We threw six staff members into the ultimate bookish showdown: each picked their top ten reads, then faced the brutal “This or That” gauntlet. The results? Drama, debate, and a clear winner—plus all the runner-ups that almost took the crown. Which titles came out on top? We shared the chaos live on social media, and now we’ve compiled the full reading list for our patrons so you can check out all the staff favorites and see what the hype is about.
Angi, Library Assistant
Our Wives Under the Sea: A Novel
by Julia Armfield
After a submarine disaster strands marine biologist Leah on the ocean floor, she returns home profoundly changed. Her wife, Miri, watches her grow distant and strange while searching for answers about what happened below the sea, and what Leah may have brought back.
Summer Sons
by Lee Mandelo
After his best friend Eddie’s apparent suicide, Andrew inherits a haunted life of strange friends, dark secrets, and a hungry phantom, forcing him to uncover the truth behind Eddie’s death.
We Could Be So Good: a Novel
by Cat Sebastian
In 1950s New York, guarded reporter Nick Russo and carefree heir Andy Fleming form an unlikely newsroom bond that grows into a forbidden romance they must decide is worth risking everything.
Lavender House
by Lev AC Rosen
In 1952, disgraced ex-cop Evander Mills investigates a matriarch’s death at Lavender House, a secretive queer estate hiding freedom, family, and a murderer within its gates.
The Death of Vivek Oji: A Novel
by Akwaeke Emezi
After a mother discovers her son Vivek’s body, a Nigerian family unravels the mystery of his life, identity, friendships, and struggles in a moving story of love, loss, and understanding.
Plain Bad Heroines: a Novel
by Emily M. Danforth
At a cursed New England girls’ boarding school, past and present collide in a darkly comic, gothic tale of sapphic love, deadly secrets, and twisted storytelling.
Family Meal: a Novel
by Bryan Washington
Haunted by the ghost of his lost love, Cam reconnects with childhood friend TJ, navigating old wounds, longing, and the possibility of love and healing.
A Marvellous Light
by Freya Marske
Baronet Robin Blyth stumbles into a hidden magical society, facing deadly curses, dark secrets, and a prickly ally, uncovering a conspiracy that threatens magicians across the British Isles.
When the Tides Held the Moon
by Venessa Vida Kelley
In 1910s New York, blacksmith Benny falls for Río, a captive merman, and must choose between love, freedom, and loyalty to his newfound circus family.
A Psalm for the Wild-Built
by Becky Chambers
A wandering robot reconnects with a tea monk to explore humanity’s needs, sparking a gentle, hopeful journey about purpose, connection, and what truly matters.
August, Library Assistant
Monthly girls’ Nozaki-kun
by Izumi Tsubaki
High schooler Chiyo Sakura confesses her crush to the blunt, oblivious Umetarou Nozaki—only to be mistaken for a fan and recruited as his manga assistant. As she helps create sweet romance stories, Chiyo navigates comedic misunderstandings and the frustrating reality of Nozaki’s cluelessness about love.
The Cheat Sheet: A Novel
by Sarah Adams
Best friends Bree and NFL star Nathan must fake a romance after a viral confession, forcing Bree to confront her hidden feelings in a hilarious, heartfelt love story.
A Song to Drown Rivers
by Ann Liang
Xishi uses her legendary beauty as a weapon to infiltrate the enemy palace, seeking revenge and justice, while navigating deadly intrigue, seduction, and a forbidden attraction.
Romancing Mister Bridgerton
by Julia Quinn
Penelope has secretly loved Colin Bridgerton for years, but his return to London reveals hidden secrets and sparks a slow-burn romance that challenges everything they thought they knew.
The Savior’s Book Cafe Story in Another World
by Kyouka Izumi
Reluctant hero Tsukina is transported to another world but opens a magical book café instead, finding love and discovering she might have to save the realm after all.
Beg, Borrow, or Steal: a Novel
by Sarah Adams
Rivals Emily and Jack are forced into an uneasy alliance to recover a secret manuscript, sparking fiery tension, unexpected chemistry, and a romance neither anticipated.
Tamon’s B-Side
by Yuki Shiwasu
High school fangirl Utage meets her idol Tamon, discovering his real-life insecurities, and dedicates herself to helping him rediscover confidence, and maybe love, beyond the spotlight.
Sweat and Soap
by Kintetsu Yamada
Asako’s office romance heats up when her secret body odor attracts perfumer Koutarou’s attention, leading to awkward, hilarious, and surprisingly steamy workplace chemistry.
