The Right Book at the Right Time

Some of our favorite mystery series take place in Ireland. Here are just a few suggestions:

MURDER IN AN IRISH VILLAGE by Carlene O’Connor

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MURDER AT AN IRISH CASTLE by Ellie Brannigan

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ST. PATRICK’S DAY MURDER by Leslie Meier

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WITH OUR BLESSING by Jo Spain

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Adults! Welcome to year 4 of our year-long reading challenge. Explore different genres, discover new authors and be entered to win prizes. To complete the challenge, read just one book in each category by midnight on December 31st, 2025. Earn bigger prizes by reading more!

To register, or to sign in, please click here.

April’s theme is Sprinkle a Little Magic-Magical Realism, Fantasy, or Fairy Tale retellings. Here are a few suggestions to get you started:

BLACK WOODS BLUE SKY by Eowyn Ivey

“This riff on Beauty and the Beast is well written and suspenseful, a story of a certain inner wildness and violence, of taking chances and facing the consequences, of a destructive love. Fans of Ivey’s vivid, unfurling writing style and fans of creative, rich retellings will enjoy the turns and twists this novel takes.” ~Booklist (Starred Review)

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A TALE FOR THE TIME BEING by Ruth Ozeki

“Ozeki adeptly intertwines past and present while weaving bits of history into her stories. Topics such as bullying, politics, depression, suicidal tendencies, and Buddhism are explored throughout, and as in previous novels, Ozeki validates her gift for writing prose that raises thought-provoking issues for readers to ponder long after finishing the book.” ~Library Journal

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GARDEN SPELLS by Sarah Addison Allen

“Spellbindingly charming, Allen’s impressively accomplished debut novel will bewitch fans of Alice Hoffman and Laura Esquivel, as her entrancing brand of magic realism nimbly blends the evanescent desires of hopeless romantics with the inherent wariness of those who have been hurt once too often.” ~Booklist (Starred Review)

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THE WIND-UP BIRD CHRONICLE by Haruki Murakami

“On a canvas stretched from Manchuria to Malta, and with sound effects from strange birdcalls to sleigh bells in cyberspace, this is a fully mature, engrossing tale of individual and national destinies entwined. It will be hard to surpass.” Kirkus Reviews

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THE INVISIBLE LIFE OF ADDIE LARUE by V.E. Schwab

“This sweeping fantasy is as much a love story as it is a tribute to storytelling, art, and inspiration. Schwab’s diverse cast is beautifully rendered, and the view of human connection on offer is biting and bitter, yet introspective and sweet. This ambitious and hopeful work is a knockout.” ~Publishers Weekly

For more information, or to place a hold, please click here.

Adults! Welcome to year 4 of our year-long reading challenge. Explore different genres, discover new authors and be entered to win prizes. To complete the challenge, read just one book in each category by midnight on December 31st, 2025. Earn bigger prizes by reading more!

To register, or to sign in, please click here.

March’s theme is Time Flies-Books that have any kind of dates, day of the week, month, year, or the word “time” in the title. Here are a few suggestions to get you started:

THE SATURDAY NIGHT GHOST CLUB by Craig Davidson

“Davidson creates a quirky landscape and colorful characters, resulting in a novel that will entertain readers while providing a nice dose of nostalgia.” ~Publisher’s Weekly

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11/22/63 by Stephen King

“King remains an excellent storyteller, and his evocation of mid-20th-century America is deft. Alternate-history buffs will especially enjoy the twist ending.” ~Library Journal

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ONE SUMMER: AMERICA 1927 by Bill Bryson

“Bryson expertly ferrets out little known details and curiosities and tinges them with dashes of humor, making for a work chock full of facts that shed new light on the history you thought you already knew.” ~ Audio File

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THE FRIDAY AFTERNOON CLUB: A FAMILY MEMOIR by Griffin Dunne

“Dunne’s storytelling is buoyant, his prose crisp; he’s most definitely a writer, too. This clear-eyed, heartfelt memoir ends with the birth of Dunne’s daughter in 1990; readers will hope for future books.” ~Booklist

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THE 4:50 FROM PADDINGTON by Agatha Christie

“In this beloved classic from the Queen of Mystery, a woman witnesses a murder while peering through the window of one train into another train passing . . . and only Miss Marple believes her story.” ~ Book Jacket

For more information, or to place a hold, please click here.

Adults! Welcome to year 4 of our year-long reading challenge. Explore different genres, discover new authors and be entered to win prizes. To complete the challenge, read just one book in each category by midnight on December 31st, 2025. Earn bigger prizes by reading more!

