new books releases 2022

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15 Highly Anticipated New Book Releases by Black Authors

Black authors have continuously paved the way for advancements in literature. Storytelling traditions in cultures worldwide have been shaped by Black perspectives, and the writers on this list, compiled by Goodreads, are keeping those traditions alive. These must-read new books will make you think and feel, and they’ll open you up to new stories and perspectives you won’t soon forget.

Yonder by Jabari Asim — January 11, 2022

What lies beyond, and how do we get there? These curiosities lie at the center of Jabari Asim’s new historical fiction novel, Yonder . The book follows a cast of enslaved characters, referred to as The Stolen, who are forced to live at Placid Hall under the cruel Cannonball Greene. When Preacher Ransom sparks conversations about freedom and possibility, they ignite philosophical discussions that light the way to brand new paths as dangerous as they are ripe with potential. 

Admissions: A Memoir of Surviving Boarding School by Kendra James — January 18, 2022

Admissions professional and founding editor of Shondaland.com, Kendra James, shares a story about her experiences as a Black student at an elite school. In James’ autobiographical new offering, Admissions: A Memoir of Surviving Boarding School , she grapples with trying to find a place in a predominately white environment while interrogating her own beliefs about respectability and race.  

Manifesto: On Never Giving Up by Bernardine Evaristo — January 18, 2022

If you’re looking for a new reason to smile, look no further than Bernardine Evaristo’s first non-fiction book, Manifesto: On Never Giving Up . Evaristo’s memoir gives us a glimpse into her upbringing in a large family with a Nigerian father and white mother, along with providing practical advice for creatives. Evaristo’s humor truly shines in this beautifully written and spirited book that The Guardian calls “a rallying cry.”

South to America: A Journey Below the Mason-Dixon to Understand the Soul of a Nation by Imani Perry — January 25, 2022

Imani Perry’s South to America : A Journey Below the Mason-Dixon to Understand the Soul of a Nation takes readers on a journey through the American South, a place she argues “is the nation’s heartland for better and worse.” Her intimate understanding of the South as an Alabama native and her passion for honoring Black cultural impacts shines in this deeply moving and honest portrait of “ the soul of America .” 

Goliath by Tochi Onyebuchi — January 25, 2022

Set in the not-so-distant future, Goliath presents us with an abandoned Earth, deserted by those who destroyed it. Tochi Onyebuchi masterfully weaves together the stories of those who left and the people they left behind in this poetic and engaging sci-fi narrative. 

Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson — February 1, 2022

Two siblings with a strained relationship are brought together after their mother’s death in Charmaine Wilkerson’s debut novel,  Black Cake . As they unravel a web of family secrets and mystery, Byron and Benny uncover new truths that change the course of their lives.

The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb — February 1, 2022

The Violin Conspiracy , written by musician and educator Brendan Slocumb, follows Ray McMillian as he pursues a career as a classical musician. Ray is a Black violinist who has fought against naysayers and a racist industry and finally started to approach the pinnacle of his career. He’s primed to compete in a prestigious competition when a legal fight over a family heirloom threatens to destroy it all. 

What the Fireflies Knew by Kai Harris — February 1, 2022  

What the Fireflies Knew   is a story about grief, growth and girlhood told from the perspective of KB, an adolescent trying to put the pieces together after the tragic loss of her father. She and her sister are sent to live with their grandfather, and KB is left to discover herself and reshape her understanding of the world while navigating a new place and even newer feelings.

Don’t Cry for Me by Daniel Black — February 1, 2022

If you knew you only had a little time left, what would you say — and to whom? In Daniel Black’s  Don’t Cry for Me , Jacob, who is gravely ill, internally battles with these questions and decides to write letters to his estranged son, Issac. Jacob desperately longs to share hidden truths with Issac. But is it too late?

Memphis by Tara M. Stringfellow — Expected March 3, 2022 

Tara M. Stringfellow describes her latest book, Memphis , as “the Black fairy tale she always wanted to read.” Memphis tells the story of visual artist Joan through multiple perspectives over the course of 70 years. This book explores themes of heritage, history and healing and is sure to be a great addition to your reading list. 

Like a Sister by Kellye Garrett — March 8, 2022

Kellye Garrett’s Like a Sister presents an all-too-familiar scenario in which a Black woman, reality star Desiree Pierce, goes missing and no one seems to care. Well, except for her half-sister, who’s determined to uncover the truth and get justice. 

The Last Suspicious Holdout: Stories by Ladee Hubbard — March 8, 2022 

The Last Suspicious Holdout: Stories is the much-anticipated new collection of tales from celebrated author Ladee Hubbard. In The Last Suspicious Holdout , Hubbard tells the story of Black families in a suburban neighborhood over two decades. Each story contributes to a larger mosaic that captures the nuance, humor and at times heartbreaking realities of this fictional community. 

The Trayvon Generation by Elizabeth Alexander — April 5, 2022

New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Alexander’s most recent offering is undoubtedly a must-read. “Named one of TIME magazine’s Most Anticipated Titles of 2022” according to Goodreads, The Trayvon Generation began as an essay in The New York Times and expanded into a work of art that centers the reality of young Black Americans navigating the world today. 

Take My Hand by Dolen Perkins-Valdez — April 12, 2022  

Dolen Perkins-Valdez’s Take My Hand is a story inspired by true events that follows Civil Townsend’s long career as a health practitioner. Civil longs to make a difference as a nurse but is forever changed when she discovers the realities of reproductive health for young Black people in Alabama. 

Finding Me: A Memoir by Viola Davis — April 26, 2022 

Known for flawless portrayals of fictional characters, powerhouse actress Viola Davis is switching gears with Finding Me: A Memoir . Davis describes her book as a story about “a little girl named Viola who ran from her past until she made a life-changing decision to stop running forever.”

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New Books Released 2022: Best new fiction this month

With countless new books released each month, it can be hard for a book lover to keep up with all that is shiny and new in fiction . But, I love scouring the upcoming book releases lists, searching for those special gems, whether exciting new novels from bestselling authors or the next breakout debuts – whatever is likely to make our book-loving hearts sing.

Related Reading: New Books Released 2023: Best books this month

Our leisure reading time is precious… Why just pick good books to read, when you can find the best books to read in 2022!

🔍To help narrow down your book selection, I will share my top picks of the new fiction releases in 2022 across several genre. Links in this article will take you to more detail about each new book, and when I have been lucky enough to read it, open up my full review in a new tab.

So without further ado, read on to see which 2022 book releases have caught my attention so far… and which have already earned a spot on my Best Books 0f 2022 list!

Disclosure: If you click a link in this post and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission.

New Books Released and Upcoming in 2022

November & December Book Releases

After the avalanche of highly anticipated new releases from big-name authors in September & October (see further below), there are less books to get excited about in November & December 2022. However, there will always be some titles that catch my attention.

New Release Literature

Now Is Not the Time To Panic by Kevin Wilson ( Nothing To See Here ) is a bold coming-of-age story spanning 20 years. An exploration of young love, identity, the power of art; the secrets that haunt us—and, ultimately, what the truth will set free.  Find out more >>

We Are the Light by Matthew Quick ( Silver Linings Playbook ) is described as an illuminating epistolary novel about a grieving widower Lucas Goodgame who takes in an ostracized teenager and inspires a magical revival in their small town.  Find out more >>

New Release Mystery Novels

Day’s End by Garry Disher – I really enjoyed Consolation (the third novel starring Paul Hirschhausen) so I was eager to ride shotgun again, as this rugged small-town cop with a good heart, gets to the bottom of more mysteries. In short – arson, a missing backpacker, and another body in a burnt suitcase… Read my review >>

Death on a Winter Stroll by Francine Mathews – The closest thing to a Christmas novel on this new books list. No-nonsense Nantucket detective Merry Folger grapples with the aftermath of the pandemic and two murders as the island is overtaken by Hollywood stars and DC suits for the holidays.  Find out more >>

But, if ever there was a season to add a fun, heart-filled fantasy novel to your reading pile, it is the festive one.

Keeper of Enchanted Rooms by Charlie N Holmberg – Mid-1800s Rhode Island (land of sentient dwellings): When down-on-his luck inheritor Merritt Fernsby finds himself trapped in Whimbrel House, Hulda Larkin a trained “housekeeper” knows just what to do. But neither expects the surprises, danger, and attraction they find as they uncover the house’s secrets together.  Find out more >>

The Bookstore Sisters by Alice Hoffman – A novella about an almost bankrupt family bookstore, two sisters not on speaking terms, and the arrival of a mysterious letter. Read my review >>

Best New Book Releases 2022: September & October

It has been far too long since I read a Kate Atkinson title , and her latest standalone historical novel  Shrines of Gaiety  sounds too good to miss. Set in the roaring ‘20s in the clubs of Soho, London where royalty rub shoulders with starlets, foreign dignitaries with gangsters, this novel’s star is this glittering underworld’s notorious queen Nellie Coker. This ruthless and ambitious mother of six soon learns that success breeds enemies, and her empire faces threats from without and within. 

Books by bestselling author Barbara Kingsolver ( The Poisonwood Bible ) are never short on ambition, with her latest release  Demon Copperhead  no exception. Inspired by Charles Dicken’s  David Copperfield  but translated to a modern southern Appalachian Mountains of Virginia setting, it tells of a boy’s journey to maturity after being born to a teenaged single mother in a single-wide trailer with no assets beyond his dead father’s copper coloured hair, a caustic wit, and a fierce talent for survival.

Crime-Detective New Book Releases

The Cormoran Strike series by Robert Galbraith (yes, we know it’s Rowling) has a well-earned and evergrowing fanbase due to its fabulous TV-adaptation , and the much anticipated super chunky sixth title The Ink Black Heart is finally on bookstore shelves. The co-creator of a popular cartoon, The Ink Black Heart, Edie is murdered just days after begging for Robin and Cormoran’s help to uncover the true identity of Anomie – a mysterious online figure who had been persecuting him. 

I have enjoyed every book I have read by Chris Hammer , but particularly so his last novel Treasure & Dirt which introduced the detective pairing Nell Buchanan and Ivan Lucic. Thankfully they are back in a new novel Tilt . Nell is assigned an unsolved murder that occurred decades ago in her hometown. But this is no ordinary cold case, as the discovery of more bodies triggers a chain of escalating events in the present day, and Nell begins to question how well she truly knows those closest to her. 

New Books – Thrillers & Suspense

I was blown away by Helen Fields’ novel One for Sorrow , and her new release The Last Girl to Die , set on the ocean-battered Isle of Mull off the coast of Scotland sounds equally riveting. When 17-year-old Adriana Clark goes missing her desperate parents turn to private investigator Sadie Levesque. She finds her seaweed-crowned body in a cliffside cave, but the deeper she digs into the island’s secrets the closer danger gets.

I enjoyed Kris Waldherr’s poetic gothic novel debut The Lost History of Dreams , and so her new book about the line we cross for loyalty and love, Unnatural Creatures is likely worthy of book lover attention. Apparently, the untold story of the three women closest to Victor Frankenstein – his mother, his bride and his servant – is revealed in this dark and sweeping, atmospheric reimagining of Mary Shelley’s beloved gothic classic.

