Some More Books to Look Forward to in 2024
Earlier this year, I posted a list of some book releases I’ve been looking forward to this year. I figured, hey, it’s time for an update!
Note: WD uses affiliate links.
Romance
The Pairing by Casey McQuiston
Publishes: August 6, 2024
Back of book description: Theo and Kit have been a lot of things: childhood best friends, crushes, in love, and now estranged exes. After a brutal breakup on the transatlantic flight to their dream European food and wine tour, they exited each other’s lives once and for all.
Time apart has done them good. Theo has found confidence as a hustling bartender by night and aspiring sommelier by day, with a long roster of casual lovers. Kit, who never returned to America, graduated as the reigning sex god of his pastry school class and now bakes at one of the finest restaurants in Paris. Sure, nothing really compares to what they had, and life stretches out long and lonely ahead of them, but―yeah. It’s in the past.
All that remains is the unused voucher for the European tour that never happened, good for 48 months after its original date and about to expire. Four years later, it seems like a great idea to finally take the trip. Solo. Separately.
It’s not until they board the tour bus that they discover they’ve both accidentally had the exact same idea, and now they’re trapped with each other for three weeks of stunning views, luscious flavors, and the most romantic cities of France, Spain, and Italy. It’s fine. There’s nothing left between them. So much nothing that, when Theo suggests a friendly wager to see who can sleep with their hot Italian tour guide first, Kit is totally game. And why stop there? Why not a full-on European hookup competition?
But sometimes a taste of everything only makes you crave what you can’t have.
What I loved about it: Because so much of the plot hinges on the fact that the MC’s have a ton of history, the way that flashbacks and backstories are handled has to be delicately balanced. Too much and it would feel like a monologue. Too little and we wouldn’t get the full stakes set out at the beginning of the novel. McQuiston navigates this balance perfectly, giving us small insights into how Kit and Theo met, fell in love, and broke apart, all while we see them explore gorgeous locations full of interesting people. Every single line of this book will make you want to travel through Europe on a bus tour, I swear!
Mystery
I Only Read Murder by Will Ferguson and Ian Ferguson
Published: February 27, 2024
Back of book description: A once-famous TV sleuth
An amateur theater production
An onstage murder
A town full of suspects…
Miranda Abbott, once known for the crime-solving, karate-chopping church pastor she played on network television, has hit hard times. She’s facing ruin when a mysterious postcard arrives, summoning her to Happy Rock, a small town in the Pacific Northwest. But when she gets there, nothing is what she expected.
In dire straits, she signs up for an amateur production at the Happy Rock Little Theater. On opening night, one of the actors is murdered, live, in front of the audience. But no one actually saw what happened. Now everyone is under a cloud of suspicion, including the town doctor, the high school drama teacher, an oil-stained car mechanic, an elderly gentleman who may have been in the CIA—and Miranda herself.
Clearly, the only way to solve this mystery is for Miranda to summon her skills as television’s Pastor Fran. Because the show must go on!
What I loved about it: Although this book published earlier this year, I had to include it! This is a cozy mystery that had me laughing out loud on nearly every page. It’s one that doesn’t take itself too seriously while also engaging in an interesting mystery that will have you questioning everyone in Happy Rock’s Little Theater. Also—it’s the first in a series! So after you’ve fallen in love with the lovely, ludicrous Miranda, there will be even more to look forward to.
The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley
Publishes: June 18, 2024
Back of book description: It’s the opening night of The Manor, and no expense, small or large, has been spared. The infinity pool sparkles; crystal pouches for guests’ healing have been placed in the Seaside Cottages and Woodland Hutches; the “Manor Mule” cocktail (grapefruit, ginger, vodka, and a dash of CBD oil) is being poured with a heavy hand. Everyone is wearing linen.
But under the burning midsummer sun, darkness stirs. Old friends and enemies circulate among the guests. Just outside the Manor’s immaculately kept grounds, an ancient forest bristles with secrets. And the Sunday morning of opening weekend, the local police are called. Something’s not right with the guests. There’s been a fire. A body’s been discovered.
It all began with a secret, fifteen years ago. Now the past has crashed the party. And it’ll end in murder at…The Midnight Feast.
What I loved about it: Foley’s true gift is balancing a large cast in the close third-person perspective and not making any of them feel flat or like an extraneous character. Every single person is integral to the story—and the mystery—and you either love them or love to hate them. She’s also an expert at using setting to really heighten the atmosphere of the piece. Another wonderful novel from her!
Horror
This Cursed House by Del Sandeen
Publishes: October 8, 2024
Back of book description: In the fall of 1962, twenty-seven-year-old Jemma Barker is desperate to escape her life in Chicago—and the spirits she has always been able to see. When she receives an unexpected job offer from the Duchon family in New Orleans, she accepts, thinking it is her chance to start over.
But Jemma discovers that the Duchon family isn’t what it seems. Light enough to pass as white, the Black family members look down on brown-skinned Jemma. Their tenuous hold on reality extends to all the members of their eccentric clan, from haughty grandmother Honorine to beautiful yet inscrutable cousin Fosette. And soon the shocking truth comes out: The Duchons are under a curse. And they think Jemma has the power to break it.
