December recommended lists you don’t want to miss
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! The holidays are in full swing, and with the excitement (or stress) that brings your patrons, you’ll have them covered with all the latest releases. Readers have some time off for the holidays, and whether they’re gathering with their loved ones to discuss their favorite books of the year or getting their TBR lists in order so they have plenty to read while they travel, we have everything you’ll need to brighten their winter days. Below are lists you can shop in OverDrive Marketplace to make sure you have everything you need to spread the winter cheer.
Season’s Readings – Adult and YA Holiday Reads
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With the holiday season upon us, help your patrons get in the spirit with all the season’s readings. This large list features adult and YA fiction, with genres ranging from cozy reads and romance to winter crime fiction and thrillers, along with some nonfiction to help prepare for all the festivities.
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The Nightmare Before Kissmas by Sara Raasch
From your OverDrive DCL: Some readers have been ready for Christmas since July, others are still clinging to Halloween for as long as they can. Why pick when you can have both? Described as Red, White & Royal Blue meets The Nightmare Before Christmas, here we have a quirky new rom-com where the golden boy Prince of Christmas falls for the mysterious, and very-off-limits, Prince of Halloween.
Nicholas “Coal” Claus used to love Christmas, but his dad Santa has turned the holiday into a PR spectacle that has forgotten the true meaning of the holiday. Coal will do anything to escape, including getting tangled up with a beautiful stranger he meets behind a seedy bar. But when the heir to Christmas is commanded to do his duty and marry the Easter Princess (who happens to be his best friend Iris, who is also his brother’s not-so-secret crush), Coal knows this situation has drama written all over it. Things go even more downhill when a rival challenges Coal for the princess’s hand, and Coal finds himself face to face with his mysterious stranger from the bar: Hex, the Prince of Halloween.
Fake competition, an unwanted marriage of convenience, and two holiday princes who can’t keep their hands off each other – what more could you want for Christmas? Whether your readers are all in for the holiday spirit or prefer the Creepmas trend this season, this book is sure to delight romance readers with some cozy reading for those dark winter nights.
Holiday Reading for Kids
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From new releases to holiday classics, this list covers all the winter reads for your youngest readers to check out.
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Let It Glow by Marissa Meyer and Joanne Levy
From the publisher: When Aviva Davis and Holly Martin meet at the holiday pageant tryouts for their local senior’s center, they think they must be seeing double. While they both knew they were adopted, they had no idea they had a biological sibling, let alone an identical twin! The similarities are only skin deep, though, because while Aviva has a big personality and even bigger Broadway plans, Holly is more the quiet dreamer type who longs to become a famous author like her grandfather.
One thing the girls do have in common is their curiosity about how the other celebrates the holidays. What better way to discover the magic of the holidays than to experience them firsthand? The girls secretly trade lives, planning to stage a dramatic reveal to their families. Two virtual strangers swapping homes, holidays, and age-old traditions–what could possibly go wrong? Find out in this sweet as a sugarplum and satisfying as a latke middle grade novel by Marissa Meyer, #1 New York Times-bestselling author of The Lunar Chronicles, and Joanne Levy, award-winning author of Sorry for Your Loss and several other books for tweens.
Top Titles of December
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Rental House by Weike Wang
From the publisher: Keru and Nate are college sweethearts who marry despite their family differences: Keru’s strict, Chinese, immigrant parents demand perfection (“To use a dishwasher is to admit defeat,” says her father), while Nate’s rural, white, working-class family distrusts his intellectual ambitions and his “foreign” wife.
Some years into their marriage, the couple invites their families on vacation. At a Cape Cod beach house, and later at a luxury Catskills bungalow, Keru, Nate, and their giant sheepdog navigate visits from in-laws and unexpected guests, all while wondering if they have what it takes to answer the big questions: How do you cope when your spouse and your family of origin clash? How many people (and dogs) make a family? And when the pack starts to disintegrate, what can you do to shepherd everyone back together?
With her “wry, wise, and simply spectacular” style (People) and “hilarious deadpan that recalls Gish Jen and Nora Ephron” (O, The Oprah Magazine), Weike Wang offers a portrait of family that is equally witty, incisive, and tender
Coming Blockbusters of December
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Black in Blues by Imani Perry
From the publisher: Throughout history, the concept of Blackness has been remarkably intertwined with another color: blue. In daily life, it is evoked in countless ways. Blue skies and blue water offer hope for that which lies beyond the current conditions. But blue is also the color of deep melancholy and heartache, echoing Louis Armstrong’s question, “What did I do to be so Black and blue?” In this book, celebrated author Imani Perry uses the world’s favorite color as a springboard for a riveting emotional, cultural, and spiritual journey—an examination of race and Blackness that transcends politics or ideology.
