BookNotes // vol.9
December 2024 new releases and books
Lucky me, I do not have to travel for Thanksgiving or Christmas this year! I’m looking forward to decorating the house and fully enjoying it, making for a slightly calmer holiday season. At least at home; we are going full force in the library up until winter break. We also have to prep the library space for new carpet; very excited for the new carpet, not so excited about moving the books!
With December also comes wrapping up 2024 things, including any reading challenges us book nerds have participated in. This year I continued to participate in the Goodreads reading challenge, which is simply a number of books you want to read. I put the same number for 2023 and 2024: 100. Which I have yet to reach, so I think the lesson is to set a lower number for next year!
It’s not really a great challenge though, as you pick an arbitrary number, and regardless of the size of the book it counts the same. I want to find more challenges that encourage reading widely and diversely, so looking for any fun suggestions! There are the Storygraph reading challenges but if you have any to suggest please comment below!
What have you been reading this month? And reading challenge suggestions!
Book Buzz
December is not great for publishing. As you can expect, most people are focused on holiday buying and therefore new book releases tend to be scheduled for other months. So here is a very short list of new YA books for this month.
December 3 releases:
The Party by Natasha Preston. “ In the heart of the English countryside, a group of teenagers gather at a remote castle for a weekend of fun and games. But when the first of them dies, the party takes a deadly turn. “
Dust by Alison Stine. “In this haunting, speculative coming-of-age novel about finding your place in an unforgiving environment, a partially deaf teen questions everything she knows about family, love, and her future.”
From the Librarian’s Desk
Kent State by Deborah Wiles. This YA novel takes a really unique approach to tell the story of the Kent State Massacre, where 4 students were killed during anti war protests on May 4, 1970. There are no clear characters in this novel; instead there are voices that represent the different viewpoints, having a conversation about the days leading to the protests and what happened on May 4.
Follow Me by Elizabeth Rose Quinn, about a woman who infiltrates the mommy influencer retreat where her twin sister went missing the year before. The book turned out to be more satire than a mystery/thriller. (I’m reading an ARC thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer; the book releases May 6, 2025).
The House Across the Lake by Riley Sager. I was enjoying this take on Rear Window until we got to the twist/reveal.
I finished my reread of Wicked by Gregory Maguire. I learned that I did not really remember much from reading it 21 years ago! I would not consider it a favorite of mine but I didn’t dislike it (I know, what a recommendation). Here are my brief thoughts:
The musical has taken the general themes of the novel and very loose plot. I’m actually more impressed with how the book has been interpreted and the little details added to the musical from the book, since so much of it has been changed.
The friendship between Glinda and Elphie is not at all the focus of the book. Beyond Shiz we see little of Glinda. The book is about Elphaba and her journey.
Two things that are frequently said about the books: it's dark and it's explicit. Do not expect any of the whimsy of the musical; Glinda is not giving much comic relief, terrible things happen to everyone, and there are some odd disturbing moments that don’t seem necessary to the plot (ahem, the Philosophy Club).
I would recommend to anyone who is a big fan of the musical or The Wizard of Oz, just to have the backstory and full understanding of some of those details. Or if you enjoy dark retellings of fairy tales and classic stories. Otherwise, I would probably tell you to skip and enjoy the film.
Beyond the Pages
The Marginalia Substack has a list of thoughtful and non-physical gifts, many of which are book themed. I also love the idea of a curated playlist, especially as I was just talking to my college roommates about the mixed CD’s we still own from each other!
Start putting these 2025 books on your tbr list! Here is She Reads’ list of 2025 titles and NetGalley’s list.
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