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The first two titles on this list are already available to buy or maybe even borrow from your local library, and I’m sharing the release dates for the rest of them as well.

1. How Simi Got Her Groom Back by Sonali Dev

Why I Want to Read It: The reference to the 90’s romance film How Stella Got Her Groove Back was honestly what first caught my attention because I loved that movie, but the blurb sounds really good as well.

2. Daughter of Crows by Mark Lawrence

Why I Want to Read It: High fantasy isn’t a genre I’ve read in ages, and it may be time to change that.

3. The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett

Release Date: April 7

Why I Want to Read It: Both the 1930s and stories about orphans who probably will never be adopted are of interest to me.

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4. Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth

Release Date: April 21

Why I Want to Read It: Mabel sounds like a delightfully exasperating and interesting character. Sometimes I need to read about folks who aren’t all sweetness and light.

5. Where the Earth Meets the Sky: A Story of Penguins, People, and Place in Antarctica by Louise K. Blight

Release Date: April 26

Why I Want to Read It: Of course I want to read about penguins. I am lowkey fascinated by them.

6. The Correspondent by Virginia Evans

Release Date: April 29

Why I Want to Read It: Letters aren’t included often enough in modern fiction for my tastes, so I’m hoping this will be a good example of what an epistolary novel can be like in the twenty-first century.

7. Enormous Wings by Laurie Frankel

Release Date: May 5

Why I Want to Read It: Like #4, this features a senior citizen protagonist. I think it’s really cool that we’re getting more stories about that age group.

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8. John of John by Douglas Stuart

Release Date: May 5

Why I Want to Read It: There’s something so interesting to me about characters who fail at their original goals and must find alternative ways to live a good life.

9. Say Nephew: On Boyhood, Unclehood, and Queer Mentorship by Steven Pfau

Release Date: May 26

Why I Want to Read It: This sounds like such an interesting read.

10. Spawning Season: An Experiment in Queer Parenthood by Joseph Osmundson

Release Date: May 26

Why I Want to Read It: There is so much I don’t know about this topic, and I’m curious to hear how the discussions between the author and the women who were thinking about using him as a donor turned out.

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It amazes me that books have already been scheduled for publication this upcoming summer!

How far in advance publishers schedule these things?

If it’s not a season-specific title, how do they decide in which month a book should be published?

Sometimes I‘ve seen publication dates being pushed back by a few months, too, which is another mystery.

I don’t expect anyone reading this to know the answers to these questions, but it’s sure fun to think about.

These are ten of the titles I’m looking forward to reading in the first half of 2026.

1. She Made Herself a Monster by Anna Kovatcheva

Release Date: February 10

Why I Want to Read It: Vampire hunters are interesting to read about.

2. Shake Out the Ghosts by Al Hess

Release Date: March 10

Why I Want to Read It: I love a good ghost story.

3. Everyone in the Group Chat Dies by L.M. Chilton 

Release Date: March 13

Why I Want to Read It: The playful title caught my attention.

4. Wolf Worm by T. Kingfisher

Release Date: March 24

Why I Want to Read It: How does Kingfisher write so quickly? I’m amazed and interested in seeing what this one is about.

5. Japanese Gothic by Kylie Lee Baker

Release Date: April 21

Why I Want to Read It: Portal fiction often grabs my attention.

6. We Burned So Bright  by T.J. Klune

Release Date: April 28

Why I Want to Read It: Black holes are one of those natural phenomenon that truly scare me. I can’t imagine a happy ending for these characters, but maybe it will be a memorable one?

7. Young World by Soman Chainani 

Release Date: May 5

Why I Want to Read It: The plot sounds like something from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Pure silliness!

8. All Them Dogs by Djamel White

Release Date: May 19

Why I Want to Read It: This sounds dense, heavy, and thought provoking. Sometimes that’s exactly what I need to read.

9.The Unicorn Hunters by Katherine Arden

Release Date: June 2

Why I Want to Read It: I’ve enjoyed some of her previous books and hope this one is good, too.

10. Land: From the no. 1 bestselling author of Hamnet, a multigenerational epic of loss, hope and reunion (Audible Audio) by Maggie O’Farrell

Release Date: June 2

Why I Want to Read It: Hamnet is still on my TBR list, but this sounds like a great read as well.

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I don’t know about all of you, but I get so much more reading done when the weather is unpleasant than when it is warm and dry outside.

Winter is the perfect time to chip away at my TBR list as well as explore some new titles, too.

Here are ten books I’m looking forward to this winter.

If no release date is included, that book is already available to buy or maybe even to borrow from your local library depending on where you live.

1. The Word for World by Ursula K. Le Guin

Why I Want to Read It: There’s nothing like exploring maps in books.

