Time has been…incredibly strange this year, and I can’t believe that winter is almost officially here. And I’m Canadian, which means that winter will probably be lasting until about mid-April for me. Despite Christmas being one of my favourite times of the year, winter is definitely my least favourite season overall, because I absolutely HATE being cold, and I hate driving in the snow because of how much it spikes my anxiety.
Luckily, with the new book releases this winter, I’ll hopefully have some stories to read while I hide under a blanket and try to stay cozy. In this week’s post, I’m going to highlight just a few of the books coming out in December, January, and February – the one’s I’m most excited for, at least. And hopefully you can find something on here that appeals to you too!
DECEMBER
December 1:
A Curse of Roses by Diana Pinguicha
In Portugal, the middle of a famine, Princess Yzabel is cursed to turn all of the food she touches into flowers. Fatyan, an Enchanted Moura, can teach Yzabel how to control her curse, but Yzabel first needs to set her free from her magical bindings – with a kiss. Yzabel is torn between love and duty – she wants to save her people, but falling in love with Fatyan could bring about Yzabel’s destruction.
This book sounds really interesting, and is an #OwnVoices story from a Portuguese author based on a Portuguese legend. It sounds mysterious and magical and I’m super excited to pick this one up once it’s released! As you’ll see throughout this list, I love a retelling!
The Cousins by Karen M. McManus
Three cousins who barely know each other and have never met their grandmother are invited to come work at her island resort for the summer. They arrive thinking that this is a way to get in their grandmother’s good graces, but when they arrive, it soon becomes clear that there’s something else going on. Family secrets are unearthed as the cousins learn that their family’s past is much darker and more mysterious than they had ever thought.
I’ve recently become a big thriller fan, and I love stories about old family secrets and weird relatives. The description is kind of giving me We Were Liars vibes, and as that’s a book I haven’t stopped thinking about since I read it, I’m definitely interested in this one.
Mediocre: The Dangerous Legacy of White Male America by Ijeoma Oluo
Ijeoma Oluo, bestselling author of So You Want to Talk About Race, examines the history and legacy of white-male-dominated America, specifically looking at the ways in which white men deliberately sought to subvert women, people of colour, and the disenfranchised. Oluo looks at American history and values, as well as the movements and systems that were put in place to strengthen that white male power.
I don’t read a ton of nonfiction, but I’m really interested in this one. Recently, I’ve become more aware than ever that so many of the systems put in place were built to solely benefit men, specifically white men, and that the patriarchy isn’t just a problem of a few individuals being really misogynistic or racist – it goes much deeper than that. I think this deep dive into the history of how we got to this point (or specifically how the United States got to this point) sounds incredibly fascinating.
December 29:
Marion Lane and the Midnight Murder by T.A. Willberg
A mysterious group of detectives lurk in the secret tunnels under 1950s London, and it is there at Miss Brickett’s Investigations and Inquiries that they solve crimes that even Scotland Yard couldn’t puzzle out. When a filing assistant for Miss Brickett’s is murdered, everyone is set on edge as it becomes clear that the murderer must also work for Miss Brickett’s. Marion Lane, a first year Inquirer-in-Training, finds herself drawn into this case as she tries to protect her friend from being framed for the crime, and she discovers a wealth of secrets dating back to World War 2.
This sounds like an Agatha Christie-style mystery, and as someone who just got into Christie’s books over the summer, I’m very intrigued by it. Mysteries set in the past are just a very specific type of comfort story for me, especially as someone who has read a lot of historical fiction. This really sounds like a good book to pick up on a snowy day with a cup of hot chocolate in hand.
JANUARY
January 5:
The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins
In this Southern Jane Eyre retelling, a woman named Jane arrives in Birmingham, Alabama and gets a job as a dog-walker for Thornfield Estates, a gated community of wealthy people living in huge mansions – the kind of people who won’t notice if Jane takes small trinkets and jewelry from them, and won’t ask for her real name. Then she meets the mysterious Eddie Rochester, who has been recently widowed, and she starts to fall for him. But as they spend more time together, Jane worries that she’ll never live up to Eddie’s wife, and they both worry that their pasts might catch up to them.
If you’re a Jane Eyre fan, I bet this is something that’s on your radar, because it’s certainly on mine. Rochester’s wife Bertha was always the part of Jane Eyre that interested me the most, and so I’m excited that this book seems to really be focusing on that element. There’s also something about old gothic stories being retold with that Southern setting that I find really charming. Overall, this might be the book on this list that I’m the most excited about!
Lore by Alexandra Bracken
As a punishment for a past rebellion, nine Greek gods are forced to live on Earth as mortals, while being hunted by those who come from ancient bloodlines and are hungry to slay a god and take their power and immortality for themselves. Lore Perseous leaves this world behind after the brutal murder of her family and tries to reject the desire for revenge against the man (now a god) responsible. But as the next hunt begins, her childhood friend Castor and a wounded Athena (one of the last remaining of the original gods) seek out her help, and Lore’s decision to bind herself to Athena and rejoin the hunt may come at a great cost.
This sounds so cool! I’m a big Greek mythology nerd, and so this instantly piqued my interest, especially with the dark elements. I’ve been a fan of Bracken’s work in the past, and so I have faith that this book is going to be pretty good, and I’m excited to pick it up!
