Wrap Up 2025: Staff Favorites
It’s time to wrap up the year with Wrap Up 2025! Check out LPL staff’s favorites of the year. Books, movies, TV shows, graphic novels, & other library goodies are now on display on the 1st floor. What were some of your favorites from this past year?
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Rosey:
Sarah H.
When the Tides Held the Moon by Venessa Vida Kelley
When the Tides Held the Moon is a vibrant novel featuring found family and self-discovery in 1910s New York City. Benigno “Benny” Caldera, a Boricua immigrant, is asked to join the sideshow cast after building a tank for a merman captured from the East River, set to be featured as Luna Park’s newest attraction at Coney Island. As Benny takes care of the merman he calls Rio, Benny finds the love and acceptance he’s always longed for. As Rio’s health gets progressively worse from being in captivity Benny must decide whether or not to return him to the river knowing either decision leads to heartbreak. When the Tides Held the Moon is a sweeping love story not to be missed featuring charming characters, suspense, hope, and struggles with identity and belonging.
Galloway’s Gospel by Sam Rebelein
Galloway’s Gospel is a wild ride of a novel that taps into the ecological dread and spore horror tropes currently trending without being stale. Rebelein’s imaginative world building and thorough character development create an atmosphere of smothering dread combined with enough action and twists to craft a quick and satisfying read.
When the Wolf Comes Home by Nat Cassidy
Horror/Fantasy – full of twists, turns, and buckets of gore. Go into this novel blind and hold on for the ride! 🐺
When Among Crows & To Clutch a Razor by Veronica Roth
Slavic folklore, action, romance, and Baba Yaga – what more could you want?
Black River Orchard by Chuck Wendig
Folk Horror at its finest, featuring apples that give those who eat them vitality among other gifts but nothing comes without a price.
Regan
Walking Practice by Dolki Min, translated by Victoria Caudle
This short novel, translated from Korean, follows a shapeshifting, man-eating alien who uses dating apps to hunt for (human) prey that’s full of interesting social commentary surrounding conformity, masking, and gender roles.
Dengue Boy by Michel Nieva, translated by Rahul Bery
In the world of this novel, Antarctica has melted, half of Argentina is under water, children are addicted to violent video games, and a giant mosquito human hybrid has immerged from the pollution to exact revenge on the powers that be. This is a delightfully absurd novel, translated from Spanish, that contemplates late-stage capitalism, colonialism, and climate disaster throughout a nonlinear, nonsensical plot.
River of Teeth by Sarah Gailey
This an adventurous alternate-history inspired by the real-life 1910 bill (H.R. 23261) proposed to introduce hippopotamuses into the American south as an alternative food source and predator to invasive plants. The novel takes a lot of liberties, setting the timeline back to the 19th century and turning the feral hippos into man-eating beasts, but it’s a super fun story with a diverse cast of compelling characters on a caper.
Dakota
Kamikaze Girls by Novela Takamoto
A short and sweet exploration of friendship against the odds, and the wonderful bond that can form between two girls from completely different worlds. It’s full of heart and love for fashion and embroidery.
Between Two Rivers by Moudy Al-Rashid
A history book about the lives of the people who lived during ancient Mesopotamia. It wasn’t a history book about conflicts and kings but rather about the lives of normal people and what their day to day may have consisted of.
Dead Talents Society, directed by John Hsu
A heartfelt movie about not being good at anything and saying it’s alright to just be alright at something. Life doesn’t have to be about accomplishments but rather about the joy shared between friends and family.
Renee
First-Time Caller by B. K. Borison
When Lucie’s daughter calls in to Aiden Valentine’s radio show to get advice for her mom’s lack of love life, listeners become enthralled with Luci finding love. I love the characters in this one. I adored the relationship between Adien and Luci but also Luci and her bestfriends and her daughter.
A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers
I think I will always love Becky Chamber’s writing. A Closed and Common Orbit is book two in The Wayfarers series, this time following Lovelace the AI from the ship. I sobbed reading this book. All I will say is if you were a fan of Firefly this book series is a must read.
Peggy
Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan
A coal miner becomes aware of abuse at a local convent and has to confront the possibility of backlash from the local (very Catholic) community.
The Summer Book by Tove Jansson
An elderly woman and her 6-year old granddaughter spend the summer on an island in the Gulf of Finland and discuss life, god, death and other topics from their different perspectives.
The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai
Two People meant for each other are kept apart by families and fate.
Beth
Van Gogh Has a Broken Heart by Russ Ramsey
I’ve been reading about creativity and what makes creative minds tick. A favorite in this category is Van Gogh Has a Broken Heart by Russ Ramsey.
On Tyranny by Timothy Snyder
The book everyone should read: On Tyranny by Timothy Snyder. It’s short and oh so relevant.
Jane Austen’s Bookshelf by Rebecca Romney
I’ve enjoyed everything Jane Austen this year, and a welcome addition to Austen scholarship is Jane Austen’s Bookshelf by Rebecca Romney.
Alex
The River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar
Beautifully written, lovingly illustrated, and the best audiobook I listened to this year. The author and her sister composed and sang music for the audiobook; definitely listen if you can.
When The Moon Hits Your Eye by John Scalzi
What if the moon was replaced with cheese? This book takes a very serious approach to the topic, with plenty of humor along the way. The audiobook read by Wil Wheaton is a treat.
From Zero by Linkin Park
I’ve loved this band since 2003, and even with a different singer, their sound hasn’t changed.
Maddy
Halo: Empty Throne by Jeremy Patenaude
The Halo books have some of the best Science fiction writing that I have ever read and this book was no exception. It was a wonderful read that expanded upon the lore of the franchise well. The characters were extremely compelling, and I was on the edge of my seat the entire time.
Superman (2025) directed by James Gunn
I was used to the dark, gory superhero movies of my childhood, and I expected no less going into this one. Then Superman came onto the screen with all of his relentless optimism. He grit his teeth and kept on going through all of the obstacles in his way, and most importantly, he remained kind in spite of it all. I think that movie was exactly what I needed this year.
The Minecraft Movie directed by Jared Hess
It was a surprisingly whimsical take on my favorite childhood game. I went into the theater with low expectations and left very satisfied. It was faithful to the source material, had a good soundtrack, and decent character development. It’s not the best movie I’ve ever seen, but it was definitely worth the watch.
Mickey
The Kingdom, directed by Lars von Trier
One of my favorite tv series is actually Stephen King’s “Kingdom Hospital” which is a reimagining of Lars Von Trier’s original series (it takes place in Lewiston!!!) But this year I decided to finally watch the source material. “The Kingdom” is an absurdist paranormal horror that takes place in a hospital in Copenhagen. Amidst supernatural mysteries and bizarre conspiracies this entire series feels like a fever dream in the best way.
The Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler
This was such a phenomenal read despite its heavy dystopian subject matter. Butler’s writing feels intimate and sacred like an exchange between sisters. Every tragedy in this book hurts like a deep personal loss, and every bond formed is as comforting as an addition to your own community.
Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin
I revisited Giovanni’s Room this year and was welcomed by a beautifully written gut-punch. This heart wrenching novel explores love, loss and inner turmoil in such a gorgeously poetic way. This is definitely one of my favorite books of all time.
