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43 Highly Anticipated Books of 2019
There's no such thing as "too many books." That's our mantra (once again) as we welcome a new year full of irresistible reading.
To create our list of soon-to-be favorites across genres, we focused on what Goodreads members can't wait to read. How do we measure that anticipation? By taking a look at how many times a book has been added to Want to Read shelves. From new titles by beloved authors including Elizabeth Gilbert, Angie Thomas, Dave Cullen, Jennifer Weiner, and Ruth Ware to The Handmaid's Tale sequel and an epic fantasy by a Man Booker Prize winner, these are the books readers will be talking about this year.
Now let's get to the good stuff—the books! How many will you be checking out?
To create our list of soon-to-be favorites across genres, we focused on what Goodreads members can't wait to read. How do we measure that anticipation? By taking a look at how many times a book has been added to Want to Read shelves. From new titles by beloved authors including Elizabeth Gilbert, Angie Thomas, Dave Cullen, Jennifer Weiner, and Ruth Ware to The Handmaid's Tale sequel and an epic fantasy by a Man Booker Prize winner, these are the books readers will be talking about this year.
Now let's get to the good stuff—the books! How many will you be checking out?
FICTION
In rural Trinidad, a father faces impossible choices about loyalty and love as he searches for a lost son, a misunderstood boy last seen wandering into the bush. This debut is the second novel from Sarah Jessica Parker's imprint, SJP for Hogarth.
Release date: January 29
Release date: January 29
From the author of Boy, Snow, Bird comes a tale inspired by the bewitching place gingerbread holds in classic children's stories. Perdita and Harriet Lee juggle jealousy and ambition while relying on the curious magic of their favorite family recipe.
Release date: March 5
Release date: March 5
If you had to pick five people to sum up your life, who would they be? In this debut, an 84-year-old man pulls up a stool at a hotel bar and raises a toast to the five people who have meant the most to him, revealing a lifetime of fierce love and regret.
Release date: March 5
Release date: March 5
After a messy breakup with her long-term white boyfriend, Queenie, a Jamaican British woman living in London, seeks comfort in all of the wrong places on her bumpy journey to discover meaning and purpose in today's world.
Release date: March 19
Release date: March 19
In a seedy suburb of Brisbane, Eli learns what it means to be a good man. His potential role models: a lost father, a heroin dealer stepdad, and Slim, his most steadfast guardian—who just happens to be a notorious felon and frequent prison escapee.
Release date: April 2
Release date: April 2
The electricity of first love clashes with the subtleties of class as young Connell and Marianne confront the limits of their connection over the years in this thought-provoking novel from the author of Conversations with Friends.
Release date: April 16
Release date: April 16
From the 1950s to the present, two spirited sisters struggle to find their own place in the world, navigating an ever-evolving American landscape, in this timely and ambitious new book from the author of Good in Bed.
Release date: June 25
Release date: June 25
In this powerful follow-up to the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award-winning bestseller, The Underground Railroad, two young boys endure a hellish reform school intent on turning delinquent boys into honorable men in Jim Crow-era Florida.
Release date: July 16
Release date: July 16
MYSTERY & THRILLER
Joe Thorne is a teacher with a hidden agenda. He returns to settle scores at the high school he once attended, only to uncover a darker secret than he could have imagined in this thrilling tale from the author of The Chalk Man.
Release date: February 5
Release date: February 5
In this new standalone book from The Dry author, two men meet at the remote fence line separating their cattle farms in the Australian Outback. In front of them, the stockman's grave landmark rises; at their feet, their brother lies dead.
Release date: February 5
Release date: February 5
One evening Gabriel returns home, and his wife, Alicia, shoots him five times in the face. She never speaks another word, turning the domestic tragedy into a notorious mystery, one that captures the attention of a relentless criminal psychotherapist.
Release date: February 5
Release date: February 5
Bookseller and part-time private investigator Nikki Griffin just wants to right the world's wrongs. But her attempts to help Karen, a troubled employee at a tech company, put her directly in the line of fire in this brand-new series.
Release date: March 19
Release date: March 19
A lot of people have complicated relationships with their in-laws. Most of them don't end in murder. A perplexing autopsy report and a last-minute will change are only the beginning in this book from The Family Next Door author.