Anna Karenina
by Leo Tolstoy
In Imperial Russia, passionate Anna Karenina defies society and her loveless marriage for a forbidden affair with Count Vronsky, navigating love, family, and tragedy in Tolstoy’s timeless masterpiece.
Assistant to the Villain
by Hannah Nicole Maehrer
Evie Sage becomes assistant to a notorious villain, navigating deadly schemes, office mayhem, and a dangerously attractive boss while uncovering a conspiracy that could destroy everything.
Danielle, Adult Services Librarian
Where the Sidewalk Ends: Poems and Drawings
by Shel Silverstein
This classic poetry collection blends absurd humor, imaginative worlds, and playful illustrations. Encounter unforgettable characters and bizarre situations in witty, whimsical poems that stretch the imagination.
Gone Girl
by Gillian Flynn
On their fifth anniversary, Amy Dunne mysteriously disappears, thrusting husband Nick into a media frenzy as secrets, lies, and dark truths unravel in this gripping psychological thriller.
Final Girls: A Novel
by Riley Sager
Ten years after surviving a massacre, Quincy must confront buried trauma when fellow Final Girls resurface, and death strikes again, forcing her to uncover the truth to survive.
The Hunger Games
by Suzanne Collins
In dystopian Panem, Katniss Everdeen volunteers for the deadly Hunger Games, facing life-or-death challenges that test her survival instincts, morality, and the power of love.
Delicious Monsters
by Liselle Sambury
Two teens, a decade apart, confront the dark secrets of Miracle Mansion, haunted by ghosts, family lies, and hidden dangers that blur past and present.
Towelhead: a Novel
by Alicia Erian
In 1991, Jasira navigates abusive family dynamics, teenage desire, and cultural isolation in Houston, discovering both danger and unexpected attention as she struggles to grow up.
Pretty Ugly: a Novel
by Kirker Butler
Stage-mom Miranda obsesses over pageant success while her chaotic family navigates pregnancy, secrets, and absurd domestic drama in this darkly hilarious satire of ambition and dysfunction
The Leftovers
by Tom Perrotta
After a mysterious mass disappearance shakes Mapleton, residents grapple with grief, fractured families, and new relationships in a town struggling to rebuild
House of Earth and Blood
by Sarah J. Maas
After a demon kills her friends, Bryce Quinlan teams with fallen angel Hunt Athalar to hunt the culprit, uncover dark powers, and ignite a dangerous, passionate romance.
Legendborn
by Tracy Deonn
After witnessing a magical attack at UNC, Bree Matthews discovers her own powers and a secret society tied to King Arthur, forcing her to uncover her mother’s mysterious death.
Justin, Adult Services Librarian
One Hundred Years of Solitude
by Gabriel García Márquez
A sweeping tale of the rise and fall of the mythical town of Macondo through generations of the Buendía family. Blending history, magic, humor, and tragedy, the story explores memory, time, and human experience in a richly imaginative world.
A Grain of Wheat
by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o
During Kenya’s final years under British rule, villagers shaped by the Mau Mau rebellion confront buried secrets, betrayals, and sacrifices as independence nears and loyalties are tested.
What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions
by Randall Munroe
A humorous look at bizarre, science-based questions answered with real research, computer simulations, and comics, turning complex ideas and ridiculous scenarios into clear, entertaining explanations.
Mystic River: a Novel
by Dennis Lehane
After childhood trauma tears them apart, three former friends reunite decades later when a murder investigation exposes buried secrets, forcing them to confront loyalty, guilt, and revenge.
Demons
by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
In Tsarist Russia, a radical revolutionary cell spreads chaos and violence while pursuing power. As exposure looms, loyalty fractures and ideology drives members toward betrayal and murder.
Seveneves
by Neal Stephenson
After a catastrophic event makes Earth uninhabitable, humanity launches a desperate space survival mission. Thousands of years later, their descendants return to a transformed planet.
A History of God: The 4,000-Year Quest of Judaism, Christianity and Islam
by Karen Armstrong
A sweeping exploration of humanity’s evolving relationship with God, tracing how Judaism, Christianity, and Islam shaped monotheism and influenced belief, philosophy, and society across centuries.
The Psychopath Test: A Journey Through the Madness Industry
by Gabriel García Márquez
A journalist explores psychopathy, the madness industry, and high-powered personalities, uncovering disturbing truths about human behavior, power, and how ordinary people reveal their hidden extremes.
Breakfast of Champions: a Novel
by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.
A darkly comic satire where a writer’s fiction is taken as reality, exploring war, politics, race, and society with Vonnegut’s irreverent humor and insight.
