There are so many great books coming out this year, it was hard to pick  just sixteen that we are especially excited to read. We present our annual list of upcoming releases: from traditional short story collections to sci-fi novels to memoir. While the majority of the books on this list are from emerging authors, some are by old, established favorites. Mark your literary calendars, and enjoy. 

And Again by Jessica Chiarella

In this novel, four people who are terminally ill are given the chance to start again in new bodies, which are exactly like their old ones, except for the fact that they are free of flaws. Chiarella plumbs the emotional and psychological repercussions of this premise in her inventive, literary debut.

Publication date: January 12

The Unfinished World: And Other Stories by Amber Sparks

The Unfinished World is Sparks’ second collection of stories, out at the end of the month from Liveright. In one story, a janitor cleans floating debris—flakes of dead skin, liquid salt—from a space station while she thinks about her troubled past on earth. In another, siblings practice the family art of taxidermy. Sparks’ sentences are dense, dark wonders, capable of holding worlds in themselves.

Publication date: January 25

Dog Run Moon by Callan Wink

The majority of stories in this debut collection are set in Montana and Wyoming, orbiting Yellowstone National Park. Wink’s stories have already garnered wide acclaim. Joy Williams says: “Callan Wink seems to know well the stratagems and delusions of men’s hearts. He also seems born and bred to short-story mastery.” You can read the title story, originally published in The New Yorker, here.

Publication date: February 9

Private Citizens: A Novel by Tony Tulathimutte

This witty, satirical debut novel is told from the point of view of four different San Francisco millennials as they sort out their post-college lives. Alexandra Kleeman says of Private Citizens: “This book will leave you raw with feeling and aching at the ribs.”

Publication date: February 9

Cities I’ve Never Lived In by Sara Majka

We can’t wait to get our hands on Sara Majka’s debut collection of linked stories, which is the product of collaboration between Graywolf and A Public Space. The collection centers on stories told by the same narrator, a recently divorced woman reflecting on her past relationships and desires. You can read a preview here.

Publication date: February 16

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