Staff Picks: What We Loved in 2025Like this list

45 items

• Seascraper

  Wood, Benjamin, 1981-

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  A delightful short book you could read in a couple days (or afternoon if you're very motivated). This story follows a young man named Thomas Flett who has fallen into the family business of shrimp shanking by necessity, setting aside his own hopes…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Pinocchio

  Collodi, Carlo, 1826-1890

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  I recommend Pinocchio to readers of all ages! It's funny, whimsical, and a little morbid in places — definitely a children's classic worth visiting (Submitted by Kaitlyn)

• The Librarians

  Thomas, Sherry (Sherry M.)

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  Fun mystery, interesting characters and their interactions, the author knows the library setting well (Submitted by Anonymous)

• Stronger

  the Untold Story of Muscle in Our Lives

  Gross, Michael Joseph

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  an excellent blend of current science, history, philosophy, and health matters (Submitted by Anonymous)

• Property

  Stories Between Two Novellas

  Shriver, Lionel

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  Normally, I am not a fan of short stories, but these ones were great and definitely worth the read (Submitted by D.D)

• I'll Show Myself Out

  Essays on Midlife & Motherhood

  Klein, Jessi, 1975-

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  listened to it on audiobook and laughed out loud. An honest and humorous collection of essays (Submitted by Meghan)

• Battle of the Linguist Mages

  Moore, Scotto

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  Isobel plays video games and she plays them well. Specifically, she plays the medieval rave themed Virtual Reality game “Sparkle Dungeon” and she plays so well that she is the undisputed Queen of Sparkle Realm. You learn this about Isobel during the…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Way of Kings

  Sanderson, Brandon

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  The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson is a high fantasy with amazing world building, a wide variety of characters, and tons of action. It's the first book in the Stormlight Archives, and while its size may be overwhelming at first, the pages will…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Demon Copperhead

  a Novel

  Kingsolver, Barbara

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  This novel is about a boy named Damon navigating through the struggle of addiction and poverty. The story is both agonizing and hopeful depicting survival and human spirit (Submitted by Ben).

• Death by a Thousand Cuts

  Stories

  Bhat, Shashi, 1983-

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  Unputdownable short stories detailing all of the horrors and quirks of being a young South-Asian woman navigating the dating scene in Vancouver. A 2025 finalist for the Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize and the Roderick Haig-Brown Regional Prize (Submitted…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Emily Carr and Her Dogs

  Flirt, Punk, and Loo

  Carr, Emily, 1871-1945

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  This is an adorable little book written by Emily Carr herself (and one of her dogs). Written in 25 vignettes, she also has one of her dogs tell what happens in each month of the year. Energetic, adorable, poetic, I found it fascinating to hear about…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Beneath the Moon

  Fairy Tales, Myths, and Divine Stories From Around the World

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  My son and I have both enjoyed reading this international fairytale collection. Yoshi Yoshitani's art style is fresh and unique, featuring diverse and multicultural characters. Each story is one page and is paired opposite a lush and vibrant…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Women's Health. Lift to Get Lean

  a Beginner's Guide to Fitness & Strength Training in 3 Simple Steps

  Perkins, Holly

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  Practical. Easy to follow. Well explained (Submitted by GX)

• Wild Dark Shore

  a Novel

  McConaghy, Charlotte

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  A thrilling, well-written, enigmatic story that explores themes of grief, family trauma, loyalty, and the pressures and dangers of a rapidly changing world amidst the rising consequences of climate change (Submitted by Brandi-Lee)

• Eragon

  Paolini, Christopher

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  The world-building is so immersive, complete with original languages and cultures! Such a fun read following the characters on their adventures (Submitted by GJ)

• Completely Kafka

  a Comic Biography

  Mahler, 1969-

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  The texts are dry but witty, often uses ironic tones to create sad yet absurdly humorous representation of Kafka. And the art also delivers the entertaining irony through the exaggerated portrayals; for example, Franz' father Hermann is drawn as a…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Strange Pictures

  Uketsu

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  A unique take on an unsettling, slow burn Japanese thriller/horror. Each chapter features a singular murder-mystery, and the clues all lay in puzzling hand-drawn illustrations. Are they connected? Is anyone actually responsible for the deaths? If…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Women

  Hannah, Kristin

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  It’s painful, yet an amazing story of love. Very emotional, please, hold on to your tears and don’t cry, but you will love it (Submitted by Ben)

• Once Upon a Wardrobe

  Henry, Patti Callahan

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  Megs’ eight-year-old brother, George, is dying. Born with a heart that is too weak to do the job right, he is unable to attend school and spends much of his time in bed. After reading “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” by C.S. Lewis, George…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Last Woman

  Stories

  Baker, Carleigh

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  Short stories that you’ll polish off in a day! A 2025 finalist for the Jim Deva Prize for Writing that Provokes (Submitted by Meghan)