The most exciting book releases coming later this year
WORDS BY DAISY HENRY
From homegrown talent like Bri Lee and Melissa Leong to international bestsellers Mona Awad and R.F. Kuang.
Book lovers have well and truly been spoiled this year. In March, Diana Reid released her third novel, Signs of Damage, May saw Chloe Elisabeth’s cult-beauty debut Rytual hit shelves and in June, Taylor Jenkins Reid treated us to Atmosphere. And let’s not forget Amy Odell’s unauthorised biography of Gwyneth Paltrow (aka the FJ’s team’s current book club read).
For the time being, our thirst for a new bookshop purchase has been quenched. But if you’re anything like us, then the best way to keep the reading momentum going is to keep your TBR (that’s ‘to be read’) list stacked. And thankfully, the second half of the year is just as promising as the first.
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Whether you fancy a sexy, queer romance set in Sydney, a dystopian Silicon Valley drama or political non-fiction, there’s a story for every type of reader. Now comes the hard part – waiting for the release dates to roll around.
Katabasis by R.F. Kuang
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Release date: August 26
Bestselling author of Yellowface and Babel, R.F. Kuang, is back with a brand-new novel. A dark academia, Katabasis follows two rival graduate students who must journey to Hell to save their professor’s soul at the cost of their own. A blend of magic, mythology, academia and rivalry, Katabasis makes the hell that can be university, real.
Find it here.
Very Impressive For Your Age by Eleanor Kirk
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Release date: September 2
Very Impressive For Your Age is the debut novel of Australian writer, Eleanor Kirk. It follows twenty-six-year-old Evelyn, an international opera singer who suddenly loses her voice. Soon enough, she finds herself back in her home town working as a debate coach at her old high school. Perfect for readers going through their own mid-twenties crisis, Very Impressive For Your Age is a story about coming to terms with who you’ve always wanted to be, and who you are now.
Find it here.
Mother Mary Comes to Me by Arundhati Roy
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Release date: September 9
Mother Mary Comes to Me is the first memoir released by Arundhati Roy, the acclaimed author of The God of Small Things. It charts Roy’s life, from her childhood in Kerala to the present day in Delhi, while focusing on her complex relationship with the most formidable person in her life, her mother.
Find it here.
We Love You, Bunny by Mona Awad
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Release date: September 24
The follow-up to Bunny, a dark and disturbing campus novel, We Love You, Bunny has been eagerly anticipated. Set in the bunny-verse, it opens just as protagonist Sam publishes her debut novel. It’s on her book tour, where Sam returns to New England, that her former friends, furious at the way she’s depicted them, kidnap her. Perfect for fans of Heathers, it’s just as much of a fever dream as fans will be hoping for.
Find it here.
Seed by Bri Lee
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Release date: September 30
National treasure Bri Lee is back with a new release novel, one that took her to all the way down south to Antartica. Seed follows Mitchell, a biologist committed to the rising anti-natalist movement, who spends one month each year in Antartica with his colleague, Frances, working on the ‘Anarctos Project’. When their helicopter fails to pick them up and strange things start to happen on their base, they’re forced to make the trek to McMurdo Station before the last flight home.
Find it here.
Guts by Melissa Leong
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Release date: September 30
We hope you’re hungry, because food icon Melissa Leong (aka ‘Fooderati’)’s upcoming memoir is the ultimate love letter to food. Evocative, funny and brutally honest, it charts Melissa’s early dreams of becoming a concert pianist, her experiences with racism and identity, the reality of the hospitality industry and of course, the thrill that comes from a mouth-wateringly good meal.
Find it here.
One Story by Pip Finkemeyer
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Release date: September 30
One Story is the latest release from author of Sad Girl Novel, Pip Finkemeyer. Set in 2010s Silicon Valley, One Story follows Dot Van Jensen, a CEO-turned-fugitive, exiled to Indonesia after a global scandal erupts, painting her as the mastermind and cause behind the fracturing of democracy. Eerily realistic, the book is a captivating exploration of ambition, power and progress.
Find it here.
Destination Moon by Kate Reid
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Release date: September 30
September 30 is a big day for book lovers, as it also marks the release of Kate Reid all-new memoir, Destination Moon. Set between Monaco and Melbourne, the autobiography follows Kate’s early career in Formula 1 and her coveted position in one of the UK’s top teams, to her opening of the world-famous Lune Croissanterie.
Find it here.
Chosen Family by Madeleine Gray
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Release date: October 28
Chosen Family is an upcoming release from Madeleine Gray, the award-winning author of Green Dot (which if you are yet to read, we recommend getting your heads on immediately). The story follows the relationship between characters Nell Argall and Eve Bowman, from their first years at high school, through to their early adulthood spent in gay bars and share houses, and their decision to become co-parents. No one does dialogue quite like Madeleine – it’s razor sharp, funny and tender all-in-one.
Find it here.
The Right Hand by Phoebe Saintilan-Stocks
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Release date: November 4
In The Right Hand, founder of media platform Missing Perspectives Phoebe Saintilan-Stocks sits down with the former Chiefs of Staff to some of the world’s biggest leaders. The right hand to Jacinda Ardern, Michelle Obama, Julia Gillard and more, this book features lifts the curtain on one of the most mysterious and important jobs to exist. If you loved Hannah Ferguson’s Bite Back, then add this to your list.
Find it here.
For a round-up of the best books of the 21st century, head here.
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