2021 Reading List: November and December
There are so many great books coming out in the next two months, just in time for holiday breaks, gifting and dark winter nights! I love sharing a copy of a hardcover book with a hostess gift or when I go over to a friend’s house - it makes me feel less guilty about buying them and letting someone else enjoy the stories that I connect with. My list for the last two months is a mix of romances, thrillers, memoirs and entertainment industry stories. It’s very much a “something for everyone” mix!
As usual, I’m linking to the first quarter, second quarter, July/August and September/October lists for reference - I have been making good progress through them this year and am making a big push to read as many as possible by the end of the year.
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November
Tacky: Love Letters to the Worst Culture We Have to Offer by Rax King
Publishing Date: November 2
Our family loves to use the word “tacky” to describe things, but we also have an appreciation for many tacky things. This book of essays takes on the power of pop culture and how it shapes our lives with fourteen essays that cover everything from Sex and the City and Jersey Shore to the Cheesecake Factory menu. While the essays to cover topics like friendship and grief, it sounds like a hilarious examination of how the things that we love, even if they are low brow, can influence our lives.
Our Violent Ends by Chloe Gong
Publishing Date: November 16
The sequel to These Violent Delights, which I read last month, the Romeo and Juliet-inspired story continues, with Roma and Juliette trying to maintain their power within rival gangs, reeling from loss and fending off political uprising and a new monster. I loved the way Chloe Gong painted 1927 Shanghai and how well developed the characters were in the first book and I’m excited to see how the story finally ends.
Love, Lists & Fancy Ships
Publishing Date: November 23
A “Below Deck” rom com with a bucket list and cute nieces helping their younger aunt? I didn’t know I needed this book! The plot centers on yacht stewardess Jo Walker has been attempting to complete a bucket list of thirty things she wants to accomplish by her thirtieth birthday. A family tragedy derails her plans and her two nieces show up and decide to help her finish the list. A kiss with a stranger (item number 5 on the list!) takes a steamy turn, and Jo has to confront her feelings to keep the man of her dreams!
You’ll be the death of me by karen mcmanus
Publishing Date: November 30
From the author of One of Us is Lying, comes a new high school mystery. This one focuses on Ivy, Mateo, and Cal, who used to be close, and get pushed back together when they all have a terrible day at Carlton High. When they unexpectedly run into each other, they decide to ditch school and their problems, until they wind up seeing another student get murdered. How are they all connected to him, and what are they hiding?
The sisters sweet
Publishing Date: November 30
I love an old-time entertainment story, and the plot of this is such an interesting premise, about two sisters who pose as cojoined twins in a vaudeville act with their parents. When one sister exposes their lie and runs away to Hollywood to find fame, the other sister is left to build a new life outside of the spotlight.
December
The Replacement Wife by Darby Kane
Publishing Date: September 7
Elisa Wright is a mom and wife, who is convinced her brother-in-law is a murderer. He has a dead wife and a missing fiancée, and although he did greive, he’s dating someone new, and Elisa is scared for her, while also trying to find out what happened to her friend, his missing fiancee. When she starts investigating, evidence piles up, but at the same time, her mental and physical health start to slip away. Is she having a breakdown? Is there a killer in her family?
A History of Wild Places
Publishing Date: December 7
Travis Wren can locate missing people using only a single object, and when he starts looking for Maggie St. James—a well-known author of dark, macabre children’s books—he discovers a reclusive community called Pastoral, founded in the 1970s by like-minded people searching for a simpler way of life. It shouldn’t exist anymore, and after he finds it, he disappears. Years in the future, a member of Pastoral named Theo finds Travis’ truck, and as he tries to figure out what happened, reveals secrets that could tear apart what they believe about their world.
THE BALLERINAS
Publishing Date: December 7
I find the world of ballet to be such a compelling backdrop for drama (the ambition, the physical demands, the art), and this new books about three young dancers, Delphine, Lindsay and Margaux at the Paris Opera Ballet seems to fit that. When Delphine returns to the legendary Palais Garnier Opera House at 36 to choreograph the ballet she hopes to mend fences with her former friends only to find that a secret from their past hasn’t stayed buried.
41-Love by Scarlett Thomas
Publishing Date: December 7
This new memoir from Scarlett Thomas looks at her life starting at forty-one. She has it all together, a career, her health, a partner she loves, a beautiful house, but when her dog dies, her parents get sick and her health spins out of her control for the first time in a long time, she turns her childhood love, tennis, to help her find her center again.
Smile and Look Pretty by Amanda Pellegrino
Publishing Date: December 28
Four best friends, who are also overworked, overtired and underpaid assistants to some of the most powerful men in the entertainment industry, decide to start an anonymous blog about their experiences. The blog posts go viral, inspiring other women to come forward, and putting their identities at risk. What follows is a sharp and funny look at the consequences of whistleblowing, and what happens when you try to change things for the better.
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