The 2024 Releases I Can't Wait to Read
35 titles, including new books from Tana French, Marilynne Robinson, and many more
I love many things about books, including the stories they hold, the art of their covers, the way they entertain and teach, how they bring readers together, and so much more. As I put together this post, I realized another thing I love about literature is anticipation. Even though it's impossible to keep up with new book releases, I'm always excited to see what's coming and what beloved author is releasing something new.
In this post, I'm sharing the 2024 book releases I'm most excited to read. I know I won't get to all of them by the end of the year, but the joyful anticipation is a gift for which I'm thankful.
This post is long, which is a good thing since it means so much great stuff is coming out this year, especially in March. Get comfortable, grab your library card, and get ready to put some books on hold.
January
JANUARY 2 | Rabbit Hole by Kate Brody: Conspiracy theories from Reddit seduce a disaster-prone woman into an obsession with solving her older sister’s cold-case disappearance.
WHY I WANT TO READ IT: I’m always up for a good mystery, especially when conspiracy theories are involved. Goodreads says this book is ideal for “fans of Gillian Flynn, My Favorite Murder, and Fleabag.”
JANUARY 9 | 1000 Words: A Writer’s Guide to Staying Creative, Focused, and Productive All Year Round by Jami Attenberg: Inspired by Jami Attenberg’s wildly popular literary movement #1000WordsofSummer, this writer’s guide features encouraging essays on creativity, productivity, and writing from acclaimed authors including Roxane Gay, Lauren Groff, Celeste Ng, Meg Wolitzer, and Carmen Maria Machado.
WHY I WANT TO READ IT: Because I need to stay creative, focused, and productive all year round. I love Jami Attenberg’s writing, and I’m equally excited to read inspiring words from other writers I love, such as Roxane Gay and Celeste Ng.
JANUARY 9 | Old Crimes: Stories by Jill McCorkle: Beloved author Jill McCorkle delivers a collection of masterful stories that are as complex as novels—deeply perceptive, funny, and tragic in equal measure—about crimes large and small.
WHY I WANT TO READ IT: Each time I read a short story collection, I think about how I wish I read more of them. Connection seems to be a strong theme throughout this book, a topic I love exploring.
JANUARY 9 | Rental Person Who Does Nothing: A Memoir by Shoji Morimoto and translated by Don Knotting: Shoji Morimoto was constantly being told by his boss, "It makes no difference whether you’re here or not," and that his presence contributed nothing to the company. Morimoto began to wonder whether a person who "does nothing" could still have actual value and a place in the world. Perhaps he could turn "doing nothing" into a service? With one tweet, Rental Person was born. Rental Person provides a fascinating service to the lonely and socially anxious. This book details thousands of his true-life adventures.
WHY I WANT TO READ IT: I tend to enjoy Japanese literature, and this memoir sounds like nothing I’ve read before.
JANUARY 16 | Black Liturgies: Prayers, Poems, and Meditations for Staying Human by Cole Arthur Riley: A collection of prayer, poetry, and spiritual practice centering the Black interior world, from the New York Times bestselling author of This Here Flesh and creator of Black Liturgies.
WHY I WANT TO READ THIS: Cole Arthur Riley is one of the most brilliant and prophetic spiritual writers working today. This Here Flesh is an outstanding book, and I know this one will be, too.
JANUARY 30 | Come & Get It by Kiley Reid: From the celebrated New York Times bestselling author of Such a Fun Age comes a fresh and provocative story about a residential assistant and her messy entanglement with a professor and three unruly students.
WHY I WANT TO READ IT: I’m one of the many fans of Reid’s debut novel and have been looking forward to her next book since finishing Such a Fun Age. I got an early copy of this title from NetGalley, and have read about 20%. So far, I’m not impressed, but I hope that changes as the story progresses. I have faith in Kiley Reid!
JANUARY 30 | This Is the Honey: An Anthology of Contemporary Black Poets edited by Kwame Alexander: In this comprehensive and vibrant poetry anthology, bestselling author and poet Kwame Alexander curates a collection of contemporary anthems at turns tender and piercing and deeply inspiring throughout. Featuring work from well-loved poets such as Rita Dove, Jericho Brown, Warsan Shire, Ross Gay, Tracy K. Smith, Terrance Hayes, Morgan Parker, and Nikki Giovanni, This Is the Honey is a rich and abundant offering of language from the poets giving voice to generations of resilient joy, “each incantation,” as Mahogany L. Browne puts it in her titular poem, is “a jubilee of a people dreaming wildly.”
