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
Soon to be a Major Motion Picture The first installment in the beloved and New York Times bestselling series from Richard Osman, also author of We Solve Murders Four septuagenarians with a few tricks up their sleeves A female cop...

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
Patterson, James,
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
A startling investigation of what people do in disasters and why it matters Why is it that in the aftermath of a disaster? whether manmade or natural?people suddenly become altruistic, resourceful, and brave? What makes the newfound communities and purpose many find in the...

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 colors of the dark : a novel
Whitaker, Chris
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * OVER ONE MILLION COPIES SOLD * From the author of We Begin at the End comes a soaring thriller and an epic love story that "hits like a sledgehammer . . . an absolutely must-read novel" (Gillian Flynn, author of Gone Girl). Read...

10

Careless people : a cautionary tale of power, greed, and lost idealism
Wynn-Williams, Sarah
#1 New York Times Bestseller "Careless People is darkly funny and genuinely shocking...Not only does [Sarah Wynn-Williams] have the storytelling chops to unspool a gripping narrative; she also delivers the goods." -Jennifer Szalai, The New York Times

11

First-time caller
Borison, B. K.
Paper Book
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A hopeless romantic meets a jaded radio host in this cozy, Sleepless in Seattle-inspired love story from beloved author B.K. Borison. Aiden Valentine has a secret: he's fallen out of love with love. And as the host of...

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
After more than a year of laying low, Billie, Helen, Mary Alice, and Natalie are called back into action. They have enjoyed their time off, but the lack of excitement is starting to chafe: a professional killer can only take so many watercolor classes and yoga sessions without itching to strangle...

15

My name is Emilia del Valle : a novel
Allende, Isabel
Paper Book
NATIONAL BESTSELLER * In this "stunning" (People), "riveting" (Entertainment Weekly) historical novel, a young writer journeys to South America to uncover the truth about her father--and herself. "All of Allende's books, My Name Is Emilia del Valle...

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. Can life...

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
The #1 New York Times bestselling author, whose books so many love, brings us a fresh, contemporary story of a woman and her unruly blended family "Nobody writes women the way Jojo Moyes does." --Jodi Picoult Lila Kennedy has a lot on her plate. A broken...

31

Who is government? : the untold story of public service
Lewis, Michael
"Perhaps never before has there been a book better timed or more urgent." --Washington Post "Michael Lewis has this incredible ability to zoom in on one person's story, and from there reveals something much bigger about our culture. His books leave you seeing the world...

32

A killing cold
Marshall, Kate Alice
Paper Book
A woman invited to her wealthy fiance's family retreat realizes they are hiding a terrible secret--and that she's been there before, by the bestselling author of What Lies in the Woods. A whirlwind romance. When Theodora Scott met Connor--wealthy,...

33

A map to paradise
Meissner, Susan
Paper Book
With her name on the Hollywood blacklist and her life on hold, out-of-work starlet Melanie Cole has little choice in company. There is her next-door neighbor, successful screenwriter Elwood, but his agoraphobia allows only for short conversations through the windows. He's the closest thing she has...

34

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...

35

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...

36

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...

37

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...

38

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...

39

Big chief
Hickey, Jon
Paper Book
Named a Most Anticipated Book of 2025 by The Washington Post, Debutiful, San Francisco Chronicle, Los Angeles Times, and LitHub Publishers Weekly Writer to Watch for Spring 2025 "Propulsive...a masterclass...a dazzling,...

40

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....

41

Carbon : the book of life
Hawken, Paul
Paper Book
Carbon is the only element that animates the entirety of the living world. Though comprising a tiny fraction of Earth's composition, our planet is lifeless without it. Yet it is maligned as the driver of climate change, scorned as an errant element blamed for the possible demise of civilisation....

42

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? ...

43

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...

44

Cold burn
Landau, A. J.
Paper Book
Agent Michael Walker returns when multiple deaths at Glacier Bay National Park are just the first steps in a potential global disaster. National Park Service investigator Michael Walker is battling smugglers stealing priceless artifacts when he's dispatched to Glacier Bay...