January 12:
The Mystery of Mrs. Christie by Marie Benedict
This book tells the story of the eleven day disappearance of Agatha Christie in December of 1926. Investigators found her car on the side of the road, abandoned, and her family had no idea where she might be. Christie reappeared eleven days later claiming that she had amnesia and giving no explanation as to what transpired during the time she was missing. Benedict imagines how and why this could have happened to the acclaimed mystery author, and tries to unravel this mystery that has been lost to time.
This is a work of fiction, but as I said, I recently got into Agatha Christie’s novels over the summer, and I hadn’t heard about this portion of her life. I’m really interested to learn more about this and hear Benedict’s theories about what could have happened. It seems ironically fitting that one of the greatest mystery writers in history would have something worthy of a mystery novel happen to her.
January 26:
Wings of Ebony by J. Elle
When Rue’s mother is murdered, Rue’s life is upended as a father she never knew makes her leave her younger sister behind and takes Rue to a place called Ghizon, which is a secret island that harbours magic users. Desperate to see her sister again, Rue breaks the rules of Ghizon and leaves the island, only to return to Houston, Texas and find that something evil is forcing black kids into crime and violence. Rue learns she is half-god and half-human, and that this evil is working it’s way into both our world and the godly realm. She must learn to harness the power of her ancestors in order to save both worlds from destruction.
This sounds dark and magical, and I find it interesting when divine or magical realms are connected to our world (in a Percy Jackson-like way). The blurb says that this is “Perfect for fans of Angie Thomas, Tomi Adeyemi, and The Hunger Games“, all of which sounds very appealing to me.
FEBRUARY
February 2:
What Big Teeth by Rose Szabo
Eleanor hasn’t seen or spoken to her family in years, after they sent her away to boarding school. The memories of them that she does have are strange and slightly monstrous, though she remembers that they always treated her as if she were the monstrous one. When Eleanor finally decides to try and reconnect, she arrives at their ancestral home in Maine, gathered and seemingly ready to welcome her back. Just as Eleanor begins to readjust, a death rocks the family, and in order to keep it from falling apart, Eleanor calls on her mysterious other grandmother from across the sea. Grandmere keeps things in order, but it soon turns into more of a reign of terror. In order to keep them all alive, Eleanor must join forces with the ghost of her Grandma Persephone and confront the monstrousness that lies within Grandmere…and within herself.
This sounds creepy and dark, and I’m a fan of these weird, mystical YA horror books that have been coming out in recent years. I also love the title, and I’m sure it’s supposed to be some sort of clue about what exact kind of monstrousness might lie within this family. I’m excited about this one!
Winter’s Orbit by Everina Maxwell
The Iskat Empire has taken over the system, and several planets, including one called Thea, begin to chafe under Iskat’s rule. When the Imperial Prince Taam dies, his widower, a native of Thea named Jainan is rushed into an arranged marriage with Taam’s cousin Kiem (who he doesn’t exactly get along with) in order to maintain order and peace between the two worlds. When it is revealed that Taam’s death might not have been accidental, and that Jainan himself is a suspect, Kiem and Jainan must learn to trust each other as they navigate politics, a murder mystery, and an interplanetary war…and, perhaps most surprisingly, growing feelings for each other.
I love this premise, but I tend to not really be into sci-fi. I just find that if it gets to technical or political that a lot of it goes over my head, so I’m really hoping I can get into this one. The blurb pitches this as Ancillary Justice meets Red,White, and Royal Blue, which immediately hooked me in. Something about the way the summary paragraph is written makes me think that this might be a less complicated read than some of the other sci-fi I’ve read, including Ancillary Justice, so I’m remaining optimistic about this one! Especially because anything with an enemies-to-lovers premise is something I’m 100% behind!
February 9:
The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna
Deka is a sixteen year old girl who is anxiously awaiting the blood ceremony that will decide whether or not she is allowed to become a member of her village. She already feels like an outcast because of her unnatural intuition, so she desperately prays that her blood will run red. But on the day of the ceremony, her blood reveals itself to be gold, the colour of impurity, and she is faced with a consequence worse than death. When a mysterious woman visits Deka and gives her the choice to stay in the village with this fate or to leave and fight in the emperor’s army of girls that are just like her – near-immortals with rare gifts called the alaki – Deka decides to leave the life she’s known behind and join the alaki.
This sounds so cool, and I am literally always down for stories about groups of badass female warriors. And of course, more diverse POC rep is always a fantastic thing!
The Witch’s Heart by Genevieve Gornichec
In this reimagining of Norse mythology, Angrboda is punished by fire when she refuses to give Odin a vision of the future. She flees deep into a forest and meets Loki, and they fall in love and have three children, all with secret destinies. Angrboda raises them far away from the world and from Odin in order to protect them, but as she gains back her power to see into the future, she learns that the world is in danger. Alongside the huntress Skadi, Angrboda must decide whether to accept this fate for her family or fight to preserve their future.
There seems to be a theme in this list of mythology-inspired books, and I have Rick Riordan to thank for singlehandedly growing my interest in those from a very young age. I’m also just a sucker for retelling, either of the fairytale or mythical variety. I really don’t know much about Norse mythology (other than what I’ve seen in the Thor movies, which I’m sure is…not exactly accurate), so I’m really interested to read this one and learn some more about it! Plus, any mythological story that focuses on a female perspective is right up my alley.
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So, those are some of the books that I’m most excited for in the coming months! There are definitely others I came across in my research for this that sounded interesting, but I didn’t want this list to go on for forever, so I tried to narrow it down to the ones that caught my eye the most.
Let me know which books you’re excited to read this winter!
Redhead Readings 