Happy New Year!

A new year means new books and new reading goals. I have already scoped out so many awesome books that will be published in 2023. Because I clearly need more books on my TBR.

I will also be tackling a few reading challenges this year. Read about my 2023 Reading Goals and my Top Reads of 2022.

While I have picked out 10 upcoming book releases, I know I will find so many more. So these 10 will only be the start of an awesome 2023.

In no particular order, the 2023 Book Releases that are already on my TBR:

Magic Tides by Ilona Andrews

Genre: urban fantasy
Release date: January 17

As you read in my last post, Ilona Andrews is an auto-buy author for me. Iron and Magic made my top fave of 2022 list and Blood Heir was a close runner-up. And although I’m anxiously awaiting sequels to both of those books, I was happy to see that this wife-husband writing team are releasing a Kate Daniels novella, Magic Tides. The Kate Daniels series officially ended with Magic Triumphs. So I’ll be happy to return to Kate’s world and read about Kate and Curran in their new home in Wilmington.

I normally don’t do e-books (I simply prefer physical books), but this novella is only being released as an e-book. Hopefully it will be released in print in the future.

In the Lives of Puppets by T.J. Klune

Genre: fantasy
Release date: April 23

When I first moved to Japan in 2020, I was in quarantine for 14 days. With time on my hands, I spent a lot of it scrolling through the LibbyApp* to see what e-books or audiobooks I could check out. And I found Klune’s The House in the Cerulean Sea and devoured it. And then I listened to it on audiobook. And since then, Klune is an auto-buy author.

I pre-ordered In the Lives of Puppets without even reading the synopsis because that’s how much I love Klune’s books. But of course I went back and read the synopsis. The story features a robot family and has been described as inspired by Carlo Collodi’s The Adventures of Pinocchio. What more do you need to know?

Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez

Genre: romance
Release date: April 11

If you read my last post, then you know that after randomly checking out The Happy Ever After Playlist from the library, Abby Jimenez is an auto-buy author for me. So it should be no surprise that her new book, Yours Truly, is on my 2023 book wish list.

Yours Truly features Dr. Briana Ortiz, who we met in Part of Your World. Bri was Alexis’s best friend and now she has her own story. Like Jimenez’s other books, Yours Truly doesn’t shy from tough topics. This one deals with Bri’s brother needing a kidney. (Not a spoiler, that’s in the synopsis.)

The Surviving Sky by Kritika H. Rao

Genre: dystopian fantasy
Release date: June 13

A debut novel for Rao, The Surviving Sky is Hindu-philosophy inspired dystopian fantasy. Set on a jungle planet uninhabitable due to destructive storms called earthrages, the last of humanity survives by living on plant-based floating cities run by architects. Honored above all others for their ability to physically shape the architecture of the city, architects stop the city from colliding into the jungle.

The story centers on a couple, Iravan, a powerful senior architect, and Ahilya, an archaeologist and scholar. While Iravan is accused of pushing his abilities to forbidden territory, Ahilya, who sees architects as privileged oppressors using their power to deliberately make citizens reliant upon them, is on a mission to find a way for humanity to once again survive in the jungle, free from the reliance upon architects.

Quietly Hostile by Samantha Irby

Genre: non-fiction essays
Release date: May 16

Samantha Irby hit my radar in 2017 with her essay collection We Are Never Meeting In Real Life. I checked it out of the library simply because of the title and the cover (which has an angry, wet kitten on it). Because that title is the introverts tag line and sums up a lot of my feelings. I found her collection to be funny, honest, and authentic and I became a big fan of the Bitches Gotta Eat blogger. And then I ended up buying the book, as well as her 2 other essay collections.

So of course, I have pre-ordered her new collection, Quietly Hostile. Bonus, I love that all 4 of her essay collections have the same style cover—bold color, black font title, and an animal. I love when books match.

Happy Place by Emily Henry

Genre: rom-com
Release date: April 25

Emily Henry is another author I found during the early days of covid while browsing the LibbyApp. I read Beach Read and loved it. Henry merged comedy and romance in such a wonderful ride, set against a summer background. I quickly read her other boioks and added her to my must read author list.

