Divine December Staff Picks

Norse Mythology

“With a voice like warm milk and honey, Neil Gaiman breathes life into his stories Norse Mythology honors the tale’s past, but still has Neil’s distinctive style. Which is then enhanced by Gaiman reading the story aloud. Gaiman is able to create distinct voices for each of his characters, from the sly and cunning Loki, to the short-tempered, impatient warrior Thor. Gaiman took mythology that I already loved, created something even more enchanting. It is a collection of stories I could hear time after time and never grow tired of revisiting.”

Victoria, Mysterious Galaxy Books

NOW THE ACCLAIMED HBO SERIES GAME OF THRONES—THE MASTERPIECE THAT BECAME A CULTURAL PHENOMENON
 
Winter is coming. Such is the stern motto of House Stark, the northernmost of the fiefdoms that owe allegiance to King Robert Baratheon in far-off King’s Landing. There Eddard Stark of Winterfell rules in Robert’s name. There his family dwells in peace... Read more »

Danish journalist Heloise Kaldan is in the middle of a nightmare. One of her sources has been caught lying, and she could lose her job over it. Then she receives the first in a series of cryptic and unsettling letters from a woman named Anna Kiel. Wanted in connection with the fatal stabbing of a young lawyer three years earlier, Anna hasn't... Read more »

Good Neighbors

“Set in the near future, Good Neighbors is an unsettling look at mob justice at its absolute worst! Langan teases out the store through to the brutal end with excerpts from newspaper articles and books and even outtakes of interviews about the Maple Street Murders, many of them dating almost twenty years after the events themselves. And they provide a bit of a driving force to the narrative, making the reader really wonder just how bad things are going to get as the events unfold in the book. This is absolutely one I'd recommend listening to on audio! With so many different narrators as well as the outtakes mentioned above, Good Neighbors would be a challenge in less deft hands, but Nicole Lewis does a really phenomenal job as the reader here! She is one of my new favorites!”

Becky, BookBar

Never Saw Me Coming

“An intriguing page turner told from a very interesting constellation of perspectives. Excellent as an audiobook.”

Marianne, East City Bookshop

Dark Roads

“'You want to know which one I am, where I fit into the timeline of broken lives. Does it matter? We all share the same story, even if our killers are different, and we want to tell you our secrets. But that's the thing with whispers. You have to listen closely to hear us.' Inspired by a real location, Dark Roads by Chevy Stevens is a quietly compelling read full of chilling details and betrayals. The story is told through two converging timelines and centers on two young women who need to find answers before more girls go missing. Content warnings for murder, descriptions of human remains, stalking, pedophelia, death of loved ones, torture, assault, harm to animals”

Faith, Page 158 Books

If you enjoyed Big Little Lies, then you’ll love Apples Never Fall.

“Does anyone else have vivid memories of when and where they were reading books? For me, the most powerful sensations occur with audiobooks and the narrators that read them. Caroline Lee expertly narrates all of Liane Moriarty's books. I can still remember her crisp, hilarious Australian accent when I was moving into my first NYC apartment. It was The Husband's Secret, my second Moriarty but first in audiobook. I was absolutely hooked, not just by the compelling and crazy story (which I will always swear is increased tenfold in audiobook format!) but the HUMOR that Lee gets behind her words. Now, I'm once again moving apartments. Lee's voice hooked me from the beginning of Apples Never Fall and had me giggling at almost every sentence. Even the most mundane of statements turns into pure comedy with Lee's willowy and wavering Australian accent which gives perfect characterization to Joy and her family throughout this tense tale. Though you will definitely hate (or at least want to slap) every one of these characters at some point, Moriarty wows once again with her newest book. A highly enjoyable listen, I recommend this to anyone who likes thrillers with different angles (touches of humor and sass). It would be an especially good book to fill up a car ride or help aid a move (coming from personal experience).”

Kimi, Buttonwood Books and Toys

If you enjoyed The Shadow of the Wind, then you’ll love Cloud Cuckoo Land.

“I loved this book so much. The intersection of the various stories surrounding a profound awareness of the importance of books was perfect. I also appreciated the weaving of the classic tale intertwined all throughout the book. Each character's story could have been a book all by themselves, but having them all together was brilliant. This is a book that I didn't know I needed, but was the perfect book for the time I listened to it.”