Perry traces both blue and Blackness from their earliest roots to their many embodiments of contemporary culture, drawing deeply from her own life as well as art and history: The dyed indigo cloths of West Africa that were traded for human life in the 16th century. The mixture of awe and aversion in the old-fashioned characterization of dark-skinned people as “Blue Black.” The fundamentally American art form of blues music, sitting at the crossroads of pain and pleasure. The blue flowers Perry plants to honor a loved one gone too soon.
Poignant, spellbinding, and utterly original, Black in Blues is a brilliant new work that could only have come from the mind of one of our greatest writers and thinkers. Attuned to the harrowing and the sublime aspects of the human experience, it is every bit as vivid, rich, and striking as blue itself.
Top Romance of December
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Eddie Winston Is Looking for Love by Marianne Cronin
From your OverDrive DCL: Marianne Cronin’s last novel, international hit The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot, had me laughing and crying all in a single sitting, so suffice it to say I have been biding my team for the author’s newest release! Fans of intergenerational friendships will be delighted to see that this theme continues, this time with Eddie and Bella.
Eddie Winston is a 90-year old retired academic who has lived a full life, but he has never been kissed. A true gentleman and hopeless romantic, Eddie spends his days volunteering at a charity shop, where he sorts through the donations, preserving letters and tokens of love along the way. There he meets Bella, a young woman who, at 24 years old, is mourning the death of her boyfriend.
When Bella learns that Eddie is yet to have his first kiss, she becomes determined to help Eddie Winston find love, setting the pair on an adventure that will, they hope, bring Eddie Winston to the moment he has waited for all his life. With rich character-building and a heartfelt friendship, this novel is perfect for readers who love a little reminder of the power of human connection.
Top Mystery/Thrillers of December
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The Rivals by Jane Pek
From your OverDrive DCL: Jane Pek is back with her latest Claudio Lin mystery, following up to her debut The Verifiers. These witty, thought-provoking mysteries somehow manage to ensnare both die-hard mystery fans looking for a new Nancy Drew and readers who may not ordinarily seek out a mystery but get drawn in by the exploration of the nature of relationships in the digital age.
Claudia Lin has just secured her dream job co-running Veracity, a dating detective agency for New Yorkers who want to know if their prospective partners are telling the truth. Unfortunately, along the way, she and her colleagues Squirrel and Becks have uncovered a far-reaching AI conspiracy, and the corporate matchmakers may be resorting to murder to protect their secrets.
In the wake of a client’s sudden death, Claudia convinces her ex, an industry insider, to turn on his employer and feed the verifiers information about what the powerful dating platforms are really up to. Along the way Claudia finds herself balancing her new work as a sleuth with the possibility of romance, as well as family drama when she starts to fear that her older brother is being drawn into the matchmakers’ dangerous web. With references to classic mysteries and espionage thrillers, this mystery with a modern twist is sure to appeal to a wide range of readers.
Top Fantasy of December
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The Last One by Rachel Howzell Hall
From the publisher: Thrown into a desolate land of sickness and unnatural beasts, Kai wakes in the woods with no idea who she is or how she got there. All she knows is that if she cannot reach the Sea of Devour, even this hellscape will get worse. But when she sees the village blacksmith fight invaders with unspeakable skill, she decides to accept his offer of help.
Too bad he’s as skilled at annoying her as he is at fighting.
As she searches for answers, Kai only finds more questions, especially regarding the blacksmith who can ignite her body like a flame, then douse it with ice in the next breath.
And no one is what—or who—they appear to be in the kingdom of Vinevridth, including the man whose secrets might be as deadly as the land itself.
More recommended lists you don’t want to miss
Top Historical Fiction of December. Shop the list here.
Top Sci-Fi of December. Shop the list here.
Top Self-Published of December. Shop the list here.
Top Nonfiction of December. Shop the list here.
If you ever need help shopping, you can always email your Digital Content Librarian! Find your DCL in the SUPPORT tab of Marketplace.
About the author: Claire has worked in publicity for the arts, public libraries, and archives. At OverDrive she helps public libraries manage their collections and creates lists of the hottest titles to help her partners shop and promote their collections to their patrons. When she isn’t reading she loves to run, try new recipes (while listening to an audiobook), plan her next road trip, or hang out with her two dogs and cat. Claire is always excited to talk about a good mystery or spooky books!
