Adult Summer Reading 2025: Staff Picks

Recommended by Sean (Adult Services)
A playful and inventive documentation of what's currently possible with generative AI and a startling look back at one's life through the eyes of the machine.

Recommended by Sean (Adult Services)
Wary of the AI hype and weary of the AI doom? Mollick offers some AI pragmatism.

Recommended by Katrina (Teen Services)
I loved it. Part memoir, part food writing, part journalism, part cultural reflection. It takes you to all sorts of pockets of America to show you what's there and why. It asks questions about race and culture, and examines how food is a common thread through it all. Really worth a read.

Recommended by Kat (Adult Services)
"The book covers topics of the commerce, architecture, technology and geography that have shaped homes into what they are today, told through a series of "tours" through Bryson's Norfolk rectory that quickly digress into the history of each particular room."

Recommended by Analisa (Adult Services)
Absolutely loved this book. It is cathartic, emotional, and beautiful. John Green shifting to publishing nonfiction suits him so well. I give this book 5 stars!

Recommended by Analisa (Adult Services)
The way I want to give this book a big hug! Slate's essays are quirky, fun, and meaningful. It combines both poetry and prose, and is a quick read if you would like some fun.

Recommended by Mary (Adult Services)
Great! At the beginning of WW2, the US had no spy organization. FDR gave Willian Donovan the job of creating one. He recruited lots of professors and librarians, who proved to be perfect for the job, because they were good at sifting thru LOTS of data to find helpful clues. Highly recommend!

Recommended by Mary (Adult Services)
Very interesting, about British monarchy from abdication of Edward thru coronation of Eliz 2. Very damning about Edward and Wallis.

Recommended by Mary (Adult Services)
Very interesting. Talks about crises handled in the White House situation room, and also about how the room itself evolved.

Recommended by Analisa (Adult Services)
What an incredible journey of discovering identity, religion and queerness. The way that H explores struggles of queerness and identity is something that I related to so much, and can be so interesting to learn about.

Recommended by Analisa (Adult Services)
Oh this is a masterful work. The way that Patti Smith writes is one for the ages. Her relationship with Robert Mapplethorpe is the epitome of chosen family and love in all forms. Will be one of my favorite books of the year!

Recommended by Kat (Adult Services)
"Vivacious and plainspoken, lyrical and honest, Zauner’s voice is as radiantly alive on the page as it is onstage. Rich with intimate anecdotes that will resonate widely, and complete with family photos, Crying in H Mart is a book to cherish, share, and reread." (From front flap)

Recommended by Meredith (Children's)
This is a fun story for book lovers, as it follows a book through many people's hands, showing how it has an impact on a diverse set of people and their lives, including its author.

Recommended by Mary (Adult Services)
Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayres, and other women crime novelists solve the murder of nurse May Daniels. Very interesting look at attitude toward women in 1930's England.

Recommended by Jennifer K. (Children's)
This is one of my favorite Agatha Christie novels.  It is filled with some incredible storytelling and fascinating characters as Hercules Poirot tries to figure out how someone was murdered in his locked compartment of the famous train, the Orient Express.

Recommended by Jennifer G. (Children's)
As a lover of puns, Hallmark movies, good food, I loved how this book was both predictable and subverting the usual narrative. Tasked with putting together the inaugural Hanukkah Bazaar in small-town Vermont, cafe-owner Abby seeks the help of Seth, the cheerfully annoying regular customer who so happens to be the only other Jewish person around. While funny and sweet, the book also heartwarmingly explores the complications of identity and family.

Recommended by Jennifer K. (Children's)
Whether you consider this novel a retelling, a reimagining or a companion to The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, this book is powerful and thought-provoking. Filled with emotion and heartbreak, I found myself rooting for Jim the whole time!

Recommended by Jennifer K. (Children's)
This is a coming-of-age novel set in London in which the main character, Anna, has a chance to change her whole life based on some lies. Anna was relatable and the novel was so easy to read. I found myself cheering for Anna.

