Anticipated 2017 books
I have to say good riddance to 2016, one of my least favorite year in my lifetime for a variety of reasons. 2017 is bringing new books by some heavy hitters. Although many may disagree, I found 2016 to be a good year for books and I enjoyed quite a few books that came out. I’m hoping 2017 brings even better selections. Book Worm and I are looking forward to several upcoming releases. Keep reading to find out which books we are each looking forward to reading and scroll to the bottom for a selection of 2017 releases.
Jen’s thoughts: I’m looking forward to quite a few books this upcoming year. Here are my top five most anticipated books:
- Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders. I have an ARC of this book and hope to get to it in the next few days.
- House of Names by Colm Toibin. Toibin is one of my favorite authors whom I discovered thanks to the 1001 list of books to read before you die. In this book Toibin retells the story of Clytemnestra.
- The Ministry of Utmost Happiness by Arundhati Roy. It took two decades for Roy to publish this second novel. I loved The God of Small Things and this one sounds equally good.
- 4321 by Paul Auster. A saga of modern America seen through four possible lives of the same hero. It’s Paul Auster and bound to be good and a possible contender for awards this year — I am predicting that it makes the 2017 Man Booker longlist this year.
- Exit West by Mohsin Hamid. I really enjoyed the Reluctant Fundamentalist and am looking forward to reading this love story set in an unnamed country on the edge of war.
George Martin’s The Winds of Winter is rumored to be coming out in May 2017 and would have made my top five but I’m skeptical whether it will truly be released.
Book Worm’s Thoughts: I am also glad to see the back of 2016 and am looking forward to welcoming 2017 with open arms. I am hoping that 2017 will be another great year for books so without further ado here are my top 5 most anticipated books:
- The Bear and the Nightingale Katherine Arden – I was lucky enough to get an ARC of this book and I absolutely loved it. Read it when there is frost on the ground, you wont regret it.
- Caraval Stephanie Garber – This is billed as the next Night Circus and that was enough to have me sold on it, in fact it may be a rare exception to my no more buying books rule.
- New Boy Tracy Chevalier – another addition to the Shakespeare retold series this time the updated story is Othello, as I studied Othello at school I am interested to see where Chevalier takes this story.
- You Should have Left by Daniel Kehlmann – This is billed as an eerie supernatural tale and I love me a bit of supernatural I also loved Measuring the World so I have high hopes for this one.
- Men Without Women by Haruki Murakami – because it Murakami enough said.
2017 book releases (links will take you to Amazon where you can read more about each book and preorder them)
January:
Difficult Women by Roxanne Gay. January
Human Acts by Han Kang
Lucky Boy by Shanthi Sekaram
Transit by Rachel Cusk
Homesick for Another World by Ottessa Moshfegh
History of Wolves by Emily Fridlund
Selection Day by Aravind Adiga
Little Deaths by Emma Flint
The Fire by Night by Teresa Messineo
February:
Universal Harvester by John Danielle
Swimming Lessons by Claire Fuller
The Refugees by Viet Thanh Nguyen
The Impossible Fortress by Jason Rekulak
All our Wrong Todays by Elan Mastai
Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders
Six Four by Hideo Yokoyama (English translation)
A Book of American Martyrs by Joyce Carol Oates
Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman
Be My Wolff by Emma Richler
Schooldays of Jesus by Coetzee (we reviewed this for the Man Booker last year)
March:
Amiable with Big Teeth by Claude McKay
South and West: From a Notebook by Joan Didion
Exit West by Mohsin Hamid
White Tears by Hari Kunzru
My Darling Detective by Howard Gorman
April:
Anything is Possible by Elizabeth Strout
Marlena by Julie Buntin
American War by Omar El Akkad
The Book of Joan by Lidia Yunavitch
The Last Neanderthal by Claire Cameron
Void Star by Zachary Mason
May:
The Leavers by Lisa Ko
Men Without Women by Haruki Murakami
Woman No 7 by Edan Lepucki
The House of Names by Colm Toibin
The Winds of Winter by Martin
New Boy Tracy Chevalier
White Fur by Jardine Libaire
The Stars Are Fire by Anita Shreve
Trajectory by Richard Russo
The Dinner Party by Joshua Ferris
No One Can Pronounce my Name by Rakesh Satyal
June:
The Ministry of Utmost Happiness by Arundhati Roy
Phone by Will Self
A House Among the Trees by Julia Glass
You Should have Left by Daniel Kehlmann
So Much Blue by Percival Everett
The Gypsy Moth Summer by Julia Fierro
August
The Seventh Function of Language (English Translation) by Laurent Binet
jenp27
Nicole Del Sesto
The Reader's Room 
2016’s only saving grace was the books!
2017 will find me tutoring, and donating time and money to the causes that matter to me, as well as reading like crazy to keep myself mindful and educated.
I’m looking forward to Lincoln in the Bardo, and Ali Smith has one finally being published in the US that looks good. I also have ARCs from Vaddey Ratner and Peter Heller that I’m excited to read, and the Hogarth Shakespeare series, and…
Looks like it’s going to be another good reading year!
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Great goals Tracy! I hope to do something similar in terms of volunteering and donating to important causes!
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this is awesome, thanks for putting it together. I read Lincoln in the Bardo, and it’s great. a fast read. http://amzn.to/2iEitkh — there’s a new Peter Heller??? SQUEE!
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There’s a new Veronica Roth series starting in January
also I’ve started
which comes out in March. started strong for me, I like Margaret George
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I wish I had more time to read! I like Colm Toibin too, I think he has a very special quietness about him. Also interested in the Han Kang – I enjoyed the differentness of The Vegetarian.
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My library only has three ordered at this point, lincoln in the Bardo (listed as juvenile lit), Caraval (listed as YA), and Lucky Boy.
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that’s too bad. Hopefully they will order more or you can interlibrary loan any that interest you.
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Lincoln in the Bardo is NOT juvenile lit! Hope they fix that or a juvenile will be in for a BIG surprise.
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lol! I missed that in Kristel’s reply.
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I am looking forward to The Ministry of Utmost Happiness by Arundhati Roy, Exit West by Mohsin Hamid and Men Without Women by Haruki Murakami. Wishing you both a great 2017.
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