Open Books Challenge 2026: About Cabins, Camping, or the Wilderness

The Open Books Reading Challenge is a year-long reading challenge for people interested in pushing the boundaries of their reading. For full details of the program, please check-out our page at: https://www.rplmn.org/books-more/discover-more/open-books-reading-challenge

These are some ideas that fit the 2026 category "About cabins, camping, or the wilderness."

Happy Reading!

Updated December 31, 2025
RPL Staff
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The word for woman is wilderness : a novel
Andrews, Abi
Paper Book
Funny, frank and tender, The Word for Woman is Wilderness is an adventure novel with a difference.
The Lovely And The Lost
Barnes, Jennifer Lynn.
Paper Book
A mystery-thriller from the number one bestselling author of The Inheritance Games. A FORGOTTEN PAST. Kira vividly remembers the moment Cady Bennett and one of her search and rescue dogs found her as a child, living alone in the wild, with no memories of her...
Camp Murderface
Berk, Josh
Paper Book
Summer camp turns sinister in Camp Murderface, a spooky middle grade read perfect for fans of scare masters like R.L. Stine and Christopher Pike. The year: 1983. The place: Ohio. The camp: Scary as heck. Camp Sweetwater is finally reopening, three decades after it...
Back of beyond
Box, C. J
Paper Book
A troubled cop seeks to save his son from a killer in the wilderness of Yellowstone. Back of Beyond is a gripping adventure from New York Times bestselling author C.J. Box, and the first book in the series that inspired hit TV show Big Sky. Twilight falls...
What kind of paradise : a novel
Brown, Janelle
Paper Book
NATIONAL BESTSELLER * A WASHINGTON POST BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR * A teenage girl breaks free from her father's world of isolation to discover that her whole life is a lie in this "absorbing and well-crafted" (The Washington Post) novel from the New York Times bestselling author...
What wild women do
Brown, Karma
Paper Book
"Karma Brown keeps delivering knockout after knockout. She is an auto-buy author for me!" --Taylor Jenkins Reid The fates of two women. An abandoned camp. Secrets of the past that can no longer stay hidden. To get a break from a stalled career as a Hollywood...
Kinfolk wilderness
Burns, John Clifford
Paper Book
Discover the pleasures of slow travel with this inspiring introduction to the beauty and possibility of the great outdoors. Whatever your pace or purpose, the stories within will provide you with a fresh perspective on what it means to be "outdoorsy," whether that...
When she was me
Bush, Marlee.
Ebook
The hike
Clarke, Lucy
Paper Book
*The Sunday Times bestseller* *DISCOVER YOUR NEXT ESCAPE WITH THE MILLION-COPY BESTSELLING AUTHOR* 'A tear-those-pages thriller' ABIGAIL DEAN 'Secrets galore' DAILY MAIL 'Atmospheric, haunting, and beautifully written'...
Secrets at Cedar Cabin
Coble, Colleen
Paper Book
Her mother lied about her identity and her husband wasn't who she thought he was. Can Bailey even trust herself anymore   Running for her life in the wake of her mother's murder, Bailey Fleming escapes to the only place she can think of--a remote, dilapidated cabin...
Cabin fever
Dahl, Alex
Paper Book
Alone and isolated in a vast Scandinavian forest, a therapist begins to read her client's novel manuscript, only to discover the main character is terrifyingly familiar... You are her therapist. Kristina is a successful therapist in central Oslo. She spends her days helping clients navigate...
The wicked sister
Dionne, Karen
Paper Book
Two generations of sisters. An unthinkable crime. A secret that could ruin a family.Most of us have read about or known of people who have been imprisoned unjustly for years or even decades. But what if you discovered that you had unjustly imprisoned yourself?After spending 15 years in...
Code of valor
Eason, Lynette
Ebook
She's living proof that what you don't know could kill youWhat Detective Brady St. John really needs is a relaxing vacation. Unfortunately, just as the sun is setting on his second day at a friend's cabin on Lake Henley, he hears a scream and races to rescue a woman from her would-be killer....
A walk in the park : the true story of a spectacular misadventure in the Grand Canyon
Fedarko, Kevin
Paper Book
* Winner of the 2024 National Outdoor Book Award in Outdoor Literature * Winner of the 2025 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction * Named a Best Book of the Year by The New York Times, Air Mail, Smithsonian Magazine, and Financial Times ...
The stranger in the woods : the extraordinary story of the last true hermit
Finkel, Michael
Paper Book
Many people dream of escaping modern life, but most will never act on it. This is the remarkable true story of a man who lived alone in the woods of Maine for 27 years, making this dream a reality--not out of anger at the world, but simply because he preferred to live on his...
All the little children
Furniss, Jo
Paper Book
