Around the Year in 52 Books discussion

It's been a whole wild year (I say, as I write this before 2021 is actually over...) and there have been some amazing releases (I'm assuming). This week, you are taking advantage of a week dedicated to one of those shiny new releases you may have missed this year.

Suggestions:
To be updated occasionally, so check back!
(Marie Claire) 2022 New Releases to Get Excited About: https://www.marieclaire.com/culture/g...
(Buzzfeed) 25 of the Most Anticipated Books: https://www.buzzfeed.com/farrahpenn/t...
(Bookish) 24 Highly-Anticipated Books Hitting Shelves in 2022: https://bookish.netgalley.com/must-re...
(Bustle) 65 Most Anticipated Books of 2022: https://www.bustle.com/entertainment/...
(Goodreads) Goodreads Members' Most Anticipated: https://www.goodreads.com/blog/show/2...
(Debutiful) 12 Debut Books Publishing in 2022: https://debutiful.net/2021/11/30/12-d...
GR Shelf - Most Anticipated 2022: https://www.goodreads.com/genres/most...

ATY Listopia: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...

What are you reading for this prompt, and do you have any recommendations?

My top five choices (so far):

The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd
Elektra by Jennifer Saint
The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St. James
The House of Fortune by Jessie Burton
Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel

Ugh I didn't realize Emily St. John Mandel had another one coming out!! After waiting 11 years post-Station 11, I'm shocked she's publishing this one so quickly.

I have Book of Cold Cases and House of Fortune on my list as well!

The only book I have on my radar for next year is Joanna Cannon's A Tidy Ending. I don't see much on the lists that pique my interest right now.

I will probably end up filling this prompt at least halfway through the year by which point I will surely have a few more options! I might even wait until the GR choice nominees are announced and choose something from those lists.

I'm going to hang back in 2020 and wait for the reviews, but here are the ones that interest me the most so far. This year I had a goal to read 21 books published in 2021 (I think I have 2 left). I'll go back to my old "wait and see" attitude.

Sea of Tranquility by Emily St John Mandel
The Winners by Fredrik Backman
Book Lovers by Emily Henry - A summer beach read
Louise Penny's next book.
An Arrow to the Moon

The Social Lives of Animals

Beth wrote: "The only book I have on my radar for next year is Joanna Cannon's A Tidy Ending. I don't see much on the lists that pique my interest right now.

I will probably end up filling this..."

That reminds me -Shouldn't the voting for GR choice awards have started by now?

It's opening on November 16th, NancyJ!

My plan right now: A Prayer for the Crown-Shy by Becky Chambers

A Magic Steeped in Poison, The Book of Cold Cases, Kaikeyi, Monsters Born and Made or Daughter of the Moon Goddess all sound interesting!

I am so far looking at:

The Bone Orchard
Nettle & Bone
Edgewood

So far I'm interested in:
The Magnolia Palace - Fiona Davis
Devotion - Hannah Kent
One Italian Summer - Rebecca Serle
The House of Fortune (The Miniaturist #2) - Jessie Burton

I plan to read
The Winners by Fredrik Backman

Emily wrote: "It's opening on November 16th, NancyJ!"

Thanks Emily. I think it's better that they're starting later. It gives people more time to read the new books. The Sentence doesn't even come out until Nov 9.

Beth wrote: "The only book I have on my radar for next year is Joanna Cannon's A Tidy Ending. I don't see much on the lists that pique my interest right now.

I will probably end up filling this..."

YAY! Another Joanna Cannon :) adding to the list LOL

Emily wrote: "Ugh I didn't realize Emily St. John Mandel had another one coming out!! After waiting 11 years post-Station 11, I'm shocked she's publishing this one so quickly.

I have Book of Cold Cases and House of Fortune on my list as well!"

St. John Mandel was published every 2-3 years but then there was a weird six year gap between Station Eleven and The Glass Hotel. I'm guessing life stuff, or maybe she changed agents or publishing houses or something.

I'm very excited about House of Fortune; I really enjoyed The Miniaturist and look forward to going back to that world.

