Staff Picks 2026 (Fiction)

Check out what our Library Information and Outreach Staff read and recommended in 2025!

Updated October 29, 2025
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Shook! : a Black horror anthology
Alleyne, Shawn
Paper Book
Stemming from a love of Southern gothic horror, this anthology boasts a cadre of award winning or nominated writers representing awards such as the Will Eisner Awards, the Ringo Awards, the Hugo Awards, and is the largest collection of Glyph Comics Awards winners and nominees in a single publication...
We could be rats
Austin, Emily
Paper Book
A "one-sitting-read" (Laurie Frankel, New York Times bestselling author) about two very different sisters, and a love letter to childhood, growing up, and the power of imagination--from the bestselling author of Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead and Interesting Facts...
A man called Ove : a novel
Backman, Fredrik
Paper Book
"You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll feel new sympathy for the curmudgeons in your life." --People The #1 New York Times bestseller about the grumpy old man next door that's an uplifting exploration of the unreliability of first impressions and a reminder that life...
Bat eater and other names for Cora Zeng : a novel
Baker, Kylie Lee
Paper Book
"A compelling, gory, ghostly romp." --Paul Tremblay, New York Times bestselling author of Horror Movie "This is what it felt like to live in New York City during lockdown: haunted, absurd, terrifying, ridiculous, and full of hungry ghosts." -...
A family affair
Carr, Robyn
Paper Book
When the wolf comes home
Cassidy, Nat
Paper Book
Nat Cassidy, author of the acclaimed horror Mary, returns with When the Wolf Comes Home, an unabashed, adrenaline-fueled pop horror thriller where the darkest fears can become reality. A USA Today bestseller! ABA Indie Bookseller bestseller! ...
The mercy of gods
Corey, James S. A.
Paper Book
AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES AND USA TODAY BESTSELLER From the New York Times bestselling author of the Expanse comes a spectacular new space opera that sees humanity fighting for its survival in a war as old as the universe itself. ...
Middletide : a novel
Crouch, Sarah
Paper Book
A USA TODAY BESTSELLER In this gripping and intensely atmospheric debut, disquiet descends on a small town after the suspicious death of a beautiful young doctor, with all clues pointing to the reclusive young man who abandoned the community in chase of big city dreams...
Dungeon crawler Carl
Dinniman, Matt
Paper Book
You know what's worse than breaking up with your girlfriend? Being stuck with her prize-winning show cat. And you know what's worse than that? An alien invasion, the destruction of all man-made structures on Earth, and the systematic exploitation of all the survivors for a sadistic, intergalactic...
All the light we cannot see : a novel
Doerr, Anthony
Paper Book
*NOW A NETFLIX LIMITED SERIES--from producer and director Shawn Levy (Stranger Things) starring Mark Ruffalo, Hugh Laurie, and newcomer Aria Mia Loberti* Winner of the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award finalist, the beloved instant New York Times bestseller...
The spellshop
Durst, Sarah Beth
Paper Book
AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES, USA TODAY AND INDIE BESTSELLER! A #1 LibraryReads pick! An Indie Next pick! DELUXE EDITION--a gorgeous hardcover edition featuring beautiful lavender sprayed edges! The Spellshop is Sarah...
The river has roots
El-Mohtar, Amal
Paper Book
AN INDIE NEXT AND LIBRARYREADS PICK! The River Has Roots is the hugely anticipated solo debut of the New York Times bestselling and Hugo Award winning author Amal El-Mohtar. Follow the river Liss to the small town of Thistleford, on the edge of Faerie, and...
Axiom's end : a novel
Ellis, Lindsay
Paper Book
THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER The alternate history first contact adventure Axiom's End is an extraordinary debut from Hugo finalist and video essayist Lindsay Ellis. Truth is a human right. It's fall 2007. A...
First lie wins
Elston, Ashley
Paper Book
REESE'S BOOK CLUB PICK | #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER "This fast-paced read has everything you could want in a thriller: secret identities, a mysterious boss and a cat & mouse game that kept me guessing the whole way through." --Reese Witherspoon Evie Porter has...