An Amazon Charts bestseller. When a family camping trip takes a dark turn, how far will one mother go to keep her family safe? Struggling with working-mother guilt, Marlene Greene hopes a camping trip in the forest will provide quality time with her three young...
Genius Camp
Grabenstein, Chris
Paper Book
"Chris Grabenstein just might be the smartest writer for kids in the universe." --James Patterson The Smartest Kid in the Universe goes to genius camp in book two of this action-packed series from the New York Times bestselling author of Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's...
The vaster wilds
Groff, Lauren
Paper Book
AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER ONE OF BARACK OBAMA'S FAVORITE BOOKS OF 2023 NAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY NPR, TIME, ESQUIRE, VOGUE, LA TIMES, SLATE, HARPER'S BAZAAR and others "Part historical, part...
Playing with Fire
Henry, April
Paper Book
When a fire cuts off a popular trail in the Oregon forest, a small group trapped by the flames must find another way out--or die--in Playing with Fire, an unrelenting teen-vs-nature YA thriller by New York Times bestselling author April Henry. Natalia is not the...
Wild about you
Hill, Kaitlyn
Paper Book
Two total opposites. One race through the Great Outdoors. In this grumpy-sunshine teen romance from the author of Love from Scratch and Not Here to Stay Friends, the trail to true love doesn't always come with a map. Natalie Hart has always been loud, unfiltered,...
Dead girls can't tell secrets
Ichaso, Chelsea
Paper Book
Piper's fall was no accident. Did someone want her dead? It's up to her sister to discover the truth in this shocking new thriller with an unreliable narrator, from the acclaimed author of Little Creeping Things. Piper Sullivan was in a strange hiking accident last month and has been in...
Black woods, blue sky : a novel
Ivey, Eowyn
Paper Book
NATIONAL BESTSELLER * The author of the Pulitzer Prize finalist The Snow Child returns to the mythical landscapes of Alaska with an unforgettable dark fairy tale that asks the question: Can love save us from ourselves? "No one writes like Eowyn Ivey."--Geraldine Brooks ...
Wilderness
Jones, B. E.
Paper Book
The bones beneath my skin
Klune, TJ
Paper Book
AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES, USA TODAY AND INDIE BESTSELLER! A spine-tingling standalone novel by #1 New York Times bestselling author TJ Klune--a supernatural road-trip thriller featuring an extraordinary young girl and her two unlikely protectors on the...
Into the wild
Krakauer, Jon.
Paper Book
In April 1992, a young man from a well-to-do family hitchhikes to Alaska and walks alone into the wilderness north of Mt. McKinley. Four months later, his decomposed body is found by a moose hunter. How Chris McCandless came to die is the unforgettable story of Into the Wild.
Sunshine : how one camp taught me about life, death, and hope
Krosoczka, Jarrett
Paper Book
The extraordinary -- and extraordinarily powerful -- follow-up to Hey, Kiddo. When Jarrett J. Krosoczka was in high school, he was part of a program that sent students to be counselors at a camp for seriously ill kids and their families. Going into it, Jarrett was worried:...
Entirely Emmie
Libenson, Terri
Ebook
The camping trip
Mann, Jennifer K.
Paper Book
Ernestine has never been camping before, but she's sure it will be lots of fun . . . won't it? An endearing story about a girl's first experience with the great outdoors. My aunt Jackie invited me to go camping with her and my cousin Samantha this weekend. I've never been...
North woods : a novel
Mason, Daniel
Paper Book
NATIONAL BESTSELLER * A NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW TOP TEN BOOK OF THE YEAR A WASHINGTON POST TOP TEN BOOK OF THE YEAR * FINALIST FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD AND THE MARK TWAIN AMERICAN VOICE IN LITERATURE AWARD A sweeping novel...
The wilderness
McCarthy, Steve
Paper Book
In this gorgeously illustrated whimsical tale, a young boy who fears the outdoors becomes lost in the forest . . . and discovers not only his courage but a new friend, too. The Vasylenko family are all adventurers who love wild places and wild things. All, that is, except young...
The Intruder
Mcfadden, Freida
Paper Book
"A dark and stormy night. An isolated cabin in the woods. A runaway child with a mysterious past...Thriller fans, buckle up!" -- Jason Rekulak, New York Times bestselling author of The Last One at the Wedding There's someone at your front door - should you let them...
Camp
Miller, Kayla
Paper Book
From New York Times bestselling author-illustrator Kayla Miller comes a graphic novel about venturing off to summer camp for the first time and stepping out of one's comfort zone, navigating new experiences, and the satisfaction of blazing your own trails. ...
The god of the woods
Moore, Liz
Paper Book
A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER and ONE OF THE NEW YORK TIMES'S NOTABLE BOOKS OF THE YEAR A NEW YORK TIMES "BEST THRILLER" and "BEST CRIME NOVEL" OF THE YEAR PEOPLE MAGAZINE'S #1 BOOK OF THE YEAR "Extraordinary . . ....
