Lost in Pages

Hello, everyone!

It’s now 2022 – which is a super weird thing to say – and there are a lot of books coming out this year that sound really intriguing. I’ve narrowed down my list of “want to read” books to 22, so let’s talk about them!

January

The Maid by Nita Prose – January 4th

This one comes out today, and it sounds like a really mysterious read. This book follows a maid who comes across a man’s dead body and gets implicated in the murder. Maid is Prose’s debut novel, so I’m interested to see if this editor-turned-author can write a compelling whodunnit.

Weather Girl by Rachel Lynn Solomon – January 11th

I read Solomon’s other romance novel in early 2021, The Ex Talk, and I thought it was pretty enjoyable. I tend to not like many romances I read, but I’m always down to try and find one to break that pattern. This one involves a meteorologist and a sports anchor who team up to get their bosses back together and fall in love in the process. It’s giving me Set It Up vibes which was a cheesy rom-com good time.

A Flicker in the Dark by Stacy Willingham – January 11th

This debut is about a girl who’s father is convicted of six murders when she was a child, and as an adult psychologist, she gets herself involved with trying to solve a copycat crime. It’s said this has been picked up for a limited series with Emma Stone, so naturally I’m intrigued.

February

The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley – February 22nd

I read and enjoyed the insane rollercoaster that was The Guest List in 2021, and I’m curious to see if Foley improves in her third release. I’ve heard that her first and second books are very similar which has me concerned, but this new novel sounds at least a little different. We follow a girl who goes to Paris to stay with her half brother, and while there he goes missing and everyone in the apartment building (the concierge, the neighbors, etc.) are all suspects. Color me intrigued.

March

Gallant by V.E. Schwab – March 1st

I don’t think I need to explain why this is on my list. I love Schwab and anything she puts out, I will buy multiple special editions of it. This book is pitched as The Secret Garden meets Crimson Peak – need I say more?

The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St. James – March 15th

2021 introduced me to The Sun Down Motel which I thoroughly enjoyed, so I have high hopes for this one. It follows a true crime blogger who’s interviewing a woman who was acquitted for two murders in the 70s, and it seems like there is some supernatural element to the story as well. I listen to so many true crime podcasts and watch endless documentaries, so this one seems right up my alley.

Dark Stars: New Tales of Darkest Horror edited by John F.D. Taff – March 22nd

I don’t think of myself as much of a horror reader, but that is something I want to change in 2022. I love the idea of short horror stories, and this anthology has some promising authors attached to it. Let’s hope it’s a spooky time.

The Long Weekend by Gilly MacMillan – March 29th

I haven’t read a MacMillan mystery before, but they’ve always been on my radar. This one involves wives who go away for the weekend for a girl’s trip, and it turns deadly when their husbands are threatened with murder. There’s apparently betrayal and secrets, and I can’t wait for the messiness this seems to promise.

The Resting Place by Camilla Sten – March 29th

I still haven’t gotten a chance to get to Sten’s other novel from 2021 called The Lost Village, but this one has an interested premise as well. It’s about a woman with face-blindness who witnessed her grandmother’s murder but can’t identify the murderer. She inherits her grandmother’s house and investigates it with her boyfriend, aunt, and lawyer. It sounds eerie and intriguing, so I’ll definitely be picking up a copy.

April

Insomnia by Sarah Pinborough – April 12th

Another author I haven’t read from is Pinborough, but I definitely want to pick up this one. It deals with a woman who suffers from insomnia (something I can relate to), but is it actually sleep troubles or the early signs of madness her mother once showed?

The Children on the Hill by Jennifer McMahon – April 26th

This one seems like it could be a hit or miss for me, but I’m interested enough to find out. The story involves two timelines: one with a mental health doctor who brings home a child patient to live with her two kids, and another with a woman who runs a true crime podcast investigating the disappearance of a little girl. Both timelines seem to involve the supernatural or monsters, so I think it could be a spooky read.

May

Book Lovers by Emily Henry – May 3rd

I’ve enjoyed Henry’s other two romance books, Beach Read and People We Meet on Vacation, so I’m definitely excited to dive into another one. This one involves a literary agent and a book editor who I’m assuming are going to fall into the enemies-to-lovers trope. Sign me up!

Book of Night by Holly Black – May 3rd

I don’t know much about this besides it dealing with magic and something called “shadow trading”, but it sounds like a fantasy book I’ll definitely enjoy. This is also Black’s first dive into adult books, so I’m curious to see if her writing style changes much between genres.

The Stardust Thief by Chelsea Abdullah – May 17th

This is an own-voices Arabic debut fantasy, and I couldn’t be more excited. It has magic and jinns and an ancient lamp, so I can’t help but think of Aladdin – which is also my favorite Disney movie. Hell yes.

June

The House Across the Lake by Riley Sager – June 21st

This story follows an actress who hides out in her family’s lake house and the couple across the lake. There’s a missing woman, family secrets, and a seemingly-perfect marriage which sounds like a recipe for a good thrilling mystery. Plus, it’s Riley Sager, so of course I was going to pick it up.

Our Crooked Hearts by Melissa Albert – June 28th

I read and enjoyed Albert’s YA debut a few years ago and enjoyed it. This one is about witches and a mother and daughter relationship with dual timelines, and it’s supposed to be eerie and fantastical. Count me in.

July

The It Girl by Ruth Ware – July 12th

I will read literally anything that Ruth Ware comes out with, so this one is no exception. Her newest is about a woman who’s friend was murdered and years later the man convicted might not have committed the crime. I love stories that jump between times, so I can’t wait to get my hands on this one.

Wake the Bones by Elizabeth Kilcoyne – July 12th

I truly don’t know much about this one, and honestly the biggest reason I added it to this list was the cover. The premise is a girl who works on a tobacco farm and also does taxidermy, and she gets courted by the devil like her mother did years ago. So there’s magic involved as well as family secrets, and I think it sounds pretty intense.

What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher – July 12th

I’ve heard good things about Kingfisher’s previous books, but this one sold me with the Poe retelling aspect. The cover also just draws me in – it’s weird and I love it. This one follows a former soldier who just found out his friend is dying, so he goes out to her family’s ancestral home where weird things start to happen. Yes please.

August

Spells for Forgetting by Adrienne Young – August 2nd

This one is another story of a potential wrongly convicted murderer with some supernatural elements to it. I find myself gravitating more toward stories like this. I haven’t read an Adrienne Young book before, but I hope if I make this one my first, it won’t be my last.

These Fleeting Shadows by Kate Alice Marshall – August 9th

If you compare anything to Haunting of Hill House, you bet I’m going to pick it up. This one also has a nod to Knives Out, and I really enjoyed that movie too. Helen inherits a house and a fortune but must stay there for one full year or lose out on everything. There are spooky dreams and secrets to be discovered in the house, and it sounds like a wild ride.

The Drowned Woods by Emily Llohyd-Jones – August 16th

This book is set in the same world as Lloyd-Jones’ other novel The Bone Houses, which I never got around to reading last year. I definitely want to because both premises sound really interesting. This one involves water magic and heists, both of which I’m down for.

And that’s all folks!

As you can see, there isn’t anything listed past August, which is usually the case for releases being announced. I’ll probably make a follow-up post talking about some releases in the later part of the year because I’m sure these aren’t the only ones I’m excited to read.

Let me know some of the books you’re most excited for in the comments below!

Until next time,