Books You Should Read Before the End of the Year

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Emily has a PhD in English from the University of Southern Mississippi, MS, and she has an MFA in Creative Writing from GCSU in Milledgeville, GA, home of Flannery O’Connor. She spends her free time reading, watching horror movies and musicals, cuddling cats, Instagramming pictures of cats, and blogging/podcasting about books with the ladies over at #BookSquadGoals (www.booksquadgoals.com). She can be reached at emily.ecm@gmail.com.

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With 2025 drawing close to an end, we’ve been spending a lot of time looking forward to what we can expect in 2026. But the year is not over yet! There are still a lot of exciting new book releases to look forward to reading in November and December. So if you’re wondering what new releases you should put on your TBR before the end of the year, here are four books, across genres, that are absolute must-reads.

Death and Dinuguan by Mia P. Manansala (Berkley, November 25)

Here comes the sixth book in Mia P. Manansala’s series, Tita Rosie’s Kitchen Mysteries. Valentine’s Day is coming up, and Lila Macapagal can’t wait to celebrate the holiday with her boyfriend, Jae Park. For once, Lila is certain nothing could go wrong. But that’s before a string of attacks against women-owned businesses in the area, including Choco Noir, which is run by Hana Lee, Jae’s cousin. When Hana is found knocked out and in a coma, Lila knows she must find out who’s behind the attacks before they strike again.

The Library of Fates by Margot Harrison (Graydon House, December 2)

This fantasy novel imagines a library that carries a special book. The Book of Dark Nights is a rare book that gives its readers predictions about their future. But when the book’s librarian keeper dies and the book goes missing, the librarian’s apprentice, Eleanor, goes on a quest to find out what happened. Her unlikely companion is the librarian’s son, Daniel, who ran off to Europe without a word many years ago. Together, they will journey around the world looking for answers.

All Access members, read on for two more books you need to read before the end of the year.

Midnight Somewhere by Johnny Compton (Blackstone Publishing, December 9)

In December, we’re getting a new short story collection from Johnny Compton, the Bram Stoker Award-nominated author of Spite House and Devils Kill Devils. From a woman trying to bring her husband back to life through a horrifying ritual to a film about “alien hand syndrome” that kicks off a string of self-harm incidents, these stories are eerie, mysterious, and prove that darkness can find you no matter where you are, no matter what time of day. After all, it’s always midnight somewhere. These short stories are the perfect horror read for anyone who is a fan of Junji Ito, Stephen King’s The Night Shift, or Tananarive Due’s The Wishing Pool.

How to Grieve Like a Victorian by Amy Carol Reeves (Canary Street Press, December 9)

If you’ve ever lost someone, you know there’s no one correct way to grieve. And when professor of British literature Dr. Lizzie Wells loses her husband unexpectedly, she chooses to grieve in the way that makes the most sense to her. The Victorian way. She tells all of her colleagues that she will only accept correspondence through letters and keeps a lock of her husband’s hair in a choker around her neck. But when she’s offered a trip to Brontë country in England, she can’t pass up the opportunity. As she pushes herself out of her comfort zone in London and the moors of Haworth, Lizzie’s late husband’s best friend, Henry, keeps checking in on her from across the ocean. And despite herself, she can’t forget the kiss they once shared.