The New Year is coming which does give me a great excuse to do the one thing I love almost as much as reading. Make endless amounts of lists. Starting naturally with all the books I want to read in 2019.
Amazingly enough I narrowed it down to the 10 I’m most super-excited for!
Okay I’m kind of already cheating. The Testaments aren’t as big of a deal for me as some of the others and I never really loved The Handmaid’s Tale but Margaret Atwood writing a sequel to her classic novel is definitely going to be one of the most talked about novels next year. I’m excited to see how it plays out.
Now my actual top 10:
The Winter of the Witch comes out on January 9th and it’s the conclusion to the series that started with The Bear and the Nightingale so I don’t know that much about it. Mainly because I have yet to read the second book. I got to get on that!
Actually coming out a day sooner on January 8th- The Wicked King. What will happen to Carden, Jude and company next? The ending of The Cruel Prince left me intrigued. Though I’m still hoping they don’t get romantic.
One of my rare contemporary favorites Miss Emma Mills has famous in a small town coming out on January 15th. I don’t know a great deal about this but I’ve enjoyed the author so far and I’m thinking this might possibly appear in an Owlcrate next year.
King of Scars drops on January 29th and this is the continuation of Nikolai’s story after the Shadow and Bone series- still need to finish that one to but I really loved his appearance in the second book. I am a little leery about which Six of Crows character is appearing. My first thought was, we know where that’s going. But Bardugo is always enjoyable.
Honor Bound is out on February 19th and is the second book after Honor Among Thieves– which I really enjoyed earlier this year. Though I dislike this cover almost as much as the first one. It’s about a rag tag group of people on a rag tag leviathan who seem to be right smack in the center of some sort of space war conspiracy.
Read the first one! I think it’s pretty underrated.
Daisy Jones & the Six is apparently about a 70’s girl rock band. Like a couple of the books I don’t know a great deal about it. But I love the look of the cover and really after The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo- I’m going to jump on Taylor Jenkins Reid’s follow-up. Behind the scenes and music. So up my alley.
Holy Sister on April 4th Nona’s story comes to its conclusion as my favorite little assassin nun is grown up now and facing her enemies one more time. Yeah, I’m being a little vague but I also need to read the second book. (So behind.) I think this took a name change and I’m not big on the cover either but still counting the days!
After reading and adoring Carry On it was super excited to hear Simon, Baz and friends were going to be back in a wonderfully named sequel. (Love this art!) There’s not a date yet that I could find but it was moved up from 2020 so probably end of year. Still! I’ll take what I can get!
Erin Morgenstern finally has a new book out. (I don’t even want to think about how many years its been since The Night Circus.) A secret library! A secret library! This one drops on November 5th and I will be eagerly lapping it up. Knock on wood.
I love the Robin Hood story and I don’t see a lot of popular retellings (though its possible I’m missing them.) This one is about Maid Marian coming out on March 19th. For some reason I totally love the cover as well. It makes me want to wear green and learn how to shoot a bow and arrow.
So there’s the main books I’m excited about in 2019. I know there are going to be so many I haven’t even heard of yet and I know I still have a lot to catch up on!
I didn’t like season 2 of The Handmaid’s Tale. I wonder what direction the book will go..
Btw I love how most of these books are January releases. You don’t have to wait too long!! 😀
Right? I know what I’ll be doing all January (not that I wouldn’t be doing it anyway!)
Would you recommend The Bear and the Nightingale? If I remember, it’s set in Russia, and I’m not sure why it is, but anything set in Russia or Russian characters just has so much appeal to it, there’s definitely a cosy factor in there.
The Handmaid’s Tale is an important book… but, I don’t know, it was boring! *sighs* I really wanted to like it.
Leigh Bardugo’s new book looks good! I feel like the entire book blogging community trusts her so we’re in good hands. Is the Shadow and Bone trilogy any good? There usually seems to be only 3 star ratings which is putting me off.
I’ve only finished book 2 of the Shadow and Bone trilogy and I definitely don’t love it as much as her other work. I do love Nikolai and a lot of the supporting characters. Unfortunately the main character and her love interest are a snooze for me. From what I understand you can read Prince of Scars without reading the trilogy however. 🙂
There’s a good 90’s? version of the Handmaid’s Tale with Natasha Richardson and Aidan Quinn I remember really liking that but the book… not so much!
I think I might skip the trilogy, if the main character isn’t interesting and nor the love interest (surprising since all three of the relationships in Six of Crows are well-developed and make sense!).
I will have to check out the 90’s version of the Handmaid’s Tale!
I would literally sell my soul to read King of Scars and The Wicked King rn. Hahaha. Can’t wait for those two! 🤗
It’s so close though! No soul selling! Of course then it’s another year til the conclusion of the wicked king but let’s not dwell on that yet 🙂
I need to read the Cruel Prince yet- I might just read it and Wicked King back to back since that one is almost here. Daisy Jones might be really good too- I mean 70’s girl rock band and Taylor Jenkins Reid.
Probably the best way to do it. No waiting!
Lucky you, quite a few of those come out soon in January!
Pretty much sums up January great reading and catching up on all the movies I missed!
I can’t wait for Wicked King too!!!! And Sherwood looks awesome <3 I love Robin Hood stories and I think a Maid Marian story would be awesome (and it makes me want to dress in green and learn how to shoot too <3 )
I’d likely be a disaster with the aim but hopefully the book will be a blast!
Margaret Atwood me too!
Famous in a small town has such a nice cover. I’m interested. Don’t know what it’s about, but still 😀
Famous in a Small Town apparently has country stars, revenge plots and an ice cream shop called Yum Yums that and Emma Mills and I’m in!
I’m excited for lots of these! I’ve just finished an ARC of The Winter of the Witch and it was a brilliant ending to the trilogy 😊
Yeah! I still need to read Girl in the Tower I keep meaning to and then picking up something else!
This is a wonderful list! I’ve not read The Bear and the Nightingale yet- but I have Winter of the Witch to read. 😂 That’s one of my plans for over the holidays and book two also. I also can’t wait to read Daisy Jones! Hope we both love it!
Bear and the Nightingale is a good one to read this time of year! Nice and cold (or out where I live slightly colder than usual.) I can’t wait for Daisy Jones though I am (sort of) trying to keep my expectations in check on that one!
hehehe I love making lists at this time of year too 😉 I’m PSYCHED for winter of the witch too!! And I’m looking forward to king of scars and holy sister too 😀
Really hate that Holy Sister cover though! Maybe it will look better in person 🙂
Yea, I’m not sure about ‘The Testaments’. I liked ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ but it was perfectly fine like that. I’m always suspicious when a sequel is coming out after so many years. Smells like a money move. But then.. I love most of Atwood’s work and will probably check it out anyways. And if it ends up being great, I was wrong 😀
Fingers crossed. It will be interesting no matter what.
I’ve been looking forward to reading The Bear and the Nightingale! I don’t really remember what it is about but I have heard really good things about it. As for the King of Scars, I haven’t read her Shadow and Bone trilogy but I might still give it a try.
The Bear and The Nightingale was one of my favorites last year and I’ve got about a hundred pages left in Girl in the Tower (book two) but I think its going to be on the list as well. First ones a little slow going I admit but I love Russian myths and the clash of religion, magic, fantaticism, etc. I hope you like!