PLDL Most Popular Books May 2025

Portage Lake District Library Most Popular Books May 2025

Updated May 29, 2025
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1

The Thursday Murder Club
Osman, Richard
Paper Book
In a peaceful retirement village, four unlikely friends meet up once a week to investigate unsolved murders. But when a brutal killing takes place on their very doorstep, the Thursday Murder Club find themselves in the middle of their first live case. Elizabeth, Joyce,...

2

Great big beautiful life
Henry, Emily
Paper Book
A REESE'S BOOK CLUB PICK ∙ AN INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER ∙ Two writers compete for the chance to tell the larger-than-life story of a woman with more than a couple of plot twists up her sleeve in this dazzling and sweeping novel from Emily Henry. As...

3

How to find love in a bookshop
Henry, Veronica.
Paper Book
"Absolutely delightful." --People The enchanting story of a bookshop, its grieving owner, a supportive literary community, and the extraordinary power of books to heal the heart  Nightingale Books, nestled on the main street in an idyllic little village,...

4

The staircase in the woods
Wendig, Chuck
Paper Book
NATIONAL BESTSELLER * A group of friends investigates the mystery of a strange staircase in the woods in this mesmerizing horror novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Book of Accidents. "Chuck Wendig weaves his magic once more, turning a lonely...

5

2 Sisters Murder Investigations : Don't Mess With the Bird Sisters!
Patterson, James/ Fox, Candice.
Paper Book
Patterson's greatest crime-solving team since the Women's Murder Club is the Bird Sisters.  Rhonda and Barbara "Baby" Bird are half-sisters--and full partners in their Los Angeles detective agency. They agree on nothing.   ...

6

25 alive
Patterson, James
Paper Book
Instant #1 New York Times Bestseller! "Those who haven't read any of the novels in the Women's Murder Club series are cheating themselves" (BookReporter). Sergeant Lindsay Boxer, medical examiner Claire Washburn, Assistant District Attorney Yuki...

7

A paradise built in hell : the extraordinary communities that arise in disasters
Solnit, Rebecca
Paper Book
The most startling thing about disasters, according to award-winning author Rebecca Solnit, is not merely that so many people rise to the occasion, but that they do so with joy. That joy reveals an ordinarily unmet yearning for community, purposefulness, and meaningful work that disaster often...

8

Adventures in the Louvre : how to fall in love with the world's greatest museum
Sciolino, Elaine
Paper Book
The Louvre is the most famous museum in the world, attracting millions of visitors every year with its masterpieces. In Adventures in the Louvre, Elaine Sciolino immerses herself in this magical space and helps us fall in love with what was once a forbidding fortress. Exploring galleries,...

9

All the Colours of the Dark
Whitaker, Chris.
Paper Book
A missing persons mystery, a serial killer thriller, and an epic love story - with a unique twist on each...* * * * *Late one summer, the town of Monta Clare is shattered by the abduction of local teenager Joseph 'Patch' Macauley. Nobody more so than Saint Brown, who is broken...

10

Careless people : a story of where I used to work
Wynn-Williams, Sarah
Paper Book
Shocking and darkly funny, Careless People gives you a front-row seat to the decisions that are shaping our world and the people who make them. Welcome to Facebook.Sarah Wynn-Williams, a young diplomat from New Zealand, pitched for her dream job. She saw Facebook's potential and knew it could change...

11

First-time caller
Borison, B. K.
Paper Book
'Sharp, swoon-worthy, and profoundly romantic - First Time Caller is brimming with heart' - LYLA SAGEA hopeless romantic meets a demoralized radio host in this cosy, Sleepless in Seattle inspired love story from fan-favourite author of the LOVELIGHT series, B.K. Borison.Aiden Valentine has a secret:...

12

How to seal your own fate : a novel
Perrin, Kristen
Paper Book
An April 2025 Library Reads Pick "A brilliant follow-up that proves Kristen Perrin is here to stay...A thrilling story that ends with a big reveal you won't see coming, even though the clues were in front of you the entire time!"--G.T. Karber, international bestselling author of...

13

Husbands & lovers : a novel
Williams, Beatriz
Paper Book
Two women--separated by decades and continents, and united by an exotic family heirloom--reclaim secrets and lost loves in this sweeping novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Summer Wives. "My favorite kind of page-turner--unputdownable!"-...

