2025-26 Book Selections

September 2025

The Hate You Give, by Angie Thomas. This book was published in 2017 and was inspired by the Black Lives Matter Movement. It tells the story of a teenage girl who witnesses the shooting of her childhood friend by police. [Banned Book]

October 2025

The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald. This book turns 100 in 2025! This would be an interesting ready, one that many of us may have read in school, for a compare/contrast between life in the Jazz Age and 2025. [100-Year Anniversary - Book written in 1925]

November 2025

Educated, by Tara Westover - A memoir about the author's journey from a survivalist Mormon family in rural Idaho to a highly educated woman with a PhD from Cambridge University. [Biography/Memoir]

December 2025

The Christmas Countdown, by Holly Cassidy - A charming holiday rom-com about a young, recently heartbroken woman who is tasked by her sister to complete Advent calendar challenges in the lead up to Christmas to reignite her belief in herself, the holidays, and love again. [Christmas]

January 2026

1954 - 12 Angry Men, by Reginald Rose. A jury of 12 men must determine the fate of a 16-year-old boy accused of murdering his father. [Best Seller]

February 2026

We'll Prescribe You a Cat, by Syou Ishida (Japanese) - Having a hard day? Escape to Kyoto, Japan's Nakagyo clinic for the soul, where patients are prescribed a cat! This delightful novel gives us a peek into the lives of a discouraged businessman; a middle-aged dad, a tween, and others who grapple with life's challenges. Here we explore how the human-animal bond transforms lives and brings hope and healing. Available in hard copy and on audible. [Foreign Author]

March 2026

Happiness in This Life, by Pope Francis - A collection of speeches and homilies offers lessons on find joy and happiness in a chaotic world. [Spiritual]

April 2026

How to Age Disgracefully, by Clare Pooley - A senior citizens' center and a daycare collide with hilarious results. [Sleeper - the book that didn't seem to have much promise but wowed you.]

May 2026

The Briar Club, by Kate Quinn - a haunting and powerful story of female friendships and secrets in a Washington, DC, boardinghouse during the McCarthy era. [Mystery]

June 2026

South of Superior, by Ellen Airgood - A young woman leaves Chicago and moves to a small town on the shores of Lake Superior. [Michigan author]

July 2026

Finding Gobi, by Dion Leonard - Ultra-marathon runner, Dion Leonard, had tackled many grueling races in his life, but when he was joined by a small, stray dog on his trek across the harsh Gobi desert, his life changed forever. The tiny dog had enormous spirit and character, and seemed to want to run alongside him wherever he went. [Non-ficiton]