Dive into a world where books, art, and history collide. This collection of captivating reads includes chilling mysteries in libraries, heartwarming tales set in museums, and real-world accounts. You’ll discover stories that celebrate the power of these beloved institutions—and the secrets they hold.
Fiction
What You Are Looking for Is in the Library / Michiko Aoyama
Tokyo librarian Sayuri Komachi has a gift for sensing exactly what visitors need and guiding them with the perfect book. Through her recommendations, a diverse group—including a retail worker, a mother, an accountant, and a retiree—find purpose, direction, and the courage to follow their dreams. This heartwarming novel celebrates the transformative power of libraries, connection, and listening to one’s true desires.
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The Personal Librarian / Marie Benedict
This is the story of Belle da Costa Greene, a brilliant and ambitious woman who became J.P. Morgan’s personal librarian and a powerful force in New York’s art world. Renowned for her intellect and style, Belle built a world-class collection for the Morgan Library—all while hiding her true identity. Born Belle Marion Greener, she was African American passing as white to navigate a racist society. This compelling novel explores the high stakes of ambition, identity, and sacrifice in a world that would never accept her truth.
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Battle of the Bookstores / Ali Brady
Boston bookstore managers Josie and Ryan are thrust into competition by the owner of both stores, and as their rivalry heats up in real life, their only solace is an anonymous friend in an online book forum—little do they know they’re chatting with each other.
The Librarianist / Patrick deWitt
Bob Comet is a retired librarian living a quiet, solitary life in Oregon. After a chance act of kindness leads him to volunteer at a senior center, memories from his past resurface—an unhappy childhood, a runaway adventure, lost love, and a life shaped by literature and service. Through humor and compassion, the novel reveals the richness beneath Bob’s seemingly ordinary life, celebrating the quiet dignity of those who live on the margins yet find meaning in books, connection, and resilience.
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The Quiet Librarian / Allen Eskens
Hana Babic, a quiet librarian in Minnesota, is thrust back into a violent past when her best friend is murdered. Once known as Nura Divjak, a teenage militia fighter and wartime legend in Bosnia, Hana has spent decades hiding her identity. But with a killer on the loose and her friend’s young grandson now in her care, Hana must confront old enemies and resurrect the fierce warrior she once was. A gripping story of survival, vengeance, and redemption, the novel explores the lasting scars of war and the lengths one woman will go to protect those she loves.
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The Cinnamon Bun Book Store / Laurie Gilmore
Hazel, a bookstore worker in Dream Harbor, longs for adventure as her 30th birthday approaches. Enter Noah—tattooed, boat-owning, and full of excitement. When mysterious clues begin appearing in her books, Hazel and Noah team up for a local treasure hunt. As they follow the trail, sparks fly, and their bond deepens. But as summer unfolds, Hazel wonders if their connection is just part of the adventure—or the start of something real.
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The Museum of Forgotten Memories / Anstey Harris
In this delightfully British gem, a widow and her special needs son are forced to confront an uncertain future when they move into their family’s abandoned Victorian museum. Their roommates? A grouchy caretaker and stuffed lions and tigers and bears…oh my!
Other format: audio (hoopla)
The Door-to-Door Bookstore / Carsten Henn
This is a heartwarming tale of Carl Kollhoff, an elderly bookseller in a small German town who delivers books to loyal customers each evening. His quiet routine and deep connection with his clients are upended when he loses his job. With the help of a spirited nine-year-old girl, Carl finds new purpose, and together they inspire a community to reconnect through the magic of books. This international bestseller celebrates unlikely friendships, the power of literature, and the courage to start anew.
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The Library of Lost Dollhouses / Elise Hooper
Tildy Barrows, head curator of a San Francisco library, faces crisis when the institution nears bankruptcy. Her discovery of two mysterious, intricately crafted dollhouses leads her on a quest to uncover their hidden history. Clues within the miniatures take her from Belle Époque Paris to post-WWI England and 1950s Burbank, revealing stories of remarkable women and lost dreams. As Tildy pieces together the past, she uncovers a powerful family secret and a renewed purpose—one that might just save the library she loves.
