PLDL Most Popular Titles December 2025

Portage Lake District Library Most Popular Titles December 2025

Updated January 2, 2026
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1

The love haters
Center, Katherine
Paper Book
Featuring beautiful spray-painted edges with vibrant designed endpapers. It's a thin line between love and love-hating in the newest laugh out loud, all the feels rom-com by New York Times bestselling author Katherine Center. Katie Vaughn has...

2

The small and the mighty : twelve unsung Americans who changed the course of history, from the founding to the civil rights movement
McMahon, Sharon
Paper Book
A #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER From America's favorite government teacher, a "fascinating and fun" (Adam Grant) portrait of twelve ordinary Americans whose courage formed the character of our country. In The Small and the Mighty, Sharon McMahon proves...

3

Confronting evil : assessing the worst of the worst
O'Reilly, Bill
Paper Book
Instant #1 New York Times bestseller! By the #1 bestselling history author in the world, Bill O'Reilly: A dramatic confrontation with good, evil, and the worst people who ever lived The concept of evil is universal, ancient, and ever present today....

4

Coyote Hills
Kellerman, Jonathan
The electric new Clay Edison thriller from the New York Times bestselling, acclaimed father-son duo who write "brilliant, page-turning fiction" (Stephen King) Clay Edison has left behind the Alameda County coroner's office to strike out on his own as a private investigator...

5

Evil Bones
Reichs, Kathy
Paper Book
INSTANT NATIONAL BESTSELLER #1 New York Times bestselling author Kathy Reichs returns with a twisty, magnetic thriller featuring forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan, who finds herself enmeshed in a series of grisly animal killings that escalate into something far...

6

Exit strategy
Child, Lee
Paper Book
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * Jack Reacher will make three stops today. Not all of them were planned for. The "blockbuster" (Esquire) new Jack Reacher thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling authors Lee Child and Andrew Child, featuring "the best villain yet" (USA...

7

False witness : a thriller
Margolin, Phillip
Paper Book
A lawyer who was set-up, imprisoned, and disbarred, only to be vindicated and reinstated, is determined to find out who set her up and cover their tracks with a trail of dead bodies Defense Attorney Karen Wyatt exposed corruption in the police force and the District Attorney's...

8

Forget me not : a novel
Willingham, Stacy
Paper Book
A pulse-pounding new Southern thriller from the author of the runaway bestseller A Flicker in the Dark. Twenty-two years ago, Claire Campbell's older sister, Natalie, disappeared shortly after her eighteenth birthday. Days later, her blood was found in a car, a man was...

9

Free ride : heartbreak, courage, and the 20,000-mile motorcycle journey that changed my life
Schoenmaker, Noraly
Paper Book
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A SMITHSONIAN MAGAZINE BEST TRAVEL BOOK OF 2025 By the YouTube sensation with three million followers, the inspiring account of a young woman who, in a moment of personal crisis, embarked on an...

10

Giving up is unforgivable : a manual for keeping a democracy
Vance, Joyce
We're in this together. For the past two years, Joyce Vance has signed off posts on her chart-topping Substack 'Civil Discourse' with these four words. In that time, she's guided readers through a continued erosion of democratic norms, the unprecedented felony conviction of an ex-president, and the...

11

Nash falls
Baldacci, David
When Walter Nash is recruited by the FBI to help bring down a global crime network his life is turned completely upside down in this thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author David Baldacci. Nash is an intelligent man, tough but fair-minded. He has a...

12

Nobody's girl : a memoir of surviving abuse and fighting for justice
Giuffre, Virginia Roberts
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * The unforgettable memoir by the late Virginia Roberts Giuffre, the woman who dared to take on Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell "Make no mistake: this is a book about power, corruption, industrial-scale sex abuse and the way in which...

13

Queen Esther
Irving, John
Paper Book
After forty years, John Irving returns to the world of his bestselling classic novel and Academy Award-winning film, The Cider House Rules, revisiting the orphanage in St. Cloud's, Maine, where Dr. Wilbur Larch takes in Esther--a Viennese-born Jew whose life is shaped by anti-Semitism....

14

Return of the spider
Patterson, James
An instant New York Times bestseller! Return of the Spider is the stunning companion novel to Along Came a Spider, the New York Times bestselling classic thriller from the world's most popular storyteller. ...

15

Silver elite
Francis, Dani
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK * In the first book of a sizzling dystopian romance series, psychic gifts are a death sentence and there are rules to survival: Trust no one. Lie to everyone. And whatever you do, don't fall for your greatest enemy.

16

The Christmas stranger
Evans, Richard Paul
Paper Book
AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER! From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Christmas classic The Christmas Box and the #1 Netflix movie The Noel Diary comes a powerful and thought-provoking holiday story about love, loss,...

