December 2025 Book Reviews!
- Christine
- Jan 1
- 21 min read
Happy New Year! Can you believe it's 2026? We survived the holiday season and it's time to look forward to a new year!
For me personally, 2026 is lining up to be a big year. Two of my nieces are getting married - one in May and one in September. Another niece is expecting her second child in May. My husband and I will be celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary. And, I'll be turning 55 in November with a plan to retire from corporate life.
Before all of that craziness gets going, I hope to have a couple of months at the beginning of this year to just slow down and curl up with some good books. In 2026, I'm looking to make a big dent in the NY Times list of "The Best 100 Books of the 21st Century", which I started making my way through a little over a year ago. I also want to focus on more new releases from my local library, as well as getting back to reading some older classics. As always, I'll continue to read a bunch of ARCs (advance reader copies if you aren't in the know), as it's important to me to promote lesser known authors.
But before I get started on my reading goals for 2026, it's time for one more wrap up from 2025. And remember, if you don't want to wait for this monthly post to see what I'm reading, follow me on Goodreads or The Story Graph for real time reviews.
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Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
This book is said to be a modern-day version of the classic novel "David Copperfield". Damon "Demon" Copperhead is born in Appalachia to a mother who struggles with drug addiction. Copperhead's father dies before he's born. After his mother ultimately ends up dying due to an overdose, Copperhead enters the foster care system.
The book is told with Copperhead as the narrator. As he deals with the hand that life has dealt him and never feeling like he's worthy of anyone's love and attention, we follow his story as he grows up in a place where most people are never given a chance.
The book is very well written. It is long and it is dense. It's definitely a slow read. Some of the characters are truly unlikeable, but others are ones that you want to cheer for. It will definitely take some dedication to get through this one, and it's not necessarily a "happy ever after story" if you are looking for that. But, if you are willing to dedicate the time and the emotion to this one, it is well worth the read. This book is #61 on the New York Times list of "The Best 100 Books of the 21st Century". Four out of five stars!
Power Of Persuasion by Stacey Abrams writing as Selena Montgomery
This book really couldn't decide if it was a political thriller or a romance novel. Unfortunately, it did neither well.
A.J. is the VP of R&D and her family's company - GCI. She's recently developed an AI tool (POPPET) that can take in information about people and predict their actions. Damon was recently and reluctantly named king of his country. When it's discovered that his twin brother is attempting to remove Damon from power and take the crown for himself, his brother is put in prison. However, the soon realize that his brother has a partner and that partner is part of the current government and close to Damon. Needing to find out who the partner is, the government brings in GCI to help and specifically A.J. and POPPET.
First, the political thriller portion of this book is definitely the stronger piece. However, because the book focuses so much on the romance between A.J. and Damon, the rest of the story isn't able to develop as much as it should. So while decent, it has more potential than what was actually executed.
Second, the romance part of this book is just not very good. A.J. and Damon go between loving each other and hating each other so many times that it gave me whiplash. It literally seemed like sometimes they would go back and forth in one paragraph multiple times. I also didn't find either character very likeable. I find that the whole enemies to lovers thing works best if at least one of the characters is likeable and you want to cheer for them. That was not the case here. In fact, Damon is really just downright mean to A.J. at times.
Definitely disappointed, as I was really looking forward to reading one of Stacey Abrams' books. This one was just not that good. Two out of five stars.
West Point To Wall Street: My Journey To Mental Wellness by Omar Ritter
Omar Ritter has been an over achiever his entire life. After growing up in challenging circumstances - his parents divorced when he was young and his father was in the military, leading to numerous relocations during the time he lived with his father - he spent a good part of his childhood working to overcome those challenges.
After high school, Ritter decided to enter West Point and pursue a career in the military. Again, he had to overcome a number of challenges and work harder than others to be successful at West Point. However, his success led him to become a leader in the military. His military career also posed significant challenges as he saw combat duty in both Kosovo and Iraq. Then after a devastating medical diagnosis that cut his military career short, Ritter decided to pursue a career in business and attended Columbia Business School and started a career as an investment banker on Wall Street.
Through all of this, while Ritter always rose to the extreme challenges he faced, his mental health suffered because of it. And for a person that had the sort of drive and determination Ritter has, he never admitted to or addressed those issues and never felt comfortable asking for help. This book is Ritter's way of sharing his story and letting people know that addressing your mental health and asking for help are not weaknesses, but strengths.
