Last week, two hints for December appeared in the Book of the Month app, giving a sneak peak at two December book selections. The accompanying text stated, “Put together 3 in a row in each of these tic-tac-toe puzzles to get a clue for two December books.”
Updated: BOTM updated the hints with some images already removed from the tic-tac-toe. I have updated this post with the new hints, but it did not change my predictions/guesses. I updated my breakdowns to strike through the text of those no longer possible due to the updated hints.
Hint
Treating these puzzles as tic-tac-toe means that each has a total of 8 possibilities – 3 horizontal (across), 3 vertical (down), and 2 diagonal. For each possibility, I tried to find an upcoming book that fit the images. If I could come up with a possible book, it is listed followed by what I think the book likely is.
Book 1
The images that stick out in the Book 1 tic-tac-toe are the fangs and the nutcracker. I do not think we will see any books in December that deals with vampires or animals with fangs, unless it is a yearly look-back pick. I did, however, include in my November predictions Kingdom of Sweets by Erika Johansen. I think it is likely that book is the key to this hint.
I think this is unlikely the hint simply because it is not specific.
None
None
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Familia by Lauren E. Rico
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Kingdom of Sweets by Erika Johansen
Rebecca, Not Becky by Christine Platt & Catherine Wigginton Greene
Book 2
The image that sticks out in the Book 2 tic-tac-toe is the rocket ship. While there is a good-sounding science fiction release in December, it does not have anything to do with space. Unless BOTM throws us for a loop and features Calamity (a November release), I am extremely doubtful there will be any book with a rocket ship or space.
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Mrs. Quinn’s Rise to Fame by Olivia Ford (January Release)
The Holiday Wager by Holly Cassidy
Snowed In for Christmas by Jaqueline Snowe
A Winter in New York by Josie Silver
This hint is so unspecific, yet up BOTM’s alley. It could be so many different thrillers.
Perfect Little Lives by Amber & Danielle Brown
Five Bad Deeds by Caz Frear
First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston (Jan. release)
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The Gentleman’s Gambit by Evie Dunmore
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My Guesses
I think it is possible that each of the hints could actually allude to two books. But since there is no confirmation of that, I am sticking with one book for each hint.
If you have not noticed in the past, the hints often refer to books that have come out the previous month or will be early releases. Based upon that and my notions, I think the hints refer to these two books.
The Kingdom of Sweets
Erika Johansen
This gloriously transportive reimagining of The Nutcracker tells the tale of twin sisters, divided by envy and magic, set against each another one fateful Christmas Eve.
Light and dark—this is the cursed birthright placed upon Clara and Natasha by their godfather, Drosselmeyer, whose power and greed hold an entire city in his sway. Charming Clara, the favorite, grows into a life of beauty and ease, while Natasha is relegated to her sister’s shadow, ignored and unloved.
But Natasha seizes the opportunity for revenge one Christmas Eve, when Drosselmeyer arrives at the family gala with the Nutcracker, an enchanted gift that offers entry into an alternate world: the Kingdom of Sweets.
Following Clara into the glittering land of snow and sugar, Natasha discovers a source of power far greater than Drosselmeyer: the Sugar Plum Fairy, who offers her own wondrous gifts . . . and chilling bargains. But as Natasha uncovers the truth about a dark destiny crafted long before her birth, she must reckon with forces both earthly and magical, human and diabolical, and decide to which world she truly belongs.
The Gentleman’s Gambit
Evie Dunmore
Bookish suffragist Catriona Campbell is busy: An ailing estate, academic writer’s block, a tense time for England’s women’s rights campaign—the last thing she needs is to be stuck playing host to her father’s distractingly attractive young colleague.
Deeply introverted Catriona lives for her work at Oxford and her fight for women’s suffrage. She dreams of romance, too, but since all her attempts at love have ended badly, she now keeps her desires firmly locked inside her head—until she climbs out of a Scottish loch after a good swim and finds herself rather exposed to her new colleague.
Elias Khoury has wheedled his way into Professor Campbell’s circle under false pretenses: he did not come to Oxford to classify ancient artefacts, he is determined to take them back to his homeland in the Middle East. Winning Catriona’s favor could be the key to his success. Unfortunately, seducing the coolly intense lady scholar quickly becomes a mission in itself and his well-laid plans are in danger of derailing…
Forced into close proximity in Oxford’s hallowed halls, two very different people have to face the fact that they might just be a perfect match. Soon, a risky new game begins that asks Catriona one more time to put her heart and wildest dreams at stake.
