10 Most Anticipated Books of 2014

     Here are a few of the books that I am most looking forward to in 2014. These all come out in the first 6-7 months of the year, so there are probably some exciting titles coming out later in the year that I just haven't seen any info on yet. In chronological order (but dates can change):

 

1. This Dark Road To Mercy by Wiley Cash (January). Cash's A Land More Kind Than Home was on of my 10 favorite books of 2012. This is his newest book, about 2 young sisters in North Carolina. They are in a foster home after their mother dies, when their wayward father come looking for them. 

 

2. Roosevelt's Beast by Louis Bayard (March). A fictionalized account of one of Teddy Roosevelt's expeditions into the Amazon jungle in 1914. Teddy's son Kermit is sent along to keep any eye on his boisterous and sometimes reckless father. Bayard wrote Mr. Timothy and The Pale Blue Eye, both of which I enjoyed very much.  

 

3. Sleep Donation by Karen Russell (March). This is just a novella, but with a fascinating premise. Sleep Donation explores a world suffering an insomnia epidemic where the healthy donate sleep to those that are suffering. Russell wrote the Pulitzer Prize nominated Swamplandia, a riveting read.   

 

4. Frog Music by Emma Donoghue (April). From the author of the amazing Room, comes this historical thriller set in 1876 San Francisco. Based on a real life murder in the gold rush boomtown, Frog Music is described as a "lyrical tale of love and bloodshed among lowlifes captures the pulse of a boom town like no other."

 

5. The Serpent of Venice by Christopher Moore (April). One of the books I am most excited about! Moore's novel Fool, was a look at King Lear from the viewpoint of the court jester. It borrowed characters and lines from other Shakespeare plays and is hilariously bawdy. In this sequel, the Fool is dropped into a mash up of Othello, The Merchant of Venice, and The Cask of Amontillado. 

 

6. Closed Doors by Lisa O'Donnell (May). The Death of Bees by O'Donnell was my favorite book last year. In this new thriller by her, a boy on a Scottish island where everyone knows everything about everyone else, will discover that a secret is a dangerous thing. It has already been released in Britain to mixed reviews, but I am looking forward to it. 

 

7. The Painter by Peter Heller (May). The second novel by Peter Heller, author of the fantastic "The Dog Stars". The plot of this one, an artist trying to outrun his troubled past, doesn't thrill me, but Heller's first novel was my favorite book of 2012 so I will give the benefit of the doubt.  

 

8. Amanda by Ernest Cline (July). More science fiction from the author of "Ready, Player One", sign me up. The book description reads "Zack Lightman is daydreaming through another dull math class when the high-tech dropship lands in his school's courtyard-and when the men in the dark suits and sunglasses leap out of the ship and start calling his name, he's sure he's still dreaming."

 

9. Tigerman by Nick Harkaway (July). Both of Harkaway's novels defy being lumped into any genre, they remind me more of Douglas Adams' books than anything else. "Tigerman" concerns a burnt out British Army sergeant sent to serve out his time on a shady former British colony. 

 

10. Lock In by John Scalzi (August). John Scalzi won the Hugo last year for "Redshirts", a funny sci-fi thriller, but not one of my favorite books. He is an author that likes to experiment with different styles of writing and types of publishing. His new book is set in the near future when a virus spreads across the Earth, afflicting 5% of the population adversely.