PLDL Most Popular Titles May 2026

Portage Lake District Library Most Popular Titles May 2026

Updated June 2, 2026
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1

Handle with care : a novel
Picoult, Jodi
Paper Book
When Willow is born with severe osteogenesis imperfecta, her parents are devastated--she will suffer hundreds of broken bones as she grows, a lifetime of pain. In this provocative story from the #1 New York Times bestselling author, "Picoult writes with unassuming brilliance" (Stephen King)....

2

Death times seven
Perry, Anne
Paper Book
Two violent crimes challenge the investigative skills of young Daniel Pitt and his wife, Miriam, in the final novel of iconic mystery writer Anne Perry's beloved Daniel Pitt series. "A towering achievement from a towering talent--superb!" --Jeffery Deaver, author of the Colter Shaw...

3

Felicia's Favorites
Steel, Danielle
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * A mother bestows a life-changing legacy on her five adult daughters in this profoundly moving novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Danielle Steel. After the unexpected death of their mother, Felicia Morgan Weston, her five...

4

Five
Bannister, Ilona
Paper Book
NATIONAL BESTSELLER * "[A] sizzling summer thriller . . . a kind of morality tale, a Rorschach test for all of us."--The New York Times Book Review (Editors' Choice) Five lives. Five stories. Four will live--one will die. Who it will be? In this slow-burn masterpiece of...

5

Judge Stone : a novel
Davis, Viola
Paper Book
#1 New York Times Bestseller! Academy Award winning actress Viola Davis and the world's #1 bestselling author James Patterson's Judge Stone "delivers first-class courtroom drama, small-town excitement, and strong characters all wrapped...

6

Killing Me Softly
Jones, Sandie
Paper Book
What do you do when love turns deadly? THE PERFECT COUPLE Charlie and Freya used to be the picture-perfect couple. Happy and in love, Freya enjoyed a rewarding job heading up a charity's fundraising efforts, and Charlie was fast becoming one-to-watch on the London...

7

Last One Out
Harper, Jane
Paper Book
THE INTERNATIONAL AND NATIONAL BESTSELLER!"A memorable journey that will pull at the heart, stiffen the spine, and thrill the reader. No one can ask for more than that." --David Baldacci From the New York Times bestselling author of Exiles and The Dry...

8

Lidie: The Further Travels and Adventures of Lidie Newton: A Novel
Smiley, Jane
Paper Book
From the bestselling, Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist, a rousing novel that follows two young women fleeing a divided America: one running toward a dazzling future and the other running from a troubled past Christmas, 1857. America's future is precarious; civil war looms on the...

9

My husband's wife
Corry, Jane
Paper Book
"Winter's must-read thriller. . . My Husband's Wife has an ending that will change the way you view marriage forever."- Bustle "If you loved Gone Girl and The Talented Mr. Ripley, you'll love My Husband's Wife by Jane Corry. It's got every thriller's...

10

Planet money : a guide to the economic forces that shape your life
Mayyasi, Alex
Paper Book
Hello, and welcome to Planet Money! Millions of listeners trust the world's leading economics podcast to explain the mysterious inner workings of the global economy and the forces that affect nearly every decision we make. Through expert research and delightful stories the Planet Money hosts help...

11

Robert B. Parker's Big Shot
Farnsworth, Christopher
Paper Book
Police Chief Jesse Stone finds himself in the crosshairs of a rich hedge fund manager dead set on making Paradise Jesse's personal hell, in this latest installment of Robert B. Parker's beloved series. Fresh off an acquittal in a multibillion-dollar fraud case, Ramsey Devlin...

12

Second chance at Sunshine Inn
Clipston, Amy
Paper Book
ECPA BESTSELLER! "There is absolutely nothing I love more than discovering a new-to-me author . . . Amy Clipston is one of those discoveries." --Sherryl Woods, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Sweet Magnolias series "Readers won't be able to resist this." -...

13

Someone we know
Lapena, Shari
Paper Book
AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER! USA Today's top 100 books to read while stuck at home social distancing  "No-one does suburban paranoia like Shari Lapena--this slowly unfurling nightmare will have you biting your nails until the end." ...

14

The Counting Game
Nolan, Sinead
Paper Book
Into the woods. Count to ten. Only one of us comes home again. When a teenager disappears from her small Irish town and a therapist is brought in to break the silence of the only witness, old wounds are opened in a search that becomes a race...

