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The ŷ Editors Share Their January Book Picks
Here at ŷ World Headquarters, we sort througha lotof books each month. Our monthlyReaders’Most Anticipated Booksfeature is exactly that—selections based on the data about the books that ŷ members are placing on theirWant to Readshelves. Essentially, these are the books that your fellow ŷ regulars are excited about.
Of course, the ŷ editorial staff gets excited about books, too. And we regularly come across new releases that we can’t wait to read—or “won’t shut up about,� to borrow a phrase from the colleagues who sit right next to us.
As to be expected, there are always way more great books each month than we have time to read, so we’re passing our findings along to you, complete with genre tags, our unhinged commentary, and general enthusiasm. Think of this list as our intel on the books you might not be hearing about absolutely everywhere else, from two people who really, really want to help you find a great read.
Kicking off the new year, January brings some fascinating stories featuring Appalachian witchcraft, competitive ice dancing, and sentient blob romance. Bonus pick: a lesbian cyberpunk space heist, Hawaiian style!
Cybil can’t wait to read this book because:Wilkerson’s 2022 debut novel,Black Cake, was instantly beloved by readers, and for good reason! That book was also made into a heartfelt series on Hulu. Now Wilkerson is back with her sophomore novel. Get ready for another story with serious multigenerational sweep about how the past seeps into our futures.
Genre: Fiction/Historical Fiction
Genre: Fiction/Historical Fiction
Cybil can’t wait to read this book because:The final novel from the great American novelist and cultural anthropologist has been sitting in the archivesat the University of Florida, accessible only to scholars. But that changes this month as the sequel to Hurston’s 1939 novel,Moses, Man of the Mountain, arrives in stores. I can’t wait to readHurston’s account ofHerod the Great, a Judaean king who lived during the first century BCE.
Genre: Historical Fiction
Genre: Historical Fiction
Cybil can’t wait to read this book because: Cyberpunk lesbian space heist!! How about this for an intriguing comp: �Ocean’s 8 meets Blade Runner in this trailblazing debut science fiction novel and swashbuckling love letter to Hawai‘i.”I am so ready for thistale of a reformed criminal paroled from an icy prison planet who gets sucked into a scheme for ONE LAST JOB.
Genre:Science Fiction
Genre:Science Fiction
Cybil can’t wait to read this book because:Can a sentient blob be the perfect boyfriend? That is the central question of this intriguing debut novel. And yeah, I know by that description you immediately thought of your one friend’s slackersignificant other—but instead think literary weirdness of your dreams.
Genre: Fantasy/Literary/Weird
Genre: Fantasy/Literary/Weird
Sharon can’t wait to read this book because: Mark my words, we’re seeing a big uptick in Appalachian speculative fiction right now, and I for one am here for it! A witchy stranger with no memories appears amidthe coal mines of Virginia, setting up a clash of industry and nature. I hope this one is strange and eerie and boggy.
Genre:Fantasy/Appalachian Weirdness
Genre:Fantasy/Appalachian Weirdness
Sharon can’t wait to read this book because: I love a novel that sprawls across decades. In Karissa Chen’s fiction debut, teenage sweethearts Haiwen and Suchi are pulled apart by war and chance. The pair reunites briefly in 1966 and then again 40 years later. ThinkPast Lives, but for the septuagenarian crowd.
Genre: Literary Fiction
Genre: Literary Fiction
Sharon can’t wait to read this book because:A 35-year-old NYC theater director is offered the chance to direct a risqué, cross-dressing interpretation of a Shakespeare play in the West Bank. Her grandmother spots the chance to arrange a setup with a handsome young doctor while she’s there, but the joke’s on grandma as the trip soon raises unsettled specters from the family’s past.
Genre: Literary Fiction
Genre: Literary Fiction
Sharon can’t wait to read this book because:Pro tip for book publicists: If you comp a book to Station Elevenin your blurb, the chances of me reading that book increase exponentially! In this literary speculative dystopia, our future world is flooded, and a settlement on the roof of the American Museum of Natural History works to save the collections of human history and science. Noble work, that.
Genre: Dystopia/Literary Thriller
Genre: Dystopia/Literary Thriller
Cybil can’t wait to read this book because: Oh, I am a complete sucker for a cold-weather horror novel. Here, a couple heads out on a quick vacation to escape a past mistake—and an incoming blizzard—only to find themselves in the path of a mysterious creature. Let’s just say this ski trip promises more dangers than black diamonds.
