The 6 books everyone will be reading in December.

2021 has been a brilliant year for books. 

And there are still a few more to add to your reading list. This month we have Reese Witherspoon's latest book club pick, a time-travelling rom com, and the latest novel from international bestselling author Jodi Picoult. 

Here are the 6 books everyone will be reading in December:

Fancy Meeting You Here by Michelle Kalus and Ali Berg

Image: Allen & Unwin/Mamamia. 

Australian co-authors Michelle Kalus and Ali Berg know how to write a bloody good romantic comedy! 

Their latest book, Fancy Meeting You Here, follows the story of 30-year-old wannabe screenwriter Evie Berry. 

Evie spends her days managing a London cinema bar, making a podcast with her best friend Ben, and being obsessed with international bestselling writer Hugo Hearst. 

Evie has always wondered what could have been if she had hooked up with Hugo years earlier, when he was still a struggling writer. 

Then Evie interviews a psychic for her podcast and is catapulted 10 years into the past. But she soon learns the grass isn't always greener and sometimes what you really want has been in front of you the whole time.

The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak

Image: Penguin Books Australia/Mamamia. 

The Island of Missing Trees is a beautiful, haunting story about lost love, finding a sense of belonging and the impact of trauma. 

When Kostas and Defne are teenagers, they meet at a taverna on the island they both call home. The taverna is the only place the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot can meet in secret, hidden under the shade of a giant fig tree. 

When a war breaks out, the capital is reduced to ashes, and the teenagers flee. 

Decades later, Kostas, now a botanist, returns to the capital looking for a new species. But what he's really looking for is Defne. 

They meet under the fig tree, and the second part of their story begins. 

Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult

Image: Allen & Unwin/Mamamia. 

Jodi Picoult is one of the most commercially successful authors in the world. 

Her novels are page turners which force the reader to rethink everything they thought they knew. 

Her latest book, Wish You Were Here, follows the story of 29-year-old Diana who has her life perfectly mapped out. 

She will be married by 30, done having kids by 35, and move out to the New York City suburbs, all while climbing the professional ladder in the cutthroat art auction world.

Diana believes her boyfriend Finn is about to propose, just days before her 30th birthday, when the COVID-19 pandemic hits. 

Suddenly, Diana is stranded on one of the most beautiful islands in the world with no luggage, no place to stay, no food, and no Finn. 

A local family takes her in and a teenager opens up to her, which forces Diana to wonder who she really is. 

When she returns to her "normal" life, she starts to question everything she thought she knew. 

The Sentence by Louise Erdrich

Image: Hachette Australia/Mamamia. 

Louise Erdrich's latest novel, The Sentence, is a story about the ghosts that haunt us. 

A small independent bookstore in Minneapolis is haunted from November 2019 to November 2020 by the store's most annoying customer. Flora dies on All Souls' Day, but she simply won't leave the store.

Tookie, who has landed a job selling books after years of incarceration, is determined to solve the mystery of this haunting while at the same time trying to understand all that occurs in Minneapolis during a year of grief, astonishment, isolation and furious reckoning.

The Sentence asks what we owe to the living and to the dead, and to the book and the reader. 

Call Us What We Carry by Amanda Gorman

Image: Penguin Books Australia/Mamamia. 

Amanda Gorman captured the attention of the world when she read her poem 'The Hill We Climb' at Joe Biden's inauguration. Her words were a call to action, and they defined a moment in time where it felt like people were finally listening. 

In this collection of poetry, Gorman captures a shipwrecked moment in time and transforms it into a lyric of hope and healing. 

Harnessing the collective grief of a global pandemic, these poems shine a light on a moment of reckoning, and prove that Gorman is an important voice for our future. 

Taste: My Life Through Food by Stanley Tucci

Image: Penguin Books Australia/Mamamia. 

Stanley Tucci is one of the most loved figures in Hollywood, known for his roles in The Devil Wears Prada and The Hunger Games, and his charm and wit when the cameras turn off. 

Taste is an intimate reflection on the intersection of food and life, filled with anecdotes about growing up in Westchester, NY, preparing for and filming the foodie films Big Night and Julie & Julia, falling in love over dinner, and teaming up with his wife to create conversation-starting meals for their children. 

It's a journey through good times and bad, five-star meals and burnt dishes, and it's filled with Stanley's signature wry humour and charm. 

Love this month's roundup? Kobo Plus has just launched through Booktopia, and all customers can receive free ebooks for 30 days. After signing up for free, simply download and start reading your favourite titles.

Keryn Donnelly is Mamamia's Pop Culture Editor. For more of her TV, film and book recommendations and to see photos of her dog, follow her on Instagram and TikTok.

Feature Image: Allen & Unwin/Penguin Books Australia/Hachette Australia/Mamamia.