Fantasy Book Releases

Described as vintage Stephen King, the bestselling author’s latest offering Fairy Tale  stars Charlie Reade, a lonely seventeen-year-old boy who befriends an old recluse Howard Bowditch and his dog Radar. But, when Howard dies Charlie inherits the keys to a parallel world where good and evil are at war, and the stakes could not be higher – for their world or ours. A young hero with a canine sidekick? Count me in.

Bestselling YA author Veronica Roth ( Divergent ) is releasing a thought-provoking adult dystopian mystery titled Poster Girl that explores the expanding role of surveillance on society. It tells the story of a woman’s desperate search for a missing girl after the collapse of an oppressive dystopian regime–and the dark secrets about her family and community she uncovers along the way.

Literary Fiction New Releases

I am not often in agreement with book award judges but the ironic and quirky narrative in Andrew Sean Greer’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Less certainly won me over. So, I am eager to accompany his hapless protagonist Arthur Less on his next adventure in Less is Lost – a literary road trip with a human-like black pug, Dolly, and a rusty camper van nicknamed Rosina.

I found the spiky, quirky narrative in Lucy Ives’ Impossible Views of the World fascinating, and her new book release Life is Everywhere sounds equally intriguing. It’s about one person, a young writer, on one evening, reckoning with heartbreak–a story that, to be fully told, unexpectedly requires many others, from the history of botulism to an enigmatic surrealist prank.

More new book releases from bestselling authors:

Best New Book Releases 2022: July & August

I found The Bone Code #20 a quality addition to Kathy Reichs’ iconic Temperance Brennan series, so am looking forward to her 2022 new book release Cold Cold Bones #21 . When quality time with her daughter is interrupted by the discovery of a human eyeball etched with GPS coordinates on their back porch, this leads Tempe on a dangerous pursuit of someone scarily familiar with her past cases and hellbent on revenge. This instalment also stars fan fave beau Andrew Ryan.

Screenwriter Greg Woodland’s debut crime novel The Night Whistler set in 1970s rural small town Australia was one of my Best Books of 2020 and shortlisted for a Ned Kelly Award . In his new book release, a sequel The Carnival is Over , teenager Hal and Sergeant Mick Goodenough are older but have past events made them wiser? When gruesome accidents keep occurring in Moorabool and someone close to Hal goes missing they begin to suspect something more sinister is going on.

Also, Denise Mina fans will be pleased to know the sequel to Conviction , her thrilling modern spin on mystery metafiction starring Anna and Fin, will be titled Confidence and released early July 2022.

New release romance

Dead Romantics has been named one of the northern Summer’s Hottest Reads ( Entertainment Weekly ). A disillusioned millennial romance ghostwriter who, quite literally, has some ghosts of her own, has to find her way back home in this adult debut from national bestselling YA author Ashley Poston . Florence believes real romance is dead . . . but so is her new editor, and his unfinished business will have her second-guessing everything she’s ever known about love stories!

Love this title! Of Alicia Thompson’s debut, Ali Hazelwood has said, “ Love in the Time of Serial Killers is to die for… Let Phoebe and Sam’s hilarious interactions and blazing chemistry suck you in.” PhD candidate Phoebe has always been obsessed with true crime. She thinks her new neighbour, Sam, could be a serial killer. But it’s not long before she realizes that Sam might be something much scarier–a genuinely nice guy who can pierce her armour to reach her vulnerable heart.

New thriller novels

The setting of Allie Reynolds’ new release standalone psychological thriller The Swell (aka The Bay) is a far cry from her snowbound breakout debut Shiver , but the plot sounds no less chilling. Described as Point Break meets Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None , this novel explores the dangerous ties between a group of elite surfers who are determined to find the perfect waves at any cost… even murder. The waves are to die for. 

My top pick of the August new book releases in this genre is a locked-room mystery, Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney ( Rock Paper Scissors ). Daisy Darker is arriving at her grandmother’s crumbling Cornish house perched on its own tiny private island to celebrate her eightieth birthday and Halloween. It’s over a decade since her family have all been in the same place. When the tide comes in they’ll be cut off from the world, with a killer.

New Book Releases – Literary historical fiction

Mercury Pictures Presents from award-winning author Anthony Marra ( A Constellation of Vital Phenomena ) is one of the most anticipated fiction book releases of 2022 — an epic tale of a brilliant woman who must reinvent herself to survive, from Mussolini’s Italy to 1940s LA—a timeless story of love, deceit, and sacrifice.

Maria Lagana arrived in Hollywood hoping to outrun her past. Born in Rome, where every Sunday her father took her to the cinema instead of church, Maria immigrates with her mother after a childhood transgression leads to her father’s arrest. Fifteen years later, Maria is an associate producer at Mercury Pictures, trying to keep her personal and professional lives from falling apart. As the world descends into WWII, she rises through a maze of politics, divided loyalties, and jockeying ambitions. But the arrival of a stranger from her father’s past threatens her carefully constructed facade, and she must finally confront her father’s fate, and her own.

Kate Forsyth ( Bitter Greens , The Wild Girl ) is known for her impeccably researched fiction romantically weaving history, fable and myth. Her new book release The Crimson Thread is another epic and enchanting tale. Set in WWII Crete, Alenka, a young woman who fights with the resistance against the brutal Nazi occupation finds herself caught between her traitor of a brother and the man she loves, an undercover agent working for the Allies.

Jessie Burton’s debut The Miniaturist earned the now bestselling author a legion of fans and a TV series . Its sequel The House of Fortune is now being released. Set in 1705 Amsterdam, Thea Brandt is turning 18, her father Otto and Aunt Nella argue endlessly, they are selling furniture to buy food. Nella is desperate to find Thea a husband to guarantee their future, but when she feels a strange prickling sensation on the back of her neck, she wonders if the miniaturist has returned for her.

More Literary & Fantasy new book releases

Fantasy horror novel The Book Eaters is Sunyi Dean’s debut. Hidden across England and Scotland live six old Book Eater families. The last of their lines, they exist on the fringes of society and subsist on a diet of stories and legends. When Devon Fairweather’s second child is born a dreaded Mind Eater, she flees before he can be turned into a weapon for the family… or worse. Living among humans and finding prey for her son, Devon seeks a cure for his hunger. But time is running out…

In R. F. Kuang’s chunky new release Babel , in 1828, Robin Swift is brought from Canton to London by the mysterious Professor Lovell, training for years in Latin, Ancient Greek, and Chinese, for the day he’ll enroll in Oxford University’s prestigious Royal Institute of Translation (and magic) – Babel. Manifesting the meaning lost in translation using enchanted silver bars has made the British unparalleled in power, as its knowledge serves the Empire’s quest for colonization.

More literary fiction new releases that have caught my eye:

• Bobby Palmer’s peculiarly titled whimsical debut novel, Isaac & the Egg has been described as ‘Truly one of the most beautiful stories you’ll ever read’ by  Joanna Cannon – an endorsement hard to ignore.
• Fellow fans of Jess Walter’s writing ( Beautiful Ruins , The Financial Lives of the Poets ) will be pleased to hear he’s just released his second story collection, The Angel of Rome & Other Stories .
• The Queen of Dirt Island is a new release from award-winning Irish author Donal Ryan ( The Spinning Heart ).

New Book Releases in May & June 2022

It seems fitting that I start this best new book releases list with the highly anticipated and aptly titled Book Lovers by Emily Henry . The queen of the vacation rom-coms, she’s back with: One summer in small town North Carolina. Two rivals – cuthroat literary agent Nora Stephens and Charlie Lastra, a bookish brooding editor that Nora has seen quite enough of back in the city thank you very much. A plot twist neither saw coming… 

In her new book This Time Tomorrow Emma Straub asks, what if you could take a vacation to your past? On the eve of her 40th birthday, Alice’s life isn’t terrible. She likes her job, she’s happy with her apartment, her romantic status, her independence, and she adores her lifelong best friend. But her father is ailing, and it feels like something is missing. Then she wakes up the next morning back in 1996, reliving her 16th birthday. 

With her 2021 debut novel The Love Hypothesis Ali Hazelwood staked her claim on the STEM rom-com. Fans will be pleased to see she is releasing a STEMinist novella series , one a month (May, June and July 2022), in the lead up to the release of her next full length novel, Love on the Brain in August 2022. Find out more >>

Sloane Crosley ( I Was Told There’d Be Cake ) is best known for her darkly witty essay writing. Those talents have now been invested into her new fiction release Cult Classic – a story of ghosts of boyfriends past, romantic carnage, a hipster cult experimenting with mind control and social media’s influence on our modern lives. Find out more >>

New release Fantasy & Gothic suspense

Bestselling YA author Holly Black ( The Cruel Prince ) makes her adult debut with  Book of Night , a modern dark fantasy of betrayals, cabals, and a dissolute thief of shadows, in the vein of Neil Gaiman and Erin Morgenstern . Charlie Hall has never found a lock she couldn’t pick, a book she couldn’t steal, or bad decision she wouldn’t make. Now she’s trying to distance herself from past mistakes, but her magic obsessed sister, shadowless boyfriend, and return of a terrible figure from her past mean getting out isn’t easy…

Isabel Canas’ debut supernatural suspense novel The Hacienda is being described as Mexican Gothic  meets  Rebecca set in the aftermath of the Mexican War of Independence. Beatriz’s father was executed and her home destroyed. When handsome Don Rodolfo Solórzano proposes, Beatriz ignores the rumors surrounding his first wife’s sudden demise, choosing instead to seize the security that his estate in the countryside provides. But when Rodolfo returns to the capital, she begins experiencing a malevolent presence…

Action-Thriller new fiction

I’ve long been a fan of Adrian McKinty’s Sean Duffy crime series , and while less impressed with his first foray into the action-thriller genre, The Chain , the synopsis for his May 2022 new release The Island definitely has my attention. Small-town girl Heather Baxter marries Tom, a widowed doctor with a young son and teenage daughter. It was just supposed to be a family vacation. Then a terrible accident changed everything. You don’t know what you’re capable of until they come for your family… A good book to read if you enjoy relentless suspense, and have a strong stomach!

Isabella Maldonado wore a gun and badge in real life before turning to crime writing, so it is no surprise her 2020 release The Cipher starring FBI Special Agent Nina Guerrera was a bestseller and now Jennifer Lopez is reportedly producing/starring in a feature film version. Book 2 in the series A Different Dawn was released in 2021 and in June 2022 comes Book 3 The Falcon . A serial killer wants to play, but Nina has no time for games. Six female undergrads at an elite university vanish. The media descends. The families demand action.

Crime Mystery new book releases

Another of my favourite authors is Tara Moss. Why? Because she uses her platform to speak out on important issues in real life, and in her fiction she writes kick-arse leading ladies. I adored The War Widow (aka Dead Man Switch ) starring new character private investigator Billie Walker. A former war reporter, she’s world-wise and resourceful; staunchly independent, stylish, sharp of mind and brave of heart. So am very excited to see Billie’s story continue in her latest release The Ghosts of Paris .