17

The eleventh hour : a quintet of stories
Rushdie, Salman
NATIONAL BESTSELLER * From internationally renowned, award-winning author Salman Rushdie, a spellbinding exploration of life, death, and what comes into focus at the proverbial eleventh hour of life "An inventive and engrossing collection of stories which, though death-tinged,...

18

The Irish goodbye : a novel
O'Neill, Heather Aimee
Paper Book
National Bestseller A Today Show #ReadwithJenna Book Club Pick In this emotionally resonant and gripping novel, three adult sisters struggle with the past as they reunite for a Thanksgiving weekend on the East End of Long Island. It's...

19

The King's Ransom
Evanovich, Janet
Paper Book
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER "Thriller master" (Mystery and Suspense Magazine) Janet Evanovich takes you on a global hunt to track down missing masterpieces in this action-packed and steamy follow up to the instant New York Times...

20

The lost bookshop
Woods, Evie
Paper Book
Pre-order Evie Woods' new book The Violin Maker's Secret now, out in February 2026! The Echo of Old Books meets The Lost Apothecary in this evocative and charming novel full of mystery and secrets. 'The thing about books,' she said 'is that they help you to imagine a...

21

The matzah ball
Meltzer, Jean
Paper Book
A MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK SELECTED BY * POPSUGAR * BUSTLE * BUZZFEED * BOOKPAGE * GOODREADS MEMBERS "The Matzah Ball had me laughing out loud...an all-around terrific read."--Debbie Macomber, #1 New York Times bestselling author Oy! to the...

22

The Perfect Hosts
Gudenkauf, Heather

23

The proving ground
Connelly, Michael
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Michael Connelly, the Lincoln Lawyer is back with a case against an AI company whose product may have been responsible for the murder of a young girl. Following his "resurrection walk" and need for a new direction,...

24

The Wasp Trap
Edwards, Mark
Paper Book
"So clever and fresh with a wild and incredibly satisfying twist at the end." --Lisa Jewell, #1 New York Times bestselling author A dinner party in a beautiful Notting Hill townhouse turns into a sinister game as six old friends are forced to spill their darkest secrets...

25

Winter street : a novel
Hilderbrand, Elin
Paper Book
Cozy up with New York Times bestselling author Elin Hilderbrand's first Christmas novel, hailed "a diverting tale... filled with humor, romance, and realism" by USA Today, in which a family gathers on Nantucket for a holiday filled with chaos, caroling, and cheer.  ...

26

100 flowers to knit & crochet : a collection of beautiful blooms for embellishing garments, accessories, and more
Stanfield, Lesley.
Paper Book
A collection of beautiful blooms for embellishing garments, accessories and homewares. Everything is coming up roses with this delightful collection of flowers to knit and crochet. The perfect way to use up scraps of yarn or practice using novelty yarns, you can use them to...

27

15 minute Indian : one-pan recipes using minimal steps and ingredients
Devi, Anjula
Paper Book
15-Minute Indian teaches you the game-changing way to eat fresh and flavoursome Indian food. Each recipe takes under 15 minutes to make and is cooked in one pan using minimal steps and ingredients.  With over 90 fuss-free recipes you'll be amazed at what you...

28

A Christmas memory
Evans, Richard Paul
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Christmas Box and the Noel Collection comes A Christmas Memory, a poignant, deeply felt novel about loss, grief, the healing power of forgiveness, and the true meaning of...

29

A December to remember : a novel
Bayliss, Jenny
Paper Book
Three bickering half sisters. One unique antiques shop. The coziest holiday season of their lives. Wildly different half sisters Maggie, Simone, and Star have hardly seen one another since their sprightly summers at Rowan Thorp, their eccentric father...

30

A dog's perfect Christmas
Cameron, W. Bruce
Paper Book
The perfect, feel-good holiday gift from W. Bruce Cameron, the #1 New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the A Dog's Purpose series The problems fracturing the Goss family as Christmas approaches are hardly unique, though perhaps they are...

31

A ferry merry Christmas : a novel
Macomber, Debbie
A delayed ferryboat brings people together in the best of ways during the holiday season in this enchanting Christmas novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Debbie Macomber. Avery and Reed Bond grew up sharing a close-knit relationship, weathering life's storms...

32

A redbird Christmas : a novel
Flagg, Fannie.
Paper Book
With the same incomparable style and warm, inviting voice that have made her beloved by millions of readers far and wide,New York Timesbestselling author Fannie Flagg has written an enchanting Christmas story of faith and hope for all ages that is sure to become a classic. Deep in the southernmost...

33

A slowly dying cause
George, Elizabeth
Paper Book
A new and highly anticipated Inspector Lynley TV series releasing this fall from BritBox Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers and Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley are back in the next Lynley novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth George. ...

