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Readers' Most Anticipated Books of December
For hard-core book lovers, the month of December is a mixed blessing. Those relentless holiday obligations tend to cut into reading time. But on the other hand, lots of gift books get exchanged this time of year. ’Tis the season to drop broad hints about the new books you really want. In a pinch, buy yourself that book and put it under the tree, then hope that no one asks any questions.
New in December: A missing persons case gets extremely weird in YA author Shea Ernshaw’s adult mystery debut, A History of Wild Places. A mother and son try to reinvent their relationship in Neel Patel’s Tell Me How to Be. And Japanese superstar author Keigo Higashino returns with Silent Parade, the latest installment in the Detective Galileo series. Also: ballerinas in Paris, epic drama in Korea, and the long-awaited verse collection from National Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman.
Each month the Goodreads editorial team takes a look at the books that are being published in the U.S., readers' early reviews, and how many readers are adding these books to their Want to Read shelves (which is how we measure anticipation). We use the information to curate this list of hottest new releases.
For those who like their historical fiction on the big and sweeping epic scale, Juhea Kim’s Beasts of a Little Land will scratch you right where you itch. Set in Korea circa 1917, the story follows the fates of two young lovers as their country is swept up in revolution. Jade was sold to a courtesan school as a child. JungHo is the orphaned son of a penniless hunter. Now they must survive on the hard streets of Pyongyang.
Astute citizens will recall Amanda Gorman, the powerful young poet who sent the most recent presidential inauguration into the stratosphere. Her new poetry collection explores themes of memory, identity, and grief on the personal and societal level. Gorman has been praised as a major new voice in American poetry, and her energizing spirit is just what we need right about now.
YA author Shea Ernshaw (The Wicked Deep, Winterwood) makes her adult mystery debut with this atmospheric thriller concerning a missing author, a subsequently missing investigator, and a reclusive commune where people sure seem to disappear a lot. Founded in the 1970s, the community known as Pastoral was intended for spiritual seekers longing for a simpler way of life. Disappearing, it turns out, simplifies things nicely. It’s a mystery with a touch of the supernatural, plus some thoughts on the real nature of fairy tales.
Shuttling back and forth between two time frames, The Ballerinas follows three dancers from the prestigious Paris Opera Ballet as they try—and fail—to bury a sinister secret. Delphine, now 36 years old, abandoned her studies 14 years ago in an effort to protect her friends Lindsay and Margaux. But now Delphine has returned as a choreographer, and the truth is doing that thing it likes to do. Rachel Kapelke-Dale’s debut novel is recommended for fans of Black Swan and Luckiest Girl Alive.
Read our interview with Kapelke-Dale and more hot debut mystery authors!
Read our interview with Kapelke-Dale and more hot debut mystery authors!
Neel Patel, the author of the short story collection If You See Me, Don't Say Hi, returns with a novel about mothers and sons, family dynamics, and letting go of the past. On the one-year anniversary of her husband’s death, Renu Amin is desperate to make some changes. When she decides to sell the family home, her son Akash returns from L.A. with his own set of issues. Can mother and son find forgiveness and care for each other through this time of change?
With its subtly compelling title, Lisa Harding’s carefully observed novel digs deep into the recovery process of one desperate addict. Booze has cost young Irish mother Sonya Moriarty her career, and now it’s threatening to take away her child, Tommy. Through frightening trials and terrifying errors, Sonya learns that alcoholism is a subtle and baffling disease. But love is a powerful ally, and tomorrow always holds hope for rehabilitation and redemption.
Tokyo-based writer Keigo Higashino is kind of a big deal in Japan. He’s one of the country’s most popular authors, and his books represent a cool opportunity for American fans of the mystery genre. Higashino’s latest installment in the Detective Galileo series concerns a missing girl, a dangerous suspect on the loose, and a string of connections to murders several decades in the past. Higashino’s debut Galileo novel won the prestigious Naoki Prize, the Japanese equivalent of the National Book Award.
Which new releases are you looking forward to reading? Let's talk books in the comments!
Check out more recent articles, including:
December's Hottest New Romances
The Biggest New Young Adult Books of December
Meet the Season's Hottest Debut Mystery Authors
Check out more recent articles, including:
December's Hottest New Romances
The Biggest New Young Adult Books of December
Meet the Season's Hottest Debut Mystery Authors
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Chelsea
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Dec 01, 2021 04:27AM
Really looking forward to bright burning things
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I was considering A History of Wild Places as my BOTM selection, but am not big on YA & although this is the author’s debut adult book, I’ll pass. I am a fan of Shuggie Bain & have read comparisons & rumor has it this will be ReadwithJenna pick, so that I am on a library wait list for this. Busy reading Go Tell The 🐝 🐝 I Am Gone for the foreseeable future. And for anyone who needs a refresher after Written In My Own Heart’s Blood (7 years ago 🧐), pick up a copy of The Outlandish Companion Part Two. So far, I have read Part 1 of Bees and Diana has been helpful with some recapping.
Sorry, can’t find edit: Bright Burning Things is rumored Jenna pick.
Beastx of little land. Already read the ballerinas
A history of wild places and Midnight Girls 🔥🔥