15

KEEPER
FRENCH, TARA
Paper Book
AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A New York Times Best Book of the Year (So Far) · A People Best Book of March From the iconic crime writer who "inspires cultic devotion in readers" (The New Yorker) and has been called "incandescent"...

16

The News from Dublin: Stories
Toibin, Colm
Paper Book
From Colm Tóibín, "one of the world's best living literary writers" (The Boston Globe), comes a brilliant collection of nine short stories, many never-before-published, set across Ireland, Spain, and America--about the complexities of family, longing, loss, and love. ...

17

The Paris match
Clayborn, Kate
Paper Book
"The most engrossing love story. A 2026 must-read."--Christina Lauren, New York Times bestselling authors of Love and Other Words AN INSTANT USA TODAY BESTSELLER ∙ AN AMAZON BEST OF ROMANCE PICK FOR APRIL ∙ A LIBRARY READS HALL OF FAME PICK FOR APRIL...

18

26 beauties
Patterson, James
Paper Book
Instant New York Times Bestseller! From the world's #1 bestselling author, the Women's Murder Club goes searching for 26 Beauties--young women missing in San Francisco. SFPD's Sergeant Lindsay Boxer's best friend, Claire Washburn, is...

19

A walk in the woods : rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail
Bryson, Bill.
Paper Book
A laugh-out-loud account of an outrageously rugged hike--by the beloved comic author of Lost Continent and Notes from a Small Island. Published in the 75th anniversary year of the Appalachian Trail. Father's Day merchandising.

20

A world appears : a journey into consciousness
Pollan, Michael
Paper Book
The Instant New York Times Bestseller "Pollan's real genius--the word is not too strong--remains intact. That is his uncanny ability to scent the direction in which the culture is headed. He did it with food and psychedelics, and now, though A World Appears focuses on...

21

Absolute power
Baldacci, David.
Paper Book
In this #1 New York Times bestselling thriller, a burglar, Luther Whitney, breaks into a Virginia mansion, and witnesses a brutal crime involving the president--​a man who believes he can get away with anything. In a heavily guarded mansion in the...

22

Agnes Sharp and the Wedding to Die for
Swann, Leonie
Paper Book
The Agnes Sharp mystery series ends with a bang in this explosive finale from the author of Three Bags Full. The octogenarian housemates at Sunset Hall are busy preparing for the wedding of one of their own, the blind and blushing bride Bernadette, but as the big day...

23

All your perfects : a novel
Hoover, Colleen
Paper Book
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER The #1 New York Times bestselling author of Reminders of Him, It Starts with Us, and It Ends with Us--whose writing is "emotionally wrenching and utterly original" (Sara Shepard, New York...

24

American fantasy
Straub, Emma
Paper Book
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER "American Fantasy has everything we need right now: '90s nostalgia, humor, and it is a great escape." --Jenna Bush Hager on NBC Today Show "Vividly conjured and frequently hilarious." --Wall Street Journal

25

And then there was you : a novel
Cousens, Sophie
Paper Book
She's found the perfect man . . . There's just one big twist. Stuck in a Production Assistant job and living at home with her parents after a painful breakup, thirty-one-year-old Chloe Fairway isn't where she wants to be in life. The last thing she needs is to face the people who...

26

Are you mad at me? : how to stop focusing on what others think and start living for you
Josephson, Meg
Paper Book
Instant New York Times Bestseller * Named One of the Best Books of the Year by New York magazine * A Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Best Nonfiction * A Best Audiobook of the Year by Audible and Spotify From...

27

Bloodlust
Brown, Sandra
Paper Book
#1 New York Times bestselling author Sandra Brown delivers a new signature sexy suspense about a detective seeking justice for his murdered wife with the help of a psychotherapist ... while fighting an undeniable attraction to her. Two years ago...

28

Camino ghosts
Grisham, John
Paper Book
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * Will an ancient curse darken the skies over Camino Island? Bruce Cable and Mercer Mann are about to find out. Don't miss John Grisham's forthcoming thriller, The French Illusion! Mercer Mann, a popular writer from...

29

Canon
Lewis, Paige
Paper Book
"A scorchingly brilliant, wildly funny, and deeply moving epic." --John Green, #1 globally bestselling author of The Fault in Our Stars Two unlikely heroes embark on quests to win God's favor in this outrageously entertaining, profoundly heartfelt novel that announces an...

