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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 201-250 of 251 (251 new)
message 201:
by
Ryan
(new)
Jan 06, 2019 06:25PM
I'm a little upset that A Toll by Neal Schustermanwasn't on this list!
flag
i found several to add to my WTR list, including some from the comments that weren't on the list!
I enjoyed reviewing this list and added a few from different categories to my "want to read" list. I am most excited about The Shadow Wand by Laurie Forrest in 2019.
Too much YA. Fantasy and SF is a separate genre, not a YA placeholder. an uneven list at best 2/10.
Cecilia wrote: "Wow! I don't know, like, ANY of these books!"Me either Cecilia 8(
Angela wrote: "No queer books in the romance section(("Same-sex couples have relationships that are often just as romantic as heterosexual couples.
ethan wrote: "this is a good list but i’d like to see more YA novels, hopefully a list dedicated to YA novels like you’ve done with other genres"https://www.goodreads.com/blog/show/1...
Here's the list!
Go Tell The Bees That I'm Gone by Diana Gabaldon
I AGREE with Sam, not my choice of books for 2019, maybe 1 will get on my book pile, the rest will will remain in the Bookstore. Lots more variety needed.
Mysteries and legal stories. No romance stories
I can't believe you don't have on the list the long awaited book 9 from the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon, Go Tell the Bees that I Am Gone.
"Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone" by Diana Gabaldon. Been looking forward to #9 in the Outlander Series! Worth the wait! 😊
Book wrote: "Get your books formatted for kindle and createspace starting at just 5$. Visit Here: http://bit.ly/kindleformatting101"You can do that for free with book funnel
No Christian fiction books 😕
I'm sorry to say none of these are anticipated by me.
Val wrote: "Book wrote: "Get your books formatted for kindle and createspace starting at just 5$. Visit Here: http://bit.ly/kindleformatting101"You can do that for free with book funnel"
Sherry wrote: ""Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone" by Diana Gabaldon. Been looking forward to #9 in the Outlander Series! Worth the wait! 😊"
what is createspace and is it free?
Yeah. There are lots of good books in the works, as well as ones no longer printed. Surely you could find a few more in each genre.
So no George R. R. Martin. Not surprising. Yes such a disappointment.
I cannot believe this list is "the best" of any year. Where are the books by Charles Martin. David Johnson.??Come on goodreads. That is why I deleted your site months ago.
One book of your list, i might consider. .
all the books on my list i have not finished for one reason or another. Do not want to have to find each of those books to remove from list is there an easier way? Also who picks the must reads? None are on my list read list
Shruhashi wrote: "Angela wrote: "No queer books in the romance section((" yeahhh that's what I was looking for too"I think so too
Goodreads is such a disappointment....mostly poorly written books for the mass market.
Not my list of most anticipated books either. Although our criteria for a must read is probably polar opposites. I am waiting for books to continue series I've started or books from authors I follow.
Goodreads can't win, I think. On each of these "Best" or "Most Anticipated" articles, they explain the criteria for making the list. Here's how the books are chosen: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.
Goodreads hasn't said what books should be most talked about & looked forward to, the people who use the site & add books to the Want to Read shelves have. It's just sheer numbers data and isn't a quality assessment. The books I most anticipate rarely rate highly enough to make it on these lists (I read too much science fiction without the side of Fantasy & almost no YA and Romance), but it's okay to share what the majority of people using the site are looking forward to. At least the rest of us have the comments area to share our most anticipated which may garner more adds of those books to Want to Read shelves.
Theresa L. Johnson wrote: "all the books on my list i have not finished for one reason or another. Do not want to have to find each of those books to remove from list is there an easier way? Also who picks the must reads? No..."I wonder that too. I had to go through my list page by page to get rid of some of them not for the same reason as you did though
8 male, 37 female authors. As a dude, looking at the list it felt female theme heavy, so I counted. Curious what people think of that. Where the industry and literature is at? Reflection of where society is at? Female bias on Goodreads?
I do not mean to slight the authors mentioned in any way but suspect that it is an over compensation for the slights offered to women authors in the past.
Paul wrote: "8 male, 37 female authors. As a dude, looking at the list it felt female theme heavy, so I counted. Curious what people think of that. Where the industry and literature is at? Reflection of where ..."
