Ah! Just realized the reason this didn’t get tallied in the final #libfaves25 list is because I didn’t use the correct hash tag. Sigh.

Day 10 of #libfaves: LIFE HACKS FOR A LITTLE ALIEN by Alice Franklin, a charming and poignant novel about what it feels like to grow up neurodivergent. A very different sort of coming of age tale that will have you alternating between laughter and tears.

Day 9 of #libfaves25: THE BOOK CLUB FOR TROUBLESOME WOMEN by Marie Bostwick, a surprisingly thoughtful and thought provoking novel about a group of women in a suburban neighborhood in the sixties which, as you can imagine, turns out to be a time of enormous change for everyone.

Here are the LibraryReads January 2026 Hall of Fame titles! These authors' works have been consistently voted for (3+ times!) by public library staff over the past decade. Printable list found at libraryreads.org.

Dear Librarians, we hope that seeing the January 2026 LibraryReads picks gives you a boost at the start of your week! Here are the Top 10 titles that public library staff across the USA voted for as favorites. Print-friendly flyer at libraryreads.org. Which titles are you adding to your TBR?

Day 8 of #libfaves25: The completely delightful fantasy THE KEEPER OF MAGICAL THINGS by Julie Leong. Set in the same world as TELLER OF SMALL FORTUNES, this lovely tale focuses on community, friendship, acceptance, and love. So good!

Day 7 of #libfaves25: I love, love, love THE RUSH by Beth Lewis. It is brilliant, gritty, insightful, and so beautifully written. During the lawless Yukon gold rush in 1898, a woman is found murdered and three disparate women draw together to figure out what happened.

Day 6 #libfaves25: DEAD IN THE FRAME by Stephen Spotswood, the latest episode in the wonderful Pentecost and Parker mystery series. With vivid descriptions of the characters as well as 1940s New York, this series never fails for me.

Oops, almost missed doing my day 5 #libfaves25 post for KILLS WELL WITH OTHERS by Deanna Raybourn. Because who doesn’t love a bunch of smart, tough, experienced female assassins of a certain age who must track a criminal mastermind before she gets them.

Day 4 #libfaves25: A FORTY YEAR KISS by Nickolas Butler tells the story of a couple getting a second chance at love forty years after they divorced. Butler writes beautifully about small towns and everyday, flawed people.

Day 3 #libfaves25: WILD DARK SHORE by Charlotte McConaghy is mystery-thriller, part climate fiction, completely unforgettable.

Day 2 #libfaves25: KATE & FRIDA by Kim Fay. A young woman living in Paris and a young bookseller in Seattle strike up a friendship through letters in this charming coming-of-age novel, a tribute to the power of books to change lives.

Day 1 #libfaves25 (in no particular order): THE FERRYMAN AND HIS WIFE by Frode Grytten is a quietly beautiful and moving story of a man, a place, and a way of life. It will stay with you long after you turn the last page.

I think THE MOONSHINE WOMEN by Michelle Collins Anderson and THE CREEK, THE CRONE, AND THE CROW by Leah Weiss would be a great pairing. #ewgc @kensington-library.bsky.social @sbkslibrary.bsky.social

Listened to Tayari Jones talking about her upcoming book KIN this morning and now I need to find a way to squeeze this in to my December reading. #ewgc @prhlibrary.bsky.social

So many intriguing books coming out in Feb. 2026: ALL WE HAVE IS TIME by Amy Tordoff, MIDNIGHT TAXI by Yosha Gunasekera, FIREFLIES IN WINTER by Eleanor Shearer, ELEANOR AND THE SOUTH BEACH MURDERS by Ellen Yardley. #ewgc

Gripping works of historical fiction in my TBR: THE FOURTH PRINCESS by Janie Chang, BOOK OF FORBIDDEN WORDS by Louise Fein, CROWN CITY by Naomi Hirahara, and WHERE THE FALSE GODS DWELL by Denny S. Bryce. #ewgc

Of course I’m reading Kate Quinn’s THE ASTRAL LIBRARY. 1) It’s Kate Quinn, 2) the main character is a book lover, and 3) it’s about a fantastical library where books are doors to new worlds. What could be better? #ewgc @librarylovefest.bsky.social

