LibraryReads: December 2025

   

 It's LibraryReads day and that means four things here on RA for All

1. I post the list and tag it “Library Reads” so that you can easily pull up every single list with one click.
2. I can remind you that even though the newest list is always fun to see, it is the older lists where you can find AWESOME, sure bet suggestions for patrons that will be on your shelf to actually hand to them right now. The best thing about LibraryReads is the compound interest it is earning. We now have hundreds and hundreds of titles worth suggesting right at our fingertips through this archive OR the sortable master list allowing you to mix and match however you want.
3. You have no excuse not to hand sell any LibraryReads titles because there is a book talk right there in the list in the form of the annotation one of your colleagues wrote for you. All you have to say to your patron is, “such and such library worker in blank state thought this was a great read,” and then you read what he or she said.
4. Every upcoming book now has at least 1 readalike that is available to hand out RIGHT NOW. Book talk the upcoming book, place a hold for it, and then hand out that readalike title for while they wait. If they need more titles before their hold comes in, use the readalike title to identify more readalike titles. And then keep repeating. Seriously, it is that easy to have happy, satisfied readers.

So get out there and suggest a good read to someone today. I don’t care what list or resource you use to find the suggestion, just start suggesting books.

Please remember to click here for everything you need to know about how to participate. 

And finally, here is LibraryReads' extremely helpful Resources page.

Now let's get to the December 2025 list.... 

 , edusaTop Pick

The Gallagher Place: A Novel   

Julie Doar 

Zibby Publishing    

Marlowe is used to the drama that comes with spending holidays with her family, but nothing's come as close to blowing her world apart like this visit. When she and her brothers stumble upon a dead body, it leads to an investigation that may be tied to the decades old disappearance of her childhood best friend. Soon, no one's secrets will be safe.

—Sharon Layburn, South Huntington Public Library, NY

NoveList read-alike: Kala by Colin WalshAyana Gray

Now the rest of the list....

Every Day I Read: 53 Ways to Get Closer to Books

Hwang Bo-reum

(Bloomsbury)

This is a thought-provoking book all about the various aspects of books and reading. It's impossible to read this short book of essays without reflecting on the joys and comfort that reading brings. So many books are recommended in the essays that readers will want their TBR tracker handy!

—Kelly Davis, Waukesha Public Library, WI

NoveList read-alike: On Bookworms , Libraries , and Just One More Page Before Lights Out by Shannon Reed

Everyone in the Group Chat Dies

L.M. Chilton

(Gallery/Scout Press)

Kirby gets a message from a friend she's sure is dead. As she tries to connect with her other friends to figure out what's going on, disasters befall her and the group until she's in a race for her life. Witty, clever and creepy, this true-crime thriller is a fun, easy read for readers looking for something murderous that doesn't take itself too seriously.

—Carri Genovese, Indianapolis Public Library, IN

NoveList read-alike: A Serial Killer's Guide to Marriage by Asia Mackay

An Arcane Inheritance

Kamilah Cole

(Poisoned Pen Press)

Ellory gets a full ride to an Ivy League university and isn't sure why. Within weeks she's dog-tired and feels like she's losing her mind. Strange things are afoot, and she has a nagging sense of déjà vu. Exploring themes of racism and elitism, this dark academia delight stands out for great character development, a fast-moving plot, and unexpected twists.

—Kimberly McGee, Lake Travis Community Library, Austin, TX

NoveList read-alike: Babel by RF Kuang

A Grim Reaper's Guide to Cheating Death

Maxie Dara

(Berkley)

Nora is terrified of death but works for S.C.Y.T.H.E., a company that employs grim reapers. To complicate things further, her twin brother's file has shown up on her desk. To save him, the siblings go on the run with a parrot named Jessica. They find the perfect place to hide until she realizes it isn't just Capital-D Death after her brother, but someone else trying to kill him. An enjoyable romp.

—Vanneshia Crane, Love County Library, OH

NoveList read-alike: Ruby and Cordelia mysteries by Olivia Blacke

Dark Sisters

Kristi DeMeester

(St. Martin's Press)

This fast-paced, terrifying work of historical horror is unapologetically feminist and told in alternating chapters across three timelines: Camilla in 2207, Mary in 1953, and Anna in 1750 Readers will be compelled to learn the women's secrets and the origin of the powerful church called The Path. Recommended for fans of books about witches and women's power.

