25 Books I'm Looking Forward to in the First Half of 2025

*this is fine*

My heart goes out to everyone directly impacted by the wildfires in LA. FYI, Bookshop.org is matching donations to BINC’s recovery fund. Libro.fm put together a list of bookstores that are running mutual aid and rest spaces. And Traci Thomas of The Stacks has a metric ton of other resources and ways to support in a highlight in her Instagram bio, including a spreadsheet of GoFundMes that are color-coded by how much more support they need. ❤️

Hi, friends.

It’s “most anticipated” season — and if that’s not the most wonderful time of the bookish year, it’s certainly a candidate. I’ve been adding books to my to-read pile on the StoryGraph for weeks, and I spent most of yesterday reading through Lit Hub’s Most Anticipated Books of 2025, which includes a whopping 291 titles. (The Millions is either very late or abandoning their “Great Book Preview” series.)

All that to say: the Upcoming Releases I’m Excited About shelf on my Bookshop.org storefront is STOCKED. There are nearly 60 books on it. 😅 If I thought getting pickier about my literary fiction TBR this year meant I’d be less overwhelmed by how many great books are coming out, I was sorely mistaken.

Below, I’ve highlighted 25 books coming out between January and June that I’m especially eager to read. That’s still far too many. But what an incredible menu of options I (and we) will have to choose from in the months ahead.

Keep in mind that this list is mostly for me, which means it’s a direct reflection of my taste and current mood. I kept my three words in mind as I made it. So you’ll find lots of lit fic with speculative elements, an unabashed excitement for SFF, and nonfiction on topics that pique my interest. I encourage you to make your own list and keep it handy as you visit bookstores all year long!

Literary fiction books I’m excited about

• Tartufo by Kira Jane Buxton: I actually finished this last night, and it was just as heartwarming and fun as I’d hoped it would be!
  January 28, Grand Central Publishing (Hachette)

• Black Woods, Blue Sky by Eowyn Ivey: A literary Beauty and the Beast retelling set in Alaska? Say less.
  February 4, Random House (Penguin Random House)

• The Antidote by Karen Russell: The queen is back. THE QUEEN IS BACK. And she had me at “prarie witch.”
  March 11, Knopf (Penguin Random House)

• The Pretender by Jo Harkin: A good friend who works at Knopf told me he’s especially excited about this one, and it’s billed as Hillary Mantel + Maggie O’Farrell, so yeah. I’m in.
  April 22, Knopf (Penguin Random House)

• Metallic Realms by Lincoln Michel: I love Lincoln Michel’s genre-mashup style, and his latest — about a man named Michael Lincoln and his writing group who publish a sci-fi masterpiece that gets away from them — sounds like a hell of a good time.
  May 13, Atria Books (Simon & Schuster)

• The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong: Listen, any novel by Ocean Vuong is a novel I’m gonna read. Sorry, I don’t make the rules (yes I do).
  May 13, Penguin Press (Penguin Random House)

• The Book of Records by Madeleine Thien: A book set in a building called The Sea that’s “made of time” — sign me up right now.
  May 20, W.W. Norton (independent)

• Flashlight by Susan Choi: People either loved Trust Exercise, or they hated it. I loved it. So I’ll follow Susan Choi wherever she decides to take me next.
  June 3, FSG Books (Macmillan)

SFF+ books I’m excited about

This is mostly fantasy and sci-fi, plus one romance novel (IYKYK). I had to put it somewhere, so I put it here with genre fiction. Side note, if SFF is your jam, definitely make sure you scroll through my whole Bookshop list — there are a ton of sequels in big series that you may want to know about!

• Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor: Okorafor is one of the living greats in sci-fi, and some are calling this her best yet. The hype is real!
  January 14, William Morrow (HarperCollins)

• The Dark Mirror (The Bone Season, #5) by Samantha Shannon: No, I haven’t even read past the first book yet. Yes, I am still psyched for this. Yes, I will be gobbling up books 2-4 over the next couple of months.
  February 25, Bloomsbury (independent)

• Oathbound (Legendborn Cycle, #3) by Tracey Deonn: If you’re still sleeping on Legendborn, I don’t know what to tell you at this point. People are frothing at the mouth for the next book for a reason!
  March 4, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers (Simon & Schuster)

• Gifted & Talented by Olivie Blake: This one was written for those of us who were “gifted and talented” as kids and are now anxious, overworked adults — but with magic!! I’ve heard this might be Blake’s best yet. I’m excited to see.
  April 1, Tor Books (Macmillan)

• Notes from a Regicide by Isaac Fellman: Of all the books I read about yesterday, this is the only one I instantly placed a NetGalley request for. Just read this description and tell me you wouldn’t do the same.
  April 15, Tor Books (Macmillan)

• Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry: New EmHen. That’s all we need to know. But the premise also slaps. (Do people still say “slaps”?)
  April 22, Berkley (Penguin Random House)

• When the Tides Held the Moon by Venessa Vida Kelley: M/M merman romantic historical fantasy!! Need I say more? (OK, I will: TJ Klune blurbed it.)
  April 29, Erewhon Books (independent)

• The Incandescent by Emily Tesh: A sapphic dark academia fantasy novel from the winner of last year’s Hugo Award (for sci-fi novel Some Desperate Glory, which I loved). I’ll be there.
  May 13, Tor Books (Macmillan)

• The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig: This is pitched for fans of Jennifer L. Armentrout and Leigh Bardugo — I’m not a big JLA fan, but Leigh is my queen. Meanwhile, V.E. Schwab was very, very excited about her galley of this book. Color me intrigued! If this means we’re getting Leigh-quality writing with JLA spice, I’m DEFINITELY in.
  May 20, Orbit (Hachette)

• Bury our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab: Those of us who worship at the church of Schwab have been waiting a VERY long time for this “toxic lesbian vampires” book that allegedly tore a piece of her soul out while she wrote it. This is my most anticipated book of the year, and I’ve already started it (thanks Tor/NetGalley!). PSA, every copy of the first US printing will be signed! Preorder it!
  June 10, Tor Books (Macmillan)

Nonfiction books I’m excited about

• Black in Blues: How a Color Tells the Story of My People by Imani Perry: The rave reviews of this one are rolling, rolling, rolling in. Not surprised; it’s Imani Perry!
  January 28, Ecco Press (HarperCollins)

• Another World Is Possible: Lessons for America from Around the Globe by Natasha Hakimi Zapata: I’ll let this one’s blurb speak for itself: “Real-world solutions to America's thorniest social problems — from housing to retirement to drug addiction — based on original reporting from around the world.”
  February 4, The New Press (independent)

• One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad: I cannot do justice to this one’s premise in a sentence; please click and read about it. I’ve been hearing about it for so long, I didn’t realize that it wasn’t even out yet. Brb, downloading the advanced audio copy from PRH Audio ASAP.
  February 25, Knopf (Penguin Random House)

• Everything Is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection by John Green: John Green tackling tuberculosis feels random, but after The Anthropocene Reviewed, I will follow him anywhere.
  March 18, Crash Course Books (Penguin Random House)

• Ordinary Time: Lessons Learned While Staying Put by Annie B. Jones: Bookseller, podcaster, and all-around awesome sounding person Annie B. Jones has written a book about making a living in your small hometown. As a person who lives very near her small hometown, I’m looking forward to this.
  April 22, HarperOne (HarperCollins)

• America, América: A New History of the New World by Greg Grandin: This kind of sounds like the lifechanging reading experience of Stamped From the Beginning, but make it five centuries’ worth of colonialist history in the whole Western Hemisphere. Grandin is a Pulitzer Prize-winning historian. I will be reading.
  April 22, Penguin Press (Penguin Random House)

• Hope Dies Last: Visionary People Across the World, Fighting to Find Us a Future by Alan Weisman: Is this my next What If We Get It Right? Here’s hoping.
  April 22, Dutton Books (Penguin Random House)

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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 also love to which books you’re most looking forward to in the comments!

Finally, if you like this newsletter, please send a few friends my way.

Until next time,

— Deedi (she/her)