When a wealthy client hires Billie and her assistant Sam to track down her missing husband, the trail leads Billie back to post-war London and Paris, where her own painful memories of her wartime lover and briefly, husband Jack Rake, also lurk.

While best known for her Rowland Sinclair series , Sulari Gentill’s highly-anticipated June 2022 release The Woman in the Library is a standalone crime novel. Set in the ornate reading room at the Boston Public Library , this unexpectedly twisty literary adventure examines the complicated nature of friendship and shows us that words can be the most treacherous weapons of all.

May new release Metropolis by B.A. Shapiro ( The Art Forger ) is a novel of psychological suspense involving six mysterious characters who rent units in, or are connected to, the Metropolis self-storage facility and whose lives intersect after a harrowing accident occurs there. But was it really an accident? Was it suicide? A murder? It’s a catalyst to reevaluate their lives. 

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Geraldine Brooks ( March , Year of Wonders , People of the Book ) spends years researching and crafting her novels, so each new book release is long anticipated. This one, simply titled Horse , sounds like another thoroughly immersive and captivating read, in a similar vein to Dominic Smith’s The Last Painting of Sara de Vos .

Spanning three timelines – pre-Civil War Kentucky, 1950s New York and 2019 Washington, DC – it is the story of Lexington , the fastest horse in nineteenth-century America, his black groom, and the white abolitionist who painted him, of the woman in the WWII’s New York Art scene who went on to own the horse’s famous painting, and of Jess, a Smithsonian scientist from Australia, and Theo, a Nigerian-American art historian now unexpectedly connected through their shared interest in the horse.

In Steve Toltz’ new novel Here Goes Nothing , Angus has been murdered. He feels humiliated – he’s never even believed in an afterlife – and he misses his audacious and fiery wife, Gracie, who’s expecting their first child. The only upside is that he’s found a way to see what his murderer is up to, and how Gracie is faring. The downside: Gracie and his murderer are getting uncomfortably close. Find out more >>

The critics are raving over this one. At once an immersive story and a brilliant literary puzzle, TRUST engages the reader in a quest for the truth while confronting the deceptions that often live at the heart of personal relationships, the reality-warping force of capital, and the ease with which power can manipulate facts. Find out more >>

New in Fiction – March & April 2022

In Helen Fields’ latest release One for Sorrow a lone bomber is targeting victims across Edinburgh, and no one is safe. In their jobs, DCI Ava Turner and DI Luc Callanach deal with death every day. But when it becomes clear that every bomb is a trap designed to kill them too, the possibility of facing it themselves starts to feel all too real. With the body-count rising daily and the bomber’s methods becoming ever more horrifying, Ava and Luc must race to find out who is behind the attacks – or pay the ultimate price. One of my best books of 2022.

As a long-time fan of Emma Viskic’s Caleb Zelic PI series , I cannot wait to dive into Those Who Perish (Book 4). This deaf PI’s perspective is always fascinating to read, and unlike in the past, he now has much to lose! But when he receives a message that his brother, Anton, is in danger, Caleb sees it as a chance at redemption. He tracks Anton down to a small, wind-punished island, where secrets run deep and resentments deeper. When a sniper starts terrorising the isolated community, the brothers must rely on each other like never before.

Benjamin Stevenson’s March book release Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone has received lots of buzz, with film/TV rights already sold to HBO and publication/translation rights sold across the world. Agatha Christie and Arthur Conan Doyle meet  Knives Out  and  The Thursday Murder Club  in this fiendishly clever blend of classic and modern murder mystery. It’s already being hailed as one of the best books of 2022.

I was dreading the Cunningham family reunion even before the first murder. Before the storm stranded us at the mountain resort, snow and bodies piling up. The thing is, us Cunninghams don’t really get along. We’ve only got one thing in common- we’ve all killed someone.

Another notable new release: Lucy Foley’s The Paris Apartment (my review)

Drama & Romance Book Releases

Sarah Lotz’ new book Impossible (aka The Impossible Us ) is being praised for its ‘zingy dialogue’ and compared to one of my favourite romantic comedy novels One Day . Meet Nick: Failed writer. Failed husband. Dog owner. Meet Bee: Serial dater. Dressmaker. Pringles enthusiast. One day, their paths cross over a misdirected email. The connection is instant, electric. Nick buys a suit, gets on a train. Bee steps away from her desk, sets off to meet him under the clock at Euston station. But there’s a twist…

Beth O’Leary is the author of some of my favourite rom-coms of all time – The Flatshare , The Switch -and her fourth novel The No-Show is being described as brilliantly funny, heart-breaking and joyful, her most ambitious novel yet. It is a story about three women and three dates on Valentines Day. And one man Joseph Carter who made plans with all- Siobhan for breakfast, Miranda for lunch and Jane for the evening – but fails to show for all of them. Where is he? Can they find him?

I just love Toni Jordan’s fun and intelligent take on relationship fiction – Our Tiny, Useless Hearts , Fall Girl , Addition – so am excited about her latest offering, Dinner with the Schnabels .

You can marry into them, but can you ever really be one of them? Things haven’t gone well for Simon Larsen lately. He adores his family, but he’s having a hard time doing anything right in the eyes of his larger-than-life in-laws, the Schnabels. To keep everyone happy, Simon needs to do one little job: he has a week to landscape a friend’s backyard for an important Schnabel family event. But as the week progresses he is derailed by the arrival of an unexpected guest. Then he discovers his wife is keeping a secret. As his world spins out of control, who can Simon really count on?

More new dramatic fiction: The Caretakers by Amanda Bestor-Siegal

New Historical Fiction Releases

Kate Quinn’s The Diamond Eye is a timely fiction release based on a true story of a quiet bookworm who became a heroine as history’s deadliest female sniper. In the snowbound city of Kyiv , history student Mila Pavlichenko organizes her life around her library job and her young son–but Hitler’s invasion of Ukraine and Russia sends her on a different path. Given a rifle and sent to join the fight, Mila must forge herself from studious girl to deadly sniper–a lethal hunter of Nazis known as Lady Death.

Bonnie Garmus’ debut novel Lessons in Chemistry has been recommended for fans of  Where’d You Go, Bernadette  and  The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel . Set in 1960s California it features the singular voice of unconventional, uncompromising Elizabeth Zott, a chemist whose career takes a detour when she becomes the star of a beloved TV cooking show. As her following grows, not everyone is happy. Because as it turns out, Elizabeth isn’t just teaching women to cook. She’s daring them to change the status quo.

Dominique Wilson’s Orphan Rock is a richly detailed story of secrets and heartbreak that takes readers from historical Sydney’s slums to the wide avenues of the City of Lights .  The late 1800s was a time when women were meant to know their place. But when Bessie starts to work for Louisa Lawson at The Dawn, she comes to realise there’s more to a woman’s place than servitude to a husband. Years later her daughter Kathleen flees to Paris to escape a secret she cannot accept. But World War I intervenes, exposing her to both the best and the worst of humanity. A powerful story about how women and minorities fought against being silenced. 

New Book Releases – Fantasy & Science Fiction

John Scalzi’s adventure thriller The Kaiju Preservation Society sounds like lots of fun. In an alternate dimension, massive dinosaur-like creatures named Kaiju roam a human-free world. They’re the universe’s largest and most dangerous panda and they’re in trouble. But it’s not just the Kaiju Preservation Society who have found their way to this alternate world. Others have, too. And their carelessness could cause millions back on our Earth to die.

In The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd Nell Young’s father, one of the most respected cartographers in the world, is found dead – or murdered? – in his office at the New York Public Library . They hadn’t spoken in years, ever since they argued and he fired her over a seemingly worthless highway roadside map, every copy of which is now being destroyed. Nell embarks on a dangerous journey to discover why, the secrets behind her family, and the true power that lies in maps…

A new book from award-winning author Emily St John Mandel ( Station Eleven , The Glass Hotel ) is always highly anticipated, with Sea of Tranquility no exception. This slim epic (272 pages) about art, time travel, love, and plague, takes the reader from Vancouver Island in 1912 to a dark colony on the moon three hundred years later, unfurling a story of humanity across centuries and space. Three people from three different time periods, in a tale that precisely captures the reality of our current moment.

Kingfisher’s April book release Nettle & Bone is a subversive fantasy adventure. This isn’t the kind of fairytale where the princess marries a prince. It’s the one where she kills him. Marra never wanted to be a hero but she’s done watching her sister suffer at the hands of a powerful, abusive prince.  Hero or not―now joined by a disgraced ex-knight, a reluctant fairy godmother, an enigmatic gravewitch and her fowl familiar―Marra must muster the courage to save her sister, and topple a throne.

New in Literature

A Tidy Ending by Joanna Cannon ( The Trouble With Goats & Sheep , Breaking & Mending ) is a delightfully sinister novel about Linda, a married woman living a nice, quiet suburban life – if she doesn’t think about what her husband might be up to? It’s certainly a far cry from the glamorous lifestyle she sees in the glossy magazines coming through the mail slot addressed to the previous occupant, Rebecca. A darkly funny and compulsive read, full of twists – and twists on twists – that keeps readers guessing until the last page.

In Annie Hartnett’s April release Unlikely Animals , med-school dropout Emma arrives home knowing she must face her dad’s terminal brain disease causing him to hallucinate, her mom’s judgement, and her younger brother’s recent stint in rehab, but she’s unprepared to find that her former best friend is missing, with no one bothering to look for her.  A tragicomic novel about familial expectations, imperfect friendships, and the possibility of resurrecting that which had been thought irrevocably lost.

What’s New in Books – January & February 2022

Nita Prose’ debut novel The Maid is one of the most buzzworthy early 2022 new releases, with book rights sold in 29 territories and the film rights snapped up by Universal, with Florence Pugh set to play the title character. One of the best books to read to kick start your reading year.

I am your maid. I know about your secrets. Your dirty laundry. But what do you know about me?

Molly is all alone in the world, used to being invisible in her job as a maid at the Regency Grand Hotel, plumping pillows and wiping away the grime, dust and secrets of the guests passing through. But she’s thrown into the spotlight when she discovers an infamous guest dead in his bed. This isn’t a mess that can be easily cleaned up. As Molly becomes embroiled in the hunt for the truth, she discovers a power she never knew was there. What can she see that others overlook? A story about everyone deserving to be seen.

Victoria Brookman’s debut novel Burnt Out is described as a warm and witty story for our times. Calida Lyons is having a very bad week. She’s long past deadline for her still unwritten second novel and her husband has just left her. Then she loses everything in a bushfire, becomes the celebrity face of climate change and is offered a harbourside refuge by Arlo Richard, handsome tech billionaire. But things aren’t as they seem… Is fame and living with a billionaire all it’s cracked up to be?