Genre: Horror
Genre: Horror
Cybilcan’t wait to read this book because:I am not a cool girl, but I like to read like one. This debut novel about a young Afghan woman clubbing her way through Berlin is getting serious literary buzz. Plus, the author of my favorite debut novel of last year (Kaveh Akbar,author of Martyr!) is calling this book “A no-bullsh*t, must-read debut.”�
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Cybil can’t wait to read this book because:So, this looks like something completely different� Japanese horror writer and artistUketsu makes aninternational debut with this eerie graphic novel/mystery puzzle/horror tale. Readers join our protaganistin deciphering creepy images left on a blog that may help solve the mystery of a housewife’s disappearance. I’m hoping this is like a super creepy Murdle.
Genre: Horror/Graphic Novel
Genre: Horror/Graphic Novel
Sharon can’t wait to read this book because: The year is 1931 and 18-year-old Shiv Advani has been personally chosen by Mahatma Gandhi to go to England, learn Englishlaws, and return to India to help drive out the British colonizers. Should be straightforward, but empire has a way of getting under your skin. Shiv is about to learn just how hard it is to dismantle the master’s house with the master’s tools.
Genre: Historical Fiction
Genre: Historical Fiction
Sharon can’t wait to read this book because: I’ll confess that every four years, I get totally caught up in the ice dancing portion of the Winter Olympics. Drama! Passion! People with sharp knives strapped to their feet skating incredibly close together! Layne Fargo’s newest, set in the world of competitive ice dancing and purportedly inspired by Wuthering Heights, promises all these things and more.
Genre: Fiction/Romance
Genre: Fiction/Romance
Sharon can’t wait to read this book because: A Jamaican gothic ghost story about a teen girl who becomes a nanny at an extravagant estate named Blackbeard House? Say less! I’m always here forgenre-savvy takes on the good old “scrappy young woman enters a spooky house of secrets”theme.
Genre: Young Adult/Gothic/Horror
Genre: Young Adult/Gothic/Horror
Sharon can’t wait to read this book because: I’m feeling the itch to sink into a beautifully written historical novel this month, and thenewest offering from David Wright Faladé (Black Cloud Rising) seems like just the ticket. Set in Paris in 1947, the book follows a set of young people navigating education, politics, and love in the postwar world.
Genre: Historical Fiction
Genre: Historical Fiction
Which new releases are you looking forward to reading? Let’s talk books in the comments!
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Tate (booktimewithtate)
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Dec 31, 2024 12:54AM
Added Too Soon and Good Girl to my list! I have The Favorites ordered and on it's way to me at the moment. Excited to dive into it.
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The Favorites totally should have been set in the 80s. I frequently see books I would be interested in if they weren't contemporary tbh
The English Problem seems really interesting
ŷ has been putting out some interesting lists lately and I’m loving it! Thank you for bringing more books to my attention!
Put 5 of these books on my want to read list! Look forward to reading these books. Hi!
I'm Mary and I'm from Northern Ireland, U.K.
And I would like new book friends.
I'm on here daily and would like new book friends. I like to read most genres of books 📚
Put back the friends reading challenge!! <3 it was amazing to see their progress!
Currently reading Hammajang Luck bc of it having been an Illumicrate pick and let me tell you, I am obsessed. As somebody with 600+ hours in Cyberpunk 2077, it’s so far what I would hope it would be 🤌🏻🙏🏻
Liudmila wrote: "Hi there! Amazing list indeed! How can an author be featured in your book picks in the first place? I'm new to ŷ and want more people to see my book."Per the first paragraph of this article:
"selections based on the data about the books that ŷ members are placing on their Want to Read shelves. Essentially, these are the books that your fellow ŷ regulars are excited about."
i.e., your book needs to be added to a lot of people's TBR to be featured in a list. You'll have to market elsewhere to drum excitement.
Interestingly diverse selection for January.Many are not for me - but I have found some to add that intrigue me - Good Dirt; Our Winter Monster (I also love winter horror); Strange Pictures (trying to read some more graphic novels this year); The Favorites (have never read ice skating mains); Honeysuckle and Bone
Good Girl and Good Dirt are my picks!
Lara wrote: "Put back the friends reading challenge!! <3 it was amazing to see their progress!"I was wondering what happened to that! I agree, it was one of my favorite features.
I am also not cool and love cool girl books. As always, GREAT list
These recommendations look so good ! I saved a few to my want to read list. Can't wait to check them out ! :)
Mica wrote: "The Favourites looks really good!"It is. I read it in a day....could not put it down.
Currently reading Good Girl by Aria Aber, I'm only 25 pages in and I am so confident that it's going to be a 5/5 :)
