the best possible future for their warring factions. Now, what began as a taunt, a battlefield boast, grows into something more. Something epic. Something romantic. Something that could change the past and the future. Except the discovery of their bond would mean death for each of them. There's still a war going on, after all. And someone has to win that war.
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