I found this book very inspiring. While I wish the author would have spent more time on talking about his journey to address his mental health (it seems to just be rushed into the ending), I do appreciate him highlighting the things that led to the issues he had and being an inspiration for others who find themselves putting so much pressure on themselves that it almost breaks them.
I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Four out of five stars!
Dashing Through The Snow by Mary Higgins Clark and Carol Higgins Clark
I had this one on my bookshelf for a while and had been waiting for the holidays to pick it up and read it since it was Christmas themed. If you are looking for a quick little Christmas mystery, this fits the bill. But be prepared that there isn't much depth to it and the "cheese" factor is on overload.
The story takes place in the little town of Branscombe, New Hampshire. The town is getting ready for the first every Festival of Joy, and the employees of Conklin's local market are hard at work. But when five of the longtime, dedicated employees find out they aren't getting their typical Christmas bonus this year, they all are extremely disappointed. That is until they find out the lottery ticket they all went in and purchased together has hit. Unfortunately, one of the five didn't go in on the ticket because the "financial advisors" that had just shown up in town told him that he shouldn't waste his money on the lottery, and instead invest in a new oil well opportunity that they had for him. This all leads to missing tickets, scams, stolen rings, previous murders and kidnapping.
Sound confusing and unrealistic? It's both of those things. Lots of characters that are hard to keep track of. Each new thing that happens seems more unrealistic then the next. At the end of the day, if you are just looking for a Christmas-themed mystery, this is short enough to curl up with in front of the tree and read in one sitting. But my guess is there are better books out there. Two out of five stars.
Under The Naga Tail: A True Story Of Survival, Bravery, And Escape From The Cambodian Genocide by Mae Bunseng Tang and James Taing
This is a truly compelling memoir which tells the story of Mae Taing during the Cambodian genocide of the 1970s. The story is written by his son, James, after having his father recount to him the story of how he and his family survived and ultimately fled to America after years of being imprisoned, abuse and tortured in his own country.
The story begins when Taing and his family are forced to flee from their home in Cambodia by the Khmer Rouge. As they struggle to find a safe place, they undergo huge hardship and horrific treatment by the Khmer Rouge. Taing at some point finds himself in a concentration camp living in a situation that is truly unimaginable. And when Taing is reunited with his family and they think they have finally found an escape by fleeing into Thailand, they soon encounter equally poor treatment as Thailand determines that they are no longer able to accept Cambodian refugees.
This book is very difficult to read - not because of the way it is written, but because of the content. What Taing and his family went through is truly gut wrenching and hard to stomach. And with the current state of things in our own country, it seems almost ironic that Taing's final escape to freedom was with the help of America, where he ultimately made a successful life for himself and had his own family.
Very difficult to read, but an important read, particularly given the controversy in our country today around immigration and what our role should be in it. If there is any criticism I have of the book, it would be that not enough context was given about the history of what was happening in Cambodia during that time. I readily admit that I really didn't know much about it and struggled a bit at times to understand the context around Taing's story.
I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Four out of five stars!
Heavy by Kiese Laymon
This memoir is written in the form of a letter by the author, Kiese Laymon, to his mother. As you discover in the book, Laymon has a difficult relationship with his mother throughout his life. While she is the one who gave him the gift of loving to read and write, she's also the one that beat him as a child and constantly put pressure on him throughout his life - whether that was pressure about his weight, about his education, about his decisions or whether it was her constantly asking him for money as he got older. Through this memoir/letter, Laymon is clearly trying to reconcile everything that makes up that relationship and how it's affected him throughout his life.
Additionally, the title of the book weaves itself throughout as well, as Laymon struggles with his weight and body image throughout his life and brings that into the story. Metaphorically, the term "heavy" is also used as he talks about the heaviness of his life - being raised in the Deep South as a black boy, being raised by a single mother, being poor, etc.
This book is brilliantly written. It is raw, so don't expect any sugar coating of the author's experiences. This is a quick read that I finished in pretty much one sitting, so well worth your time to pick up. This book was #60 on the New York Times list of "The Best 100 Books of the 21st Century". Four out of five stars!
