Most Anticipated Books Of 2018

It's a new year full of exciting new releases. Here are the titles I'm most excited about in 2018:

Neon in Daylight by Hermione Hoby - January 9th (Catapult)

"What do you get when a writer of extreme intelligence, insight, style and beauty chronicles the lives of self-absorbed hedonists--The Great Gatsby, Bright Lights, Big City, and now Neon in Daylight. Hermione Hoby paints a garish world that drew me in and held me spellbound. She is a marvel." --Ann Patchett

This one had been all over the Most Anticipated lists, and despite not seeming to be in my lane, it keeps calling to me. 

Everything Here Is Beautiful by Mira T. Lee - January 16th (Pamela Dorman)

Sisters and mental illness are two categories I'm always drawn to and this novel has both at its heart. Might make my sister read this one with me. 

Peach by Emma Glass - January 23rd (Bloomsbury)

"Something has happened to Peach. Staggering around the town streets in the aftermath of an assault, Peach feels a trickle of blood down her legs, a lingering smell of her anonymous attacker on her skin. It hurts to walk, but she manages to make her way to her home, where she stumbles into another oddly nightmarish reality: Her parents can't seem to comprehend that anything has happened to their daughter.

The next morning, Peach tries to return to the routines of her ordinary life, going to classes, spending time with her boyfriend, Green, trying to find comfort in the thought of her upcoming departure for college. And yet, as Peach struggles through the next few days, she is stalked by the memories of her unacknowledged trauma. Sleeping is hard when she is haunted by the glimpses of that stranger's gaping mouth. Working is hard when her assailant's rancid smell still fills her nostrils. Eating is impossible when her stomach is swollen tight as a drum. Though she tries to close her eyes to what has happened, Peach at last begins to understand the drastic, gruesome action she must take."

This is going to be an emotional read. 

Brave by Rose McGowan - January 30th (HarperOne)

I feel like the Rose McGowan I had filed away from my high school years and the Rose McGowan crusading for feminism today are so different that I need to read this memoir to really understand who this woman is. If you're going to have heroines, you should know all about them, right? #metoo

The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton - February 6th (Freeform)

"Camellia Beauregard is a Belle. In the opulent world of Orleans, Belles are revered, for they control Beauty, and Beauty is a commodity coveted above all else. In Orleans, the people are born gray, they are born damned, and only with the help of a Belle and her talents can they transform and be made beautiful."

Some books were just written for me. 

The House of Impossible Beauties by Joseph Cassara - February 6th (Ecco)

"A gritty and gorgeous debut that follows a cast of gay and transgender club kids navigating the Harlem ball scene of the 1980s and '90s, inspired by the real House of Xtravaganza made famous by the seminal documentary Paris Is Burning"

The gritty glamour of New York in the '80s and the club kid scene is fascinating to me. 

Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi - February 13th (Grove)

"An extraordinary debut novel, Freshwater explores the surreal experience of having a fractured self. It centers around a young Nigerian woman, Ada, who develops separate selves within her as a result of being born "with one foot on the other side." Unsettling, heartwrenching, dark, and powerful, Freshwater is a sharp evocation of a rare way of experiencing the world, one that illuminates how we all construct our identities."

I'm so excited to read this one. I love unique points of view from narrators and with the narration shifting between Ada's personalities, this should be unreliable narrative at its finest. 

Bygone Badass Broads: 52 Forgotten Women Who Changed the World by Mackenzi Lee, illustrated by Petra Eriksson - February 27th (Abrams)

If you want to get a taste for this one, go check out Lee's Twitter tag #bygonebadassbroads. Y'all know I get excited when history, feminism, and beautiful illustrations all come together, right?

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi - March 6th (Henry Holt)

I really hope this book lives up to all of its hype. I mean, the movie is already in development and the first book in the series is still 3 months away! Sinking my teeth into 544 (!) pages of young adult fantasy debut that blends magic, West African influences, and current racial politics together is something I am truly looking forward to. 

The Merry Spinster: Tales of Everyday Horror by Mallory Ortberg - March 13th (Holt)

"Sinister and inviting, familiar and alien all at the same time, The Merry Spinster updates traditional children's stories and fairy tales with elements of psychological horror, emotional clarity, and a keen sense of feminist mischief."

I love me a fractured, reworked, modernized, darkened, or whatever fairy tale retelling. If you never read any of Ortberg's "Children's Stories Made Horrific" at The Toast, you've got a couple of months to catch up. 

The Price Guide to the Occult by Leslye Walton - March 13th (Candlewick)

The cover alone would've drawn me in, but after to reading Walton's debut - The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender - I will literally read anything she writes. I just know that this tale of witch curses and teenage angst is going to be perfection. Sadly, I do not thing Vincent Price plays any sort of role. 

Tyler Johnson Was Here by Jay Coles - March 20th (Little, Brown)

"The Hate U Give meets All American Boys in this striking and heartbreaking debut novel, commenting on current race relations in America."

