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The books I can’t wait to read in 2015.

the books I can't wait to read in 2015

Over the past few weeks I’ve been looking back at what a fantastic year 2014 was for reading—for publishers in general, and for me as a reader.

Now I’m finally looking ahead to 2015, and holy smokes, there’s a great year ahead. In the coming months I’ll finally be able to get my hands on books I’ve been waiting years for.

This is nowhere close to an exhaustive list, but these are the books I can’t wait to read in 2015. These titles either just came out at the very end of 2014, or are scheduled to be published in 2015.

10 books I can’t wait to read in 2015

The Mother Daughter Book Club #7

The Mother Daughter Book Club #7

Sarah and I blew through the The Mother Daughter Book Club series in December, and now we're impatiently waiting for the seventh and final book. Coming Summer 2015.

More info →
Absolutely Truly: A Pumpkin Falls Mystery

Absolutely Truly: A Pumpkin Falls Mystery

This mystery from the author of The Mother Daughter Book Club came out late last year. Sarah and I are making due with this one while we wait for book #7.

More info →
Rising Strong

Rising Strong

Author:

Brené Brown's work will change your life, no exaggeration. I'm so excited she has another book in the works. (Such a great title!) Coming August 25, 2015.

More info →
The Lake House

The Lake House

Author:

In 1933, a young child disappeared without a trace. In 2003, a disgraced young detective stumbles upon the cold case and soon discovers its ties to one of England's oldest and most celebrated mystery writer (think Agatha Christie). I absolutely loved reading a mystery novel about a mystery novelist: the pages are filled with fascinating references to the fictional author's writing process and working life.

More info →
Better Than Before: Mastering the Habits of Our Everyday Lives

Better Than Before: Mastering the Habits of Our Everyday Lives

Author:
I loved The Happiness Project and Happier at Home and can't wait to dive into this next one, especially because this topic fascinates me. I expect great things. Coming March 17, 2015. More info →
Veronica Mars #2: Mr. Kiss and Tell

Veronica Mars #2: Mr. Kiss and Tell

This is far from great literature, but the first "original Veronica Mars novel" that came out last summer was a great ride and I'm ready to do it again. Coming January 20. More info →
Fairest: The Lunar Chronicles

Fairest: The Lunar Chronicles

Author:

I inhaled the first three books of The Lunar Chronicles on vacation last summer and have been waiting impatiently for the next installment ever since. Fairest hits shelves January 27. The series' final book Winter, coming November 2015, is also on my list.

More info →
Savor: Living Abundantly Where You Are, as You Are

Savor: Living Abundantly Where You Are, as You Are

Author:

I love Shauna's writing, and each of her three books has been better than the one before. Niequist calls this collection her attempt at paying attention to the things that really matter, and to encourage you to do the same, with 365 daily devotions. Also included are 21 recipes (poppy seed cake, green chile strata, Thai beef salad) as a fun and tangible reminder to savor your life, where you are, as you are.

More info →
Searching for Sunday: Loving, Leaving, and Finding The Church

Searching for Sunday: Loving, Leaving, and Finding The Church

I first heard the author describe this book at a speaking event over a year ago. I think her work is getting better as her voice matures and I'm very interested in this topic.

More info →
Brave Girls: Raising Young Women with Passion and Purpose to Become Powerful Leaders

Brave Girls: Raising Young Women with Passion and Purpose to Become Powerful Leaders

Author:

This topic has been covered in many books in recent years, but rarely well. I have daughters, I work with young women, and I am crossing my fingers that this book does these issues justice.

More info →

What are YOU looking forward to reading in 2015?

waittoread2015

58 comments

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  1. Sara K. says:

    And now my TBR list just got that much longer!!!! Thank you for highlighting some exciting upcoming books!

    I would love to read the mother/daughter books with my 9 year old someday. It will have to wait though. I’ve spent the last couple of years trying to convince her to let me read Harry Potter to her, and she has finally agreed. No way am I rocking that boat right now! 🙂

  2. Hannah says:

    Do you find that you’re disciplined enough to stick with your lists, or do you veer off and read other things as you find them? I find that sometimes serendipity interferes with my lists (though I love them).

    • Anne says:

      I veer. 🙂 Although I’m pretty good about making a short “must read” list and manage to squeeze those in at the end of the year, even if I’m furiously working to finish off that list the week after Christmas (like I did last week!)

  3. Beth says:

    As sad as I am to watch my sweet four-year-old daughter grow up, I am excited for when she is old enough to read that mother-daughter book series with me! Looks fun!