Recommended by Sean (Adult Services)
Tired of hearing about the latest romantasy novel? Here's something completely different; delightfully odd (the titular "Sky Daddy" is not the pilot but the plane) and oddly delightful. Sure to be at the top of Sigmund Freud's summer reading list.

Recommended by Jennifer K. (Children's)
Broken Country pulled at my heartstrings. It is both a mystery and love story all in one. It held me to the very end.

Recommended by Megan (Adult Services)
Grady Hendrix has a way of getting way under my skin, in the best way possible. He crafts believable characters and puts them through unbelievable horrors, while providing searing commentary on issues of the current day. I felt for Fern as she tried to deal with the hand dealt and will continue to come back to Grady Hendrix for his next book!

Recommended by Georgette (Circulation)
For fans of Apple TV's "Slow Horses Series",  here is a Cold War spy novel by the same author as the series. Based in London and Berlin, It's filled with intrigue, corruption and humor with a great twist at the end. Enjoy!

Recommended by Emily D. (Adult Services)
A group of four strangers are brought together to meet in a weekly therapy session to work through different losses that they have experienced. As they work through their grief, they develop friendships and relationships with each other while sharing parts of themselves that they haven't been able to share with anyone else in their lives. The stories they share will draw you in and make you feel as though you become a part of these characters' lives.

Recommended by Jennifer K. (Children's)
This book is the perfect blend of sweet romance mixed with some tough real life struggles. It's all about creating a life filled with love that's worth remembering. The feelings from the story stayed with me long after I was done reading.

Recommended by Jennifer G. (Children's)
A fun, whodunnit, vacation read filled with sun, alcohol, possibly romance and definitely murder with a (self-identified) unreliable narrator. As people around her are murdered on her Italian book tour, author Eleanor Dash must figure out how to kill off her main character while (maybe?) also avoiding being murdered herself. Bonus: the audiobook is hilarious.

Recommended by Jennifer K. (Children's)
Camilla's husband can't be located the morning she is returning to work after maternity leave. Then she is informed that her husband is the gunman in a hostage situation. I enjoyed Famous Last Words because it is a quick page turner filled with suspense.

Recommended by Marissa (Circulation)
The Starless Sea is a love letter to storytelling. This novel follows a young man named Zachary who discovers a mysterious book of stories that includes one from his own childhood. He sets off on a quest to uncover the truth of the book's origins and falls into a magical world brimming with stories of its own. The Starless Sea is brilliantly written and truly in a league of its own.

Recommended by Megan (Adult Services)
I found this novel a marvel - the beautiful prose, the strong sense of structure and the cast of characters that felt like real people dealing with real circumstances. The focus on old growth forests inspire a sense of awe, aptly illustrated throughout the story.

Recommended by Shelley (Circulation)
This is about a women back in the 1950's whose not so exciting life gets turned upside down when her husband dies suddenly revealing his other hidden family.  The heroine has to sell her home, get a job outside of the home which requires training,  and support herself. She triumphs and I found myself rooting for her all through the story.

Recommended by Marissa (Circulation)
The Priory of the Orange Tree is a fantastically detailed fantasy book. This novel follows a Queen, a secret magic user, and a dragon rider as they navigate complex conflicts in a fantasy world brimming with powerful magic. The Priory of the Orange Tree may appear intimidating due to its size, but every word is essential to telling a brilliant story and creating a world richer than our real one.

Recommended by Katrina (Teen Services)
Achingly romantic, heartbreaking, and beautifully written. Icarus is such an incredible character that I was immediately invested in, and only felt closer to as the story progressed.

Recommended by Katrina (Teen Services)
I've always had a soft spot for figure skating, so seeing inside the competitive world of ice dance piqued my interest. All in all, this was a well-constructed story with interesting characters (just the right amount of tortured for a Wuthering Heights inspired tale). The audio production featured excellent narration by multiple readers.