The best new books to read in December 2024
Cosy up by the Christmas tree and get lost in a brilliant book publishing this month
The final month of the year is also proving to be a bumper month in the world of books. And with those long Christmas holidays ahead of us, there’s no excuse not to sink your teeth into a great new novel. From immersive fictional tales to historical stories based on years of reporting, here are the best books to get your hands on in December 2024 (which happen to double as perfect presents for bookworms, too).
Your Neighbour’s Table by Gu Byeong-mo and Chi-Young Kim
From the award-winning author of The Old Woman with the Knife comes another thought-provoking story on the cultural expectations of motherhood, told via four women whose lives intersect while they live in a government-run apartment complex in Seoul. Designed as an initiative to boost birth rate, Yojin moves into the Dream Future Pilot Communal Apartments with her husband and daughter – solely on the agreement she’s to have at least two more children in the next 10 years. Rather unsurprisingly, from the day she arrives, she feels uneasy about the intense community spirit – and as she meets three other women in the complex, she discovers how different their aspirations and beliefs really are.
The Peculiar Garden of Harriet Hunt by Chelsea Iversen
Despite her father disappearing months ago, when we as readers meet Harriet Hunt she seems almost completely fine with being alone. She doesn’t often venture beyond her front gate into Victorian society, so her solitary life only gets exciting when her garden comes alive. A wild place full of twisting ivy, vibrant plums, and a quiet power that buzzes like bees, Harriet and her beloved garden come under threatened when the plot involving her father’s disappearance begins to take shape. To save herself, Harriet will have to unearth her past, discover the secrets of her garden, and finally embrace the magic.
Only Stars Know the Meaning of Space by Rémy Ngamije
A vibrant and brilliant new collection of award-winning short fiction from the acclaimed author of The Eternal Audience of One, Ngamije’s latest novel is presented as a literary mixtape. The A-Side focuses on a soon-to-be 30-year-old aspiring writer while the B-Side features seemingly unrelated short stories. However, delve a little deeper into the 320 pages and you’ll discover a powerful link between the two. This is definitely one to sink your teeth into.
When We Sold God's Eye by Alex Cuadros
Growing up in a remote corner of the Amazon, Pio, Maria, and Oita were quite used to hunting wild pigs and tapirs, and gathering Brazil nuts and açaí berries from centuries-old trees. Then the first highway pierced through their home and they lost their families to weapons and disease. When the discovery of diamonds hit the communities, a shocking act of retribution leaves the indigenous population reeling. Based on six years of immersive reporting and research, this unique 320-page novel is a different kind of adventure story that proves how people thrive even in the most unlikely of circumstances.
Kingdom of No Tomorrow by Fabienne Josaphat
In 1968, Nettie Boileau got caught up in the revolutionary fever of the Black Panthers. When she falls in love with the Black Panther party defense captain, Melvin Mosley, their passionate love affair soon eclipses her own sense of self. Pregnant, she follows Melvin to Chicago where she finds the city segregated and her love for Melvin fading due to his infidelity. It’s not long after a violent police brawl that Nettie finds herself on the run, desperate to find her own power to save herself.
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