Seattle Staff Faves 2025: Fiction, Part 2
Every year we ask our staff across the system for their favorite books published in a given year. Like last year, we needed two parts to accommodate all of the adult fiction our staff read! Enjoy this variety of fiction staff favorites, with annotations by staff members or as noted. (Created November 2025)
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Single Player
Cat Li lands her dream job writing love storylines for the next big thing in games, only after boss Andi Zhang, who hates happily-ever-afters, grudgingly gives Cat a chance, but when Cat discovers a plot to destroy Andi’s career, they must find a way to work together before it’s game over. (NoveList Plus)
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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The Lilac People
A trans man and his chosen family struggle for survival during World War II (and after). (Kirkus Reviews)
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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The El
On a sweltering August day in 1979 Chicago, teen gang member Teddy leads younger Royals to a citywide gang summit aiming to unite across racial lines. But when the meeting erupts in gunfire, Teddy must guide his crew home through hostile streets and El train stops. (NoveList Plus)
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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Blood on Her Tongue
Diagnosed with brain fever-induced insanity, Sarah faces the threat of an asylum. Lucy, determined to save her, must uncover the truth behind Sarah's condition, though both sisters harbor secrets. (NoveList Plus)
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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The Birds
"Karl Ove Knausgaard calls this "the best Norwegian novel ever," but don't just take his word for it! Pick up this gorgeous reprint from Pushkin Press and find out for yourself."--Abby B.
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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Listen to your Sister
Anxiety metamorphoses into terror for a young Black woman fiercely protecting her own. (Kirkus Reviews)
Format: Book
Availability: All copies in use
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The Emperor of Gladness
In the struggling town of East Gladness, Connecticut, nineteen-year-old Hai is saved from despair by Grazina, an elderly widow with dementia, forging an unexpected bond that reshapes their lives and reveals dynamics of love, memory, and resilience on the margins of society. (NoveList Plus)
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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The Sunflower Boys
A poignant coming-of-age story about a young boy wrestling with his sexuality as war breaks out in modern Ukraine. (NoveList Plus)
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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Girl in the Creek
When she discovers the corpse of a local woman in a creek, Erin unknowingly puts herself in the crosshairs of very powerful forces—from this world and beyond—hell-bent on keeping their secrets buried. (NoveList Plus)
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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So Far Gone
"My favorite book of the year."--Alan J.
Format: Book
Availability: Available