I often find myself drawn to quirky characters. The Competition by Katherine Collette ( The Helpline ) is set at the SpeechMakers annual national conference. For the first time ever, there is a $40,000 prize on offer for whomever wins the public-speaking competition. Frances, Keith, Neil and Rebecca all want to win, but for very different reasons… A heartfelt comedy of manners featuring a cast of loveable underachievers headed for self-improvement despite themselves.

More new book releases with strong female protagonists: The Department of Rare Books & Special Collections by Eva Jurczyk and  Finlay Donovan Knocks ‘Em Dead by Elle Cosimano.

Mystery thrillers

Brendan Slocumb’s debut thriller The Violin Conspiracy strikes me as a page-turner with uncommon depth.

Growing up Black in rural North Carolina, Ray McMillian’s life is already mapped out. If he’s lucky, he’ll get a job at the hospital cafeteria. But Ray’s determined to become a world-class professional violinist, and nothing will stand in his way. Not his mother, who wants him to stop making such a racket; not the fact that he can’t afford a violin suitable to his talents; not even the racism inherent in the world of classical music. When he discovers that his great-great-grandfather’s beat-up old fiddle is actually a priceless Stradivarius, all his dreams suddenly seem within reach. Together, Ray and his violin take the world by storm. But on the eve of the renowned and cutthroat Tchaikovsky Competition–the Olympics of classical music–the violin is stolen, a ransom note for five million dollars left in its place. Ray will have to piece together the clues to recover his treasured Strad . . . before it’s too late.

Of the many new books out in January and February 2022 in the commercial thriller genre, these next two synopses particularly caught my eye:

Y ou Can Run is the first title in a brand new romantic suspense series from bestselling novelist Rebecca Zanetti.

What happens when your demons can’t be outrun? FBI Special Agent Laurel Snow, a rising star profiler, strives to stay one step ahead of the criminal mind. Then there’s her attraction to Huck Rivers, the fish and wildlife officer (and former soldier and trained sniper) that is guiding her to the crime scene—and into the wilderness…

The Overnight Guest is the upcoming release from bestselling author Heather Gudenkauf. True-crime writer Wylie Lark is snowed in at the isolated farmhouse where she’s writing her new book. Decades earlier, two people were murdered there in cold blood and a girl disappeared without a trace. As the storm worsens, Wylie is haunted by secrets of the house and her own. Then she discovers a small child in the snow outside. Bringing them inside, it becomes clear the farmhouse isn’t as isolated as she thought, and someone is willing to do anything to find them.

New historical fiction novels

The early 2022 book releases include new novels from some big-names in historical fiction. But, firstly, how gorgeous are the book covers? Luckily, the stories behind them sound just as compelling.

Violeta by Isabel Allende ( Of Love and Shadows ) tells the epic story of Violeta Del Valle, a woman whose life spans one hundred years. In a letter to someone she loves above all others, she recounts devastating heartbreak and passionate affairs, times of both poverty and wealth, terrible loss and immense joy, and a life shaped by some of the most important events of history: the fight for women’s rights, the rise and fall of tyrants and, ultimately, not one but two pandemics.

Similar read: The Return by Victoria Hislop

The Magnolia Palace by Fiona Davis ( The Lions of Fifth Avenue ) is a novel about secrets, betrayal, and murder. In 1920s New York City, a grieving artist’s model accepts a job as private secretary to the daughter and heiress of industrialist and art patron Henry Clay Frick. She finds herself in a tangled web of romantic trysts, stolen jewels, and family drama that runs so deep, the stakes just may be life or death. At a Vogue photoshoot nearly 50-years later, model Veronica Weber and charming intern Joshua stumble on a series of hidden messages in the museum that was once the Frick mansion.

Sci-Fi & Fantasy

Sequoia Nagamatsu’s debut How High We Go in the Dark is receiving early high praise… apparently, a good book to read if you enjoyed David Mitchell’s Cloud Atlas and Emily St John Mandel’s Station Eleven . From funerary skyscrapers to hotels for the dead to interstellar starships, Nagamatsu takes readers on a wildly original and compassionate journey, spanning continents, centuries, and even celestial bodies to tell a story about the resiliency of the human spirit, our infinite capacity to dream, and the connective threads that tie us all together in the universe.

Best known for his The Dublin Trilogy comic crime thrillers, C K McDonnell is now penning a comic fantasy series set in the offices of The Stranger Times , the weekly go-to publication for the unexplained and inexplicable. In Book 2 This Charming Man , vampires start popping up around Manchester. Throw in someone trying to kidnap staff, a plumbing situation, gambling debts, an entirely new way of swearing, and a DI with a lot of baggage and it’s a hectic week at the newspaper committed to reporting the truth that nobody else will touch. But I urge you to start by reading Book 1 – it is so much fun!

Romantic fiction releases

Lots of new release romantic fiction on offer as we head towards Valentine’s Day. Here are my top picks, both out in February 2022.

Kimberley Allsopp’s debut novel Love and Other Puzzles is being marketed as an “astringently refreshing rom-com that reads like you’re inhaling a zingy citrus cocktail made by Nora Ephron , at a party thrown by Dolly Alderton and Beth O’Leary “. Rory’s life is perfectly predictable and ordered – but deep down she knows her career and her relationship are going nowhere. So, she decides to let the clues of The New York Times crossword puzzle dictate all her decisions for a week. Just for a week, she reasons. Just to shake things up a bit. What’s the worst that could happen? 

One Night on the Island by Josie Silver ( One Day in December ) – Cleo writes about love stories every day. She just isn’t living one of her own. When the editor of her dating column asks her to marry herself on a remote Irish island – a sensational piece to mark Cleo’s thirtieth birthday – Cleo agrees. She can handle a solo adventure. Cleo arrives at her luxury cabin to find a tall, dark, stubborn American who insists it’s actually his. Mack refuses to leave, and Cleo won’t budge either. With a storm fast approaching, they reluctantly hunker down together. It’s just one night, after all…

January Rom-Com Releases: Safety in Numbers by Sophie Penhaligon (links to my review) and Weather Girl by Rachel Lynn Solomon

Related reading: My Top Intelligent Romantic Comedy Novels

Recent New Fiction Books

If you cannot wait for these new books to be published, then check out the November and December 2021 new release fiction you may have missed and/or my Best Books of 2021 .

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The 50 Best New Books of 2022 That You Won't Be Able to Put Down

Wondering what you should be reading this year? Our list includes romance novels, non-fiction best-sellers, thrillers and so much more.

And this year's crop of new releases will do all of that, and more. Some of your favorite authors have new books out that rival their previous releases (peep that new Jennifer Egan!) and a whole host of debut authors also came out with stellar reads that will leave you hungry for their next one before you reach the last page. These are the best and most-anticipated books we've found so far, with something for fans of every genre and style. Of course, we have to acknowledge that "best" might mean something different to everyone. There are as many reading appetites as there are readers, so if your favorite book of 2022 doesn't make our list, don't despair. Let us know in the comments, and you might just inspire someone else to pick it up, too.

Fiona and Jane by Jean Chen Ho

Fiona and Jane are best friends, navigating their tumultuous teenage years together, as well as their family histories and all that comes with them. But when Fiona moves across the country, their bond weakens and threatens to break. This novel about the power of female friendship will give you a gorgeous peek into both women's perspectives on a shared story that has as many facets as they do.

The School for Good Mothers by Jessamin Chan

Frida's daughter Harriet is everything to her. But when she makes a terrible one-time mistake, the state decides that she has to prove her ability to be a good mother in order to remain one at all. This scarily prescient novel that's reminiscent of Orwell and Vonnegut explores the depths of parents' love, how strictly we judge mothers and each other and the terrifying potential of government overreach.

30 Things I Love About Myself by Radhika Sanghani

Newly single freelance writer Nina isn’t exactly flourishing, especially after she has to move back in with her depressed brother and her overbearing mother. But when she finds herself reading a self-help book in jail on her 30th birthday (long story), she embarks on a journey toward self-love, learning lessons most of us could stand to hear, too.

Shit Cassandra Saw: Stories by Gwen E. Kirby

Just because Cassandra can see the future doesn't mean she's sharing what she finds there. In this wildly inventive collection of stories, Kirby explores the power of feminity in its many forms – including as brazen witches, virgins who can't be sacrificed and even cockroaches who catcallers fear. It's laugh-out-loud funny, sometimes brightly painful, thought-provoking and completely original.

How High We Go in the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu

When an archaeologist witnesses the unleashing of a long-buried plague, it changes the course of history. This hauntingly beautiful story focuses on how the human spirit perseveres through it all. With everything from a cosmic search for home to a theme park for terminally ill kids and a talking pig, it’s a lyrical adventure that feels fantastical yet familiar.

Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka

Serial killer Ansel Packer is going to die for his crimes in 12 hours. But as the clock ticks down, we get to know the women who passed through his life, including his desperate mother and the homicide detective who became obsessed with his case. It’s a chilling, surprisingly tender tale of how each tragedy ripples through many lives.

RELATED: 25 Best True Crime Books of All Time to Unleash Your Inner Sherlock

Good Rich People by Eliza Jane Brazier

The rich live differently than the rest of us, and that's never more evident than this chilling account of one family that plays a sick and twisted game with their tenants. When one (an interloper herself) decides that she's not just a pawn, nobody wins – or do they?

Devil House by John Darnielle

Fans of true crime, police procedurals and books that stick with you for weeks after you reach the last page, don't sleep on the latest from the multitalented Mountain Goats singer. It follows a true crime writer who's trying to figure out what really happened at a dilapidated former porn store where locals (and lore) say the Satanic panic resulted in death, but the truth goes so much deeper than that.

Don't Say We Didn't Warn You by Ariel Delgado Dixon

Two sisters' paths repeatedly diverge and intersect through this story about trauma and reckoning with it. Through life in an abandoned warehouse just outside NYC, stints at a wilderness rehabilitation center and a scrabble to find their footing as young adults, this is a sharp and unsettling story of two girls' ongoing search for their own place in the world and how their history shapes who they become.

Very Cold People by Sarah Manguso

Midwesterners, New Englanders and anyone from small town America will recognize the contours in this quietly beautiful novel about what it feels like to grow up an outsider. It's a starkly lyrical exploration of the darkness that lies underneath a lily white community with an emotional resonance that sneaks up on you and won't let go.

Where I Can't Follow by Ashley Blooms

In a little mountain town hit hard by poverty and the opioid epidemic, there's a chance at escape. Magical doors appear to some people as a way out, but once they step through, there's no turning back. This fantastically real, absorbing novel explores what it would feel like to have an escape hatch from the hardships of life, and the agonizing decision whether to leave everyone you love behind.

The Last Suspicious Holdout by Ladee Hubbard

From the author of The Rib King comes a collection of stories about the Black residents of a southern suburb in the years between the beginning of the Clinton administration and Obama's election. It's about racism, the war on drugs, class and struggle, but at its heart, it's a portrait of a community. While it doesn't flinch away from the hard truth, it's also filled with love and a steely kind of hope.

