The Best Asian American and Pacific Islander Books of 2025 for Adults | Multnomah County LibraryLike this list

14 items

• Luminous

  a Novel

  Park, Silvia,

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  Are you scared about A.I. like I am? This Korean near-future cyberpunk novel will simultaneously make you more hopeful and more terrified. And also terribly entertained. - Ross B.

• Liquid

  a Love Story

  Rahmani, Mariam,

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  A gorgeously written debut, reminiscent of decades of honing one's craft. Messy, stunning, deep, and heady - I ate this one all the way up. - Laura L.

• Universality

  a Novel

  Brown, Natasha (Novelist),

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  This short book takes you on a kaleidoscopic journey where you're never quite sure what's actually true--and I couldn't get enough! - Delaney N

• Mỹ Documents

  a Novel

  Nguyen, Kevin,

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  We thought it could never happen again, yet this speculative fiction about another concentration camp roundup of a group of Asians in the USA couldn't be more timely in this age of ICE. - Heidi H.

• Homeseeking

  Chen, Karissa,

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  A gorgeous sweeping historical epic. This book is quite long, but every sentence is worth it. - Alison H.

• This Place Kills Me

  Tamaki, Mariko,

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  How about a dark academia tale of social conspiracy and murder set in a 1980's all girl's school? Tamaki and artist Goux pull the veil away from 1980's nostalgia with a dramatic look at the subtle effects of ostracization from homophobia caused…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Blob

  a Love Story

  Su, Margaret,

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  This is your classic story of Girl meets Blob. It's weird, it's kind of gross, and impossible to put down. - Lana S.

• A Mouthful of Dust

  Vo, Nghi,

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  Amazing novella series, each one stands alone well. This one is deeply tragic. - Heidi S.

• Midnight Timetable

  a Novel in Ghost Stories

  정 보라, 1976-

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  Eerie and offbeat. Seven stories intertwine, slowly revealing more about an institute that houses haunted objects… and even sheep! - Erica B.

• Ginseng Roots

  a Memoir

  Thompson, Craig, 1975-

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  Deeply researched, self-deprecating memoir graphic novels are my jam. - Patrick P.

• Katabasis

  a Novel

  Kuang, R. F. (Rebecca F.),

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  For those of us who've spent too much time pursuing goals blindly without asking ourselves "why" - Leo B.

• Brighter Than Scale, Swifter Than Flame

  Yang, Neon,

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  A famed dragon slayer goes on a journey to a kingdom that worships the beasts she's spent her whole life killing. What if there is more to the dragons than she's been taught? - Aley U.

• Cat's People

  a Novel

  Guerrero, Tanya,

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  Do you love cats? Do you love real people and real tenderness? If you're feeling hopeless this book has a storyline for you. Sarah M.

• Best Books of 2025, chosen by Multnomah County Library staff

  View on bibliocommons.com

  There's something for everyone in our lists for preschoolers, kids, tweens, teens and adults.