Which reminds me that I need to get around to reading The Hate U Give. 

Macbeth by Jo Nesbø - April 10th (Hogarth)

"Set in the 1970s in a run-down, rainy industrial town, Jo Nesbø's Macbeth centers around a police force struggling to shed an incessant drug problem. Duncan, chief of police, is idealistic and visionary, a dream to the townspeople but a nightmare for criminals. The drug trade is ruled by two drug lords, one of whom--a master of manipulation named Hecate--has connections with the highest in power, and plans to use them to get his way."

Nesbø, one of my favorite Scandinavian crime writers, has reworked my favorite work of Shakespeare. April can't get here soon enough. 

Who Is Vera Kelly? by Rosalie Knecht - June 12th (Tin House)

"An exhilarating page turner and perceptive coming-of-age story, Who Is Vera Kelly? introduces an original, wry and whip-smart female spy for the twenty-first century."

Yup. I'm here for that.

Autism in Heels: The Untold Story of a Female Life on the Spectrum by Jennifer O'Toole - July 3rd (Skyhorse)

"Beyond being a memoir, Autism in Heels is a love letter to all women. It's a conversation starter. A game changer. And a firsthand account of what it is to walk in Jennifer's shoes (especially those iconic red stilettos)."

This one is pretty close to home for me. I'm not sure if I'm more excited or scared to read it, honestly. 

Fierce Like a Firestorm by Lana Popović - August 21st (Katherine Tegen)

Popović's debut Wicked Like A Wildfire might be my favorite read of 2017. As much as I love discovering a great new YA series, I am super impatient when it comes to waiting on sequels. Come on, August, I need my Montenegrin witchy fix. 

Book Style: Jaya and Rasa

I'm kind of obsessed with this book. Jaya and Rasa is the second book from author Sonia Patel. I'd seen her debut, Rani Patel in Full Effect, several times and was always drawn towards the cover, but I don't have a huge interest in hip hop culture, so I never picked it up. When I crossed paths with Jaya and Rasa and saw the Nirvana links, I knew I had to read this it. And am I glad I did! Here's my review from Book Riot's Best Queer Books of 2017: 

I rarely, oh so very rarely, appreciate non-fantastical YA. I fell head over heels for Sonia Patel’s newest, Jaya and Rasa, from the moment I spotted its stunning cover in the library. I appreciate so much getting to know these two wounded characters from pre-adolescence. Jaya is a transgender teenage boy, something his traditionally-minded Gujarati family would never accept. Despite not being able open up at home, he manages to find his own identity thanks to Nirvana, guitars, charity work, and a best friend who also doesn’t fit in well at his snooty prep school. Rasa has been forced to grow up too fast thanks to being forced to become provider to her younger siblings. When she thinks things might be looking up, despite CPS separating her from her younger brother and sisters, she finds herself trapped in the life of a high-end prostitute. Jaya and Rasa is less Romeo and Juliet in Honolulu, as it’s been billed, and more of a painfully honest look at what growing up “other” is like. Nothing is sugar-coated, the reality is bleak and honest, but Patel gives us just a bright enough glimmer of hope to keep reading, to keep going.

For this Book Style, I envisioned an evolved and more relaxed Rasa. A Rasa who is finally healing and not feeling the need to be overly sexualized 24/7.  A Rasa who loves, supports, and shares passions with her rock star boyfriend. A Nirvana tee was a must, of course. I paired the t-shirt with a pair of "Love Story" flares and "Oahu" platform slides. So, basically, I made this into my standard high school uniform. Class of 2002, baby! Woo! Anyways, I digress. I also gave Rasa the option of having a swimsuit handy since she loves to surf and free dive. I thought this "Teen Spirit" one piece was kind of perfect. It also makes me want sorbet. 

For the accessories I chose a neon pink "Sweety Charity" bag as a nod to Jaya's charity work and a "Munro Blossom Muse" scarf because I'm pretty sure Jaya wouldn't argue with me calling Rasa a Blossom Muse. Around the neck is a "Pimp Aigrette" stunner of a necklace, around the wrist is an "LGBT Pride Awareness" bracelet, and on the ring finger (or whichever finger) is a guitar wrap ring. For the earrings I decided on mixing two singles together: One ear can rock the "White Widow Leaf" ear jacket, which I chose because I prefer Rasa being a white widow instead of the black widow her mother conditioned her to be, and the other ear can rock a hoop with a chunk of molten rock, apropos of Hawaii, of course. 

For the final touches I went with cosmetics. Elizabeth and James' "Nirvana White" perfume is a floral, slightly exotic scent that is perfect for Rasa. She can coat her nails in a holographic and glittery "Crush on Lava" nail lacquer and coat her lips with "Shame" lipstick (to remind herself that she should never feel ashamed). Top off the look with a retro-tastic pair of "Classic 11 Surf" shades and Rasa's look is complete.