I cheerfully refuse : a novel
Enger, Leif
Paper Book
NATIONAL BESTSELLER * A BARNES & NOBLE BOOK CLUB PICK * A career defining tour-de-force from New York Times bestselling, award-winning and "formidably gifted" (Chicago Tribune) author of Peace Like a River Leif Enger. "A rare, remarkable book to be kept and...
The wedding people : a novel
Espach, Alison
Paper Book
The runaway New York Times bestseller with over one million copies sold A Today Show #ReadwithJenna Book Club Pick, New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice, and a #1 Indie Next Pick Named a Best Book of the Year by The Guardian, Time,...
One dark window
Gillig, Rachel
Paper Book
THE FANTASY BOOKTOK SENSATION! For fans of Uprooted and For the Wolf comes a dark, lushly gothic fantasy about a maiden who must unleash the monster within to save her kingdom--but the monster in her head isn't the only threat lurking. ...
The Last One
Hall, Rachel Howzell.
"Romantasy readers won't be able to turn the pages fast enough." --Publishers Weekly "Masterful storytelling with a female protagonist worth rooting for." --#1 NYT bestselling author Rebecca Yarros Explosive and enthralling...
Starling house
Harrow, Alix E.
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER | A REESE'S BOOK CLUB PICK "This book has everything you could possibly want this fall...a cursed town, a haunted house, a vivid & eerie setting--plus, characters willing to risk everything." --Reese Witherspoon (Reese's Book Club October '23 Pick)...
The heiress : a novel
Hawkins, Rachel
Paper Book
NATIONAL BESTSELLER * A January 2024 Indie Next Pick and LibraryReads Pick "The reigning queen of the Gothic thriller." --Entertainment Weekly THERE'S NOTHING AS GOOD AS THE RICH GONE BAD. When Ruby McTavish...
The snow child : a novel
Ivey, Eowyn.
Paper Book
In this magical debut, a couple's lives are changed forever by the arrival of a little girl, wild and secretive, on their snowy doorstep. Alaska, 1920: a brutal place to homestead, and especially tough for recent arrivals Jack and Mabel. Childless, they are drifting apart -- he...
A fate inked in blood
Jensen, Danielle L.
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * A shield maiden blessed by the gods battles to unite a nation under a power-hungry king--while fighting her growing desire for his fiery son--in the first book of a Norse-inspired fantasy romance duology from the author of The Bridge Kingdom series. ...
The borrowed life of Frederick Fife : a novel
Johnston, Anna
Paper Book
"A funny, heartfelt story about found family and seeing the silver lining in life. Fans of A Man Called Ove and Remarkably Bright Creatures will especially enjoy this new novel."--Library Journal A zany case of mistaken identity allows a lonely old man one last chance to be part of a...
The buffalo hunter hunter
Jones, Stephen Graham
Paper Book
The New York Times bestseller and "horror masterpiece" (NPR) from Stephen Graham Jones--the master of modern horror--is a chilling historical horror novel tracing the life of a vampire who haunts the fields of the Blackfeet reservation looking for justice. The best horror novel of the year...
Godkiller
Kaner, Hannah
Paper Book
INSTANT #1 INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER AND USA TODAY BESTSELLER! "An epic fantasy odyssey begins." -- Entertainment Weekly "A richly rendered world . . . Kaner writes action that's both fun and intelligible . . . If "The Last of Us" didn't slake your thirst for stories of a grizzled...
A sorceress comes to call
Kingfisher, T.
Paper Book
Named a Best Fantasy Book of the Year by NPR, Elle, and Paste A Goodreads Best Fantasy Choice Award Nominee From New York Times bestselling and Hugo Award-winning author T. Kingfisher comes A Sorceress ...
Someone like you : a novel
Kingsbury, Karen
Paper Book
AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Science raises questions only love can answer in this moving and thought-provoking novel from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of "heart-tugging and emotional" (Romantic Times Book Reviews) life-changing fiction...