It likely has a lot to do with Goodreads having said in the past that most of their active users (the people who shelve books, participate in Lists, write reviews etc) are women.
That's also likely why the most popular genres on the site happen to be Romance and YA. Not that men don't read those or that all women do but those are clearly the most active genres going around here and they wind up with a lot of blog & article coverage. Since these lists are user participation driven, I don't see that changing any time soon. I'm still waiting for a huge wave of Science Fiction fans to turn the tide and get Goodreads to treat it as a wholly separate entity from Fantasy when they draft articles but I've been waiting for that for years. I can only suppose, there aren't enough people on Goodreads who want what's important to me personally. :)
I enjoy science Fiction nd view it as something completely different from Fantasy, Lol- hope that helps Paul
Super excited about Elizabeth Gilberts! Wish we could mark some of these so I don't forget them...
Klmcdermott wrote: "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 ..."
To make recommendations based on the assumption that all adult readers want to read YA books is not only wrong, but unfair. It just makes it that much harder for us to find the kind of books we enjoy.
Georgina wrote: "Klmcdermott wrote: "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 b..."
I never read the Hparry Potter books but adults seemed to be reading them as much as children did. I have a friend who read a book or son was reading and he is a teenager and she enjoyed it just as much as he did. I don't have any kids so.. However wish some of the kids today or even when I was In my 20s would read some of the books I grew up on.:)
Not overwhelmed with offerings. Why I loaded soooo many paperback sets and re-read them over & over. Also, can we stop with the hot bod/sex covers; not a prude by any means, it just doesn't work with kids around, at a family pub, professional office, etc; it's really ridiculous/overdone. If it's a historical romance in Scotland, a nice castle cover works great! And please tell me why mixed races/sexes barely exist in contemporary story lines--is it still 1950s in publishing houses?!! It can be mentioned in cover page. Update, PLEASE!
Mixed races barely exist in anything. I think those covers you are referring to are so cheesy. I don't understand the point. Give me a DS cover any day over the Harlequin type romance titles.
It seems to me that almost all of these books are woman writeng for woman books not rely interested in any of them!!!
I have been aching to see AND READ a book about Mexican-Americans, Mexicans preferably written by Mexicans. I'm in love with Eva Luna so it's fair to say I could love any Hispanic book.
I've noticed a lot of these "anticipated" book lists by Goodreads have books that have already been released. Example from this list: Normal People by Sally Rooney. It was released by Faber & Faber in August 2018. The "anticipated" book is just being put out by another publisher. I've learned to open the ones I want in a new tab and mouse over the editions to see the release dates.Still, I do find books to add to my wishlist, so don't stop. :)
I'm personally looking forward to Keeper of the Lost Cities Book 8, and Wings of Fire book 13 (Poison Jungle), but i'm not seeing it in the main list!!! :C
Since some of these books have already been released (for example Normal People by Sally Rooney, which is currently waiting for me on my shelf) why not, instead of saying "Release Date: April 16" say "US Release Date: April 16" or something like that?Apart from that, nice list
Umm.. What's a Queer Book? I just love GREAT books.💙👀
Vicki wrote: "Not overwhelmed with offerings. Why I loaded soooo many paperback sets and re-read them over & over. Also, can we stop with the hot bod/sex covers; not a prude by any means, it just doesn't work wi..."I agree with the Pin-up covers, I do not go in for them wither producing or reading. I also agree with the races thing, however to use your own example. Get a fifth century castle in Scotland and you would have to be rather inventive. The very pale male took the almost completely tranclucent maid into his very pale arms? The protagonist An evil Zetlander. Ah well blond or red haied, pale skinned....... So weird, before the invasions started the people of Scotland were small, brown haird, brown eyed with dark skin.
Nothing there of interest. Most of these aren't even going to hit the radar. Clearly a narrow modernist list. It's like the Oscars when there are films nominated and you haven't seen them and don't want to.
Dennis wrote: "Nothing there of interest. Most of these aren't even going to hit the radar. Clearly a narrow modernist list. It's like the Oscars when there are films nominated and you haven't seen them and don't..."Dennis sometimes I wonder.. I don't know about modernist list but just updated I guess>?
