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
RPL Staff
Drag items up and down to your preferred order then select the "Save Order" button.
The reading list : a novel
Adams, Sara Nisha
Paper Book
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...
Rebel in the library of ever
Alexander, Zeno
Paper Book
Lenora returns to the magical Library--which holds every book ever known on its shelves. But she discovers the Library is under new management, its incredible rooms and corridors turned sinister and oppressive. Lenora quickly connects with a secret resistance that's trying to free knowledge from the...
What You Are Looking For Is in the Library A Novel
Aoyama, Michiko.
Paper Book
A TIME BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR A WASHINGTON POST BEST FEEL GOOD BOOK OF 2023 For fans of Before the Coffee Gets Cold, a charming, internationally bestselling Japanese novel about how the perfect book recommendation can change a...
The war librarian
Armstrong, Addison
Paper Book
1918. Timid and shy Emmaline Balakin lives more in books than her own life. That is, until an envelope crosses her desk at the Dead Letter Office bearing a name from her past, and Emmaline decides to finally embark on an adventure of her own as a volunteer librarian on the frontlines in France. But...
The personal librarian
Benedict, Marie
Paper Book
In her twenties, Belle da Costa Greene is hired by J. P. Morgan to curate a collection for his newly built Pierpont Morgan Library. Belle becomes a fixture on the New York society scene and one of the most powerful people in the art and book world as she helps build a world-class collection. But...
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 haunting of Hecate Cavendish
Brackston, Paula
Paper Book
The Haunting of Hecate Cavendish is book one in New York Times bestselling author Paula Brackston's new, magic-infused series about Hecate Cavendish, an eccentric and feisty young woman who can see ghosts.England, 1881. Hereford cathedral stands sentinel over the city, keeping its secrets, holding...
The Paris Library A Novel
Charles, Janet Skeslien.
Ebook
An instant New York Times, Washington Post, and USA TODAY bestseller--based on the true story of the heroic librarians at the American Library in Paris during World War II--The Paris Library is a moving and unforgettable "ode to the importance of libraries, books, and...
Murder at the Lakeside Library
Danvers, Holly
Paper Book
Rain Wilmot has just returned to her family's waterfront log cabin after the death of her husband. The cabin is peaceful compared to Rain's corporate job and comes with an informal library that her mother used to run. But as Rain prepares for the re-opening of the library, all hopes for a peaceful...
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...
My heart will find you
Deveraux, Jude
Paper Book
A mail-order bride A lonely rancher A portal to the past Their love refused to stay quiet, echoing across time... When the world is brought to a standstill in the early days of a global pandemic, Etta Wilmont finds...
Cloud Cuckoo Land A Novel
Doerr, Anthony
Ebook
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
When a traveling show of impressionist art comes to Nags Head, North Carolina, librarian Lucy and the staff at the Bodie Island Lighthouse Library are inspired to create an educational display about art history. Their launch of the display is a huge success, but the morning after, they discover that...
The woman in the library : a novel
Gentill, Sulari
Paper Book
USA TODAY BESTSELLER "Investigations are launched, fingers are pointed, potentially dangerous liaisons unfold and I was turning those pages like there was cake at the finish line." --Moira Macdonald, Seattle Times must-read books for summer 2022 Ned Kelly award winning author Sulari...
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...
A cryptic clue
Gilbert, Victoria
Paper Book
Sixty-year-old Jane Hunter, forced into early retirement from her job as a university librarian, is seeking a new challenge to keep her spirits up and supplement her meager pension. But as she's about to discover, a retiree's life can bring new thrills-and new dangers. Cameron 'Cam' Clewe, an...
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...
Mr. Lemoncello's great library race
Grabenstein, Chris
Paper Book
#1 New York Times bestselling author Chris Grabenstein is back with the third fantastically fun, puzzle-packed MR. LEMONCELLO adventure!   On your marks. Get set. Lemon, cello, GO!   Everyone's favorite game maker, Mr. Lemoncello, is testing out his...
The Blackout Book Club : a novel
Green, Amy Lynn
Paper Book
"The Blackout Book Club is a fabulous novel that will warm the hearts of readers everywhere. Amy Lynn Green gives us a poignant look at life on the home front during WWII and how comfort and camaraderie can be found in the shared love of books. This will be a wonderful book...
The archive of the forgotten
Hackwith, A. J.
Paper Book
In the second installment of this richly imagined fantasy adventure series, a new threat from within the Library could destroy those who depend upon it the most. The Library of the Unwritten in Hell was saved from total devastation, but hundreds of potential books were destroyed....
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 pawful truth
James, Miranda
Paper Book
Charlie Harris has enrolled in an early medieval history course offered by young, charismatic professor Carey Warriner. His fellow classmates are half his age - except for Dixie Bell Compton, another 'mature' student. When Charlie hears an angry exchange between her and their professor, his interest...
The Department of Rare Books and Special Collections : a novel
Jurczyk, Eva
Paper Book
Anxious People meets the delights of bookish fiction in a stunning debut following a librarian whose quiet life is turned upside down when a priceless manuscript goes missing. Soon she has to ask- what holds more secrets in the library-the ancient books shelved in the stacks, or the people who...
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.  Berlin...
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...
