Must-Read Books
February 2025
Adult Fiction
Wake Up and Open Your Eyes
by Clay McLeod Chapman

When Noah Fairchild's parents stop returning his calls, he races to his childhood home in Richmond, Virginia, where he discovers them in a trance inflicted by a far-right cable news channel. Attempts to help them are met by physical attacks, and before long Noah and his young nephew are the only ones that remain unaffected. Can they stop this strange affliction from possessing more families before it's too late? Try this next: This Thing Between Us by Gus Moreno.
Eddie Winston Is Looking for Love
by Marianne Cronin

Eddie Winston, a 90-year-old charity shop volunteer in Birmingham, England, unexpectedly becomes friends with Bella, a pink-haired young woman mourning her boyfriend. When Bella realizes that Eddie has never been kissed, she sets out to help him find love. Read-alikes: Clare Pooley's How to Age Disgracefully; Anna Johnston's The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife.
Mask of the Deer Woman
by Laurie L. Dove

As the new tribal marshal on the Oklahoma reservation where her dad grew up, ex-Chicago cop Carrie Starr, who struggles with addiction and her teen daughter's death, is assigned to work cold cases of missing Indigenous women. But on her third day, a new woman is reported missing and Carrie's determined to find her. "The suspense builds steadily into a stunning ending" (Booklist) in this compelling debut.
Isola
by Allegra Goodman

Inspired by a real 16th-century heroine, an orphaned and betrayed young woman, Marguerite, is marooned on a desolate island with her lover, where she must confront nature's harshness and her own strength in a desperate fight for survival.
Witchcraft for Wayward Girls
by Grady Hendrix

At a home for unwed mothers in 1970 Florida, 15-year-old Fern is given a spellbook by a mysterious librarian, which she and her friends initially use to enact petty revenge on their keepers -- until they question whether they should use their newfound powers for darker purposes. This "pulpy throwback" (Kirkus Reviews) from bestselling author Grady Hendrix (How to Sell a Haunted House) offers a violent homage to Rosemary's Baby.
No Ordinary Duchess
by Elizabeth Hoyt

In Elizabeth Hoyt's 3rd steamy Greycourt novel, a chance encounter in a private library leads to romance between duty-bound Julian Greycourt, the heir to the Windemere dukedom, and Lady Elspeth de Moray, a spirited bibliophile with a secret. Try this next: Knockout by Sarah MacLean; Any Duke in a Storm by Amalie Howard.  
Hotel Lucky Seven
by Kotaro Isaka

In this thrilling follow-up to Bullet Train, Tokyo's unluckiest assassin, Nanao, faces a new mission after a botched job at a hotel. A woman with an extraordinary memory seeks his protection from a team of killers. What follows in this "near-perfect thriller" (Booklist), is a high-stakes battle, culminating in shocking revelations and a surprising ending.
The Peculiar Garden of Harriet Hunt
by Chelsea Iversen

In 19th-Century London, Harriet Hunt has been abandoned by her father in their family manor with only her plants for company. After marrying a man even worse than him, Harriet learns that her garden magically responds to her emotions, and uses it to take back her own power. For fans of: fantastical stories of women overcoming abuse and societal expectation such as Threadneedle by Cari Thomas and Juniper & Thorn by Ava Reid.
We Do Not Part
by Han Kang

Blurring reality with the mysterious, this poetic latest from 2024 Nobel Prize winner Han Kang follows Kyungha, a Korean author who isn't sleeping or eating much. After a friend is hospitalized and her pet bird needs care, Kyungha travels through wintery weather to Jeju Island, the setting of a 1940s military massacre, and encounters the spirit of her friend's mother. Try this next: The Liberators by E.J. Koh.
The Last Room on the Left
by Leah Konen

Hazel and Fox, former vigilante killers, settle in the suburbs to raise their baby. But when Hazel kills again, their peaceful life unravels. As a fellow mom investigates their past, Hazel must protect her family from the consequences of their deadly secret, threatening everything they've built.
Temple of Swoon
by Jo Segura

In this banter-filled spin-off of Jo Segura's action-packed debut, Raiders of the Lost Heart, archeologist Miriam "Miri" Jacobs is appointed co-lead on an expedition in search of the Lost City of the Moon in the Brazilian Amazon. Tagging along for the trip is Rafael "Rafa" Monfils, a journalist whose ulterior motives are thwarted when he starts to fall for Miri. Try this next: The Jewel of the Isle by Kerry Rea.
Single Player
by Tara Tai

