Open Books Challenge 2025: Books with Libraries

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

This list is to help you find books that fit the 2025 category of "Books with libraries in them."

Happy Reading!

Updated December 31, 2024
RPL Staff
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The reading list : a novel
Adams, Sara Nisha
Paper Book
NOW A LILLY'S LIBRARY PICK! "The most heartfelt read...a surprising delight of a novel."--Shondaland An unforgettable and heartwarming debut about how a chance encounter with a list of library books helps forge an unlikely friendship between two very different people in a London...
The littlest library
Alexander, Poppy
Paper Book
Rebel in the library of ever
Alexander, Zeno
Ebook
In this sequel to the acclaimed middle-grade fantasy The Library of Ever, our heroine must save the magical library and make knowledge free for everyone.After a wild adventure through space and time, Lenora returns to the magical Library--which holds every book ever known on its...
What you are looking for is in the library
Aoyama, Michiko
Paper Book
THE TWO-MILLION-COPY BESTSELLING JAPANESE NOVEL The Top Ten Times bestseller A Time Magazine Book of the Year 'An undeniable page-turner' New York Times 'I ADORED this uplifting, hopeful novel ' Daily Mail 'It...
The untitled books
Archer, C. J.
Paper Book
A curated collection of magic...and murder. When a set of bound manuscripts written on magician-made paper is brought to the Glass Library, Sylvia and the professor send the owner away. After all, the library collects books about magic, not containing it. ...
The war librarian
Armstrong, Addison
Paper Book
1918. Timid and shy Emmaline Balakin lives more in books than her own life. That is, until an envelope crosses her desk at the Dead Letter Office bearing a name from her past, and Emmaline decides to finally embark on an adventure of her own as a volunteer librarian on the frontlines in France. But...
The personal librarian
Benedict, Marie
Paper Book
In her twenties, Belle da Costa Greene is hired by J. P. Morgan to curate a collection for his newly built Pierpont Morgan Library. Belle becomes a fixture on the New York society scene and one of the most powerful people in the art and book world as she helps build a world-class collection. But...
The Book Swap
Bickers, Tessa.
Paper Book
Funny, heart-warming and romantic, The Book Swap is story of second chances and new beginnings. It is also a heartfelt love letter to books and the power of reading...A REASON TO LIVE.Still grieving the death of her best friend, Erin knows she needs to start living - but has no idea...
The haunting of Hecate Cavendish
Brackston, Paula
Paper Book
The Haunting of Hecate Cavendish is book one in New York Times bestselling author Paula Brackston's new, magic-infused series about Hecate Cavendish, an eccentric and feisty young woman who can see ghosts.England, 1881. Hereford cathedral stands sentinel over the city, keeping its secrets, holding...
The Paris library
Skeslien Charles, Janet
Paper Book
An instant New York Times, Washington Post, and USA TODAY bestseller--based on the true story of the heroic librarians at the American Library in Paris during World War II--The Paris Library is a moving and unforgettable "ode to the importance of libraries, books, and...
The burning page
Cogman, Genevieve
Paper Book
In an alternate St. Petersburg, librarian-spy Irene faces unimaginable dangers - as her arch-nemesis returns. The Burning Page is the third instalment in the Invisible Library series from bestselling author Genevieve Cogman. Librarian-spy Irene is on probation - and...
My heart will find you
Deveraux, Jude
Paper Book
"When the world is brought to a standstill in the early days of a global pandemic, Etta Wilmont finds herself suddenly stranded in Kansas City. Desperate to secure a roof over her head, Etta crosses paths with Henry Logan, a lonely older man in need of a caretaker. As Etta and Henry settle into a...
Cloud cuckoo land
Doerr, Anthony
Paper Book
On the New York Times bestseller list for over 20 weeks * A New York Times Notable Book * A National Book Award Finalist * Named a Best Book of the Year by Fresh Air, Time, Entertainment Weekly, Associated Press, and many more "If you're looking for...
The stranger in the library
Gates, Eva
Paper Book
The woman in the library a novel
Gentill, Sulari
Paper Book
The little village of book lovers a novel
George, Nina
Paper Book
A young woman with the extraordinary power to bring soulmates together searches for her own true love in this tender, lyrical standalone novel inspired by the "bona fide international hit" (The New York Times Book Review) The Little Paris Bookshop In Nina George's...
A cryptic clue
Gilbert, Victoria
Paper Book
Sixty-year-old Jane Hunter, forced into early retirement from her job as a university librarian, is seeking a new challenge to keep her spirits up and supplement her meager pension. But as she's about to discover, a retiree's life can bring new thrills-and new dangers. Cameron 'Cam' Clewe, an...
The library of borrowed hearts
Gilmore, Lucy (Romance fiction writer)
Paper Book
A.J. Fikry meets The Bookish Life of Nina Hill in this charming, hilarious, and moving novel about the way books bring lonely souls together. Two young lovers. Sixty long years. One bookish mystery worth solving. Librarian Chloe Sampson has been struggling: to take care of her three...
The Archive of the Forgotten
Hackwith, A J.
Paper Book
Age range 14 to 18  In the second installment of this richly imagined fantasy adventure series, a new threat from within the Library could destroy those who depend upon it the most.  The Library of the Unwritten in Hell was saved from total devastation, but...
The midnight library
Haig, Matt
Paper Book
An instant New York Times bestsellerA GOOD MORNING AMERICA Book Club Pick Between life and death there is a library, and within that library, the shelves go on forever. Every book provides a chance to try another life you could have lived. To see how things would be if you had...
The Transatlantic Book Club
Hayes-McCoy, Felicity
Paper Book
