End of Year Staff Favorites 2025
Check out our end-of-year staff favorites. We asked our library staff to share their favorite pieces of media from the last year. Everything here is available in our catalog!
Can’t Get Enough by Kennedy Ryan
2025 was the year I fell in love with Kennedy Ryan’s writing! Her books are technically romances, but I would recommend them to anyone who enjoys a story about a woman taking control of her life despite major setbacks. Her characters are always so realistic and the plot never disappoints. Can’t Get Enough is the third book in the Skyland series, so start with Before I Let Go.
– Taylor
All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot
This audiobook is a warm, charming, and often funny look into the life of a country veterinarian. It’s full of heart, humor, and unforgettable characters. The PBS Masterpiece DVD is also wonderful!
– Sue
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
This audiobook is a wildly engaging, science-driven adventure. If you enjoy clever problem-solving, high-stakes suspense, and unexpectedly heartfelt moments, this book or audiobook is for you. Make sure you read it before the movie comes out next spring! – Sue
All The Water in The World by Eiren Caffall
A unique work of apocalyptic fiction told through the POV of a young girl who can sense the movement of water as a major superstorm hits an already flooded Manhattan. Deeply emotional, we follow Nonie and her family up the Hudson River as they leave their community at the American Museum of Natural History. I loved the connections between the characters as well as the references to areas in our community like Bannerman’s Island.
– Kristen
Everybody Scream by Florence + The Machine (Music)
I’ve been a long-time fan of the band and I’m always blown away by Florence Welch’s writing and vocals, but this album really speaks to a lot of societal struggles for women in their late 30s as well as referencing elements of folk horror and the history of witches which I also find fascinating. The album feels like a culmination of Welch’s body of work and is very cinematic.
– Kristen
The Worst Person in the World by Joachim Trier (Movie)
The Worst Person in the World is a film about a young woman in Oslo struggling to decide her path in life. It perfectly captures the anxiety of your late-20s and reminds us that growing up is a lifelong journey. The director’s new film, Sentimental Value, will come to the RCLS catalog in 2026.
– Audrey
Marriage at Sea by Sophie Elmhirs
How much can a husband and wife endure? That lies at the premise of the true story, Marriage at Sea. In 1972 a couple attempts to sail around the world when their boat is overturned by a breeching whale in the Pacific Ocean. Left with a rubber dingy and not much less, read this book to learn how they survive and are rescued. – Patty
Spent by Alison Bechdel
A new graphic novel by the cartoonist Alison Bechdel of Fun Home fame. She writes a semi-autobiographical account of a cartoonist named Alison and her partner, Holly on a goat farm in Vermont. Bechdel conveys interesting thoughts on capitalism gone amok, climate change, doom spiraling, her own privilege and the state of the world. – Patty
Beneath the Trees where Nobody Sees by Patrick Horvath
“Animal Crossing meets Dexter, what’s not to love here?This graphic novel is a well illustrated “whodunnit” that is a quick and satisfying read.” – Matthew
The Burgundians: A Vanished Empire: A History of 1111 Years and One Day by Bart Van Loo
“This doorstop of a history book is not for the faint of heart, but it really brings to life the people and events that created one of the wealthiest empires of the medieval period. It gave my brain a thorough academic massage.” – Matthew
Soul of a nation jazz is the teacher, funk is the preacher (Music)
“If you want to know where Hip-Hop and Funk began, look no further! Baby Huey’s “Hard Times” and Sarah Webster Fabio’s “Work It Out” are personal standouts for me.” – Matthew
Lady Gaga Mayhem (Music)
A little monster from day 1, any new Lady Gaga release is a much needed dance party! – Steph
The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
A witches tale shrouded in mystery, The Bewitching is a slow burn that bounces between narratives. Love, betrayal, magic and 90’s nostalgia make for a fun, creepy read. – Steph
Uncommon Carriers by John McPhee
I read (and listened to) a ton of John McPhee this past year and the well has still not run dry. He writes about everything under the sun — geology, bark canoes, oranges, Alaska — with such depth and wit that you end up wishing he’d write about every little earthly thing. This book, Uncommon Carriers, is a great place to start. It’s all about the people who move freight around the world — from a Wall Street journal reading truck driver who keeps his chemical tanker as shiny as a Christmas tree, to ship captains learning their trade on miniature versions of the ships they’ll one day pilot across the oceans. It’s a lot fun and endlessly fascinating. – Ben
Train Dreams by Denis Johnson
This book came out almost 15 years ago but is a truly timeless contemporary classic. Following the travails of an orphaned logger in the Pacific Northwest, this is the elegaic story of a man trying to reckon with the quickly accelerating vicissitudes of the world when he can barely understand himself. It’s equal parts magical and realistic without ever becoming strict magical realism. And reader take heed: skip the recent Netflix adaptation. It misses the mark badly. – Ben
Dark and Magical Places: The Neuroscience of Navigation by Christopher Kemp
This popular science book reveals the science behind what many of us take for granted—our ability to orient ourselves to our surroundings, to create mental maps, and to navigate long and short distances (long before GPS was invented). In his wide-ranging exploration, Kemp throws in a bit of history, culture, personal anecdotes, and enough hard (but digestible) science to give you that fun boost of feeling just a little smarter and a lot more in awe of the world than before you read it. – Karen
Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid
This book was incredible and moving and suspenseful. And as a child of the 80s who watched the Challenger on tv in the classroom this book really hit home. I recommend it to anyone. – Brian
Kpop Demon Hunters Soundtrack (Music)
I was told by the teens in the Battle of the books to watch this movie and I said no and was firm in my no. And then I watched it, loved it, watched it again and got a tattoo of it all within a month. Amazing movie and songs and message. – Brian
That’s a Great Question I’d Love to Tell You by Elyse Myers
Anyone that has tiktok or instagram knows who Elyse is. Her story telling and her humor and vulnerability make her an amazing person to listen to/watch and now read. This book is funny, sad, real, moving and quite open about mental health. This is a memoir that is just fun. – Brian