14

Kills well with others
Raybourn, Deanna
Paper Book
"Much like fine wine, battle-hardened assassins grow better with age."-#1 New York Times bestselling author Lisa Gardner Four women assassins, senior in status-and in age-sharpen their knives for another bloody good adventure in this riotous follow-up to the New York Times<...

15

My Name Is Emilia Del Valle
Allende, Isabel.
Paper Book
'A spellbinding masterpiece' SANTA MONTEFIORE'Isabel Allende is a literary treasure' KRISTIN HANNAH 'A captivating novel of love and war from one of our most revered storytellers' KATE MORTON The new historical novel from literary legend Isabel...

16

No new things : a radically simple 30-day guide to saving money, the planet, and your sanity
Piper, Ashlee
Paper Book
From award-winning sustainability expert Ashlee Piper, a witty, no-nonsense guide to regaining control over your time, consumerist impulses, and financial and mental wellness For nearly two years, Ashlee Piper challenged herself to buy nothing new. And in the process, she got...

17

November 9
Hoover, Colleen
Paper Book
A gripping tale of love, secrets, and betrayal perfect "for fans of Gillian Flynn" (Library Journal, starred review) from the beloved #1 New York Times bestselling author of Verity and It Ends with Us. When Fallon meets Ben, an aspiring novelist, their...

18

Ordinary time : lessons learned while staying put
Jones, Annie B.
Paper Book
In her first book, the popular From the Front Porch podcast host and independent bookstore owner challenges the idea that loud lives are the ones that matter most, reminding us that we don't have to leave the lives we have in order to have the lives of which we've always dreamed.<...

19

Say you'll remember me
Jimenez, Abby
Paper Book
An instant #1 New York Times bestseller! "No one does funny, emotional, life-affirming love stories quite like Abby Jimenez. She just keeps outdoing herself." ―EMILY HENRY There's no such thing as a perfect guy, but Xavier Rush comes...

20

Sealed with a hiss
Brown, Rita Mae
Paper Book
When a decades-forgotten car bobs to the surface of a local creek, with a body still in the driver's seat, it's up to Mary Minor "Harry" Haristeen and her beloved cats and dogs to save the day, in this latest mystery from Rita Mae Brown and her feline co-author, Sneaky Pie Brown. ...

21

Secrets of adulthood : simple truths for our complex lives
Rubin, Gretchen
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * The author of The Happiness Project and Better Than Before distills her key insights into simple truths for living with greater satisfaction, clarity, and happiness. The right idea, invoked at the right time, can change our lives....

22

Strangers in time
Baldacci, David
Paper Book
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Calamity of Souls comes David Baldacci's newest novel, set in London in 1944, about a bereaved bookshop owner and two teenagers scarred by the Second World War, and the healing and hope they find in one...

23

The fate of the day : the war for America, Fort Ticonderoga to Charleston, 1777-1780
Atkinson, Rick
Paper Book
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER . In the second volume of the landmark American Revolution trilogy by the bestselling author of The British Are Coming, George Washington's army fights on the knife edge between victory and defeat. "This is great history . . ....

24

The frozen river : a novel
Lawhon, Ariel
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * GMA BOOK CLUB PICK * AN NPR BOOK OF THE YEAR * From the New York Times bestselling author of I Was Anastasia and Code Name Hélène comes a gripping historical mystery inspired by the life and diary of Martha...

25

The let them theory : a life-changing tool that millions of people can't stop talking about
Robbins, Mel
Paper Book
Over 4 Million Copies Sold! #1 New York Times Bestseller #1 Sunday Times Bestseller #1 Amazon Bestseller #1 Audible Bestseller A Life-Changing Tool Millions of People Can't Stop Talking About What if the key to happiness,...

26

The quiet librarian
Eskens, Allen
Paper Book
After the murder of her best friend, a librarian's search for answers leads back to her own dark secrets in this "searing and timely" novel about a woman transformed by war, family, vengeance, and love, from the author of the beloved bestseller The Life We Bury (Kristin Harmel, author...

27

The usual desire to kill : a novel
Barnes, Camilla
Paper Book
An often hilarious, surprisingly moving portrait of a long-married couple, seen through the eyes of their wickedly observant daughter--for fans of A Man Called Ove and The Royal Tenenbaums. Miranda's parents live in a dilapidated house in rural France that they...

28

The wolf tree
McCluskey, Laura
Paper Book
"[A]n exquisitely executed, great Gothic slow-burn that will keep you thinking and guessing long after you've reached the end." --Louisa Luna, author of Tell Me Who You Are Eilean Eadar is a barren, windswept rock best known for the unsolved mystery of the three lighthouse...