Release date: April 23
Release date: April 23
From the author of The Woman in Cabin 10 comes a modern-day haunted house thriller. Rowan accepts a live-in nanny position at a smart home in the Scottish Highlands, but the dream job soon turns into a nightmare, one that will end with a child dead.
Release date: August 8
Release date: August 8
(Plus keep an eye out for more details on Paula Hawkins' currently untitled next book, set to be released on October 3. Check out more highly anticipated 2019 mystery & thrillers here.)
FANTASY & SCIENCE FICTION
A skilled hunter searches for a young boy with the help of a shape-shifter and other unlikely allies in this epic novel, set in a fantasy version of Africa, from the author of the Man Booker Prize-winning A Brief History of Seven Killings.
Release date: February 5
Release date: February 5
Clare, the author of The Mortal Instruments series, and Chu, the author of The Lives of Tao, team up to deliver a new adult fantasy trilogy about a centuries-old warlock, his mortal lover, and a dangerous spell book of dark magic.
Release date: April 2
Release date: April 2
For a decade, Darrow led a revolution against the corrupt color-coded society. Now, outlawed by the very Republic he founded, he wages a rogue war on Mercury to salvage the dream of Eo in this fifth installment in the Red Rising Saga.
Release date: July 9
Release date: July 9
Praise be? Thirty-four years after the publication of her dystopian classic, The Handmaid's Tale, Atwood returns to Gilead to continue the story of Offred. The sequel is narrated by three female characters and will not be connected to the recent adaptation.
Release date: September 10
Release date: September 10
The wait is over! From the author of the 2011 bestseller The Night Circus comes a new tale about graduate student Zachary's discovery of a book full of adventures, secrets, and something truly strange: a story from Zachary's own childhood.
Release date: November 5
Release date: November 5
(Looking for release dates for long-awaited series installments from George R.R. Martin, Patrick Rothfuss, and Scott Lynch? So are we! We're also keeping watch for information on big new books from N.K. Jemisin and Neil Gaiman. Check out more highly anticipated 2019 science fiction & fantasy books here.)
NONFICTION
After working for years as a maid, a single mom reveals the dark truth of what it takes to survive and thrive in today's inequitable society, exploring the underbelly of upper middle class America and the reality of what it's like to be in service to them.
Release date: January 22
Release date: January 22
On the first anniversary of the mass shooting in Parkland, the acclaimed author of Columbine offers an intimate account of the teenage survivors who became activists, inspiring millions of Americans to join their grassroots #neveragain movement.
Release date: February 12
Release date: February 12
In this surreal memoir, an aspiring violinist lands a job with a professional ensemble—only to discover that the group is a sham, "performing" while music that sounds suspiciously like the Titanic soundtrack blares from a CD. A crisis of identity ensues.
Release date: February 12
Release date: February 12
What is it about evil that we find so compelling? Psychologist Shaw explores the dark subject, pulling from our society's obsession with serial killers and violence in pop culture to the neuroscience behind bad behavior.
Release date: February 26
Release date: February 26
As a follow-up to last year's bestselling Girl, Wash Your Face, Hollis sounds a wake-up call in this inspiring self-help book, urging women to live to their full potential by identifying common excuses and obstacles.
Release date: March 12
Release date: March 12
Inspired by fans of her 1999 novel, Speak, which gave voice to a young sexual assault survivor, and enraged by how little has changed since that book's publication, Anderson pens this lyrical memoir, part poetry collection and part call to action.
Release date: March 12
Release date: March 12
Stay Sexy & Don't Get Murdered: The Definitive How-To Guide
by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark
by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark
From the hosts of the hit podcast My Favorite Murder comes this frank, funny, and illuminating reflection on true crime, formative life events, and the importance of valuing personal safety over being "nice" or "helpful."
Release date: May 28
Release date: May 28
YOUNG ADULT
Some secrets aren't meant to stay buried, and some wounds aren't meant to heal. Nikolai will try anyway, enlisting the help of a monk and a stranger capable of manipulating the winds in this brand-new series in Bardugo's celebrated Grishaverse.
Release date: January 29
Release date: January 29
Her debut novel, The Hate U Give, won three Goodreads Choice Awards and was adapted into a critically acclaimed movie. Her second novel follows a teen's quest to escape poverty and live up to the legacy of her father, an underground rap legend.