Other formats: large print
The Librarian of Burned Books / Brianna Labuskes
This captivating tale follows the lives of three women across Berlin, Paris, and New York during WWII, united by their belief in the power of books. In 1933 Berlin, American author Althea James becomes entangled with a resistance group. In 1936 Paris, Hannah Brecht works at the German Library of Burned Books, seeking redemption through literature. By 1944, Vivian Childs fights censorship in New York, championing books for soldiers overseas. As their stories converge, the novel reveals the enduring impact of books in resisting tyranny, healing wounds, and preserving truth. Inspired by true events, it’s a powerful tale of courage and connection.
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Booked on a Feeling / Jayci Lee
This romcom follows Lizzy Chung, a driven lawyer facing burnout after a panic attack. To recover, she retreats to her childhood town, Weldon, where her best friend Jack—a local brewery bookkeeper—harbors a secret crush. Over three weeks, Lizzy revamps a failing bookstore with Jack’s help, sparking unexpected feelings. As they reconnect among dusty shelves, both must confront whether friendship can evolve into something more. Sometimes, the life you’ve been searching for has been right in front of you all along.
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The Bookshop Sisterhood / Michelle Lindo-Rice
Four best friends—Celeste, Yasmeen, Toni, and Leslie—are about to open their dream bookstore, a community haven. But just before the grand opening, life throws them unexpected challenges: Toni faces heartbreaking news before her wedding, Celeste’s marriage falters, Leslie uncovers a family secret, and Yasmeen’s lottery win brings turmoil. As their worlds unravel, the friends rely on each other’s strength and friendship to navigate grief and uncertainty. Through life’s unpredictable twists, they discover that even hardship can spark beautiful new beginnings.
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The Booklover’s Library / Madeline Martin
In wartime Nottingham, widow Emma Taylor struggles to find work due to legal restrictions but secures a job at Boots’ Booklover’s Library. When her daughter Olivia is evacuated to the countryside for safety, Emma finds comfort in new friendships and helping library patrons with book recommendations. As books mysteriously disappear and memories of her late father and their bookstore resurface, Emma confronts her past. Amid the Blitz, she relies on her community and the power of literature to stay hopeful and reunite with Olivia during England’s darkest days.
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Friends of the Museum / Heather McGowan
Diane Schwebe, director of a struggling New York museum, faces a chaotic 24 hours after a late-night text from the museum’s lawyer. With loyal allies—her assistant Chris, security head Shay, and crafty general counsel Henry—she battles to save the institution from ruin. Around her, museum staff confront pivotal moments: a line cook weighing a life-changing offer, a trapped costume curator, and a hesitant new film curator. As the museum’s gala unfolds, tensions rise and secrets unravel, culminating in a shocking death by dawn. Friends of the Museum is a darkly funny, suspenseful tragicomedy driven by relentless urgency.
Other formats: large print
How Can I Help You / Laura Sims
Margo, a seemingly ordinary librarian in a small town, hides a dark past as a former nurse linked to numerous suspicious deaths. The library is her refuge from old urges—until Patricia, a sharp and curious new hire, senses something unsettling beneath Margo’s charm. When a patron dies mysteriously in the library bathroom, Patricia becomes obsessed with uncovering the truth about her enigmatic coworker. As her investigation deepens, so does the danger, in this chilling tale of secrets, suspicion, and the deadly consequences of curiosity.
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The Memory Library / Kate Storey
For 42 years, Sally Harrison has built a library, adding a book each year on her daughter Ella’s birthday, each with a heartfelt note inside. But Ella fled to Australia after a fight 21 years ago and never returned. Though Sally continues her tradition, she fears Ella will never see the library meant for her. When a crisis forces Ella back home, she discovers the collection—and the love behind it—waiting. As mother and daughter confront their past, they learn that endings can lead to new beginnings, if they’re willing to turn the page.