And Happy Place sounds just as fun as her previous books. A spin on the fake dating trope, this story has a couple who broke up months ago pretending to still be together for their annual weeklong vacation. No doubt that shenanigans will ensue!

Witch King by Martha Wells

Genre: fantasy
Release date: May 30

So many people have recommended Martha Wells to me and I have yet to read any of her books (although several are on my TBR). Well, this year I’m tackling the 12 Challenge—12 months to read 12 books recommended by 12 friends and a Litsy friend recommended this one to me.

While known for her sci-fi Murderbot Diaries series, Wells returns to the fantasy realm with the Witch King. A story of power and friendship, of trust and betrayal, and of the families we choose. As fantasy is my favorite genre, this book sounds right up my alley!

The Love Wager by Lynn Painter

Genre: rom-com
Release date: March 14

No, I didn’t pick this book just because the author and I share the same first name. (That’s just a fun bonus.) I discovered Lynn Painter during the time I was technically homeless this summer (that time between leaving Okinawa and moving into me apartment) and the majority of my books were in boxes in a shipping container somewhere between Japan and D.C. One Saturday after a morning of house hunting, I happened to wander into a Barnes & Noble. I hadn’t intended on buying anything (because of said homelessness), and just went to browse. I randomly picked up Mr. Wrong Number and was hooked from the first line:

It started the night after I burned down my building.

I snickered and so of course, I had to buy it. I basically read it in one sitting (well, actually 2 sittings because I eventually did have to leave BN). And I loved it. Fresh, funny, adorable HEA. Witty banter and fun main characters. And so when I that The Love Wager was being released in 2023, I added it to the top of my TBR.

The Sinister Booksellers of Bath by Garth Nix

Genre: fantasy adventure
Release date: March 21

The Sinister Booksellers of Bath is book 2 in the Left-Handed Booksellers of London series (but for some reason, it’s not showing on Bookshop yet). I read book 1, The Left-Handed Booksellers of London, in 2021 and found it to be a fun, magical adventure set in 1983 London, reminiscent of Gaiman’s Neverwhere (which is one of my favorite faves of Gaiman’s).

The story returns to find Susan returning to the world of the Left-Handed Booksellers, with trouble of a mythical sort in Bath. Susan will battle animated statues of heraldic beasts and use magical maps to rescue Merlin on a hunt that leads to a serial killer who must be stopped before she kills again.

Hello Stranger by Katherine Center

Genre: rom-com
Release date: July 11

Yet another author I found while randomly browsing my library*. I picked up Center’s How to Walk Away in 2020 mainly because of the title and I just wanted an audiobook to listen to. I really didn’t know what it was about, but I ended up absolutely loving it. Since then, I’ve read her other books and she has become a must-read author for me.

Similar to Abby Jimenez, Center also tackles some tough situations and yet writes a beautiful story, developing her characters with an authentic feel. The heroine in How to Walk Away dealt with a tragic accident and in Hello Stranger, the heroine will deal with complications from a minor surgery that impacts her livelihood. Tough circumstances, in both cases, that could happen to anyone, which is why I think these books resonate with me so well.

Bonus Book – the Untitled Mercy Thompson Book 14

Genre: urban fantasy
Release date: sometime in 2023

Like Ilona Andrews, Patricia Briggs is an auto-buy author. She hasn’t released a title or synopsis or release date other than 2023 (which is why there is no book cover yet). But it doesn’t matter what the title or the synopsis. I will buy it. I love the Mercy series—it’s one of my favorite urban fantasy series. And I can’t wait to find out what happens next.

A Plug for Libraries + the LibbyApp

You may have noticed how many books I randomly stumbled upon whilst browsing my local library. This is one of many reasons why libraries are awesome. Getting my DC Public Library Card was one of the first things I did after moving into my apartment.

If you don’t have a library card, you’re missing out. So go right now and get your library card. Don’t live near a library? Then check out the Libby App, which connects to thousands of libraries. Just get a library card (many libraries have this online) and start checking out e- and audiobooks for free!

What books are you looking forward to in 2023?

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