Book reviews: 10 best books to read in December

It’s nearly 20 years since Nick Hornby wrote About A Boy, and cemented his place as one of the country’s most loved authors. His latest novel Funny Girl is set behind the scenes of a hit BBC TV comedy in the 1960s – think Till Death Us Do Part – and weaves together the stories of the writers, producer and the show's star, Sophie Straw, a former Blackpool beauty queen who makes the jump to sitcom star. A charming and big-hearted book.

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Nicci Gerrard is best known for writing psychological crime fiction with husband Sean French, under the pseudonym Nicci French. She writes the occasional book alone and The Twilight Hour is her latest. It’s an engrossing story about an elderly woman looking back on a long-concealed affair she had when she was young. 

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Part of a planned trilogy, Some Luck charts the successes and setbacks of one American family through a century. Jane Smiley makes the most ordinary moments extraordinary with her dazzling prose.  

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Crooked Heart by Lissa Evans is a touching tale about the friendship between a young evacuee and the impoverished housewife who takes him in during the Second World War.

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Getting Colder is a scalpel-sharp tale of family loyalties from award-winning scriptwriter turned novelist, Amanda Coe. Thirty-five years after their mum abandoned them for her lover, siblings Nigel and Louise try to understand the choice she made.   

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Michel Faber is back with his first novel in over 10 years. The Book Of Strange New Things is a thought-provoking read about a missionary who has to choose between his faith and his heart.

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Orange Prize winner Rose Tremain returns with The American Lover, a mesmerising collection of short stories. 

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For the first time, much-loved poet Wendy Cope has gathered together a lifetime of reminiscences, reviews and journalism in a collection called Love, Life And The Archers. Her writing is always witty and insightful. 

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