Wondering what to read now? Here are all the hot new November and December 2021 book releases for you. I’ll let you know what I’ve read, what I can’t wait to read, and what’s getting all the attention this month.
In case you’re new to Booklist Queen, every month I cover all the hottest new book releases. I try to read as many new book releases as I can to give you an honest perspective on what to read and what to skip.
However, I realize that my to-read list might not exactly match yours. That’s why, this year, I’ve decided to also include some of the most popular November and December 2021 book releases from your favorite authors.
Enough from me. Let’s get on to the November and December 2021 book releases so you can fill up your to-read list.
Top November and December 2021 Book Releases
Wish You Were Here
Jodi Picoult
Diana O’Toole has her life perfectly mapped out and with her 30th birthday on the horizon, she is right on target to get engaged to her doctor boyfriend. When a virus breaks out in the city, Finn encourages Diana to go on their nonrefundable trip to the Galapagos Islands without him. Soon, Diana finds herself quarantined on the island during the pandemic and begins to reexamine her choices and priorities in life.
Never
Ken Follett
Pauline Green, the United States’s first female President, tries to avoid war when an act of aggression escalates and the world’s greatest powers are caught up in a tangled web of alliances. With the aid of a young intelligence officer, an undercover spy, and a Chinese spymaster, Green must use all her political savvy to save the world in this epic political thriller that lands a spot among the top November 2021 book releases.
Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone
Diana Gabaldon
In the 9th Outlander book, a reunited Claire and Jamie face being torn asunder again as the American Revolution approaches their North Carolina home. After finally being reunited with their daughter Brianna and her family, the family is worried as the tensions of the colonists grow and the perils of the 1700s seem less safe than they thought.
Call Us What We Carry
Amanda Gorman
In 2021, Amanda Gorman became the youngest presidential inaugural poet in US history when she read her poem, “The Hill We Climb,” at President Biden’s inauguration. In her expanded collection, Amanda Gorman becomes a new voice in American poetry.
You’ll Be the Death of Me
Karen M. McManus
If you are looking for the best new thriller books for young adults, you can never go wrong with Karen M. McManus. At Carlton High, Cal, Ivy, and Mateo used to be close, but have drifted apart. When they find themselves all running late to class, they decide to skip and go to the city together. Soon, they find themselves witnesses to another student’s murder, a student they all want to hide their connection to.
Just Haven’t Met You Yet
Sophie Cousens
On a trip to the Channel Islands to write about her parents’ epic romance, Laura accidentally switches suitcases with a stranger and falls for its unseen owner. He has her favorite book, piano music, and the hunkiest sweater that surely means he’s handsome. With the help of a surly cab driver, she tries to find the mysterious owner while researching her parents’ story and comes to realize that real life isn’t nearly as perfect as she imagined.
Book of the Month – November 2021
Receiving my blue box from Book of the Month Club is a highlight of every month.
Here’s how it works – each month, they pick 5 books and you get to choose one book or skip until the next month. If you want to add any extra books, then you get them at a discounted price.
Each month is usually a mix of new releases and advance copies of unreleased books. If you are interested in joining, right now you can use this Book of the Month Club affiliate link to get your first book for $5!
The November Book of the Month selections are:
The December Book of the Month selections are:
See the Complete List of Upcoming Releases!
Reese Witherspoon’s Book Club Picks
Lucky
Marissa Stapley
December 2021: Lucky Armstrong has just pulled off a million-dollar heist with her boyfriend Cary. Just as she’s ready to start a whole new life, her luck turns, and Lucky finds herself penniless and all alone. When she realizes she won the lottery, she debates how to claim her winnings without being arrested and begins to confront her past to make a way for her future.
The Island of Missing Trees
Elif Shafak
November 2021: On the island of Cyprus, two teenagers, one Greek and one Turkish, fall in love under the lush fig tree at the local tavern. When war breaks out, Kostas and Defne are separated, but they never stop wondering what happened to each other. Years later, A woman in London tries to parse out the secrets of her family rooted in the fig tree that grows in her backyard.
Read with Jenna’s Book Club Picks
Bright Burning Things
Lisa Harding
December 2021: Sonya used to live the high life – performing on stage, attending glamourous parties, and dating handsome men. When her career falls apart, Sonya finds herself left in the grip of addiction. Her only saving grace is her fierce love of her son, Tommy, and Sonya must decide if she is prepared to give up drinking forever or lose her son.