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The In-Between Bookstore / Edward Underhill
A whimsical and healing novel about a trans man in New York who-almost 30, laid off, broke-moves back to his small Illinois hometown, walks into the bookstore he worked at in high school. . . and slips through time to come face-to-face with his pre-transition, teenage self.
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The Curse of Penryth Hall / Jess Armstrong
After WWI, American heiress Ruby Vaughn builds a quiet life running a rare bookstore in Exeter, avoiding her painful past. But a book delivery to a folk healer draws her back to Penryth Hall, the home of her former best friend, Tamsyn. When Tamsyn’s husband is found gruesomely murdered and whispers of a deadly curse arise, Ruby must confront old wounds and local superstitions. Teaming up with the enigmatic healer known as a Pellar, she races to uncover the truth before the supposed curse claims its next victim—Tamsyn. In Cornwall, some secrets refuse to stay buried.
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Shot Through the Book / Eva Gates
In the twelfth Lighthouse Library Mystery, librarian Lucy McNeil is drawn into a chilling case when bestselling author Todd Harrison is murdered on her deck moments after a surprise visit. With no idea why he sought her out or how the killer struck so quickly, Lucy is determined to uncover the truth. As a YA book festival unfolds, tensions rise with rival authors, a zealous fan club, and Todd’s calculating widow, who uses his death to fuel her political ambitions—targeting Lucy and the local police. Surrounded by chaos, Lucy must solve the mystery before the killer strikes again.
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The Department of Rare Books and Special Collections / Eva Jurczyk
Academic librarian Liesl Weiss steps into leadership after her boss’s stroke—only to discover a priceless manuscript is missing. Urged to stay quiet to protect the library’s image, Liesl grows suspicious when a colleague vanishes. As she investigates, unraveling the secrets of those around her, she’s forced to question everything she thought she knew about her workplace, her peers, and herself. This gripping debut blends literary mystery with a compelling exploration of power, loyalty, and the dark obsession lurking behind even the most bookish of facades.
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Booked for Murder / P. J. Nelson
In this cozy Southern mystery debut, former actress Madeline Brimley returns to Enigma, Georgia, to inherit her eccentric Aunt Rose’s Victorian bookstore. Hoping for a fresh start, Madeline instead finds threats, arson, and ultimately, murder. As danger closes in and suspicion falls on her, she must unravel the town’s hidden secrets and identify the killer lurking among its quirky residents. The Old Juniper Bookstore becomes both sanctuary and battleground as Madeline races to solve the mystery before she becomes the next victim.
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The Museum Detective / Maha Khan Phillips
Dr. Gul Delani, a brilliant Karachi-based curator, is jolted from her grief over her missing niece Mahnaz when she is summoned to a narcotics investigation in Pakistan’s remote desert. There, she uncovers a mysterious mummy bearing ancient Persian markings—an archaeological marvel entangled in corruption and danger. Determined to protect the find and uncover the truth, Gul dives into a web of deceit with the help of a ragtag team, all while continuing her desperate search for Mahnaz. Gritty and emotionally charged, this crime thriller explores justice, loss, and resilience in a city teeming with secrets.
The Museum of Human History / Rebekah Bergman
Eight-year-old Maeve Wilhelm falls into a coma after nearly drowning—and mysteriously stops aging. As decades pass, Maeve becomes a symbol of suspended time, drawing in a diverse cast seeking meaning in her stasis: a preservation-obsessed museum owner, a refugee artist, her grieving family, and more. Set in a world grappling with modern technologies that promise relief but bring harm, this speculative debut explores memory, loss, and humanity’s obsession with youth and control. Thought-provoking and lyrical, it questions how time defines us—and what remains when it stands still.
