Most Anticipated* Books 2024
*Super subjectively chosen by yours truly, --but hey, that's kind of why one makes a Substack, right?
Hi friends. If I’m being honest, "Happy” New Year feels a bit strong, but I hope your return to the grind has been as gentle as possible.
Most anticipated lists can be anxiety-inducing for writers. If you’re on them, there’s hype around your book, which is great, but there’s also some accompanying pressure. If you’re not on them, there’s that endless internal wail of why am I not on the list? Is everyone hanging out without me? There are, no doubt, a bunch of arbitrary reasons—personal, political, publi$hing—why a book may or may not appear on a certain list, the compilation processes for which vary widely and into which I can offer absolutely no insight.
But for readers, most anticipated lists are fun. They give us something to look forward to; they put new books and authors on our radar, and remind us of old favorites. Since I’ve got nothing coming out this year, I have the pleasure of engaging with these things purely as a reader…and of making one myself.
So, without further ado I present to you, my low-stakes, super subjective, most anticipated books of 2024!
In order of their release:
1000 Words: A Writer’s Guide to Staying Creative, Focused, and Productive all Year Round, Jami Attenberg, 9 January.
This beaut comes out tomorrow. And yes, I have a letter in here, but also, that letter is nestled among the letters of many bonafide geniuses, and organized in a really helpful way. Any writer who’s ever needed a boost (read: everybody) should have a copy on their desk.
Sex With a Brain Injury, Annie Liontas, 16 January
I’ve had my preorder on lock for this one for a while. I remember posting Annie’s essay by the same name on social media at some point last year, and receiving an outpouring of excitement and feedback from people who’ve experienced traumatic brain injury. People need this book. And I have no doubt it’s gonna be funny and smart as hell, too.
Beautyland, Marie Helen-Bertino, 16 January
I’m a sucker for a novel set in Philly, and I really want this Philly novel by a Philly native. With a description that offers up both coming-of-age and aliens, I think this book is going to have wide appeal.
Come and Get it, Kiley Reid, 30 January
I loved Such a Fun Age. I still think about it. I am extremely ready for a campus novel by Reid.
Subculture Vulture: A Memoir in 6 Scenes, Moshe Kashar, 30 January
I’m interested in the conceit of this book—Kashar does what he describes as “gonzo journalism” into six of the subcultures most important to his life: Judaism, 90s Raves, Alcoholics Anonymous, Stand-up comedy, Burning Man, and Deafness. He’s a CODA (Child of Deaf Adults), so I’m hopeful this one can earn a spot on the #DeafShelf.
Wandering Stars, Tommy Orange, 27 February
Really loved There, There. Haven’t met a person who didn’t love There, There, and it was One Book, One Philly, so the potential for running into cranky readers was high. I’m also judging a book by its cover and this cover is very striking.
The Morningside, Téa Obreht, 19 March
Téa fangirl reporting for duty! This book is being billed as “slender and incisive,” which is not how I usually think of Obreht’s novels, so I’m looking forward to seeing how this shift plays out.
Who’s Afraid of Gender Judith Butler, 19 March
Judith will always be one of the first writers who truly blew my mind (shoutout to Honors Seminar and the Rivkin and Ryan anthology). Very much looking forward to reading their work as an adult, and in what feels like an increasingly tumultuous and dangerous time for the topic.
Sociopath: A Memoir, Patric Gagne, 2 April
As a deaf person, I miss a lot of true crime content because PODCASTS (please read with eyeroll), but I’m only human, and of course I have a curious spot for sociopathy. This book is not about true crime at all, which I think is actually important—that one can be a sociopath without being Bad or doing harm!—and I’m excited to learn more.
Knife, Salman Rushdie, 16 April
About the aftermath. I gotta know.
Reboot, Justin Taylor, 27 April
I find the concept of child stars strange and fascinating. And LitHub is calling this one “a mashup of Bojack Horseman and the January 6th insurrection,” which sounds like just the kind of mess we need in 2024.
Housemates, Emma Copley Eisenberg, 28 May
I had the pleasure of reading and blurbing this one, and now you all finally get to read it! Here’s my blurb: "An intimate portrait of a burgeoning relationship against the vast landscape of the open road, Housemates is a warm and inviting novel. Like the large format camera her character wields, Eisenberg captures the complexity of both people and places with precision and generosity. And finally there's a book about Pennsylvania and Philly that looks like the place I know and love!”
The God of the Woods, Liz Moore, 11 June
Every time I see buzz around this book I feel like it is just going to be one of those stratospheric books of the summer. About a wealthy 13-year-old who vanishes from her summer camp, and the secrets in her family and at the camp that come to light in the wake of her disappearance. As a Liz Moore completionist, I am pumped.
Woman of Interest, Tracy O’Neil, 25 June
I’m a long-time fan of O’Neil’s sharp writing, so I’m waiting impatiently to read this first nonfiction from her. It’s being called a “psychological detective story” about the process of searching for her birth mom.
Jellyfish Have No Ears, Adèle Rosenfeld, Trans. Jeffrey Zuckerman, 24 August
A debut by a French deaf author, translated by a deaf translator. Count me in!
Biz Biz
Have some exciting True Biz events coming up this winter/spring that have to stay under my hat for now. Hope to have some updates on the timeline for my next book soon, too. Please keep an eye out!