Serena’s neighbors have the holiday light show up and running, and now she’s just waiting for the party busses to start rolling through. And Kate is planning for both Christmas and Hanukkah shenanigans for the month. But there are always books to keep us grounded during the nutty holiday times! Here are just some of the books we’re looking forward to this month!
Serena’s Picks
Book: “An Arcane Inheritance” by Kamilah Cole
Publication Date: December 30, 2025
Why I’m Interested: I’m always excited to check out more dark academic fantasy! What’s more, it’s all the more exciting to find an adult book in this genre, and a standalone to boot! It sounds like your fairly standard “girl at school discovers dark secrets and mysterious boy.” But it’s also being compared to “Babel” and “A Deadly Education,” so similarities are just a pro! I have high hopes for this one!
Book: “Tailored Realities” by Brandon Sanderson
Publication Date: December 9, 2025
Why I’m Interested: I mean, he’s a “must read” author for me, so of course I’m going to check this one out! I don’t always love short story collections, but I’ve had some good experiences reading collections from one favorite author, rather than collections of various authors. I think I’ve read a few of the stories included here, all of which I enjoyed, so I’m excited to see what else there is! I haven’t read all of his books at this point (I can’t keep up!), so hopefully I’ll be ok without prior knowledge of some of the worlds touched on in some of these stories.
Book: “Children of Fallen Gods” by Carissa Broadbent
Publication Date: December 9, 2025
Why I’m Interested: I’m so excited for this one! I really loved the first one and can’t wait to see where the story goes here in the second. But, oof! It’s over 600 pages long! On one hand, that means I must plan accordingly when scheduling out my reviews and reading for the next few weeks. But on the other hand, that means all the more page time to enjoy what I’m sure will be a fantastic sequel!
Kate’s Picks
Book: “Dark Sisters” by Kristi DeMeester
Publication Date: December 9, 2025
Why I’m Interested: I have enjoyed previous works by Kristi DeMeester (I have also enjoyed the candles that she makes at her Etsy Shop Scent From Hell!), and of course I had to have her newest horror novel “Dark Sisters” on this list. It sounds a bit like generational trauma metaphor, a bit like feminine rage, and all very spooky. After a descendent summoned a dark entity for protection and strength, the repercussions tumble down through the generations. Sounds a bit witchy too to boot, and a reviewer I enjoy had mentioned something about cults as well? I’m definitely on board.
Book: “Cape Fever” by Nadia Davids
Publication Date: December 9, 2025
Why I’m Interested: I actually hadn’t heard a lot of hype about this one until I stumbled upon it randomly, then it caught my attention a bit. I admittedly probably need to do some more research on it, but the passing info I saw had my interest piqued. In the 1920s in small colonialist town in South Africa a woman named Soraya takes on the job of maid for the oddball Mrs. Hattingh. As she assists her new boss in writing letters, the two women start to develop a strange relationship that teeters towards the unsettling. I like Gothic thrillers and this one is being marketed as such, and the setting of South Africa in the 1920s (and all the warts that comes with such a setting) sounds fascinating and unique.
Book: “Watch Us Fall” by Christina Kovac
Publication Date: December 2, 2025
Why I’m Interested: Sometimes I just want a good soapy mystery, and this one sounds like it’s going to fit the bill to a t. A group of friends are living in a eclectic old house after grad school, enjoying their friendship and their lives. Until one of their boyfriends, who also happens to be an investigative reporter, goes missing. As the friends try to figure out what could have happened to him, they have to contend with secrets and betrayals as well as the police focusing in on their group as suspects themselves. Definitely sounds juicy!
What books are you looking forward to this month? Let us know in the comments!
The Library Ladies 