When aspiring video game writer Cat Li lands her dream job writing romance storylines for Compass Hollow, she's paired with narrative director and romance-averse Andi Zhang, who's recovering from a recent doxxing after gamers discovered Andi was nonbinary and Asian American. Can the pair overcome their prickly dynamic to create a love story in-game...and in real-life? For fans of: TJ Alexander, Helen Hoang, and Sally Thorne.
Johnny Careless
by Kevin Wade

This debut by Blue Bloods showrunner Kevin Wade introduces former NYPD detective Jeep Mullane, who's the new police chief in his Long Island hometown. Things start rocky when Jeep's high school best friend Johnny Chambliss is found drowned. Convinced it's murder, Jeep looks to the past and to Johnny's wealthy family. Fans of fast-paced police procedurals like those by John Sandford will want to give this a try.
Out of the Drowning Deep
by A.C. Wise

Scribe IV, an obsolete automaton living in an isolated monastery on the far reaches of space, must solve the murder of a visiting Pope with the help of a private investigator struggling with addiction and a curious angel. If they don't find the killer, the entire monastery will be punished by the elusive Sisters of the Drowned Deep. For fans of: unconventional sci-fi with intricate plots such as Becky Chambers' Wayfarers and Monk & Robot series, and The Mimicking of Known Successes by Malka Older  
The Lotus Shoes
by Jane Yang

In 1800s China, six-year-old Little Flower, an exceptional embroiderer with coveted bound feet, is sold to the wealthy Fong family to be a lady's maid to jealous six-year-old Linjing, whose family has chosen to ignore the old ways and not bind her feet. Told from the viewpoints of the two well-realized main characters as they grow up, this moving debut will please fans of Lisa See's Lady Tan's Circle of Women. 
Adult Nonfiction
Sisters in Science: How Four Women Physicists Escaped Nazi Germany and Made Scientific History
by Olivia Campbell

Journalist Olivia Campbell (Women in White Coats) reveals the compelling yet little-known story of four women scientists who fled Nazi Germany after their research was stymied and found success in the United States and Sweden. Try this next: Chamber Divers: The Untold Story of the D-Day Scientists Who Changed Special Operations Forever by Rachel Lance.
The Harder I Fight, the More I Love You
by Neko Case

The New Pornographers vocalist Neko Case's candid and compelling debut shares how she survived a childhood marked by poverty, abuse, and neglect to become a Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter. For fans of: Don't Tell Anybody the Secrets I Told You by Lucinda Williams.
I Am Nobody's Slave: How Uncovering My Family's History Set Me Free
by Lee Hawkins

Pulitzer Prize finalist and What Happened in Alabama? podcast host Lee Hawkins' intimate and thought-provoking family history utilizes genealogical research and interviews to examine the ongoing impacts of generational trauma stemming from enslavement and Jim Crow. Further reading: Go Back and Get It: A Memoir of Race, Inheritance, and Intergenerational Healing by Dionne Ford.
Before Elvis : The African American Musicians Who Made the King
by Preston Lauterbach

In this nuanced and illuminating examination of Elvis Presley's complicated legacy, music journalist Preston Lauterbach (The Chitlin' Circuit) spotlights four trailblazing Black musicians whose artistry and style inspired a young Presley, but whom he rarely (if ever) credited. Try this next: Why Willie Mae Thornton Matters by Lynnée Denise.
Youth Fiction
To See An Owl
by Matthew Cordell

Young Janie is absolutely obsessed with owls, and her heart is set on spotting one in the wild. It's a challenging goal, but with support from understanding adults, Janie's determination might pay off. With evocative landscape illustrations and a deep respect for nature, this spellbinding picture book pairs with Jane Yolen's classic Owl Moon.
After Life
by Gayle Forman

Amber shocks her family upon arriving home from school one day, because seven years ago, a car struck and killed her. Given this second chance, Amber investigates how she returned, and more importantly, why? Fans of author Gayle Forman's popular If I Stay will appreciate this character-driven meditation on life and death.
Fresh Start
by Gale Galligan

After years of constantly moving, imaginative, anime-loving Ollie and her family have finally settled in one place. Now Ollie just has to figure out how to make friends without the option of running away anytime she messes up. Manga-style art and real-feeling emotions make this graphic novel a breeze to read.
Contact your librarian for more great books!