Best Books We Read In 2025
Library Staff Recommendations
by Sally Rooney
Recommended by Collin Stiglbauer, Information Services Librarian
A beautiful novel that plays with language in such fun ways! A story of two brothers deeply divided after the death of their father, dealing with simmering resentment, old and new romances, growing up and growing older, and ever-present grief. The characters were so easy to root for, even when causing their lives to self-destruct. It feels like a story I can go back and read at different points of my life, and enjoy it from different viewpoints, bonding with certain characters more each time. Bonus points for the stylistic nods to many great Irish authors, especially Joyce (something I never thought I'd say).
by Ian Leslie
Recommended by Jay Karr, Library Assistant
If you're a big Beatles fan, this book is for you. It shows how the work of the band's songwriting team of John Lennon and Paul McCartney was affected by their close friendship and shared history. There's plenty of information about the writing of many Beatles songs and how the two friends spoke to each other via their songs - sometimes explicitly and sometimes unconsciously - from the days of Beatlemania to John's death in 1980.
by Travis Kennedy
Recommended by Lyndsay Malphrus, Library Specialist
If you want satire this is the book for you. An 80s metal band is infiltrated by the CIA in order to promote revolution in the Eastern Block. Sex, drugs, and rock n roll is the name of the game. Fun and completely ridiculous!
by Janet Skeslien Charles
Recommended by Amanda Betz, Library Assistant
Based on true events, The Paris Library is a heartfelt historical novel inspired by the real American Library in Paris during World War II. It celebrates books as lifelines, librarians as quiet heroes, and the resilience of everyday people in extraordinary times. If you love stories about courage and the importance of community — this book truly shines.
by Wally Lamb
Recommended by Candy Van Tine, Branch Manager
Wally Lamb is one of those authors whose books are all little masterpieces, and this book was no exception. This is contemporary fiction at its best; so incredibly powerful, yet still immanently relatable. Fair warning, though: this story will leave you gutted. (Trigger warning: death of a child.)
by T. Kingfisher
Recommended by Sarah Froese, Library Assistant
There have been a lot of retellings and reimagining's over the years, but T. Kingfisher's is my favorite. Immersing us in another world, there is enough of the framework of Snow White to pick up on what is happening, yet Kingfisher keeps us on our toes as we follow Anja's story as she tries to figure out who is poisoning the king's daughter. Mirrors, poisons, romance, and a pinch of horror: Hemlock & Silver is my favorite book of 2025.
Max in the House of Spies & Max in the Land of Lies
by Adam Gidwitz
Recommended by Janice Alden, Library Assistant
This is a 2 book juvenile fiction series. It takes place in World War from the perspective of a 12 2 Berlin and London; year old Jewish boy sent to England for safety by his parents in the Kindertransport. It's well written, great story based in solid research about the lesser-known aspects of the Nazi propaganda machine and the Allied spy system. Well written, suspenseful, funny, touching. All the things.
by Robert Jordan
Recommended by Hudson DeLoach, Senior Library Assistant
The Eye of the World is the opening to a fantastic series of books that, despite their flaws, I would recommend to anyone that enjoys fantasy. The journeys of some of the characters over the series, and even in the first book, always left me wanting more. Some things will likely feel a bit dated, but this book and its sequels and prequels are all-around good reads.
by Rachel Gillig
Recommended by Libby Voight, Branch Manager
Rachel Gillig is a must-read author for fantasy fans, her magical world-building is unique and her characters are fresh and dynamic. Sybil is one of six Diviner girls who drown in order to tell omens of the future. When her sisters start to disappear she teams up with a rough and tumble knight to search for the truth that turns her world upside down.
by Sarah Wynn-Williams
Recommended by Grace Cordial, Senior Librarian & Archivist
I was "in" from the "careless people" quote from "The Great Gatsby." This is Wynn-Williams' memoir of how Facebook changed as the lure of profits and power led Zukerberg and Sandberg to utterly disregard the dark side of social media and its consequences. I was equally entertained, informed by, and appalled by her interpretation of decisions made within the inner circle of one of the leading companies of the early 21st century. I was fascinated through the entire story - though I did wonder why it took her so long to see the mire.
by Emily Henry
Recommended by Alyssa Krob, Digital Resources Librarian
This was the year that I 'discovered' Emily Henry's book and this one was my absolute favorite. I enjoy the way that Henry takes tropes and turns them on their head for a unique story. This novel was full of laughter, sadness, and finding joy in the smallest of actions. One of my favorite aspects was how Henry made the library the center of the community and how much librarians love books and the community in return.
A must read!
by Gayle Forman
Recommended by Acey Diewert, Youth Services Programmer
Gayle Forman writes a wonderful book about finding yourself through helping others, with a little humor, history, and a whole lot of heart!
by Cheryl Strayed
Recommended by Traci Cox, Marketing & Communications Manager
This book is a heartfelt collection of Dear Sugar advice columns where Cheryl Strayed responds to letters with radical honesty, compassion, and insight into the whole messy experience of being human. Drawing from her own struggles, her advice feels deeply comforting without ever being preachy.
The Mysterious Bakery on Rue de Paris
by Evie Woods
Recommended by Julie Bascom, Branch Manager
An Irish woman answers a want ad for a bakery manager's job which she mistakenly believes is in Paris but is actually in a remote country village. The building which houses the bakery has a storied past so the book is filled with a little bit of everything - humor, suspense, mysticism, romance, and WWII history.
by Suzanne Collins
Recommended by Mayeli Garcia, Library Assistant
Although it has been nearly 20 years since the Hunger Games was originally published (wow!), Suzanne Collins continues to write emotional and moving books. Her latest book ties in characters from throughout the franchise and connects them in ways you could not believe. I could not put it down.