I have an ever-growing list of books I want to read which will be published in 2019, even though it is extremely unlikely I will get round to all of them in the next 12 months and more will inevitably distract me as the year goes on. Here is a selection of some I will be looking out for. All publication dates where known apply to the UK only and may be subject to change.
Among fiction titles, there are numerous sequels and instalments of series due in 2019. Spring by Ali Smith is the third book in the Scottish author’s seasons cycle following Autumn (2016) and Winter (2017) with Summer presumably following in 2020.
A part of me wonders if The Testaments by Margaret Atwood would ever have been written if the TV adaptation of The Handmaid’s Tale hadn’t been so successful. Set 15 years after the original book, the new volume won’t be based on the grim storylines of the second season broadcast last year, but it’s safe to assume that it won’t be a light and cheery read either.
Talking of TV, I have been meaning to read Olive Kitteridge after watching the excellent HBO series starring Frances McDormand last year. A second book Olive, Again by Elizabeth Strout is due to be published in the autumn. I will also need to catch up on the Jackson Brodie novels as Big Sky by Kate Atkinson will be out in June and is the fifth book in the crime fiction series.
There is no word yet on a publication date for The Secret Commonwealth by Philip Pullman but the follow-up to La Belle Sauvage was said to have been a work in progress when the first volume in the Book of Dust trilogy was published in 2017, so hopefully there shouldn’t be much longer to wait.
Of stand-alone literary fiction, Machines Like Me by Ian McEwan due in April is set in an alternative 1980s London, while Sweet Sorrow by David Nicholls about first love will be out in July. Grand Union by Zadie Smith is the author’s first collection of 20 short stories (10 new and 10 published over the last two decades) which will be published in the autumn. She is also writing her first historical novel entitled ‘The Fraud’ although there is no word yet on when this will be released.
Two translated fiction titles I’m particularly interested in are The Colours of the Inferno by Pierre Lemaitre (translated from the French by Frank Wynne) due in the autumn which is the second part of the Between the Wars trilogy after The Great Swindle and The Capital by Robert Menasse (translated from the German by Jamie Bullock) out in February which is a timely satire about the EU and its institutions.
Many of the non-fiction books I read are in some way related to medicine and health due to my interest in the Wellcome Book Prize. Mother Ship by Francesca Segal is a memoir about the birth of the novelist’s premature twin daughters and is her first foray in to non-fiction due in June.
Out this month, The Library Book by Susan Orlean is about the devastating fire at Los Angeles Public Library in 1986 which destroyed or damaged over one million books. In February, Another Planet by Tracey Thorn sees the singer-songwriter take a poignant look at growing up in suburbia in the 1970s.
The Secret Civil Servant: The Inside Story of Brexit, Government F**k-Ups and How We Try to Fix Things promises to lift the lid on what really happens in the corridors of Whitehall and will arrive on shelves in March. Finally, an as-yet-untitled memoir by Louis Theroux is due in the autumn reflecting on the documentaries he has made with a focus on the time he spent with Jimmy Savile.
Which 2019 books are you looking forward to reading?
A Little Blog of Books 
Am looking forward to quite a few of those you’ve listed. I’d compiled a list from The Guardians’ 2019 Recommendations the other day but hadn’t realised the second part of the Lemaitre trilogy was out this year so I’ll be adding that to the rather lengthy list! Of those you’ve not mentioned I’m looking forward to a new John Le Carre even though I’ll have to wait till October for it and also going to read Kerry Hudson’s ‘Lowborn’ as had loved her writing in ‘Tony Hogan Bought Me An Ice Cream Float!’
LikeLike
Yes, I came across the Lemaitre by chance on the Quercus website – I really liked The Great Swindle and hadn’t realised it would be part of a trilogy.
LikeLike
A new Kerry Hudson? Excellent.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Absolutely thrilled at the prospect of a new Strout and Atkinson. The HBO adaptation is very true to the original. It’s a role Frances McDormand was born to play. Happy 2019, Clare!
LikeLike
That’s good to hear! Happy new year!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I live in hope that one day we will see the final part of the Wolf Hall trilogy from Henning Mantel. The Guardian Review section had an enticing list for the year, some of which had me salivating. The Redeemed finishes Tim Pears West Country trilogy and like you I shall be buying The Library Book, February promises the beginning of a trilogy from the Man Booker winner Marlon James and another novel by Tessa Hadley and Ben Okri, and a terrifying look at the future of our planet The Uninhabitable Earth which is non fiction and examines the reality facing, if not us, our grandchildren and a life of Walter Gropius looks tasty. You have looked forward as far as March, I am sure that there will be lots to write about in the coming year and I will be reading your posts with interest…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, there are so many more I could have mentioned. The Uninhabitable Earth sounds interesting.
LikeLike
Oh thanks for sharing! I am really excited for the releases of Zadie Smith.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I was wondering when the follow-up to The Great Swindle would appear! So many good books in your list.
LikeLike
Yes, I hadn’t realised it was a trilogy so it was a nice surprise!
LikeLike
I can highly recommend The Library Book. I’m also looking forward to McEwan’s new novel, and thanks for confirming a date on Francesca Segal’s memoir. Can’t wait for that one.
LikeLike
Excellent, I have a NetGalley copy so will get to it soon hopefully!
LikeLike
Pingback: My Most Anticipated 2019 Releases, Part I – Bookish Beck
Great list! I am looking forward to Ali Smith’s Spring 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I keep reading these ‘Anticipated’ posts and thinking ‘How did I not know that X has a new book coming?!’ In this case, it applies to David Nicholls (although Us is still in my TBR stack 🙄), and Olive, Again – how on earth a new Strout escaped my attention I do not know!
LikeLike
I think both books were only announced very recently so you’re not far behind!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ah, so many books yet so little time. . . but what a nice problem to have 🙂
LikeLike
Absolutely!
LikeLike
Great list! I’m excited to hear about the new Elizabeth Strout – I loved Anything is Possible. I hadn’t heard of the two translated authors you mentioned so will seek them out too.
LikeLike
Thanks!
LikeLike
I loved The Library Books. I hope you do too 🙂
LikeLike
Good to hear!
LikeLike
Pingback: I’m waiting for… 2019 edition | booksaremyfavouriteandbest
I am definitely anticipating the Zadie Smith books!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Pingback: My Books of the Year 2019 | A Little Blog of Books
Pingback: My Most Anticipated Books of 2021 | A Little Blog of Books