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 love elixir of Augusta Stern : a novel
Loigman, Lynda Cohen
Paper Book
"Full of sweetness and charm." --People "The happiest I have felt in years inside the world of a book." --Natalie Jenner, #1 nationally bestselling author of The Jane Austen Society "A sparkling ode to second chances." ...
No one can know
Marshall, Kate Alice
Paper Book
The USA TODAY Bestseller! Three sisters, two murders, and too many secrets to count. "A propulsive and intricate psychological thriller. . . Meticulously plotted. . . Family connections prove both their damage and their worth in this community-focused thriller....
The silent patient
Michaelides, Alex
Paper Book
**THE INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER** "An unforgettable--and Hollywood-bound--new thriller... A mix of Hitchcockian suspense, Agatha Christie plotting, and Greek tragedy." --Entertainment Weekly The Silent Patient is a...
The change : a novel
Miller, Kirsten
Paper Book
GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK  "The Change is like a guttural rage scream (and somehow a soft, tearful hug) of a book, and I couldn't have loved it any more." --Emily Henry Big Little Lies meets The Witches of Eastwick--a gloriously entertaining and knife...
The god of the woods
Moore, Liz
Paper Book
A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER and ONE OF THE NEW YORK TIMES'S NOTABLE BOOKS OF THE YEAR A NEW YORK TIMES "BEST THRILLER" and "BEST CRIME NOVEL" OF THE YEAR PEOPLE MAGAZINE'S #1 BOOK OF THE YEAR "Extraordinary . . ....
The sympathizer
Nguyen, Viet Thanh
Paper Book
Now an HBO Limited Seriesfrom Executive Producers Park Chan-wook and Robert Downey Jr., StreamingExclusively on Max Winner of the 2016Pulitzer Prize for Fiction Winner of the 2016 EdgarAward for Best First Novel Winner of the 2016 Andrew Carnegie Medalfor...
Buried deep and other stories
Novik, Naomi
Paper Book
LOCUS AWARD FINALIST * A thrilling collection of thirteen short stories that span the worlds of the New York Times bestselling author of the Scholomance trilogy, including a sneak peek at the land where her next novel will be set. From the dragon-filled Temeraire series...
The Thursday murder club
Osman, Richard
Paper Book
Now a Netflix Film 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 with her first...
When the moon hatched
Parker, Sarah A. (Fantasy fiction writer)
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER ORDER NOW to get a limited edition with blue-stained edges - available only on the first printing! This deluxe hardcover features metallic and embossed jacket effects and colored endpapers with exclusive character artwork. The #1 internationally...
The ministry for the future
Robinson, Kim Stanley
Paper Book
ONE OF BARACK OBAMA'S FAVORITE BOOKS OF THE YEAR "The best science-fiction nonfiction novel I've ever read." --Jonathan Lethem   "If I could get policymakers, and citizens, everywhere to read just one book this year...
Bloodguard
Robson, Cecy
Paper Book
LIMITED FIRST PRINT RUN―featuring spray-painted edges with stenciled ivy, as well as gorgeously detailed endpapers and foiled case stamping. This breathtaking first edition is available for a limited time and while supplies last in the US and Canada only. THE INSTANT...
The god of small things
Roy, Arundhati.
Paper Book
"They all crossed into forbidden territory. They all tampered with the laws that lay down who should be loved and how. And how much. " The year is 1969. In the state of Kerala, on the southernmost tip of India, a skyblue Plymouth with chrome tailfins is stranded on the highway amid a Marxist...
The labyrinth of the spirits : a novel
Ruiz Zafón, Carlos
Paper Book
New York Times Bestseller "Packed with suspense. . . a gripping edge-of-your-seat thriller." -- Washington Book Review The internationally acclaimed, New York Times bestselling author returns to the magnificent universe he constructed in his bestselling novels...
Pedro Páramo
Rulfo, Juan.
