17 (More) 2024 Releases I Can't Wait to Read
Books coming out in the second half of this year and sitting at the top of my TBR.
Hi, friends.
Hard to believe it’s the last week of the first half of 2024, isn’t it? But it’s true, which means it’s time to start thinking about books that will be published in the second half.
I’m sharing my most-anticipated list a little early (for me anyway) — I usually read through The Millions and LitHub’s “great book previews” before compiling it, and those haven’t been published just yet. Once they are, I’m sure my official list on Bookshop will grow exponentially, and I’ll let you know when that happens.
But it’s also going to be a slower-than-usual (although I wouldn’t say slow) publishing season this fall because of the noisiness of the US election, and I have plenty of late-2024 books I’m already anticipating. Plus, very soon I’m going to find myself with far less time to write newsletters. 🙃 So here’s a preliminary list!
The God of the Woods by Liz Moore (Jul. 02): This sophomore novel from the author of Long, Bright River is shaping up to be THE book of the summer. I can’t wait to dive in!
The Heart in Winter by Kevin Barry (Jul. 09): I LOVED loved loved Barry’s 2019 Booker-nominated Night Boat to Tangier, and I’ve heard this new novel (his first set in the US, a western no less!) is equally phenomenal.
Navola by Paolo Bacigalupi (Jul. 09): Any time a litfic imprint (Knopf, in this case) is publishing a chunky fantasy novel, I’m IN. This one sounds like it’s heavily Renaissance-historical with fantasy added in — delicious.
The Bright Sword by Lev Grossman (Jul. 16): Would you believe I’ve never read a Lev Grossman book before? I’m very interested in making this highly anticipated Arthurian novel my first.
The Palace of Eros by Caro de Robertis (Aug. 13): This is a Psyche and Eros retelling, but Eros is nonbinary and it’s all super queer. Caro de Robertis has been one of my faves since I read Cantoras (and I am not alone! Read that book ASAP!), and I simply cannot WAIT to see what they do with a Greek retelling.
The Maid and the Crocodile by Jordan Ifueko (Aug. 13): This standalone book is set in the same universe as the Raybearer duology, which I adored. I’m excited to go back to that world!
There Are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak (Aug. 20): One does not simply call themself a Booker and Women’s Prize fan without also loving Elif Shafak. (Sorry, I don’t make the rules!) The jacket calls this “an enchanting new tale about three characters living along two rivers, all under the shadow of one of the greatest epic poems of all time.” Sign me the heck up.
The Gods Below by Andrea Stewart (Sept. 3): I had a great time reading Stewart’s Drowning Empire trilogy (which begins with The Bone Shard Daughter), so I’m pumped to see how the first book in her newest series shapes up.
Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout (Sept. 10): Elizabeth Strout is BRINGING ALL HER CHARACTERS TOGETHER, people! That’s right, Lucy Barton and Bob Burgess meet Olive Kitteridge — LITERALLY. I need to squeeze in The Burgess Boys before this publishes, but it’s going to be one of the biggest books of fall.
A Song of Ash and Moonlight (Middlemist, #2) by Claire Legrand (Sept. 17): This is the sequel to A Crown of Ivy and Glass, which was very fun and steamy. Each book in this trilogy is about one of three sisters, and each story is inspired by a classic ballet. Crown was Giselle, and this one is The Firebird.
Playground by Richard Powers (Sept. 24): Yes, that Richard Powers. As in, The Overstory and Bewilderment. And the cover is GORGEOUS and has the OCEAN on it. How can anyone not be excited??
Intermezzo by Sally Rooney (Sept. 24): Elizabeth Strout, Richard Powers, Sally Rooney — yep, must be September! Seriously though, this is one of the industry’s most anticipated fall releases. I’ve already got my hands on a copy (!), so you’ll hear my thoughts about it sometime this summer!
Heir by Sabaa Tahir (Oct. 1): And THIS, my friends, is MY #1 most anticipated book of the entire year. Tahir’s An Ember in the Ashes quartet is my favorite fantasy series — a designation I don’t take lightly. It’s earned it. And THIS BOOK is the first in a new duology that takes place in the same universe, several years after the events of A Sky Beyond the Storm. AND I HAVE A COPY IN MY HANDS! I’m going to squeeze in a quick (re)reread of the Ember quartet (it’s been three and a half years) in July before diving in, but I truly cannot wait.
Model Home by Rivers Solomon (Oct. 1): Rivers Solomon is a powerhouse. I loved The Deep and Sorrowland, and I fully expect to love this haunted-house genre-bender too.
The Mighty Red by Louise Erdrich (Oct. 1): LOUISE, my love. Seriously, who doesn’t love Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award–winner Louise Erdrich? The jacket says, “As with every book this great modern master writes, The Mighty Red is about our tattered bond with the earth, and about love in all of its absurdity and splendor.” Drool.
Blood of the Old Kings by Sung-Il Kim, translated by Anton Hur (Oct. 8): Translated. Epic. Fantasy. Need I say more???
Heavenly Tyrant (Iron Widow, #2) by Xiran Jay Zhao (Dec. 24 WE HOPE): This was originally supposed to be published in April, but it was delayed. Hopefully the new 12/24 date holds. Yay for angry women, polyamory, and the destruction of oppressive institutions!
As always, thanks for sharing your corner of the internet with me! It would mean a lot if you were to take a second to like this post. I’d love to which books you’re most anticipating in the comments, too.
Finally, if you like this newsletter, please send a few friends my way.
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— Deedi (she/her)
I'm so excited for Intermezzo and Model Home!
Matt Haig has a new one out, so that will be good for fall! Another cozy vibe is Somewhere Beyond the Sea, the sequel to The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune. One of my few pre-orders.
Some others I'm excited for: Long Island Compromise, The Dead Cat Tail Assassins by P. Djèlí Clark, The City in Glass by Nghi Vo, a new essay collection from Jenny Slate, Madwoman by Chelsea Bieker (she wrote Godshot), Private Rites by Julia Armfield, new Olga T novel, Colored Television, new Murakami! so many.