WHY I WANT TO READ IT: Reading more poetry is one of my literary goals this year, and this anthology is full of poets I admire.
February
FEBRUARY 6 | Alphabetical Diaries by Sheila Heti: Sheila Heti kept a record of her thoughts over a ten-year period, then arranged the sentences from A to Z. Passionate and reflective, joyful and despairing, these are her alphabetical diaries.
WHY I WANT TO READ THIS: I’m always up for an original book about a woman’s deepest thoughts and feelings.
FEBRUARY 6 | Get the Picture: A Mind-Bending Journey Among the Inspired Artists and Obsessive Art Fiends Who Taught Me How to See by Bianca Bosker: In Get the Picture, Bosker throws herself into the nerve center of art and the people who live for it: gallerists, collectors, curators, and, of course, artists themselves—the kind who work multiple jobs to afford their studios while scrabbling to get eyes on their art. As she stretches canvases until her fingers blister; talks her way into A-list parties full of billionaire collectors; has her face sat on by a nearly naked performance artist; and forces herself to stare at a single sculpture for hours on end while working as a museum security guard, she discovers not only the inner workings of the art-canonization machine but a more expansive way of living.
WHY I WANT TO READ THIS: I know very little about the art world, so I’m eager to learn more from what sounds like a fun and enthralling book.
FEBRUARY 6 | Greta & Valdin by Rebecca K. Reilly: Sharp, hilarious, and with an undeniable emotional momentum that builds to an exuberant conclusion, Greta & Valdin careens us through the siblings’ misadventures and the messy dramas of their sprawling, eccentric Maaori-Russian-Catalonian family. An acclaimed bestseller in New Zealand, Greta & Valdin is fresh, joyful, and alive with the possibility of love in its many mystifying forms.
WHY I WANT TO READ THIS: Goodreads says this book is for fans of “Schitt’s Creek and Sally Rooney’s Normal People.” Sold!
FEBRUARY 6 | Ordinary Human Failings by Megan Nolan: When a 10-year-old child is suspected of a violent crime, her family must face the truth about their past in this haunting, propulsive, psychologically keen story about class, trauma, and family secrets.
WHY I WANT TO READ THIS: Books set in the 1990s and/or London are totally my jam, as the kids say. (Do the kids say that? If you’re a kid, let me know.)
FEBRUARY 20 | Field Notes for the Wilderness: Practices for an Evolving Faith by Sarah Bessey: A nurturing and hopeful collection of practices to help an emerging generation of Christians reconnect to their faith, find inner healing, and build spiritual community—from Glennon Doyle’s “favorite faith writer” and the New York Times bestselling author of Jesus Feminist and editor of A Rhythm of Prayer.
WHY I WANT TO READ THIS: I’ve followed Bessey’s work for many years, from her blogging days to her first book. Her tenderness and thoughtfulness make her a must-read author for me.
FEBRUARY 20 | Splinters: Another Kind of Love Story by Leslie Jamison: From the New York Times bestselling author of The Recovering and The Empathy Exams comes the riveting story of rebuilding a life after the end of a marriage—an exploration of motherhood, art, and new love.
WHY I WANT TO READ THIS: I’m such a Leslie Jamison fangirl. Her writing is consistently beautiful and insightful. I’m certain I’ll love this memoir, so I plan to savor each word.
FEBRUARY 27 | Grief Is For People by Sloane Crosley: Following the death of her closest friend, Sloane Crosley explores multiple kinds of loss in this disarmingly witty and poignant memoir.
WHY I WANT TO READ THIS: Crosley has been one of my go-to authors since her debut essay collection, I Was Told There’d Be Cake, caught my eye at the public library where I used to work. She can be hilarious, so I’m interested to read her take on mourning.
FEBRUARY 27 | Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange: The eagerly awaited follow-up to Pulitzer Prize-finalist Tommy Orange’s breakout bestseller There There, Wandering Stars traces the legacies of the Sand Creek Massacre of 1864 and the Carlisle Indian Industrial School through to the shattering aftermath of Orvil Red Feather’s shooting in There There.
