As the year begins, a lot of people make resolutions about finding more time to read, or branching out and trying new authors or genres. If this sounds like you, then you’ve picked a great time to start – books are booming, and there’s something out there for everyone. Here are the books we anticipate are going to be massive this year – crack out that ‘to read’ list and make sure these picks are on it – everyone will be reading these.
The Testaments by Margaret Atwood
The Handmaid’s Tale was huge on TV last year, and this long awaited sequel has been perfectly timed for fans of the book and the show. Fifteen years after Atwood wrote her first novel, this one picks up where Offred’s story ended. Atwood doesn’t ever pull any punches, and this will surely be just as dazzling and terrifying as the first book. Let’s face it – she has a LOT of real life inspiration these days.
Release date: September 2019
The Wicked King by Holly Black
Fans are chomping at the bit for the second book in this The Folk in the Air series. Book one, The Cruel Prince was a smash hit YA last year for Black, who is one of the most popular YA authors around. Full of betrayal and Faerie politics, it isn’t hard to see why this is one of the most anticipated books on Goodreads for 2019.
On release now.
The Girl Who Lived Twice – David Lagercrantz and George Goulding
This is the sixth book in the Millennium series, and Steig Larsson’s legacy is still going strong. Larsson had always pictured a large number of books before his untimely death in 2004, and with this book Lagercrantz equals the original number that Larsson wrote. They are being typically tight lipped about the story, but we can be sure that Lisbeth Salander is safe in Lagercrantz’ hands.
Release date: 22 August 2019
Agent Running in the Field by John Le Carré
John Le Carré is 87 years old and this is his 25th novel, but he isn’t showing any signs of slowing down. TV adaptations of his works, such as The Night Manager , have been very popular in recent years, showing that there is still an audience for his old-school spy thrillers. Expect the usual mix of intrigue and espionage, twists and turns, as Le Carré does what he does best.
Release date: 17 October 2019
The Source of Self-Regard by Toni Morrison
Toni Morrison is one of the greatest writers of our time, hands down. She is, of course, better known for her fictional novels, but this collection of non-fiction looks very intriguing. With pieces from the last forty years, split into three sections, this will be an illuminating read. I can’t wait to hear Morrison’s musings on culture especially, and to read her Nobel lecture over 20 years after she first gave it.
Release date: 12 February 2019
On the Come Up by Angie Thomas
Thomas’ debut novel The Hate U Give was a smash hit, spending more than 50 weeks at the top of The New York Times YA bestseller list following its release in 2017. This book is set in the same neighbourhood as the first, so we can probably expect some references to the riots that ended that book, and perhaps even a cameo or two as we follow new character Bri in her bid to be a rap superstar.
Release date: 5 February 2019
The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern
Morgenstern’s first novel The Night Circus, famously written over the course of a couple of Nanowrimos, was a big hit when it was published in 2011. Eight years later, we are being treated to this second work, which promises to be as whimsical as the first one, not least because it is set in part in a mysterious library deep beneath the surface of the earth. Is there really anything better than a magical library?
Release date: 5 November 2019
We Are Displaced: My Journey and Stories from Refugee Girls around the World by Malala Yousafzai
Malala tells her own story in this book, of relocating to Birmingham after she was injured fleeing the Taliban in Pakistan. She then goes on to introduce and tell stories of the girls that she met through her campaign for girl’s education – girls from countries such as Colombia and Syria. With a lot of talk still around the plight of refugees – and rightly so – this book will be a sobering and enlightening read.
On release now
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