2. Ain’t Nobody’s Fool: The Life and Times of Dolly Parton  by Martha Ackmann

Why I Want to Read It: While I’m not a fan of country music, I’ve heard nothing but good things about Dolly Parton and would like to learn more about her life.

3.  Graceless Heart by Isabel Ibañez

Release Date: January 13

Why I Want to Read It: The plot sounds fast-paced and exciting.

4. Anne of a Different Island by Virginia Kantra

Release Date: January 20

Why I Want to Read It: Anne Shirley is one of those characters I can never get enough of.

5. Love Me Tomorrow by Emiko Jean

Release Date: February 3

Why I Want to Read It: This has such a sweet and romantic premise.

6. The Forest on the Edge of Time by Jasmin Kirkbride

Release Date: February 3

Why I Want to Read It: Time travel and climate change fiction? Sign me up!

7. Everyday Movement by Gigi L. Leung

Release Date: February 10

Why I Want to Read It: My knowledge of Hong Kong’s history and social climate is limited, but maybe this will help fill in a few gaps even if it is fiction?

8. So Old, So Young by Grant Ginder

Release Date: February 17

Why I Want to Read It: Friendship can be such a complicated topic, and I love reading about it.

9. Where the Wildflowers Grow by Terah Shelton Harris

Release Date: February 17

Why I Want to Read It: I’ve known a few people who were incarcerated and think this is a group that is not featured often enough in most modern fiction, especially when it comes to former inmates who are trying to make better choices after their release.

10.The Legend of the Nine-Tailed Fox by Katrina Kwan 

Release Date: February 24

Why I Want to Read It: This sounds like a lighthearted read which is something I enjoy now and then.

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These are all books from my TBR list I’m curious to read.

1.Mate (Bride, #2)  by Ali Hazelwood

2. Girl Dinner by Olivie Blake

3. The Hearth Witch’s Guide to Magic & Murder (The Hemlock Saga, #1) by Kiri Callaghan

4. Overdue  by Stephanie Perkins

5. Dracula by Bram Stoker

6. Twice by Mitch Albom

7. Wanting Daisy Dead by Sue Watson

8. The Keeper of Magical Things by Julie Leong

9. The Isle in the Silver Sea by Tasha Suri

10. Crafting for Sinners by Jenny Kiefer

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This autumn sounds like it’s going to be an excellent season for books.

Here are ten titles I’m looking forward to, a few of which I learned about from the Top Ten Tuesday topic earlier this year about books we’re anticipating that are being released in the second half of the year.

I will be thanking those bloggers individually later on in this post as they really helped me find some great titles for today’s post.

1.  The Maiden and Her Monster by Maddie Martinez

Why I Want to Read It: The golem myth is something I’d like to learn more about.

2. Hot Wax  by M.L. Rio

Why I Want to Read It: The protagonist’s backstory sounds quite mysterious.

3.  Cursed Daughters by Oyinkan Braithwaite

Thank you to AJ Sterkel for blogging about this.

Publication Date: September 25

Why I Want to Read It: As soon as I read the phrase generational curse in the blurb, I knew this was going to catch my attention. What an interesting topic.

4.  The Lost Story of Eva Fuentes by Chanel Cleeton

Publication Date: September 30

Why I Want to Read It: Imagine being paid to procure the last copy of a book known to exist! What an unusual thing to do.

5. What Stalks the Deep by T. Kingfisher 

Publication Date: September 30

Why I Want to Read It: Kingfisher is on my must-read list, and this is one of two books from them on today’s list.

6.  The Unveiling: A Novel by Quan Barry 

Thank you to Top 100 Books Reviews for blogging about this.

Publication Date: October 14

Why I Want to Read It: Literary horror isn’t a mashup of genres I see too often.

7. The land of sweet forever by Harper Lee

Thank you to Anne @ Headfull Of Books for blogging about this.

Publication Date: October 21

Why I Want to Read It: A new Harper Lee book sounds great to me.

8.  Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins

Publication Date: November 4

Why I Want to Read It: More Hunger Games universe stuff? Sign me up!

9.  Deadly Ever After by Brittany Johnson 

Publication Date: November 4

Why I Want to Read It: I’m excited to see how Ms. Johnson makes the concept of true love’s kiss fresh and new again.

10. Snake-Eater by T. Kingfisher

Publication Date: November 11

Why I Want to Read It: As stated earlier, Kingfisher is one of those authors I always find time to check out.

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The second half of 2025 feels so far away, but it will begin sooner than I think.

It’s interesting how slowly winter seems to pass by versus how quickly summer happens, at least in my experience. Do you feel the same way about the warm seasons where you live?

I once again have another Top Ten Tuesday blogger to thank this week, so stay tuned.