WHY I WANT TO READ THIS: I’m reading There There right now, and am blown away so far by the excellent storytelling. I’m thankful I won’t have to wait long for more work from Orange.
March
MARCH 5 | Anita de Monte Laughs Last by Xóchitl González: 1985. Anita de Monte, a rising star in the art world, is found dead in New York City; her tragic death is the talk of the town. Until it isn’t. By 1998 Anita’s name has been all but forgotten―certainly by the time Raquel, a third-year art history student is preparing her final thesis. On College Hill, surrounded by privileged students whose futures are already paved out for them, Raquel feels like an outsider. Students of color, like her, are the minority there, and the pressure to work twice as hard for the same opportunities is no secret. But when Raquel becomes romantically involved with a well-connected older art student, she finds herself unexpectedly rising up the social ranks. As she attempts to straddle both worlds, she stumbles upon Anita’s story, raising questions about the dynamics of her own relationship, which eerily mirrors that of the forgotten artist.
WHY I WANT TO READ THIS: Art, New York, and a tragic death? Those three ingredients sound like they’ll make for an engrossing read.
MARCH 5 | But the Girl by Jessica Zhan Mei Yu: Girl was born on the very day her parents and grandmother immigrated from Malaysia to Australia. The story goes that her mother held on tight to her pelvic muscles in an effort to gift her the privilege of an Australian passport. But it's hard to be the embodiment of all your family's hopes and dreams, especially in a country that's hostile to your very existence. When Girl receives a scholarship to travel to the UK, she is finally free for the first time. In London and then Scotland she is meant to be working on a PhD on Sylvia Plath and writing a postcolonial novel. But Girl can't stop thinking about her upbringing and the stories of the people who raised her. How can she reconcile their expectations with her reality? Did Sylvia Plath have this problem? What even is a 'postcolonial novel'? And what if the story of becoming yourself is not about carving out a new identity, but learning to understand the people who made you who you are?
WHY I WANT TO READ THIS: I adore stories about writers and academics, and I’m always looking for books set outside the US. This one sounds fantastic.
MARCH 5 | The Extinction of Irena Rey by Jennifer Croft: Eight translators arrive at a house in a primeval Polish forest on the border of Belarus. It belongs to the world-renowned author Irena Rey, and they are there to translate her magnum opus, Gray Eminence. But within days of their arrival, Irena disappears without a trace.
The translators, who hail from eight different countries but share the same reverence for their beloved author, begin to investigate where she may have gone while proceeding with work on her masterpiece. They explore this ancient wooded refuge with its intoxicating slime molds and lichens and study her exotic belongings and layered texts for clues. But doing so reveals secrets-and deceptions-of Irena Rey's that they are utterly unprepared for. Forced to face their differences as they grow increasingly paranoid in this fever dream of isolation and obsession, soon the translators are tangled up in a web of rivalries and desire, threatening not only their work but the fate of their beloved author herself.
WHY I WANT TO READ THIS: I’m reading more books in translation this year, and the translation process fascinates me. This story sounds incredibly exciting, and I welcome the lush setting.
MARCH 5 | Help Wanted by Adelle Waldman: At a big-box store in a small town in upstate New York, the members of Team Movement clock in every morning at 3:55. Under the eye of a self-absorbed and barely competent boss, they empty the day’s truck of merchandise, stock the shelves, and scatter before customers arrive. When a golden opportunity for a promotion presents itself, the diverse members of Movement―among them a comedy-obsessed oddball who acts half his age, a young woman clinging to her “cool kid” status from high school, a college football hopeful trying to find a new path―band together and set a just-so-crazy-it-might-work plot into motion. A darkly comic workplace caper that explores the aches and uses of solidarity, Help Wanted is a deeply human portrait of people trying, against increasingly long odds, to make a living.
WHY I WANT TO READ THIS: Help Wanted sounds like the book version of Superstore, a TV comedy I loved.
MARCH 5 | The Hunter by Tana French: It’s a blazing summer when two men arrive in a small village in the West of Ireland. One of them is coming home. Both of them are coming to get rich. One of them is coming to die.