'I was utterly charmed - a pitch-perfect delight' Marian Keyes Distance makes no difference to love... Eager to cheer up her recently-widowed gran, Cassie Fitzgerald persuades Lissbeg library to set up a Skype book club, linking readers on Ireland's Finfarran...
Lonely Planet Hidden Libraries: The World's Most Unusual Book Depositories
Helmuth, DC
Paper Book
"a wonderful testament to the power and endurance of the written word"- The Age "Bibliophiles will be enthralled"- Publisher's Weekly "a perfectly on-point present for any reader"- BookPage Discover 50 of the world's most magnificent hidden libraries -...
The library of heartbeats
Imai Messina, Laura
Paper Book
From the international bestselling author of THE PHONE BOX AT THE EDGE OF THE WORLD: a powerful, moving novel of grief, hope, friendship and love based around a real archive on an island in Japan, where people travel to record their heartbeats.
The ladies of Ivy Cottage
Klassen, Julie
Paper Book
New from the Top Author of Inspirational Regency Romance Return to Ivy Hill in The Ladies of Ivy Cottage as friendships deepen, romances blossom, and mysteries unfold. Living with the two Miss Groves in Ivy Cottage, impoverished gentlewoman Rachel Ashford is...
The librarian of burned books : a novel
Labuskes, Brianna
Paper Book
For fans of The Rose Code and The Paris Library, The Librarian of Burned Books is a captivating WWII-era novel about the intertwined fates of three women who believe in the power of books to triumph over the very darkest moments of war.  Berlin...
The book that wouldn't burn
Lawrence, Mark
Paper Book
Two strangers find themselves connected by a vast and mysterious library containing many wonders and still more secrets, in this powerfully moving first book in a new series from the international bestselling author of Red Sister and Prince of Thorns. The boy has...
The night librarian
Lincoln, Christopher
Paper Book
The Wren in the Holly Library
Linde, K A.
Paper Book
Set in an alternate day New York filled with monsters, The Wren in the Holly Library is a dark, spicy romantasy loosely inspired by Beauty and the Beast -- perfect for fans of V.E. Schwab and Leigh Bardugo.She stole from a monster . . . now she must pay the priceStreet thief Kierse should have known...
The booklover's library : a novel
Martin, Madeline
Paper Book
A heartwarming story about a mother and daughter in wartime England and the power of the books that bring them together. In Nottingham, England, widow Emma Taylor finds herself in desperate need of a job to provide for herself and her beloved daughter, Olivia. But with the...
The book woman of Troublesome Creek : a novel
Richardson, Kim Michele
Paper Book
RECOMMENDED BY DOLLY PARTON IN PEOPLE MAGAZINE! A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A USA TODAY BESTSELLER A LOS ANGELES TIMES BESTSELLER The bestselling historical fiction novel from Kim Michele Richardson, this is a novel following Cussy Mary, a...
The cat who saved books
Natsukawa, Sōsuke
Paper Book
Grandpa used to say it all the time: books have tremendous power. But what is that power really?Natsuki Books was a tiny second-hand bookshop on the edge of town. Inside, towering shelves reached the ceiling, every one crammed full of wonderful books. Rintaro Natsuki loved this space that his...
The book of form and emptiness
Ozeki, Ruth
Paper Book
Winner of the Women's Prize for Fiction "No one writes like Ruth Ozeki--a triumph." --Matt Haig, New York Times bestselling author of The Midnight Library "Inventive, vivid, and propelled by a sense of wonder." --TIME "If you've lost your...
The book share
Patrick, Phaedra
CD
The library : a fragile history
Pettegree, Andrew
Paper Book
Princes, collectors, bookworms and thieves: the extraordinary story of the library, from Alexandria to the age of Google.
The Parliament
Pokwatka, Aimee
Paper Book
The Birds meets The Princess Bride in this tale of friendship, responsibility, and the primal force of nature."Murder owls are extreme," Jude said. "What's more extreme than murder owls?"Madigan Purdy is stuck in her home town library.When tens of thousands of owls descend on the building, rending...
The Underground Library
Ryan, Jennifer.
Paper Book
When the Blitz threatens the heart of a London neighbourhood, three young women must use their fighting spirit to keep their community together in this heartwarming novel from the author of The Kitchen Front. On the day Juliet Lansdown reports to work for the first time at Bethnal Green Library, it...
The last library
Sampson, Freya
Paper Book
You can tell a lot about a person from the library books they borrow...
The library thief
Shenjé, Kuchenga
Paper Book
An extraordinary historical debut for any reader who loves gothic mysteries like Rebecca and Fingersmith, and fiction which shines a light on untold stories.The library is under lock and key. But its secrets can't be contained.After he brought her home from Jamaica...
Threadneedle
Thomas, Cari
Paper Book
The Sunday Times No.4 bestsellerWithin the boroughs of London, nestled among its streets, hides another city, filled with magic. 'Magic and love. Love and magic. They destroy everything in the end ...' Anna's Aunt has always warned her of the dangers of magic. Its twists. Its...
Ink blood sister scribe
Törzs, Emma
Paper Book
Not all books should be opened. 'A book of magic about books of magic . . . a bold, new novel from an extraordinary new voice.' Marlon James, Sunday Times bestselling author of Black Leopard, Red Wolf Joanna Kalotay lives alone in the...
Ink and bone
Caine, Rachel
Paper Book
Rachel Caine rewrites history, creating a dangerous world where the Great Library of Alexandria has survived the test of time.In 48 AD, a fire set by the troops of Julius Caesar destroyed much of the Great Library of Alexandria. It was the first of several disasters that resulted in the destruction...
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YA GRAPHIC NOVEL YUM V.01
Paper Book
A New York Times best seller and librarian favorite that will appeal to shojo and non-shojo fans alike! In the near future, the federal government creates a committee to rid society of books it deems unsuitable. The libraries vow to protect their collections, and with the help of local...

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