Your 2025 Book of the Year Winner
genre: memoir, non-fiction
Sour Cherries at Buc-ee’s, by Mark Elberfeld
What do sour cherries, a subway reprimand in Moscow, and an imaginary alligator named Fluffy have in common? In Sour Cherries at Buc-ee’s, Mark Elberfeld invites readers on a deeply personal—and often unexpectedly funny—journey through memory, movement, and meaning.
From a seventh-grade retreat on the Mattaponi River to the surreal vastness of a Buc-ee’s gas station, Elberfeld traces the threads of identity, place, and connection. Whether he’s reflecting on summer camp, road trips in an electric car, the quiet radicalism of hospitality, or a friend’s hauntingly beautiful art show, his essays linger in that liminal space between the ordinary and the profound.
With humor, honesty, and a teacher’s instinct for drawing meaning from mess, Elberfeld explores what it means to leave, to return, to remember, and to reframe. For anyone who’s ever found themselves crying in a parking lot, questioning the shape of freedom, or chasing summer like a white whale—this book might just be the life ring you didn’t know you needed.
Your 2025 Book of the Year Finalists
genre: fiction
Canary by Nic Bettauer
Canary is the raucous, harrowing, deeply engaging tale of an irreverent investigator exploring a social ill, perhaps at her own expense…
This is serious entertainment.
“Canary introduces Detective Winifred ‘Freddie’ Dauer, a complex cop battling life-and-death stakes both in her fractured mind and on her perilous beat. In this gripping debut, Nic Bettauer crafts a raw, funny tale of resilience, unraveling secrets, and a New York Christmas that’s getting way too bloody. From the electrifying opening to the devastatingly emotional climax, Canary grabs you and doesn’t let go.” – Larry Karaszewski, Co-screenwriter of Ed Wood, The People vs. Larry Flynt, Man on the Moon, The People vs. O.J. Simpson, and Co-creator of American Crime Story
“An unforgettable detective with a New York health crisis on her hands as well as in her life battles with wit and tenacity. Dark truths are revealed as this stunning and timely novella progresses, making it even more riveting and harrowing as the mysteries unfold. Using crystal-cut sentences winnowed to perfection, be prepared to be dazzled and hooked by Canary for the entire ride.” – Yannick Murphy, Author of This is the Water, The Call, Signed, Mata Hari, and The Sea of Trees
genre: fiction
A Field Guide to Library Ghosts by Gabi Coatsworth
Fiona Gordon is starting over. Unbeknownst to her, so is her roommate George Manchester, although he’s been dead for over a century.
After a painful divorce, Fiona is trading big-city bustle for the sleepy charm of Brentford, Connecticut, and a job as director of the town library. She doesn’t realize that George—a dashing but irritable 19th-century gentleman trapped in a portrait—is going with her. Desperate to reunite with his lost love, Rose, George needs Fiona’s help. But first, he has to convince her he’s real.
As Fiona adjusts to her new life, she tries to keep her fascination with George secret—or risk being thought weird, to say the least. But when new friends turn out to have their own secrets, she must reconsider whether keeping things hidden is a good idea.
Searching for George’s Rose, organizing the library, and trying to figure out a new friendship almost overwhelm Fiona until she realizes that love, redemption, and perseverance can jump-start second chances that transcend even the boundaries of time.
Heartwarming, witty, and laced with supernatural intrigue, A Field Guide to Library Ghosts is a story of letting go, finding hope, and daring to believe in the impossible.
genre: memoir
The Awakened Body, by Ray Walker
How I Lost 140 Pounds, Found Myself and Those Magic Shoes
The Awakened Body is a raw, relatable journey of reclaiming health, hope, and purpose in midlife. After decades of dieting and disconnection, Ray Walker awakened to the quiet wisdom of her body—and everything changed. With humor, heart, and hard-won insights, she shares how true wellness begins when we finally stop chasing a number and start honoring our inner truth.
What if your greatest transformation began not with a diet, but with a decision to listen to your body?
Later in life, Ray faced a medical crisis that became her wake-up call. After years of ignoring what her body had been trying to say—and a lifetime of trying to shrink herself—she didn’t just lose 140 pounds; she found her health and something even more powerful: the self she hadn’t realized she’d lost.
If you’re ready to stop fighting your body and start listening to it, let’s get this shift started.
genre: memoir, non-fiction
Sour Cherries at Buc-ee’s, by Mark Elberfeld
What do sour cherries, a subway reprimand in Moscow, and an imaginary alligator named Fluffy have in common? In Sour Cherries at Buc-ee’s, Mark Elberfeld invites readers on a deeply personal—and often unexpectedly funny—journey through memory, movement, and meaning.
From a seventh-grade retreat on the Mattaponi River to the surreal vastness of a Buc-ee’s gas station, Elberfeld traces the threads of identity, place, and connection. Whether he’s reflecting on summer camp, road trips in an electric car, the quiet radicalism of hospitality, or a friend’s hauntingly beautiful art show, his essays linger in that liminal space between the ordinary and the profound.
