I know. I know. In our last blog post, I said that my main reading goal for 2023 is to read the books I already own. I promise that is still my goal, but these six books have caught my attention, and I can’t just ignore them. I’m going to read all of them eventually, so I might as well state, for the record, that they are officially on my 2023 TBR. It’s unlikely that I’ll get to them all this year, but if I buy any 2023 book releases, it’ll probably be one of these.
6 Books on Gen’s 2023 Book Release Radar
I may be straying from my bookshelf with these anticipated releases, but I kept it to a very reasonable six titles rather than the 10 or so I usually go for. Please acknowledge my restraint and, without further ado, peruse this list of books I’m ready to throw all my money at.
1. Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo (January 10)
Hell Bent is the sequel to Leigh Bardugo’s first adult novel, Ninth House, which follows Alex Stern to an Ivy League college rife with secret societies that practice occult magic. I’ve been waiting for the sequel since I read Ninth House in late 2019 (the halcyon pre-pandemic days), so I’m already making grabby hands for it. Alex will finally try to rescue Darlington from purgatory — until faculty members start dying and things get even more dangerous. If you haven’t read Ninth House, just imagine if you crossed The Skulls (2000) with hauntings and spooky magic, and you’ll have a pretty good idea of what you’re in for.
2. How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix (January 14)
My Best Friend’s Exorcism is one of the books that I started in 2022 and haven’t finished reading yet — but not because I wasn’t enjoying it! I like Hendrix’s style, and the title of this one is too good to pass up. The story follows estranged siblings, Louise and Mark, as they try to sell their childhood home after their parents die. Naturally, things get weird. Their parents have taped newspapers over all the mirrors and nailed the attic door shut. I’d be out of there so fast, but I love a good haunted house story, so sign me up!.
3. VenCo by Cherie Dimaline (February 7)
Oh, baby. I love Cherie Dimaline. With Empire of Wild, she dug into the Métis myth of the werewolf-like rougarou. Now she’s giving us witches. Lucky St. James discovers that she’s linked to VenCo, a network of witches throughout North America. It sends her and her grandmother, Stella, on a road trip to New Orleans, pursued all the while by a deadly witch hunter. Witches? Road trips? New Orleans? I’ve never wanted to get my hands on something so badly.
4. A House with Good Bones by T. Kingfisher (March 28)
Once again, it’s a title too good to resist. I just know those good bones are going to end up being literal bones. As we’ve already established, I’m a sucker for a haunted house story, and this one has the added bonus of a Southern Gothic edge. When Sam Montgomery turns up for an extended visit with her mother, the house — and her mother — are…different. Yeah, things get weird. Like finding a jar of teeth hidden behind a rose bush. Hello, yes, please, I’d like it now.
5. Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (July 18)
Ever since reading (and loving) Mexican Gothic, I’ve made it a habit to add every new book by Silvia Moreno-Garcia to my TBR list. It’s not just that Mexican Gothic was so great (which it was). It’s that everything she writes sounds so cool. In Silver Nitrate, sound editor Montserrat is trying to navigate the boys’ club of the film industry in 90s Mexico City. But something strange is afoot. (Aare you sensing a theme with my book choices?). It involves an unfinished film that cult horror director Abel Urueta claims is cursed by magic imbued in the silver nitrate stock by a Nazi occultist. Moreno-Garcia is so good at building a sense of creeping dread, and I have no doubt she’ll apply that skill here. I’m already obsessed.
6. Family Lore by Elizabeth Acevedo (August 1)
I think we may have mentioned Family Lore in our episode on Clap When You Land, one of Elizabeth Acevedo’s YA novels. I’m in awe of her style of writing and am still blown away by how much she was able to accomplish with story and character while writing in verse rather than prose. Family Lore will be her first novel for adults and follows four sisters and two of their daughters over three days leading up to a wake. It’s a living wake, requested by Flor, who has always been able to predict, to the day, when someone will die — though, in this case, she won’t say who. Where do I get my advanced copy?
Keeping It Spooky in 2023
You may have noticed that I have a bit of a spooky theme going with my top anticipated 2023 book releases. I swear it wasn’t intentional. That’s just what’s drawing me in this year. I can’t say no to a little bit of magic and mayhem. And I can’t turn down a good haunting or death prediction.
What’s on your release radar for 2023?