The Curator / Owen King
In a city known as “the Fairest,” mysterious and unmappable, former servant Dora seeks the truth about her brother’s death, believing answers lie in the ruined Museum of Psykical Research where he once worked. Amid political upheaval and shifting power, Dora secures a post at the enigmatic National Museum of the Worker, only to find that nothing—including the museum, the city, or herself—is what it seems. As revolution brews, Dora’s quest uncovers a hidden conspiracy that threatens to collapse reality itself. Haunting and surreal, this novel explores memory, identity, and the cost of truth in a crumbling world.
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The Village Library Demon-Hunting Society / C. M. Waggoner
In this cozy fantasy mystery, librarian Sherry Pinkwhistle has a talent for solving murders—but the rising body count in her charming village feels far from ordinary. When a close friend is killed and her cat, Lord Thomas Crowell, becomes possessed by a demon, Sherry suspects something supernatural is behind the deaths. Teaming up with the new town priest and a quirky group of friends dubbed the “Demon Hunting Society,” Sherry must exorcise the demon and unmask the killer. Blending Buffy the Vampire Slayer with Murder, She Wrote, this witty tale proves you should never mess with a librarian.
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The Last Heir to Blackwood Library / Hester Fox
Inheriting the eerie Blackwood Abbey, Ivy Radcliffe leaves London for the remote Yorkshire moors. The estate’s servants are wary, the halls shadowed by rumors of ghosts, curses, and tragic past owners. Behind locked doors, Ivy discovers a vast, enchanting library filled with both familiar and unsettling texts—and a mysterious presence. Drawn deeper despite warnings, she learns of an enigmatic manuscript tied to the abbey’s dark history. As sinister events unfold, Ivy must unravel the library’s secrets to reclaim her own story before it’s lost forever.
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The Woman in the Library / Sulari Gentill
A scream shatters the quiet of the Boston Public Library, prompting a lockdown. Four strangers, seated at the same table, strike up a conversation while waiting—unaware that one of them is a murderer. As tensions rise and secrets unravel, friendships are tested in this twisty, literary mystery that explores trust, deception, and the hidden dangers of words.
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Nonfiction
Hidden Libraries: The World’s Most Unusual Book Depositories / D.C. Helmuth
A showcase of fifty extraordinary and little-known libraries from around the world, each with a unique story and deep community impact. From a fridge turned into a book swap in New Zealand to a cabin library in Scotland’s woods, these enchanting spaces span continents—from Argentina’s Biblioburro to Egypt’s St. Catherine’s Monastery, and even the International Space Station. With captivating photos, caretaker insights, and a foreword by celebrated librarian and author Nancy Pearl, this beautifully curated collection celebrates the magic of books, the joy of discovery, and the power of libraries to connect and uplift. Perfect for book lovers, explorers, and anyone who believes in the transformative power of reading.
The Library: A Fragile History / Andrew Pettegree
Famed across the known world, jealously guarded by private collectors, built up over centuries, destroyed in a single day, ornamented with gold leaf and frescoes or filled with bean bags and children’s drawings— the history of the library is rich, varied and stuffed full of incident. In this, the first major history of its kind, Andrew Pettegree and Arthur der Weduwen explore the contested and dramatic history of the library, from the famous collections of the ancient world to the embattled public resources we cherish today. Along the way, they introduce us to the antiquarians and philanthropists who shaped the world’s great collections, trace the rise and fall of fashions and tastes, and reveal the high crimes and misdemeanors committed in pursuit of rare and valuable manuscripts.
Overdue: Reckoning with the Public Library / Amanda Oliver
Starting as a school librarian, Oliver soon realized the role extended far beyond books—encompassing mental health support, overdose intervention, customer service, and even state surveillance. She exposes libraries’ long-standing struggles with racism, segregation, and economic injustice. Challenging the idealized view of libraries as saviors, Oliver calls for a reimagining of their purpose and potential. While libraries may not solve society’s deepest problems, she inspires us to envision new possibilities if we stop expecting them to do so alone.
