Our Most Anticipated Books February 2024

The debut novel from a short story genius, The Book of Love evokes immediate similarities to Stranger Things, as three high school friends are tossed into an otherworldly power struggle a year after their disappearance. In Kelly Link’s masterful hands, this is a novel that will win over a multitude of new fans while further endearing her to those who have been reading her short stories for years.

This luminous and epic debut novel from an acclaimed poet (Mutiny) — conjured from humankind’s quest for freedom, folklore and magic, indelible characters and gorgeous prose — is one of the best books we’ve read in years.

Tommy Orange follows his acclaimed debut There There, with this multigenerational saga that cuts across centuries. Beginning with the Sand Creek Massacre, this book is a damning indictment of America’s treatment of its Native population.

At its core, An Education in Malice will appeal to fans of dark academia and dark romances. This Dracula retelling is dizzying and seductive, offset by genuine human emotion. It’s perfect for fans of The Atlas Six or House of Hunger.

A haunting historical novel inspired by real-life stories from WWI, this is a tale of siblings separated by war and their search for reunion. With a speculative twist, The Warm Hands of Ghosts weaves the historical with the supernatural with delightful ease.

A beautifully-wrought fantasy about immigration, found family and diaspora, Fathomfolk is rich in imagination and mythological roots and set against a modern landscape. This is perfect for fans of Jade City and The Bone Shard Daughter.

From the leader of the romance pack comes a paranormal love story marking Hazelwood’s first. With plenty of laughs, spicy romantic tension and characters you’ll want to spend time with, it’s sure to resonate with fans and newcomers alike.

Frieda McFadden knows how to captivate a readership, and she does it again with this breakneck thriller complete with a delicious #MeToo twist. With the help of two dynamic female protagonists, this is a mystery that is a sheer joy to solve.

The Women is both singular and expansive in focus. Centered on a young nursing student who joins the Army Nursing Corps and is sent to Vietnam, the newest novel from the bestselling author of The Four Winds and The Nightingale is a stark reminder of the sacrifices women make for their country.

Mariah Stovall has crafted an unforgettable and original coming-of-age story with an incisively humorous and delightfully unconventional narrator. Full of empathy and peppered with punk rock, this is a story of friendship, love, and more. Perfect for fans of Melissa Broder and Nick Hornby.

Diane Oliver was a woman ahead of her time who would be widely known were it not for her untimely death. Her remarkable and intimate stories are now available in this engrossing collection.

Profoundly moving and grappling with the complicated subjects of loss and grief, this is nonetheless a joy to read, both because of Sloane Crosley’s unbeatable narrative voice, and because of how deeply human that narrative is.

The magnitudes of modern chaos need to be contextualized, and that is exactly what Michiko Kakutani does in The Great Wave. With parallels to the Black Plague and the 1960s, this is a zoomed-out look at what we’re facing and a hopeful insight into how to make sure that it’s building towards a better future.

Carson McCullers was a trailblazer in the American literary scene, and now acclaimed biographer Mary V. Dearborn brings those creative exploits to life. Digging into McCullers’ private life and how it factored into her artistry, this is a window into a staple of the literary landscape that you’ve never seen before.

A deeply personal, immensely human memoir of Lucy Sante’s journey to find herself. This is the story of transition and identity, told in prose that is equal parts biting, empathetic and hilarious.

Ruha Benjamin builds an immensely compelling and insightful narrative around the concept that our imaginations already know what a better world looks like. It’s a reminder that we can do what we set our minds too, and that imagination is a perfectly fine building block to start from.

An unprecedented new look at America’s invasion of Iraq, The Achilles Trap includes sources never before published, including exclusive interviews, transcripts and audio files from Saddam Hussein himself.

A faith-based wilderness manual, Sarah Bessey is here to be your companion on your journey, whatever that journey entails. This is an actionable guide to finding fertile soil to nurture your faith as you continue to grow towards God.