When We Were Birds by Ayanna Lloyd Banwo

This eerily magical, richly atmospheric novel follows Darwin, a devout Rastafarian whose poverty forces him to cast off his religion to become a gravedigger, and Yejide, one of a line of women who have the power to usher the dead into the afterlife. Darwin gets mixed up in some funny business and Yejide is looking for a way out of the life she's been handed. When they're drawn together, they discover whether their love can rival the forces working against them.

Disorientation by Elaine Hsieh Chou

Ingrid has hit a wall in her PhD research on poet Xiao-Wen Chou when she comes across something that suggests he may not have been who he seems. Before she knows it, Ingrid has blown open a scandal that threatens her relationship with her fiancé and her best friend, her academic department and even her own self-knowledge. This is a fresh, hilarious and thoughtful satire that'll make you think about cultural identity in a whole new way.

Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel

If you loved Station Eleven , you'll adore this dystopian novel that's about time travel as much as it is about love and family, and what happens when we lose sight of what's truly important. It takes the reader from a plague-ravaged earth to moon colonies, from 1912 to the near future in a triumph of science fiction for those who think they hate science fiction.

The Candy House by Jennifer Egan

You don't have to read A Visit From the Goon Squad to love this sibling novel to Egan's stellar hit. The revolutionary technology Own Your Unconscious allows users to store and access their memories – and other people's. Through complex and intimate intertwining narratives, it follows a cast of characters' experiences with Bouton's creation, and how its consequences echo through the decades.

End of the World House: A Novel by Adrienne Celt

What do you get when you take Groundhog Day, add a dash of the apocalypse, a little French obsession and mix in female friendship and romantic entanglement? This firecracker of a book that gets weirder and more bizarrely funny the more pages you turn.

Nobody Gets Out Alive: Stories by Leigh Newman

The Alaskan wilderness is unforgiving, and so is life for the people who live there. In this arresting collection of stories, we meet people who are fighting not only the snowy tundra, but addiction, heartbreak, complicated families and the demons so many of us carry with us, regardless of when or where we live.

When We Fell Apart by Soon Wiley

Min can’t believe his Korean girlfriend Yu-jin died by suicide, right before graduation. As he embarks on a quest to uncover the truth, he learns more about Yu-jin’s life as the daughter of a high-ranking government official, the true nature of her bond with her roommate So-ra, and his own bi-racial identity. This compelling, propulsive novel is as complex as the characters it follows.

You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi

A sharply original novel about love, friendship and the journey grief takes, this one will ring true for so many of us these days. Five years after losing the love of her life, Feyi's BFF, Joy, wants her to get back out there, but when she does, Feyi finds herself thrown into her future without a net. For anyone who's been feeling a little lost, let this book give you some inspiration.

Lizz (she/her) is a senior editor at Good Housekeeping , where she runs the GH Book Club, edits essays and long-form features and writes about pets, books and lifestyle topics. A journalist for almost two decades, she is the author of Biography of a Body and Buffalo Steel. She also teaches journalism as an adjunct professor at New York University's School of Professional Studies and creative nonfiction at the Muse Writing Center, and coaches with the New York Writing Room. 

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The Most-Anticipated Upcoming Book Releases

Take a look ahead at all the upcoming book releases this year. Find out what the most-anticipated upcoming book releases are in the coming months.

What is it about a new book release that gets my heart pumping?

I may have a to-read list as tall as a mountain and a bookshelf already overflowing with books, but I still simply can’t resist upcoming book releases.

Instead of fighting my desire to read all the new books out, I’m embracing my penchant for finding the next great book.

If you love new book releases as much as I do, enjoy this list of all the upcoming book releases that have caught my eye. This upcoming book releases list is constantly updating, so be sure to come back and check again soon.

Every month, I update this list, removing books already published and adding upcoming book releases that catch my eye. Don’t worry, if you are looking for books published earlier this year, I’ve still got you covered with my list of 2023 book releases already published.

Have a book that belongs on my list?

If you are an author or publisher with a book you feel belongs on my list, find out how to work with me . Be sure to read my review policy before submitting your request.

Are you just reader excited about a book coming out? I’d love to hear from you, too! You can also contact me to suggest any upcoming book releases you think I would love.

Don’t Miss a Thing

November & December 2023 Upcoming Book Releases

Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros

Fantasy November 7, 2023 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

Sequel to Fourth Wing . Now that she knows the truth, can Violet Sorrengail survive her second year at Basgiath War College with a new commandant determined to make her betray her friends?

The Future by Naomi Alderman

Science Fiction November 7, 2023 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

In a dystopian future where money rules the world, a handful of friends plan a heist that could have catastrophic consequences.

Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood

Romance November 7, 2023 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

Mallory enters a charity chess event and beats the handsome world champion, sending her into the world of chess, a game that destroyed her family.

Class by Stephanie Land

Nonfiction November 7, 2023 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

In a followup to her bestselling memoir Maid , Stephanie Land discusses the challenges of being a poor single mom attending college.

The Good Part by Sophie Cousens

After wishing to skip to the good part of her life, Lucy Young wakes up as a married 40-year-old with the life she imagined.

Again and Again by Jonathan Evison

Contemporary Fiction November 7, 2023 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

A lonely old man tells his nursing assistant a story about the thousand years he’s spent trying to find the love of his life.

Spirit of the Wood by Kristen Britain

A short story in the Green Rider series, Britain finally tells the backstory of fan-favorite character Laren Mapstone.

The Helsinki Affair by Anna Pitoniak

Mystery & Thriller November 14, 2023 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

A new CIA agent teams up with legendary spy to uncover the truth about a plot coming out of the Kremlin.

The Edge by David Baldacci

Sequel to The 6:20 Man. Travis Devine must infiltrate a small Maine town to solve the murder of a CIA agent.

Day by Michael Cunningham

Contemporary Fiction November 14, 2023 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

A Brooklyn family tries to figure out how to live together and apart during the pandemic.

The Narrow Road Between Desires by Patrick Rothfuss

Fantasy November 14, 2023 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

A Kingkiller Chronicle standalone story about Bast tangled in the unforeseen consequences of a bargain.

The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose

Mystery & Thriller November 28, 2023 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

In a sequel to The Maid , Molly is now Head Maid and must solve the mystery of a famous author murdered in the hotel’s tea room.

The Last Love Note by Emma Grey

Contemporary Fiction November 28, 2023 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

A widow reads the last love notes from her husband to finally grief his passing and possibly move on to love again.

The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon

Historical Fiction December 5, 2023 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

In 1789, a midwife who knows all the town’s secrets believes there is a connection between a rape and a murder. Based on a true story.

The Engagement Party  by Darby Kane

Mystery & Thriller December 5, 2023 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

When a dead body is found at an engagement party, a woman realizes all of her friends are hiding a secret from their college days.

The Wildest Sun by Asha Lemmie

An aspiring writer entering adulthood tries to connect with Ernest Hemingway, who she thinks is her birth father.

This Spells Love by Kate Robb

Romance December 5, 2023 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

A woman casts a spell to forget her ex-boyfriend which causes her best friend to forget her as well.

The Lost Tomb by Douglas Preston

Nonfiction December 5, 2023 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

A collection of unbelievable yet true tales of buried treasure, lost tombs, and bizarre crimes encountered by journalist and bestselling author Douglas Preston.

Save for Later

January 2024 Upcoming Book Releases

The Book of Fire by Christy Lefteri

Contemporary Fiction January 2, 2024 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

After a wildfire destroys their home in Greece, a woman becomes entangled in a murder investigation while her husband mourns his injuries and searches for his missing father.

Midnight by Amy McCulloch

Mystery & Thriller January 2, 2024 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

A woman is trapped at an art auction on a luxury Antarctic cruise when someone starts murdering the passengers and crew.

Argylle by Elly Conway

Mystery & Thriller January 9, 2024 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

A legendary spymaster needs the help of a troubled man to bring down a Russian magnate. A high-budget film adaptation debuting in February 2024.

The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins

Contemporary Fiction January 9, 2024 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

The adopted son of North Carolina’s richest woman returns to her estate he refused to inherit and is sucked back into the family’s drama.

Come & Get It by Kiley Reid

A visiting professor interviews college students about weddings but decides she can use her findings to her own advantage.

Only If You’re Lucky by Stacy Willingham

Mystery & Thriller January 16, 2024 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

Margot moves in with three other college sophomores and by midyear, a boy next door is dead, her roommate is missing, and Margot is hiding secrets from the police.

The Fury by Alex Michaelides

A Hollywood starlet invites her old friends to her private Greek Island, starting a cat-and-mouse game that ends in murder.

No One Can Know by Kate Alice Marshall

Mystery & Thriller January 23, 2024 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

Once accused of her parents’ murders, a woman is forced to move back to her their estate and reconcile with her estranged sisters.

Family Family by Laurie Frankel

Contemporary Fiction January 23, 2024 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

Actress and adoptive mom India Allred sparks a media firestorm with her comments on adoption, and the daughter she gave up for adoption as a teen wants to meet her and help.

House of Flame and Shadow by Sarah J. Maas

Fantasy January 30, 2024 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

In the third Crescent City book, Bryce Quinlan struggles to find her way back to Midgard while Hunt Athalar struggles to escape prison to find Bryce.

Be a Revolution by Ijeoma Oluo

Nonfiction January 30, 2024 Amazon | Goodreads

Antiracist ways to change our structures to create positive lasting change.

February 2024 Upcoming Book Releases

The Women by Kristin Hannah

Historical Fiction February 6, 2024 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

A female nursing student impulsively joins the Army Nurse Corps to serve in the Vietnam War like her brother.

Fourteen Days by Margaret Atwood

Literary Fiction February 6, 2024 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

A collection of stories about residents of an apartment building during the pandemic with each character’s story written by a different famous author.

A Love Song for Ricki Wilde by Tia Williams

Romance February 6, 2024 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

A misfit Atlanta socialite moves to Harlem and embarks on a romance with a mysterious and passionate artist that will change them forever.

The Teacher by Freida McFadden

Mystery & Thriller February 6, 2024 Amazon | Goodreads

A math teacher is nervous when the student at the center of last year’s scandal is placed in her class.

Everyone Who Can Forgive Me is Dead  by Jenny Hollander

The survivor of a massacre finds her newly rebuilt life threatened when a fellow survivor announces they are creating a movie about that night.

Bride by Ali Hazelwood

Paranormal Romance February 6, 2024 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

The daughter of a powerful Vampyre, Misery Lark is promised in marriage to their mortal enemies, the Weres, as a peacekeeping measure.

The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo

Historical Fantasy February 13, 2024 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

In 1908, a woman seeking justice for her son and a detective travel from China to Japan searching for truth while navigating the truths and myths about fox spirits.

The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden

Skeptical after her brother’s death in WWI, Laurie volunteers as a nurse in Belgium and hears rumors of a man who can make soldiers forget.

End of Story by A. J. Finn

Mystery & Thriller February 20, 2024 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

A woman is invited to write the life story of a reclusive mystery writer who might have been involved in the disappearance of his wife and son decades earlier.

Supercommunicators by Charles Duhigg

Nonfiction February 20, 2024 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

Using the power of storytelling, Duhigg teaches you become more adept at recognizing and navigating any conversation you find yourself in.

