Top Ten Tuesday #402

Hi everyone! I hope you’ve all had a good week since I last did one of these. It was my first day back of work on Monday after Christmas and I have to admit it was a bit of a shock to the system, I was worried I wouldn’t really remember much having had an extended break after just starting a new job, but it actually went much better than I thought it would so I was quite relieved by that!

Anyway today’s TTT is as always courtesy of Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl and it’s another of my annual favourites, Most Anticipated Releases For The First Half of 2023. I always used to think it was the latter half of the year that was bigger in terms of new releases, but for the past couple of years, my list for the first half has been longer. I don’t know if that’s a change in trend in terms of when publishing releases their big books, or just a change in my reading habits meaning I’m excited for different authors who have release dates earlier in the year. Maybe a mix of both? Anyway, these are the books I’m most excited for coming out in January-June this year (as always, these are in release date order, so the numbering is no indicator for level of excitement):

1. Hell Bent-Leigh Bardugo-Releases TODAY

Cover Designer & Artist: Keith Hayes and Sasha Vinogradova

Is it a bit of a cheat including this book when it came out today? Maybe! But I’m doing it anyway. I’ll admit Ninth House wasn’t my favourite Leigh Bardugo book but it ended in a really exciting place…..and then of course we’ve had to wait a long time to find out what happens next, so I’m definitely looking forward to seeing what this instalment has in store and I think now that we’ve got past all of the setup that needed to happen in the first book, this second book should hopefully be smoother sailing.

2. The Book Spy-Alan Hlad-Releases 24th January

Cover Designer: Kensington

I will admit that the synopsis of this book sounds incredibly similar to Madeline Martin’s The Librarian Spy which I read last year. However, since I did really enjoy that book, I’m intrigued to read something else with a setting in Portugal during WWII and learn even more about that country’s role in the war. Alan Hlad is a new to me author, so I’m hoping I’ll enjoy this and find a new historical fiction author’s books to enjoy.

3. The Luminaries-Susan Dennard-Releases 26th January

Cover Designer: Micaela Alcaino

The eagle eyed among you might have noticed that The Luminaries was on my second half of the year release list last year. Yes, that was my mistake, I didn’t realise that the UK edition of The Luminaries (even the audiobook) did not release until this month. But if anything I’m even more excited for The Luminaries now after playing along with Susan Dennard’s latest Luminaries Sooz Your Own Adventure for the past couple of months. Much as I enjoy the Witchlands series, it is incredibly complicated and this series seems like it will be both fun and easier for me to follow! I’m sure Winnie in the books has a little more sense than HiveMind Winnie though!

4. The Last Tale of The Flower Bride-Roshani Chokshi-Releases 14th February

Cover Designer: Will Speed

This is Chokshi’s adult debut (though I would argue The Gilded Wolves trilogy is kind of YA/Adult Crossover as the characters are in their late teens/early twenties), and I’m really excited to see what she does in this space. It definitely sounds like a super intriguing book, a dark and twisted fairytale type story about a marriage and the secrets that threaten to consume it. The excerpts Chokshi has posted so far have been really great, so I’m excited to get to consume the whole story.

5. The War Pianist-Mandy Robotham-Releases 16th February

Cover Designer: Avon

I know WWII fiction is a saturated market, but I swear these stories are like catnip to me! Every time I think there can’t possibly be anything new to cover about that time period, another author releases another book about an aspect of the war I knew nothing about. This one is about two women who work as radio operators in WWII, one in London and one in Amsterdam for the Dutch Resistance and the way their lives intertwine. I have to admit, I know basically nothing about the Dutch Resistance, or much about what happened in Amsterdam during the war, so I’m excited to read this and learn a bit more.

6. The Librarian of Burned Books-Brianna Labuskes-Releases 21st February

Cover Designer: William Morrow & Company

I do seem to have found much success in the genre niche of WWII fiction about books, so when I saw this one, it immediately went on my list. It sounds brilliant, it follows three women in different places and across different time periods (both pre and during WWII) who are all connected via a love of books and shows how they ban together to fight against censorship. I’m particularly intrigued by the German Library of Burned Books in Paris which one of the characters works at, as I had no idea that was a thing! Everything about this book makes it sound right up my alley so I’m excited to dive in when it comes out.

7. The Woman With The Cure-Lynn Cullen-Releases 21st February

Cover Designer: Berkley Books

I saw this one on someone’s blog in our TTT last week actually! I can’t believe I’d never heard of Dorothy Horstmann and the work she did and though I don’t want to read anything about Covid, I think a historical fiction novel about the development of the polio vaccine sounds incredibly intriguing. I always love books that shine a light on women’s contributions in any field, so I’m excited to read this and learn more about Dorothy Horstmann’s work.