30

Cat on a Hot Tin Woof: A Chet & Bernie Mystery
Quinn, Spencer
Paper Book
Chet the dog is less than enthusiastic about the Little Detective Agency's next case. Chet and his human partner, PI Bernie Little, have been hired to find a missing person--only the missing person is a cat. Miss Kitty, an internet sensation, has disappeared, and Chet and Bernie have been hired to...

31

Clawed and dangerous
Brown, Rita Mae
Paper Book
When a series of suspiciously similar deaths begin to pop up across Crozet, Mary Minor "Harry" Haristeen must connect the dots with the help of her beloved cats and dogs in the latest mystery from Rita Mae Brown and her feline co-author Sneaky Pie Brown. The leaves have fallen in...

32

Cold zero : a thriller
Thor, Brad
Paper Book
From #1New York Times bestselling author Brad Thor and USA TODAY bestselling author Ward Larsen, comes a heart-pounding thriller of survival, espionage, and global brinkmanship, where the frozen Arctic becomes the deadliest battlefield on Earth. A vanished...

33

Daughter of Egypt
Benedict, Marie
Paper Book
In the 1920s, archeologist Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon of Highclere Castle made headlines around the world with the discovery of the treasure-filled tomb of the boy Pharaoh Tutankhamun. But behind it all stood Lady Evelyn Herbert--daughter of Lord Carnarvon--whose daring spirit and relentless...

34

Daughter of mine : a novel
Miranda, Megan
Paper Book
AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A USA TODAY BESTSELLER Her father was the town detective. Her mother its most notorious criminal. Now the secrets of Mirror Lake are coming to the surface...and changing everything. "[A] stunning...

35

Definitely Maybe Not a Detective
Fox, Sarah
Paper Book
In this delightfully charming rom-com mystery, a woman becomes accidentally entangled in a murder investigation (and with a handsome stranger) when her fake detective agency is enlisted to solve a real homicide. Emersyn Gray is definitely not a detective. ...

36

Dissection of a Murder
Murray, Jo
Paper Book
TO BE ADAPTED FOR THE SECOND SEASON OF APPLE TV+'S PRESUMED INNOCENT, STARRING EMMY AWARD-WINNER RACHEL BROSNAHAN Nothing is as it seems--and no one is telling the truth--in this "addictive page-turner" about a young lawyer forced to defend a man on trial for murder against...

37

Dopamine Kids: A Science-Based Plan to Rewire Your Child's Brain and Take Back Your Family in the Age of Screens and Ultraprocessed Foods
Doucleff, Michaeleen
Paper Book
From the bestselling author of Hunt, Gather, Parent comes a revolutionary five-step guide--packed with practical, science-backed strategies--that shows you how to raise confident, happy kids while breaking the cycle of overdependence on screens and ultraprocessed foods. ...

38

Dungeons & Dragons crochet : a book of many patterns
King, Stacy
Paper Book
Crochet your favorite creatures, wearables, and household items with twenty patterns inspired by the Dungeons & Dragons multiverse. Dive into a world of crochet and adventure with this delightful collection of patterns. Dungeons & Dragons Crochet gives fans and crocheters...

39

Famesick: A Memoir
Dunham, Lena
Paper Book
INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * In this rowdy, frank reflection on illness, fame, sex, and everything in between, the remarkable mind behind the hit series Girls and the bestselling author of Not That Kind of Girl asks whether fulfilling her creative ambitions has been...

40

Go gentle : a novel
Semple, Maria
Paper Book
AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * OPRAH'S BOOK CLUB * "For all those who crave a good page-turner, this is one wild ride of a story that carries equal parts wit and wisdom. I learned so much about Stoicism--I laughed out loud for real. And underneath the humor there was...

41

GOOD JOY, BAD JOY
BRAMMER, MIKKI.
Paper Book
"Uplifting, charming, and wonderful, it will make you call your oldest friend to say 'I love you, I'm so glad you're alive, and also, please read this book.'" --Annie Hartnett, author of The Road to Tender Hearts From the bestselling author of The Collected...

42

Good people : a novel
Sabit, Patmeena
Paper Book
"A thrilling tour de force of a novel. I'll be recommending this book to everyone."--ANN PATCHETT "[A] gorgeous and powerful debut."--TOMMY ORANGE, The New York Times "A stunning read."--KHALED HOSSEINI "Utterly addictive, Good People will have...

