Staff Picks: October 2025Like this list

15 items

• The Colony

  Magee, Audrey

  Add The Colony to your for later shelf

  Set in the summer of 1979 on an isolated island off the coast of Ireland, an English artist seeks a quiet place to capture the harsh but beautiful environment. A French student returns to study and preserve the dying language of the few remaining…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Dilemmas of Working Women

  Stories

  Yamamoto, Fumio, 1962-2021

  Add The Dilemmas of Working Women to your for later shelf

  Five short stories about women who have found themselves stuck in their lives, written in the '90s and published in Japan in 2000, now in English for the first time. Exceptional in every way.

• The Unraveling of Julia

  a Psychological Thriller

  Scottoline, Lisa

  Add The Unraveling of Julia to your for later shelf

  Murder, astrology, Tuscany, biological parents, mystery, inheritance, mental health: this book had it all and more.

• Origin

  a Novel

  Brown, Dan, 1964-

  Add Origin to your for later shelf

  Robert Langdon, (yes, the same professor from “The Da Vinci Code”) has traveled to Spain to attend the reveal of a discovery that a former student has made. Before the secret is revealed, Langdon is propelled into this book’s quest. It is up to…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Ornithologist's Field Guide to Love

  Holton, India

  Add The Ornithologist's Field Guide to Love to your for later shelf

  This historical romantic comedy is a sweet, silly read. I loved following Professor Beth Pickering on the race to win a competition for tenure and Birder of the Year by finding the rare and elusive caladrius. Beth’s focus on her ornithologist career…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Ghostwriter

  a Novel

  Clark, Julie, 1971-

  Add The Ghostwriter to your for later shelf

  In 1975 two teenage siblings died leaving one child left of the Taylor family—Vincent Taylor. Everyone thinks Vincent Taylor murdered his siblings. 50 years later Vincent Taylor is battling Lewy body dementia and wants to reveal the truth so he…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• A Drop of Corruption

  An Ana and Din Mystery

  Bennett, Robert Jackson, 1984-

  Add A Drop of Corruption to your for later shelf

  The second book in the Shadow of the Leviathan series is as gripping as the first, and with an opponent that even the eerily brilliant Ana Dolobra may not be able to outmatch. Dark fantasy meets twisty murder mystery in this series, with an…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• People Watching

  a Novel

  Bonam-Young, Hannah

  Add People Watching to your for later shelf

  A perfect mix of cozy autumn vibes, small town nostalgia, heart-wrenching, and super spicy! As someone who lives in a small tourist town and who has stayed in Northern Ontario towns more times than I can count, I absolutely adored the setting and…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Buckeye

  a Novel

  Ryan, Patrick, 1965-

  Add Buckeye to your for later shelf

  Fans of character-driven sagas will love this beautiful and moving novel of two families joined by secrets and betrayals. With themes of love, loss, parenthood and forgiveness, this book will stay with you for a long time.

• The Elements

  a Novel

  Boyne, John, 1971-

  Add The Elements to your for later shelf

  Boyne presents four interconnected novellas that explore sexual abuse and the terrible fallout of these crimes. Each story leads to the next, and is written from a different perspective: the enabler, the accomplice, the perpetrator, and the victim.…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Names

  a Novel

  Knapp, Florence

  Add The Names to your for later shelf

  A look a the life of a character written in three separate narratives, and how the trajectory of a life, and the lives of those he touches, can be changed by one event.

• The Wager

  a Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny, and Murder

  Grann, David

  Add The Wager to your for later shelf

  Robinson Crusoe meets Lord of the Flies, this book recalls the accounts of the crew of the H.M.S. Wager; a British ship set on course to intercept a Spanish vessel in 1740 during an imperial war that crash-lands near a remote island. Struggling with…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Guest

  a Novel

  Paris, B. A.

  Add The Guest to your for later shelf

  Imagine arriving home after a much-needed break to find someone living in your house. This guest ends up being a friend and is a large part of this story. Tremendously overstaying her welcome, she announces that she left her husband because he…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Katabasis

  a Novel

  Kuang, R. F. (Rebecca F.)

  Add Katabasis to your for later shelf

  Everything RF Kuang writes is engaging and intriguing, and this is no different. I utterly enjoyed this exploration of the philosophies of hell and had a hard time putting it down!

• The Amalfi Curse

  a Novel

  Penner, Sarah

  Add The Amalfi Curse to your for later shelf

  This novel was an absolute delight. The characters and how their stories intertwined were so interesting and lovely, and the storylines were engaging and well-done!