If you’re searching for your new favourite book and/or author, look no further! We invited our friends from QBD Books to tell us which titles they are most looking forward to this December.
The Cousins
By Karen McManus
Out Now
McManus has been thrilling readers since her 2017 release of One of Us is Lying. Since then we have also been given One of Us is Next and Two Can Keep a Secret. Her upcoming novel, The Cousins, is undoubtedly going to further cement her as the queen of the YA thriller.
Twenty years after suddenly cutting off all contact with her children, Mildred Story invites her grandchildren to visit her estate over the summer. The three cousins don’t know what happened with their parents or grandmother, but accept this invitation out of curiosity of what has been going on. The mystery is set to unfold as we eagerly await finding out what the skeletons are that exist in this family’s closet. This book is the one I am definitely looking forward to reading most out of all the incredible releases just before Christmas!
– Dion, QBD Books Macarthur Square, NSW
The Autobiography of Kathryn Janeway
By Una McCormack
Out Now
It’s plain to see that I’m a bit of a geek. Star Trek is one of my favourite shows, with Captain Janeway being one of my favourite Captains. So a book that follows Janeway’s journey from young Starfleet academy cadet, to her first command, and finally to the no-nonsense leader we saw in Star Trek Voyager is more than I could have hoped for! Here, we will get to see her grow into the Captain we know, and all the thoughts that went into the difficult decisions she had to make in order to get her crew home through the perils of the Delta Quadrant.
Janeway is one of the best Captains Starfleet ever had, so how could you not want to read her autobiography? And if this book ever gets made into an audiobook, it just has to be voiced by Kate Mulgrew!
– Tahlia, QBD Books Albury, NSW
Ascendance of a Bookworm
By Miya Kazuki & Suzuka Quof
Out Now
This manga has definitely caught my eye. As a self-confessed bookworm, any stories about like-minded characters immediately stand out! This series follows a college bookworm who is reincarnated after dying in an accident. Her new life is in the body of 5-year-old Myne, the daughter of a soldier. Myne has health issues, and her new world is one of low literacy where books are few and far between. So Myne resolves to make her own books!
The start of a new series, this looks super cute, and is a must-read for all the bibliophiles out there!
– Megan, QBD Books Traralgon, VIC
The Sensation (Salvi Brentt #2)
By Amanda Bridgeman
Out Now
Amanda Bridgeman’s previous novel in this series The Subjugate was a masterclass in thrilling, near-future science fiction blended with hard-boiled detective noir. It introduced us to The Solme Complex, where neural rehabilitation of criminals took place in order to reintegrate them into society. This sequel takes us back into the world of San Francisco Detective Salvi Brentt, where a new narcotic danger presents the threat of widespread violence. But the powerful elite have secrets they want to keep hidden.
If you’re into a world with strong Bladerunner vibes and a story built around a classical whodunnit, give this a try. If you like your police procedural with a splash of future tech and a generous helping of greedy corporations and seedy underworld, get into this series. This will really appeal to readers of science fiction/fantasy, crime/thriller, and dystopian genres.
The Subjugate was one of my favourite science fiction reads of 2019 and I’ve been waiting for The Sensation all year!
– Jeremy, QBD Books Support Office, NSW
Magic Dark and Strange
By Kelly Powell
Out Now
Kelly Powell adds a dynamic new twist to the bone magic/necromancy trope in Magic Dark and Strange. Catherine Daly works as a printer by day, but she has an unusual talent for dark magic. At night, Catherine wakes the dead for a few precious moments of final goodbyes with loved ones. But all magic comes at a cost, and for every hour that Catherine wakes a ghost, an hour is lost from her own life.
When Catherine is given the task of digging up a grave in search of a time piece, she is instead presented with the body of a teenage boy who begins to reanimate before her very eyes. This boy though, is much more than the pale ghosts Catherine can conjure. This boy comes back as a living, breathing embodiment of a magic far deadlier than the kind Catherine has experience with.
– Emily, QBD Books Knox City, VIC
Defending the Galaxy (Sentinels of the Galaxy #3)
By Maria V Snyder
Out Now
Snyder is hands down in my top five authors, to the point where I will buy anything that has her name on it without even reading the blurb. Fifteen years after its release, Poison Study remains one of my all-time favourite books.
Defending the Galaxy is the third book in the Sentinels of the Galaxy series. Lyra’s parents are searching for Terracotta Warriors on distant planets, trying to solve the mystery of how they came to be on earth, and who put them there. But Lyra can’t stop danger from finding her, even when she’s technically dead.
In the previous books, Lyra found friends and created a family. However, she was betrayed by someone in that family. The more she searches for answers, the more questions she finds. Now she doesn’t know who she can trust, or where the danger is really coming from.
– Tahlia, QBD Books Albury, NSW
Sooner or Later Everything Falls into The Sea
By Sarah Pinsker
Out Now
Earlier this year I had the opportunity to read and review Sarah Pinsker’s award-winning novel, A Song for a New Day. While reading that book, I was captivated by Pinskers’ writing style, and found myself absolutely entranced by her story. I found the characters relatable and truly felt like I could see the world Pinsker had created. Ok, I admit I was reading about the effects of a pandemic in the middle of COVID lockdown, but you know what I mean.