43

Heart the lover : a novel
King, Lily
Paper Book
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER FINALIST FOR THE PEN/FAULKNER AWARD AND THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: TIME Magazine, New York Times, Washington Post, Boston Globe, Harper's Baazar, NPR, Vogue, Oprah Daily, People Magazine,...

44

Hope rises
Baldacci, David
Paper Book
Walter Nash began a journey down a dark path of seemingly no return, and now he  finds himself questioning everything that got him there in this thrilling sequel to Nash Falls from #1 New York Times bestselling author David Baldacci. ...

45

How to Cheat Your Own Death
Perrin, Kristen
Paper Book
From the gritty streets of 1960s Soho to the lofty galleries of present-day West London, two interlocking mysteries decades apart unfold in this latest instalment in the award-winning, New York Times bestselling Castle Knoll Murder Mystery series Some secrets...

46

Into the Midnight Wood
McCollum, Alexandra
Paper Book
A whimsical queer romance about two mismatched roommates whose fragile--and definitely not romantic at all--balance is upended by an impending family wedding and an otherworldly danger in the nearby enchanted wood. There are at least 100 things wrong with Meredith...

47

IT'S NOT HER
KUBICA, MARY
Paper Book
AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER! "A gripping thrill ride." --Jeneva Rose "Tantalizing, terrifying and all too real." --Shari Lapena "Cancel your plans, you won't be able to put this one down." --Chris Whitaker ...

48

Jigsaw
Kellerman, Jonathan
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * The iconic thriller series that inspired the upcoming streaming show on Prime Video, in development now! Psychologist Alex Delaware and Detective Milo Sturgis, the most beloved duo in American crime fiction, return in this electric novel from...

49

John of John
Stuart, Douglas
Paper Book
AN OPRAH'S BOOK CLUB PICK * Named a Most Anticipated Book of 2026 by The New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, TIME, Oprah Daily, and Vogue "Douglas Stuart brilliantly weaved a layered, compelling and yet so intimate a story...

50

Just for the summer
Jimenez, Abby
Paper Book
Instant #1 New York Times bestseller and a Good Morning America Book Club Pick! This witty, slow-burn rom-com is the perfect beach read. Justin has a curse, and thanks to a Reddit thread, it's now all over the internet. Every woman he dates...

51

Keeper of lost children
Johnson, Sadeqa
Paper Book
*INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER* In this new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The House of Eve, one American woman's vision in post WWII Germany will tie together three people in unexpected and soul-stirring ways. Ethel...

52

Kill for a Million
Dailey, Janet
Paper Book
For one prestigious Texas ranching family still reeling from the murder of their powerful patriarch, the aftershocks continue amid the most prized reining event of the year --and so does the infighting and scandalous romance from legendary author Janet Dailey! Frank...

53

Kin
Jones, Tayari
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A NEW YORK TIMES BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR SO FAR  OPRAH'S BOOK CLUB PICK * A magnificent new novel from the bestselling, award-winning author of An American Marriage--Tayari Jones has written an unforgettable novel that sparkles with wit...

54

Lady Tremaine
Hochhauser, Rachel
Paper Book
Instant New York Times Bestseller * REESE'S BOOK CLUB PICK * IndieNext Pick * LibraryReads Pick "With transporting prose and a galloping plot, this wholly original take on Cinderella recasts the wicked stepmother...a riveting, complex paean to women's strength." --...

55

Last Night in Brooklyn
Gonzalez, Xochitl
Paper Book
NAMED A MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK OF 2026 BY TIME, OPRAH DAILY, USA TODAY, PEOPLE, ELECTRIC LIT, HARPER'S BAZAAR, VULTURE, LITHUB, BOOK RIOT, PUBLISHER'S WEEKLY, THE BOSTON GLOBE, TOWN & COUNTRY, SHE READS, LIBRARY JOURNAL, AND...

56

Lieutenant Hornblower
Forester, C. S.
Paper Book
Hornblower gets his first independent command in this installment of C. S. Forester's beloved series, "the most popular modern saga of the days when ships were wood and men were iron" (New York Times Book Review). In this gripping tale of...

