Happy 2016, everyone! I’ve complied a list of a few books that I’m excited to read this year. I hope I can eventually get to all of them. The books are from a variety of genres/sub-genres, including literary fiction, young adult contemporary, psychological thriller, urban fantasy, women’s fiction, young adult historical, and erotica.
✪ = I read and recommend it!
MY LAST CONTINENT by Midge Raymond
This is a late addition to my “Most Anticipated” list! I just came across and the synopsis completely enthralled me! Check it out!
An unforgettable debut with an irresistible love story, My Last Continent is a big-hearted, propulsive novel set against the dramatic Antarctic landscape—“original and entirely authentic love story” (Graeme Simsion, author of The Rosie Project).
It is only at the end of the world—among the glacial mountains, cleaving icebergs, and frigid waters of Antarctica—where Deb Gardner and Keller Sullivan feel at home. For the few blissful weeks they spend each year studying the habits of emperor and Adélie penguins, Deb and Keller can escape the frustrations and sorrows of their separate lives and find solace in their work and in each other. But Antarctica, like their fleeting romance, is tenuous, imperiled by the world to the north.
A new travel and research season has just begun, and Deb and Keller are ready to play tour guide to the passengers on the small expedition ship that ferries them to their research destination. But this year, Keller fails to appear on board. Then, shortly into the journey, Deb’s ship receives an emergency signal from the Australis, a cruise liner that has hit desperate trouble in the ice-choked waters of the Southern Ocean. Soon Deb’s role will change from researcher to rescuer; among the crew of that sinking ship, Deb learns, is Keller.
As Deb and Keller’s troubled histories collide with this catastrophic present, Midge Raymond’s phenomenal novel takes us on a voyage deep into the wonders of the Antarctic and the mysteries of the human heart. My Last Continent is packed with emotional intelligence and high stakes—a harrowing, searching novel of love and loss in one of the most remote places on earth, a land of harsh beauty where even the smallest missteps have tragic consequences—“Half adventure, half elegy, and wholly recommended” (Karen Joy Fowler, author of We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves).
Release Date: June 16, 2016
Amazon: US • UK • CAN | iBooks | GR
Read my Review
WHY WE CAME TO THE CITY by Kristopher Jansma
I thought this sounded so good! I’ve been on the lookout for a really well-written character-driven novel and this one appears to fit the bill. Have any of you read anything by Kristopher Jansma?
A sweeping, funny, and poignant novel about a tight-knit group of twentysomethings in New York whose lives are forever altered by an unexpected tragedy—from the beloved and widely acclaimed author ofThe Unchangeable Spots of Leopards
As Kristopher Jansma’s absorbing new novel opens, five friends are making their way through heavy snowfall to gather at the lavish holiday party of the art gallery where Irene, the most enigmatic of the bunch, works as an assistant. It’s 2008, five years after the group graduated from college together: Sara Sherman, a blog editor and social butterfly; George Murphy, her caring, if troubled, astronomer boyfriend; Jacob Blaumann, a poet manqué and their loudmouth third wheel; William Cho, an awkward but well-meaning investment banker; and Irene Richmond, a visionary artist in her own right. But this party marks a more momentous evening than any of them realize. Irene will first notice a curious lump under her eye. William will fall desperately in love with her. And George will, at long last, ask Sara to marry him.
We follow this cast of rich, warmly drawn characters as they scrape by chasing their dreams in Great Recession New York, still a challenge in their late twenties, after other acquaintances have dropped like flies and they must cling tighter to one another for support. Their greatest test yet is about to arrive, when Irene confesses that a biopsy of her lump revealed it to be a malignant bone tumor. Over the next year, she undergoes difficult rounds of treatment and the group struggles to carry on together as her illness threatens to tear them irreparably apart. A powerful and transfixing follow-up to Jansma’s celebrated debut, Why We Came to the City paints a portrait of a generation and tells an unforgettable story of hope, love, and friendship.
