The 2018 book releases we're most excited to read

The Imam of Tawi-Tawi (An Ava Lee Novel)

I'm not usually one for a mystery series, but with 10 books (and counting) and a possible TV series in the works, I think the Ava Lee series is one I'm going to have to get reading. The newest book in the series follows the detective to Yunnan Province and the Philippines to solve a new mystery.

Publication Date: January 2018

Bachelor Girl by Kim Van Alkemade

Inspired by the true story of a New York City millionaire and his mysterious bequest to an unknown actress, Helen Winthrope Weyant.

Publication Date: March 2018

Heartbreaker by Claudia Dey

I managed to get my hands on a copy of this novel by Dey and it’s the most delightful thing I’ve read in a long time. At it’s heart, it’s a mystery about an interesting woman, but it’s also about a family, about love and about a weird setting. Did I mention it’s told from three different perspectives: the daughter’s, the neighbour’s and the dog’s. 

Publication Date: May 2018

A Dangerous Crossing (Rachel Getty & Esa Khattak #4) by Ausma Zehanat Khan

This latest in a series of detective novels that, in the first book (The Unquiet Dead), sensitively dealt with the 1995 Srebrenica massacre. This time, Khan's protagonists become involved in the Syrian refugee crisis. 

Publication Date: February 2018

Daughter of the Siren Queen by Tricia Levenseller

This is the follow up to Daughter of the Pirate King, a YA novel I loved when I read it this year. Excited to see what the author does this time around. 

Publication Date: February 2018

Every Note Played by Lisa Genova

When accomplished concert pianist Richard becomes increasingly paralyzed by his ALS and is no longer able to live on his own, his ex-wife, Karina, becomes his reluctant caretaker. 

Publication Date: March 2018

Every Third Thought by Robert McCrum

Is it morbid that I want to read a book that deals with our approach to death? As someone who has faced some hard truths about mortality, I find myself drawn to reading other people's experiences and trying to learn from them. This one definitely looks interesting to me.

Publication Date: February 2018

Heart Talk by Cleo Wade

Cleo Wade has been referred to as the “Millennial Oprah,” and offers creative inspiration and life lessons through a beautiful collection of poetry. 

Publication Date: March 2018

Hotel Silence by Audur Ava Olafsdottir, translated by Brian FitzGibbon

This Icelandic author’s work (which won the Icelandic Literature Prize) is getting an english translation this year. The only synopsis? A recently divorced man goes on a life-changing journey to help those around him. I’m in. 

Publication Date: February 2018

Land Animals and Sea Creatures by Jen Neale

A veteran with Gulf War Syndrome has been having a difficult time and so his daughter, Julie, returns to the small town where he lives to look after him. This thoughtful topic—PTSD and family obligations—is given the magical realism treatment, and I’m so looking forward to reading it. 

Publication Date: May 2018
 

That Tiny Life by Erin Frances Fisher

Short stories are having a moment right now, and I’m so excited for you to read this moving collection that manages to be incredible in its detail. Completely foreign subject matter (including space travel, falconry and the guillotine), is rendered beautifully by Fisher who manages to create intimate and moving snapshots of her characters.

Publication Date: March 2018

Lethal White (Cormoran Strike #4) by Robert Galbraith

The London-set detective series written by J.K. Rowling under a pseudonym, this latest will (hopefully) pick up right where the last book's cliffhanger left off. The TV-adaptation of the first book (The Cuckoo's Calling) is coming to Canada soon. 

Publication Date: 2018

Liminal by Jordan Tannahill

This entire novel apparently takes place between the moment Jordan opens his mother’s door to see her lying in bed, and the he walks over to check and see if she is still alive. The uncertainty between life and death plunges our main character into thoughtful and volatile depths.