Release date: February 5
Release date: February 5
The DC Icons series continues, and this time it's the Man of Steel in the spotlight. Before the world can be saved, Clark Kent just needs to figure out how to save Smallville, teaming up with his best friend, Lana Lang, to uncover secrets in their rural town.
Release date: March 5
Release date: March 5
After bringing magic back to Orïsha, Zélie struggles to unite her allies and avoid a catastrophic civil war in this sequel to Children of Blood and Bone from the Best Debut Author of the 2018 Goodreads Choice Awards.
Release date: March 5
Release date: March 5
In this debut novel from a popular YouTube "BookTuber," Shane commits to a semester of adventure, moving to London on a whim to make new friends, fall in love, and confront the complicated realities of living outside her bubble.
Release date: May 7
Release date: May 7
The year is 1872, and New Orleans is ruled by the dead. Celine doesn't mind, falling under the spell of the vibrant city, its glitzy underworld, and the enigmatic Sèbastien Saint Germain in this sultry fantasy from the author of The Wrath and the Dawn.
Release date: October 8
Release date: October 8
(Check out more highly anticipated 2019 young adult books here.)
ROMANCE
From the author of The Hating Game comes a rom-com about the pros and cons of having a lifelong crush on your brother's best friend and the dangers of sharing a roof with a sexy, spontaneously reckless house flipper.
Release date: January 29
Release date: January 29
Fixie doesn't ask anything of anyone, but a chance encounter with a stranger kicks off a flurry of exchanged notes, IOUs for favors to life-changing opportunities, in this sweet tale from the author of Confesions of a Shopaholic.
Release date: February 5
Release date: February 5
An unforeseen tragedy forces young lovers Annika and Jonathan apart, leaving them to navigate their lives alone. A decade later, they are reunited. She is now a librarian, and he is a Wall Street whiz—but can anything of their old relationship be salvaged?
Release date: April 2
Release date: April 2
Fresh off her Goodreads Choice Award for The Kiss Quotient, Hoang delivers a heartwarming tale of modern love. When Khai's mother worries his autism is hindering his relationships, she goes to Vietnam to find him the perfect bride. Instead she comes back with Esme.
Release date: May 7
Release date: May 7
The bearded boys of Green Valley are back. After watching everyone around him find their soul mate, now it's Bill's turn. This is the pun-loving final book in Reid's Winston Brothers series, but it can be read as a standalone.
Release date: October 7
Release date: October 7
(Check out more highly anticipated 2019 romance books here.)
HISTORICAL FICTION
An abandoned suitcase at Grand Central Terminal leads recently widowed Grace Healey to a ring of female secret agents in this tale of friendship and courage during World War II from the author of The Orphan's Tale.
Release date: February 5
Release date: February 5
From the author of The Ghost Bride comes a sweeping novel about a dance hall girl and an orphan boy whose fates become entangled in 1930s Malaysia over an old Chinese superstition about men who can turn into tigers.
Release date: February 12
Release date: February 12
A battle-haunted English journalist and a Russian female bomber pilot join forces to track down the Huntress, a deadly Nazi war criminal gone to ground in America in this thrilling tale from the author of The Alice Network.
Release date: February 26
Release date: February 26
Coming of age in Los Angeles in the late '60s, Daisy embraces the sex, drugs, and rock and roll of the era, leading her to a date with her musical destiny in this rollicking oral history from the author of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.
Release date: March 5
Release date: March 5
Set a generation before her bestselling novel, The Lilac Girls, this story focuses on Eliza Ferriday as she embarks on a trip of a lifetime to the turbulent streets of St. Petersburg and the avenues of Paris under the shadow of World War I.
Release date: April 9
Release date: April 9
The author of Eat, Pray, Love returns to fiction with a bold tale of glamour and adventure set in New York during the 1940s, following Vivian Morris as she rubs elbows with showgirls—and makes a mistake that will alter the course of her life.
Release date: June 4
Release date: June 4
What books are you most excited to read this year? Let us know in the comments!
