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
Rochester Public Library RPL Staff
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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!

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The reading list
Adams, Sara Nisha
CD
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 : a novel
Alexander, Poppy
Paper Book
A heartwarming literary-themed novel about a woman who turns an ordinary red phone box into the littlest library in England and brings together a struggling town. A little red telephone box full of stories, a chance to change her life... Jess Metcalf is perfectly content with her...
What you are looking for is in the library : a novel
Aoyama, Michiko
Paper Book
THE NATIONAL BESTSELLER  *  A TIME BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR  *  A WASHINGTON POST BEST FEEL GOOD BOOK OF YEAR For fans of Before the Coffee Gets Cold, a charming, internationally bestselling Japanese novel about how the perfect book...
The personal librarian
Benedict, Marie
Paper Book
Over one million copies sold! The Instant New York Times Bestseller! A Good Morning America* Book Club Pick! Named a Best Book of the Year by NPR! Named a Notable Book of the Year by the Washington Post! "Historical fiction at its best!"...
Red Star falling
Berry, Steve
Paper Book
From New York Times bestselling authors Steve Berry and Grant Blackwood comes an action-packed adventure: in the waning days of the Cold War, Luke Daniels embarks on a quest in search of the legendary library of Ivan the Terrible--the unlikely key to ending a looming threat...
The book swap
Bickers, Tessa
Paper Book
"A lovely and lively tale of second chances, following one's dreams, and books. Bickers deals with sensitive topics with a deft and delicate hand...Highly recommended." - Booklist starred review A USA TODAY BESTSELLER A LibraryReads pick! An...
The Paris library : a novel
Skeslien Charles, Janet
Paper Book
Based on the true World War II story of the American Library in Paris, an unforgettable novel about the power of books and the bonds of friendship--and the ordinary heroes who can be found in the most perilous times and the quietest places. Paris, 1939. Young,...
The lions of Fifth Avenue : a novel
Davis, Fiona
Paper Book
1913. When Laura Lyons applies to the Columbia Journalism School she finds herself involved with the Greenwich Village Heterodoxy Club, a radical feminist group that makes her question her role as wife and mother. When valuable books are stolen from the library, she's forced to confront her...
Cloud cuckoo land : a novel
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
Outer Banks librarian Lucy is working on an art show at the library when paintings-and people-start to go missing, in this 11th Lighthouse Library mystery from national bestselling author Eva Gates. When a traveling show of impressionist art comes to Nags Head, North Carolina,...
The woman in the library : a novel
Gentill, Sulari
Paper Book
USA TODAY BESTSELLER * MARY HIGGINS CLARK AWARD NOMINEE * 2022 BOOKPAGE BEST MYSTERIES AND SUSPENSE * LIBRARY READS TOP 10 BOOKS OF 2022 * CRIME READS BEST NEW CRIME FICTION "Investigations are launched, fingers are pointed, potentially dangerous liaisons unfold and I was turning those...
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...
The library of borrowed hearts
Gilmore, Lucy (Romance fiction writer)
Paper Book
Two young lovers. Sixty long years. One bookish mystery worth solving. Librarian Chloe Sampson has been struggling- to take care of her three younger siblings, to find herself, to make ends meet. She's just about at the end of her rope when she stumbles across a rare edition of a book...
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...
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 Department of Rare Books and Special Collections : a novel
Jurczyk, Eva
Paper Book
INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER "A rare treat for readers. I loved this book!"-Matthew Sullivan, author of Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore "Who doesn't love a mystery involving rare books and bad librarians?" -Karen Joy Fowler, New York Times<...
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. 
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
* NATIONAL BESTSELLER * Night at the Museum meets The Land of Stories in this thrilling new graphic novel adventure series in which two siblings, a mysterious Night Librarian, and a motley cast of book characters try to save the New York Public Library ...
The wren in the Holly Library
Linde, K. A.
Paper Book
The instant New York Times bestseller Can you love the dark when you know what it hides? Some things aren't supposed to exist outside of our imagination. Thirteen years ago, monsters emerged from the shadows and plunged Kierse's world...
The secret library
Magoon, Kekla
Paper Book
An instant New York Times bestseller! Travel through time with National Book Award Finalist Kekla Magoon in a page-turning fantasy adventure about family secrets and finding the courage to plot your own life story. Since Grandpa died, Dally's days are...
The borrower
Makkai, Rebecca.
Paper Book
Lucy Hull, a young children's librarian in Hannibal, Missouri, stumbles into a moral dilemma when she finds her favorite patron, ten-year-old Ian Drake, camped out in the library after hours. Addicted to reading, Ian needs help smuggling books past his overbearing mother, who has enrolled Ian in...