Brooklyn by Tracy Brown

Adult Fiction February 27, 2024 Amazon | Goodreads

During her dying moments, a woman contemplates what led her to become the cold calculating manipulator that everyone wanted dead.

March 2024 Upcoming Book Releases

Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange

Literary Fiction March 5, 2024 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

In the 1800s, two children attend a school that tries to strip them of their Native Identity while in 2018, a descendant tries to hold her family together after a school shooting.

Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle

Romance March 5, 2024 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

Every time she dates a new man, Daphne receives a paper telling how long the relationship will last until she goes on a blind date without an expiration date.

The Great Divide by Cristina Henríquez

Historical Fiction March 5, 2024 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

A look at the building of the Panama Canal and the ups and downs of the people who lived nearby and worked on its construction.

The Hunter by Tana French

Mystery & Thriller March 5, 2024 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

Sequel to The Searcher . When Trey’s long-lost father appears searching for gold, former detective Cal Hooper must protect everything he’s built in Ireland.

Murder Road by Simone St. James

After picking up an injured hitchhiker who dies, a newlywed couple investigates a series of murders along a deserted stretch of road.

The Prisoner’s Throne by Holly Black

Fantasy March 5, 2024 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

Sequel to The Stolen Heir . The battle for Elhame concludes. Can the imprisoned prince defeat the vengeful queen?

The New Couple in 5B by Lisa Unger

A couple inherits a luxury apartment in New York City only to discover that something darker is happening behind the perfectly constructed facade.

Still See You Everywhere by Lisa Gardner

Mystery & Thriller March 12, 2024 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

Frankie Elkin goes undercover on a remote Pacific island to solve the long-ago disappearance of a convicted serial killer’s sister before her execution date.

After Annie by Anna Quindlen

Contemporary Fiction March 12, 2024 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

When Annie Brown dies, her husband, four children and best friend are all left reeling and must find themselves again.

Good Half Gone by Tarryn Fisher

Mystery & Thriller March 19, 2024 Amazon | Goodreads

A woman goes undercover at an isolated insane asylum to solve her sister’s long-ago disappearance.

The Truth About the Devlins by Lisa Scottoline

Mystery & Thriller March 26, 2024 Amazon | Goodreads

The black sheep in a family of lawyers tries to save the family firm after his older brother murders a client accused of embezzlement.

April 2024 Upcoming Book Releases

Table for Two by Amor Towles

Literary Fiction April 2, 2024 Amazon | Goodreads

Six short stories about the delicate nature of modern marriage and a novella about Evelyn Ross from Rules of Civility rebuilding a life in the Golden Age of Hollywood.

The Cemetery of Untold Stories by Julia Alvarez

Literary Fiction April 2, 2024 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

A writer tries to bury her unfinished manuscripts, but the characters have a life of their own and their narratives inspire the local townspeople.

Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez

Romance April 2, 2024 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

A man cursed that every woman he dates goes on to find true love after they breakup dates a woman with the same curse … just for the summer.

Daughter of Mine by Megan Miranda

Mystery & Thriller April 9, 2024 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

The daughter of a local detective returns to her hometown to find that the drought has revealed clues to her mother’s disappearance hidden in the lake bed.

The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo

Historical Fantasy April 9, 2024 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

During Spain’s Golden Age, a maid finds herself caught up in politics when the King’s disgraced former secretary learns she can do magic.

An Unfinished Love Story by Doris Kearns Goodwin

Nonfiction April 16, 2024 Amazon | Goodreads

Weaving together American history and her personal life, historian Goodwin gives an intimate look at the 1960s from her and her husband’s time working with the political leaders of the day.

Funny Story by Emily Henry

Romance April 23, 2024 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

When her fiancé leaves her, Daphne becomes roommates with her ex-fiancé’s new fiancée’s ex.

Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth

Mystery & Thriller April 23, 2024 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

When a body is discovered on the farm where they grew up, three foster sisters find themselves the prime witnesses, and possibly suspects.

A Game of Lies by Clare Mackintosh

In the Welsh mountains, DC Ffion Morgan investigates a group of reality stars, each with an alibi and a reason to kill.

The Demon of Unrest by Erik Larson

Nonfiction April 30, 2024 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

The tumultuous five months between Abraham Lincoln’s election and the firing on Fort Sumter.

Upcoming Book Releases 2024

The Return of Ellie Black by Emiko Jean

Mystery & Thriller May 7, 2024 Amazon | Goodreads

When a missing teenager reappears after two years, a detective must figure out what she’s hiding and who is is protecting.

This Summer Will Be Different by Carley Fortune

Romance May 7, 2024 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

After years of having summer flings together, a woman returns to Prince Edward Island to find his flirty behavior has changed and so has her heart.

Lies and Weddings by Kevin Kwan

Contemporary Fiction May 21, 2024 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

A future earl must decide whether to marry a rich wife to save the family’s debts or follow his heart in a globetrotting romantic comedy.

The Last Murder at the End of the World by Stuart Turton

Mystery & Thriller May 21, 2024 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

On an idyllic island, the last of humanity’s survivors have 92 hours to solve the murder of one of their scientists, except their memories have been wiped.

The Guncle Abroad by Steven Rowley

Sequel to The Guncle . Gay Uncle Patrick once again steps in to help his niece and nephew, hoping to teach them about love as their father is set to remarry.

Goddess of the River by Vaishnavi Patel

Fantasy May 21, 2024 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

A retelling of the story of Ganga, goddess of the river, who was cursed to become mortal. Marrying a queen, Ganga escapes her curse but leaves her son behind leading to tragedy.

Camino Ghosts by John Grisham

Mystery & Thriller May 28, 2024 Amazon | Goodreads

Bookstore owner Bruce Cable reunites with Mercer Mann for another island mystery.

Eruption by Michael Crichton and James Patterson

Mystery & Thriller June 3, 2024 Amazon | Goodreads

A deadly volcanic eruption is about to burst on the Big Island of Hawaii forcing a terrifying military secret to come to light.

Swan Song by Elin Hilderbrand

Contemporary Fiction June 11, 2024 Amazon | Goodreads

Nantucket’s Chief of Police must postpone his retirement when a multi-million dollar mansion burns to the ground and his daughter’s best friend goes missing.

Not in Love by Ali Hazelwood

Romance June 11, 2024 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

A biotech engineer falls into a steamy affair with the businessman in charge of orchestrating a hostile takeover of her startup food science company.

The God of the Woods by Liz Moore

Mystery & Thriller June 11, 2024 Amazon | Goodreads

In 1975, the daughter of a wealthy summer camp owner goes missing from her camp bed just like her older brother did fourteen years ago.

Children of Anguish and Anarchy by Tomi Adeyemi

Fantasy June 25, 2024 Amazon | Goodreads | More Info

Legacy of Orïsha Book 3. Zelie must rescue her people from the King of the Skulls who is desperate to harness her power for his own.

The Bright Sword by Lev Grossman

Fantasy July 16, 2024 Amazon | Goodreads

After King Arthur’s death, a young knight and a ragtag band of leftovers from the fellowship try to rebuild Camelot.

And So I Roar by Abi Daré

Contemporary Fiction August 6, 2024 Amazon | Goodreads

Sequel to The Girl with the Louding Voice . Tia is forced to make a choice between protecting Adunni or learning the truth her mother has hidden from her.

Somewhere Beyond the Sea by TJ Klune

Fantasy September 10, 2024 Amazon | Goodreads

Sequel The House in the Cerulean Sea . Arthur Parnassus’s hope of adopting the six magical children is threatened by a revelation from his past.

What upcoming book releases are you most excited to read?

• The New York Times Fiction Bestseller List
• The Complete List of 2023 Book Releases
• 50 Five-Star Books to Read
• The Booklist Queen 2024 Reading Challenge

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The Best Books of 2022

If you want to read about spaceships, talking pigs, or supervillains, you’ve come to the right place.

Check back with us in the new year, when we'll start rounding up our favorite books of 2023. In the meantime, happy reading!

Didn't Nobody Give a Shit What Happened to Carlotta, by James Hannaham

Hannaham’s buoyant sophomore novel introduces us to the unforgettable Carlotta Mercedes, an Afro-Latinx trans woman released from a men’s prison after serving two decades. Returning home to Brooklyn, she encounters a gentrified city she doesn’t recognize, as well as a host of new stressors; life on the outside soon involves an unforgiving parole process and a family that struggles to recognize her transition. Over the course of one zany Fourth of July weekend, Carlotta descends into Brooklyn’s roiling underbelly on a quest to stand in her truth. Angry, saucy, and joyful, Carlotta is a true survivor—one whose story shines a disinfecting light on the injustices of our world.

Harry Sylvester Bird, by Chinelo Okparanta

The title character of Okparanta’s gutsy new novel is a white teenager born to xenophobic parents, but everything changes for young Harry Sylvester Bird on a safari in Tanzania, when he develops an enduring fascination with Blackness. Harry soon escapes to college in Manhattan and begins to identify as Black, joining a “Transracial-Anon” support group and longing for “racial reassignment.” When he falls in love with Maryam, a student from Nigeria, a study-abroad trip to Ghana’s Gold Coast puts both their romance and his identity to the test. Outlandish and arresting, Harry’s miseducation is a deft satire of prejudice and allyship.

Young Mungo, by Douglas Stuart

When his Shuggie Bain took home the Booker Prize in 2020, readers were desperate to see what this astounding debut novelist would do next. It will come as no surprise that Stuart’s second effort soars—and socks you right in the belly. Set in the tenements of Glasgow during the 1990s, Young Mungo is the wrenching story of the doomed and forbidden love between two teenage boys, one Catholic and the other Protestant. Insecure, self-loathing Mungo is forever changed by the calming influence of tender-hearted James, but in a stratified society such as this one, their bond can’t be allowed to stand. When the adults in their lives intervene, James and Mungo learn heartbreaking lessons about how boys become men. In a world where hope and despair coexist, Young Mungo is both brutal and breathtaking.

Time Is a Mother, by Ocean Vuong

Vuong’s second collection of poetry is a bruising journey through the devastating aftershocks of his mother’s death. Like Orpheus descending into the underworld, Vuong takes us to the white-hot limits of his grief, writing with visionary fervor about love, agony, and time. Without his mother, Vuong must remake his understanding of the world: what is identity when its source is gone? What is language without the cultural memory of our elders? Aesthetically ambitious and ferociously original, Time Is A Mother interrogates these impossibilities. “Nobody’s free without breaking open,” Vuong writes in one searing poem. Here, he breaks open and rebuilds.

Trust, by Hernan Diaz

In 2018, Diaz came close to the Pulitzer Prize with In the Distance , a probing western honored as a finalist; now, with Trust , he may finally take home the gold. Trust is the story of a Wall Street tycoon and his brilliant wife, who become outlandishly wealthy in Prohibition-era New York. In this puzzle box of stories-within-a-story, the mystery of their affluence becomes the subject of a novel, a memoir, an unfinished manuscript, and finally, a diary. Each layer builds and recontextualizes Diaz's riveting story of class, capitalism, and greed. The result is a mesmerizing metafictional alchemy of grand scope and even grander accomplishment.