Release Date: February 16, 2016
Amazon: US • UK • CAN | iBooks | GR
Read my Review
FEVERBORN by Karen Marie Moning
I love Mac and Barrons and I will take every piece of them and the other characters in this world that Moning chooses to share. So excited for this one!! Bring on Jada!
When the immortal race of the Fae destroyed the ancient wall dividing the worlds of Man and Faery, the very fabric of the universe was damaged and now Earth is vanishing bit by bit. Only the long-lost Song of Making—a haunting, dangerous melody that is the source of all life itself—can save the planet.
But those who seek the mythic Song—Mac, Barrons, Ryodan and Jada—must contend with old wounds and new enemies, passions that burn hot and hunger for vengeance that runs deep. The challenges are many: The Keltar at war with nine immortals who’ve secretly ruled Dublin for eons, Mac and Jada hunted by the masses, the Seelie queen nowhere to be found, and the most powerful Unseelie prince in all creation determined to rule both Fae and Man. Now the task of solving the ancient riddle of the Song of Making falls to a band of deadly warriors divided among—and within—themselves.
Once a normal city possessing a touch of ancient magic, Dublin is now a treacherously magical city with only a touch of normal. And in those war-torn streets, Mac will come face to face with her most savage enemy yet: herself.
Release Date: January 19, 2016
Amazon: US • UK • CAN | iBooks | GR
WHISPER TO ME by Nick Lake ✪
I like stories seeped in sadness. The first line of the synopsis hooked me, “Cassie is writing a letter to the boy whose heart she broke.” Many have been in her position, sad and broken-hearted. I look forward to reading this one so much!
Edit: I finished this one and LOVED it. Read my Review
A remarkable story of strange beauty and self-discovery from Printz Award winner Nick Lake.
Cassie is writing a letter to the boy whose heart she broke. She’s trying to explain why. Why she pushed him away. Why her father got so angry when he saw them together. Why she disappears some nights. Why she won’t let herself remember what happened that long-ago night on the boardwalk. Why she fell apart so completely.
Desperate for his forgiveness, she’s telling the whole story of the summer she nearly lost herself. She’s hoping he’ll understand as well as she now does how love—love for your family, love for that person who makes your heart beat faster, and love for yourself—can save you after all.
Release Date: May 3, 2016
Amazon: US • UK • CAN | GR
Read my Review
I LET YOU GO by Clare Mackintosh ✪
Edit 4/2/2016: I JUST FINISHED this book and oh my goodness you need to read it too! There are a few twists and turns, one of which turns everything you thought you knew topsy-turvy. Add it to your TBR & preorder a copy!
Edit 7/9/2016: Read My Review
This book got on my radar because I read Daisy Chain Book Reviews’s review (Read it Here) of it last year. This book was first published in the UK last year. Daisy said this book was ‘so clever and it surprised me time and time again.’ Considering she reads A LOT of thrillers, her review caught my attention, and I’ve always remembered it.
The next blockbuster thriller for those who loved The Girl on the Train and Gone Girl...a novel with “an astonishing intensity that drags you in and never—ever—lets you go.” (Daily Mail, UK)
On a rainy afternoon, a mother’s life is shattered as her son slips from her grip and runs into the street . . .
I Let You Go follows Jenna Gray as she moves to a ramshackle cottage on the remote Welsh coast, trying to escape the memory of the car accident that plays again and again in her mind and desperate to heal from the loss of her child and the rest of her painful past.At the same time, the novel tracks the pair of Bristol police investigators trying to get to the bottom of this hit-and-run. As they chase down one hopeless lead after another, they find themselves as drawn to each other as they are to the frustrating, twist-filled case before them. Elizabeth Haynes, author of Into the Darkest Corner, says, “I read I Let You Go in two sittings; it made me cry (at least twice), made me gasp out loud (once), and above all made me wish I’d written it . . . a stellar achievement.”
