Our favourite library materials of 2025!

By St. Catharines Public Library - Dec 08, 2025

Reading lists

At SCPL, our team borrows a lot of library items and we're often asked what we're currently reading, watching, or listening to. As a result, we wanted to share with you some of our favourite materials that we have checked out from the library this year that we think you will love too!

The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells

Reviewed by Emily, Customer Service Assistant

This series is hilarious, action-packed, and features a neurodivergent main character - the half-robot, half-human "Murderbot", who could kill all the humans it encounters, but that seems like a lot of work, and it really just wants to hang out and watch its favourite show: "The Rise and Fall of Sanctuary Moon". Unfortunately for it, the humans it actually likes keep putting themselves into life-threatening situations!

Borrow The Murderbot Diaries

Marley & Me by John Grogan

Reviewed by Sylvana, Customer Service Assistant

I loved this book because it made me laugh, it made me ugly cry, and it made me appreciate my own dogs so much more. I recommend it to anyone that has/had pets.

Borrow Marley & Me

Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar (Nintendo Switch)

Reviewed by Sylvana, Customer Service Assistant

Fun game if you enjoy farming simulators like Stardew Valley or Harvest Moon. I love that there's no combat, just cozy small town vibes.

Borrow Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar

Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar

Reviewed by Gabby, Customer Service Assistant

An entirely unique work of fiction with prose that reads like poetry. Akbar is able to wade through the grey areas of grief, art, and identity to question how martyrdom fits into our current moment. With an ending that will leave you breathless, "Martyr!" gracefully toes the line between magical realism, making it one of the most memorable books of the year.

Borrow Martyr!

The Plucky Squire (Playstation 5)

Reviewed by Gabby, Customer Service Assistant

Perfect for all ages, this adventure game follows the Plucky Squire and his group of artsy friends as they travel between our universe and the world of story! This game is a love letter to creativity, offering everything from musical mini games to arcade style challenges as you complete the main story. I've never encountered a game quite like this before, and I was pleasantly surprised with how entertaining it was.

Borrow The Plucky Squire

Spiritfarer (Nintendo Switch/Playstation 5)

Reviewed by Aimee, Customer Service Assistant

This game is a wonderful emotional rollercoaster following the story of Stella and her cat Daffodil as she takes on her new role as the Spiritfarer, after Charon. The art and music are beautiful, the challenges and gameplay are at a great level for both experienced and inexperienced players. The game tore out my heart in the best way, and I would highly recommend it for those okay with a bit of sadness mixed with the beauty of kindness.

Borrow Spiritfarer

A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay

Reviewed by Heather, Customer Service Librarian

Tremblay’s novel blends psychological and supernatural horror, examining a family’s collapse under pressure. Through an unreliable narrator and an ambiguous conclusion, the story leaves readers questioning what is real and feeling profoundly uneasy.

Borrow A Head Full of Ghosts

The God of the Woods by Liz Moore

Reviewed by Joanna, Manager, Customer Service

I loved this book because it is a gripping mystery about a wealthy family and the two children who vanish from their summer camp decades apart. The story weaves a compelling narrative of layered secrets, community tension, and the search for second chances. I loved that the story was told from multiple perspectives.

Borrow The God of the Woods

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

Reviewed by Rowan, Page

This book explored an area of sci-fi that isn't often touched on by others of the genre. Project Hail Mary is a unique take on the possibility of extra-terrestrial life, combining realistic science with fantastical species' in a more engaging manner than many of the other sci-fi novels I've seen.

Borrow Project Hail Mary

What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher

Reviewed by Rowan, Page

I loved this title because of its unique premise, with The Last of Us meeting The Fall of The House of Usher in an eerie short horror. I also appreciated the normalized 2SLGBTQIA+ characters in this story.

Borrow What Moves the Dead

Her One Regret by Donna Freitas

Reviewed by Jennifer, Customer Service Assistant

When Michelle's best friend Lucy disappears from a grocery store parking lot, abandoning her baby in a stroller, Michelle must grapple with disclosing the shocking confession Lucy recently shared with her: She wishes she never got pregnant. In a world where motherhood is promoted as women's highest calling, Freitas's feminist thriller confronts one of society's greatest taboos: The regretful mother.

Borrow Her One Regret

Let's Call Her Barbie by Renee Rosen

Reviewed by Jennifer, Customer Service Assistant

We all know the cultural phenomenon that is Barbie, but the story of her creator, Ruth Handler, is less well-known. Ruth's visionary idea to create a doll in the form of a grown woman, complete with a stylish wardrobe, was revolutionary in the mid-fifties, when the only dolls on the market were baby dolls. The novel gives readers a fascinating glimpse into the life of a strong and savvy businesswoman who takes on an industry dominated by men, and whose invention has brought joy to millions of children across the world for decades.

Borrow Let's Call Her Barbie

Vanished Beyond the Map: The Mystery of Lost Explorer Hubert Darrell by Adam Shoalts

Reviewed by Gord, Customer Service Assistant

Adam explores the mysterious disappearance of arctic explorer Hubert Darrell who traveled the arctic on foot and survived in temperatures beyond belief. Darrell was larger than life and was curious if Adam could put together the reason for his sudden disappearance more than a century ago.

Borrow Vanished Beyond the Map

Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett

Reviewed by Anne, Librarian

The combination of fantasy, faeries and a dash of academia made this the perfect read. It was the perfect read if you've ever wondered what it would be like if faeries were real and you could study them at university.

Borrow Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia of Faeries

Tales of the Shire (Nintendo Switch)

Reviewed by Anne, Librarian

A cozy fantasy game that allows me to live in the Shire and pretend I'm a hobbit? Count me in! Perfect game for the Lord of the Rings fans who always wanted to build a Hobbit Hole. #wishiwasahobbit

Borrow Tales of the Shire

What Hunger by Catherine Dang

Reviewed by Zach, Customer Service Assistant

For fans of "Earthlings" or "The Eyes are the Best Part", this is a book about a misfit high schooler who gradually develops a taste for flesh while dealing with family trauma. I love existential horror novels that use horror and taboo to deal with difficult topics such as grief, racism, and identity.

Borrow What Hunger

Feeding Ghosts: A Graphic Memoir by Tessa Hulls

Reviewed by Zach, Customer Service Assistant

This is only the second ever graphic novel to win a Pulitzer! Graphic memoirs are a dime a dozen these days, but this one is really special. The author digs through her family's past to reconcile the differences between herself, her mother, and grandmother. I loved the way Hulls uses the form of comics to tell a story and convey feelings and messages that would not be possible in another medium.

Borrow Feeding Ghosts