Current List

Annual List

Since 2009 the goal of the Lariat Adult Fiction Reading List has been to highlight outstanding fiction that is simply “a pleasure to read.” Each year, 25 outstanding fiction titles are selected by a nine member committee.

Each year, authors from past and current lists are invited to speak at the Lariat List Adult Fiction Author Event held at the TLA Annual Conference.

2025 Lariat Adult Fiction Reading List

*denotes top 10 books

1. The Book of Doors: A Novel, Gareth Brown (William Morrow / HarperCollins) *
2. The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife: A Novel, Anna Johnston (William Morrow / HarperCollins) *
3. By Any Other Name: A Novel, Jodi Picoult (Ballantine Books / Penguin Random House)
4. Crow Talk: A Novel, Eileen Garvin (Dutton / Penguin Random House) *
5. Expiration Dates: A Novel, Rebecca Serle (Atria Books / Simon & Schuster)
6. Extinction: A Novel, Douglas Preston (Forge Books / Macmillan)
7. Family Family: A Novel, Laurie Frankel (Henry Holt and Co. / Macmillan)
8. The Frozen River, Ariel Lawhon (Doubleday / Penguin Random House) *
9. Funny Story, Emily Henry (Berkley / Penguin Random House)
10.  The God of the Woods: A Novel, Liz Moore (Riverhead Books / Penguin Random House)
11.  How the Light Gets In: A Novel, Joyce Maynard (William Morrow / HarperCollins)
12.  How to Read a Book: A Novel, Monica Wood (Mariner Books / HarperCollins)
13.  James: A Novel, Percival Everett (Doubleday / Penguin Random House)
14.  Listen for the Lie: A Novel, Amy Tintera (Celadon Books / Macmillan) *
15.  Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books: A Novel, Kirsten Miller (William Morrow / HarperCollins)
16.  Malas: A Novel, Marcela Fuentes (Viking / Penguin Random House)
17.  Middletide: A Novel, Sarah Crouch (Atria Books / Simon & Schuster)
18.  The Spellshop, Sarah Beth Durst (Bramble / Macmillan)
19.  We Solve Murders: A Novel, Richard Osman (Pamela Dorman Books / Penguin Random House)
20.  We Used to Live Here: A Novel, Marcus Kliewer (Atria / Emily Bestler Books / Simon & Schuster)
21.  The Wedding People: A Novel, Alison Espach (Henry Holt and Co. / Macmillan)
22.  Where They Last Saw Her: A Novel, Marcie R. Rendon (Bantam / Penguin Random House) *
23.  The Women: A Novel, Kristin Hannah (St. Martin’s Press / Macmillan) *
24.  Worst Case Scenario: A Novel, T.J. Newman (Little, Brown and Company / Hachette Book Group)
25.  The Wren in the Holly Library, K. A. Linde (Entangled: Red Tower Books / Macmillan) *

2025 Lariat Reading List, Annotated

2025 Lariat Reading LIST, SUPPLEMENTAL MATerials

Collection Development Statement
The Lariat List is not designed to support any particular curriculum. Librarians are not required or expected to purchase every book on the list. Due to the diversity in age range and topics, librarians should follow their local collection development policies and guidelines when considering which titles to purchase for their library.