JCPL librarians bring you book recommendations and discuss the bites and beverages to pair with them.
Books & Bites Podcast, Ep. 108
We’re saying goodbye to 2025 with this episode, and with it our Summer-Fall Books & Bites bingo card!
What better way to ring out the old year than with some of our favorite books published in 2025? Our picks include a darkly comic adventure story, a YA fantasy-mystery, and a novel that reinvents the werewolf story.
And don’t forget to turn in your bingo card in person or online by December 30, 2025!
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Carrie’s Pick
Seven years ago, retired journalist Rhys Kinnick abruptly moved to his family’s remote property after getting in a fistfight with his Christian Nationalist son-in-law at Thanksgiving.
Rhys has been living off the grid ever since, disconnected from his family, the world, and the news.
Then a woman shows up at his door with his grandchildren and a note from his daughter asking Rhys to take care of them while she’s gone. Rhys only has the kids for a few hours before members of the militia kidnap them.
So Far Gone is a wild adventure through the Pacific Northwest as Rhys tries to find the children and their mother. This darkly comic novel has plenty of heart and will have you rooting for its flawed characters.
Pairing: Turkey Pot Pie
Jacqueline’s Pick
Mystery Royale by Kaitlyn Cavalancia
Mullory is a sixteen-year-old caring for her cancer-stricken grandmother after her mother, Ester, vanished, leaving behind a burned-down home and a chilling warning: “Run if the stranger finds you.”
Soon, mysterious envelopes invite Mullory to solve the murder of billionaire Xavier, whose magical family passes powers only to chosen heirs.
This genre-blending fantasy-mystery is full of surprises. Told from multiple points of view, it weaves intrigue and depth into every chapter.
Pairing: Cranberry Salsa
Michael’s Pick
When the Wolf Comes Home by Nat Cassidy
Aspiring actress Jess works the late shift at a diner in Los Angeles. After a disturbing experience while cleaning the restroom, she goes home and finds a terrified five-year-old boy hiding outside. And he’s being hunted.
What follows is a violent confrontation with the boy’s father that sends Jess and the child racing east across the country, leaving a bloody trail behind as the father pursues them.
Along the way, Jess learns the boy has a terrifying ability: he can manifest his fears into physical form.
Cassidy takes the werewolf story and reinvents it in a way that feels raw, modern, and emotionally devastating.
Pairing: Harvest Moon cocktail