29

This is not a game : a novel
Mullen, Kelly
Paper Book
Golden Girls meets Only Murders in the Building MURDER MARTINIS A GRANDMOTHER-GRANDDAUGHTER SLEUTHING DUO DACHSHUNDS (x2) A GLAMOROUS ISLAND MANOR Widow Mimi lives on idyllic Mackinac Island, where...

30

We all live here
Moyes, Jojo
Paper Book
Lila Kennedy has a lot on her plate. A recently broken marriage, two wayward daughters, a house that is falling apart, and an elderly stepfather who seems to have quietly moved in. Not to mention a once promising writing career that is now in freefall. So when her real dad - a man she has barely...

31

What's her name? : a history of the world in 80 lost women
Nelson, Katie (College teacher)
Paper Book
Journey through thousands of years of human history (now with the women put back in). From the earliest human civilizations through to the present day, the stories of countless influential women - leaders, artists, warriors, scientists and more - have been ignored...

32

Who is Government?
Lewis, Michael.
Paper Book
The government is a vast, complex system that citizens pay for, rebel against, rely upon, dismiss, and celebrate. It's also our shared resource for addressing the biggest problems of society. And it's made up of people, mostly unrecognized and uncelebrated, doing work that can be deeply...

33

Wish I were here
Wiesner, Melissa
Paper Book
In this witty and charming love story perfect for fans of Sophie Cousens, Ashley Poston, and Josie Silver, a buttoned-up math professor is forced to rely on her carefree doorman when her identity mysteriously disappears.    Catherine Lipton carefully...

34

1001 walks you must experience before you die
Stone, Barry
Paper Book
1001 Walks You Must Experience Before You Die is an essential reference guide for all those who love to get out of their cars, get off their bikes, and lace up their walking shoes.

35

A circle of uncommon witches
Crutcher, Paige
Paper Book
"A mind-bending, heart-wrenching adventure to unravel a curse as intricate as any lacework. Unforgettable!" - Ava Morgyn, author of The Bane Witch A witch generationally cursed to never find true love sets out to break the spell cast on her family, and must...

36

A Killing Cold
Marshall, Kate Alice.
Paper Book
'A Killing Cold is a gripping tale, full of dizzying twists and turns! It is packed with suspense and kept me frantically turning pages until the very end!'Freida McFadden A whirlwind romance. When Theodora Scott met Connor - wealthy, charming, and a member of the powerful Dalton family - she fell...

37

A map to paradise
Meissner, Susan
Paper Book
1956, Malibu, California- Something is not right on Paradise Circle. With her name on the Hollywood blacklist and her life on hold, starlet Melanie Cole has little choice in company. There is her next-door neighbor, Elwood, but the screenwriter's agoraphobia allows for...

38

Abundance
Klein, Ezra
Paper Book
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER "A terrific book...Powerful and persuasive." --Fareed Zakaria "Spectacular...Offers a comprehensive indictment of the current problems and a clear path forward...Klein and Thompson usher in a mood shift. They inspire hope and enlarge...

39

After the North Pole : a story of survival, mythmaking, and melting ice
Kagge, Erling
Paper Book
The Norwegian explorer, philosopher and acclaimed writer tells of his historic 58-day journey to the North Pole on skis in this provocative memoir that is a profound meditation on nature and the history of explorers' obsession.  The North Pole looms large in our collective psyche--the...

40

All or nothing : how Trump recaptured America
Wolff, Michael
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * The author of Fire and Fury delivers a breathtaking insider account of the 2024 Trump campaign--undoubtedly the wildest, most unpredictable campaign in U.S. history, including multiple criminal trials, two assassination attempts, and a sudden switch of...

41

American dialogue : the founders and us
Ellis, Joseph J
Paper Book
The award-winning author of Founding Brothers and The Quartet now gives us a deeply insightful examination of the relevance of the views of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and John Adams to some of the most divisive issues in America today. The...

42

Beach read
Henry, Emily
Paper Book
FROM THE #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF FUNNY STORY! A romance writer who no longer believes in love and a literary writer stuck in a rut engage in a summer-long challenge that may just upend everything they believe about happily ever afters. As...