To register, or to sign in, please click here.

February’s theme is Short But Sweet – Short Stories or books under 250 pages. Here are a few suggestions to get you started:

THE TRAVELLER AND OTHER STORIES by Stuart Neville

“This chilling assortment of Northern Irish noir is not to be missed.” ~Publishers Weekly

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MIDWINTER MURDER by Agatha Christie

“The dozen stories in this welcome reprint collection, most featuring Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple, and Christie’s other series detectives, amply display the author’s storytelling gifts.” ~Publishers Weekly

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A SPINDLE SPLINTERED by Alix E. Harrow

“This fairy tale–superhero movie mashup is pure entertainment.” ~Kirkus Reviews

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WHAT MOVES THE DEAD by T, Kingfisher

“Hugo and Nebula Award winner Kingfisher returns to the horror genre with this powerful, fast-paced retelling of Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Fall of the House of Usher.”” ~Publishers Weekly

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ON EARTH WE’RE BRIEFLY GORGEOUS by Ocean Vuong

“Casting a truly literary spell, Vuong’s tale of language and origin, beauty and the power of story, is an enrapturing first novel.” ~Booklist

For more information, or to place a hold, please click here.

Adults! Welcome to year 4 of our year-long reading challenge. Explore different genres, discover new authors and be entered to win prizes. To complete the challenge, read just one book in each category by midnight on December 31st, 2025. Earn bigger prizes by reading more!

To register, or to sign in, please click here.

January’s theme is Baby, It’s Cold Outside – Books set in Winter, Winter Cookbooks, or Nordic Noir. Here are a few suggestions to get you started:

THE SNOW CHILD by Eowyn Ivey

“Eowyn Ivey’s exquisite debut transports the reader away to a world almost out of time, into a fairytale destined to both chill and delight. Her portrayal of an untamed Alaska is so detailed you can feel the snowflakes on your own eyelashes, even as her characters’ desperate quest for, and ultimate redemption by, love will warm your heart.” ~Melanie Benjamin, author of Alice I Have Been

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THE WINTER PEOPLE by Jennifer McMahon

“This mystery-horror crossover is haunting, evocative, and horrifically beautiful, a triumph that shares good literary company with Karen Novak’s Five Mile House (2000), Tananarive Due’s The Good House (2003), Diane Setterfield’s The Thirteenth Tale (2006), and Robert McCammon’s Speaks the Nightbird (2007). ~Booklist

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WINTER GARDEN by Kristin Hannah

“It’s a tearjerker, but the journey is as lovely–and haunting–as a snow filled winter’s night.” ~People magazine

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DEAD OF WINTER by Darcy Coates

“Coates’s (The Twisted Dead) latest is a compelling page-turner for readers of horror and thriller fiction, in the vein of Dean Koontz and Stephen King. The writing is magnetic and descriptive in a way that will have readers shivering from both the cold and outright fear.” ~Library Journal

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MIDWINTER MURDER: FIRESIDE TALES FROM THE QUEEN OF MYSTERY by Agatha Christie

“It is a pleasure to spend some cold winter nights in the comfort of Agatha Christie’s special stories, where the holiday spirit is helped along by some expert detectives who make sure that things remain merry and all is made right again by Christmas Day.” ~Book Reporter

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AN UNWANTED GUEST by Shari LaPena

“Proving that time periods may change but people do not, Lapena delivers a solid whodunit with an ending that would make Dame Christie proud.”
~USA Today

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Adults! Welcome to year 3 of our year-long reading challenge. Explore different genres, discover new authors and be entered to win prizes. To complete the challenge, read just one book in each category by midnight on December 31st, 2024. Earn bigger prizes by reading more!

To register, or to sign in, please click here.

December’s theme is Cozy Holiday – Cozy holiday novels and mysteries, holiday crafts or cookbooks. Here are a few suggestions to get you started:

THE CHRISTMAS BOOKSHOP by Jenny Colgan

“Colgan’s writing is gentle and tender… At the heart of The Christmas Bookshop are the important connections we make with others and the reality that we don’t have just the family we were born into; we also have the family that we create through those we come to love. And in every charming story that Colgan writes, we end up feeling that those characters who grace her pages have become so familiar and dear to us that they are family.” ~ Book Reporter

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IN A HOLIDAZE by Christina Lauren

“A fantastical twist on holiday cheer in this hilarious and heartwarming rom-com… a perfect Christmas treat.” ~Publishers Weekly

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I’M DREAMING OF A CHOCOLATE CHRISTMAS by Marcel Desaulniers