With humor, honesty, and a teacher’s instinct for drawing meaning from mess, Elberfeld explores what it means to leave, to return, to remember, and to reframe. For anyone who’s ever found themselves crying in a parking lot, questioning the shape of freedom, or chasing summer like a white whale—this book might just be the life ring you didn’t know you needed.
genre: fiction
Herman Learns a Lesson, by Nancy Nelson
Herman the dog thinks he’s better than the rest—after all, his parents were fancy German pups! But when the other dogs start swapping stories, they all learn that what really matters isn’t pedigree, but heart. This playful, tail-wagging tale celebrates kindness and being proud of who you are—no matter your breed.
Your 2024 Book of the Year Winner
genre: fiction
Lost Graces, by Helen Montague Foster
Psychiatrist Dr. Nancy Thomas prefers to believe there is no such thing as knowing too much about a human being, but after someone shoots a colleague, her fear mounts, and she learns disturbing secrets that force her to rethink her approach as a therapist.
Despite insurance denials and cautions from a supervisor that Grace and Alan are too ill for her to continue treating safely, Nancy struggles to provide good care. Has her own past clouded her judgement? With her husband away, her children grown and gone, colleagues dying, and her anxiety surging, she fears she may become prey to a serial killer.
Set in the late 1990’s in Richmond, Virginia in a landscape of changing health care policies, Lost Graces by Helen Montague Foster was inspired by the city’s reactions to the real-life Southside Strangler and Beltway Snipers. This richly imagined psychiatric thriller invites readers into head of the kind of psychiatrist who does therapy.
Your 2024 Book of the Year Finalists
genre: poetry
Tesla’s Walk, by Jimmy Sena
Accompany the genius inventor and futurist Nikola Tesla on a poetic journey through one autumn day in 1899 Colorado Springs.
Nikola Tesla’s eight-month visit to Colorado Springs in 1899 is integral to his evolution as a genius inventor. Yet, for many, it still exudes an air of mystery and myth. Through a meandering poem and stunning historical photographs, walk along with Tesla one autumn day as he descends the front stairs of the Alta Vista Hotel on Cascade Avenue-as he interacts with citizens in Acacia Park, on Tejon Street, and along Pikes Peak Avenue-as he arrives at his Experimental Station on Knob Hill and engages the thunderous might of his electrical marvels on the eastern plains-as he ends the night in what will become Memorial Park.
Every person, place, and image we encounter is found among our city’s primary sources and historical artifacts. After the journey, we can explore detailed explanatory notes and period pictures that give authenticity to the tale. A period map guides us along Tesla’s path through town as we imagine Colorado Springs 125 years ago.
Tesla’s invitation awaits. Let’s go for a walk.
genre: nonfiction
I Was a Hero Once, by Peter Mahoney
An ordinary life, forever altered by extraordinary circumstances.
In 1968, Peter P. Mahoney’s world was turned upside down when he joined the Army, became an infantry lieutenant, and was deployed to Vietnam. Upon his return, he found himself embroiled in the Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW) movement and indicted for conspiracy to incite a riot at the 1972 Republican Convention—the so-called Gainesville Eight case—where his friend surfaced as an FBI informer testifying against him.
In the early eighties, Mahoney played a pivotal role in establishing the New York Vietnam Veterans Memorial and later joined a delegation of veterans to meet with Soviet counterparts from their Afghanistan War. He fell in love with a Russian woman, married her, and spent nine years raising a family in a world vastly different from the suburban middle-class life he had left behind.
Now, he shares the extraordinary stories from that finite period that forever changed the trajectory of his ordinary existence.
“I Was a Hero Once is an amazing book. Mahoney is a natural storyteller and his sensitivity elevates the impact of what he’s been through. Mahoney has blessed America with an astonishing piece of literature. Let us celebrate his achievement!” – Lamont B. Steptoe, author and founder of Whirlwind Press
genre: fiction
Of Aragon, by Caroline Willcocks
Kat Cooke, a young girl captivated by the allure of Henry VIII’s magnificent Queen, Katherine of Aragon, embarks on a journey to unravel the mysteries of her own birth. As she navigates the intricate web of Tudor court politics, Kat witnesses both the splendor and deceit that define life within the Queen’s inner circle.
Amidst the grandeur of the royal court, Kat discovers love but is confronted with the painful reality of having to choose where her loyalties lie.
Of Aragon offers readers an intimate glimpse into the Queen’s private chambers, from the solemnity of the marriage bed to the anticipation of an heir’s birth. Caroline Willcocks skillfully transports us to a bygone era where even royal women must contend fiercely for their lives and loves.
genre: children's
Yellow Yuba, by Jocelyn Tambascio
Icky the inventor has gotten himself into a sticky mess! His empty promises and misuse of nature’s gifts have left the village trees bare and water depleted. Only through the hard work of everyone coming together will the environment’s balance be restored.