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January 2023 | New Book Releases

In New in 2023 by AsterLeave a Comment

Are you looking for something new to read in 2023? Here are ten new books being released in January 2023 to consider reading or adding to your book list. Hopefully one of the books below grabs your attention and becomes your next read. Let's all read something new this January!

The Death I Gave Him

By: Em X. Liu

Release Date | January 1

Genre | Science Fiction

The Death I Gave Him is a Hamlet retelling with a sci-fi twist. Scientist Hayden Lichfield has had a breakthrough in his pursuit for immortality, something which should have been celebrated. Then Hayden finds his father murdered and he, the prime suspect. As he flees with the research in hand, his uncle locks down the laboratories and the only ally Hayden has inside is the AI, Horatio...
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Sam

By: Allegra Goodman

Release Date | January 3

Genre | Fiction

Sam is a coming-of-age novel about a girl named Sam. A girl who adores her mainly absent father, a girl whose mother struggles to provide and is always reminding Sam her life should have been different, and a girl who doesn't fit in with the other girls at school. She prefers climbing over blue jeans and the pain that comes with purpose over silent compliance. As she grows, Sam struggles with self-doubt and insecurity. She craves for her climbing instructor to notice her and when he does, she doesn't know how to resist. Now that she's older, she wishes her father would leave for good and when he does, she is lost. She fights against her mothers' attempt at a secure future. Sam is Sam's journey of growth, womanhood, and all the layers between.

Sleep No More

By: Jayne Ann Krentz

Release Date | January 3

Genre | Paranormal

Pallas, Talia, and Amelia are hosts of Lost Night Files, a podcast dedicated to investigating cold cases with the underlying hope they'll connect with others that have a similar experience to theirs. Seven months prior, they were strangers but after a fateful stay at Lucent Spring Hotel which despite an earthquake and a fire partially destroying the hotel, they retain no memories of - only heightened psychic abilities. When they receive a tip regarding an abandoned asylum, Pallas travels to California to investigate, immediately feeling a dark energy inside. After rushing out to escape, she is stopped by a mysterious figure who turns out to be the anonymous tipper.

Ambrose Drake is certain he has witnessed a murder. But there is no body and those around him chalk up his statement to be a sleep deprived delusion. Ambrose cannot agree with them, he is positive something happened at the Carnelian Sleep Institute during the night of his stay and Pallas is his only hope for answers. It is soon revealed that Ambrose also has a night he cannot remember and that it could be linked to Pallas's missing memories.  Together and under the guise of the podcast, they will investigate the energy and hopefully figure out their missing memories. Most of the townsfolk are eager to share what they know but someone isn't happy with their questions; someone willing to keep them and the truth quiet.

The Stranded

By: Sarah Daniels

Release Date | January 3

Genre | Young Adult

Welcome to Arcadia: An old luxury ship currently being used as a refugee camp for those who survived the apocalyptic war. Forty years have passed since, forty years those aboard have been prohibited from docking. On a ship filled with the extremes of have and have nots, Esther craves to live a normal life on land. She is a loyal citizen desperately working towards her goal as a Medic unlike Nik, the rebel who is planning something unforgettable to free those on the Arcadia. When their paths cross, their lives and all those aboard will change forever.

They're Watching You

By: Chelsea Ichaso

Release Date | January 11

Genre | Young Adult

It's been two weeks since her roommate disappeared. The police, her parents, and even the headmistress at Torrey-Wells Academy have deemed her disappearance a runaway but Maren knows Polly wouldn't leave like that. Polly was keeping a secret, one to do with the ultra rich crowd at Torrey-Wells, a secret she was about to share with Maren before she disappeared.

Then Maren finds an invitation to the Gamemaster's Society hidden in Polly's things: Do Not Tell Anyone printed on the letter. Maren is certain those in the society know what happened to Polly and to find out the truth, she is going to have to join them. A society where members compete in high-stake games for unimaginable rewards: Connection, privilege, and for Maren - clues to Polly's whereabouts. And as Maren continues to win, she begins to see how powerful the Society is and that the games she's playing are leading her to something bigger and deadlier then she could have imagined. They control. They see. And they kill.

How to Sell a Haunted House

By: Grady Hendrix

Release Date | January 17

Genre | Horror

How to Sell a Haunted House has been on my radar for the past one, maybe even two years. Its publication date has been pushed back so many times and I swear it was meant to release sometime in 2020. It doesn't matter anymore as its release is finally confirmed for this January and I am hoping the wait has been worth it!

