The Door-to-Door Bookstore
By: Carsten Henn
Release Date | July 4
Genre | Fiction
The Door-to-Door Bookstore advertises itself as a novel for those who enjoyed The Midnight Library and A Man Called Ove - oh, so two novels that I deeply enjoyed? Guess The Door-to-Door Bookstore is bound to be a novel I will love! And also to anyone else who enjoy a heartwarming story. All I anticipate from the novel is that - a heartwarming story and I hope The Door-to-Door Bookstore delivers. PS do you also love the book cover?
After closing time, bookseller Carl Christian Kollhoff delivers books to special customers. Customers who are almost like friends and who see Carl as their connection to the world. When he unexpectedly loses his job, it is through the power of books and a surprising friendship with a nine-year-old girl, that they can find the courage to rebuild the bonds between them.
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One of the Boys
By: Jayne Cowie
Release Date | July 11
Genre | Thriller
Two siblings. Both mothers. That is where their similarities end. Antonia had her son tested for the 'violent' M genre. Bea refused. Her son's life should be his own, not dictated by a result. There is one more thing they share, they both would do anything to protect their sons. One of them is hiding a monster. There will be consequences.
I'm not sure where One of the Boys will slot in my reading lists: the beach read category or the heartbreaking thrilling category. I don't have any anticipations for this story and only hope it is a read worth an hour of our time.
The End of August
By: Yū Miri
Release Date | August 1
Genre | Historical Fiction
In 1930s Japanese-occupied Korea, Lee Woo-cheol is a contender for the Tokyo Olympics, but to compete he would have to run under the Japanese flag. Decades later, his granddaughter has begun training for a marathon and conducts a ritual to connect with Lee Woo-cheol, summoning the ghosts of Lee Woo-cheol, his brother Lee Woo-Gun, and their neighbour who was forced into being a comfort woman for Japanese soldiers. She must uncover their stories to free their souls.
The End of August by Yū Miri is a novel that will consume readers. Filled with family heartache, I suspect a tearful read and I am definitely eager to read The End of August when it is released at the beginning of August this year (good timing).
The Last One
By: Will Dean
Release Date | August 8
Genre | Thriller
A new horrifying thriller set at sea, I am up for it!
Boarding the RMS Atlantic is the start of vacation for Caz and her new love, Pete. Together they explore, eat, make friends, and dance their first night away. In the morning, Caz wakes alone. When she walks into the corridor, all the doors are open and to her horror, she soon realises the ship is empty. It is only her aboard. That is only the beginning of her terrifying journey trapped and alone on the RMS Atlantic.
Actually Super
By: Adi Alsaid
Release Date | August 22
Genre | Young Adult
Three years into high school and Isabel is having an existential crisis - her faith in humanity is shaken. That is until she stumbles upon an Internet forum fuelled by firm believers who believe that there are people out there quietly doing acts of heroism - like superheroes - but real, that if Isabel can find would prove to her there is more good than bad in humanity. The day she turns 18, Isabel sets off on a journey. From Japan to Australia, and Argentina to Mexico, Isabel searches for proof. Just one super is all she needs to restore her faith in humanity but, how will she know when - and if - she finds one?
Actually Super sounds actually super. The People We Keep is a novel I adore and Actually Super sounds like like it has similar vibes, making me think I will enjoy this novel. I anticipate a heartwarming journey-based story filled with stories of humanity and those out there who are super.
Dreambound
By: Dan Frey
Release Date | September 12
Genre | Fantasy
Told through multiple mediums, Dreambound follows the disappearance of Byron's twelve-year-old daughter who left behind only a note saying she was off to explore the Hidden World, except the Hidden World is a fictional place from a popular fantasy series. She is not the first child to vanish looking for the Hidden World and Byron - a cynic and reporter - is determined to discover where all the children have disappeared too, including his own.
Securing a coveted interview with the author of the series, Byron heads to the Hollywood Hills for answers but what he learns is more fantastical than believable. It seems the locations from the books are blurring into the real world and to find his daughter, he must put aside his doubts and immerse himself into the magic quickly finding himself on his own journey and if he isn't careful, he could be the next to disappear.
Eeek! Dreambound sounds like a fantastical delight. A quest? An adventure? A parents' determination? What I anticipate in Dreambound is an epic journey where fantasy and reality bleed together and having that blend described beautifully. Oh yes, I am ready for this read.
The Meadows
By: Stephanie Oakes
Release Date | September 12
Genre | Young Adult
The Meadows by Stephanie Oakes is a queer dystopian boarding school novel which ticks all of the boxes of my favourite things to read about and I am stoked for this release. Proper stoked. Plus, the cover is beautiful and I appreciate the anonymity of her face with the purple paint smattered over it. I want The Meadows to be good and supersede my expectations - yes, that is a lot to ask but may as well shoot for the stars!