43

Believe : why everyone should be religious
Douthat, Ross Gregory
Paper Book
An Instant New York Times Bestseller "Truly a Mere Christianity for the 21st century"--World magazine Do you ever wish you had more faith Here is a blueprint for thinking your way from doubt to belief. As a columnist for the New York Times who writes often about...

44

Beyond stoicism : a guide to the good life with stoics, skeptics, epicureans, and other ancient philosophers
Pigliucci, Massimo
Paper Book
What is a good life? And how can we create that life in a world filled with uncertainty? Beyond Stoicism invites you to find your own answers to these big questions with help from thirteen of the most prominent Greco-Roman philosophers--many of whom inspired, or were inspired by, the Stoics. By...

45

Blood test : a comedy
Baxter, Charles
Paper Book
From the winner of the PEN/Malamud Award and "one of our most gifted writers" (Chicago Tribune) comes a comic novel about a divorced Midwestern dad who takes a cutting-edge medical test and learns that he has a predisposition to murder. In this fresh take on love and...

46

Broken country : a novel
Hall, Clare Leslie
Paper Book
A REESE'S BOOK CLUB PICK | A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER "Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall is an unforgettable story of love, loss, and the choices that shape our lives...but it's also a masterfully crafted mystery that will keep you guessing until the very last page....

47

Carbon: The Book of Life
Hawken, Paul.
Paper Book
Carbon animates the entirety of the living world. Though it comprises only a tiny fraction of Earth's composition, our planet would be lifeless without it. From the intricate microscopic networks of fungi in the Earth's soils to the tallest trees of the forests to every cell in every animal, the...

48

Cellar rat : my life in the restaurant underbelly
Selinger, Hannah
Paper Book
Town & Country's Best Books of Spring 2025 | Kirkus Reviews's Most Anticipated Nonfiction of Spring 2025 | Amazon's Best Books of the Month | American Writers Museum's Staff Picks What happens when a career you love doesn't love you back? ...

49

Close your eyes and count to 10
Unger, Lisa
Paper Book
"[Unger's] great at keeping you interested and not seeing all the twists that are coming with a fabulous cat-mouse game." --Sarah Michelle Gellar, Emmy-award winning actress An extreme game of hide-and-seek turns deadly in this riveting new thriller from New York...

50

Conclave
Harris, Robert
Paper Book
The best-selling author of Enigma and Fatherland turns to today's Vatican in a ripped-from-the-headlines novel, and gives us his most ambitious, page-turning thriller yet--where the power of God is nearly equaled by the ambition of men. The pope is dead. Behind the...

51

Deep end
Hazelwood, Ali
Paper Book
The Instant #1 New York Times Bestseller! This edition will have striking cover effects and beautiful interior cover art! A competitive diver and an ace swimmer jump into forbidden waters in this steamy college romance from the New York Times bestselling...

52

Direct descendant
Huff, Tanya
Paper Book
This cozy horror novel set in modern-day Toronto includes phenomenal characters, fantastic writing, and a queer romance--the perfect balance of dark and delightful This stand-alone novel from the bestselling author of the Peacekeeper novels mixes the creepy with the charming for...

53

Everything Is Tuberculosis : The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection
Green, John.
Paper Book
Instant #1 New York Times bestseller! * #1 Washington Post bestseller! * #1 Indie Bestseller! * USA Today Bestseller! John Green, acclaimed author and passionate advocate for global healthcare reform, tells a deeply human story illuminating the fight against the...

54

Far from home : a novel
Steel, Danielle
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * Danielle Steel delivers an exciting and moving historical novel about a courageous wife and mother hiding in occupied France. In July 1944, Arielle von Auspeck arrives at the glamorous Hotel Ritz in occupied Paris. Half French, half German, she...

55

Flesh : a novel
Szalay, David
Paper Book
From Booker Prize finalist David Szalay, a propulsive, hypnotic novel, about a man whose future is derailed by a series of events that he is unable to control. Teenaged István lives with his mother in a quiet apartment complex in Hungary. Shy and new in town, he is a stranger to...

56

Funny story
Henry, Emily
Paper Book
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER ∙ A shimmering, joyful novel about a pair of opposites with the wrong thing in common, from #1 New York Times bestselling author Emily Henry. A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK OF 2024 Named a Must-Read Book of 2024 by...

57

Girl anonymous
Dodd, Christina
Paper Book
The Godfather meets West Side Story in this twisty, darkly romantic thriller from New York Times bestselling author Christina Dodd. A dangerous blast sends a girl into hiding to escape a deadly family feud... As a child, Maarja Daire saw her mother ignite an explosion...