—Lila Denning, St. Petersburg Library System, FL

NoveList read-alike: The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Canticle: A Novel

Janet Rich Edwards

(Spiegel & Grau)

An intriguing historical fiction about a woman who, from a young age, is called to God. Set in 13th century Bruges, this is a particularly

timely look at gender politics, especially as they relate to religion—how far will men go to hold on to their power and standing, and to what lengths will a woman go to serve her god? A great pick for book clubs.

—Jayna McDaniel-Browning, Delaware County District Library, OH

NoveList read-alike: Matrix by Lauren Groff

The List of Suspicious Things 

Jennie Godfrey

(Sourcebooks Landmark)

In the late 1970s, the Yorkshire Ripper casts a shadow of fear over the locals. A young girl, Miv, makes a list of suspicious things in hopes of capturing the Ripper. As Miv and her best friends focus on the secrets, hopes, and tragedies of her neighbors' lives, she discovers the links that connect them all. Will be good for book clubs.

—Joan Hipp, LibraryReads Ambassador, NJ

NoveList read-alike: The Trouble with Goats and Sheep by Joanna Cannon

The Bodyguard Affair 

Amy Lea

(Berkley)

In this slow-burn dual POV romance, Andi is the assistant to the Canadian Prime Minister's wife by day and writes steamy romances under a pen name by night. When her novel, The Prime Minister and

Me, comes out, people assume it is based in truth. In order to manage the PR disaster, Andi starts fake-dating the PM's bodyguard with whom she happens to have an awkward past. Very cute and cinematic.

—Cate Daily, Columbus Metropolitan Library, OH

NoveList read-alike: The Bodyguard by Katharine Center

We Who Will Die

Stacia Stark

(Avon)

One of Arvelle's brothers needs life-saving medicine, and the only way to get it is to make an unbreakable pact with a vampire. Now she must survive gladiator-style games and get close enough to the King to fulfill her vow, or her brothers die. But why has the Primus taken a dislike to her, and why is he always masked? A great plot twist will hook readers.

—Laura Sanders, Lafourche Parish Public Library, LA

NoveList read-alike: Crowns of Nyaxia duology by Carissa Broadbent

Board Bonus picks:

The Library of Fates

Margot Harrison

(Graydon House) 

Notable Nonfiction: 

A Danger to the Minds of  Young Girls: Margaret C. Anderson, Book Bans, and 

the Fight to Modernize Literature

Adam Morgan

(Atria/One Signal)

See our social media for annotations of the bonus picks

Click here to see the entire Hall of Fame

The LibraryReads Hall of Fame designation honors authors who have had multiple titles appear on the monthly LibraryReads list since 2013. When their third title places on the list via library staff votes, the author moves into the Hall of Fame. Click here to see the Hall of Fame authors organized in alpha order. Please note, the current year's Hall of Fame lists are pulled out at the top of the page.

 In Your Dreams: A Novel

Sarah Adams

(Dell)

The Mating Game

Lana Ferguson

(Berkley)

Tender Cruelty

Katee Robert

(Sourcebooks Casablanca)

HWA Diversity Scholarship Recipients

As I have mentioned here in the past, I was part of a team that created the Horror Writers Association Diversity Grant. From the information page:

The Horror Writers Association (HWA) believes barriers—often unseen but very real—exist which limit the amount of horror fiction being published by diverse voices. The goal of these Grants is to help remove some of the barriers and let those voices be heard.

While the HWA Board worked on the guidelines [myself included], I recruited library leaders to seed the first of the $500 grants. With $500 donations from ARRT, LibraryReads, NoveList and my company, RA for ALL, we guaranteed there would be 4 recipients in year one. But then, we also encouraged others who agreed with the mission of the grant to donate what they could. Our coffers filled up, from companies like Night Worms and Cemetery Dance to just individual library workers and horror authors, and after we were inundated with applicants we were able to offer 6 grants this year.

Below is the official press release, but before I get to the recipients, I want to call out the committee and publicly thank them for their work. Fellow board member, Linda Addison led the team. Linda is one of the founders of the HWA's Diverse Works Inclusion Committee which produces our monthly Seers Table. She is also the definition of a living legend. She has the help of HWA members Grady Hendrix, Larissa Glasser, V. Castro, and Maxwell I. Gold.

For more information about the HWA Diversity Grants, please visit here.

