Books of the Month December 2022

Books of the Month December 2022

The festive season is usually filled with fun, friends, and family, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t time to get some reading done too. In between all the hustle and bustle of December, our readers still carved out some time for themselves for some relaxing reading. Here’s what they chose as their top books of the month for December 2022. 

Best Romance

His Christmas Wish

by Melissa McClone

Her Christmas Wish by Melissa McClone

His Christmas Wish is the first book in the Mountain Rescue Romance series by Melissa McClone. It is the story of Carly Bishop and Jake Porter, two people with a tragic history. Jake is a mountain rescuer who believes he could have saved Carly’s fiancé and brother from the accident that claimed their lives six years ago. The accident is also why Carly is reluctant to return to her hometown of Hood Hamlet for Christmas, as it holds nothing but heartbreaking reminders of her loss. However, her family needs her, so for the sake of her niece and nephew, she tries to unearth her Christmas spirit. Jake does his best to try and help Carly rediscover the magic of Christmas, but as the two spend more time together, the attraction between them begins to grow. 

Best Action & Adventure

Marshal Lucas Gates & All the Aces

by Jack West

Marshal Lucas Gates & All the Aces

Marshal Lucas Gates & All the Aces is part of the Streets of Abilene Western series by Jack West. When age and injury catch up with Lucas Gates, he follows the advice of his friend Wild Bill Hickok and applies for the job of marshal in Abilene, Kansas. However, the town has changed since he was last there, and not all of it was for the better. When the famous Long Branch Saloon announces an invitational five-card stud game for known players, Wild Bill Hickok and Lucas Gates are amongst those invited. With $10,000 in prize money on the line, the stakes are high, so when the James Gang is reported to be on their way to town, Wild Bill and Lucas head off for a confrontation. 

Best Mystery & Thriller

Steal Away

by BV Lawson

Steal Away by BV Lawson

Steal Away is the first novel in the Adam Dutton & Beverly Laborde Mystery Series by BV Lawson. Beverly Laborde is a con artist extraordinary who turned to a life of crime so she can exact vengeance on the man responsible for shutting down her grandmother’s antique business and sending her to an early grave. Adam Dutton is a handsome but haunted Vermont police detective who discovers that he and Beverly has an inconvenient growing attraction towards each other. However, they both incur the wrath of the wealthy and formidable criminal Reginald Forsyth. The only way Beverly and Adam can survive everything Forsyth throws at them is by working together. 

Best Children’s Book

The Growth Mindset Workbook

by DaddiLife Books

The Growth Mindset Workbook by DaddiLife Books

The Growth Mindset Workbook by DaddiLife Books features sixty creative activities aimed at helping kids understand how their brains work. It transforms problem-solving into engaging activities while assisting children in dreaming big. It is designed for schoolchildren aged 6 to 12 and filled with success stories and concepts to boost their positivity. While children will have fun with the work and exercises, parents can also learn how to encourage a growth mindset with their children. The book also has specially designed activities that allow parents to work with their children and show them how crucial flexibility and adaptability are. 

Best Young Adult

The Last Girls on Earth

by Hayley Anderton

The Last Girls on Earth by Hayley Anderton

The Last Girls on Earth by Hayley Anderton is set in a world where overpopulation has destroyed Britain as we know it. All that is left is poverty, barren lands, and a new age of radical politics. Raven, Riley, and Karissa are three girls just trying to get by in this world, even though they have been set up to fail from the start. The situation becomes even worse when the government announces its solution to the problem. This leaves them with no choice but to try and find a new way to survive in a hostile world. 

Best Fantasy

The Forgotten Kingdom

by Nicole Ciachella

The Forgotten Kingdom by Nicole Ciachella

The Forgotten Kingdom is the first book in the series of the same name by Nicole Ciachella. Morgan has been struggling to free his people from obscurity after his mother cast a spell with her dying breath to while their kingdom’s existence from the world’s collective memory. Her plan was to save Morgan from Duke Arnost, but he has been paying the price ever since. In desperation, Morgan abducts Princess Caya, who has also been cut off from her father and her throne, while watching her realm fall deeply under Arnost’s sway. His plan is to take her to his forgotten lands and persuade her to help him bring Arnost to justice. However, while an alliance could expose Arnost and save both their kingdoms, Caya has no idea if she can trust Morgan. 