The Satisfied Introvert: How I Broke Free From The False Sense I Created And Started Living Authentically (So Can You) by Benjamin Plumb
As a through and through introvert, I was excited to read this book and hopefully get some tips. In general, I don't feel like being an introvert has hindered me in any way in my life or caused me any issues, but there are times that it can be challenging and I was hoping for some insight. Unfortunately, I didn't get any from this book.
The author's basic premise is that as an introvert, each of us has a "recipe" for how we handle pretty much everything to mask the fact that we are an introvert. His advice is that you have to identify that "recipe" and then stop yourself from doing it. Throughout the book, he pretty much blames anything bad that happens in his life or any failure on the fact that he's an introvert and that he was using his "recipe" instead of being authentic.
First of all, I don't go for the "recipe" theory at all. Are there things I do in my life to make it easier to accomplish certain tasks due to my being an introvert? Of course. But is that the "recipe" I use for doing everything in my life. Absolutely not.
Secondly, I really don't like the fact that he blames absolutely everything on being an introvert. It seems to me that he had a lot of other issues that were causing problems in his work and relationships, yet this book makes it seem that if he had just figured out how to deal with being an introvert better, he wouldn't have had those issues.
Lastly, when I read a self-help book, I want to feel like the author is someone I respect and would like. I can't really put my finger on it, but I just don't feel like this author has a personality I would get along with. In fact, there were some parts of the book where he shares his personal story that sounded really self-centered and even a bit cringey.
If there is something I could take from this book, it's that if you are an introvert, you shouldn't pursue a career that would go against your introverted traits - like sales for example. Again, I don't wholly believe that's true. Finding a career at something you are good at is a whole collection of traits - not just one. But I do agree that following a career path that puts you in a place where you are constantly uncomfortable is not smart.
Wish I could give this a better review and recommend it to fellow introverts, but it just didn't do it for me.
I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Two out of five stars.
Puna Poison by Javier Rodriguez
When Jack perfects a strain of pot that is much better than anything anyone else has come up with (which he names Puna Poison), his operation suddenly draws the attention of a number of people. And when Jack and his partners decide to team up with Benny, a local on the island who is the head of some shady activity, that draws even more attention to their operation.
I really enjoyed this story overall. Lots of action, a little touch of romance and lots of local flavor. The story also moves quickly and is easy to follow.
I'm only giving this three stars, however, because I think the writing needs a little work. It's a bit choppy and basic. Heavily loaded with dialogue and not enough narration. Having said that, I know this is the author's first novel and I feel like he has a lot of potential. He's written a fun and interesting story and just needs to refine his writing a bit to have his next novel be even better.
I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Three out of five stars.
Cold Island (Detective Tommy Kelly, Book 1) by Peter Colt
When the remains of a young boy are found at a construction site on Nantucket, state police detective Tommy Kelly is asked to go to the island to help the local police figure out who the remains are and whether foul play was involved. When Kelly and local officer Jo Harris discover that the remains are likely of a young boy who must have been killed decades ago, they start to unravel a mystery that the locals wanted to remain quiet all those years ago.
First, I thought this was an intriguing story with a plot twist at the end that was quite good and unexpected. However, I also thought that there were some strange things that almost seemed a bit contrived and didn't quite flow with the story. I can't say more about it without giving away the plot twist. I also felt like the book was quite slow at the beginning and then picked up a lot of speed at the end. With some editing, I think the overall pace of the book could have been faster and would have made it better.
I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Three out of five stars.
Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
This book is the story of Calliope/Cal Stephanides and three generations of the Stephanides family. When Calliope is born, her parents believe she is a girl and name her and raise her as such. Calliope herself, as well as her parents, ignore things about her that don't seem quite right. The fact that she doesn't develop as other girls do, the fact that she never gets her period, the fact that her body seems to be growing differently than other girls, the fact that she seems to be attracted to other girls rather than boys, etc. When an accident lands Calliope in an emergency room and the doctors examine her and determine things don't seem quite right, it leads to a discovery about Calliope that begins with a secret her grandparents held for decades.
As the story progresses and is told from the perspective of Cal now as an adult, we follow the story of Cal's grandparents as they move from Greece/Turkey to America and settle in Detroit. We then learn the story of Cal's parents. Finally, interspersed throughout is the story of Cal growing up as Calliope, trying to understand who they are and why they are different, and eventually growing into themselves.