34

Algospeak : how social media is transforming the future of language
Aleksic, Adam
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * From linguist Adam Aleksic, known as @etymologynerd on social media, comes a captivating exploration of how internet algorithms are transforming language and communication in unprecedented ways. "Packed with fascinating facts, of-the-moment...

35

Apostle's Cove : a novel
Krueger, William Kent
Paper Book
The New York Times bestselling Cork O'Connor Mystery series--a "master class in suspense and atmospheric storytelling" (The Real Book Spy)--continues with Cork O'Connor revisiting a case from his past and confronting mysterious deaths in the present. A few nights...

36

Boleyn traitor
Gregory, Philippa
Paper Book
#1 New York Times bestselling author and "queen of royal fiction" (USA Today) Philippa Gregory returns with a dazzling historical novel of ambition, betrayal, and survival in the court of Henry VIII. "Gregory skillfully captures the lust for power and wealth that overcomes those who serve...

37

Christmas at Carnton
Alexander, Tamera
Paper Book
"This tender love story between two wounded people whom God brings together for healing is a book readers will enjoy anytime--but especially at Christmas!" --Francine Rivers, New York Times bestselling author of Redeeming Love and A Voice in the Wind Amid...

38

Christmas in cowboy country
Dailey, Janet
Paper Book
Ski instructor Annie Bennett must spend the holidays helping her parents with their big Colorado ranch, but rugged surveyor Marshall Stone becomes a potent distraction.Annie Bennett reluctantly returns to her parents' Colorado ranch to recover after a skiing accident in Aspen. When Marshall Stone, a...

39

Creative Alcohol Ink Flowers: A Step-by-Step Guide to 20 Stunning Floral Designs
Smink, Anne Roos
Join world-renowned artist and online instructor Anne Roos to create stunning floral art, step by step, using alcohol inks.  Creative Alcohol Ink Flowers offers a fresh, inspiring approach to alcohol inks, focusing on the beauty of floral designs. Through...

40

Cry havoc : a thriller
Carr, Jack
Paper Book
"Easily Jack Carr's most ambitious and best realized book yet, a scintillatingly seminal tale with echoes off le Carré, Forsyth, and Ludlum." --BookTrib From the "hottest author on the thriller scene today" (The Real Book Spy), #1 New York Times...

41

Dead Man Walking: Graphic Edition
Prejean, Helen
Paper Book
In 1982, Sister Helen Prejean became the spiritual advisor to Patrick Sonnier, the convicted killer of two teenagers who was sentenced to die in the electric chair of Louisiana's Angola State Prison. In the months before Sonnier's death, the Roman Catholic nun came to know a man who was as terrified...

42

Denied access
Bentley, Don
Paper Book
"[A] callback to what makes Rapp such a special character, and a white-knuckle reminder of why this series remains the gold standard of the political thriller genre." --The Real Book Spy Don Bentley completes the trilogy begun with American Assassin by taking...

43

Departure 37 : a novel
Carson, Scott
Paper Book
Past mysteries reappear in this terrifying tale in which forgotten Cold War secrets make a disturbing reappearance, from a writer Stephen King has called "a master." On a clear October day, the American skies empty after hundreds of pilots refuse to fly, triggering a complete...

44

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...

45

Finding my way : a memoir
Yousafzai, Malala
AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER! | A USA TODAY BOOK OF 2025 "A remarkably intimate and insistently human chronicle of a moral authority's coming of age." --The New York Times This is not the story you think you know. It's...

46

Good spirits : a novel
Borison, B. K.
Paper Book
The Instant #1 New York Times Bestseller! "Good Spirits is an absolute knockout. A new Borison book feels like coming home in the best way. She's truly in a league of her own." -- Hannah Grace, New York Times bestselling author of Icebreaker ...

47

Gray dawn
Mosley, Walter
Paper Book
Instant USA Today Bestseller In this thrilling mystery from "master of craft and narrative" Walter Mosley (National Book Foundation), Detective Easy Rawlins has settled into the happy rhythm of his new life when a dark siren from his past returns and threatens to...

48

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...

49

Heart the lover : a novel
King, Lily
Paper Book
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A BEST BOOK OF 2025: TIME Magazine, New York Times, Washington Post, Harper's Baazar, NPR, Vogue, Oprah Daily, People Magazine, USA TODAY, Literary Hub, Electric Literature, Kirkus Review, BookPage, Apple, Spotify,...

50

Hot flash holidays : a novel
Thayer, Nancy
Paper Book
In her third book in the 'Hot Flash' series, Thayer returns to the original group of characters featured in the first book, 'The Hot Flash Club'. Shirley, Faye, Alice, Marilyn, and Polly are gathering to discuss the upcoming holidays.

