Top 10 Books I Can’t Wait to Read

As we approach the new year, I want to wrap up this year, look forward to the next, and then look beyond even that – because, yes, I’m a greedy bookslut when it comes to stuffing my shelves!

This year I read 124 books, the shortest being 24 pages and the longest 1,232 pages. During the year I read some stinkers (Tell Me I’m Worthless comes to mind) and some disappointments (The Dragons of Deepwood Fen tops that list), but I also had my hand in proofreading or editing some absolutely amazing titles (but I won’t play favorites there).

Anyway, to keep things going, here are the Top 10 Books I Can’t Wait to Read next year, in order of (expected) publication:

Faebound by Saara El-Arifi – the first in a new trilogy that turns convention on its head and explores a queer high fantasy world where elves thrive and humans are legend.A History of the World in 12 Shipwrecks by David Gibbins – the king of underwater adventure stories steps out of fiction to explore the archaeological discoveries of twelve shipwrecks across time.Empire of the Damned by Jay Kristoff – picks up where the first left off, thrusts us into increasingly deadly battles with the undead, and twists the silver blade just a bit deeper into Gabriel’s heart.Annie Bot by Sierra Greer – a provocative, thoughtful story about the relationship between a female robot and her human owner, exploring questions of intimacy, power, autonomy, and control.You Like it Darker by Stephen King – a gift to we Faithful Readers who prefer the King of Horror at his darkest, with 12 short stories, many of which have never been published.The Z Word by Lindsay King-Miller – the “the queer Zombieland you didn’t know you needed,” packed with action, humor, sex, drag queens, lesbians, and zombies!The Fireborne Blade by Charlotte Bond – Dragons, ill-fated knights, scheming squires, and sapphic love, with deceptions and double-crosses. Fabulous!.A Change of Place by Julie E. Czerneda – a long-awaited return to the cozy romantic fantasy of Marrowdell that takes us to the Verge, the magical realm of dragons and sei, for spring equinox.The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst – a cosy fantasy following a woman’s unexpected journey through the low-stakes market of illegal spell-selling and the high-risk business of starting over.Wind and Truth by Brandon Sanderson – is the long-awaited climax to the first arc of the Stormlight Archive, with Dalinar Kholin challenging Odium to a contest of champions while the fate of the Cosmere hangs in the balance.