Top 5 Contenders Announced for Sarasota Libraries’ One Book Program

July 8, 2024—Sarasota County Libraries and Historical Resources have announced the top five selections for the 2025 One Book, One Community, which has united residents through a shared love of reading for over two decades.

Each year, a committee narrows down a list of potential selections to one book, inviting the author for discussions in March. Concurrently, each library in the Sarasota system offers related programming and book clubs. Readers are invited to follow along as the committee narrows down the candidates and reveals the final selection.

The top five contenders are as follows:

• “The Art Thief” by Michael Finkel – A thrilling true story of the world’s most prolific art thief, Stéphane Breitwieser.
• “Bite by Bite” by Aimee Nezhukumatathil – A lyrical book of short essays about food.
• “The Geography of Bliss” by Eric Weiner – Part travel memoir, part humor and part self-help guide, the author travels the globe to find the happiest place on Earth.
• “Remarkably Bright Creatures” by Shelby Van Pelt – A bestselling novel examining how interaction with living things can resolve loneliness and other adverse emotions.
• “The Swimmers” by Julie Otsuka – A heartbreaking novel about the importance of exercise and routine.

“It’s always an exciting time when the One Book Committee announces its top five finalists because members of the community will often treat this as a reading list, eager to decide for themselves which book they feel deserves to be the one,” said Dr. Renée Di Pilato, director of Sarasota County Libraries and Historical Resources. “It’s a fun way to foster connections through reading.”

Supported by the Library Foundation for Sarasota County, the program has been part of Sarasota County for the last 22 years. It has facilitated discussions with many best-selling authors including David Grann author of “Killers of the Flower Moon,” Suzanne Collins, author of “The Hunger Games,” Patrick D. Smith, author of “A Land Remembered” and many more.

On March 1, nearly 800 people attended events at Shannon Staub Library in North Port and Selby Library in Sarasota to hear from Pulitzer-Prize-winning author Ed Yong, about his book “An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us.”

Sarasota County Libraries invites the community to read selections and discuss their favorites via social media, using the hashtag #OneBook2025 as the committee deliberates on the final One Book 2025 selection.

About Sarasota County Libraries and Historical Resources

A system of 10 community branches, a history center and a mobile library provides opportunities for lifelong learning, vibrant cultural experiences and enriching activities for all ages. For more information, visit SarasotaCountyLibraries.org/OneBook or call 311 or 941-861-1110.