45

Conclave
Harris, Robert
Paper Book
NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE DIRECTED BY EDWARD BERGER AND STARRING RALPH FIENNES, STANLEY TUCCI, JOHN LITHGOW, AND ISABELLA ROSSELLINI * NOMINATED FOR AN ACADEMY AWARD® FOR BEST PICTURE * The page-turning thriller set in the Vatican's secretive halls of power by the best-selling author of...

46

Coram House : a novel
Seybolt, Bailey
Paper Book
Sharp Objects meets I Have Some Questions for You in this haunting novel--inspired by a true story--about a crime writer who risks everything as she investigates the mystery of two deaths, decades apart, at a crumbling Vermont orphanage. On a blistering...

47

Deep end
Hazelwood, Ali
Paper Book
The Instant #1 New York Times Bestseller! A competitive diver and an ace swimmer jump into forbidden waters in this steamy college romance from the New York Times bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis. Scarlett Vandermeer is swimming upstream...

48

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...

49

Expect great things! : how the Katharine Gibbs School revolutionized the American workplace for women
Krefft, Vanda
Paper Book
A fun and fascinating social history of the famed Katharine Gibbs School, which from the 1910s to the 1960s, trained women for executive secretary positions but surreptitiously was instilling the self-confidence and strategic know-how necessary for them to claim equality, power, and authority in...

50

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...

51

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...

52

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...

53

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...

54

Good soil : the education of an accidental farmhand
Chu, Jeff
Paper Book
NATIONAL BESTSELLER * A profound meditation on nature, heritage, and belonging, from an accomplished journalist who left New York City for life on a working farm "I needed this book. I think you need it, too."--Maggie Smith, New York Times bestselling author of You Could...

55

Grand Bargain : the inside story of Detroit's dramatic journey from bankruptcy to rebirth
Rosen, Gerald E.
Paper Book

56

Half baked harvest quick & cozy
Gerard, Tieghan
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER . 120+ recipes for delicious, soul-warming comfort food . . . and getting it ready in a hurry-from the author of Half Baked Harvest Every Day. Colorful. Convenient. Comforting. Mega-bestselling author Tieghan Gerard is...

57

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...

58

Heart bones : a novel
Hoover, Colleen
Paper Book
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of It Ends with Us and It Starts with Us! Moving, passionate, and unforgettable, Colleen Hoover's novel follows two young adults from completely different backgrounds embarking on a tentative romance, unaware of what...

59

Hell's corner
Baldacci, David.
Paper Book
Before he can lead a covert mission on the orders of the President, a former CIA assassin must track down the source of a terrorist attack and navigate a shadowy world of betrayal and political secrets in this #1 New York Times bestselling thriller. John Carr, aka...

60

Here be dragons : treading the deep waters of motherhood, mean girls, and generational trauma
Shankle, Melanie
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * From the author of Nobody's Cuter than You comes a poignant, deeply personal story about trusting God to heal generational wounds so you can be a strong, loving presence for your teenage daughter. In medieval times, uncharted waters were...

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

Homestand : small town baseball and the fight for the soul of America
Bardenwerper, Will
Paper Book
A poignant memoir exploring small town baseball as a lens into what's right and wrong with modern America-written by an acclaimed journalist and Army Ranger who, after returning from Iraq to a painfully divided country, rediscovered its core values in the bleachers of a minor league ballpark in...

63

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...

64

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...

65

Indian horse : a novel
Wagamese, Richard
Paper Book
Named a "Best Novel of the Decade" by Literary Hub Saul Indian Horse is a child when his family retreats into the woods. Among the lakes and the cedars, they attempt to reconnect with half-forgotten traditions and hide from the authorities who have been kidnapping Ojibway youth. But when...

66

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...

67

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...

68

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...

69

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 ...

70

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...

71

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...

72

Maine characters : a novel
Orenstein, Hannah
Paper Book
Every summer, Vivian Levy and Lucy Webster spend a month each with their father, Hank, at his family cabin on a lake in Maine - Lucy in July, Vivian in August. Vivian is a successful sommelier working in NYC's fine dining scene, and Lucy teaches high school English in the nearby town. But these two...

73

Maisie Dobbs : a novel
Winspear, Jacqueline
Paper Book
She started as a maid in an aristocratic London household; studied her way into prestigious Girton College at Cambridge; then became a front-line nurse in World War I. There she found - and lost - an important part of herself. Now she has set up on her own as a private investigator, one who has...

74

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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