Let’s see what I can come up with for this list.

1. Sisters in the Wind by Angeline Boulley

Release Date: September 2

Why I Want to Read It: Books about foster care often pique my interest.

2. People Watching by Hannah Bonam-Young

Release Date: September 9

Why I Want to Read It: This looks like an adorable summer romance.

3.  The Wilderness by Angela Flournoy

Release Date: September 16

Why I Want to Read It: There is nothing like reading a novel about friendships and how they evolve over many years.

4. Alchemised by SenLinYu 

Release Date: September 30

Why I Want to Read It: Memory problems are one of the scariest issues the human body can have in my opinion. What a great premise for a story.

5. Cinder House by Freya Marske 

Release Date: October 7

Why I Want to Read It: Cinderella was one of my favorite fairy tales as a kid, and I love reading retellings of it.

6. The Last Spirits of Manhattan: A Novel by John A McDermott

Thank you to Susan @ BlogginBoutBooks for blogging about this last winter.

Release Date: October 14

Why I Want to Read It: Two of the quickest ways to make me want to read something is to describe it as a ghost story and as something based on a true story, so this is floating up to the top of my TBR list.

7.  Isn’t It Obvious? by Rachel Runya Katz

Release Date: October 21

Why I Want to Read It: Romance readers of Top Ten Tuesday, can you believe I picked two books from that genre this week? If any of you read them, I’d love to hear your thoughts.

8.  I’ll Quit When I’m Dead by Luke Smitherd

Release Date: October 14

Why I Want to Read It: Fitness-themed horror is not something I think I’ve read before, but I can totally see how it could be a thing.

9. Hazelthorn by C.G. Drews 

Release Date: October 28

Why I Want to Read It: Ooh, this cover looks scary. Plants can be a threat for sure, and not just for those of us with seasonal allergies.

10.  Snake-Eater by T. Kingfisher

Release Date: November 11

Why I Want to Read It: Ms. Kingfisher has so many books coming out this year. I tried to refrain from including all of them in the TBR lists last week and this one, but I had to indulge one more time.

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This looks like it’s going to be a fabulous summer of reading! Here are the titles I’m most excited for and why I can’t wait to read them. If no release date is included, this means they’re already available to buy or hopefully even borrow from your local library if you have one.

I discovered two of them on other Top Ten Tuesday TBR posts earlier this year, so I will be thanking those bloggers individually later on in this post.

Isn’t it awesome when this blog hop introduces you to new books that are right up your alley?

1. The Immortal Choir Holds Every Voice by Margaret Killjoy

Why I Want to Read It: This is a horror series I haven’t started yet, but maybe I will feel the urge to get started now that the third instalment has come out?

2. Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by Victoria E. Schwab

Why I Want to Read It: Scary vampires are the best kind of vampires if you ask me.

3. These Heathens by Mia McKenzie

Why I Want to Read It: History is something I enjoy reading about through both fiction and nonfiction means.

4. Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Crimes by Sandra Jackson-Opoku

Release Date: July 29

Why I Want to Read It: A cozy mystery? Check. A fun title? Check. A food-related plot? Check. This is exactly the kind of stuff I like to read.

5.  The Sunflower Boys by Sam Wachman

Release Date: August 12

Why I Want to Read It: Everyone needs a good tearjerker sometimes. (Or at least I do!)

6. Hemlock & Silver by T. Kingfisher

Release Date: August 19

Why I Want to Read It: T. Kingfisher is a must-read author for me.

7. The End of the World As We Know It: New Tales of Stephen King’s The Stand by Christopher Golden

Release Date: August 19

Why I Want to Read It: I loved The Stand and would like to revisit that universe, especially since Mr. King has fully authorized this spinoff.

(This cover was too large to upload, but the link below includes it)

8. The Possession of Alba Díaz by Isabel Canaz 

Thank you to bookwormnai for this recommendation.

Release Date: August 25

Why I Want to Read It: What a scary premise it has, from the epidemic to the demonic possession.

(This cover has not been released yet)

9. Secret Lives of the Dead by Tim Lebbon 

Thank you to BooksBonesBuffy! For this recommendation. 

Release Date: August 26

Why I Want to Read It: It sounds deliciously scary.

(The third time was not the charm today! This cover was also too large to upload, but the link below includes it).

10.  Katabasis by R.F. Kuang

Release Date: August 26

Why I Want to Read It: Ms. Kuang is also on my list of authors I immediately check out when they release something new.

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Here are ten books I’m looking forward to checking out this spring. Some of these titles have already been released, and I’m including the publication dates for the rest.

1.Woodworking  by Emily St. James 

Why I Want to Read It: Being closeted in a rural area is difficult, and I like reading stories about characters who figure out how to make it work.

