By Anais Aguilera, Amber Alexander, Katie Norris and Sophie Poirier
Publications are starting to hit the shelves in 2024, making it the perfect time to pick up some new reads. Will you stick to your favourite author or check out a new debut?
Amazon
Winner of the Waterstones Gift of the Year 2023 and a Number One Sunday Times Bestseller, G. T. Karber’s unique puzzle book Murdle remains at the top of the charts. If you are a fan of solving murders and finding out who, what, where and why, this book of 100 original murder mystery logic puzzles might just help ease you through the long, dark days of January.
Creeping its way into the top ten on Amazon fiction charts, Jodi Picoult’s novel A Spark of Light is a compelling and suspenseful read. Picoult’s novel is told in reverse, beginning at the moment a gunman takes the women and doctors of an abortion clinic hostage. Every action, interaction and decision that led up to this point is overturned and questioned as the meaning of life is given a whole new perspective, knowing that one movement of a finger can take it all away.
WHSmith
Making the WHSmith Bestselling chart is Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell. This fun-filled middle-grade fantasy adventure won Waterstone’s Book of the Year 2023. Rundell crafts a vivid world of magic and mythology that will enrapture readers of all ages. Follow Christopher, a young boy who discovers an unexpected connection to another world, as he teams up with a girl named Mal to save both the Archipelago and his own world.
For those wanting something a bit darker, Harlan Coben’s I Will Find You was the Richard & Judy Book Club pick for Winter 2023. After David Burrough is accused of the murder of his son, Matthew, he thinks that’s the end of it. But when his sister-in-law visits him in prison five years later, she brings something that could change everything: a picture with a boy in the background, one that looks a lot like Matthew.
Waterstones
Waterstones’ Fiction Book of the Month places Wandering Souls by Cecile Pin at the top of its charts. In a post-Vietnam war environment, three siblings, Anh, Minh and Thanh, leave their country to travel to Hong Kong, hoping their parents will follow behind them soon. However, the three children unexpectedly become orphans and must face the challenges of survivor’s guilt while working towards a better future for themselves without parental guidance. This deeply moving novel is one you will not want to miss.
Waterstones’ Non-Fiction Book of the Month is David Grann’s novel The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny, and Murder. On January 28, 1742, thirty emaciated men washed up on the coast of Brazil, starving and barely alive but ready to tell their story of their ship, The Wager, a British vessel that belonged to His Majesty, chasing a Spanish ship and wrecking on an island off the coast of Patagonia. They who had once endured the difficulties of starvation were now deemed heroes to the people, until six months later when another group of men wash up on the coast of Chile and tell a completely different story about the men; the men were not heroes but mutineers, according to the three castaways. Indulge in this thrilling piece of history as accusations fly back and forth between the groups and lives become at stake.
Social Media
BookTok’s newest favourite YA romance is If He Had Been With Me by Laura Nowlin. Autumn and Finn were the best of friends once. But now they’ve drifted apart, each with their own friend groups and relationship problems. Still, Autumn remains hung up on thoughts of what could have been and what could still be if they had just stayed together.
Buzzing over on TikTok is The Atlas Complex, the final installation in Olivie Blake’s renowned dark academia trilogy. The third book finds our familiar cast of characters dealing with the fallout of the second novel. Unexpected alliances are forged, and old relationships are renewed as the initiates struggle against forces determined to see their downfall.
Noteworthy Author
Kiley Reid made a grand entrance into the publishing world in 2019 with her debut novel, Such a Fun Age. Its thorough explorations of race and relationships made it an instant hit with readers and reviewers, leading to a Goodreads Choice Award for Best Debut Novel. Such a Fun Age was even longlisted for the prestigious Booker Prize – a notable feat for a debut author. Reid’s second novel, Come and Get It, was published late this month and looks to follow in the footsteps of Reid’s debut. With an eclectic ensemble cast and an illicit relationship that will keep you on your toes, fans of Reid’s complex yet relatable characters are sure to enjoy her newest release.
Reid spent years working in childcare for wealthy New York City families, citing this as the inspiration for her debut novel. She lives in Philadelphia and teaches creative writing for the Iowa Writers’ Workshop.
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