58

Happy place
Henry, Emily
Paper Book
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER ∙ A couple who broke up months ago pretend to still be together for their annual weeklong vacation with their best friends in this glittering and wise novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Emily Henry. "The beach-read master...

59

Heart bones
Hoover, Colleen
Paper Book
Moving, passionate, and unforgettable, this novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover follows two young adults from completely different backgrounds embarking on a tentative romance, unaware of what the future holds. After a childhood filled with...

60

Hell's corner
Baldacci, David.
Paper Book

61

Holmes is missing
Patterson, James
Paper Book
Instant New York Times Bestseller! "Best-selling author James Patterson populates his murder-mystery novels with cold-blooded killers and smart detectives" (USA Today). In Holmes is Missing, PI Brendan Holmes has...

62

How to solve your own murder : a novel
Perrin, Kristen
Paper Book
A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A Jimmy Fallon's Book Club Finalist for 2024 | A Goodreads Choice Awards Finalist | A GMA Buzz Pick | A USA Today Bestseller One of Amazon's Top 10 Best Books of April, One of Jimmy Fallon's favorite books for Spring 2024, The...

63

How to win friends and influence people : updated for the next generation of leaders
Carnegie, Dale
Paper Book
Updated for the first time in more than forty years, Dale Carnegie's timeless bestseller How to Win Friends and Influence People--a classic that has improved and transformed the personal and professional lives of millions. This new edition of the most influential self-help...

64

Isola : a novel
Goodman, Allegra
Paper Book
REESE'S BOOK CLUB PICK * NATIONAL BESTSELLER * "A shocking story, made all the more stunning by the fact that it has its roots in true history."--Jodi Picoult, author of By Any Other Name "A new generation of survival story . . . an extraordinary book that reads like a...

65

James : a novel
Everett, Percival
Paper Book
PULITZER PRIZE WINNER * #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * NATIONAL BOOK AWARD WINNER * A brilliant, action-packed reimagining of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, both harrowing and darkly humorous, told from the enslaved Jim's point of view NATIONAL BOOK...

66

Karla's choice : a John le Carré novel
Harkaway, Nick
Paper Book
The instant international bestseller set in the world of John le Carré's most iconic spy, George Smiley, written by acclaimed novelist Nick Harkaway It is spring in 1963 and George Smiley has left the Circus. With the wreckage of the West's spy war against the Soviets strewn...

67

Last twilight in Paris
Jenoff, Pam
Paper Book
THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER! "A fast-paced and vibrant wartime tale of holding on to love against the odds and learning to fight for the truth." ­­-Kristin Harmel, New York Times bestselling author of The Paris Daughter ...

68

Leonardo da Vinci
Isaacson, Walter
Paper Book
Now a docuseries from Ken Burns on PBS! The #1 New York Times bestseller from Walter Isaacson brings Leonardo da Vinci to life in this exciting new biography that is "a study in creativity: how to define it, how to achieve it...Most important, it is a powerful story of an...

69

Let's talk about aging parents : a real-life guide to solving problems with 27 essential conversations
Tamblyn Watts, Laura
Paper Book
Age-proofing an older relative's living space, figuring out powers of attorney, spotting and dealing with signs of dementia, asking them to give up the car keys or consider assisted living . . . the first step toward tackling these concerns and more is an honest, informed discussion. Here...

70

Lethal prey
Sandford, John
Paper Book
Lucas Davenport and Virgil Flowers join forces to track down a ruthless killer who will do whatever it takes to keep the past buried, in this latest thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author John Sandford. Doris Grandfelt, an employee at an accounting firm, was...

71

Maisie Dobbs : a novel
Winspear, Jacqueline
Paper Book
"A female investigator every bit as brainy and battle-hardened as Lisbeth Salander." --Maureen Corrigan, NPR's Fresh Air, on Maisie Dobbs Maisie Dobbs got her start as a maid in an aristocratic London household when she was thirteen. Her employer, suffragette Lady Rowan...

72

Making the best of what's left : when we're too old to get the chairs reupholstered
Viorst, Judith
Paper Book
From the bestselling author Judith Viorst comes a witty and poignant exploration of the joys and sorrows of life's twilight years--one that leaves us laughing, pondering, and grateful for the moments we have left. In a career that has spanned more than fifty years, Judith Viorst...

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