2. The River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar

Why I Want to Read It: Faeries are always interesting to read about.

3. Stop Me If You’ve Heard This One by Kristen Arnett

Why I Want to Read It: It’s been a while since I read anything that had clowns in it. How fun!

4. rekt by Alex Gonzalez

Publication Date: March 25

Why I Want to Read It: Some parts of the Internet can be dangerous, especially for people who are already struggling. I’m rooting for the protagonist already.

5.  The Keeper of Lonely Spirits by E.M. Anderson

Publication Date: March 25

Why I Want to Read It: I need more cozy fantasy in my life.

6. Say You’ll Remember Me by Abby Jimenez

Publication Date: April 1

Why I Want to Read It: Ms. Jimenez has been on my TBR list for so long that now I have multiple books from her I want to read. One of these days I will finally read her work.

7.  Eat the Ones You Love by Sarah Maria Griffin

Publication Date: April 22

Why I Want to Read It: This sounds deliciously scary.

(This cover was too large to upload, but the link below will show it).

8. The Names by Florence Knapp

Publication Date: May 6

Why I Want to Read It: I love books that give a character some sort of dilemma in an early scene and then split off into different timelines to show how each decision would affect their lives.

9. Old School Indian  by Aaron John Curtis

Publication Date: May 6

Why I Want to Read It: Characters who spend their last few weeks looking back at their lives can have such profound things to say about what’s really important.

10. Immaculate Conception by Ling Ling Huang

Publication Date: May 13

Why I Want to Read It: I’ve sometimes wondered how the world would be different if everyone was capable of feeling deep empathy for others. Would it change the harmful decisions people can make?

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Making TBR lists is so much easier than reading the books on them!

It’s sort of like having a meal that consists of all of your favorite foods.

The temptation to put more food on your plate than can easily fit into your stomach is strong.

Luckily, books don’t spoil if you put off reading them until your literary appetite returns.

Here are some of the 2024 releases I previously blogged about for Long and Short Reviews, have not read yet, but do hope to read eventually.

1. The Djinn Waits a Hundred Years by Shubnum Khan

2. Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez

3.  Eruption by Michael Crichton

4. Build a Girlfriend by Elba Luz

5.  Januaries by Olivie Blake

6. Hope Ablaze by Sarah Mughal Rana

7. You Like It Darker by Stephen King

8. We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer

9. Somewhere Beyond the Sea (The House in the Cerulean Sea, #2)  by T.J. Klune

10. The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World by Robin Wall Kimmerer

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I enjoy the challenge of doing this annual post so soon after the winter TBR post. It encourages me to keep looking for books and try not to repeat any of them.

In lieu of adding a stock photo to this post, I’ll let the book covers speak for themselves.

1. Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao 

Release Date: January 14

Why I’m Interested: Magical realism and cozy mysteries are two genres I’d like to read more of this year.

2. Three Wild Dogs by Markus Zusak

Release Date: January 25

Why I’m Interested: I love stories about rescue dogs finding good homes.

3. Black in Blues: How a Color Tells the Story of My People by Imani Perry

Release Date: January 28

Why I’m Interested: This is a slice of history I knew nothing about.

4.Under the Same Stars  by Libba Bray

Release Date: February 4

Why I’m Interested: Multiple-timeline stories are so interesting!

5. The River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar

Release Date: March 4

Why I’m Interested: March seems like a great month to read a novella about the dangers and joys of interacting with the Fae. This is a time of year where the weather swings rapidly where I live. It can be mildly warm and sunny in the morning only for a snowstorm or ice storm to hit in the afternoon, for example. Likewise, faeries can be just as unpredictable!

6. Malinalli by Veronica Chap

Release Date: April 11

Why I’m Interested: This is not a legend I was already aware of, so I’ll have to read it before checking out the retelling. I enjoy comparing originals to retelling.

7.  The Staircase in the Woods by Chuck Wendig

 Release Date: April 29

Why I’m Interested: One of my favorite newer urban legends is the one about staircases in the woods and the terrible things that will happen to you if you find one and climb it. Wendig is also one of those authors I try to read but then get too scared and DNF his work. Maybe this time I can actually make it to the end?

8. Old School Indian by Aaron John Curtis

Release Date: May 6

Why I’m Interested: It’s refreshing to read books about people finding healing at the end of their lives.

9. Forest Euphoria: The Abounding Queerness of Nature by Patricia Ononiwu Kaishian

Release Date: May 29

Why I’m Interested: I only know a little about this topic and would like to learn more.

10. Girl in the Creek by Wendy N. Wagner

Release Date: June 24

Why I’m Interested: Once again, I don’t know if this will be too scary for me, but I’d like to give it a try.