Check out more recent articles:
26 of the Hottest Romances of 2019
The 36 Big Mysteries & Thrillers of 2019
29 of the Biggest Sci-Fi & Fantasy Books of 2019
Check out more recent articles:
26 of the Hottest Romances of 2019
The 36 Big Mysteries & Thrillers of 2019
29 of the Biggest Sci-Fi & Fantasy Books of 2019
Comments Showing 151-200 of 251 (251 new)
message 151:
by
Suzanne
(new)
Jan 03, 2019 05:09PM
Amazed that Kristen Roupenian's debut You Know You Want This isn't on here! (She's the lady who wrote Cat Person and ignited the internet)
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The historical fiction books include three that I cannot wait to read! "The Lost Girls of Paris" by the author of Orphan's Tale. Also, "The Huntress" by Kate Quinn who wrote "The Alice Network" and
"The Lost Roses" by Martha Hall Kelly, author of "The Lilac Girls".
So many books, so little time.
Cecilia wrote: "Wow! I don't know, like, ANY of these books!"Same here
Debi wrote: "Go Tell the Bees that I'm Gone, the 9th book in the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon. We've waited 5+ years for this one."Absolutely! We don't have the release date but this is THE book that I'm excited to read this year! If readers on here haven't read her first 8 books in the Outlander series, you must do so and you'll have the trip of a lifetime through those fabulous "stones".
Why can’t you add horror to your list?
Atar wrote: "Seems slanted every year. Goodreads should expand the categories & diversify more. I’m sure there can’t be that many readers interested in Y/A books."Why? I have been a middle school librarian for 28+ years and have seen the category blossom. In fact, several adults prefer YA books.
I'm very much looking forward to reading William J. Mann's latest biography:
I am really excited about Erin Morgenstern's new book! I loved the Night Circus! I read it several years ago and my book club FINALLY has it on the list to read this year!
Vikas wrote: "Nice but something is broken on the site, fix it immediately. We aren't able to update status or mark the books as read from the homepage. Please FIX"Stop being douchey immediately. Please ASK nicely.
Many readers in Australia have already enjoyed Trent Dalton’s Boy Swallows Universe.It’s a wonderful read, with a gripping plot, beautiful writing and very memorable characters. I bought it for four people for Christmas.
It is crazy how dominant the English language is. Is there at least one book here which is a translation? There are so many good writers who are penalised because they write in other languages...
Looking forward to new Adrian McKinty and Don Winslow this year.
I am looking forward to king of scars!! And Dark Age by Pierce Brown
Of these 43 (why such an odd number) I am looking forward to the new titles by Jane Harper, Pierce Brown and C J Tudor. For the latter UK readers should be aware that the title is different in the UK. Don’t get caught out buying bothe. the UK title is The Taking of Annie Thorne. Not listed here but one to watch out for is The Chestnut Man, likely to be the best crime novel of 2019.
Diana Gabaldon's 9th installment of the Outlander saga is at the top of my list. Go Tell the Bees is due out in 2019.
Why does Penny Reid's Beard Necessities not have a "Want to read" option?Also, The Red Scrolls of Magic by Cassandra Clare and Wesley Chu is no longer an adult trilogy, it's YA like the other Shadowhunters novels now.
Marco wrote: "It is crazy how dominant the English language is. Is there at least one book here which is a translation? There are so many good writers who are penalised because they write in other languages..."Marco - can you link to a good list of anticipated books in other languages please?
Meh, this list is pretty poor and quite limited in scope.
I am so looking forward to getting a copy of "This Moment Is Your Miracle" by David Hoffmeister. It's coming out February 2, 2019 at Amazon.com
GOOD GIRLS LIE by J.T. Ellison and THE SECRETS WE BURY by Debra Webb
Audrey wrote: "Marco wrote: "It is crazy how dominant the English language is. Is there at least one book here which is a translation? There are so many good writers who are penalised because they write in other ..."I can't find such a list of upcoming books in other languages, and this is part of the problem. I noticed that all authors mentioned here seem to come from English speaking countries (USA, UK, but also Jamaica or Nigeria). I'm sure that they are all great writers, but I am also sure that there are a lot of great writers which remain unknown because they don't write in English. Here are some modern writers I like: Francesco Piccolo, Roberto Saviano, Paolo Cognetti, Gianrico Carofiglio, Nicola Lagioia, Paolo Rumiz (Italian), François Roux, Sylvain Tesson (French), Sven Regener (German), Karl Ove Knausgaard (Norwegian), Herman Koch (Dutch). Most of them probably haven't even been translated...
The new Gabaldon! Go Tell the Bees That I am Gone.....why is this missing? Book Fans have been anticipating book 9 in the Outlander Series for several years! Diana tells us it should be published this year!