WHY I WANT TO READ THIS: Tana French is an auto-buy author for me. I just love her so much, you guys.
MARCH 12 | Great Expectations by Vinson Cunningham: A historic presidential campaign changes the trajectory of a young Black man’s life in the highly anticipated debut novel from one of The New Yorker’s rising stars.
WHY I WANT TO READ THIS: Presidential history fascinates me. Cunningham was a former Obama staffer, so I expect some interesting behind-the-scenes insight in this debut novel.
MARCH 12 | Reading Genesis by Marilynne Robinson: One of our greatest novelists and thinkers presents a radiant, thrilling interpretation of the book of Genesis.
WHY I WANT TO READ THIS: Genesis is one of my favorite books of the Bible to read because so much happens in it. After reading and loving Gilead, I trust Robinson to have great wisdom to share about faith. I need this book ASAP.
MARCH 12 | You Get What You Pay For: Essays by Morgan Parker: The award-winning author of Magical Negro traces the trauma and beauty of existing as a Black woman back through American history, from the foundational trauma of the slave trade all the way up to Serena Williams and the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
WHY I WANT TO READ THIS: Parker is an accomplished poet, so I know this collection will be full of well-written, eye-opening essays.
MARCH 19 | Bad Animals by Sarah Braunstein: Now that her brilliant daughter is off at college, buttoned-up Maeve Cosgrove loves her job at her quiet Maine public library more than anything. But when a teenager accuses Maeve―Maeve!―of spying on her romantic escapades in the mezzanine bathroom, she winds up laid off and humiliated. While Maeve attempts to clear her name, her favorite author, Harrison Riddles, finally responds to her invitation to speak at the library. Riddles announces a plan to write a novel about another young library patron, a Sudanese refugee, and enlists Maeve’s help in convincing him to participate. A scheme to get her job back draws Maeve further into Riddles’s universe―where shocking questions about sex, morality, and the purpose of literature threaten to upend her orderly life.
WHY I WANT TO READ THIS: A book about a librarian and the purpose of literature? I WANT TO DEVOUR THIS BOOK IMMEDIATELY.
April
APRIL 2 | A Different Sound: Stories by Mid-Century Women Writers edited by Elizabeth Bowen: Elegant, timeless, and an exciting anthology of short stories by mid-century women writers from Britain and Ireland—many being published in America for the first time.
WHY I WANT TO READ THIS: I love short fiction, Irish and British literature, and when women tell their stories. Also, this cover is pretty, and I want it on my bookshelf.
APRIL 2 | We Loved It All: A Memory of Life by Lydia Millet: A personal evocation of the glory of nature, our vexed position in the animal kingdom, and the difficulty of adoring what we destroy. Acclaimed novelist Lydia Millet’s first work of nonfiction, We Loved It All, is a genre-defying tour de force that makes an impassioned argument for people to see their emotional and spiritual lives as infinitely dependent on the lives of nonhuman beings.
WHY I WANT TO READ THIS: I’m the most indoorsy person you’ll probably ever meet, so this book is a departure from what I normally read. I loved Millet’s novel Dinosaurs, though, so I’m intrigued by her nonfiction.
APRIL 9 | The Sleepwalkers by Scarlett Thomas: From “one of the UK’s most interesting authors” (Kirkus Reviews), Patricia Highsmith meets White Lotus in this surprising and suspenseful modern gothic story following a couple running from both secretive pasts and very present dangers while honeymooning on a Greek island.
WHY I WANT TO READ THIS: I love thrillers with a gothic feel and stories about messy marriages.
APRIL 9 | Somehow: Thoughts on Love by Anne Lamott: In Thoughts on Love, Lamott explores the transformative power that love has in our lives: how it surprises us, forces us to confront uncomfortable truths, reminds us of our humanity, and guides us forward.
WHY I WANT TO READ THIS: Lamott is one of my most-read authors. I trust she’ll offer readers a great deal of wisdom in this new work.