Best Historical Fiction

The Invisible Chains - Part 1: Bonds of Hate

by Andrew Ashling

Bonds of Hate by Andrew Ashling

The Invisible Chains - Part 1: Bonds of Hate is the first book in the Dark Tales of Randamor the Recluse series by Andrew Ashling. The story follows half-brothers Anaxantis and Ehandar as they are sent to the Northern Marches by their father, the high king of Ximerion. His plan is to keep the young princes far from the major conflict threatening the kingdom while still providing them with a valuable learning experience. However, while the estranged brothers start as rivals, they soon begin to feel attracted and suspect that their father had set them up.

Best Horror

Apocalypse

by Hayley Anderton & Laura Swift

Apocalypse by Hayley Anderton & Laura Swift

Apocalypse by Hayley Anderton and Laura Swift is set in a world where a deadly virus destroys humanity by replacing the living with creatures that crave human flesh. Cassie, Heidi, and Ginge are three young survivors battling against all odds to stay alive and not become one of the undead. As the army of the dead continues growing, Cassie desperately searches for her brother while Heidi tries to cope with the consequences of her actions, and Ginge tries to keep everyone alive. 

Best Literary Fiction

Ruby’s Story

by Holly Schindler

Ruby's Story by Holly Schindler

Ruby’s Story by Holly Schindler is part of the Ruby’s Regulars series and a prequel to the Ruby’s Place Christmas Collection. It begins on Christmas Eve with Ruby Westbrook, a retired ballerina, finding herself alone in an empty train car. She returns home to her hometown of tiny Sullivan, Missouri, on a whim, where she begins to relive her past and the love she lost there. It is the start of something that could change the course of not just her life but that of the entire town too. 

Best Science Fiction

The Heirs of Earth

by Daniel Arenson

The Heirs of Earth by Daniel Arenson

The Heirs of Earth is the first book in the Children of Earthrise series by Daniel Arenson. It is set two thousand years after aliens destroyed Earth, killing billions and causing the survivors to flee to the stars. Even after so many years, the last humans are still refugees, hunted everywhere by their enemies and forced to hide on distant asteroids, rundown space stations, and in deep caves on frozen worlds. However, a handful of brave souls form the Heirs of Earth to fight back and bring humanity home. 

Best Paranormal

Charleston Green

by Stephanie Alexander

Charleston Green by Stephanie Alexander

Charleston Green is the first novel in the Tipsy Collins Series by Stephanie Alexander. After her divorce, Tipsy Collins wants nothing more than to start a new life. However, when the struggling artist moves into a new house with her three children, she discovers that the spirits of Jane and Henry Mott already occupy it. The two ghosts have been haunting the house for nearly a century, but neither can remember what happened n the afternoon in 1923 when they died. Jane believes Henry killed himself after murdering her, which he vehemently denies. This prompts Tipsy to get involved with the hopes of setting Jane and Henry free while perhaps releasing the ghosts of her own past in the process. 

Best Non-Fiction

1000 Fun Facts for Immature Adults

by Bryan Spektor

1000 Fun Facts for Immature Adults by Bryan Spektor

1000 Fun Facts for Immature Adults by Bryan Spektor is filled with random trivia and weird truths. The book also has funny drawings in every chapter, along with seriously fun facts, obscure bits of knowledge, and funny jokes. These fascinating facts could save your life, help you blend in with locals wherever you go, or rekindle the joy of discovering new information you have never heard before. 

Glen Dawson - A Satirical Wake-up Call
FEATURED AUTHOR - After graduating from Duke University, Glen Dawson owned and operated a flexible packaging manufacturing plant for 23 years. Then, he sold the factory and went back to school to get his Master's degree in biostatistics from Boston University. When he moved to North Carolina, he opened an after-school learning academy for advanced math students in grades 2 through 12. After growing the academy from 30 to 430 students, he sold it to Art of Problem Solving. Since retiring from Art of Problem… Read more