Liarmouth, by John Waters

Waters takes his first bow as a novelist with this "perfectly perverted feel-bad romance” about Marsha “Liarmouth” Sprinkle, a con woman caught up in a bad romance with Darryl, the degenerate loser with whom she steals suitcases from airport luggage carousels. Marsha has promised Darryl sex for his services after one year of employment, but when she skips out without paying up, Darryl is out for revenge. In the acknowledgments, Waters aptly describes this novel as “fictitious anarchy.” That’s as good a description as any for this campy, raunchy, surreal story, rife with ribald pleasures. Read an interview with Waters here at Esquire.

Butts: A Backstory, by Heather Radke

This crackling cultural history melds scholarship and pop culture to arrive at a comprehensive taxonomy of the female bottom. From 19th-century burlesque to the eighties aerobics craze to Kim Kardashian’s internet-breaking backside, Radke leaves no stone unturned. Her sources range from anthropological scholarship to Sir Mix-a-Lot’s “Baby Got Back,” making for a vivacious blend, but Butts isn’t all fun and games. Radke explores how women’s butts have been used “as a means to create and reinforce racial hierarchies,” acting as locuses of racism, control, and desire. Lively and thorough, Butts is the best kind of nonfiction—the kind that forces you to see something ordinary through completely new eyes. Read an interview with the author here at Esquire.

Fight Like Hell: The Untold History of American Labor, by Kim Kelly

With a galvanizing groundswell of unionization efforts rocking mega-corporations like Amazon and Starbucks, there’s never been a better time to learn about the history of the American labor movement. Fight Like Hell will be your indispensable guide to the past, present, and future of organized labor. Rather than structure this comprehensive history chronologically, Kelly organizes it into chapter-sized profiles of different labor sectors, from sex workers to incarcerated laborers to domestic workers. Each chapter contains capsule biographies of working-class heroes, along with a painstaking focus on those who were hidden or dismissed from the movement. So too do these chapters illuminate how many civil rights struggles, like women’s liberation and fair wages for disabled workers, are also, at their core, labor struggles. After reading Fight Like Hell , you’ll never look at American history the same way again—and you may just be inspired to organize your own workplace. Read an interview with Kelly here at Esquire.

Overdue: Reckoning with the Public Library, by Amanda Oliver

Library-goers have long labored under a romanticized portrait of libraries as sacred spaces. In Overdue , a former librarian explores the importance of demanding better from what we love. Through the lens of her time as a librarian in one of Washington D.C.’s most impoverished neighborhoods, Oliver illuminates how libraries have long been vectors for some of our biggest social ills, from segregation to racism to inequality. Now, as unhoused patrons take refuge in libraries and librarians are trained to administer Narcan, our overlapping mental healthcare and opioid crises come to a head in these spaces. At once a love letter and a call to action, Overdue dispels mythology and demands a better future. You’ll never see libraries the same way again.

Woman, Eating, by Claire Kohda

My Year of Rest and Relaxation meets Milk Fed in this slacker comedy about Lydia, a multiracial Gen Z vampire suffering an identity crisis. Fresh out of art school and eager to make a new life for herself in London, Lydia soon gets a harsh reality check: her gallery internship is unfulfilling, her crush is dating someone else, and her supply of pig's blood is running dangerously low. Ravenous and lonesome, she becomes addicted to watching #WhatIEatInADay videos, desperate for the embodied connection to food and life that humans experience. But for this yearning young vampire, self-acceptance won’t come until she finds something (or someone) to eat. Thoughtful and thrilling, Woman, Eating makes a meal of themes like cultural alienation, disordered eating, and the growing pains of adulthood.

The Passenger, by Cormac McCarthy

After sixteen years of characteristic seclusion, McCarthy returns with a one-two punch: The Passenger , out in October, and Stella Maris , a companion volume set to follow in November. In The Passenger , the stronger of the two works, we meet Bobby Western, a salvage diver and mathematical genius reckoning with his troubled personal history. Western is tormented by the legacy of his father, who worked on the atomic bomb, and the suicide of his sister, who suffered from schizophrenia. Told in meandering form, The Passenger is an elegiac meditation on guilt, grief, and spirituality. Packed with textbook McCarthy hallmarks, like transgressive behaviors and cascades of ecstatic language, it’s a welcome return from a legend who’s been gone too long.

Fen, Bog and Swamp, by Annie Proulx

The legendary author of “Brokeback Mountain” and The Shipping News delivers an enchanting history of our wetlands, a vitally important but criminally misunderstood landscape now imperiled by climate change. As Proulx explains, fens, bogs, swamps, and estuaries preserve our environment by storing carbon emissions. Roving through peatlands around the world, Proulx weaves a riveting history of their role in brewing diseases and fueling industrialization. Imbued with the same reverence for nature as Proulx’s fiction, Fen, Bog, and Swamp is both an enchanting work of nature writing and a rousing call to action. Read an exclusive interview with the author here at Esquire.

Because Our Fathers Lied, by Craig McNamara

How do we reckon with the sins of our parents? That’s the thorny question at the center of this moving and courageous memoir authored by the son of Robert S. McNamara, Kennedy’s architect of the Vietnam War. In this conflicted son’s telling, a complicated man comes into intimate view, as does the “mixture of love and rage” at the heart of their relationship. At once a loving and neglectful parent, the elder McNamara’s controversial lies about the war ultimately estranged him from his son, who hung Viet Cong flags in his childhood bedroom as a protest. The pursuit of a life unlike his father’s saw the younger McNamara drop out of Stanford and travel through South America on a motorcycle, leading him to ultimately become a sustainable walnut farmer. Through his own personal story of disappointment and disillusionment, McNamara captures an intergenerational conflict and a journey of moral identity.

A Ballet of Lepers, by Leonard Cohen

A Ballet of Lepers collects never-before-seen early works from beloved singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen, including short stories, a novel, and a radio play. The titular novel, Cohen believed, was “probably a better novel” than his celebrated book The Favorite Game . These recovered gems traffic in the themes that would always obsess their author, like shame, desire, and longing. Cohen’s life and art have been dissected for years, but as this revealing volume proves, there are still new shades of him to discover.

Lost & Found, by Kathryn Schultz

Eighteen months before Schultz’s father died after a long battle with cancer, she met the love of her life. It’s this painful dichotomy that sets the foundation for Lost & Found , a poignant memoir about how love and loss often coexist. Braiding her personal experiences together with psychological, philosophical and scientific insight, Schultz weaves a taxonomy of our losses, which can “encompass both the trivial as well as the consequential, the abstract and the concrete, the merely misplaced and the permanently gone.” But so too does she celebrate the act of discovery, from finding what we’ve mislaid to lucking into lasting love. Penetrating and profound, Lost & Found captures the extraordinary joys and sorrows of ordinary life.

Less Is Lost, by Andrew Sean Greer

In 2018, Greer won the Pulitzer Prize for Less , an unforgettable comic novel about aging writer Arthur Less and his international misadventures. Less is back for more in this beguiling sequel, bursting with just as much absurdity, heartache, and laugh-out-loud joy as its predecessor. Dogged by financial crisis and the death of his former lover, Less sets out across the American landscape with nothing but a rusty camper van, a somber pug, and a zigzagging itinerary of literary gigs. Our reluctant hero blunders his way into a cascade of disasters, but the more lost Less gets, the closer he is to being found. Rambunctious and life-affirming, Less is Lost is a winsome reminder of all that fiction can do and be. As Greer writes of novelists, “Are we not that fraction of old magic that remains?” Read an exclusive interview with the author here at Esquire.

Fairy Tale, by Stephen King

The master of horror turns his talents to coming-of-age fantasy in this spellbinding tale about seventeen-year-old Charlie Reade, a resourceful teenager who inherits the keys to a parallel world. It all starts when Charlie meets Mr. Bowditch, a local recluse living in a spooky house with his lovable hound. When Mr. Bowditch dies, he leaves Charlie the house, a massive stockpile of gold, and the keys to a locked shed containing a portal to another world. But as Charlie soon discovers, that parallel world is full of danger, dungeons, and time travel—and it has the power to imperil our own universe. Packed with glorious flights of imagination and characteristic tenderness about childhood, Fairy Tale is vintage King at his finest. Read an exclusive excerpt here at Esquire.

The Furrows, by Namwali Serpell

Fresh off the stratospheric achievement of The Old Drift , Serpell’s sophomore novel is a wrenching examination of grief, memory, and reality. When Cassandra Williams was twelve years old, her seven-year-old brother Wayne drowned off the Delaware coast. Or did he? While the first half of The Furrows examines the long half-life of Cassandra’s grief, the second half gets slippery, exploring the possibility that Wayne survived. As the blurry boundaries between what’s true and what’s possible collapse, Serpell resets her novel again and again, like a scratched record skipping back to the beginning. Old wounds never heal, and Cassandra can’t stop revisiting them. Let this breathtaking novel roll over you in waves.

The Book of Goose, by Yiyun Li

Time and time again, Li has proven herself a master storyteller obsessed with the nature of storytelling. In her latest novel, she takes that obsession to spectacular new heights. Set in the ruined countryside of post-WWII France, The Book of Goose centers on the friendship between shy Agnès and rebellious Fabienne. Fabienne devises a game: she will imagine a lurid story, and Agnès, with her perfect penmanship, will write it. When the book becomes a runaway bestseller credited to Agnès alone, it propels the girls on a trajectory of fame and fortune that threatens to sever their friendship. Fans of Elena Ferrante’s Neapolitan Novels will love this gripping tale of art, power, and intimacy.

Liberation Day, by George Saunders

The godfather of the contemporary short story is back and better than ever in Liberation Day , his first collection of short fiction in nearly a decade. In one memorable story set in a near future police state, a grandfather explains how Americans lost their freedoms through small concessions to an authoritarian government. In another standout, vulnerable Americans are brainwashed and reprogrammed as political protestors, with their services available to the highest bidder. The rousing title novella sees the poor enslaved to entertain the rich, forced to recreate scenes from American history. In these powerful and perceptive stories, Saunders conjures a nation in moral and spiritual decline, where acts of kindness wink through like lights in the darkness.

Adrienne Westenfeld is the Books and Fiction Editor at Esquire, where she oversees books coverage, edits fiction, and curates the Esquire Book Club. 