57

Life: A Love Story
Berg, Elizabeth
Paper Book
A warm, intimate novel that reminds us of the richness that can be found all throughout our lives--by the New York Times bestselling author of The Story of Arthur Truluv and Open House "This gentle story of appreciation for the people and things that make...

58

Listen for the lie
Tintera, Amy
Paper Book
A New York Times Bestseller * A Good Morning America Book Club Pick * An NPR Best Book of the Year * A Washington Post Best Thriller of 2024 "I read this in one sitting! Such a fun and engaging read, with an ending that blew my mind!" --<...

59

London Falling: A Mysterious Death in a Gilded City and a Family's Search for Truth
Keefe, Patrick Radden
Paper Book
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * From the bestselling, prizewinning author of Say Nothing and Empire of Pain, a spellbinding account of a family devastated by the sudden death of their nineteen-year-old son, only to discover that he had created a secret life which...

60

Lonesome Dove
McMurtry, Larry.
Paper Book
A love story and an epic of the frontier, Lonesome Dove is the grandest novel ever written about the last, defiant wilderness of America. Richly authentic, beautifully written, Lonesome Dove is a book to make readers laugh, weep, dream and remember. Now a blockbuster television event.

61

Lord of the flies
Golding, William
Paper Book
NOW A NETFLIX SERIES William Golding's profound tale of stranded youth, survival, and the shadowy depths of human nature, with an afterword by Lois Lowry "Lord of the Flies is one of my favorite books. I still read it every couple of years."--Suzanne Collins,...

62

Mad Mabel
Hepworth, Sally
Paper Book
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER From New York Times bestselling author Sally Hepworth comes a twisty tale of justice, redemption, and one irrepressible woman who's not done breaking the rules just yet. Meet Elsie Mabel Fitzpatrick: eighty-one years...

63

Man one
Estleman, Loren D.
Paper Book
Hard-boiled Private Investigator Amos Walker races to save a beautiful widow in the latest mystery from Loren D. Estleman-master of the noir PI novel and recipient of the Private Eye Writers of America's Lifetime Achievement Award. "Loren D. Estleman is my hero"-Harlan Coben "Hanging out with Walker...

64

Medicare 101: From Your Initial Enrollment Period to Parts A, B, C, and D, an Essential Primer on the Government Healthcare Program
Lankford, Kimberly
Paper Book
Navigate your health care future with confidence and learn the ins and outs of the Medicare system with Medicare 101, an essential guide that transforms complex health care jargon into easily digestible knowledge. Medicare 101 simplifies the complex Medicare...

65

Meet me at the lake
Fortune, Carley
Paper Book
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER ∙ A random connection sends two strangers on a daylong adventure where they make a promise one keeps and the other breaks, with life-changing effects, in this breathtaking novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Every Summer After....

66

More than enough : a novel
Quindlen, Anna
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * "Quindlen is as observant and as wonderfully readable as ever, attuned to women's lives and the nuances of their voices."--Jennifer Weiner, The New York Times Book Review A woman confronts the surprising results of an ancestry test and begins...

67

Mr. Midshipman Hornblower
Forester, C. S.
Paper Book
Horatio Hornblower, only seventeen years old, gets his sea legs in this "absolutely compelling" (San Francisco Chronicle) first installment of C. S. Forester's classic naval adventure series. The year is 1793, the eve of the Napoleonic...

68

The Antique Hunter's Murder at the Castle
Miller, C L
Paper Book
The third novel in the "delightful, page-turning" (Tom Ryan, USA TODAY bestselling author) Antique Hunter Series finds Freya, Aunt Carole, and friends searching for a missing colleague in picturesque Scotland. Hot on the heels of an art forger, a member of...

69

NO ONE WOULD DO WHAT THE LAMBERTS HAVE DONE
HANNAH, SOPHIE
Paper Book
The twistiest murder mystery you are ever likely to read? A story about a family that does the unthinkable? Both? Or something else altogether? You think it will never happen to you. The doorbell. The policeman. The words that turn your world inside out: I'm afraid there's...

70

Now I surrender
Enrigue, Alvaro
Paper Book
NAMED A MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK OF 2026 BY THE NEW YORK TIMES, THE WASHINGTON POST AND LITHUB! "This gifted Mexican writer ... delivers novels that are steeped in history and have a hallucinatory sense of pageantry ... He's one of the best we have." -Dwight Garner, The...

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