APRIL 23 | Funny Story by Emily Henry: Daphne always loved the way her fiancé Peter told their story. How they met (on a blustery day), fell in love (over an errant hat), and moved back to his lakeside hometown to begin their life together. He really was good at telling it…right up until the moment he realized he was actually in love with his childhood best friend Petra. Which is how Daphne begins her new story: Stranded in beautiful Waning Bay, Michigan, without friends or family but with a dream job as a children’s librarian (that barely pays the bills), and proposing to be roommates with the only person who could possibly understand her predicament: Petra’s ex, Miles Nowak.
WHY I WANT TO READ THIS: I can always count on Emily Henry to deliver a well-written, lighthearted, and enjoyable romantic comedy.
May
MAY 7 | Bite by Bite: Nourishments and Jamborees by Aimee Nezhukumatathil: In Bite by Bite, poet and essayist Aimee Nezhukumatathil explores the way food and drink evokes our associations and remembrances – a subtext or layering, a flavor tinged with joy, shame, exuberance, grief, desire, or nostalgia.
WHY I WANT TO READ THIS: I love food and when poets write prose, so I have high expectations for what sounds like a captivating book.
MAY 7 | First Love: Essays on Friendship by Lily Dancyger: A bold, poignant essay collection that treats women’s friendships as the love stories they truly are, from the critically acclaimed author of Negative Space.
WHY I WANT TO READ THIS: I write and think about friendship often. It’s exciting to see an author take female friendship seriously and thoughtfully.
The Rest of 2024
JUNE 11 | The God of the Woods by Liz Moore: From the New York Times bestselling author of Long Bright River, an immersive, propulsive novel about a missing child whose disappearance sends equal shockwaves through three very different worlds—an opulent Adirondack summer estate, the rustic teen summer camp that operates in its shadow, and the blue-collar community that serves them both.
WHY I WANT TO READ THIS: I love seasonal reads, and this one sounds like a good, atmospheric choice for the start of summer.
JULY 9 | The Coin by Yasmin Zaher: The Coin follows a Palestinian woman as she pursues a dream that generations of her family have failed to live and thrive in America. She teaches at a school for underprivileged boys in New York, where her eccentric methods cross conventional boundaries. She befriends a homeless swindler and the two participate in a pyramid scheme reselling Birkin bags, the value of which "increases, year by year, regardless of poverty, of war, of famine." The juxtaposition of luxury and the abject engulfs her as she is able to con her way to bag after bag, preoccupied by the suffering she knows of the world.
WHY I WANT TO READ THIS: Stories about characters getting in over their heads are always absorbing.
JULY 16 | Banal Nightmare by Halle Butler: Margaret Anne (“Moddie”) Yance had just returned to her native land in the Midwestern town of X, to mingle with the friends of her youth, to get back in touch with her roots, and to recover from a stressful decade of living in the city in a small apartment with a man she now believed to be a megalomaniac or perhaps a covert narcissist. So begins Halle Butler's sadistically precise and hilarious Banal Nightmare, which follows Moddie as she abruptly ends her long-term relationship and moves back to her Midwestern hometown, throwing herself at the mercy of her old friends as they, all suddenly tipping toward middle age, go to parties, size each other up, obsess over past slights, and dream of wild triumphs and elaborate revenge fantasies.
WHY I WANT TO READ THIS: I quite liked Butler’s The New Me, so I’m eager to explore more of her work and get reacquainted with her unique voice.
JULY 23 | The Faculty Lounge by Jennifer Mathieu: With its ensemble of warm and unforgettable characters, The Faculty Lounge shows readers a different side of school life. It all starts when an elderly substitute teacher at Baldwin High School is found dead in the faculty lounge. After a bit of a stir, life quickly returns to normal—it’s not like it’s the worst (or even most interesting) thing that has happened within the building’s walls. But when, a week later, the spontaneous scattering of his ashes on the school grounds catches the attention of some busybody parents, it sets in motion a year that can only be described as wild, bizarre, tragic, mundane, beautiful, and humorous all at once.
WHY I WANT TO READ THIS: I’ve worked in education for about 12 years and always look forward to entertaining books in an academic setting.
Which titles on this list are you anticipating? What titles not on this list are you excited about? I welcome your thoughts!
Ah, thank you THANK YOU for this list! Saving so I can come back to this all year
This is so good. I loved it all. I think I broke my good reads account. I will read anything that resembles Schitt’s Creek, but Greta and Valdovinos says it was released in 2021. Am I missing something?