Our December Book - Chapters & Chai Book Club
It's December, which calls for a cosy whimsical fantasy book to bring some magic to the season. Thats why we'll be reading 'Water Moon' by Samantha Sotto Yambao. Find out more about the book (Waterstones Science Fiction/Fantasy Book of the Month for November 2025) below!
About Water Moon
Would you rewrite your destiny if it meant losing a part of your past?
On a backstreet in Tokyo lies a pawnshop, but not everyone can find it. Most will see only a cosy ramen restaurant. And just the chosen ones – those who are lost – will find a place to pawn their life choices and deepest regrets.
Hana Ishikawa wakes on her first morning as the pawnshop's new owner to find it ransacked, the shop’s most precious acquisition stolen and her father missing. And then into the shop stumbles a charming stranger, quite unlike other customers. For he offers help, instead of seeking it.
Together, they must journey through a mystical world to find Hana’s father and the stolen choice – through rain puddles, hitching rides on paper cranes, across the bridge between midnight and morning and through a night market in the clouds. But as they get closer to the truth, Hana must reveal a secret of her own – and risk making a choice she will never be able to take back.
Step into the captivating and romantic fantasy novel that will sweep you away on an unforgettable adventure - perfect for fans of Studio Ghibli, Erin Morgenstern and Before the Coffee Gets Cold!
About Samantha Sotto Yambao
Samantha Sotto Yambao is a speculative fiction writer based in Manila. She is the Sunday Times, USA Today, and Indie List Bestselling author of Water Moon, Before Ever After, Love and Gravity, A Dream of Trees, and The Beginning of Always.
I can't wait to hear your thoughts on this one at our December meet up!
We will also be Buddy Reading 'Good Spirits' by B K Borison, which you can also get a copy of at Waterstones Worthing. This Buddy Read will take place after Water Moon, a little closer to Christmas. There will be a group chat for that, so DM us on Instagram if you would like to be a part of it.
Happy Reading!