Open Books Challenge 2026: With a Character who Works at Your Job or at Your Dream Job

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

These are some ideas that fit the category "With a character who works at your job or your dream job."

Happy Reading!

Updated December 31, 2025
RPL Staff
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The collected regrets of Clover
Brammer, Mikki
Paper Book
Clover Brooks has forgotten how to live. It might be because she spends her time caring for people in their final days, working as a death doula in New York City. Or it might be because she has a regret of her own - one she can't bring herself to let go of. ...
Smoke gets in your eyes : and other lessons from the crematory
Doughty, Caitlin
Paper Book
The critically acclaimed account of Caitlin Doughty's first year working on the funerary frontlines.
Olga dies dreaming
Gonzalez, Xochitl
Paper Book
'Deeply satisfying and nuanced . . . a tender exploration of love in its many forms' Observer 'Gonzalez couples engrossing political intrigue with engagingly flawed characters you can't help but root for' Mail on Sunday It's 2017, and...
Great big beautiful life
Henry, Emily
Paper Book
When Margaret Ives, the famously reclusive heiress, invites eternal optimist Alice Scott to the balmy Little Crescent Island, Alice knows this is it- her big break. And even more rare- a chance to impress her family with a Serious Publication. The catch? Pulitzer-prize winning human...
All creatures great and small
Herriot, James
Ebook
The first collection of memoirs from the author who inspired the BBC series All Creatures Great and Small. Fresh out of Glasgow Veterinary College, to the young James Herriot 1930s Yorkshire seems to offer an idyllic pocket of rural life in a rapidly changing world. But from his...
Wine girl : the obstacles, humiliations, and triumphs of America's youngest sommelier
James, Victoria (Sommelier)
Paper Book
Winner of the Fortnum & Mason Food and Drink Awards Drink Book Award 2021 Longlisted for the André Simon Food & Drink Book Awards 2020 'Hugely entertaining' Jay Rayner 'A brilliantly Bourdain-ish tale of a young woman making her way...
Kiki's delivery service
Kadono, Eiko
Paper Book
This magical translation of Eiko Kadono's classic tale Kiki's Delivery Service will enchant fans of the beloved Studio Ghibli film (now on Netflix) and new readers alike. Kiki is a trainee witch. On her thirteenth birthday she must follow tradition and leave home to find a new...
Shark lady : the true story of how Eugenie Clark became the ocean's most fearless scientist
Keating, Jess
Paper Book
One of New York Times' Twelve Books for Feminist Boys and Girls! This is the story of a woman who dared to dive, defy, discover, and inspire. This is the story of Shark Lady. One of the best science picture books for children, Shark Lady is a must for both teachers and parents alike!
Euphoria : a novel
King, Lily.
Paper Book
The New York Times Top Ten Bestseller From the author of Writers & Lovers, Euphoria is Lily King's gripping novel inspired by the true story of a woman who changed the way we understand our world. 'Pretty much perfect' -...
Arsenic and adobo
Manansala, Mia P.
Audiobook
A RUSA Award-winning novel! The first book in a new culinary cozy series full of sharp humor and delectable dishes--one that might just be killer.... When Lila Macapagal moves back home to recover from a horrible breakup, her life seems to be following all the...
Wish you were her
McNicoll, Elle
Wish You Were Her is the riveting rivals-to-lovers YA romance from bestselling, award-winning Elle McNicoll. Perfect for fans of Emily Henry's Book Lovers. 'A beautiful, witty, cinematic romcom . . . A must read for summer' - Lizzie Huxley-Jones,...
Madame Tussaud : a novel of the French revolution
Moran, Michelle.
Paper Book
Marie has grown up in her step-father's waxwork museum, learning the ways of crafting human statues for the rich and famous of Paris. But all is not well in the French capital, the people are going hungry while the king and queen and their court live increasingly lavish lives. Surrounded by her...
Convenience store woman
Murata, Sayaka
Paper Book
The surprise smash hit - Japan's answer to Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine.
On rotation : a novel
Obuobi, Shirlene
Paper Book
Killers of a certain age
Raybourn, Deanna
Paper Book
Older women often feel invisible, but sometimes that's their secret weapon. Billie, Mary Alice, Helen and Natalie have worked for the Museum, an elite network of assassins, for forty years. But now their talents are considered old-school and no one appreciates their real-world...
Carrie Soto is back : a novel
Reid, Taylor Jenkins
Paper Book
***NEW NOVEL ATMOSPHERE COMING JUNE 2025 - PREORDER NOW*** From the bestselling author of MALIBU RISING, DAISY JONES & THE SIX and THE SEVEN HUSBANDS OF EVELYN HUGO 'It made me cry twice, and when I finished reading, I had to sit for a minute with...
The invention of Hugo Cabret : a novel in words and pictures
Selznick, Brian.
Audiobook
Romantic comedy : a novel
Sittenfeld, Curtis
Paper Book
The Ravenmaster : my life with the ravens at the Tower of London
Skaife, Christopher
Paper Book
'Packed with insight and anecdote, his story brings the Tower ravens to vivid life, each bird with a personality of its own. I've been fortunate enough to tour the Tower and meet the ravens a few times in years past; after reading this book, I cannot wait to go back' George R. R. Martin ...
The Baby-sitters club. 01, Kristy's great idea
Telgemeier, Raina
Ebook
A graphic novel adapted and illustrated by Raina Telgemeier, the #1 New York Times bestselling, multiple Eisner Award-winning author of Smile! Kristy, Mary Anne, Claudia, and Stacey are best friends and founding members of The Baby-sitters Club. Whatever comes up -- cranky...
Pick a Color
Thammavongsa, Souvankham
There's no such thing as an easy job
Tsumura, Kikuko
Paper Book
_______________ 'Surreal and unsettling' - Observer Cultural Highlight 'Wise, comical and exceptionally relatable' - Zeba Talkhani 'Quietly hilarious and deeply attuned to the uncanny rhythms and deadpan absurdity of the daily...
Paper girls
Vaughan, Brian K.
Paper Book
Brian K. Vaughan and Cliff Chiang's Eisner Award winning series PaperGirls is coming Amazon Prime Video in July 2022! From Brian K. Vaughan,#1 New York Times bestselling writer of SAGA, and Cliff Chiang, legendary artistof WONDER WOMAN, comes the first volume of an all-new...
The breakaway : a novel
Weiner, Jennifer
Paper Book
'Incredibly fun . . . A lovely, compulsively readable story about finding your path and believing in your own worth' Kirkus Reviews 'This is a winning combination of a light read with serious emotional depth, the very mix Weiner's many fans have come to...
The Devil wears Prada
Weisberger, Lauren
Paper Book
The classic multi-million-copy bestseller that inspired the film and the musical! *DON'T MISS THE BRAND NEW MOVIE, THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA 2, COMING SOON TO CINEMAS * High fashion, low cunning - and the boss from hell ... When Andrea first sets foot in the plush...
The bookbinder : a novel
Williams, Pip
Paper Book
As World War One brings women unexpected new freedoms, bookbinder Peggy has the chance at a new future. 'A wonderful book' Fiona Valpy, author of The Dressmaker's Gift 'Your job is to bind the books, not read them.' When...
Call the midwife : a memoir of birth, joy, and hard times
Worth, Jennifer
Paper Book
'Unforgettable' GUARDIAN 'Poignant, funny and enlightening' DAILY EXPRESS 'Gripping, moving and convincing from beginning to end . . . a powerful evocation of a long-gone world' LITERARY REVIEW THE...
Interior Chinatown
Yu, Charles
Ebook

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