I’m an avid reader but none of my favorite authors are on your list. How about Thomas Perry’s new book “ The Burglar” coming out next week?
Monika wrote: "Hmm. Wrong release dates? I have read several of these books that supposedly aren't out until later this year?"How does that happen???
Adrienne wrote: "All the people complaining! The list is made from what people have marked as want to read!"Yes this is a list of books people on this site are looking forward to reading or may just know when they are being released
Cathy wrote: "Is there a way to add books I want to read if they aren’t listed by Goodreads?"search this site I think you can manually add them somehow?
I wonder how these reached this list. Very few interested me at all yet I read all the time and in a variety of genres. I am looking forward to the relase of a number of books next year none of which made this list for some reason despite the fact that at least some of them will go on to become bestsellers.
Perhaps I am just weird?
Raymond wrote: "I wonder how these reached this list. Very few interested me at all yet I read all the time and in a variety of genres. I am looking forward to the relase of a number of books next year none of wh..."
I don't fit the norm of book reading either
Ann wrote: "Raymond wrote: "I wonder how these reached this list. Very few interested me at all yet I read all the time and in a variety of genres. I am looking forward to the relase of a number of books next..."
That is the odd thing. I read many books that others do as well. Most are rather mainstream and not so different or outrageous that they would not appear here. Lol- but I also do enjoy really odd tales at times.
I actually say to myself I want to read this book or that book but I never do. I have read 3 of Gregory Maguire's
I am so sick of YA/fantasy books about royalty. Please no more magical princes and princesses!
Ciara wrote: "I am so sick of YA/fantasy books about royalty. Please, no more magical princes and princesses!"I'm not sure why, but I think I should suggest you read The Shiver trio by Maggie Stiefvater. Just a bit of fantasy but with a romantic twist.
Ciara wrote: "I am so sick of YA/fantasy books about royalty. Please no more magical princes and princesses!"Ciara wrote: "I am so sick of YA/fantasy books about royalty. Please no more magical princes and princesses!"
I think its better to read books about people the YA's ages/peers?
I really like this list and found several that I hope to read this year
Very disappointed there are no horror books listed. Some of the best authors today write horror but that genre is largely overlooked.
Add me to the 'not interested in any of them' list. Of course, when they make a 'Top 100 F&SF books' list, there are only a couple of books that I like. I do wish there was a way to filter for qualities of the books, such as 'likeable characters' or 'filter out depressing worlds'.
Ciara wrote: "I am so sick of YA/fantasy books about royalty. Please no more magical princes and princesses!"So true.
Nico wrote: "Add me to the 'not interested in any of them' list. Of course, when they make a 'Top 100 F&SF books' list, there are only a couple of books that I like. I do wish there was a way to filter for qual..."Ah a good sistopian or fantastical dirge is always wonderful.
Two of these books are already available in Australia, The Lost Man by Jane Harper and Boys Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton. Both are excellent and worth reading in 2019.
Ciara wrote: "I am so sick of YA/fantasy books about royalty. Please no more magical princes and princesses!"Yeah, it is becoming really boring and very cliche. Hopefully someone will think of something new.
Ann wrote: "Adrienne wrote: "All the people complaining! The list is made from what people have marked as want to read!"Yes this is a list of books people on this site are looking forward to reading or may j..."
Exactly, so I don't understand the people whingeing unless they didn't read the info at the top.
Adrienne wrote: "Ann wrote: "Adrienne wrote: "All the people complaining! The list is made from what people have marked as want to read!"Yes this is a list of books people on this site are looking forward to read..."
lol oh well:)
Can't wait for "The Heart of the Ritz" by Aussie author Luke Devenish. His second novel following "The Secret Heiress". In the meantime, "Golden Child" looks the best of this selection.
Waiting for next Outlander book by Diana Gabaldon
Drew wrote: "What is all this nonsense? No books for men?"Men don't read general fiction? Mystery or thrillers? Non-fiction books? Fantasy or science fiction?
Elin wrote: "Vikas wrote: "Nice but something is broken on the site, fix it immediately. We aren't able to update status or mark the books as read from the homepage. Please FIX"Yes, please fix it. So sad that..."
I am having the same trouble!
Pamela wrote: "Waiting for next Outlander book by Diana Gabaldon"Agreed. Odd sentiment.