  4. My to-read list exploded yesterday and I have no self-control when it comes to borrowing books from the library. Just some of the books on my list: Middlemarch (for the first time), the Steven James chess series (for the second time), and all of Agatha Christie’s mysteries.

    • liz n. says:

      I meant to read Middlemarch again last year, but got sidetracked by Written In My Own Heart’s Blood, so definitely need to read it this year! Maybe I’ll also read all of Agatha in order this year?

  5. Jackie M. says:

    Fairest and the new Kate Morton are on my TBR list as well! I am also excited about the newest Sarah Addison Allen book, First Frost, and the newest Susanna Kearsley, A Desperate Fortune. If you haven’t read either of those authors, you should try them — especially Susanna Kearsley — you and I have very similar reading tastes, so I suspect that you would love her — start with The Winter Sea — although, really, any of them are fabulous!

  6. Jeannie says:

    Thanks for this list, Anne! Rachel Held Evans, Brene Brown, Gretchen Rubin, and Kate Morton are all favourites of mine so these are definitely ones to look forward to.

  7. Lots of goodies coming in the children’s book world. Here are a few I’m looking forward to:

    Fish in a Tree — Lynda Mullaly Hunt (February 5)
    My Near-Death Adventures (99% True!) — Alison DeCamp (February 24)
    Nooks and Crannies — Jessica Lawson (June 2)
    Goodbye Stranger — Rebecca Stead (August 4)

  8. Erin says:

    Yes to Gretchen Rubin and Kate Morton!

    I’m also itching to get my hands on Lauren F. Winner’s new one. I think the title is Wearing God. Her book Girl Meets God was my first dose of spiritual memoir years ago, and I think she’s among the best writers in the genre.

  9. Meghan says:

    I also inhaled all 3 of the Lunar Chronicles in 2014 and can’t wait until November! I think the conclusion is going to be awesome.

    As far as Kate Morton, I loved “Forgotten Garden” and “House at Riverton”. I was disappointed with “Distant Hours” and “Secret Keeper”. I could have been the WW2 setting (weren’t they both WW2?) or maybe I’m just over her format. What are your thoughts?

    I would love to read a Niequist book. Do you think it matters which one I start with?

    You listed a lot of books I want to check out now!

    • Anne says:

      That’s interesting about Kate Morton. I thought Riverton was disappointing, but then again it was the last book I read and the first one she wrote. Debuts can be dicey. I loved The Secret Keeper! But yeah, the two you didn’t like were both WWII books. I’m hoping she branches out a bit with her format for #5….

      I’d start with Bread and Wine and work your way back. They don’t need to be read in order, but I think Bread and Wine is her strongest by far, so why not start there? 🙂

  10. Heather says:

    I’ve never had a TBR list before, although I have never run out of things to read. However, I am starting now, and many of the titles and authors I am lining up are chosen because of your suggestions, Anne. I think I may try Kate Morton.
    My daughter is all grown up, but my childhood and hers were packed with Lucy Maud Montgomery, Louisa May Alcott, Laura Ingalls Wilder and similar classics. Glad you are bringing your children into a world of reading as well. (Even my son gladly sat through my reading aloud all the Laura books. We homeschooled.)
    Thanks for your blog.

  11. Sarah says:

    I already got a chance to read the Veronica Mars book and it is just as good, if not better than the novel from last year! There is a little more character development (like why Logan went into the airforce). I couldn’t put it down. Like you said, not great literature, but a super fun book for fans!

  12. liz n. says:

    I was given the complete set of Jeff Shaara’s books for Christmas, and since I’ve only read about half of them (and not in order), I am REALLY looking forward to reading them!

  13. Laura says:

    Ahhhh, I didn’t realize the second Veronica Mars was coming out so soon! I’ll definitely be jumping on that one. I love the series and the movie, and I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the book (though of course you’re right, it’s not “great literature”).

  14. Hannely says:

    I’m so excited about 2015 reading! Especially the new Maisie Dobbs book, the next Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes book by Laurie R. King, a new Anne Tyler novel (!), and that Gretchen Rubin book.

  15. Angela Mills says:

    I didn’t even know there was a Veronica Mars book, so that’s going on my list!! Also the new Morton. The Secret Keeper is my favorite of hers. I’ve been meaning to read Longbourn and the Goldfinch, both from last year.