The writing in this book is absolutely brilliant. As someone who reads a lot of books at all different levels - brand new authors, indie authors, established authors, well-published authors - you can really tell the difference when someone has great writing talent, and Jeffrey Eugenides has great writing talent. His descriptions and the way he embodies Calliope/Cal is really beautifully done.
If there is one thing to criticize here, it's that the book is just really, really long. It's dense and is hard to get through. I also felt like it spent too much time focusing on Cal's grandparents and not enough time focusing on Cal. Overall, a great book, but definitely a commitment to read.
This book is #59 on the New York Times list of "The Best 100 Books of the 21st Century." Four out of five stars!
You Can't Hide: A Nut Cracker Investigation (The Nut Cracker Investigations, Book 4) by Katherine Ramsland
This is book 4 in a series about a group of investigators led by Annie Hunter called the Nut Crackers. In this particular case, the team tries to solve a case involving a confessed serial murderer who has allegedly killed several couples up and down the east coast. Additionally, Hunter's father is somehow involved and clues to solving the mystery are contained in files he kept at the his house, which Hunter still lives in.
I'm going to give this one a bit of benefit of the doubt from the fact that it's fourth in a series and I'm likely missing out on a lot of the backstory on these characters from the first three books. However, I've read a lot of mysteries that are "series" books based on the same characters and even if you don't start at the beginning, you can typically jump into the series anywhere. That's not the case here. I was confused right from the beginning. Add on top of that the fact that there are just a lot of characters to keep track of and they seem to just pop in without a lot of explanation, and this book was just really hard to follow.
Good concept for the actual mystery and I thought it had some good twists and turns, but the book could have been executed better.
I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Three out of four stars.
Vegas Goodbye by Donna M. Cramer
First, I want to give a trigger warning on this book. The topic of the book deals with suicide. It also talks about drug use and death. If those are topics that are difficult for you, this is probably not a book for you.
Debra and John are both dealing with significant losses in their life. They have both had difficulty dealing with their grief, which has led to depression and contemplating suicide. They both - individually - come to the conclusion that the best thing to do is to travel to Las Vegas and end their lives. When they randomly encounter each other and begin a friendship while in Vegas, however, as they try to hide their true story from the other, they begin to wonder if there is hope for both of them after all.
I actually really love the idea of this book. The story is compelling and you really get to know the two main characters and feel for both of them and the things the are going through. The main issue with the book is that the writing needs a bit of work. At times, it's quite good. Then at other times, it feels a bit clunky. The dialogue, in particular, is a bit off and feels too mechanical and awkward. When dialogue doesn't feel the way you would expect people to really speak, it can make it difficult to get into the story. If you put the writing issues aside, however, this book has a lot of potential and is a story that will stick with you.
I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Four out of five stars!
Nomads Nest, Population: 12 by Carly Berg
The premise of this book is that there are 12 people living in rural Alberta, Canada in 6 apartments above a truck stop. The name of the apartment complex is called Nomads Nest and the 12 people in those apartments are the only residents of the area. Each of the 12 people has found themselves there from different places and for different reasons.
The book basically tells stories about the various 12 people - how their lives intertwine, how they got where they are, etc. - over a period of time.
The main reason I couldn't really get into this book, is that it never really developed any of the characters. Each chapter jumps from character to character and is told from their point of view. While the concept for this book isn't bad, I think it could have been executed better if it was told from one person's POV and really developed the story of that person, and then intertwined the others into that one person's life.
Additionally, the characters themselves were very quirky, which isn't a bad thing. But in this case, almost seemed unrealistic and hard to believe.
I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Two out of five stars.
Stay True by Hua Hsu
This is a memoir that focuses mostly on the author's time at Berkeley and his circle of friends, including his unlikely friendship with Ken. The author is someone who loves to be "different" - he buys his clothes at thrift shops, he spends hours at records stores looking for underground artists, he doesn't care about being popular. In contrast, Ken follows more of the "typical" persona of an American college student in the 90s - he wears polo shirts, he listens to Dave Matthews Band and Pearl Jam, he's in a fraternity. While the two seem to come from different worlds, they form an unlikely friendship. And when Ken is killed during their senior year, the author has a difficult time moving on from his death.