8. City of Nightmares-Rebecca Schaeffer-Releases 23rd February

Cover Designer: Lydia Blagden, Illustrator: @Afterblossomart

This actually releases today in the US, but won’t be out here in the UK until next month. I really enjoyed Rebecca Schaeffer’s Not Even Bones (and still need to finish the other two books in that trilogy actually!) so when I saw her new book, I was naturally intrigued. It sounds like a lot of fun, a world where dreaming means you wake up as your worst nightmare? Brilliant. I will admit, slightly apprehensive about the man-eating spider part, but I love that it doesn’t sound like any other fantasy book I’ve read: I think part of why I’ve been less drawn to fantasy in recent years is because so much of what I was reading felt indistinguishable from each other, so it’s great to read a fantasy book blurb and feel: YES, this doesn’t remind me of every other YA fantasy out there.

9. A Day of Fallen Night-Samantha Shannon-Releases 28th February

Cover Designer: David Mann, Illustrator: Ivan Belikov

The Roots of Chaos books seriously have the most gorgeous covers ever. Like I already know I’ll be reading this as an audiobook because it just won’t be practical to carry around at that size, but you best believe I got a ticket for Samantha Shannon’s London tour stop with the book included because it’s just too beautiful not to be part of my collection. Anyway, I enjoyed Priory, so I’m really looking forward to the prequel and seeing the Grief of Ages which impacted so many of the events in The Priory of The Orange Tree. I also love how much these books unapologetically centre women and I can’t wait to meet Tunuva, Dumai and Glorian.

10. The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi-Shannon Chakraborty-Releases 2nd March

Cover Designer: Micaela Alcaino

The cover of this book is just stunning! I loved the Daevabad trilogy, and I’m so excited to see what Shannon Chakraborty has done now outside of that world. This book sounds so completely up my street as well, I love pirates, especially female ones and Amina Al-Sirafi sounds like my kind of woman, a pirate who has had an infamous career is ready to retire…..only to get pulled back in with a job she can’t refuse. It sounds like all kind of hijinks are likely to ensue in this book and I cannot wait for them.

11. The Sinister Booksellers of Bath-Garth Nix-Releases 23rd March

Cover Designer: Rachael Lancaster

I had my issues with The Left-Handed Booksellers of London, but I did love the concept for the book and the world that Nix created so I’m excited to dive back into that world and hopeful that the sequel may have ironed on some of the kinks from the first book. I’m excited for the new setting as well, I’ve only been to Bath once but it’s a lovely city and I look forward to seeing what kind of magical twist Nix will put on it.

12. Hell Breaks Loose-Derek Landy-Releases 30th March

Cover Designer: Matt Taylor

WE HAVE A SKULDUGGERY PREQUEL PEOPLE. Admittedly, I’ve still yet to actually finish the main series, I’ve still got the last two books of Phase 2 to read (and I still don’t trust Derek that this really is the end….), but I’m massively excited for this prequel, we get to see all of the Dead Men together again, it’s set in 18th Century Italy and in order to save the world, they have to save….Mevolent? It definitely seems intriguing and I’m excited to see Skulduggery back in the days before he met Valkyrie.

13. Homecoming-Kate Morton-Releases 13th April

Cover Designer: Mantle

After having been to Australia, I was really excited to see that this book was also set in Australia (though a different part to where I was). It sounds really great, a journalist who comes home after being laid off from her job and gets embroiled in researching this sixty year old cold murder case from 1959. It sounds like just the kind of twisty, suspenseful novel that I love reading, so I’m excited to dive in come April.

14. Mastering The Art of French Murder-Colleen Cambridge-Releases 25th April

Cover Designer: Kensington

I saw this book featured on someone’s TTT a while back and was immediately drawn in by the title, I mean, who wouldn’t want to read that? It sounds like a lot of fun, Tabitha, a fictional best friend of Julia Child moves to Paris from America in the post-war era and ends up mixed up in a murder investigation after a body is found in the cellar of Julia’s building….killed by a knife from Julia’s kitchen and with a note in Tabitha’s handwriting in the pocket. A post WWII setting and a murder mystery? What more could I want?

15. Death of A Bookseller-Alice Slater-Releases 27th April

Cover Designer: Lewis Csizmazia

I actually came across this one by accident whilst I was browsing for books to get in the Waterstones Double Stamps offer back in November and was just immediately pulled in by it. A true crime obsessed bookseller who becomes dangerously obsessed with her new colleague and I’m guessing some sort of murder happens? From the description, I’m kind of getting “You” vibes, so I wonder if Roach is Joe Goldberg level of twisted!

So there we go, my most anticipated releases for the first half of 2023! It’s an interesting mix this year of fantasy, historical fiction and mystery and I think the fact that it’s a bit more of a variety of genres than I’ve had in previous years just shows how my reading tastes have changed in the past few years. Do we share any of these? What books are you excited for that are coming out in the first half of 2023? Let me know in the comments!

I’ll be back next week with another Top Ten Tuesday, and we’ll be talking about our Bookish Goals For 2023, which is always a fun one to do.