Margaret Atwood ‘s “The Handmaid’s Tale” is getting a sequel this September called “The Testaments.” (Victoria Pickering/Flickr Creative Commons)
Every new year brings new book releases, and without the “New” section of my local library to keep me updated, I’ve fallen pretty far behind on my release radar. While thousands of books are set to be published this year, I combed through the lists and found five that caught my eye and had me wanting to get my hands on them immediately. Here’s what’s on my release radar for the next few months:
“Even If I Fall” by Abigail Johnson: “Even If I Fall” came out in January of this year, and I’m one step away from buying it immediately. The story follows Brooke Covington, whose brother just confessed to murdering his best friend, Calvin. Brooke’s family is thrust into the spotlight, and not in a good way. In a strange turn of events, Brooke runs into Heath, Calvin’s younger brother, and an unlikely friendship forms between them. They understand each other in ways no one else can, because both lost their brother and had their lives uncomfortably shoved into the public eye. They hide their friendship from their families, afraid of the judgment that would come from it. But then new details come out about the murder, and Brooke realizes she has to choose a side.
“On The Come Up” by Angie Thomas: You probably recognize Angie Thomas’ name at this point, because she’s the critically-acclaimed author of “The Hate U Give.” Her new book came out last month and follows the story of a 16-year-old aspiring rapper named Bri, whose rap video causes her to simultaneously go viral and become the center of an online controversy. Bri is forced to deal with the media’s awful portrayal of her and with the repercussions of her mother losing her job.
“Prince Charming” by Rachel Hawkings: This book comes out March 5, and while I can’t guarantee it will be good, it definitely sounds fun. The novel is about 16-year-old Daisy Winters, who is just trying to live her average, normal life while her older sister is about to become engaged to the crown prince of Scotland. Daisy wants nothing to do with fame, but non-stop tabloid coverage forces her to join her sister at the castle and learn how to act regal. The prince’s younger brother is given the task of teaching her, but he has a talent for stirring up trouble anywhere he goes and seems determined to take Daisy along with him. The book is listed as the first book in a series, so readers are likely to get tugged along for a pretty wild ride.
“The Testaments” by Margaret Atwood: Over 30 years after Margaret Atwood published “The Handmaid’s Tale,” she has announced that there will be a sequel, titled “The Testaments.” The book picks up 15 years after “The Handmaid’s Tale” left off. It features stunning testaments of three female narrators and is set to come out on Sept. 10 of this year.
“The Starless Sea” by Erin Morgenstern: “The Starless Sea” is pretty high up on my list of books I’m excited for this year. It’s a fantasy book with a really unique premise that piqued my interest the second I read the summary. Zachary Ezra Rawlins, a Vermont graduate student, discovers a strange book hidden in his library. He’s entranced by the plot until he reaches one peculiar part: a story about his own childhood. He sets off on a quest to find out how his story ended up in his pages of the book. His search leads him to a weird underground society, and he soon discovers that there’s more to his world than what meets the eye. “The Starless Sea” is set to come out on Nov. 5.
Courtney Gavitt is a staff writer for The Daily Campus. She can be reached via email at courtney.gavitt@uconn.edu.
