This year is a really exciting time for book releases. Lately, I’ve been scouring some of the current trends in books and what is coming out this year. So, here are some of the books that immediately caught my eye!
- “The Souvenir Museum” by Elizabeth McCracken
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This is not the first most-anticipated list this short story collection has ended up on. Elizabeth McCracken has been recognized with several awards as a captivating writer, and many people are excited to read her newest book.
You can read one of the stories from the collection here. The voice present throughout this piece made me want to read more. The line, “Nobody whose mother ever truly loved them has ever taken pleasure in playing the tambourine,” was enough to make me certain that I need to buy the book.
Short story collections in general are criminally underrated. They have such a small corner of the market and usually don’t receive much mainstream appeal, so it is exciting to see one that so many people seem eager to get their hands on: The Souvenir Museum.
- “Aristotle and Dante Dive Into the Waters of the World” by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
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This book is a sequel to Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, a young adult romance with expressive prose and philosophical reflection that captured the hearts of many people, including me. I am excited to see more of these characters and their relationship. It’s as simple as that.
If you have not already read the first book, I definitely recommend you check it out before the sequel comes out in October.
- “Great Circle” by Maggie Shipstead
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In a sentence, this book is about Marian Graves, a pilot that disappeared, and Hadley Baxter, the woman who is playing Marian in a film years later. The description of the plot immediately brings Amelia Earhart to mind, a person whose life and death has captured many people’s imaginations. This comparison is largely what has drawn me to the book. The added interest of a woman later acting as her in a movie and the potential parallels between their stories sounds really compelling.
- “The Maidens” by Alex Michaelides
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From The Broken Girls by Simon St. James to Agatha Christie to the book I just finished, The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton, I have been on a murder mystery kick lately. The Maidens is a murder mystery with a Greek Tragedy professor as the main suspect and a setting at Cambridge University, described as a traditional building of spires and turrets. It seems like the epitome of dark academia, an aesthetic revolving around classic literature and dark arts.
- “Hall of Smoke” by H.M. Long
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Hall of Smoke takes place in a Viking-inspired fantasy world that sounds so fascinating. Hessa is a warrior priestess that has to grapple with her faith in her goddess as she fights for redemption and revenge. There’s also a map at the beginning of the book. What more do you need?
While there are already tons of books that have come out this year and are just waiting for you to read them, there is still something uniquely fun about picking up a book that just came out. It gives you insight into what authors and publishers think readers want now. You can experience something with fresh eyes and without having to sort through thousands of reviews on Goodreads. You can simply read a synopsis, think it sounds cool, and give it a try.
Hopefully, one of the books here caught your attention or you’ve been prompted to look up other books that are being released this year.
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