Ah I thought there was a longer gap between Station Eleven and Glass Hotel 🤦🏻‍♀️

I think I'll have to reread The Miniaturist before I dive into House of Fortune... I only remember enjoying it without remembering much of the plot details lol

I think Emily St. John Mandel just isn't for me. I'm very much in the minority by not loving Station Eleven, and The Glass Hotel was also meh.

I have several NetGalley books already lined up for next year, but other books I have my eye on/plan to read for sure:

The Winners by Fredrik Backman (there is no US release date for this but I assume it will be in 2022)
Book Lovers by Emily Henry
The Hotel Nantucket by Elin Hilderbrand
Running Wild by KA Tucker (3rd in the Wild series)

I enjoyed The Miniaturist a lot, I didn't know there was a second one coming out!

I already have 23 books that at this point are listed with 2022 publishing dates:

Spelunking Through Hell by Seanan McGuire- Incryptid #11 (Urban Fantasy)
Seasonal Fears by Seanan McGuire- Middlegame #2 (Urban Fantasy/Scifi)
Ruby Fever by Ilona Andrews- Hidden Legacy #6 (Romance/Urban Fantasy)
Where the Drowned Girls Go by Seanan McGuire - Wayward Children #7 (Portal Fantasy)
House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J. Maas - Crescent City #2 (Fantasy)
The Deepest of Secrets by Kelley Armstrong - Rockton #6 (Mystery)
Soul Taken by Patricia Briggs - Mercy Thompson #13 (Urban Fantasy)
Fevered Star by Rebecca Roanhorse - Between Earth and Sky #2 (Fantasy)
Book of Night by Holly Black - New book (YA Fantasy)
Sleep No More by Seanan McGuire - October Daye #16 (Urban Fantasy)
The Winners by Fredrik Backman - Beartown #3 (Contemporary Fiction)
The Final Gambit by Jennifer Lynn Barnes - Inheritance Games #3 (YA)
High Jinx by Kelley Armstrong - Cursed Luck #2 (Urban Fantasy)
The Family You Make by Jill Shalvis - New book (Romance)
A Rip Through Time by Kelley Armstrong - New Book (Time Travel Mystery)
Crowbones by Anne Bishop - The Others #8 (Fantasy)
To Marry and to Meddle by Martha Waters - The Regency Vows #3 (Regency Romance)
Book Lovers by Emily Henry - New Book (Romance)
A Turn of the Tide by Kelley Armstrong - A Stitch in Time #3 (Time Travel/Gothic Mystery/Romance)
Well Traveled by Jen DeLuca - Well Met #4 (Romance)
Fated Blades by Ilona Andrews - Kinsmen #3 (Scifi Romance)
The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn - New Book (Historical Fiction)
Mad About You by Mhairi McFarlane - New Book (Romance)

In addition to the Seanan McGuire books Kendra just mentioned, here's what I currently have preordered for 2022:

Siren Queen by Nghi Vo (She may also be releasing Singing Hills Cycle #3, Into the Riverlands)
The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi
What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher
Moon Witch, Spider King (Dark Star #2) by Marlon James

A new Kate Quinn?!?! Yesssss. This has been my favorite thread to watch lol. My TBR hates it.

I'm super excited about Sea of Tranquility. Here are a couple more I didn't see mentioned yet.
Disorientation
How High We Go in the Dark

I'm looking forward to Bet on It.

I'm planning on reading House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J. Maas - right when it comes out. I'm actually planning a pajama, wine, nosh, and Maas reading party. I'm so excited. Yes, I'm a nerd, but you all are, too, so I'm in the right place! :)

My most anticipated book is definitely Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan.

I also have a shelf with 2022 releases which I update regularly (meaning every time I find an interesting 2022 release):

https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...

Matt Haig Der fürsorgliche Mr. Cave
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Scattered All Over the Earth by Yoko Tawada will be published March 2022. I learned of this while searching for Japanese translated fiction books to read for January Japanese readathon.

I read Something Fabulous by Alexis Hall. It just came out in January, and it was indeed fabulous!

For this prompt, I read:
The Magnolia Palace by Fiona Davis - My Review

I read I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys. (Something is wrong with the search engine and the book won't come up.) I felt like this was a very appropriate book to read at this time. It is set during Communist Romania in 1989 under the reign of the dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu. It is another excellent YA historical fiction by Ruta Sepetys.

