2025 Global Reads for Adults

Updated April 3, 2025
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100 countries, 5,000 ideas : where to go, when to go, what to see, what to do
Paper Book
In this fully revised and updated edition of the best-selling 100 Countries, 5,000 Ideas, find where to go, what to do, when to visit, and more for the top destinations around the world. Filled with new content, 11 new countries, and brand-new photography from National Geographic, you'll find...
Around the world in 80 books
Damrosch, David
Paper Book
A transporting and illuminating voyage around the globe, through classic and modern literary works that are in conversation with one another and with the world around them *Featured in the Chicago Tribune's Great 2021 Fall Book Preview * One of Smithsonian...
The Black Orb
Kim, Ewhan
Paper Book
The object was a black orb, roughly two meters in diameter. Despite its large size, it made no sound as it moved. Although it wasn't chasing Jeong-su fast enough to catch him, it was unrelenting and persistent in its pursuit... One evening in downtown Seoul, Jeong-su is smoking a...
The blanket cats
Shigematsu, Kiyoshi
Paper Book
"Utterly charming . . . I would read a hundred of these stories." --Shelby Van Pelt, New York Times bestselling author of Remarkably Bright Creatures Seven struggling customers are given the unique opportunity to take home a "blanket cat" . . . but only for three days,...
Circus Rex : a novel
Niemi, Loren
Paper Book
Little does Doctor Buzz know when he signs on as the Ringmaster and tour manager for the one ring, Rex Terrestrial, Celestial & Nautical Circus, that he will not only be taking a ragtag collection of misfits on a six-month trip from the headwaters of the Mississippi to New Orleans, but that he will...
Cobalt red : how the blood of the Congo powers our lives
Kara, Siddharth
Paper Book
The revelatory Pulitzer Prize finalist for General Nonfiction, New York Times and Publishers Weekly bestseller, shortlisted for the Financial Times Best Business Book of the Year Award. An unflinching investigation reveals the human rights...
The Dressmakers of London
Kelly, Julia
Paper Book
The author of the "enthralling" (Woman's World) The Lost English Girl returns with a heartfelt new novel about estranged sisters who inherit their late mother's dress shop in World War II London. Isabelle Shelton has always found comfort in the predictable world of...
The five stages of courting Dalisay Ramos
De la Cruz, Melissa
Paper Book
A sweet and spicy multicultural romantic comedy that that blends the rich tapestry of Filipino courtship rituals with the modern complexities of love, family, and cultural expectations, written by #1 New York Times bestselling author Melissa de la Cruz. ...
Go to Hell : a traveler's guide to Earth's most otherworldly destinations
Engelhaupt, Erika
Paper Book
You can go to hell and back with the help of this one-of-a-kind illustrated travel guide to real-life underworld destinations around the globe. Full of intrigue, lore, and plenty of brimstone and fire, each of the 54 destinations-from Antarctica's Blood Falls to a tropical hell on Grand Cayman...
The good deed : a novel
Benedict, Helen
Paper Book
Set in 2018 against the backdrop of an overcrowded, fetid refugee camp on the beautiful Greek island of Samos, The Good Deed follows the stories of four women living in the camp and an American tourist who comes to Samos to escape her own dark secret. When the tourist does a "good deed,"...
The half known life : in search of paradise
Iyer, Pico
Paper Book
NATIONAL BESTSELLER NAMED A BEST BOOK OF 2023 BY THE NEW YORK TIMES, THE NEW YORKER, NPR, TIME MAGAZINE & MORE "Masterful . . . A book of inner journeys told through extraordinary exteriors . . . One of his very best." --Washington Post  ...
Homeseeking
Chen, Karissa
Paper Book
A GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK "Homeseeking is about the love of home and family, even against unimaginable circumstances...[A] sweeping epic." --Good Housekeeping "Fans of historical fiction will want to pick up this exceptional novel...