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Bibliophile: An Illustrated Miscellany / Jane Mount
Jane Mount crafts this visually appealing book celebrating all things bookish. It’s a love letter to literature, featuring curated book recommendations, author profiles, and explorations of literary spaces like bookstores and libraries. The book is filled with Mount’s signature illustrations, including book stacks, author workspaces, and even bookstore cats.
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The Secret Lives of Booksellers and Librarians: True Stories of the Magic of Reading / James Patterson
This is a collection of anecdotes and essays celebrating the profound impact of books and the individuals who dedicate their lives to them. It highlights the transformative power of reading, the community fostered by libraries and bookstores, and the unique role these spaces play in people’s lives. The book explores how booksellers and librarians share their passion for reading and connect readers with stories that change their lives, offering glimpses into the “magic” that happens within the walls of these literary havens.
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The Museum of Other People / Adam Kuper
Adam Kuper explores the colonial origins of Western anthropology museums, tracing their development in Germany, France, and England during the 19th century. Filled with plundered artifacts, these institutions reflected imperialism, scientific racism, and power struggles among collectors, curators, and officials. Kuper also examines iconic museums like the Smithsonian and landmark exhibitions such as the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair. Addressing issues of repatriation and ethics, he challenges readers to rethink these museums’ legacies and envision a future rooted in justice, cultural respect, and genuine learning.
Footnotes from the World’s Greatest Bookstores / Bob Eckstein
This is a collection of paintings and stories celebrating independent bookstores. The book features 75 evocative illustrations of bookstores from around the globe, each paired with anecdotes from writers, thinkers, and artists about their experiences in those shops. It highlights the unique charm and stories of each bookstore, showcasing their role as community hubs and sanctuaries for book lovers.
The Bookshop: A History of the American Bookstore / Evan Friss
A heartfelt history of American bookstores, from Benjamin Franklin’s first shop to modern chains and indie favorites. Friss explores their unique cultural role, shaping readers, communities, and ideas while highlighting their endangered status. Drawing on rich sources and colorful characters, the book celebrates bookstores as vital, beloved spaces that have influenced American life for over two centuries—and why preserving them remains essential.
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All the Beauty in the World: the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Me / Patrick Bringley
A fascinating, revelatory portrait of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and its treasures by a former New Yorker staffer who spent a decade as a museum guard.
Other formats: audio (Libby)
Culture Strike: Art and Museums in an Age of Protest / Laura Raicovich
Museum director Laura Raicovich explores how museums have become political battlegrounds amid growing demands for social change. Highlighting protests against funding, boards, and exhibitions worldwide, she critiques museums’ colonial origins and supposed neutrality that often uphold conservative values. Drawing on her experience leading the Queens Museum through activism and controversy, Raicovich offers historical insight and proposes ways to reinvent museums as inclusive, public-centered institutions that genuinely serve society’s evolving needs.
Sex in the Museum: My Unlikely Career at New York’s Most Provocative Museum / Sarah Forbes
When Forbes, an anthropology student, stumbled upon a museum dedicated to sex she hesitated to apply for a job. Twelve years later she proudly sports her title as Curator of Sex. Here she invites readers to travel from suburban garages where people build sex machines, to factories that make sex toys, to labyrinthine archives of erotica collectors. She asks readers to grapple with the same questions she did: when it comes to sex, what is good, bad, deviant, normal? Do such terms even apply? And, in our hyper-sexualized world, is it still possible to fall in love?
Other format: ebook (hoopla)
That Librarian: The Fight Against Book Banning in America / Amanda Jones
Small-town librarian Amanda Jones values books for affirming young people’s identities. In 2022, she opposed efforts to ban LGBTQ+ and diverse books at a local hearing, sparking fierce backlash—including death threats and harassment fueled by extremist, politically driven book-banning campaigns. Targeted as a symbol of resistance, Jones fought back with a defamation lawsuit and called others to join the fight. That Librarian exposes this nationwide crisis and urges readers to defend equity, inclusion, and the freedom to access diverse stories.
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