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The benefits of reading are well documented. It can help you reduce stress, stimulate your brain, and teach you something new about yourself, the world or others. But between the many, many books published every year, how do you choose which page-turner for your next read?
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To help you out, we’re teaming up with the literary experts at Goodreads to bring you the most anticipated books of 2020 to inspire your reading lists. Goodreads’ most anticipated books for the month are based on how many times its more than 90 million members have added a book to their “want-to-read” shelves. Each month, Goodreads members add more than 18 million books to their “want-to-read” shelves.
January’s most anticipated books include a nice mix of genres sure to satisfy aspiring and avid readers alike. There’s science fiction that speculates over a future of government-appointed celebrities; a Silicon Valley memoir; an epic historical fiction tale; a new Eoin Colfer novel and more.
Read on for January’s most anticipated books, and check out our guide to the best 2019 books to give as gifts and fall 2019’s most-anticipated new reads.
1
"Long Bright River" by Liz Moore
Amazon
First, Philadelphia cop Mickey’s opioid-addicted sister goes missing. Then, a mysterious string of murders shows up in Mickey’s district. This mystery thriller and moving tale of fate, sisters and addiction is sure to keep you on the edge of your seat as Mickey searches for both her sister and the culprit. Read more about it on Goodreads, and grab a copy on Amazon.
Expected release date: Jan. 7
Expected release date: Jan. 7
2
Big Lies in a Small Town by Diane Chamberlain
Amazon
Morgan Christopher is in jail for a crime she did not commit. When a mysterious stranger offers to get her out in exchange for restoring an old post office mural in a small southern town, she takes it. However, Morgan only finds more questions around the mural’s artist, Anna Dale, as she peels back the many layers of paint. Read more about it on Goodreads, and grab a copy on Amazon.
Expected release date: Jan. 14
Expected release date: Jan. 14
3
"A Long Petal of the Sea" by Isabel Allende
Amazon
This epic tale by New York Times bestselling author Isabel Allende follows Roser, a pregnant widow, and Victor Dalmau, an army doctor and the brother of her deceased love, as they flee the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War in search of a new place to call home. Spanning both continents and decades, this novel dives into questions of hope, exile and belonging. Read more about it on Goodreads, and grab a copy on Amazon.
Expected release date: Jan. 21
Expected release date: Jan. 21
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4
"Dear Edward" by Ann Napolitano
Amazon
One summer morning, 12-year-old Edward Adler boards a plane to Los Angeles with his family and 183 other passengers. The plane tragically crashes, leaving Edward as the sole survivor. Inspired by a true story, “Dear Edward” follows the title character on his journey to rediscover his place in the world. Read more about it on Goodreads, and grab a copy on Amazon.
Expected release date Jan. 6
Expected release date Jan. 6
5
"Uncanny Valley" by Anna Wiener
Amazon
Anna Wiener left a job in publishing for one in Silicon Valley at its prime. In what one reviewer calls a “compulsively readable” memoir, Wiener offers “a rare first-person glimpse into high-flying, reckless startup culture at a time of unchecked ambition, unregulated surveillance, wild fortune, and accelerating political power.” Read more about it on Goodreads, and grab a copy on Amazon.
Expected release date: Jan. 14
Expected release date: Jan. 14
6
"Highfire" by Eoin Colfer
Amazon
Fans of the “Artemis Fowl” series when they were younger have a new, adult novel to read by Eoin Colfer. This wild book follows a dragon called Vern whose glory days are over. Now, he spends his time “lighting Marlboros with nose sparks, swilling Absolut in a Flashdance T-shirt, and binging Netflix in a fishing shack.” That is, until a 15-year-old on the run from a crooked sheriff stumbles into his life. Read more about it on Goodreads, and grab a copy on Amazon.
Expected release date: Jan. 28
Expected release date: Jan. 28
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7
"When We Were Vikings" by Andrew David MacDonald
Amazon
Zelda is a 21-year-old with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and is a Viking enthusiast. When she discovers her brother, Gert, has resorted to some shady dealings to keep them both afloat, Zelda launches her own quest that will require all her viking strength and test her heroism and love for her brother. Read more about it on Goodreads, and grab a copy on Amazon.
Expected release date: Jan. 28
Expected release date: Jan. 28
8
"Followers" by Megan Angelo
Amazon
When ambitious roommates Orla and Floss abandon their sense of ethics, they become overnight social media successes. Fast forward 35 years. The government appoints celebrities, such as Marlow, and streams everything they do — all the time, every day. This sci-fi novel traces the paths of Orla, Floss and Marlow as their stories come together through time, leaving the country in chaos. Read more about it on Goodreads, and grab a copy on Amazon.
Expected release date: Jan. 14
Expected release date: Jan. 14
9
"The God Game" by Danny Tobey
Amazon
Main character Charlie and his friends find themselves playing the G.O.D. Game, a video game run by hackers and controlled by AI with a God complex. While the game promises Charlie and his friends that they could win big — and they do, for a time — strange things start to happen. When Charlie and his friends try to leave the game, they discover they may be in over their heads with an AI that learned its cruelty from watching us. Read more about it on Goodreads, and grab a copy on Amazon.
Expected release date: Jan. 7
Expected release date: Jan. 7
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10
"American Dirt" by Jeanine Cummins
Amazon
Lydia Quixano Perez runs a bookstore in Acapulco, Mexico. She has one son, and her husband is a journalist. When the jefe of the city’s newest drug cartel steps into her store to buy four books, Lydia and her family’s lives will never be the same. Already being hailed as an American classic, “American Dirt” is certainly worth a top spot on your book list. Read more about it on Goodreads, and grab a copy on Amazon.
Expected release date: Jan. 21
Expected release date: Jan. 21