Murder by definition
Lehane, Cornelius
Paper Book
Crime-fiction librarian Ray Ambler gets more than he bargained for when he acquires the archives of a controversial hardboiled crime author in this contemporary twisty mystery set in New York City. Hardboiled crime writer Will Ford might be critically acclaimed, but he...
The night librarian
Lincoln, Christopher
Paper Book
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 Twins Page and Turner know about the magic a...
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 bookman's tale : a novel of obsession
Lovett, Charles C.
Paper Book
A mysterious portrait ignites an antiquarian bookseller's search through time and the works of Shakespeare for his lost love Guaranteed to capture the hearts of everyone who truly loves books, The Bookman's Tale is a former bookseller's sparkling novel and a delightful...
The mysterious moonstone
Luper, Eric
Paper Book
Getting lost in a good book has never been this dangerous!Cleo and Evan have a secret. A collection of books so dangerous they are locked up tight. A friend has vanished inside the pages of one of them. It's up to them to find the key that will set her free. A PRICELESS DIAMOND...STOLEN!When...
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.
Ebook
In this delightful, funny, and moving first novel, a librarian and a young boy obsessed with reading take to the road. Lucy Hull, a young children's librarian in Hannibal, Missouri, finds herself both a kidnapper and kidnapped when her favorite patron, ten- year-old Ian Drake,...
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...
The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek A Novel
Michele Richardson, Kim.
Ebook
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 cat who saved books : a novel
Natsukawa, Sōsuke
Paper Book
AN INDIE NEXT PICK! From the #1 bestselling author in Japan comes a celebration of books, cats, and the people who love them, infused with the heartwarming spirit of The Guest Cat and The Travelling Cat Chronicles. Bookish high school student Rintaro Natsuki is about to close the...
The seaside library
Novak, Brenda
Paper Book
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Bookstore on the Beach There are secrets that bring friends together, and others that drive them apart... Mariners Island is barely ten miles long, but when Ivy, Ariana and Cam were teenagers, it...
The book of form and emptiness
Ozeki, Ruth
Ebook
Winner of the Women's Prize for Fiction "No one writes like Ruth Ozeki--a triumph." --Matt Haig, New York Times bestselling author of The Midnight Library "Inventive, vivid, and propelled by a sense of wonder." --TIME "If you've lost your...
The messy lives of book people
Patrick, Phaedra
Paper Book
The house cleaner of a famous author must carry out her employer's shocking last wish in this delightful new novel from beloved author Phaedra Patrick Mother of two Liv Green barely scrapes by as a maid to make ends meet, often finding escape in a good book while...
The library : a fragile history
Pettegree, Andrew
Paper Book
Perfect for book lovers, this is a fascinating exploration of the history of libraries and the people who built them, from the ancient world to the digital age.   Famed across the known world, jealously guarded by private collectors, built up over...
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 home town library.When tens of thousands of owls descend on the building, rending...
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...
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...
Wizkit : an adventure overdue
Scott, Tanya J
Paper Book
Hilda and the Troll meets The Okay Witch in this delightfully whimsical middle grade graphic novel about a magical cyclops cat on her first trip away from home who learns even the most ordinary journeys can be magical with the right company! It's a wild, enchanted,...
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...
Sir Ladybug and the bookworms
Tabor, Corey R.
Paper Book
The third adventure in the fresh and funny Sir Ladybug young graphic novel series, from Caldecott Honoree and two-time Geisel Award winner Corey Tabor. Perfect for fans of Catwad, Bird & Squirrel, and Narwhal & Jelly. Sir Ladybug--the duke of the dandelion patch, champion of...
A kind of paradise
Tan, Amy Rebecca
Paper Book
Read the book that Ali Standish (author of The Ethan I Was Before) calls "a heartwarming story" and Melissa Roske (author of Kat Greene Comes Clean) calls "a joyful, heartfelt debut!" Thirteen-year-old Jamie Bunn made a mistake at the end of the school year. A big one. And...
Threadneedle
Thomas, Cari
Paper Book
The International Bestseller Within the boroughs of London, nestled among its streets, hides another city, filled with magic. 'Magic and love. Love and magic. They destroy everything in the end ...' Anna's Aunt has always warned her of the dangers of magic....
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
Ebook
'It doesn't matter. I have books, new books, and I can bear anything as long as there are books.'Fifteen-year-old Morwenna lives in Wales with her twin sister and a mother who spins dark magic for ill. One day, Mori and her mother fight a powerful, magical battle that kills her sister and...
Interlibrary loan
Wolfe, Gene
Paper Book
Hundreds of years in the future our civilization is shrunk down but we go on. There is advanced technology, there are robots.And there are clones.E. A. Smithe is a borrowed person, his personality an uploaded recording of a deceased mystery writer. Smithe is a piece of property, not a legal human.As...
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 . . .
0101813928294
YA CAI
Paper Book
In an exhilarating new 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...
0101816990929
YA CON
Paper Book
In this hilarious and thought-provoking contemporary teen standalone that's perfect for fans of Moxie, a bookworm finds a way to fight back when her school bans dozens of classic and meaningful books. Clara Evans is horrified when she discovers her principal's "prohibited...
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 local...

Library staff! You can create and contribute to lists. Contact your catalog administrator or log in here.