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Book of the Month surprised us with a Sunday drop for December! Perfect timing so I don’t have to check the app constantly for the next week.
I maxed out my box this month with two December picks, as well as The Rewind from November and Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow for my free Book of the Year add-on.
In case you didn’t know, Book of the Month (BOTM) is my favorite monthly book subscription box. I love the anticipation of finally seeing the monthly picks and always have fun trying to guess what may show up on the app on the first of every month.
If you aren’t familiar with BOTM, you can check out my full review of this subscription service. The basic idea is BOTM chooses 5-7 books from different genres every month and members can choose their pick when the books go live. You can also add on up to two more books for only $10.99 each.
If you don’t like any of the picks, you can choose to skip and save your credit for the next month, which is honestly the best part of this service to me. I don’t like subscription boxes that only offer one book selection that you don’t know ahead of time. If you are interested in trying BOTM, you can use my link to get your first book for only $5!
December Book of the Month Picks
Kiss Her Once for Me by Alison Cochrun
Release date: November 1, 2022
Current Goodreads Rating: 4.21
A festive romantic comedy about a woman who fakes an engagement with her landlord…only to fall for his sister.
I already have a couple of holiday romances to read this year, so I’m skipping this one! It does sound super cute though.
Babel by R.F. Kuang
Release Date: August 23, 2022
Current Goodreads Rating: 4.39
From award-winning author R. F. Kuang comes Babel, a thematic response to The Secret History and a tonal retort to Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell that grapples with student revolutions, colonial resistance, and the use of language and translation as the dominating tool of the British empire.
This was my December pick! I literally squealed when I saw it because it’s been on my TBR, but I didn’t want to splurge on one of the gorgeous special editions until I knew I liked it. I’ve watched so many reading vlogs for this book and it is getting glowing reviews!
All the Dangerous Things by Stacy Willingham
Release Date: January 10, 2023
Repeat author, early release
Current Goodreads Rating: 4.34
Following up her instant New York Times bestseller, A Flicker in the Dark, Stacy Willingham delivers a totally gripping thriller about a desperate mother with a troubled past in All the Dangerous Things.
I decided to skip this for many reasons. First, I didn’t just love A Flicker in the Dark. It was a very vanilla thriller that I don’t understand the hype for. Second, I am trying to branch out beyond thrillers (hence the two fantasy picks in my box for December!) since none of them are very entertaining to me now. I also won’t ever reread them so I end up stuck with a pile of books I don’t need but also can’t get rid of by swapping or selling. And there are no Little Free Libraries near me, nor is my neighborhood a good place to have one.
The Circus Train by Amita Parikh
Release Date: December 6, 2022
Current Goodreads Rating: 4.05
Water for Elephants meets The Night Circus in this World War II debut about a magnificent travelling circus, a star-crossed romance, and one girl’s coming-of-age during the darkest of times.
The Light Pirate by Lily Brooks-Dalton
Release Date: December 6, 2022
Current Goodreads Rating: 4.27
Told in four parts—power, water, light, and time—The Light Pirate mirrors the rhythms of the elements and the sometimes quick, sometimes slow dissolution of the world as we know it. It is a meditation on the changes we would rather not see, the future we would rather not greet, and a call back to the beauty and violence of an untamable wilderness.
Add Ons
A Quiet Life by Ethan Joella
Release Date: November 29, 2022
Repeat author
Current Goodreads Rating: 4.40
From the author of A Little Hope—a Read with Jenna Bonus Pick—comes an enormously powerful and life-affirming novel about three individuals whose lives intersect in unforeseen ways.
Set in a close-knit Pennsylvania suburb in the grip of winter, A Quiet Life follows three people grappling with loss and finding a tender wisdom in their grief.
A Fire Endless by Rebecca Ross
Release Date: December 6, 2022
Second book in a series
Current Goodreads Rating: 4.60
In the stunning conclusion to the Elements of Cadence duology, A Fire Endless finds the delicate balance between the human and faerie realm threatened by Bane, the spirit of the North Wind, whose defeat can only come through fire, song, and heart-rending sacrifice.
I went ahead and grabbed this even though I haven’t read the first book yet! But these add-ons tend to sell out quick and there’s no guarantee they will be restocked.
A Wilderness of Stars by Shea Ernshaw
Release Date: November 29, 2022
Current Goodreads Rating: 3.94
In this magical romance from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Long Live the Pumpkin Queen, an illness cursing the land forces a teen girl astronomer to venture across the wilderness in search of the stars’ message that will, hopefully, save them all.
What book(s) did you end up picking in December? Let me know in the comments!
Can I get A Quiet Life as my pick or do I have to choose one of the five to get the add-on?
You would have to get one of the main picks or a member’s fave if you have that option under the December picks!
Great picks! I’m trying to branch out of my go-to thriller/mysteries haha. In the end I chose:
BOTM: The Circus Train
BOTY Free Add-On: The Lincoln Highway
Add-On: The Sun Down Motel (I know this was a BOTM choice ages ago, but I never got around to reading it. I really liked Simone’s other books so figured it would be a good add on!)