51

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 * In development as a feature film to be...

52

Kiss her goodbye
Gardner, Lisa
Paper Book
A New York Times bestselling author returns with the latest installment in the addictive Frankie Elkin series, in which Frankie is called to Tucson, Arizona, to find a missing Afghan refugee, whose friend suspects she is in grave danger--before it is too late. "Timely and...

53

Kooky Spooky Love: A Melody Bittersweet Novel
Silver, Josie
Paper Book
An up-and-coming ghostbuster and her motley crew tackle a devilish high-wire act, aided (or more often, interrupted) by her rakish ex and the sarcastic reporter she can't seem to shake--from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Crazy Spooky Love.

54

Lightbreakers
Gabel, Aja
In the beginning, there was happiness. Maya, an artist obsessed with the nature of beauty, and Noah, a quantum physicist preoccupied by the mysteries of the universe, found in each other a shared curiosity about the world. But beneath the surface of their happy marriage is a third rail: Serena, the...

55

Listening to the law : reflections on the court and constitution
Barrett, Amy Coney
From Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett, a glimpse of her journey to the Court and an account of her approach to the Constitution Since her confirmation hearing, Americans have peppered Justice Amy Coney Barrett with questions. How has she adjusted to the Court? What is it...

56

Otherwise engaged
Mallery, Susan
A twisty, tender and wise look at how secrets can transform the powerful--and sometimes problematic--bond between mothers and daughters, from #1 New York Times bestselling author Susan Mallery. When Shannon gets engaged, her beloved mom, Cindy, is the first person she...

57

Pull: How Gravity Shapes Your Body, Steadies the Mind, and Guides Our Health
Spiegel, Brennan
Gravity doesn't just pull apples from trees--it shapes our bodies, minds, and even our emotions. In PULL, Brennan Spiegel, M.D. reveals how this invisible force influences everything from digestion to depression--and how building gravity resilience can help us find balance, stand...

58

Remain : a supernatural love story
Sparks, Nicholas
A one-of-a-kind novel that grapples with the supernatural mysteries of life, death, and human connection--an unprecedented collaboration between the globally bestselling author of love stories like The Notebook and the renowned writer and director of blockbuster thrillers like The Sixth...

59

Shadow tyrants
Cussler, Clive
Paper Book
Only Juan Cabrillo and the crew of the Oregon stand between two warring moguls and global havoc in this thrilling suspense novel in Clive Cussler's #1 New York Times bestselling series. Nearly two thousand years ago, an Eastern emperor charged a small group with...

60

Simply handmade : 365 easy gifts & decorations you can make
Dahlstrom, Carol Field.
Paper Book
An inspirational book of craft ideas for crafters and non-crafters alike.

61

Sister wife : a memoir of faith, family, and finding freedom
Woolley, Christine Brown
Paper Book
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER From TLC's Sister Wives star Christine Brown Woolley, a groundbreaking and heartfelt memoir about living in a family like no other and finding the strength to leave polygamy--and the only life she's known--behind.

62

Snow day : a novel
Coffey, Billy.
Paper Book
In this debut novel, Peter is a simple man who lives by a simple truth--a person gains strength by leaning on his constants. To him, those constants are the factory where he works, the family he loves, and the God who sustains him. But when news of job cuts comes against the backdrop of an...

63

Some Bright Nowhere
Packer, Ann
AN OPRAH'S BOOK CLUB PICK "Extraordinary. Books like this are why I love reading. This novel about marriage and friendship and life and dying is a marvel." --Elin Hilderbrand "Profound and moving and real."--Andrew Sean Greer "...

64

Starry night : a Christmas novel
Macomber, Debbie.
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER 'Tis the season for romance, second chances, and Christmas cheer with this new novel from Debbie Macomber.   Carrie Slayton, a big-city society-page columnist, longs to write more serious news stories. So her editor hands her a...

65

Sugar and spite
Beaton, M. C.
Beloved New York Times bestseller M. C. Beaton's cranky, crafty Agatha Raisin--the star of her own hit T.V. series--is back on the case again. When a series of deaths within the small Cotswolds birdwatching community begins to unravel her village, Agatha and her...

66

The antidote
Russell, Karen
Paper Book
FINALIST FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD * NATIONAL BESTSELLER * THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW EDITORS' CHOICE * LONGLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD FOR FICTION * LONGLISTED FOR THE PEN/JEAN STEIN BOOK AWARD From Pulitzer finalist, MacArthur...

67

The Austen affair
Bell, Madeline
Two feuding co-stars in a Jane Austen film adaptation accidentally travel back in time to the Regency Era in this delightfully clever and riotously funny debut Tess Bright just scored her dream role starring in an adaptation of Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey. It's not...

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