Wrap Up The Year With December's 10 Best Books

A mix of horror and historical fiction, this novel unites three women over three centuries through a dark curse. Anne, facing accusations of witchcraft, seeks protection via dark forces, but it starts a chain reaction, one that affects Mary, a perfect housewife entangled in a forbidden affair and Camilla, a woman who turns to ancient powers to protect her preacher father’s flock. It’s a story of sisterhood, power and connection.

In need of a fresh start, Cricket moves back home, to her father’s lake house, to be his full-time caregiver. As his memory fades due to his Alzheimer's diagnosis, Cricket realizes he’s developed an uncanny gift: he can predict the future. Before she can accept her father’s prophecies, she must first deal with her own past in this funny, profound novel.

Described as a mix of Joan Didion and “Bojack Horseman,” this book follows multiple perspectives, including an aging a-list star who lotteries off his mega-million salary, his sometimes lover and best friend who watches from afar as the star romances a young model and an aspiring filmmaker who yearns to make art. It’s modern, cool and funny book about love, luck, and fame.

Charming and sweet, this book is all about chasing your dreams and fighting your fears. Madison is moving back home to Rome, Kentucky after years of chasing success in the New York culinary scene. A head chef job at a farm-to-table restaurant seems promising, but the catch is that it’s owned by James, her brother’s best friend. James has loved Madison from afar but now she’s back home. Can they keep their relationship professional and not let outside drama ruin what they’ve built together?

Miv doesn’t want to leave the only town she’s ever known or her best friend Sharon. But her father is nervous about the murders of young women in their community, plus Miv’s mom stopped talking. The two girls decide to solve the case of the missing women by making a list of suspicious people and things around them. This uncovers truths a little too close to home, in a book inspired by real events.

When you write a secret into “The Book of Dark Nights,” you’ll receive a prediction for your own future. After a freak accident causes the death of the book’s librarian and Eleanor’s mentor, Eleanor must team up with Daniel, a former love and the librarian’s son to search the world for this important tome.

Andi may be the personal assistant to the Prime Minister of Canada’s wife by day, but at night she has a secret double-life as a spicy romance novelist. Her new book, “The Prime Minister & Me,” blows her cover and creates a scandal. Enter Nolan, the PM’s bodyguard, who Andi ropes into a fake-dating plan to diffuse the scandal. But since they’ve already had a one-night stand years ago, dating may be hard to fake.

Like an Elmore Leonard novel, this comedic thriller manages to connect an American high school student with Mikhail Gorbachev in 1985. Peter is convinced that his mom’s shady new boyfriend is a KGB agent. When his mom’s co-worker at Scientific Atlanta is killed, Peter joins forces with a pulp novelist and a drag performer to search for the truth, causing them to become targets of a Russian hitman. There’s also a young FBI agent, a nest of Russian spies and a compromised agent within the bureau, all culminating with a historic Geneva summit between Reagan and Gorbachev. Set amid a backdrop of ‘80s pop culture, this book is a wicked good time.

In 13th century Belgium, Aleys’ world is rocked when her father promises her in marriage to a merchant. She runs away to an independent community of women who turn away from the Church, and she find a sense of belonging. When the women gain the attention of an ambitious bishop, danger threatens Aleys and her new community, pushing her into the ultimate sacrifice.

Luke became a star of competition-based reality TV at just 22, but a tragedy changes the course of his and his cast members lives forever. Now, in his 30s and settled into home life with two kids and a husband, Luke is flung back into the world when his husband’s cheating scandal leaves him in need of cash. Can Luke face the rivalries and endurance challenges once again, but more importantly, can he face the truth of what happened a decade ago?