Release Date: May 3, 2016
Amazon: US • UK • CAN | iBooks | GR
Read my Review
BEAUTIFUL BOSS by Christina Lauren
This book was announced while I was at the Romantic Times (RT) Book Convention last May. I just so happened to be listening in on a panel with Alice Clayton, Emma Chase, and Christina Lauren. When I heard we were getting more Hanna and Will, I think I may have jumped up and down in Christina and Lauren’s presence. I am not ashamed of my genuine excitement. Because this is exciting, man!
Edit: Read my Review
The ninth work in the New York Times and #1 internationally bestselling series that started with Beautiful Bastard. In this e-novella, Will Sumner and Hanna Bergstrom (from Beautiful Player) find that a wedding and everlasting love were just the beginning.
One Player tamed. One nerd girl satisfied. And one more major life decision to make. When Will fell for Hanna, her quirky sense of humor and fierce dedication to her career were part of the attraction. (Not to mention her coy newbie attitude toward sex and her willingness to let him teach her everything.) But when the job offers start rolling in for her—and oh, they do—Hanna has trouble deciding what she wants, where they should live, and how much she should burden Will with the decision. Magic between the sheets is only one part of a relationship…getting on the same page is quite another altogether.
Release Date: February 29, 2016
Amazon: US • UK • CAN | iBooks | GR
Read my Review
SALT TO THE SEA by Ruth Sepetys ✪
I have yet to read anything by Ruth Septys, but I got an early copy of this from the publisher along with a letter. After reading the synopsis and the letter, I was completely on board with this book. The story is about three WWII refugees fighting for survival. I’ve heard from so many that Septys’s writing is gorgeous!
Edit: Read my Review (first 5-star of 2016!)
The author of Between Shades of Gray returns to WWII in this epic novel that shines a light on one of the war’s most devastating—yet unknown—tragedies.
In 1945, World War II is drawing to a close in East Prussia, and thousands of refugees are on a desperate trek toward freedom, almost all of them with something to hide. Among them are Joana, Emilia, and Florian, whose paths converge en route to the ship that promises salvation, the Wilhelm Gustloff. Forced by circumstance to unite, the three find their strength, courage, and trust in each other tested with each step closer toward safety.
Just when it seems freedom is within their grasp, tragedy strikes. Not country, nor culture, nor status matter as all ten thousand people aboard must fight for the same thing: survival.
Told in alternating points of view, and perfect for fans of Anthony Doerr’s Pulitzer Prize-winning All the Light We Cannot See, Erik Larson’s critically acclaimed #1 New York Times bestseller Dead Wake, and Elizabeth Wein’s Printz Honor Book Code Name Verity, this masterful work of historical fiction is inspired by the real-life tragedy that was the sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff–the greatest maritime disaster in history. As she did in Between Shades of Gray, Ruta Sepetys unearths a shockingly little-known casualty of a gruesome war, and proves that humanity can prevail, even in the darkest of hours.
Release Date: February 2, 2016
Amazon: US • UK • CAN | iBooks | GR
Read my Review
I’M THINKING OF ENDING THINGS by Iain Reid ✪
This book is not what I typically read. But holy crap, read the synopsis. Doesn’t that just suck you in? I’m already creeped out just from reading it.
Edit 03/23/2016: I finished this book over the weekend. I was so unsettled and creeped out the whole time I read this book. If you’re a fan of psychological thrillers, then you NEED to read this book!
Edit: Read my Review!!
You will be scared. But you won’t know why…
I’m thinking of ending things. Once this thought arrives, it stays. It sticks. It lingers. It’s always there. Always.
Jake once said, “Sometimes a thought is closer to truth, to reality, than an action. You can say anything, you can do anything, but you can’t fake a thought.”
And here’s what I’m thinking: I don’t want to be here.
In this deeply suspenseful and irresistibly unnerving debut novel, a man and his girlfriend are on their way to a secluded farm. When the two take an unexpected detour, she is left stranded in a deserted high school, wondering if there is any escape at all. What follows is a twisted unraveling that will haunt you long after the last page is turned.