The Poisonwood Bible
by Barbara Kingsolver
A missionary family in 1959 Congo faces cultural clashes, political upheaval, and personal tragedy, as each member confronts moral responsibility, faith, and survival in a transforming Africa.
Katelin, Head of Adult Services
What Moves the Dead
by T. Kingfisher
When retired soldier Alex Easton returns to the Usher estate to visit their dying childhood friend Madeline, they find a house steeped in decay, strange fungal growths, and unnatural wildlife. As eerie mysteries deepen, Alex must uncover the truth behind the Usher family’s curse before it destroys them all.
Less: A Novel
by Andrew Sean Greer
Failed novelist Arthur Less crisscrosses the globe to dodge heartbreak, encountering love, mishaps, and self-discovery in a witty, heartfelt satire of life, romance, and second chances.
The Angel of the Crows
by Katherine Addison
In an alternate 1880s London, angels, vampires, and werewolves coexist amid deadly intrigue, while a mysterious Angel of the Crows confronts darkness.
Glorious Exploits: a Novel
by Ferdia Lennon
During the Peloponnesian War, two Sicilian potters stage Euripides’ Medea with imprisoned Athenians, discovering the power of art, friendship, and humanity amid conflict.
The Starving Saints: a Novel
by Caitlin Starling
Under siege, Aymar Castle’s survivors fall under the seductive, terrifying influence of divine visitors, forcing three women to navigate survival, betrayal, and desire in a hallucinatory battle for control.
The Book Thief
by Markus Zusak
In Nazi Germany, foster girl Liesel Meminger discovers the power of books to sustain hope and humanity, sharing stolen stories amid war, loss, and survival.
Mort: a novel of Discworld
by Terry Pratchett
Mort becomes Death’s apprentice, navigating the quirks of the Grim Reaper, love for Death’s daughter, and the hilarity and hazards of life—and afterlife.
The Hunger
by Alma Katsu
As the Donner Party struggles west, hunger, secrets, and paranoia unleash madness, and perhaps something supernatural, turning ambition into a deadly, terrifying fight for survival.
The Crossroads at Midnight
by Abby Howard
Five chilling tales explore ordinary lives brushed by the uncanny, where lonely souls encounter cursed objects, unknowable beings, and dark mysteries at the edge of reality.
H.P. Lovecraft’s The Shadow Over Innsmouth
by Gou Tanabe
A chilling manga adaptation of Lovecraft’s only book-published story, following a young antiquarian who uncovers Innsmouth’s dark, living secrets beneath the town’s watery ruins.
Max, Library Aide
The Cruel Prince
by Holly Black
After her parents’ murder, mortal Jude is taken to the dangerous High Court of Faerie. Determined to belong despite being human, she challenges the cruel Prince Cardan and becomes entangled in deadly court intrigue, political deception, and looming civil war that could destroy Faerie.
Lightfall: The Girl & the Galdurian
by Tim Probert
Bea and Cad, two unlikely friends, embark on a thrilling quest across Irpa to rescue the Pig Wizard and save their world from an encroaching eternal darkness.
Fourth Wing
by Rebecca Yarros
Violet Sorrengail must survive the brutal dragon-rider war college, navigating deadly rivals, deadly dragons, and hidden secrets, in this pulse-pounding, romantic fantasy adventure.
A Curse So Dark and Lonely
by Brigid Kemmerer
Harper is pulled into a cursed kingdom where a prince trapped as a monster needs her help, and her heart, to break the spell and save them both.
The Bone Spindle
by Leslie Vedder
Fi accidentally awakens a cursed prince and teams up with warrior Shane to break his century-old spell, facing dark magic, witches, and unexpected love along the way.
Beetle & the Hollowbones
by Aliza Layne
Twelve-year-old goblin-witch Beetle must save her best friend’s ghost from a cursed mall, face her magical destiny, and navigate friendship, rivalry, and mischief before it’s too late.
Six Crimson Cranes
by Elizabeth Lim
Princess Shiori must rescue her cursed brothers, stop a deadly conspiracy, and embrace forbidden magic, navigating dragons, paper birds, and a boy she swore never to love.
The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea
by Axie Oh
Mina sacrifices herself to save her brother, venturing into the Spirit Realm to awaken the Sea God, facing gods, demons, and deadly storms in this magical Korean folktale retelling.
Morgana and Oz
by Miyuli
A young witch and a brooding vampire from rival clans clash, and connect, sparking magic, mischief, and romance in this thrilling first volume of the hit fantasy WEBTOON series.
Lore Olympus
by Rachel Smythe
Persephone navigates love, power, and Olympus politics after meeting Hades, blending modern romance with Greek mythology in this striking, Eisner-winning graphic novel.
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