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If you’re looking for an audiobook that feels like both a story and a retreat, The River Has Roots (2025) by Amal El-Mohtar is a beautifully woven tale you won’t want to miss. The soothing background noises transport you into the world of the narrative—like drifting along a riverbank, every sound adding depth and warmth.

I have been on a bit of a Geraldine Brooks kick lately. Having recently read Horse, I decided to immerse myself in an earlier novel of hers, Caleb’s Crossing (2011).

In Mo Rocca and Jonathan Greenberg’s latest collective biography (after Mobituaries, 2019), Rocca turns his gaze to people (and animals) who accomplished great things after they reached a certain age.

In this charming debut, 77-year-old Jenny Quinn does something out of character. Without telling her beloved husband of almost 60 years, she applies to be a contestant on Britain Bakes (think Great British Bake Off). This heartwarming story features multigenerational friendships, delightful characters, and delicious recipes. As Jenny embarks on this new adventure, memories of a long-ago tragic event resurface.

The narrator of Lottie Hazell's debut novel, Piglet, is living a charmed life in London, with all her romantic, professional, and financial desires and aspirations rapidly being fulfilled.

Tananarive Due’s The Reformatory (2023) is a hauntingly beautiful masterpiece of historical fiction that lingers in your soul long after the final page. Set against the backdrop of a racially segregated South in 1930s Florida, the novel is both a riveting exploration of systemic injustice and a hallucinatory journey into the supernatural.

The Favorites (2025) by Layne Fargo is a loose reimagining of Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights, set in the world of competitive ice dancing.

WPL's Fiction Book Group chose Nikki Erlick's debut novel, The Measure (2022), to be the first book up for discussion in 2025. In light of the pressure many feel to begin each new year with personal resolutions, the story felt particularly timely in January. That said, I think The Measure is the kind of novel that makes for great conversations in any season.

Amanda Peters is a Canadian writer of Mi’kmaq and settler descent, who lives in Nova Scotia. The Berry Pickers (2023), her first novel, was inspired by stories of her father's family, who, like so many other First Nations' people, faced hardships and challenges as they struggled to survive within a larger post-colonial culture.

I thoroughly enjoyed John Green’s The Anthropocene Reviewed (2021). He can take the most obscure topic (Diet Dr. Pepper) and make it so interesting and relevant, and, very often, humorous. Also, he has the most beautiful prose – I just love listening to him.  

Get ready for an adventure with Amy, Rosie, and Steve as they band together to—you guessed it—solve murders. In this witty mystery, Richard Osman takes this crew across the world, one step ahead of a killer or two. We Solve Murders (2024) starts with bodyguard Amy guarding famous author Rosie who has recently received a death threat.

I really enjoyed listening to Whale Fall (2024) by Elizabeth O’Connor, and at just 4 hours, you can finish it one afternoon or on a weekend road trip!