@media(max-width: 73.75rem){.css-q1kujh:before{color:#FF3A30;content:'_';display:inline-block;margin-right:0.4375rem;}}@media(min-width: 64rem){.css-q1kujh:before{color:#FF3A30;content:'_';display:inline-block;margin-right:0.5625rem;}} Best of 2022

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The 2022 Esquire Spirit Awards

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The 100 Must-Read Books of 2022

Gripping novels, transporting poetry, and timely nonfiction that asked us to look deeper Andrew R. Chow, Lucy Feldman, Mahita Gajanan, Annabel Gutterman, Angela Haupt, Cady Lang, and Laura Zornosa

A Heart That Works

All the lovers in the night, all this could be different, an immense world, ancestor trouble, anna: the biography, bitter orange tree, the book of goose, butts: a backstory, calling for a blanket dance, the candy house, carrie soto is back, chef's kiss, civil rights queen, constructing a nervous system, cover story, the crane wife, the daughter of doctor moreau, dirtbag, massachusetts, ducks: two years in the oil sands, easy beauty, eating to extinction, the emergency, the employees, the escape artist, everything i need i get from you, the extraordinary life of an ordinary man, the family outing, fellowship point, fiona and jane, the furrows, getting lost, half american, the hero of this book, his name is george floyd, honey & spice, how far the light reaches, the hurting kind, i came all this way to meet you, i'm glad my mom died, if an egyptian cannot speak english, if i survive you, index, a history of the, the invisible kingdom, learning to talk, lesser known monsters of the 21st century, liberation day, life between the tides, the light we carry, lost & found, lucy by the sea, the man who could move clouds, maps of our spectacular bodies, the marriage portrait, mouth to mouth, the naked don't fear the water, night of the living rez, nightcrawling, now is not the time to panic, nuclear family, olga dies dreaming, our missing hearts, the rabbit hutch, the revolutionary: samuel adams, scattered all over the earth, the school for good mothers, shrines of gaiety, signal fires, siren queen, south to america, strangers to ourselves, ted kennedy: a life, this time tomorrow, time is a mother, tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow, the trayvon generation, under the skin, when we were sisters, woman without shame, the world keeps ending, and the world goes on, young mungo.

by Rob Delaney

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This project is led by Lucy Feldman and Annabel Gutterman, with writing, reporting, and additional editing by Andrew R. Chow, Mahita Gajanan, Angela Haupt, Cady Lang, Rachel Sonis, and Laura Zornosa; photography editing by Whitney Matewe; art direction by Victor Williams; video by Erica Solano; audience strategy by Alex Hinnant, Kari Sonde, and Kim Tal; and production by Nadia Suleman.

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The Best, Buzziest New Books of 2022

Celebrity memoirs, page-turning fantasy novels, romantic reads, and more.

2022's best novels, biographies, and memoirs weren’t limited to a single genre or literary clique. When we wanted to get swept away, swoony-worthy and romantic books were in ample supply. The best beach reads brought some jet-setting vibes (whether we could actually take time off or not). Fans of Hanya Yanagihara, Jennifer Egan, and Elif Batuman were all treated to new releases; literary debuts by Sarah Thakam Mathews and Xochitl Gonzalez captured our imaginations and made us eager for the stories they’ll tell next.

There’s still time left to update your reading list for the remainder of the year. In no particular order, we’ve gathered the 35 best new books of 2022 ahead—some already released, others coming soon. Find a comfortable chair and crack one open.

All This Could Be Different by Sarah Thankam Mathews

Sneha has just graduated from college and is taking her first shaky steps into adult life with an entry-level gig in Milwaukee, MI. Against a backdrop of the 2012 recession and her parents’ deportation to India, Sneha’s equally vulnerable and cutting narration of new friendships, new romances, and generally figuring it out captures the queer, immigrant experience unlike any other.

The Rabbit Hutch by Tess Gunty

Four teens overlooked and abandoned by the foster care system. One dilapidated apartment building, otherwise known as the Rabbit Hutch, on the edge of Vacca Vale, Indiana. One week where Blandine, a member of the aforementioned quartet, seeks a reprieve from the systems that harmed her, and her search escalates to a harrowing conclusion.

Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

After years apart, Sam Masur spots Sadie Green—a childhood friend turned nemesis, then stranger—at a Cambridge, Massachusetts, subway station. A brief conversation spawns what becomes the reunion and working relationship of a lifetime, in the cutthroat, ever-changing world of video game design. You don’t have to be a gamer to appreciate the pulsing heart of this best-seller: In a story spanning three decades and references from Oregon Trail to Macbeth , Gabrielle Zevlin has written a modern, definitive story about work, love, and friends for whom you’d do and risk everything.

Cult Classic by Sloane Crosley

Running into an ex once without warning is disorienting. Running into two, or three, or more exes in a row without warning is a touch more sinister than fate, at least in the version of New York City Sloane Crosley creates for her dark and hilarious second novel. For Lola, the narrator of Cult Classic , frequent brushes with her romantic past spiral into a satirical examination of love, wellness culture, and modern surveillance that's impossible to put down.

The Furrows by Namwali Serpell

The Furrows tells you upfront that it is an elegy, a lament for someone who has died. The person lost is Wayne, a seven-year-old boy; the person remembering is Cassandra, his twelve-year-old sister. But as Cassandra grows up and continues mourning Wayne's untimely passing, she meets another Wayne—one who casts her understanding of mourning into a new light.

Velorio by Xavier Navarro Aquino

Set in the wake of Hurricane Maria, the deadly storm that devastated Puerto Rico in 2017, Velorio follows Camila, a survivor of the disaster whose grief leads her to a rural cult called Memoria. But Urayoán, the idealistic leader of Memoria, has demons of his own.

Dead End Memories by Banana Yoshimoto

Nineteen years have passed between Dead-End Memories' original publication in Japan in 2003 and its arrival in the United States in 2022. The translation of this volume from Japanese into English was well worth the wait. Yoshimoto offers five stories that read like tiny miracles, facilitated by Asa Yoneda's thoughtful translation. Even when Yoshimoto's characters face tragedy or due reason for hopelessness, they quietly find a path toward hope.

Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel

Sea of Tranquility traverses distances that feel galaxies apart, from the Canadian wilderness of 1912 to an ill-fated book tour in 2203 to a mysterious "Night City," one of three colonies on the Moon, in 2401. Solving the puzzle of how these three settings and their protagonists connect is a journey that's as poetic as it is heart-pounding. Readers who loved St. John Mandel's previous novels won't be disappointed by this masterpiece of speculative science fiction.

Olga Dies Dreaming by Xochitl Gonzalez

This buzzy debut (there's already an adaptation for Hulu, starring Aubrey Plaza, in the works) centers on the Acevedo family: Olga is a Nuyorican wedding planner to the stars, and her brother, Prieto, is a congressman representing their rapidly gentrifying neighborhood in Brooklyn. When the militant radical mother who abandoned them crashes back into their lives, all three must confront the secrets and resentments lurking behind their family’s shiny public facade.

A Hundred Other Girls by Iman Hariri-Kia

A Hundred Other Girls asks the age-old striver question—what would you really do to secure your dream job?—with fresh, often funny twists. As Noora ascends from part-time blogger, part-time tutor to assistant to the editor-in-chief at her favorite magazine, Vinyl, she lands on the answer she least expected. The titular Devil Wears Prada reference isn't the only homage fashion obsessives and media followers will love in in this breezy career novel.

Lucy by the Sea by Elizabeth Strout

Pulitzer Prize-winner Elizabeth Strout’s third novel starring Lucy Barton, due in September 2022, will strike a chord with any reader reflecting on life in a post-pandemic world. Lucy by the Sea opens at the onset of the 2020 coronavirus outbreak, when lockdowns irreversibly changed, well, everything. The same happens in this fictional rumination on loss, illness, and resilience, as Barton and her ex-husband William depart New York City to quarantine in Crosby, Maine. Confined to an oceanside cottage and adjusting to the so-called new normal, Lucy Barton’s return in Strout’s contemplative prose echoes the feelings we’ve had or seen since everything turned upside-down—and reminds us we’re never truly alone.

To Paradise by Hanya Yanagihara

If A Little Life emotionally wrecked you sometime in the last six years, get ready for round two, because Hanya Yanagihara’s latest epic is gunning to make you weep. A 720-page tome spanning three New York City–set stories over three centuries, To Paradise is an incisive look at love, loss, and the consequences of the American experiment.

Worn: A People's History of Clothing by Sofi Thanhauser

This riveting behind-the-scenes story of the clothes on our backs is a must-read for clotheshorses everywhere. Remember that scene in The Devil Wears Prada where Miranda Priestly details the industry’s worth of labor that went into Andy Sachs’s bargain-bin sweater? Add in some climate journalism, a deep dive into modern history, and a crash course on workers’ rights, and you’ve got this book in a nutshell.

You Don't Know Us Negroes and Other Essays by Zora Neale Hurston

Unappreciated by the masses until long after her death, Zora Neale Hurston was an unparalleled storyteller and one of the central figures of the Harlem Renaissance. Whether you’re new to her writing or a longtime devotee, don't miss this new collection spanning more than 35 years of her nonfiction work—including some previously unpublished pieces.

The Verifiers by Jane Pek

What kind of person would want to work at an online dating detective agency: a hopeless romantic, or a consummate cynic? Twenty-five-year-old Claudia Lin, the protagonist of this funny and touching modern detective story, is a little bit of both. (Her traditional Chinese mother thinks she works at a finance firm—and, uh, is straight—but that’s a problem for another day.) When one of her agency’s clients turns up dead, Claudia takes it upon herself to investigate, but quickly gets in over her head.

I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy

The dark side of childhood stardom is the only side in Jennette McCurdy’s talked-about memoir. McCurdy recounts the lead-up to landing roles on Nickelodeon , and all that came after, without holding back how her now-deceased mother’s mistreatment and abuse shaped every moment.

The World Cannot Give by Tara Isabella Burton

Described as The Girls meets Fight Club , this new novel from the author of Social Creature plunges readers into a vortex of dark academia and queer desire. Soon after arriving at a Christian boarding school in Maine, Laura finds a sense of belonging in the school’s intensely insular chapel choir—and falls deep under the thrall of its obsessive, charismatic student leader, Virginia.

Vagabonds! by Eloghosa Osunde

The many characters who populate Eloghosa Osunde’s debut novel are vagabonds in the truest sense of the word: queer, impoverished, nonconforming—those who exist at the fringes of society. Out in the streets of Lagos, they fight to make their way in the world, sometimes at odds with one another and on other occasions coming to each other’s rescue. Together, they add up to a novel as vivid and varied as the city itself.

Woman, Eating by Claire Kohda

Lydia is a mixed-race vampire squatting in a London artists’ studio. Away from her vampire mother for the first time, she’s scrambling to source fresh pigs’ blood—her best option to avoid preying on her new human artist friends—all while longing to taste vegetables, ramen, and all the other people food she can’t digest. In short, Lydia isn’t just searching for something to eat; she’s also looking for a way to reconcile her demon and human sides, her half-Japanese heritage, and her relationship to food itself.

Girls Can Kiss Now by Jill Gutowitz

Humorist and Twitter sage Jill Gutowitz’s debut essay collection is a laugh-out-loud look at the mainstreaming of queer culture. Tackling important topics such as Lindsay Lohan’s relationship with Samantha Ronson, the omnipresence of oat milk, and the enduring lesbian appeal of Taylor Swift, Gutowitz’s book is perhaps the definitive authority on what it means to be gay and a little too online.

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