December's Recommended Reads

All books mentioned in this edition of the Great Reads Newsletter are available in the Ocean County Library's Libby by OverDrive Collection and/or in our catalog. 

 

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For help and support visit the library's help page and click on the Libby by OverDrive tab.

Adult Fiction

The Merriest Misters 

by Timothy Janovsky

Patrick and Quinn have been married for less than a year, but their passionate romance is cracking under the pressures of domestic life and a cumbersome mortgage. That's until Christmas Eve when Patrick wakes Quinn up with: "I think I've killed a man." Quinn realizes the "burglar" Patrick knocked out is none other than Mr. Claus himself. Instructed by a harried elf to don the red suit and take the reins of the reindeer-guided sleigh up on the roof, Quinn and Patrick work together to save Christmas.
But as the sun rises on Christmas morning, the sleigh brings them back to the North Pole instead of New Jersey, and they're in for a massive shock. The couple must assume the roles of Santa Claus and the first ever Merriest Mister or Christmas will be canceled... permanently. With Christmas–and their marriage–on the line, Patrick and Quinn agree to stay together for one year. But can running a toy shop together save their relationship, or will Patrick and Quinn be stuffing coal in each other's stockings come next Christmas?

Love You A Latke

by Amanda Elliot

Snow is falling, holiday lights are twinkling, and Abby Cohen is pissed. For one thing, her most annoying customer, Seth, has been coming into her café every morning with his sunshiny attitude, determined to break down her carefully constructed emotional walls. And, as the only Jew on the tourism board of her Vermont town, Abby's been charged with planning their fledgling Hanukkah festival. Desperate for support, Abby puts out a call for help online and discovers she was wrong about being the only Jew within a hundred miles. There's one other: Seth. If Abby can survive his incessant, irritatingly handsome smiles, he'll introduce her to all the vendors she needs to make the festival a success. 

All the Jingle Ladies

by Beth Garrod

Molly hates Christmas. Ever since her parents released a cheesy Christmas song ten years ago—complete with a video of Molly dressed as the cutest little elf—December has gone from Ho! Ho! Ho! to Hu-Hu-Humiliating! This year takes a turn for the worse when the song of Molly's nightmares is included on the soundtrack for the hottest new holiday film. This mortifying tune is everywhere—again!

Only for the Holidays

by Abiola Bello

Tia Solanké is dreading the festive season. She and her boyfriend are on a break and the last thing she wants is to spend Christmas away from London. Dragged to Saiyan Hedge Farm by her mother, Tia takes an instant dislike to the countryside estate. Quincy Parker and his family run the farm, and this year they’ve been selected to host the biggest event in town—the Winter Ball. Preparations are underway, and Quincy is working around the clock to make it a success while recovering from his own devastating breakup. The only problem is, he’s told everyone he has a date to the ball, which couldn’t be further from the truth. Tia agrees to accompany Quincy to the winter ball as his date in return for his help in winning back her ex, but as their plan progresses so do their feelings for each other. 

North for the Winter

by Bobby Podesta

What would you think if you saw a reindeer fly? When this happens to Virginia, she isn't sure what to do - she's just lost her mom, she's in a new city, and everything seems so hard. But when she reluctantly confesses what she saw to her neighbor, Benny, he's convinced that flying reindeer can only mean one thing: this is Santa business.

On Thin Ice

by Jessica Kim

Twelve-year-old fraternal twins Phoebe and Dexter Bae are polar opposites in every way except for their love of the ice. Phoebe is hyperfocused on pairs figure skating, and Dex loves his hockey team. But when Phoebe’s partner injures his knee just two months before competitions and Dex gets cut from his team in favor of a new hotshot goalie from Canada, they’re both left spinning. With their skating dreams dashed, their mother suggests that Dex fill in as Phoebe’s doubles partner. For Dex, working with a perfectionist like Phoebe would be a challenge, but if it means he’d improve his skating technique enough to get back on the hockey team it’d be worth it. Phoebe isn’t thrilled either, but what choice does she have if she wants to bring home the gold?

A Dragon for Hanukkah

by Sarah Mlynowski

On the first night of Hanukkah, my parents gave me a dragon... So begins Hannah's holiday adventure, as she receives eight magical presents — one for each night. There's a playful dragon, a gleaming treasure chest, a time travel machine, some rowdy unicorns... and much more. But are the gifts what they seem to be? When Hannah gathers with family and friends to light the menorah, play dreidel, and eat delicious latkes, she'll discover the true magic of the Festival of Lights.

Little Hare Finds a Gift

by Oleksandr Shatokhin

One morning Little Hare wakes up to a thud on her roof. When she goes outside to investigate, she finds a gift-wrapped package has landed on her house. So starts a search to find the owner...
She drags the package all over the forest on the back of her sled, but no one knows whose it is, until she bumps into a large figure dressed in red and white with a long white beard and glasses.