Between final projects, exams, and preparations for and celebrations of the holidays, December can be a lot! Sometimes the best thing to do on a break is to escape into a book that takes you far, far, away from the pressures of everyday life and into romance, mystery, or a completely different world. Here are some of our suggestions from BMCC’s leisure reading collection.
The Reluctant Royals series by Alyssa Cole (A Princess in Theory, A Duke by Default, and A Prince on Paper): These romance novels are modern-day fairy tales involving the royalty of the imaginary African kingdom of Thesolo.
The Other Side of the Door by Nicci French: A gripping mystery about covering up the murder of a womanizing boyfriend, not only will it transport you into Bonnie’s plight, she also needs to escape scrutiny as she has more than enough motive to have killed her boyfriend.
A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness: Transporting you to not only the discovery of the magical, but also from Oxford to upstate New York, this book is equal parts suspense, romance, history, and magic.
A Caribbean Heiress in Paris by Adriana Herrera: Escape to Belle Epoque France with Luz Alana, who travels from Santa Domingo to promote her family’s rum business at the 1889 Paris Exposition—and, of course, falls in love. Adriana Herrera made use of the Dominican Archives at CUNY’s City College to write this book, her first historical romance.
The Boy in the Suitcase by Lene Kaaberbøl and Agnete Friis: A mystery that will have you gasping with every chapter, we travel from Copenhagen across Denmark with Nina Borg in the efforts to protect a child.
The Apocalypse of Elena Mendoza by Shaun David Hutchinson: A science fiction story about the first ever confirmed virgin birth, terrifying abilities, and platonic relationships, this reality-adjacent story is a great escape into the concept of religion in the modern world.
About the author This page is a collaborative effort by the BMCC Reads team.