House of Huawei : the secret history of China's most powerful company
Dou, Eva
Paper Book
"Authoritative... a tale that sits at the heart of the most significant geopolitical relationship today." - Financial Times "There's probably no better account of China's rise to economic dominance as seen through the prism of a single company." - The Wall Street Journal<...
The hungry season : a journey of war, love, and survival
Hamilton, Lisa M.
Paper Book
A New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice | A Kirkus Reviews Best Nonfiction Book of the Year | Finalist for the 2024 Biographers International Plutarch Award | Longlisted for the 2023 California Book Awards | Shortlisted for the William Saroyan International Prize |...
It started with a secret
Marcelo, Tif
Paper Book
When one unforgettable night...  Leads to a whole new life... When Jared Sotheby arrives in Peak, Virginia, to search for his identity--and his Filipino roots--he doesn't anticipate an instant connection with a stunning woman he meets on his first night...
It won't always be like this : a graphic memoir
Gharib, Malaka
Paper Book
An intimate graphic memoir about an American girl growing up with her Egyptian father's new family, forging unexpected bonds and navigating adolescence in an unfamiliar country-from the award-winning author of I Was Their American Dream. "What a joy it is to read Malaka...
Kinning
Shawl, Nisi
Paper Book
Named a Best Fantasy and Sci-Fi Book of The Year by Elle! Kinning, the sequel to Nisi Shawl's acclaimed debut novel Everfair, continues the stunning alternate history where barkcloth airships soar through the sky, varied peoples build a new society together,...
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 ...
Latino poetry : the Library of America anthology
González, Rigoberto
Paper Book
There are a brilliant array of contemporary voices here as well, spinning out the tapestry of Latino poetry in daring new directions. Taking the measure of this current renaissance, the anthology culminates with the most comprehensive survey of twenty-first century Latino poetry yet published....
The lion women of Tehran
Kamali, Marjan
Paper Book
NATIONAL BESTSELLER An "evocative read and a powerful portrait of friendship, feminism, and political activism" (People) set against three transformative decades in Tehran, Iran--from nationally bestselling author Marjan Kamali. In 1950s Tehran,...
The lost girls : three friends, four continents, one unconventional detour around the world
Baggett, Jennifer.
Paper Book
"Brave, funny, and deeply moving." -- Cathy Alter, author of Up for Renewal: What Magazines Taught Me About Love, Sex, and Starting Over "Three cheers to The Lost Girls for showing us, with good humor and graceful prose, the beauty and importance of leading life astray." ...
Love with a chance of drowning : a memoir
DeRoche, Torre.
Paper Book
New love. Exotic destinations. A once-in-a-lifetime adventure. What could go wrong? City girl Torre DeRoche isn't looking for love, but a chance encounter in a San Francisco bar sparks an instant connection with a soulful Argentinean man who unexpectedly sweeps...
A man of two faces : a memoir, a history, a memorial
Nguyen, Viet Thanh
Paper Book
LONGLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD The highly original, blistering, and unconventional memoir by the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Sympathizer, which has now sold over one million copies worldwide With insight, humor, formal invention, and lyricism,...
Martyr!
Akbar, Kaveh
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * SHORTLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD * ONE OF THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW'S 10 BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR * A TIME MUST-READ BOOK OF THE YEAR * A newly sober, orphaned son of Iranian immigrants, guided by the voices of artists, poets, and...
Maya & Natasha
Durham, Elyse
Paper Book
This stunning debut novel set in the fascinating world of Cold War Soviet ballet follows the fates of twin sisters whose bond is competitive, complicated, but never broken. Maya and Natasha are twin sisters born in the midst of the Siege of Leningrad in 1941 and immediately abandoned by...
Picture in the sand
Blauner, Peter
Paper Book
"On rare occasions I read a book that reminds me of why I fell in love with storytelling in the first place. This is such a book." --Stephen King Peter Blauner's epic Picture in the Sand is a sweeping intergenerational saga told through a grandfather's passionate...