While this memoir is supposed to be about the author's relationship with Ken, it's just as much about the author learning about himself. He talks about his relationship with his parents, who moved to the U.S. from Taiwan before he was born, then returned there when he got older. He also talks about trying to discover himself throughout his college life.
While I think this book was very well written, it seemed to struggle to find a point. It may be that it focused on too many different things and never really developed who Ken was and what his relationship to him was. It almost felt that Ken was just another person in the author's circle of friends, but that didn't align with the struggle the author writes about after Ken's death.
This is a short read and interesting, but not the emotional memoir I thought it would be. This book is #58 on the New York Times list of "The Best 100 Books of the 21st Century". Three out of four stars.
From Cradle To Grave (Royal Spyness, Book 19) by Rhys Bowen
This mystery is part of a series with Lady Georgiana "Georgie" as the main character. In this particular installment, Georgie runs across four different young men who have died accidentally. In each instance, the man dies doing something that he's passionate about - one mountain climbing, one long distance swimming, one boat racing, and one driving his car. And in each instance, Georgie believes the circumstances suspicious.
On a positive note, I felt like this was a book you could pick up in the middle of the series and not feel lost. That's always important. Additionally, the author clearly is invested in developing these characters, as much of the book was about their domestic life instead of the actual mystery. Unfortunately, that's also a downside of this book if you are looking for a good mystery - the book is light on actual mystery and heavy on how Georgie manages her servants (the book takes place in England during a time when aristocracy employed servants).
My overall assessment of the book is that it's just ok. Not a super compelling mystery. Seemed a bit slow to develop. A little annoying having to read about Georgie stressing about her son's nanny and her maid.
I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Three out of five stars.
The Book of Women's Friendship edited by Rachel Cooke
This book is a collection of writings from various authors that speak to friendships between women. According to the editor in her introduction, she wanted to examine those friendships and the different types/phases. Each chapter works through a different type or phase of friendship - as children, as students, as young adults, as circumstances in life change, as friends grow apart, as one friend dies, etc.
I think this is a great concept and the editor clearly spent a significant amount of time pulling together the various pieces of writing that she included. Despite a brief introduction by the editor for each chapter, however, it was sometimes difficult to understand the context of each writing. When you are compiling several pieces and they are just short pieces from a much longer novel or other piece of work, it's really difficult sometimes to "get it". The other criticism I have - and this seems nitpicky but really was an issue for me - is that the editor chose to identify the pieces at the end of them rather than at the beginning. Again, I found I was reading things and had absolutely no context as to what they were and why they were there unless I turned the page ahead to see the reference at the end.
I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Three out of five stars.
The Last Mixtape by Steve Matsumoto
Trigger warning. One of this book's main topics is suicide, so please be warned if that is not a topic you want to read about.
James is a young teacher who teaches first grade. When his younger sister dies by suicide at the beginning of the school year, James isn't certain how he is going to be able to work through the grief. One of his constant companions is the last mixtape that his younger sister sent him before she died. However, after reconnecting with a school crush from his hometown at his sister's funeral and then meeting a student teacher at his school, he finds himself attracted to both of them. The only problem is they both have current boyfriends.
As James navigates through his grief and these new relationships, he learns about himself and what he really wants in life.
I thought this was a very well written book. Definitely different than your typical romance and I thought it was interesting coming from a man's perspective instead of a woman's. The book did a good job of showing James' vulnerabilities as he worked through his grief.
I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Four out of five stars!
Positive Obsession: The Life and Times of Octavia E. Butler - A Biography of the Visionary Science Fiction Writer and Black Power Voice by Susana M. Morris
This is an autobiography of Octavia Butler. Butler was a rarity - a science fiction writer who was a woman and Black in a genre dominated by white males. Butler's writing reflected much of what she observed in society and was visionary in so many ways.
While the author never met Butler, she is clearly deeply familiar with her writing and did a significant amount of research about Butler's life. What I like about the biography is that it tells Butler's story mostly through the context of Butler's writing and has almost a storytelling quality to it rather than a biography feel.
I have read a few of Butler's books and reading this biography inspired me to want to go out and read more of her work! Four out of five stars!
Happy New Year again and looking forward to sharing more books with you in 2026!
What books do you recommend I read next? Let me know! Did you check out any of these books? I'd love to hear what you think! Comment below or e-mail me at tips2livebywriter@gmail.com.
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