Sooner or Later Everything Falls into The Sea is a collection of short stories and includes an all-new, unpublished story. With music, mystery, love and loss, Pinsker weaves the fabric of her stories around us as we are introduced to fiddle-playing astronauts, runaways and retired time-travellers. Suffice to say, Pinsker is fast becoming a new favourite author of mine, and I am looking forward to consuming more of her work.
– Emily, QBD Books Knox City, VIC
Songs from the Deep
By Kelly Powell
Out Now
When a young boy washes up dead along the beach, everyone assumes it’s the sirens that have led him to his death. But Moira Alexander isn’t so sure. Moira has always been fascinated by the sirens. She gets as close to them as she can, and is certain that they are being framed. So, she enlists the help of her childhood friend, lighthouse keeper Jude Osric, to stop this killer before it’s too late.
Songs from the Deep sounds like it’s going to be haunting, mysterious and will have me turning page after page. Books on sirens and mermaids also fascinate me, and I love to see an author have their own spin on these creatures. There is going to be romance, tension and secrets threatening to be spilled, and I’m ready.
– Angelique, QBD Books Broadmeadows, NSW
Daughter of Smoke and Bone Series 10-year Annivesary Edition
By Laini Taylor
Release Date: Tuesday, 8 December
It has been almost 10 years since Laini Taylor’s Daughter of Smoke and Bone Series was first released and, well, the truth is, I have never read these books. 10 years ago was a time of major upheaval in my life, so I guess I can be forgiven for missing the initial release. But the years of looking across piles of books, and glancing as I pass them, does nothing to excuse the fact. So, what better way to commemorate the 10-year anniversary and fix a grave oversight on my part, than with a full reprint of the series, featuring all-new cover art.
Maybe you also missed the first release of these books, or maybe you want the 10th anniversary editions to add to your collection? Whatever the reason, I’m sure we can all agree, this series is a must-read for everyone.
– Emily, QBD Books Knox City, VIC
Burn, Beautiful Soul
By Donahue Williams
Release Date: Friday, 11 December
If you’ve seen my other most-anticipated reads over the year, you may have noticed that I tend to like the darker subjects in my books and this one had the tagline ‘Wizard of Oz with a demon Dorothy’ – so how can I not want to read this? Basil, a demon, is tired of being stuck underground and doesn’t want to have to commit horrible acts anymore (anyone feeling a bit of Lucifer?). He wants to explore the world where humans live, and be more than just another demon.
Struggling between the pull of his demon nature, and dreams that seem to be memories of his humanity, Basil barely knows who he is anymore. And he certainly has no idea what to do about krakens and evil foes. He’s going to have to decide who he wants to be quickly to get out of this mess.
– Tahlia, QBD Books Albury, NSW
Blue Period 1
By Tsubasa Yamaguchi
Release Date: Tuesday, 15 December
Yatora Yaguchi is not your typical delinquent. His marks are top of the grade, and whenever he’s not studying, he’s goofing off with his friends. Lacking motivation to do anything aside from what he’s told – study and have fun – Yatora is searching for something more to bring meaning to his life. Eventually, he finds it in a painting he sees in the art club’s exhibition, showing his world in a new colour and giving him a means to finally express himself.
His new passion is so great that he decides to apply to Geidai, an incredibly selective university for art. However, his new life as an artist isn’t easy, and Yaguchi finds himself constantly pushing to learn enough about himself, and art, to stand out from the crowd and reach his new dream of becoming an artist.
– Rory, QBD Books Miranda, NSW
Samuel Johnson vs The Darkness
By John Connolly
Release Date: Tuesday, 29 December
From bestselling author John Connolly comes a quirky and dark adventure. Readers can now own the entire trilogy all in one – The Gates, The Infernals, and The Creeps. In Samuel Johnson vs The Darkness readers follow a young boy and the unlikely characters he meets in his fight against evil.
This trilogy is the perfect combo of the darkness of Connolly’s crime fiction, and the hilarity and witticism of his junior fiction. I am so excited for this beautiful edition of this trilogy! Although it is aimed at younger readers, this dark and humorous adventure is a delight for any age.
– Rhiarn QBD Books Miranda, NSW
The Neil Gaiman Reader
By Neil Gaiman
Release Date: Tuesday, 29 December
Spanning his career to date, The Neil Gaiman Reader is a collection of Gaiman’s ambitious, ground-breaking, imaginative short stories and novellas, interspersed with excerpts from his five novels for adults: Neverwhere, Stardust, American Gods, Anansi Boys and The Ocean at the End of the Lane.
Real talk: I am a HUGE Neil Gaiman fangirl. From Coraline to American Gods, I’ve consumed Gaiman’s work like no other author. Neverwhere and Good Omens (written with the inimitable Terry Pratchett) are two of my favourite books of all time, I read them both at least once a year. However, Gaiman is so prolific that even ravenous readers like myself are continually stumbling across stories that we’ve never read before. I’m so looking forward to diving into this Reader and back into Neil Gaiman’s endless imagination!
– Sarah, QBD Books Support Office, QLD