Heard Sadeqa Johnson talking about her upcoming book, KEEPER OF LOST CHILDREN yesterday and wow, I cannot wait to read this book based on a real life woman who set out to rescue the mixed race children left behind in Germany after WWII. @ssedlib.bsky.social #ewgc

I loved Jasmin Iolani Hakes’ debut HULA, so I am totally onboard for her second novel, POHAKU, a story going back centuries detailing one family’s ties to a stone with seemingly magical powers. #ewgc @librarylovefest.bsky.social

So excited about RUINS by Lily Brooks-Dalton, about a brilliant archeologist who is searching for a lost empire no one else believes existed. By pursuing her theory, she could blow up her own life — or upend the story of civilization. @hachettelibrary.bsky.social #ewgc

Just finished THE CYCLIST by Tim Sullivan and am looking forward to reading the next book in the DS Cross mystery series, THE POLITICIAN. These are police procedurals with a twist. #ewgc @groveatlantic.bsky.social

I really enjoyed SACRED LIGHT, the 4th mystery by Kathryn Lasky featuring Georgia O’Keefe in the New Mexico mountains and desert landscapes during the 1930s. Her love of and respect for the land and indigenous people is evident on every page. #ewgc @severnhouse.bsky.social @netgalley.bsky.social

HOW TO COMMIT A POSTCOLONIAL MURDER by Nina McConigley is a wholly original debut about two Indian American girls growing up in Wyoming. Younger sister Georgie confesses in the first chapter that they had murdered their uncle, but you must read on to learn how and why. @prhlibrary.bsky.social #ewgc

GODFALL by Van Jensen surprised and delighted me. Part science fiction, part mystery/thriller, part human drama about what happens to a small town when it experiences sudden exponential growth, and so much more. So good! This is one of my favorites recent reads. @hachettelibrary.bsky.social #ewgc

Hi #ewgc! How is everyone? It is gray and rainy here. I listened to four sessions at the #PRHWinterBookandAuthorFest today. Anyone else attend?

THE CASE OF THE MURDERED MUCKRAKER by Rob Osler features a feisty, independent, bike-riding female private investigator in 1898 Chicago. She is just starting out as a PI, still trying to prove herself, when a scandalous case jeopardizes her future. #ewgc @kensington-library.bsky.social

The real pirates of the Caribbean were Black women! Set in 1675, Vanessa Riley’s immersive saga FIRE SWORD AND SEA is based on the life of pirate Jacquotte Delahaye. Check it out! #ewgc @librarylovefest.bsky.social

So excited about the latest Georgia O’Keefe mystery, SACRED LIGHT by Kathryn Lasky. Just look at that beautiful cover art! Set in New Mexico 1937, painter Georgia O’Keefe learns that a friend has gone missing and Georgia feels compelled to investigate. #ewgc @severnhouse.bsky.social #netgalley

In the1940s, the US implemented a plan to reduce STIs among soldiers, young women even thought to be sexually active could be locked up for an unknown length of time. To learn more, read Donna Everhart’s stunning novel WOMEN OF A PROMISCUOUS NATURE. #ewgc @kensington-library.bsky.social

Naomi Hirahara’s latest mystery, CROWN CITY, is set in Pasadena, 1903. The main character, Ryui Wada, is fresh off the boat from Yokahama and working as an art dealer’s apprentice. Then Ryui and his roommate are hired to investigate an art theft. #dontmiss #ewgc @sohopress.bsky.social

Looking forward to reading EVELYN IN TRANSIT by David Guterson. This is his first novel in quite a while and centers on a woman who questions conventions, defies expectations, and seeks the right way to live. #ewgc @wwnortonlibrary.bsky.social

Currently reading THE CYCLIST by Tim Sullivan. This fascinating mystery features a British detective who finds social interactions a challenge but has a brilliant mind for puzzling out the clues in murder investigations. #ewgc @groveatlantic.bsky.social

THE ONCE AND FUTURE QUEEN by Paula Lafferty is a real feast for readers, even if you know nothing about King Arthur. A modern woman is transported back to the 7th century to help save Camelot and breathes new life into the legends. Beautiful! #ewgc @kensington-library.bsky.social