Midnight sun
Nesb,? Jo
Paper Book
The internationally acclaimed author of Blood on Snow and the Harry Hole novels now gives us the tightly wound tale of a man running from retribution, a renegade hitman who goes to ground far above the Arctic circle, where the never-setting sun might slowly drive a man insane.          ...
Dengue boy : a novel
Nieva, Michel
Paper Book
"I can't remember the last book that pushed science fiction's potential for weirdness as far as Dengue Boy."--The Washington Post "A wildly original anti-capitalist satire."--The Guardian "A psychedelic fever dream."--Esquire "An...
Camp prodigy
Palmer, Caroline (Comics creator)
Paper Book
Perfect for fans of Victoria Jamieson and Raina Telgemeier, this heartwarming middle grade graphic novel follows two nonbinary kids who navigate anxiety and identity while having fun and forming friendships at their summer orchestra camp. After attending an incredible concert,...
Hatchet
Paulsen, Gary
Paper Book
There was a wild crashing sound, a ripping of metal, and the plane blew through the trees, out over the water and down, down to slam into the lake . . . Brian is a city boy. Not used to living rough. Until his plane crash-lands in the Canadian wilderness. All he has is a...
The Revenant : a novel of revenge
Punke, Michael
Paper Book
NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A thrilling tale of betrayal and revenge set against the nineteenth-century American frontier, Michael Punke's The Revenant is the astonishing story of real-life trapper and frontiersman Hugh...
Still life with bread crumbs : a novel
Quindlen, Anna.
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * A superb love story from the author of Rise and Shine, Blessings, and A Short Guide to a Happy Life   Still Life with Bread Crumbs begins with an imagined gunshot and ends with a new tin roof. Between the two...
Till summer do us part
Quinn, Meghan
Paper Book
"I got what I wanted. I became buddy-buddy with my boss in an instant. But the cost will be hefty . . . finding a husband by tomorrow." Scottie Price just started a new job, and it's a real sausage fest. She's the only woman on a team filled with Brads and Chads...
One was lost
Richards, Natalie D.
Paper Book
From Natalie D. Richards, the New York Times bestselling author of teen suspense books, comes a pulse-pounding thriller about a group of teenagers being hunted through the woods, perfect for fans of Natasha Preston and Karen McManus. While on a mandatory hike in the woods, a flash flood...
Camp
Rosen, Lev AC
Paper Book
A Lambda Award Finalist, A Today Show Best Book, A Forbes Best Book, and an ALA Rainbow List Top Ten selection Set in a summer camp, this sweet and sharp screwball comedy set in a summer camp for queer teens examines the nature of toxic masculinity and self...
Tell me what really happened
Sedoti, Chelsea
Ebook
The way of the hermit : my incredible 40 years living in the wilderness
Smith, Ken (Hermit of Treig)
Paper Book
*INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER* Subconsciously, I pressed myself into the loch's banks as that summer inched forward. We'd got off to a rocky beginning, but I started to see Treig in a different way. There was something about this land that told me just to hold on a while...
The cabin at the end of the world : a novel
Tremblay, Paul
Paper Book
Paul Tremblay's terrifying twist to the home invasion novel--inspiration for the upcoming major motion picture from Universal Pictures "Tremblay's personal best. It's that good." -- Stephen King Seven-year-old Wen and her parents, Eric and Andrew, are vacationing at a remote...
Secluded cabin sleeps six
Unger, Lisa
Paper Book
"A deliciously tense ride." --Ruth Ware, New York Times bestselling author of One By One INSTANT BESTSELLER Three couples rent a luxury cabin in the woods for a weekend getaway to die for in this chilling locked-room thriller. ...
Ash's cabin
Wang, Jen
Paper Book
A Kirkus Best Book of the YearA Booklist Best Book of the Year An Amazon Best Book of the Year Nominate for an Eisner Award (Best Publication for Teens) Ash has always felt alone. Adults ignore the climate crisis. Other...
Flo & Wendell explore
Wegman, William.
Paper Book
William Wegman channels his love of nature in an outdoor adventure for campers of all ages Flo thinks the family's last vacation together was just grand. Her little brother, Wendell, thinks it was absolutely terrible. So, being the good big sister that she can sometimes be, Flo...
Camp creepy
White, Kiersten
Paper Book
The third book in the middle-grade series that's part Scooby-Doo, part A Series of Unfortunate Events, and entirely genius! Follow the Sinister-Winterbottoms on their most outrageous adventure yet, when they find themselves at a normal summer camp! After leaving the...
Beartooth
Wink, Callan.
Paper Book
A tale of two brothers in desperate straits and one high-stakes poaching trip in Yellowstone from a Dylan Thomas Prize shortlisted author.

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