We’re closing out the year the best way we know how: with a book list. Here are the top five books each team member read from the Johnson County Library Foundation—stories that moved us, challenged us, and reminded us why reading matters.
Shelley O’Brien
What Kind of Paradise by Janelle Brown
I enjoy a fictional story that could be a news headline. A teenage girl in Montana, who is living off the grid with her dad, realizes that he is not being honest about their family story. She starts searching for answers and gets pulled into a terrorist act against a major U.S. company. This book has terrific character development, suspense, and ethical decisions that make you wonder what you would do if in her situation.
Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy
This book is an environmental thriller. A mysterious woman is found on a remote island where the only people left are a family of 4 trying to save the world’s largest seed bank. Why is she there, why is the family there, and why is no one else on the island?
How to Lose Your Mother: A Daughter’s Memoir by Molly Jong-Fast
Molly is the child of Erica Jong, the famous feminist writer of the 1970s. While her mother was on television and in magazines all the time, she was never with her daughter. As her mother and father age, Molly tries to understand a childhood where she raises herself.
The One by John Marrs
In this fictional story, you can take a DNA test and find out who your soul mate is instantly. The one person who you are meant to be partnered with for life. Follow several stories as they unfold and show how technology can impact human experience.
The Compound by Aisling Rawle
As a fan of reality TV competition shows like Big Brother and Survivor, the Compound takes you on a thrilling ride. Where the contestants are there to find love, but they have watched the TV show for so many years, they know how the game really works. Including the part where no producer or TV executive is going to save you.
Amber Bourek Slater
The Only Plane in the Sky by Garrett M. Graff & Holter Graham
I’d highly recommend listening to this award winning book as features a cast of 45 people reading the words of people whose live who first hand impacted by the events of 9-11 as well as some real audio recording. It isn’t an easy book to read but it really helps you feel the impact of the horrendous day in the lives some thousands of people and takes you back to where you were when the terrorist plans changed the world as we knew it.
The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post by Allison Pataki
I was intrigued to read this book about Marjorie Merriweather Post because I had toured her former home now the Hillwood Estate, Museum, and Gardens in Washington DC. Majorie came from humbling beginnings to her father starting the Post cereal company. Her wealth allowed her to live a life that most women of her time wouldn’t have experienced. Marjorie was a leader in her family business, philanthropist, and quick to fall in love. It reads like a romantic fiction book until you remember she was a real person.
Be Ready When the Luck Happens by Ina Garten
This is a fascinating memoir by the Barefoot Contessa. It’s full of all sorts of details about how she rose to fame as well as all the life bumps along the way. And if you love her husband Jeffrey from her tv show, you’ll love him even more after ready this book. He’s such a supportive partner.
Connie by Connie Chung
I remember watching Connie Chung on tv as a child who dreamed of being a journalist. But there is so much I didn’t know about her life struggles from being the being the daughter of newly immigrated parents from a war torn country to becoming a mom later in life. Connie spills all the dirt as well as you see her husband Maury Povich in a new way.
So Close to Being the Sh*t Y’all Don’t Even Know by Retta
I loved Retta on the NBC tv show Parks and Recreation and may use the phrased “Treat Yo Self” from time to time this summer. She is stylish and hilarious on her HGTV show Ugliest House in America. But I really did not much about Rhetta as a person. It is a lovely look at the struggles of being a stand-up comedian to being a tv star.
Melissa Stan
Iona Iverson’s Rules for Commuting by Clare Pooley
This book made me notice the people I pass every day but don’t really see. It’s a charming reminder that everyone has a story, and community can show up in surprising places. If you enjoy funny, heartwarming stories about unlikely friendships, this one will make you see your daily routine differently.
The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer
I picked this up because of the gorgeous cover and the story was just as good. When a reclusive author invites four lucky fans to compete for a life-changing prize, Lucy Hart sees her dream of adopting a student in her class suddenly within reach. It’s whimsical, hopeful, and full of heart—perfect for anyone who loves stories about second chances and wishes coming true in unexpected ways.
Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl
I come back to this book anytime I need perspective. Frankl’s reflections on purpose, resilience, and hope in the face of unthinkable hardship are powerful and unforgettable. It’s one of those reads that stays with you and changes how you see life.
The Penguin Lessons by Tom Michell
This is pure joy in book form. After rescuing an injured penguin, a teacher finds himself on an adventure full of charm, chaos, and unexpected friendship. It’s funny, sweet, and impossible not to smile through. It’s perfect for anyone who needs a feel-good true stoy.
As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride by Cary Elwes
If you love The Princess Bride, this behind-the-scenes book is a treasure. Cary Elwes shares the stories, surprises, and magic that went into making the movie we all adore. It will have you wanting to watch the film again with fresh appreciation.
Cara Duncan
Jane Austen’s Bookshelf by Rebecca Romney
I’m used to thinking of Jane Austen as wildly popping onto the writing scene of the early 1800’s with no precedent, but in fact that is not the case. She was inspired by and built on the work of many women who were her writing contemporaries. Beyond the history (and of course, adding to my TBR) it was a beautiful reminder of synergy and how the creative process is a community process.
Orbital by Samantha Harvey
This slim, genre defying novella is a dream-like, poetic look at the experience of six astronauts in orbit around earth in the International Space Station. It makes a thoughtful pairing with Taylor Jenkins Reid’s Atmosphere.
Last Dance Before Dawn by Katharine Schellman
This is the fourth and final book in the Nightingale Mystery series. This is a wonderful series if you want to immerse yourself in jazz age New York City in a glamorous speakeasy with found family and just a pinch of will -they-won’t -they romance. With only four books, it’s not an overwhelming series to read from start to finish, but there are enough pages involved to get to know and love the characters and setting.
Swept Away by Beth O’Leary
This contemporary romance is perfect for an escape read with a core problem that is (hopefully) far outside of your lived experience: ending up accidentally out to sea on a houseboat with a complete stranger and surviving to tell the tale.
A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna
Whimsical and cozy, this is the relatively low-stakes, banter filled fantasy with a light touch of romance that is perfect for reading by the fire with a warm cup of your favorite winter beverage. If you read it, I want to hear whether you think the fox may have been better off as a fox… if you know you know!