The power of crisis : how three threats--and our response--will change the world
Bremmer, Ian
Paper Book
New York Times Bestseller Renowned political scientist Ian Bremmer draws lessons from global challenges of the past 100 years--including the pandemic--to show how we can respond to three great crises unfolding over the next decade. In this revelatory,...
Praiseworthy
Wright, Alexis
Paper Book
WINNER OF THE 2024 MILES FRANKLIN AWARD WINNER OF THE 2024 STELLA PRIZE WINNER OF THE 2024 JAMES TAIT BLACK PRIZE WINNER OF THE 2023 QUEENSLAND AWARD FOR LITERARY FICTION SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2024 DUBLIN LITERARY AWARD In a small town in the north of Australia, a...
Prestige of hearts : a novel
Whong, R. F.
Paper Book
One letter. One enigma. An alluring city. Infinite prestige awaits.A unique story about love, faith, and self-discovery, set against Hong Kong's impending return to China.When Chicagoan Grace Feng, a recent college graduate and a devout Christian, delivers her late mother's letter to a billionaire,...
Save our souls : the true story of a castaway family, treachery, and murder
Pearl, Matthew
Paper Book
INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER From the bestselling author of The Taking of Jemima Boone, the unbelievable true story of a real-life Swiss Family Robinson (and their dog) who faced sharks, shipwreck, and betrayal. On December 10, 1887, a shark fishing boat disappeared. On...
Stories from the center of the world : new Middle East fiction
Elgrably, Jordan
Paper Book
One of The Millions Most Anticipated Books & a Powell's Bookstore Staff Favorite of the Year! Short stories from 25 emerging and established writers of Middle Eastern and North African origins, a unique collection of voices and viewpoints that illuminate life...
Unspeakable home
Prcic, Ismet
Paper Book
From award-winning writer Ismet Prcic, a "brutal and tender and beautiful" (Tommy Orange, author of Wandering Stars) novel that is "part existential cry...part anguished confession...a transfiguring of personal memory to obscure the terrible cost of exile" (The New York Times)....
Waiting in the wings : arming the bomb in a world gone M.A.D.
Burtman, Lee
Paper Book
Watch us dance
Slimani, Leïla
Paper Book
The rebellions within an interracial family play out against the countercultural rebellions of the 1960s in this sexy, stylish, sophisticated new novel by the award-winning, internationally bestselling author of The Perfect Nanny and In the Country of Others. It's...
West with giraffes : a novel
Rutledge, Lynda
Paper Book
An emotional, rousing novel inspired by the incredible true story of two giraffes who made headlines and won the hearts of Depression-era America. "Few true friends have I known and two were giraffes..." Woodrow Wilson Nickel, age 105, feels his life ebbing away. But...
What we kept to ourselves : a novel
Kim, Nancy Jooyoun
Paper Book
A "propulsive and moving story of a family torn asunder by their mother's disappearance" (Bookreporter) from the New York Times bestselling author of The Last Story of Mina Lee. 1999: At the end of the millennium, the Kim family is struggling to move on after...
Where to go when : unforgettable trips for every month
Paper Book
Get your passport ready and your vacation planner out! This book contains over 100 destinations to choose from, brought to life through stunning photography. Maybe you want to know the finest place to go to in June, or you want to know the best time of year to witness a natural...
Women of myth : from Deer Woman and Mami Wata to Amaterasu and Athena, your guide to the amazing and diverse women from world mythology
Williamson, Jenny
Paper Book
Uncover the fascinating and complex women from mythology and folklore with this collection of stories profiling powerful goddesses, mighty queens, and legendary creatures. Get inspired with 50 fascinating stories of powerful female figures from mythologies around the world. From...
Work in progress : a novel
Mackenzie, Kat
Paper Book
A warm, sexy, laugh-out-loud rom-com about a woman who, desperate for a fresh start, books a literary bus tour across the UK that consists of a lively group of elderly ladies plus one infuriatingly handsome Scottish driver. UK Bus Trip Goals: Crawl out of pajamas. Get...

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