Debut novelist Iain Reid explores the depths of the human psyche, questioning consciousness, free will, the value of relationships, fear, and the limitations of solitude. Reminiscent of Jose Saramago’s early work, Michel Faber’s cult classic Under the Skin, and Lionel Shriver’s We Need to Talk about Kevin, I’m Thinking of Ending Things is an edgy, haunting debut. Tense, gripping, and atmospheric, this novel pulls you in from the very first page…and never lets you go.
Release Date: June 14, 2016
Amazon: US • UK • CAN | iBooks | GR
Read my Review
What We Become by Arturo Pérez-Reverte
Forbidden Love affair in a historical romance? Yes please! This story promises an epic forbidden love affair between a high society woman and an elegant thief, spanning decades. I’m intrigued!
#1 bestselling author and Dagger Award winner Arturo Pérez-Reverte delivers an epic historical tale following the dangerous and passionate love affair between a beautiful high society woman and an elegant thief. A story of romance, adventure, and espionage, this novel solidifies Pérez-Reverte as an international literary giant.En route from Lisbon to Buenos Aires in 1928, Max and Mecha meet aboard a luxurious transatlantic cruise ship. There Max teaches the stunning stranger and her erudite husband to dance the tango. A steamy affair ignites at sea and continues as the seedy decadence of Buenos Aires envelops the secret lovers.
Nice, 1937. Still drawn to one another a decade later, Max and Mecha rekindle their dalliance. In the wake of a perilous mission gone awry, Mecha looks after her charming paramour until a deadly encounter with a Spanish spy forces him to flee.
Sorrento, 1966. Max once again runs into trouble—and Mecha. She offers him temporary shelter from the KGB agents on his trail, but their undeniable attraction offers only a small glimmer of hope that their paths will ever cross again.
Release Date: June 7, 2016
Amazon: US • UK • CAN | iBooks | GR
ONE TRUE LOVES by Taylor Jenkins Reid
I’ve enjoyed all three of Reid’s books I’ve read. Her books always have a way of pulling on your emotions in such a simple way.
Edit: Read my Review
In her twenties, Emma Blair marries her high school sweetheart, Jesse. They build a life for themselves, far away from the expectations of their parents and the people of their hometown in Massachusetts. They travel the world together, living life to the fullest and seizing every opportunity for adventure.On their first wedding anniversary, Jesse is on a helicopter over the Pacific when it goes missing. Just like that, Jesse is gone forever.
Emma quits her job and moves home in an effort to put her life back together. Years later, now in her thirties, Emma runs into an old friend, Sam, and finds herself falling in love again. When Emma and Sam get engaged, it feels like Emma’s second chance at happiness.
That is, until Jesse is found. He’s alive, and he’s been trying all these years to come home to her. With a husband and a fiancé, Emma has to now figure out who she is and what she wants, while trying to protect the ones she loves.
Who is her one true love? What does it mean to love truly?
Emma knows she has to listen to her heart. She’s just not sure what it’s saying.
Release Date: June 7, 2016
Read my Review
Amazon: US • UK • CAN | iBooks | GR
Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo
I freaking LOVED Six of Crows last year and am DYING to get my hands on the follow-up. I need to know what is happening with my favorite group of outcasts pronto! Leigh Bardugo is a masterful storyteller, whose stories are rich in vivid descriptions and great characters.
Kaz Brekker and his crew have just pulled off a heist so daring even they didn’t think they’d survive. But instead of divvying up a fat reward, they’re right back to fighting for their lives. Double-crossed and left crippled by the kidnapping of a valuable team member, the crew is low on resources, allies, and hope. As powerful forces from around the world descend on Ketterdam to root out the secrets of the dangerous drug known as jurda parem, old rivals and new enemies emerge to challenge Kaz’s cunning and test the team’s fragile loyalties. A war will be waged on the city’s dark and twisting streets―a battle for revenge and redemption that will decide the fate of magic in the Grisha world.
Release Date: September 22, 2016
Amazon: US • UK • CAN | iBooks | GR
Read my Review 🙁
