Sometimes choosing a book is impossible, especially with friends suggesting books you need to read because “you’ve never lived” if you haven’t read them. Today, I shall try and be of some assistance by exploring 2024’s most anticipated reads.
My first pick is the hotly anticipated Knife by Salman Rushdie (16th April). I still remember hearing the news break about this terrible event in 2022 while I was reading Rushdie’s The Satanic Verses. The horrendous event resulted in Rushdie being stabbed and losing “sight in one eye and the use of one of his hands (the latter is coming back)”, according to TIME magazine. This novel is guaranteed to be harrowing, inspiring and engaging. In the same article TIME mentions a host of other fabulous work, including Pulitzer Prize finalist Kelly Link’s The Book of Love (February 13th) and the newly discovered novel Until August (March 12th) from the late Gabriel Garcia Márquez, who died nearly ten years ago.
TIME mentions a host of other fabulous work, including Pulitzer Prize finalist Kelly Link’s The Book of Love
If non-fiction is your style, there are more to look forward to. Rebel Wilson is set to release her “first memoir” Rebel Rising on April 2nd, according to The Guardian. It will explore “insecurities” with the promise to “make us laugh uncontrollably”. I’m sure it will be a delight to read! Another one for the TBR pile (which is out now!) is Not the End of the World: How Can We Be the First Generation to Build a Sustainable Planet by Scottish data scientist Hannah Ritchie, which Margaret Atwood has called “truly essential” (The Guardian). Furthermore, for fans of RuPaul’s Drag Race, his fourth autobiography, The House of Hidden Meanings, will be out on March 5th, about his rags to riches story.
Finally, if you are also of the opinion that George R.R. Martin will never finish Winds of Winter, fear not – there are plenty of fantasy and sci-fi books out in 2024 which are set to be just as good, if not better! Whilst reading Literary Hub’s list of anticipated fantasy and sci-fi reads, I thought Fathomfolk by Eliza Chan (February 27th) sounded captivating. It is part of the “Water-based worlds” sci-fi and fantasy subgenre, and explores the narrative of Fathmofolk, the “sirens, sea witches and water dragons” who live unhappily alongside the humans. Other intriguing reads include Kinning by Nisi Shawl (January 23rd), and The Bright Sword by Lev Grossman (July 16th), set in “post-Camelot” with Morgan le Fay’s “army of faeries” and other beasts. If these do not get you excited, perhaps Stephen King’s new collection will; according to his official website, You Like It Darker will be released on 21st May and will feature “twelve short stories, many never-before-published”. Maybe make sure your reading light is charged before reading this collection…
I think 2024 will be another memorable year for literature and non-fiction. From Chan’s Fathomfolk to Wilson’s Rebel Rising, there are so many fantastic novels from prize winning and bestselling writers and TV stars. Happy Reading!
