The Weekly Wow List: 10/24/25

Happy Friday everyone! We’re back with another round of staff picks, full of the movies, books, and TV shows that the crew at the Avalon Free Public Library are really excited about this week! We hope you find something to love among our choices!

Frankenstein

Netflix notoriously hates movie theaters, so it’s rare that one of their original films gets shown in cinemas. Luckily, the latest by Guillermo del Toro, one of modern cinema’s most imaginatively bold stylists, is not only being given a brief theatrical run, but one of our area theaters has actually picked it up! Following up acclaimed films like Pan’s Labyrinth and The Shape of Water with a retelling of Mary Shelley’s classic Frankenstein, the auteur promises to deliver on his favorite themes in a gorgeous film that demands to be experienced on the biggest screen possible. – Sean Farrell

Haunted Ever After by Jen DeLuca

Boneyard Key is a tourist town on the Florida gulf coast, touted as the most haunted town in Florida. Cassie moves into a suspiciously inexpensive cottage and quickly runs against the local grumpy-coffee-shop-owner when she needs to work from one of his tables. It’s a romance, but it’s also an impeccably vibed small-town read that makes you want to read a book about every resident (living and spectral). I was so happy to learn the second book in the series was already out and devoured (and loved) it immediately. If you want a light and enjoyable read that treats ghosts like people and pulls you into a community, I highly recommend Haunted Ever After and its sequel Ghost Business! – Mary Ecklund

The Chair Company

Tim Robinson and Zach Kanin (both of I Think You Should Leave and Saturday Night Live) team up once again for this wild episodic comedy that sees a man rising through the ranks at work who becomes convinced that the company from which they purchase their office chairs is behind a sinister conspiracy. And he just might be right. Finding the absurd comedy in relatable, everyday situations is the duo’s specialty and it is on hilarious display here, while the mystery, ridiculous as it may be, hooks the viewer pretty immediately. The first season only just started, but what I’ve seen so far already places this amongst the funniest media of the year. – SF

Wild Reverence by Rebecca Ross

An intricately woven fantasy with vibrant characters, compelling plot, and tender moments. A young goddess fated to be a messenger of the gods, dreams that she saves a mortal child – a boy. This simple act will change the course of events for the underworld gods, the sky gods, and the mortal world. While set in the world of the Divine Rivals duology, it is not necessary to have read those books first. – Kara Buono

Poldark

Looking for a historical drama with adventure, romance, and a hero who can’t stay out of trouble? Poldark has it all. A remake of the cult classic 1975 BBC adaption of Winston Graham’s novels of the same title, Poldark is set in 18th-century Cornwall. The series follows Ross Poldark (Aidan Turner), a British soldier who returns home from war to find his world turned upside down. What follows is a mix of love, rivalry, class struggle, and plenty of windswept coastal drama.

With gorgeous scenery, strong performances, and a blend of romance and history, Poldark is the kind of show that pulls you in and keeps you watching “just one more episode.” Fans of Downton Abbey, Outlander, or Sanditon will feel right at home. – Erin Brown

Assassins Anonymous by Rob Hart

After a notorious assassin gives up the life of killing and vows not to kill again, he is attacked by a mysterious assailant. Unwilling to go back to being the monster he once was, he vows to discover who is after him, while dodging more threats and solving riddles, all without killing anyone – or getting killed himself. – KB

Season of the Osprey

I LOVE the osprey of Cape May County and am so sad when they leave for the winter. I watched Season of the Osprey to console myself and now miss them even more! The documentary takes you through the summer of an osprey, from his arrival in Massachusetts in the spring to his departure in late summer. I’ve absorbed a lot of osprey information over the years and still learned lots. Added Bonus: My cat Lily was enthralled with the documentary – enough to stop watching the actual birds at the feeder. – ME

Nature and the Mind: The Science of How Nature Improves Cognitive, Physical, and Social Well-Being by Marc Berman, PhD

An approachable explanation of how trees, plants, and water impact our brains and lives. The author amalgamates information from many studies and discusses various environments – cities, classrooms, homes and more. This title fits perfectly into my personal dive into geography/sociology/psychology reads! – ME

Next Gen Chef

21 chefs under the age of 30 all head out to The Culinary Institute of America, some of whom already attended school there, to face off in a test to see who will be crowned “Next Gen Chef” and win a prize of $500,000. The level of talent on display is stunning, and while these young chefs have some amazing experience, they also still feel more “new” and “undiscovered” than the competitors on Top Chef as it exists now, which lends the show a freshness that the other has lacked for years. If you like these kinds of shows as much as I do, you owe it to yourself to give it a watch. – SF

Neither the Library nor its staff receive compensation for inclusion on this list or for links to external websites.

Cover photo by freestocks on Unsplash.