The Family
Naomi Krupitsky
November 2021: In Red Hook, Brooklyn during the early 1900s, Sofia and Antonia are best friends and next-door neighbors. They both belong to the same “family” as their fathers both belong to the Italian mob in the area. When Antonia’s father disappears, a wedge develops between the girls that will affect them as they grow older and begin to question the demands of their “family.”
A Little Hope
Ethan Joella
November 2021: Recently diagnosed with a severe case of cancer, Greg Tyler is set to fight with everything he has. However, he can’t help wondering what will happen to Freddie and their daughter if he doesn’t survive. Meanwhile, in their small town of Wharton, Connecticut, others are facing addiction, betrayal, and loneliness. As the stories of the townspeople intertwine, A Little Hope is a literary look at the trials we all face and the power of small moments of connection.
The Most Anticipated November & December 2021 Book Releases
Our Violent Ends
Chloe Gong
In the sequel to last year’s must-read YA fantasy, These Violent Delights, Shanghai is on the brink of revolution. To prevent her cousin from usurping her position, Juliette knows the best way to protect Roma is to make him hate her. Thinking that Juliette murdered his cousin, Roma is on the warpath as a new monstrous danger emerges in the city just as the conflict between the Nationalists and the Communists comes to a head.
In the sequel, Gong steps back from the monster aspect of the first story to almost exclusively focus on the will-or-won’t-they aspect of Roma and Juliette. Then once the two inevitably get together, the plot rushes through the ending, attempting to tie up all loose ends. In all, Our Violent Ends was your typical YA sequel, delivering more of the same story which will keep fans happy but failing to add any more depth to the narrative.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Simon & Schuster through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
My Rating:
Publication Date: 16 November 2021
Amazon | Goodreads | More Info
The 1619 Project
Created by Nikole Hannah-Jones
In 1619, a ship arrived in the Virginia colony with the first enslaved people from Africa. Thus began the unprecedented system of slavery that has shaped America ever since. Based on The New York Times Magazine‘s Pulitizer Prize-winning articles, The 1619 Project combines essays, poems, and works of fiction to chronicle how the legacy of slavery impacts America today.
The Sentence
Louise Erdrich
A small independent bookstore in Minneapolis is haunted by its most loyal customer after she dies on All Saints Day but refuses to leave. Recently out of prison, Tookie desperately needs to keep her job at the bookstore, so she must solve the mystery of the haunting while dealing with the turbulent events that shape Minneapolis from 2019 to 2020.
These Precious Days
Ann Patchett
In a series of essays, Patchett ponders the ways that life takes turns you never saw coming. Mining her own life experiences, Patchett tells her story while connecting with the universal truths and talking about influences both great and small that combine to make a life.
The Replacement Wife
Darby Kane
Elisa Wright is convinced her brother-in-law is a murder. Not only did Josh’s wife die, but his fiancee disappeared. Now Josh is dating again, and Elisa suspects the worst. As Elisa gets to know the new girlfriend and digs into the past, she can’t tell if her panic attacks and mysterious illness are signs of a breakdown, or warnings that she’s getting too close to the truth.
Without a Hitch
Mary Hollis Huddleston and Asher Fogle Paul
When her boss’s florist company gets bought by Dallas’s premier boutique event firm, Lottie Jones finds herself thrown into the thick of planning million-dollar weddings. With the possibility of a promotion when a new office opens in Atlanta, Lottie throws herself into the job, even if it means planning her ex’s wedding or flirting with the cute but cynical photographer. The character development in Without a Hitch is lackluster, but the hijinks are at least entertaining in this cutesy Southern romance that has absolutely no steam at all.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Harper Muse. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
My Rating:
Publication Date: 7 December 2021
Amazon | Goodreads | More Info
Popular November & December Upcoming Releases
What New Book Releases are You Most Excited to Read?
What books can you not wait to get your hands on this month? Did I miss any November or December 2021 book releases that you are anticipating? As always, let me know in the comments!
More New Book Releases:
Estelle says
I really can’t wait to get my hands on Here’s to Us! I’ve been waiting for it forever aha