Anticipated New Releases for Winter 2020

I was never one who felt the desire to stay up with the newest books until last year. I got hooked on the New Arrivals bookshelf at the library for some odd reason. There are tons of books out there already published that deserve our attention, but sometimes it’s fun to have something to look forward to.

Today I’m sharing some of the books being published this winter that look too good to pass up. This post is full of new-to-me authors, which is exciting! There are only two authors on this list that I’ve read before (Emily St. John Mandel and Ariel Lawhon), so I’m looking forward to seeing which backlists I’m most interested in.

This post is in order of the works’ publication dates, so I hope it will help you organize your TBR accordingly!

Light Changes Everything by Nancy E. Turner

I’m hoping that Light Changes Everything will be the western I’ve been looking for. It’s set in the early 1900s in the Arizona territory and is the story of a young girl who loves Jane Austen and is accepted into college in Illinois despite a recent unexpected engagement. I just received a copy of this from Netgalley and started it yesterday. So far, it is delightful. Published on January 14, 2020.

Dreamland by Nancy Bilyeau

Look at that cover! Set in the early 1900s, Peggy is invited to stay with a wealthy family in Coney Island. The description of this book mentions “bodies piling up,” and hints that this wealthy family might be behind the murders. Sounds intriguing! Published on January 16, 2020.

A Long Petal of the Sea by Isabel Allende

I haven’t read anything by Allende, but I’m looking forward to this one. It’s set in Spain in the 1930s, just as General Franco begins to take over the country. I visited 1950s Spain in a recent novel (The Fountains of Silence) and am anxious to return. Published on January 21, 2020.

The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel

I love Emily St. John Mandel! Station Eleven is probably her most well known novel, but I also really loved Last Night in Montreal and The Lola Quartet. The other two are not post-apocalyptic and are just as gritty. And it looks like her newest is going to be amazing as well. I’m on the wait list at my library already! Published on February 15, 2020.

The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz by Erik Larson

I think the title says almost everything I need to know! I love WWII and enjoy learning about the imperfect Winston Churchill. I’m hoping for lots of passages about his relationships with the King at that time (I missed my calling to be an historian deep in the archives of Windsor Castle). Published on February 25, 2020.

Red Letter Days by Sarah-Jane Stratford

Subversive female writers in the McCarthy era of the 1950s? Please — where has this been my whole life? Published on February 25, 2020.

The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich

I haven’t read anything by Louise Erdrich before, but her books are on my list to be read! Erdrich is another author who owns a bookstore (love them!) and is fascinating to me. Much of her writing centers around Native Americans — so why haven’t I read anything by her yet? I hope to change that in 2020. Published on March 3, 2020.

Code Name Helene by Ariel Lawhon

This about an Australian, Nancy, living in Paris during WWII. She is recruited by the French Resistance and then goes to work for British Intelligence to assist the resistance. Nancy was an amazing woman – unabashedly feminine in a world of war. I was lucky enough to get a galley of this novel and I loved every second of it! Published on March 31, 2020.

Afterlife by Julia Alvarez

Julia Alvarez is yet another author who I haven’t read but am planning on in 2020! Afterlife is about an English professor who suddenly loses her husband and then finds a teenager who is pregnant and undocumented. This novel looks touching, poignant, and timely. Published on April 7, 2020.

Three Hours in Paris by Cara Black

There always seems to be new WWII fiction being published and I’m thankful for that! Three Hours in Paris looks to be particularly interesting – a woman assigned to assassinate Hitler. Yes, please! Published on April 7, 2020.

A big thank you to Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl for hosting Top Ten Tuesdays! If you’re looking to beef up your 2020 TBR, click over to her blog post and peruse the lists of hundreds of other bloggers!

Have you been lucky enough to read any of these novels yet? And what are you looking forward to this winter? Please tell me in the comments!

27 thoughts on “Anticipated New Releases for Winter 2020”

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      1. In the Garden of Beasts was fabulous. He’s a great writer–I couldn’t do the Devil in the White City–it upset me. [That’s a testament to his writing by the way] Isaac’s Storm and Dead Wake were equally good, but Garden was his best to date.

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  7. I keep seeing Dreamland around, but this was the first time I actually read a synopsis (the circus tents were throwing me off, I generally don’t enjoy circus themes haha). This sounds so good! Teaches me to only look at the cover I guess haha. Great list!
    My TTT

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  12. I am very excited for The Glass Hotel. I might buy it. I loved Station Eleven so much.

    I’m gonna do a spin on this theme for my Friday post. I might even have more than ten! There are some really intriguing books coming out this year.

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  13. Pingback: Shaking Things Up | Daily Inkling #10 | Normal Happenings

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