Paper Book
Desde su aparición en 1955, esta extraordinaria novela del mexicano Juan Rulfo se ha traducido a mas de treinta lenguas y ha dado lugar a multiples y permanentes reediciones en los países de la lengua hispana. Esta edición, única revisada y autorizada por la Fundación Juan Rulfo, debe ser...
Tress of the emerald sea
Sanderson, Brandon
Paper Book
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson comes a rollicking, riveting tale set in the Cosmere universe--a standalone adventure perfect for fans of The Princess Bride. The only life Tress has known on her island home in an emerald-green ocean...
When the moon hits your eye
Scalzi, John
Paper Book
New York Times bestselling author John Scalzi flies you to the moon with his most fantastic tale to date: When the Moon Hits Your Eye The moon has turned into cheese. Now humanity has to deal with it. For some it's an opportunity. For...
What happened to the Bennetts
Scottoline, Lisa
Paper Book
From #1 bestselling author Lisa Scottoline comes a pulse-pounding new novel. Your family has been attacked, never again to be the same. Now you have to choose between law...and justice.      Jason Bennett is a suburban dad who owns...
Five-star Stranger : a novel
Tang, Kat
Paper Book
An exciting and "inventive" (HuffPost) debut novel about a top-rated man on the Rental Stranger app--a place where users can hire a pretend fiancé, a wingman, or companion of any kind--who finds out who he is by being anyone but himself. Would you hire someone to be the...
The goldfinch
Tartt, Donna.
Paper Book
A young New Yorker grieving his mother's death is pulled into a gritty underworld of art and wealth in this "extraordinary" and beloved Pulitzer Prize winner from the author of The Secret History that "connects with the heart as well as the mind" (Stephen King, New York Times Book...
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!" --<...
The empusium : a health resort horror story
Tokarczuk, Olga
Paper Book
AN INSTANT NATIONAL BESTSELLER! A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK OF THE YEAR "A folk horror story with a deceptively light and knowing tone ... elegant and genuinely unsettling." -The New York Times Book Review The Nobel Prize winner's latest...
A gentleman in Moscow
Towles, Amor
Paper Book
The mega-bestseller with more than 2 million readers * A New York Times "Readers' Choice: Best Books of the 21st Century" Pick From the #1 New York Times-bestselling author of The Lincoln Highway and Table for Two, a beautifully transporting novel about a...
Remarkably bright creatures : a novel
Van Pelt, Shelby
Paper Book
AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Soon to be a Netflix Film A Read With Jenna Today Show Book Club Pick! NAMED A BEST BOOK OF SUMMER by: Chicago Tribune * The View * Southern Living * USA Today "Remarkably Bright Creatures [is] an ultimately...
The sirens of Titan
Vonnegut, Kurt.
Paper Book
"[Kurt Vonnegut's] best book . . . He dares not only ask the ultimate question about the meaning of life, but to answer it."--Esquire Nominated as one of America's best-loved novels by PBS's The Great American Read The...
How to become the Dark Lord and die trying
Wexler, Django
Paper Book
Groundhog Day meets Deadpool in Django Wexler's raunchy, hilarious, blood-splattered fantasy tale about a young woman who, tired of defending humanity from the Dark Lord, decides to become the Dark Lord herself. "Takes the old saying 'If...
For the wolf
Whitten, Hannah
Paper Book
AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER AND TIKTOK SENSATION! The first daughter is for the Throne. The second daughter is for the Wolf. An instant NYT bestseller and word-of-mouth...
Sugar and salt : a novel
Wiggs, Susan
Paper Book
The New York Times bestselling author of The Lost and Found Bookshop brings readers a can't-miss tale of friendship, hardship, redemption, and love between a San Francisco baker and a barbecue master from Texas. "Susan Wiggs understands the tender dramas of everyday life, of friendship and...
Frieren: beyond journey's end. 1
Yamada, Kanehito
Paper Book
The adventure is over but life goes on for an elf mage just beginning to learn what living is all about. Elf mage Frieren and her courageous fellow adventurers have defeated the Demon King and brought peace to the land. But Frieren will long outlive the rest of her former party....

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