The booklover's library : a novel
Martin, Madeline
Paper Book
"A must-read for booklovers." --Chanel Cleeton, New York Times bestselling author of Next Year in Havana A heartwarming story about a mother and daughter in wartime England and the power of books that bring them together, by the bestselling author of The...
Love at first book
McKinlay, Jenn
Paper Book
When a librarian moves to a quaint Irish village where her favorite novelist lives, the last thing she expects is to fall for the author's prickly son... until their story becomes one for the books, from the New York Times bestselling author of Summer Reading. Emily...
One for the books
McKinlay, Jenn
Paper Book
Love is in the air in Briar Creek as library director Lindsey Norris and boat captain Mike (Sully) Sullivan are finally tying the knot. The entire town is excited for the happy day, and Lindsey and Sully's plan for a small wedding evaporates as more and more people insist upon attending the event of...
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 packhorse librarian and her...
The library : a fragile history
Pettegree, Andrew
Paper Book
A history of libraries and the people who built them, from the ancient world to the digital age "Engaging [and] ambitious" (The Washington Post)    Famed across the known world, jealously guarded by private...
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 hometown library. ...
The finders keepers library
Rains, Annie
Paper Book
This heart-warming second chance love story about hope and healing from a USA Today bestselling author is perfect for fans of Raeanne Thayne and Jenny Hale! For a gardener blessed with a green thumb, Savannah Collins's life sure seems like it's all thorns and...
The underground library : a novel
Ryan, Jennifer
Paper Book
When the Blitz imperils the heart of a London neighborhood, three young women must use their fighting spirit to save the community's beloved library in this novel based on true events from the author of The Chilbury Ladies' Choir. When the new deputy...
The last chance library
Sampson, Freya
Paper Book
A Good Morning America Buzz Pick A Library Reads Pick June Jones emerges from her shell to fight for her beloved local library, and through the efforts and support of an eclectic group of library patrons, she discovers life-changing friendships along the way. ...
Lore of the wilds : a novel
Sbrana, Analeigh
Paper Book
A stunning Romantasy debut about an enchanted library, two handsome Fae, and one human who brings them all together.  A library with a deadly enchantment.  A Fae lord who wants in. A human woman willing to risk it all for a taste of power. In a land ruled by...
The library thief : a novel
Shenjé, Kuchenga
Paper Book
A strikingly original and absorbing mystery about a white-passing bookbinder in Victorian England and the secrets lurking on the estate where we she works, for fans of Fingersmith and The Confessions of Frannie Langton The library is under lock and...
Good night, Mr. Wodehouse : a novel
Sullivan, Faith
Paper Book
"More than forty years of history bookend a lifelong love affair with reading for the resilient heroine of [this] novel set in Harvester, Minnesota." --Kirkus Reviews A Wall Street Journal Top 10 Book of the Year When Nell Stillman's boorish husband dies soon after they move to the...
Sir Ladybug
Tabor, Corey R.
Paper Book
From Caldecott Honoree and two-time Geisel Award-winning author-illustrator Corey R. Tabor, this is a fresh and funny young graphic novel series sure to delight readers. Perfect for fans of Catwad, Bird & Squirrel, and Narwhal & Jelly. Ladies and gentlebugs, presenting the...
Ink blood sister scribe : a novel
Törzs, Emma
Paper Book
NAMED A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK OF THE YEAR & ONE OF THE BEST FANTASY NOVELS OF THE YEAR  "Astonishing and pristine, the kind of debut I love to be devastated by, already so assured and sophisticated that it's difficult to imagine where the author can go from here. . . ....
0101811232285
WAL
Paper Book
Winner of the 2011 Nebula Award for Best Novel Winner of the 2012 Hugo Award for Best Novel Startling, unusual, and yet irresistably readable,Among Others is at once the compelling story of a young woman struggling to escape a troubled childhood, a brilliant diary...
1413796-2001
XX(1413796.2)
Paper Book
Big clues come in small packages as Miracle Books owner Nora Pennington and the Secret, Book, and Scone Society attempt to solve a series of murders connected to a bibliophile's missing books in the latest cozy mystery from New York Times bestselling author Ellery Adams . . .
Ink and bone : the Great Library
Caine, Rachel
Paper Book
In this exhilarating series, New York Times bestselling author Rachel Caine rewrites history, creating a dangerous world where the Great Library of Alexandria has survived the test of time....   Ruthless and supremely powerful, the Great Library is now a presence in...
0101811234307
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...
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