Kearny Life tapped Joshua Humphrey, Kearny’s Library Director, for his top reads of 2025. From grief to love, and from historical and sci-fi epics to lyrical poetry, he delivered some standouts. See any you like? All are available to borrow at the library.
‘FLASHLIGHT’ BY SUSAN CHOI
This wonderful novel starts with the events of a tragic night, when ten-year-old Louisa loses her Korean father to the ocean while walking with him on the breakwater. While she wakes up on the beach, her father’s body is never found. Afterwards, she is left with her American mother, Anne, as they attempt to navigate this tremendous loss and grief together. As the story shifts across time and the perspectives of its characters, all keeps coming back to that mysterious night by the sea. This title is shortlisted for the Booker Prize and has been named a best book of the year by Time Magazine, Oprah Daily and NPR.
‘HEART THE LOVER’ BY LILY KING
This is the story of Jordan, who falls into a love triangle with two fellow Literature students in her Senior year of college. What starts as an intellectual friendship turns into an intense relationship that will have consequences for all three young people long after graduation comes and goes. Decades later, a piece of unexpected news will send Jordan back into a world that was purposefully left behind and the passion of her first love. Another wonderful book from King, which also shares an interesting connection to her earlier bestseller, ‘Writers & Lovers’.
‘ATMOSPHERE’ BY TAYLOR JENKINS REID
Jenkins Reid needs no introduction, as she has been one of the most popular authors of the last five years and a perennial favorite among library readers. This outing takes us back to the 1980’s, where Professor and Astronomist Joan Goodwin becomes one of the first female scientists to be a part of the NASA astronaut program. With a new group of unlikely friends, Joan will discover passions she did not know she had, leading her to question her place in the world and the universe. Both a thrilling space mission and a nostalgic return to simpler times, this is another fun read and a Good Morning America Book Club pick.
‘DREAM HOTEL’ BY LAILA LALAMI
We are always excited for a good, new science fiction story at the Kearny Library. This one centers around Sara, who is put under observation from the Risk Assessment Administration, as an algorithm has named her an imminent risk to do harm to her loving husband. She is transferred to a retention center, along with other accused women, where days turn into months until the arrival of a new resident will start a shocking chain of events. Coming at a perfect time in human history as technology and AI have taken on such a large role, this book is an eerie and interesting read. It was also featured in the Read with Jenna Book Club on the Today Show.
‘STARTLEMENT’ BY ADA LIMON
I always like to include a good collection of poetry in any list of great reads. This is the newest collection by the 24th Poet Laureate of the United States, who always manages to be both extremely intelligent and easy to approach. While providing some new works, this also functions as a ‘best of’, compiling pieces from Limon’s sizable body of work. While commenting on the nature of the universe and the treasures of our natural world, she also writes with a wonderful sense of humanity and her own history. In the end, she is just