Tim, Schuler Books

A GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK

Named a Best Book Pick of 2021 by Harper’s Bazaar and Real Simple

Named a Most Anticipated Book of Fall by People, Essence, New York Post, PopSugar, New York Newsday, Entertainment Weekly, Town & Country, Bustle, Fortune, and Book Riot

Told from alternating perspectives, this “propulsive, deeply felt... Read more »

An Elderly Lady Must Not Be Crossed

“Eighty-eight-year-old Maud will be your new favorite octogenarian serial killer; do not miss this hilariously quirky collection of stories about what happens to those who get in Maud’s way.”

Olivia, Author's Note

The Book of Hope

“Fascinating interview of naturalist Dr Jane Goodall by biographer Douglas Adams. I listened to the Libro.fm edition which is narrated by both. Interesting to learn how she first got interested in studying animal behavior and how the field has changed. Her research at Gombe National Park has given us an in-depth understanding of chimpanzee behavior. Had the privilege of seeing her in the early 70's at a lecture at National geographic in DC.”

Pat, Village Square Booksellers

A powerfully moving book that “could make graspable why today’s prisons are contemporary slave plantations” (Alice Walker, author of The Color Purple), giving voice to the poorest among us and laying bare the cruelty of a penal system that too often defines their lives.

Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Chris Hedges has taught courses in drama,... Read more »

*An Outside Magazine Book Club Pick*

"A sparkling account."—Wall Street Journal

An electrifying adventure into the rich history of skiing and the modern heart of ski-bum culture, from one of America's most preeminent ski journalists

The story of skiing is, in many ways, the story of America itself. Blossoming from the Tenth Mountain Division... Read more »

Portraying himself as a failure, the protagonist of Osamu Dazai's No Longer Human narrates a seemingly normal life even while he feels himself incapable of understanding human beings. Oba Yozo's attempts to reconcile himself to the world around him begin in early childhood, continue through high school, where he becomes a "clown" to mask his... Read more »

40th ANNIVERSARY EDITION • From the #1 New York Times bestselling author, "a magnificent, compulsively readable thriller...Rice begins where Bram Stoker and the Hollywood versions leave off and penetrates directly to the true fascination of the myth—the education of the vampire” (Chicago Tribune). • The inspiration for the hit television... Read more »

Masterful storytelling from #1 New York Times bestselling author Sarah J. Maas brings her sexy, action-packed series to new heights. Feyre has undergone more trials than one human woman can carry in her heart. Though she’s now been granted the powers and lifespan of the High Fae, she is haunted by her time Under the Mountain and the terrible... Read more »

The Hunger

“As a child I was obsessed with the Donner Party. I went to the museum and read all about them, but never imagined something as twisted as THE HUNGER. Katsu's reinvention of the history is complex, meticulous, and a perfect metaphor for the white man's obsession with manifest destiny and the terrorism that was inflicted on Native Americans. I don't think I'll ever be able to forget the ear eating scene!”

Christy, Avid Bookshop

The first book in a spellbinding fantasy trilogy for fans of The Queen of the Tearling and The Red Queen, where two young women -- a mage with coveted powers, and the scion of a powerful family -- are magically bound in service to the Empire.

Magic is scarce in the Raverran Empire, and those born with such powers are strictly controlled -- taken... Read more »

Under the Whispering Door

“If Wallace Price was still alive, I would want to meet him. Well, no, I would like to meet the dead Wallace because he’s much nicer that way; a true curmudgeon turned marshmallow as he accepts he’s done in this plane of existence. I wasn’t sure a book about death and grieving was what I needed this year, but upon finishing I can assure you this book is exactly what we all need right now. Klune’s signature quirky characters have that tendency to sneakily sink their hooks into your chest. Before I knew it, I had fallen in love with everyone, especially the ghost dog Apollo. There will likely be a lot of emotions in this reading experience, but it is all beautifully cathartic. Laughter, yes, and some tears. Many quietly profound passages had me pause to reflect and think about my own life and my family. I recommend reading it with a cup of tea and having someone you can hug within reach.”

Leah, Bright Side Bookshop

Hamnet

“In this acclaimed new novel, author Maggie O’Farrell takes one small detail from the life of William Shakespeare and spins it into a complex and wonderful love story and family saga, set during an outbreak of the bubonic plague in 1590’s England. Ell Potter's audiobook performance brings these characters to life, adding a layered intimacy to the experience of this subtle and beautifully written story.”

Noelle, Oblong Books