LibraryAware April 2025

April 2025

In 1800s Ireland, twin sisters are taken from their father and put on a ship bound for Australia. During the voyage, they begin to change as they hear the call of the sea. In 2019, while Lucy looks for her missing sister, she reads her old diary full of strange stories of the sea spanning centuries, this novel casts its magic with the story it weaves.

Jennifer Winberry, LibraryReads Ambassador, NJ
NoveList read-alike: To The Sea by Christine Dibley

Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng
by Kylie Lee Baker

In the midst of the COVID pandemic of 2020, Cora's haunted by her deceased sister and stalked by a serial killer as her chaotic life spirals further out of control. The journey to finding her way back to some semblance of normal won't be easy. Readers seeking a book blending slasher and bio-horror need look no further.

Jolie Hanlon, Girard Free Library, OH
NoveList read-alike: The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones

Cold Eternity
by S.A. Barnes

Hiding out due to a political scandal, Halley decides to take a job in the most remote place she can find. That turns out to be a large space barge holding cryogenically frozen wealthy people. The horror begins as Halley starts hearing noises and notices a presence at the foot of her bed. Thrilling and downright scary, this is a must-read.

Terri Smith, Cornelia Library, GA
NoveList read-alike: Crypt of the Moon Spider by Nathan Ballingrud

A Drop of Corruption: An Ana and Din Mystery
by Robert Jackson Bennett

Din and Ana return in a new sci-fi/fantasy mystery. This time an official in the Treasury delegation has gone missing from a locked room. Tense negotiations are ongoing between the Treasury and a small outpost kingdom. What Din and Ana find is a hidden hornet’s nest and extreme danger to the Empire. Can the two stop a terrorist from destroying everything?

Michelle Ogden, Crawfordsville District Public Library, IN
NoveList read-alike: The Mimicking of Known Successes by Malka Older

Murder by Cheesecake: A Golden Girls Cozy Mystery
by Rachel Ekstrom Courage

Golden Girls plus cozy mystery equals match made in heaven! This novel is nostalgic fun for fans of the TV show and might even draw some new fans in with the atmospheric 80s Miami vibes. The story is over-the-top silly at turns, but it's all part of the fun. Readers will be left hoping the series continues with more mysteries for the ladies to solve.

Elizabeth Motyka, Wheaton Public Library, IL
NoveList read-alike: The Excitements by C.J. Wray

The Correspondent
by Virginia Evans

Sybil's life has centered around her correspondence with both people she knows and with strangers. Why she finds writing easier than conversing soon becomes clear, and her sadness and remove are explained through the events of her past and in her encroaching blindness. The plot unfolds with wonderful character development.

Mary Robinson, Vernon Area Public Library District, IL
NoveList read-alike: Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout

I See You've Called in Dead
by John Kenney

In this sensational novel, Bud gets a new lease on life after he starts visiting wakes and funerals. With equal measures of laughter and tears along the way, this character-driven novel probes the psyche of the contemporary male mind and takes readers in unexpected directions, all leading to a very satisfying conclusion.

Todd Krueger, Baltimore County Public Library, MD
NoveList read-alike: Keya Das's Second Act by Sopan Deb

Any Trope But You
by Victoria Lavine

Margot and Forest are genuinely likeable, though flawed characters, and seeing through their perspective is a delight. The conflicts come from practical issues, and the couple is not kept apart by miscommunication, but by respect for each other’s priorities and values. A love letter to "romancelandia" and the tropes it celebrates.

Katrina Dagenais, Bucks County Free Library, PA
NoveList read-alike: Unromance by Erin Connor

How to Seal Your Own Fate
by Kristen Perrin

This second book in the Castle Knoll series has Annie involved in another mystery of long past and current murders. Annie realizes she's being set up when all of the clues point to her. Readers will love that this book builds so well on the last one, and wonder just how many secrets exist in this small rural town.

Linda Quinn, LibraryReads Ambassador, CT
NoveList read-alike: Agatha Raisin series by M.C. Beaton

The Staircase in the Woods
by Chuck Wendig

Four friends are haunted when another climbs a mysterious staircase and never comes down. Years later, they decide to rescue the boy they lost. What they find is a haunted house preying on their personal nightmares. A coming-of-age story reminiscent of Stranger Things and It -- plus all the perfect scary things that Wendig is known for.

Kimberly McGee, Lake Travis Community Library, Austin, TX
NoveList read-alike: The Children of Red Peak by Craig DiLouie

Find more great reading recommendations in NoveList!