We know you’re probably still working through your bedside table stack of books from 2018, but it’s never too early to look ahead and find new ones to add to the pile. 2019 has seen the release of great debut novels, with some new books by beloved authors that are sure to leave you fulfiled.
We’ve waded through some of the best books and new releases, picking some titles we’re most excited about.
These are the reads you’ll bring to book club or talk about with the colleagues in the kitchen. Continue reading below for the best new books due for 2019 release, from thrillers to romances to literary fiction. Enjoy!
RELATED: The Six Best Books Of 2018, According To A marie claire Editor
Black Leopard, Red Wolf – Marlon James
A spectacular, genre-redefining literary fantasy novel from the Man Booker Prize-winning author of A Brief History of Seven Killings. James describes his new fantasy trilogy Dark Star as an epic “African Game of Thrones.” This time, James draws on vivid African history and mythology to tell the story of Tracker, a hunter who is forced to join a group of eight mercenaries to find a missing child.
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The Testaments – Margaret Atwood
In this electrifying sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood answers the question that has tantalised readers for decades: What happened to Offred? The Testaments is Atwood’s sequel to her 1985 novel The Handmaid’s Tale. The novel will take place 15 years after Offred’s final scene in the original novel, and will be narrated by three female characters. Atwood has not yet specified, however, whether any of the narrators will be characters already known from the original novel.
“Dear Readers: Everything you’ve ever asked me about Gilead and its inner workings is the inspiration for this book. Well, almost everything! The other inspiration is the world we’ve been living in,” Atwood said of the upcoming novel.
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Bowlaway – Elizabeth McCracken
A sweeping and enchanting new novel from the author of The Giant’s House. Bowlaway is both a stunning feat of language and a brilliant unravelling of a family’s myths and secrets, its passions and betrayals, and the ties that bind and the rifts that divide.
“Death and life, frosted with macabre comedy: it’s why we’ve enjoyed Elizabeth McCracken since her debut novel, The Giant’s House…Nothing is ordinary in this story…There’s wickedness to McCracken’s technique, the way she lures us in with her witty voice and oddball characters but then kicks the wind out of us… endlessly surprising.” Ron Charles, Washington Post.
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Daisy Jones & The Six – Taylor Jenkins Reid
There’s a reason Reese Witherspoon hand-picked this novel for her Hellow Sunshine book club. A gripping novel about the whirlwind rise of an iconic 1970s rock group and their beautiful lead singer, revealing the mystery behind their infamous break-up.
“Daisy Jones & The Six is an explosive, dynamite, down-and-dirty look at a fictional rock band told in an interview style that gives it irresistible surface energy…although the real power of this delicious novel is at its tender beating heart. It’s an anthem and a ballad and a marvel.” Elin Hilderbrand author of The Perfect Couple.
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The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls – Anissa Gray
Anissa Gray’s dazzling debut novel about mothers and daughters, identity and family, and how the relationships that sustain you can also be the ones that consume you.
“I was immediately taken by the power and honesty of Anissa Gray’s voice. She is a writer to watch, and this debut is not to be missed,” Terry McMillan, New York Time’s best selling author.
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Gingerbread – Helen Oyeyemi
The prize-winning, bestselling author of Boy, Snow, Bird and What Is Not Yours Is Not Yours returns with a bewitching and inventive novel. Influenced by the mysterious place gingerbread holds in classic children’s stories, beloved novelist Helen Oyeyemi invites readers into a delightful tale of a surprising family legacy, in which the inheritance is a recipe.
“A writer of sentences so elegant that they gleam”, Ali Smith, author.
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The Age of Light – Whitney Scharer
A captivating first novel by Whitney Scharer, The Age of Light tells the story of Vogue model turned renowned photographer Lee Miller, and her search to forge a new identity as an artist after a life spent as a muse.
“Sweeping from the glamour of 1930’s Paris through the battlefields of World War II and into the war’s long shadow, The Age of Light is a startlingly modern love story and a mesmerizing portrait of a woman’s self-transformation from muse into artist” Celeste Ng, New York Times bestselling author of Little Fires Everywhere.
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My Lovely Wife – Samantha Downing
Dexter meets Mr and Mrs Smith in this wildly compulsive debut thriller about a couple whose fifteen-year marriage has finally gotten too interesting.
“An assured and deliciously engrossing debut. You’ll surely devour My Lovely Wife, but it will linger long after you’ve reached the last page.” Sarah Pinborough, bestselling author of Behind Her Eyes.
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On The Come Up – Angie Thomas
Angie Thomas’s The Hate U Give became a bestselling novel and a powerful film. There’s no reason to believe that the same fate doesn’t await On the Come Up as well. The book tells the story of 16-year-old Bri, an aspiring rapper whose family is facing an eviction notice when her rap goes viral for the wrong reason.
“Angie Thomas’s newest offering to the young adult literary landscape arrives lyrics-first through the voice of a femme protagonist with a fever for becoming hip-hop royalty.” Mahogany L. Browne, Washington Post.
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You Know You Want This – Kristen Roupenian
From the author of the global sensation Cat Person comes You Know You Want This, a compulsive short story collection about sex, dating and modern life that will thrill you before it chills you.
“These transgressive and darkly electric stories announce the arrival of a bold, new, necessary voice in American short fiction.” Claire Vaye Watkins.
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