In a society where teenagers hope for an acceptance letter to attend school - something only the best and brightest get to attend - Eleanor has just received a letter accepting her into Meadows. Admittance not only means she has been chosen to succeed but also as an opportunity to escape her hard life by the sea. The Meadows is luminous with endless sprawling fields and pretty things that wash away the reality of the climate ravaging the outside world, but underneath its bright exterior are secrets; the biggest one being that the Meadows isn't an advanced school but a reformatory, created to remind those that attend there is only one way to live and survive.
Eleanor might've believed them too, if she hadn't met Rose. Four years later Eleanor enters the world as an adjudicator, hired to ensure her former classmates remain faithful to the school's teachings. As secrets unfold, Eleanor must fight for her identity and the truth behind the girl she lost, but if she's not careful, Rose's fate could be her own.
Black River Orchard
By: Chuck Wendig
Release Date | September 26
Genre | Horror
The season is not the only thing changing within the town of Harrow. Rooted in an orchard are seven unusual apple trees, trees who bear apples so red, they almost seem black. A single bite from those apples will cause you to crave another bite. And another. Each bite makes you stronger. More yourself. More vital. More gifted. Your appetite will continue to grow and your peculiar gifts will become darker.
This is what happens when the orchards' secret is discovered. It seems everyone is obsessed with the magical apples and honestly, what's the harm in eating them? Really, if they make them happier, more confident, more powerful - does eating one matter? Buried below the roots of these trees is a bloody history that dates back to the beginning of Harrow. As the season continues to change and the days become shorter, it brings with it the arrival of a stranger. One who knows Harrow's secrets. It is time for harvest and it will soon be time for the town to reap what it sowed.
Black River Orchard is evoking the show, Supernatural, for me. There was a specific episode revolving around a small town with disappearances, an ominous orchard, and sacrifices for a scarecrow. It was an episode I was scared of when younger that clearly had an impact on me and is why I'm intrigued in Black River Orchard. It seems to have a similar spooky premise and that is exciting. This is a bit far-fetched but, I also am getting some vampiric/zombie vibes from the blur, anyone else? Because the skin of the apples sounds like it could be human skin decaying. Just a thought!
Edenville
By: Sam Rebelein
Release Date | October 3
Genre | Horror
In real life, Edenville is Sam Rebelein's debut filled with urban legends, ominous events, and a disturbing history. In Edenville, Campbell P. Marion's debut novel, The Shattered Man, has received disappointing reviews and sales, causing the newly established author to struggle with finding and maintaining inspiration for a follow-up. When Edenville college invites him to be a writer-in-residence, the opportunity cannot be ignored as it finally seems the tide had turned in his favour. Although his girlfriend is apprehensive about the opportunity, Cam accepts the job and together they move to Edenville regardless of her warnings.
There is something wrong with Edenville. Despite the picturesque nature of the sunflowers and elderly women chatting in the street, there is poison below the surface. As a series of strange events begin to occur, Cam and Quinn are swept up into the disturbing history and darkness of the town.
Edenville sounds right up my alley. Urban legends? Disturbing history? Unexplained horror? Sign me up! I hope Edenville elicits goosebumps and brings us another scrumptious spooky town read.
The Roaring Days of Zora Lily
By: Noelle Salazar
Release Date | October 3
Genre | Historical Fiction
2023: A museum curator is preparing part of the 1920s onwards movie costumes exhibit. As she delicately places a piece worn once by Greta Garbo on the mannequin, she discovers another name hidden beneath the designer's label. Who is Zora Lily?
1924: Zora Hugh tirelessly looks after her younger siblings, mending clothes on the side for extra money and at night, she dreams of being a designer like Coco Chanel and Jeanne Lanvin. When Zora's best friend begins working as a dancer in a club, Zora is swept up by her stories of glittering dresses, boys, and music. Enamoured, Zora follows her to the speakeasy slipping quickly into a world of alcohol, dancing, smoke, and an attractive businessman named Harley. This is a world she thought only imaginable and one with connections that could make her dreams come true. It is a world continuously challenged by tragedy and familial duty and Zora will soon learn that dreams come with a cost.
What I hope for in The Roaring Days of Zora Lily is some descriptive imagery of fashion and how it inspired her to become a designer. I want artistry and good story-telling, let's hope this book provides that.
Valley of Refuge
By: John Teschner
Release Date | October 3
Genre | Thriller
The offer for their ancestral land by a tech billionaire could change their lives, but accepting it would mean sacrificing their beliefs and Nalani and her mother are still uncertain if the offer can be trusted. What happens when a man with unlimited wealth is told no?