From author of The Final Girl Support Group comes a new horror-filled story about a house and sibling grief. At the tail end of COVID, Louise and Mark's parents pass and nothing can prepare either of them for what is to come. As estranged and vastly different siblings, they share one thing in common: Empty bank accounts with one asset left to help them recover from the virus. They need the house on the market ASAP but before their parents died, they covered the windows and mirrors and nailed the attic door shut.

Sometimes we are attached to the strings our parents and genetics control. The past can sometime be one of safety, love, and learning. It can also sometimes bind, trap, and suffocate. Louise and Mark will have to learn that to free themselves from the past, and sometimes a haunted house, they must burn it to the ground.

One Last Shot: The Story of Wartime Photographer Gerda Taro

By: Kip Wilson

Release Date | January 17

Genre | Historical Fiction

Gerta Pohorylle, daughter of Polish immigrants, possessed a passion for capturing the truth and was the first woman photojournalist ever killed in combat. At a young age, Gerta never felt she fit in with her German classmates but found herself at boarding school where she developed a strong character with strong opinions; a character that led to her first arrest as an activist distributing anti-Nazi propaganda. After, she moves to France for her safety and it is here where she meets André Friedman.

Friedman is a Hungarian photographer who fosters her love for photography and together, they reinvent themselves as photojournalists under the names Robert Capa and Gerda Taro. Success is found by travelling to areas with military conflict and selling their photographs for a high price. Gerda begins to travel alone, eventually ending up in Spain photographing the growing conflict within its borders. As Gerda pushes to capture the perfect photograph encapsulating the vibrancy and hope of the republic forces, her drive will begin to overshadow her concern for her own safety.

This is Not a Personal Statement

By: Tracy Badua

Release Date | January 17

Genre | Young Adult

As the youngest graduate at her hyper competitive high school, Perla Perez knows that the hours, effort, and dedication she put into succeeding will be worth it when she gets into her and her parent's dream college, Delmont University. Then she's rejected. All her work, her plans, and her future - shattered.

In a blind panic to continue life the way she planned, she forges her acceptance letter and is soon heading to Delmont. Her plan? Infiltrate and obtain information to buff up her application and reapply in the spring - all before she's caught of course. As her guilty conscience grows and university police loom closer, Perla must ask herself if what she's doing is worth it and if the dream she's worked for her whole life is actually what she wants.

Live Your Best Lie

By: Jessie Weaver

Release Date | January 24

Genre | Mystery

High schooler Summer Cartwright leads a "perfectly imperfect" life, one she curates and presents to her millions of followers on Instagram. She has the coolest friends, a new book deal, fashionable clothing, and until recently, the hottest boyfriend at school. She is living her best life.

And then Summer disappears at her own annual Halloween party and an ominous post soon appears on her feed stating she will die in the next five minutes. Those closest to her know the post isn't a stunt and that something is truly wrong. When their search stumbles upon her lifeless body, each one must face the truth that Summer was murdered and that nothing can hide the lies they tell themselves.

Dream to Me

By: Megan Paasch

Release Date | January 31

Genre | Fantasy

Like most teenagers, Eva Sylvan didn't anticipate moving cross-country with her sister to a recently inherited and derelict estate nor did she anticipate the sudden death of her father. Eva wanted none of this and when the mention of her last name causes hostility with the locals, she is certain not much can go worse. That is until she dreams about a gas station employee who, next day is in a coma. Then it happens again.

Something sinister is hiding in Eva's dreams, something that is dropping people left and right in her waking world, and she is caught in the thick of it. To defeat the evil, Eva must unearth what is tied to her family history and embrace her father's death. Only she can save the town from the darkness within her dreams - if it truly is in her dreams at all.

From this list, what are you most eager to read in January? 

The Stranded, One Last Shot: The Story of Wartime Photographer Gerda Taro, and Dream to Me are high up on my own to-read list and I hope you join me in reading them and for this 2023 year of reading!

The pinterest image for January 2023 book releases. It is a 500 x 750 image with a blue background and a large purple banner on the bottom. In the banner are the words "January 2023 and Book Releases." Separating the phrase is a black line. Above the banner are six book images separated with three on top and three on the bottom. Above that in capitals is the website title "astersbookhour.com"

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