Ok, we’re a month into 2025. How is your reading going? For those on a roll, or those still on the hunt for their first good read of the year, February brings a range of offerings. And of course, don’t miss the new Peak Picks titles coming to branches in February.
2/4: The Dissenters by Youssef Rakha
After his mother’s death in 2015, Nour discovers the complex life his mother led and the many identities she occupied in an ever-changing Egypt. As Nour processes new understanding of his mom, he writes to his estranged sister. (general fiction)
2/4: Gliff by Ali Smith
In a grim near-future society obsessed with data and surveillance, two siblings strive to get by after their mother leaves and they are deemed “unverifiable” by the state. The two form a connection with a horse named Gliff, and fall in with a group of others scraping by. (general fiction)
2/4: Land of Mirrors by Maria Medem, translated by Aleshia Jensen and Daniela Ortiz
Antonia lives in a deserted town, her only companions her own memories and a pack of wild dogs. With the bloom of a flower, and the arrival of a traveler, Antonia begins to open up to the life around her and beyond her town, to the possibility and purpose of community. (general fiction)
2/4: Listen to Your Sister by Neena Viel
25-year-old Calla Williams looks after her two younger brothers but is haunted by the Nightmare – a recurring dream in which her brothers die. After a night where mysterious figures save both her brothers from death but leave destruction in their wake, the three siblings retreat to a remote mountain Airbnb, where they find themselves battling subconscious demons made real. (horror)
2/4: Mutual Interest by Olivia Wolfgang-Smith
In early 20th century Manhattan, three queer individuals create personal and business partnerships that they hope will allow them to live authentically and thrive. (historical fiction)
2/4: A Tropical Rebel Gets the Duke by Adriana Herrera
In 1889 Paris, Aurora Montalban Wright runs an underground women’s health clinic. But when her access to her family trust is revoked, she’ll have to find alternate funding. Enter Duke Apollo César Sinclair Robles, who is interested in Aurora professionally – and personally. (historical romance)
2/11: Beartooth by Callan Wink
In the Beartooth mountains on the outskirts of Yellowstone, two brothers struggle to get by, buried under debt and bureaucracy. Then an offer from an outsider – smuggle illegal antlers out of the park, save their house. (crime thriller)
2/11: Brother Brontë by Fernando A. Flores
In a grim dystopian Texas town ruled by a tech industrialist, book bans and forced labor are the norm. A tentative, secret coalition – a few friends, a set of triplets, a tiger – come together to try and change their town. (science fiction)
2/11: The Dollhouse Academy by Margarita Montimore
Two best friends gain entry to the Dollhouse Academy, hoping to be molded into the next superstar. But there’s a sinister undercurrent at the boarding school. Meanwhile, after 18 years, Ivy knows she will soon be dethroned as the Academy’s biggest star, and she’s been keeping a secret journal of everything that’s happened. (thriller)
2/11: Little Mysteries by Sara Gran
The author of the Claire DeWitt series presents a collection of short stories that probe the mysteries underpinning life while also playing in the sandbox of Agatha Christie, Nancy Drew, and Claire DeWitt. (mystery)
2/11: Losing Sight by Tati Richardson
In a field that prizes youth and looks, football sports reporter Nikki Ryan loses her gig on Thursday Night Football, but has a chance at a job in network programming. Nikki also finally gets glasses, which allows her to more clearly see those around her (both literally and figuratively), including her attraction to her optometrist. (romance)
2/11: People of Means by Nancy Johnson
From 1959 Nashville to 1992 Chicago, a Black mother and daughter strive to follow their dreams in the shadow of both family dynamics and larger societal reckonings, such as the 1960s Civil Rights movement and the aftermath of the 1992 Rodney King beating. (historical fiction)
2/11: Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood
A middle-aged woman, an atheist, leaves her life in Sydney to join a religious community in the small Australian town where she grew up. Seeking refuge and respite, she nonetheless finds upheavals: a mouse plague, the discovery of a skeleton, a visitor from her past. (general fiction)
2/18: Sun City by Tove Jansson, translated by Thomas Teal
In 1970s Florida, the issues dividing America are reflected in microcosm in the Berkeley Arms retirement home, a world unto itself. By the author of The Summer Book and the Moomin cartoons. (general fiction)
2/25: Back After This by Linda Holmes
In order to further her career, podcast producer Cecily agrees to co-host a show. The subject? Cecily’s dating life. As Cecily embarks on 20 blind dates, she finds herself increasingly drawn to someone who isn’t part of the plan. By the host of NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour. (romance)
2/25: Crush by Ada Calhoun
A woman, relatively happy in her life, is asked by her husband to look beyond their traditional roles of husband and wife, launching her into a passionate and provocative examination of desire and partnership. (general fiction)
2/25: Death Takes Me by Cristina Rivera Garza, translated by Robin Myers and Sarah Booker
A professor, also named Cristina Rivera Garza, finds a mutilated dead body with a line of poetry written nearby. As more bodies are discovered, and an assigned Detective investigates, Rivera Garza is contacted by the killer. A rumination on philosophy, poetry, and gender. By the author of Liliana’s Invincible Summer. (general fiction)
2/25: Famous Last Words by Gillian McAllister
On June 21, new mother Camilla wakes to find her husband gone, a cryptic note left behind. Newly returned to work, Camilla is confronted: her husband is the gunman in a hostage situation. What did the note say, and what will Camilla do next? (thriller)
2/25: The Fourth Consort by Edward Ashton
Dalton Greaves, the disillusioned emissary of an intergalactic civilization, arrives on a new planet to make first contact and invite them to join the Unity coalition (before the rival coalition gets there first). Stranded with two dubious colleagues after his ship is destroyed, and struggling to communicate, Dalton must navigate political intrigue and shifting alliances. By the author of Mickey 7. (science fiction)
2/25: Greenteeth by Molly O’Neill
Jenny Greenteeth may have big teeth, green skin, and live in the lake, but that doesn’t mean she’s a monster. When Temperance Crump is declared a witch by the town’s new pastor and thrown into the lake to drown, Jenny saves her and the two embark on a quest to save the town from evil. (fantasy)
~ posted by Andrea G.
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