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CHRISTMAS CUPCAKE MURDER by Joanne Fluke

“Fans of Fluke’s wildly popular cozy series featuring cookie baker Hannah Swensen and her family in Lake Eden, Minnesota, will be thrilled with this twenty-sixth entry, which offers a kind of origin story…At the end of nearly every chapter of this fun story, there is a delicious holiday recipe. There is also a handy index of recipes at the back. Don’t miss this charming mystery, which will also satisfy your sweet tooth.” ~Booklist STARRED REVIEW

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THE CHRISTMAS TREE FARM by Laurie Gilmore

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EIGHT VERY BAD NIGHTS edited by Tod Goldberg

“An engaging Hanukkah anthology that scrambles the holiday’s traditions into eight so-bad-they’re-good nights.”
~Los Angeles Times

For more information, or to place a hold, please click here.

Adults! Welcome to year 3 of our year-long reading challenge. Explore different genres, discover new authors and be entered to win prizes. To complete the challenge, read just one book in each category by midnight on December 31st, 2024. Earn bigger prizes by reading more!

To register, or to sign in, please click here.

November’s theme is New York, New York – Any book that mentions the city or the state. Here are a few suggestions to get you started:

HIDDEN LANDMARKS OF NEW YORK by Tommy Silk

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THE WITCH OF NEW YORK by Alex Hortis

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THE NEW YORK GAME by Kevin Baker

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THE MAD GIRLS OF NEW YORK by Maya Rodale

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IN A NEW YORK MINUTE by Kate Spencer

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MRS. SHERLOCK HOLMES: THE TRUE STORY OF NEW YORK’S CITY’S GREATEST FEMALE DETECTIVE AND THE 1917 MISSING GIRL CASE THAT CAPTIVATED A NATION by Brad Ricca

For more information, or to place a hold, please click here.

Adults! Welcome to year 3 of our year-long reading challenge. Explore different genres, discover new authors and be entered to win prizes. To complete the challenge, read just one book in each category by midnight on December 31st, 2024. Earn bigger prizes by reading more!

To register, or to sign in, please click here.

October’s theme is Once Upon a Crime – Mysteries, horror, thrillers, and crime. Here are a few suggestions to get you started.

HORROR MOVIE by Paul Tremblay

“Balancing a terrifying cursed film with examinations of artistic creation, fandom, and truth, Tremblay’s latest is smart and well-paced and will have broad appeal.” ~ Library Journal

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FIRST LIE WINS by Asley Elston

“YA writer Elston’s adult debut announces itself as a savvy thriller with intrigue and momentum from the first twist of Lucca’s arrival right up until the final showdowns. Evie is a smart and engaging protagonist, and her time on the run is anything but predictable. A genuine page-turn.” ~ Kirkus

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INCIDENTS AROUND THE HOUSE by Josh Malerman

“Malerman is extraordinarily skilled at bringing fear to the ordinary and building a sense of unease into terror. He can terrify readers even while writing from a believable child’s perspective and voice. For fans of novelists who deftly deploy unease and surreal takes on the routine like Neil Gaiman, Catriona Ward, or Paul Tremblay.” ~ Library Journal

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THE GOD OF THE WOODS by Liz Moore

“The God of the Woods is an exploration of the differences between the haves and the have-nots and the stifling roles for women of all ages mixed with a police procedural and a family drama. Moore manages it all smoothly, resulting in a compulsively readable novel that will appeal to fans of mysteries and historical fiction alike.” ~ Booklist

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MURDER IN AN IRISH VILLAGE by Carlene O’Connor

“This entertaining combination of Maeve Binchy’s old-world Irish charm and Janet Evanovich’s roguish humor is a smart, fast-paced read.” ~ Library Journal

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THE THURSDAY MURDER CLUB by Richard Osman

“British TV celebrity Osman mixes mirth and murder in his exceptional debut, a series launch featuring the four members of the Thursday Murder Club, residents of the Coopers Chase Retirement Village in Kent.” ~ Publishers Weekly

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UNDER THE STORM by Christoffer Carlsson

“This slow burning, masterfully constructed literary thriller from the author of Blaze Me a Sun (2023) and one of Sweden’s leading crime experts lays bare the haunting effects of violent crime.” ~ Booklist

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THE HUNTER by Tana French

“French’s characterizations are brilliant, as always, and surprising strengths and vulnerabilities make for an often amusing, yet ominous and somber tale. The atmosphere is rich as the reader is reminded that this is the “real” Ireland and not the one idealized by the “plastic Paddies.” Masterfully written.” ~ Booklist

For more information, or to place a hold, please click here.