Publication Date: January 2018

Mr. Flood’s Last Resort by Jess Kidd

If the genre is magical realism you can count on me to put it on my must-read list. This one is about Maud, who after a childhood accident finds herself host to a bunch of patron saints who pop in and out of her life. Her unlikely alliance with Mr. Flood—an old man about to be relocated to a home—leads to a deeper look at the past and even more eccentricities. 

Publication Date: May 2018

Neon in Daylight by Hermione Hoby

New York City in 2012, the sweltering summer before Hurricane Sandy hits. Kate, a young woman newly arrived from England, is staying in a Manhattan apartment while she tries to figure out her future.

Publication Date: January 2018

Stereoblind by Emma Healey

Poetry is not normally known for its accessibility, but this collection of prose poems promised to be both easy to read, and completely earnest.

Publication Date: April 2018

Tangerine by Christine Mangan

The setting – Tangier – and the suspenseful write ups I've read about this book make me want to pick it up. I have high expectations for this one. 

Publication Date: March 2018

A False Report: A True Story of Rape in America by T. Christian Miller and Ken Armstrong

Every year I try to read some timely non-fiction. This book is one of my picks this year. After a teenager is charged with lying about being raped, two Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists search for justice and uncover some hard truths about how sexual assault is treated today. 

Publication Date: February 2018

The Broken Girls by Simone St. James

Canadian author who rights romantic suspense with a ghost-story angle leaves the 1920s-era U.K. of her previous books with this one set at a haunted girls' school in 1950 as well as the present day. I've loved every single one of her other books. 

Publication Date: March 2018

The Earlie King & the Kid in Yellow by Danny Denton

I love a good film noir, so I’ve decided to dip my toes into the noir thriller book trend this year with this debut from Danny Denton. Based in Ireland, the press sell was a little confusing—the kid in yellow has stolen something? From the king?—but intriguing enough that this made it onto my must-read list. 

Publication Date: March 2018

The Enchanted Life: Unlocking The Magic of the Everyday by Sharon Blackie

I’m not normally one for self-help books, but I am a sucker for anything fairy-tale or myth-related. Blackie poses enchantment as an attitude to live by, and pulls from ecology, fairy takes, folklore and wonderment in her guide to enlightenment.

Publication Date: April 2018

The English Wife by Lauren Willig

I love Lauren Willig's books – they're always sweet, satisfying reads. This one is a historical mystery/romance that I can't wait to dive into.

Publication Date: January 2018

The Female Persuasion by Meg Wolitzer

Meg Wolitzer’s latest chronicles how three intense relationships that determine the course of a young woman’s life.

Publication Date: April 2018

The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah

From the bestselling author of The Nightingale, this story about a family in crisis is set in remote northern Alaska. 

Publication Date: February 2018

The Last Hours by Minette Walters

During the 12th-century Black Death, Lady Anne of Develish becomes a heroine to her people by denouncing the wrath of God as the cause of the plague and finding more sensible ways to save her people.

Publication Date: April 2018

The Last London by Iain Sinclair

For a devoted Anglophile like me, any new exploration of my favourite city – literary or physical – is on my list. I love to walk when I'm in London, and Sinclair's latest book promises some new discoveries. Already planning my next trip!

Publication Date: January 2018

The Only Story by Julian Barnes

Man Booker Prize-winning author Barnes returns with this novel about an affair in the 1960s, and the havoc it wreaks on everyone involved.

Publication Date: April 2018

The Punishment She Deserves (Inspector Lynley #20) by Elizabeth George

George is a powerhouse author whose every novel leaves readers wishing the book had never ended. This new entry in the Inspector Lynley series catches us up with favourite returning characters (I'm looking at you, DS Barbara Havers) as well as introduces some new ones.

Publication Date: March 2018

The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton

This premise sounds really interesting – a murder mystery told from the points of view of each of the seven witnesses – and right up my alley. 

Publication Date: February 2018

When We Were Birds by Maria Mutch

Another short story collection, this one promises to bright to mind fable, romance, eroticism and a touch of magical realism—yes please!

Publication Date: April 2018