Whenever it gets to this time of the year I like to review my reading exploits from the previous 12 months. This time last year I wrote my Most Anticipated Books of 2017 list containing all of the books that I was really excited about. I normally write a huge list of books I’m looking forward to being released and then edit it down to about 15/20 books. It’s a great thing to do because it gives me a whole list of books I need to buy and means I have a handy guide to the books I haven’t read. I managed a whopping 4 from my list of 17 this year. A whole book more than I managed to read from my 2016 list. Please, hold your applause. No need for a standing ovation. No, I’m not a hero. So, yeah, I kind of fucked up but that won’t stop me writing another goddamn list. Maybe I’ll make it all the way up to 5 in 2018? Probably not but at least writing this keeps me busy for a bit.

2018 fiction releases I’m excited about

• White House by Amy Bloom

It might just be a fallout after reading Lincoln in the Bardo but I have an increased interest in books concerning American history. This novel sounds incredibly interesting as it tells the story of the hidden love between Eleanor Roosevelt and journalist Lorena Hickok. I’m really excited about this one.

• The Chateua by Paul Goldberg

Paul Goldberg shows the us the seedy world that surrounds a Florida condo board election. It sounds like a weird but interesting story set in Trump’s America.

• Red Clocks by Leni Zumas

Set during a time when abortion is illegal in America again, IVF has been banned and the embryo has been granted rights. This tells the story of five very different women who are all struggling in a society where their reproductive health is no longer under their control. This sounds very Handmaid’s Tale esque and is particularly important for the world we are living in.

• Feel Free by Zadie Smith

This is a collection of essays written by author Zadie Smith concerning anything and everything. She dissects pop culture, high culture, social change and politics with her typical wit. I can’t wait to read these.

• Empty Set by Verónica Gerber Bicecci

Verónica Gerber Bicecci is a visual artist who has written the story of a young narrator who is trying to make sene of the word using patterns and shapes. This sounds like a weird and original idea that has left me feeling quite excited.

• Not That Bad: Dispatches from Rape Culture by Roxanne Gay

Roxanne Gay is well-known for her writing so there is always a certain sense of excitement every time something new is released. This book is an anthology that collects pieces that address the issues of being a woman in modern society. I can imagine this is going to be a difficult read but it is an important issue. 

• Sharpe: The Women Who Made an Art of Having an Opinion by Michelle Dean

Another non-fiction book that excites the feminist within me. It is the exploration of how a group of women, including Dorothy Parker, Joan Didion, Nora Ephron etc, became important women in the world of letters. How they coped in a male dominated landscape and found their voice. The story of overcoming the gendered bias of the critical establishment to become the important writers they are.

• The Female Persuasion by Meg Wolitzer

From the writer of The Interestings comes a new story of a college student and the woman who will shape her future. When Greer Kadetsky meets feminist Faith Frank she becomes changed and takes the position working with her new mentor. Another very exciting sounding novel about the flame waiting within us all and the people who help to fan it.

• Heads of the Colored People by Nafissa Thompson-Spires

This collection of stories examines the idea of black identity in a supposedly post-racial time. It discusses the important issues of race in a tense and turbulent time. This sounds like an incredible read and an important one. The individual stories sound incredible and I can’t wait to read it.

• The Widows of Malabar HIll by Sujata Massey

This is a story that has been inspired by the woman who made history as India’s first female attorney. Set in the 1920s, it follows Perveen Mistry as she joins her father’s law firm. When she finds herself executing the will of a wealthy Muslim mill owner, Perveen starts fighting for the right’s of the his widows. 

• Fire Sermon by Jamie Quatro

Maggie is a devoted wife to her husband until she begins a passionate affair with a poet. This debut novel is the exploration of obsession, desire and salvation that shows both sides of love. It sounds like a really exciting character study.

• This Could Hurt by Jillian Medoff

Set in an American company, this novel delves into the impact that work has on our lives. It explores the emotional problems of five people working in an HR department. They must balance their hopes, dreams and professional fears whilst their company is threatened by the economy.

• The Job of the Wasp by Colin Winnette

I’ve mentioned time and time again that I love gothic fiction so this new gothic murder mystery set in an orphanage. I’m always on the look out for contemporary gothic fiction and this sounds suitably horrific. 

• The Sky is Yours by Chandler Kang Smith

I’m not really a big lover of dystopian fiction but this one had me at futuristic epic with dragons. And if you can’t see why then we have very different tastes in books.

• Frankenstein in Baghdad by Ahmed Saadawi

A retelling of Frankestein set in US-occupied Baghdad? Erm… hells yeah! When scavenger Hadi collects human body parts and stitches them together in a corpse he has one goal in mind: to get the government to allow the parts of people to get a proper burial. The corpse goes missing and reports appear of gruesome murder. Fucking amazing!

• Sunburn by Laura Lippman

This psychological thriller introduces her to a pair of lovers who are locked in a game of cat and mouse. I’ve been burnt with this genre too many times but there’s something about this one that sounds like it could be okay. We’ll see.

• Stray City by Chelsey Johnson

• Rainbirds by Clarissa Goenawan

This novel tells the story of a student who returns to his home after the murder of his sister. Having left his family years ago, Ren Ishida must piece together the pieces of his sister’s life and work out what heppened that night. As he struggles with his feelings regarding his sister, Ren is also being haunted by dreams of a young girl trying to tell him something.