I can’t believe December is almost here. I’m not sure I’m ready for the last month of the year! Yet there is plenty to look forward to. I am excited to spend time with my family over the holidays, enjoy a new Advent calendar (because who doesn’t become a giddy little kid inside with the prospect of opening a tiny present every day!), and read some good books.
Here’s my reading list for December, that as usual includes a little of everything: mystery, poetry, literary fiction, and a thriller.
Poetry
What Kind of Woman by Kate Baer. I’ve been wanting to read more poetry lately, and I’ve heard nothing but great things about this collection about womanhood from Kate Baer. It was for sale as a Kindle deal recently so I picked it up and can’t wait to read a little bit every day next month. She has a new collection out now, I Hope this Finds You Well, so if I enjoy this I will have more to add to my poetry TBR.
Literary Fiction
The Arsonists’ City by Hala Alyan. This is one I heard about on a podcast but haven’t heard a lot about since, yet it stuck with me as one I’d like to read. It’s described as “a personal look at the legacy of war in the Middle East,” which appeals to me as I love to learn about other places and cultures through personal stories. It’s about the Nasr family: a Syrian mother, a Lebanese father, and three American children, who live spread out across the globe but come together in Beirut for this story about family, secrets, and home.
Mystery
The Nature of the Beast by Louise Penny. This is the last book in my quest to read one Chief Inspector Gamache book in the last quarter of 2021. I read How the Light Gets In (Book 9) in October, which I absolutely loved, then The Long Way Home (Book 10) last month, which was honestly a bit of a let-down after loving Book 9 so much. Yet I’m still looking forward to going back to Three Pines, the fictional village in Quebec where many of Penny’s mysteries are set, one last time this year.
Romance
This Time Next Year by Sophie Cousens. This is what I’m reading for my local bookstore‘s book club for the beginning of January, and it looks like such a fun one! It’s about Minnie, who considers herself to be unlucky, despite having a New Year’s birthday. Despite never having met him, she blames her bad luck on Quinn, who was born just minutes before her and gained the “first baby born in London in 1990” prize and who seems to lead a charmed life. But one New Year’s Eve night, their paths cross, and I’m looking forward to reading about what happens next.
Thriller
Joyland by Stephen King. A few podcasts I listen to have talked about Stephen King recently, and it’s made me want to read more from the prolific author. I’m not interested in his works that lean more toward horror, but I read and loved 11/22/63 a few years ago and loved it, and read The Stand a long time ago and loved that as well. This one is more of a thriller and ghost story, set in an amusement park in 1973.
What do you want to read this month? I hope this reading list gives you some bookish inspiration for December!