Adults! Welcome to year 3 of our year-long reading challenge. Explore different genres, discover new authors and be entered to win prizes. To complete the challenge, read just one book in each category by midnight on December 31st, 2024. Earn bigger prizes by reading more!

To register, or to sign in, please click here.

September’s theme is Face Books – Biographies, memoirs, or any book with a face on the cover. Here are a few suggestions to get you started.

DANCING ON THE EDGE by Russ Tamblyn

“This is one of those rare Hollywood memoirs whose appeal stretches far beyond its subject’s star power.” ~Publishers Weekly

For more information, or to place a hold, please click here.

ON GREAT FIELDS: THE LIFE AND UNLIKELY HEROISM OF JOSHUA LAWRENCE CHAMBERLAIN by Ronald C. White

“Biographer White provides an admiring portrait of Civil War hero and politician Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain (1828–1914), whose actions defending Little Round Top during the Battle of Gettysburg earned him widespread acclaim.” ~ Publishers Weekly

For more information, or to place a hold, please click here.

LAST TO EAT, LAST TO LEARN: MY LIFE IN AFGHANISTAN FIGHTING TO EDUCATE WOMEN by Pashtana Durrani and Tamara Bralo

“Durrani offers a persuasive road map for pursuing gender equality while honoring Afghanistan’s religious and cultural traditions. It’s an inspiring portrait of a change-maker in action.” ~ Publishers Weekly

For more information, or to place a hold, please click here.

THE HOUSE OF HIDDEN MEANINGS: A MEMOIR by RuPaul

“Touching also on belonging, love, and sobriety, this vibrant and multifaceted celebrity memoir will have readers rapt.” ~ Booklist

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IAN FLEMING: THE COMPLETE MAN by Nicholas Shakespeare

“Novelist Shakespeare delivers an exemplary biography of British spy novelist Ian Fleming…This will stand as the definitive biography of the popular author.” ~ Publishers Weekly

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CLOISTERED: MY YEARS AS A NUN by Catherine Coldstream

“Readers interested in spiritual memoirs and religious formation, abuse, and reform will welcome Coldstream’s intelligent, unflinching writing and perceptive account of years as a cloistered nun.” ~ Booklist

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SOLDIER OF DESTINY: SLAVERY, SECESSION, AND THE REDEMPTION OF ULYSSES S. GRANT by John Reeves

“Grant’s contradictions and complexities are on full display in this candid and unusually critical biography.” ~ Publishers Weekly

For more information, or to place a hold, please click here.

Adults! Welcome to year 3 of our year-long reading challenge. Explore different genres, discover new authors and be entered to win prizes. To complete the challenge, read just one book in each category by midnight on December 31st, 2024. Earn bigger prizes by reading more!

To register, or to sign in, please click here.

August’s theme is Podcast Reads – Any book mentioned in FPL’s What are You Reading Podcast. You can find our podcasts here. Here are a few suggestions to get you started.

THE GENERAL AND JULIA by Jon Clinch

“Clinch’s compelling study conveys the complicated legacy of Grant, who had no pretense for pageantry, deeply loved his wife and children, and treated everyone with decent human kindness. A remarkable novel, utterly gripping.” ~Library Journal

For more information, or to place a hold, please click here.

THE FURY by Alex Michaelides

“Even veteran crime-fiction readers will fall prey to Michaelides’ craft, nudged into shifting, sympathetic allegiances to the damaged, unlikable characters in this pitch-perfect, classic crime set-up and modern psychological thriller.” ~Booklist

For more information, or to place a hold, please click here.

WEST WITH GIRAFFES by Lynda Rutledge

“Rutledge’s larger-than-life story about the power of both animal magnetism and human connection is based on true events. Fans of The Night Circus (2011) and How the Penguins Saved Veronica (2020) will adore the witty, charming, and heartwarming West with Giraffes.” ~Booklist

For more information, or to place a hold, please click here.

CROW MARY by Kathleen Grissom

“This moving story of one woman’s grit, survival, and resilience will keep readers turning the pages.” ~Publishers Weekly

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LIGHTHOUSE OF STALINGRAD by Iain MacGregor

“Historian MacGregor (Checkpoint Charlie) delivers a brisk and dramatic account of a much mythologized episode in the Battle for Stalingrad during WWII…Meticulous yet action-packed, this will thrill WWII buffs.” ~Publishers Weekly

For more information, or to place a hold, please click here.