  16. LOVE this post! I LITERALLY was writing my own version of this post when I saw your link to yours! (No lie! 🙂 I’ve started compiling a list of books at the end of the year that will be out the following year that I can’t wait to read – its such nerdy book girl fun! I have a good few on my list that are on yours, and some others that aren’t. (And I added a few to my list from yours!) 🙂 Love your blog, as always, Anne!

  17. I generally gravitate toward literary fiction and my most anticipated titles for 2015 are God Help the Child (Toni Morrison), The World Before Us (Aislinn Hunter), Academy Street (Mary Costello), The Green Road (Anne Enright), Above the Waterfall (Ron Rash – fellow North Carolinian & I think NC’s best living writer, and we also share an agent), The Buried Giant (Ishiguro), and The State We’re In (Ann Beattie). Happy reading!!

  18. Jamie says:

    You always intrigue me with new book ideas. I want to actually *finish* Brene Brown’s Daring Greatly. I also want to pick up Annie Lobert’s Fallen. Plus our public library has a reading challenge going on until March. If you read 5 books from (or about) 5 different decades, you win a “I heart WPL” canvas bag. I will aim for this purely because of that tote! Okay, and learning too. Keep putting new titles on here! I love it.

  19. Kristen Anna says:

    I have so many books on my TBR list. This year, I want to focus on books written by people I’ve met through The Rabbit Room and their yearly gathering, Hutchmoot. First up is Warden and the Wolf King, the fourth and final book in Andrew Peterson’s Wingfeather Saga. (Have you read that one yet, Anne?) Others I plan to read soon are The Green Ember (S.D. Smith), The Rise and Fall of Mount Majestic (Jennifer Trafton), The Fiddler’s Gun and The Fiddler’s Green (A.S. Peterson), Shiloh and Seeker (Helena Sorensen), The Charlatan’s Boy, The Terrible Speed of Mercy: A Spiritual Biography of Flannery O’Conner, and The World According to Narnia (Jonathan Rogers). Oh, and I do want to read Brideshead Revisted this year, as well as several other books, but that’s a good start… 😉

  20. Barb Newman says:

    I absolutely loved the first two books in the Ibis trilogy. — Sea of Poppies (2008) and River of Smoke (2011). Wikipedia advises that Amitav Ghosh tweeted that the title of Book III of the Ibis trilogy will be Flood of Fire and the estimated date of publication is spring 2015. Can’t wait!

  21. Laura says:

    Did you read the Mother/Daughter series aloud to your daughter or did you just both read them and talk about them or??? I ordered the first one from the library and am not sure if I want to do it as a read aloud with my 11-year old or just let her have at it! Thoughts?

    I love your list!! I am also really looking forward to Kate Morton’s new book (loved the Secret Keeper!!!) and I am a huge fan of Gretchen Rubin’s work so am excited about her latest, as well. My to-read list is HUGE but I keep adding new ones so I am sure I will never actually get to them all. Probably my greatest frustration in life. =) At least I am learning to stop reading ones that I don’t like. I used to push myself to finish them. Now, I put them down and don’t look back.

  22. Jenna says:

    I’m SO excited for Fairest (and Winter, eventually!) And Niequist. And Evans!

    And I’m realizing how far behind I am with Morton — I’ve been *intending* to read something by her for awhile now!

  23. Paula Laird says:

    I am SO excited that Brene Brown is coming out with a new book! YAY! Looking forward to reading Gretchen Rubin’s new book, too!

  24. Suzanne C says:

    I am the same way with Kate Morton’s books! It seems a bit odd to be so excited about a book that doesn’t even have a title, much less a synopsis to read, LOL! You can actually already pre-order it on Amazon- no title, no cover, no clue what it’s about, but you can order it.

    • Anne says:

      “no title, no cover, no clue what it’s about, but you can order it.”

      And it’s selling, too! I’m not one of those people yet, but that’s only because I haven’t gotten around to it. 🙂

  25. Melissa says:

    Oh my word! You make my large to-read list larger by the post! I’m desperate for Kate Morton’s next one too (and totally get what you mean about waiting so long and the devouring, I do the same with Belinda Alexandra!)! And the new Rachel Held Evans and Gretchen Rubin ones!

  26. Lisa says:

    Hi! I love reading your recommendations, but it would be helpful if you could describe the book a little more so we don’t have to click and go to a whole new web page just to read about it. Doing that for a list of books takes quite awhile. Otherwise, I always love your recommendations!

  27. Jacquie says:

    My daughter and I can’t wait for the 4th installment of the Penderwicks series — comes out this Tuesday (yea!) Love your list – found a few to add to mine 🙂

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