To see the official announcement on the HWA website, click here. But I have also reproduced it below. Please look up these authors' work and consider adding them to your collections.

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The Horror Writers Association (HWA) is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2020 HWA Diversity Grants:

Jacqueline Dyre (they/them) is the editor and publisher of Novel Noctule. You can find them in the sunshine state, drinking poorly-made coffee and consuming psychological horror in lieu of meals.

Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki (he/him) is a Nigerian speculative fiction writer, slush reader and editor. He has been awarded an honourable mention in the L Ron Hubbard's Writers of the Future Contest, twice and won the Nommo award for best short story by an African with his short story The Witching Hour. He has been published in the Selene Quarterly, Strange Horizons, Tor, Omenana Magazine and other venues, and has works forthcoming in several anthologies and magazines. He has co-edited several publications, including the Dominion Anthology (2020), the Best of African Speculative Fiction Anthology and the Bridging Worlds non-fiction anthology, forthcoming in 2021. He is a first reader in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, and a member of the African Speculative Fiction Society, Horror Writers Association, Codex, BSFA, BFA, and the SFWA. 

Gabino Iglesias (he/him) is a writer, editor, professor, and book critic living in Austin, TX. He is the author of Zero Saints and Coyote Songs and the editor of Both Sides. His work has been nominated to the Bram Stoker and Locus awards and won the Wonderland Book Award for Best Novel. His nonfiction has appeared in the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times. His fiction has been published in five languages and optioned for film. His reviews appear in places like NPR, Publishers Weekly, the San Francisco Chronicle, Criminal Element, Mystery Tribune, Vol. 1 Brooklyn, the Los Angeles Review of Books, and other venues. He's been a juror for the Shirley Jackson Awards twice and has judged the PANK Big Book Contest, the Splatterpunk Awards, the horror category of the British Fantasy Awards, and the Newfound Prose Prize. He teaches creative writing at Southern New Hampshire University's online MFA program and runs a series of low-cost online writing workshops. You can find him on Twitter at @Gabino_Iglesias.

Nicole Givens Kurtz (she/her) is an author, editor, and educator. She's a member of Horror Writers Association, Sisters in Crime, and Science Fiction Writers of America. She's the editor of the groundbreaking Slay: Stories of the Vampire Noire. She's written for White Wolf, Bram Stoker Finalist in Horror Anthology: Sycorax's Daughters, and Serial Box's The Vela: Salvation series. Nicole has over 40 short stories published as well as 11 novels and three active speculative mystery series. You can support her work via Patreon and find more about her at http://www.nicolegivenskurtz.net.

Tejaswi Priyadarshi (he/him) is a dreamer in the horror/thriller genre. He derives inspiration from Stephen King, Michael Crichton, Dean Koontz, Takashi Miike, Alexandre Aja, Eli Roth, Quentin Tarantino, and the Ramsay Brothers.

His first book The Psychopath, The Cannibal, The Lover was India’s first splatterpunk novel. It was released in July 2020, and has since remained on multiple bestselling charts, scaling its way up to be Amazon India’s highest rated Horror Thriller with 175+ ratings.

He is currently working on his second novel, trying to amalgamate Horror, Crime, Thriller, and Social Satire. You can often find him writing fiction at a bar counter, appreciating Independent Pop music gigs, and holding screenings of all sub-genres of horror/thrillers. However, nobody knows why he adamantly screens Purani Haveli so often. Email him at tejaswi.priyadarshi@gmail.com if you want to discuss anything under the sun; “How to Prep for a Zombie Apocalypse” is his favorite topic, because, what if!

Sumiko Saulson (they/them) is an award-winning author of Afrosurrealist and multicultural sci-fi and horror. Ze is the editor of the anthologies and collections Black Magic Women, Scry of Lust, Black Celebration, and Wickedly Abled. Ze is the winner of the 2016 HWA StokerCon “Scholarship from Hell”, 2017 BCC Voice “Reframing the Other” contest, and 2018 AWW “Afrosurrealist Writer Award.”

Ze has an AA in English from Berkeley City College, and writes a column called “Writing While Black” for a national Black Newspaper, the San Francisco BayView. Ze is the host of the SOMA Leather and LGBT Cultural District's “Erotic Storytelling Hour.”

Congratulations!!

About The Horror Writers Association

The Horror Writers Association (HWA) is a nonprofit organization of writers and publishing professionals around the world, dedicated to promoting dark literature and the interests of those who write it.