Just finished A DEFIANT WOMAN by Karen E.Olson, and wow, is this fun. The author takes the characters from Henry VIII’s court, transplants them to the modern US, and writes mysteries about the deaths that surrounded him. #Tudorsforever #ewgc @pegasus-books.bsky.social

Love, love, love SECRETS OF THE FIRST SCHOOL by T.L. Huchu, the final book of the Edinburgh Nights fantasy series. If you haven’t read these books, go ahead and do it now. Ropa Moyo is an unforgettable lead, and the mix of Zimbabwean and Scottish magic is brilliant. #ewgc @macmillanlib.bsky.social

Hello galley chatters! Is everyone enjoying some nice autumn weather? Can’t wait to hear what everyone’s been reading! #ewgc

THE MYSTERIOUS DEATH OF JUNETTA PLUM by Valerie Wilson Wesley is the start of a new mystery series set in Harlem in the 1920s during the Harlem Renaissance. Perfect for fans of Nekesia Afia’s Dead Dead Girls and Avery Cunningham’s The Mayor of Maxwell Street. #ewgc @kensingtonbooks.bsky.social

So excited to read CANTICLE by Janet Rich Edwards. In 13th C Bruges, a fiercely independent young woman seeks shelter within a community of religious women who do not answer to the church. This debut is said to evoke a world on the verge of transformation. #ewgc @spiegelandgrau.bsky.social

I’m in the mood for a good mystery so what could be better than Terry Shames’ THE CURIOUS POISONING OF JEWEL BARNES? Small town Chief of Police Sam Craddock has his hands full with illegal dumping and feuding sisters—until one of the sisters ends up dead. @severnhouse.bsky.social #ewgc

With a young protagonist who decides to solve a series of murders in her community, THE LIST OF SUSPICIOUS THINGS by Jennie Godfrey sounds like a charming coming of age story that will appeal to fans of Alan Bradley’s Flavia de Luce mysteries. #ewgc @hachettelibrary.bsky.social

Looking forward to reading WHEN THE FIREFLIES DANCE by Aisha Hassan. After his young brother is murdered in front of the family home in Pakistan, Lalloo sets out to save himself and his family at great personal cost. Based on a true story and perfect for book groups. #ewgc @ssedlib.bsky.social

Took a peek at NEEDLE LAKE by Justine Champine and it looks really good. On Christmas Eve, two young cousins witness a man twitching and dying below the ice. Hope to read it this month. #ewgc @prhlibrary.bsky.social

EVENSONG by Stewart O’Nan is a quietly moving novel about a group of older women in Pittsburgh who form the Humpty Dumpty Club to provide help to their friends and acquaintances in need—picking up groceries and medicines, driving to dr. appts, etc. So much ❤️. #ewgc @groveatlantic.bsky.social

I love Mark de Castrique’s Secret Lives mysteries and in particular DESPERATE SPIES, this 3rd entry in the series. The star of the series is 75 year old Ethel Crestwater, a retired FBI agent who runs a boarding house. Sounds harmless but she still has mad skills. @severnhouse.bsky.social #ewgc

THE FERRYMAN AND HIS WIFE by Frode Grytten is such a quietly beautiful and moving story, I can’t wait to start putting it in readers’ hands. In luminescent prose, Grytten paints a portrait of a man, a place, and a way of life. Don’t miss it. #ewgc @hachettelibrary.bsky.social

THE TORTOISE’S TALE by Kendra Coulter was a lovely and thoughtful look at the past century of American life as seen through the eyes of a rare (and very observant) giant tortoise living on the grounds of a California estate. So much love for this book. @ssedlib.bsky.social #ewgc

Enjoyed THE QUEEN WHO CAME IN FROM THE COLD, the latest in S. J. Bennett’s “Her Majesty the Queen Investigates” mystery series. It’s fascinating to think about the Queen of England solving crimes in between all her actual royal duties. @crookedlanebooks.bsky.social #ewgc

Hey everybody! #ewgc

#ewgc Thanks everybody for making my TBR even higher! See you next month!