As Jemma wrestles with the gift she’s run from all her life, she unravels deeper and more disturbing secrets about the mysterious Duchons. Secrets that stretch back over a century. Secrets that bind her to their fate if she fails.
What I loved about it: This novel is a wonderful weaving of historical and supernatural. As Jemma works against the clock to uncover mystery after mystery on the Duchon property, readers are drawn further into the story behind the curse. A strong debut, this author will be one to watch!
Graphic Novel
Castle Swimmer, Vol 1 by Wendy Martin
Publishes: October 22, 2024
Back of book description: From the moment Kappa tumbles into existence on the ocean floor, his life’s purpose is already decided for him: He is the Beacon, a light to all sea creatures, and destined to fulfill their many prophesies. In high demand and under immense pressure, Kappa quickly realizes that fame and glory are small compensation for a life of predetermined self-sacrifice.
Unable to resist the call of destiny due to a magical yellow cord that appears from his chest and pulls him inexorably to any sea creatures he swims by, Kappa ultimately finds himself drawn to the Shark kingdom, where he is immediately imprisoned. The Sharks’ prophecy states that the curse maiming their people will only be lifted once their prince, Siren, kills the Beacon. But when Prince Siren decides to defy fate and help Kappa escape, Kappa realizes that there might be more to life than fulfilling endless prophesies, leading to a raucous adventure as big and unpredictable as the ocean itself—and a romance that nobody could have predicted.
Episodes 1-19 of Webtoon’s Castle Swimmer Season 1 is collected in this stunning graphic novel, which also includes a never-before-seen bonus chapter featuring Kappa and Siren.
What I loved about it: As someone who has been reading Castle Swimmer since its very early days on Webtoon (a serial site for comics, manga, and manhwa), I was beyond excited to see that it’s going to be bound and available for sale. I mean, queer merfolk? Magic and mysteries? What more could you ask for? But part of the wonder of this story comes from how beautiful the artwork is. It’s a world that you’ll be happy to be lost in.
Fantasy
Strange Folk by Alli Dyer
Publishes: August 6, 2024
Back of book description: Lee left Craw Valley at eighteen without a backward glance. She wanted no part of the generations of her family who tapped into the power of the land to heal and help their community. But when she abandons her new life in California and has nowhere else to go, Lee returns to Craw Valley with her children in tow to live with her grandmother, Belva.
Lee vows to stay far away from Belva’s world of magic, but when the target of one of her grandmother’s spells is discovered dead, Lee fears that Belva’s magic may have conjured something far more sinister.
As she and her family search for answers, Lee travels down a rabbit hole of strange phenomena and family secrets that force her to reckon with herself and rediscover her power in order to protect her family and the town she couldn’t leave behind.
What I loved about it: I loved the way that magic was so tied to intention and to the land in the world-building of this novel. It was also wonderful to see the way that mother-daughter relationships are developed through the relationships of the generations before them.
Somewhere Beyond the Sea by TJ Klune
Publishes: September 10, 2024
Back of book description: A magical house. A secret past. A summons that could change everything.
Arthur Parnassus lives a good life, built on the ashes of a bad one. He’s the headmaster of a strange orphanage on a distant and peculiar island, and he hopes to soon be the adoptive father to the six magical and so-called dangerous children who live there.
Arthur works hard and loves with his whole heart so none of the children ever feel the neglect and pain that he once felt as an orphan on that very same island so long ago. And he is not alone: joining him is the love of his life, Linus Baker, a former caseworker in the Department in Charge of Magical Youth; Zoe Chapelwhite, the island’s sprite; and her girlfriend, Mayor Helen Webb. Together, they will do anything to protect the children.
But when Arthur is summoned to make a public statement about his dark past, he finds himself at the helm of a fight for the future that his family, and all magical people, deserve.
And when a new magical child hopes to join them on their island home―one who finds power in calling himself monster, a name Arthur worked so hard to protect his children from―Arthur knows they’re at a breaking point: their family will either grow stronger than ever or fall apart.
Welcome back to Marsyas Island. This is Arthur’s story.
Somewhere Beyond the Sea is a story of resistance, lovingly told, about the daunting experience of fighting for the life you want to live and doing the work to keep it.
What I loved about it: At this time, only an excerpt of the ARC (advanced reader copy) has been given out, but reading it has solidified my excitement for it! This is the follow-up to Klune’s highly awarded The House in the Cerulean Sea, and we spent the whole first novel falling in love with the strange little cast of characters ensconced on Marsyas Island. Switching from Linus’ perspective to Arthur’s is a new way to engage with the family, one that adds even more to the story. I can’t wait to get my hands on the complete copy!
This live webinar will take a deeper look at subtext–how to build indirect but important meaning, foreshadowing, and imagery into your scenes. It will also look at the realm of indirect communication: body language, cryptic dialogue, and even thoughts to deepen characters and create tension.
전신스타킹
거제출장안마