What would you do if you woke to find yourself en route to a tiny Hawaiian island with no recollection of who you are or how you ended up on a plane. A passport and a locked phone with increasingly alarming texts popping up discussing a situation she may or may not know about are the only clues Janice has to go off. Alone and unsure, Janice must discover who she is, why she is on the island, and ultimately whose side she is on.
John Teschner's thriller, Valley of Refuge, has an action-packed premise that I hope delivers. I don't have any other anticipatory thoughts; I want to read Valley of Refuge and that's that!
The Future
By: Naomi Alderman
Release Date | November 7
Genre | Science Fiction
The future is for the rich. They are where the money is. They are also the ones leading the charge on destroying the earth whilst ensuring their own assets and safety are secure. The future is for those that control - weather, technology, weapons, friends. Five individuals who together, hatch a daring plan and with it, hold the potential to pull off the greatest heist ever. Or, destroy a civilisation. The future is forward. It is progress. It is the reason to desire. The future is here.
What I want from The Future is the implosion of modern-day billionaire standards and the lengths they will go to ensure their continued status. I want manipulation, drama, and the greatest heist of all.
School Spirits
By: Authors Nate & Megan Trinrud ; Illustrator Maria Nguyen
Release Date | November 14
Genre | Horror
Diverging from my long-form suggestions is School Spirits - a young adult graphic novel - which sounds too enticing to ignore. I am one to enjoy graphic novels on occasion and School Spirits is one of those novels I plan to enjoy.
Growing up, high school can feel like eternity. For Maddie Graves, it is. If that wasn't horrifying enough - she's also dead - doomed to roam the halls of her high school uncertain how she ended up on the other side. With Charley showing her the ropes, Maddie must learn to navigate a new group of kids, those like her who had died at the school over the past century.
The catch? They all remember how they died. And the only thing Maddie is certain of is that right before her death, she had been with her boyfriend, Xavier. It's been years since someone has crossed over leaving Maddie to continue searching for answers, hoping that by uncovering the truth behind her murder, she can pass peacefully to the other side but, who killed Maddie?
Here in the Dark
By: Alexis Soloski
Release Date | December 5
Genre | Fiction
Although Here in the Dark is slotted in fiction as its primary genre, I feel it leans more towards primarily being a psychological thriller that treads the line between reality and theatre. What I anticipate from Here in the Dark is a blurred story where we, as the audience, begin to lose faith in the narrator and the truth remaining shrouded in mystery until the very last page. No clue if I am right, that is my guess and even if my suspicions on where the story will go are way off, I am still intrigued in reading Here in the Dark and hope you are too this fall!
Vivian Parry is a former actress, now working in journalism as a junior theatre critic. She spends her nights in the dark, watching the shows she loves and during the day, she cuts them with her words. Her newest interview brought up secrets she thought buried and when the interviewer disappears, Vivian discovers she was the last to see him alive.
The police refuse to investigate and Vivian makes the difficult choice to break her promise, stepping into the role of detective. Her investigative and acting skills lead her to a sketchy business and even sketchier people, fake blood, and a very real corpse. The investigation will begin to test the boundaries between theatre and reality and to solve the case, Vivian must navigate those boundaries before losing herself to them.
The Palaeontologist
By: Luke Dumas
Release Date | December 5
Genre | Horror
Haunted by the disappearance of his six-year-old sister years ago, curator of palaeontology Dr. Simon Nealy, returns to where it happened. Abducted at a museum under his watch, he believes it was his fault she disappeared and has been riddled by guilt since. With a recent-breakup and the death of his guardian aunt, Simon is drawn to where she vanished and the bones that have never been found.
It was not what he expected when he arrived. The museum is a crumbling ruin, closed since the pandemic and permanent closure looks imminent. Worse, Simon's beginning to see and hear unexplainable things. Terrified his return has caused his grip on reality to loosen, he turns to his predecessor's old diaries for help, finding instead a bloody mystery in the making dating back 150 million years. A mystery that could be the ravings of a lunatic. Or one that has something to do with his sister's disappearance.
Oooo - a haunted museum that is evil and an ancient mystery? I am in!
There are so many novels being released in July - December this year that these fifteen barely scrape the surface for what is to come. But these fifteen are releases to be excited about and ones I am stoked to read later this year. I think Actually Super will have me in tears and that all the horror novels are right up my alley being dystopian, nature-oriented, and spooky. I cannot wait to read them all.
What are you eager to read this year?
Let me know below what other releases you are eager for this year as there is no such thing as a too-long reading list!