Pam wrote: "I read I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys. (Something is wrong with the search engine and the book won't come up.) I felt like this was a very appropriate book to read at this time...."

I should read this one. I am romanian and I never knew this book exists. Thanks!

For this prompt, I read The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St. James. I really didn't enjoy this as much as I have her previous books. Not sure what it was - might just be me.

I read The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi

I read Olga Dies Dreaming by Xóchitl González.

What are you reading for this prompt?
I read Bad Actors by Mick Herron

I just finished Portrait of a Thief by Grace D. Li. Liked it, didn't love it.

Others for 2022. A few weeks ago, I read two recently released "house" books: The Dolphin House by Audrey Schulman and Jennifer Egan's The Candy House. Loved 'em both.

Looking forward to these in '22:

Siren Queen by Nghi Vo
The Lioness by Chris Bohjalian
Four Treasures of the Sky by Jenny Tinghui Zhang
Mouth to Mouth by Antoine Wilson
Cyclorama by Adam Langer

I read Hide.

I would recommend:
Adult Assembly Required
The Night Shift
Weather Girl
The Maid

I just noticed that Barbara Kingsolver has a new book coming out in October. May have to move some things around to make that my 2022 pick. Its title is Demon Copperhead

I just finished reading The Book Woman's Daughter. It is the sequel to The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson. It was wonderful!

The 2022 books I have read so far:
Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson (four stars)
The Paris Bookseller by Kerri Maher (four stars)
The School of Mirrors by Eva Stachniak (five stars)
Her Hidden Genius by Marie Benedict (four stars)
A Train to Moscow by Elena Gorokhova (four stars)
Just Pursuit: A Black Prosecutor's Fight for Fairness by Laura Coates (five stars)
Don't Cry for Me by Daniel Black (four stars)
Goliath by Tochi Onyebuchi (three stars)

I read by Candice Carty-Williams.

First, kudos to the publisher, Orion Books, and the cover artist, Hadil Mohammed, for producing an attractive cover which actually refers to the book and its characters, rather than being the usual variation on a stock photo. Less kudos to Orion for the typos.

I was looking forward to this book, having been so impressed by the author's first, Queenie which was managed to convey what is like to live with racism while being also very funny. This is a different book, with an ensemble cast, though focusing on one very well-drawn character, and is about family and self-image. I think fewer characters would have worked better, allowing more focus. However, I still enjoyed this book, which is certainly an entertaing read.

I listened to The Betrayal of Anne Frank: A Cold Case Investigation. I found most of it interesting and I learned a lot that I didn't know before. I rated it 3 stars. There were some parts that I wasn't interested in.

I don't really have any suggestions. I usually don't read much that comes out in the current year.

I've only read a few so far, and my favorite is:Sea of Tranquility by Emily St John Mandel. Some characters or ideas from her earlier books are incorporated into this book as well.

I read Was ich nie gesagt habe: Gretchens Schicksalsfamilie – Roman by Susanne Abel.

This will probably be my most difficult category. I very very rarely read newly released books. Hopefully I'll hear by word of mouth of a really good book :-)

I finished an ARC of the recently released Sleepwalk by Dan Chaon for this prompt, but Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver sounds like a fantastic alternative.

Nicola wrote: "This will probably be my most difficult category. I very very rarely read newly released books. Hopefully I'll hear by word of mouth of a really good book :-)" You could also read the reviews of other people who are taking part in this challenge. Lots of people have done that and some of those reviews can be found among those who have posted in this discussion thread.

I realised that the latest book from the series I've been listening to this year was released in February 2022:

Recently finished Gabrielle's Zevin's Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow. Five stars!

I read Now Is Not the Time to Panic by Kevin Wilson (I got an ARC), Loved it! It takes the insanity and emotions of his last book and made it more real, although still odd,

There are so many good books out this year! I need to read through this thread and see what I missed! I finished Other Birds last week and that was also awesome

I will be reading Her Highlander for One Night by Terri Brisbin. No recommendations sorry, my first book form 2022.