Hello everyone,
Today I was looking through my emails, and I realised just how many books I’ve pre-ordered that are coming out before the end of the year. I usually don’t pre-order books, but since Indigo made a list of anticipated upcoming releases (and offered bonus Plum Points for pre-ordering), I ended up going a little overboard.
Here are five of my most anticipated upcoming releases:
1. Us Against You by Fredrik Backman
Release Date: September 4, 2018
About: “After everything that the citizens of Beartown have gone through, they are struck yet another blow when they hear that their beloved local junior hockey team will soon be disbanded. What makes it worse is the obvious satisfaction that all the former Beartown players, who now play for a rival team in Hed, take in that fact. As the tension between the two towns simmers, a surprising newcomer is handpicked to try to save the Beartown club.
Soon a new team starts to take shape around Amat, the fastest player you’ll ever see; Benji, the intense lone wolf; and Vidar, a born-to-be-bad troublemaker. But bringing this team together proves to be a challenge as old bonds are broken, new ones are formed, and the enmity with Hed grows more and more heated.
As the big game between Beartown and Hed approaches, the not-so-innocent pranks and incidents between the communities pile up and their mutual contempt grows deeper. By the time the last game is finally played, a resident of Beartown will be dead, and the people of both towns will be forced to wonder if, after all they’ve been through, the game they love can ever return to something simple and innocent”
Why I’m Looking Forward to It: Even though this book is already released, I included it on this list because it was my most anticipated release of the year. I read Beartown earlier this year, and when I found out there was a sequel, I knew I had to get my hands on it to find out what happens next.
2. Rick Mercer Final Report by Rick Mercer
Release Date: November 6, 2018
About: “Rick Mercer can always be relied on to provoke a strong reaction–but what he said one fall day in 2017 truly shocked the nation. In a rant posted on social media, the great Canadian satirist announced loud and clear that the current, 15th season of the Rick Mercer Report–the nation’s best-watched and best-loved comedy show–would be the last. After more than 250 episodes, 250 rants and countless miles spent travelling the length and breadth of Canada to do everything from bungee jumping with Rick Hansen to whale watching with Measha Brueggergosman, it was time to move on. What he will do next is still unknown, and Canada eagerly awaits future developments. But meanwhile, we have this book to keep us going.
This volume brings together never-before-published rants from the last five seasons of the show, plus a selection of the very best rants from earlier years. And throughout the book, in a series of brilliant new essays, Rick shares his hilarious, moving and at times hair-raising memories from the past fifteen years. Remember when he and Jann Arden travelled by helicopter to a terrifying bat cave in a mountain? No–because that trip went so horribly wrong it never made it to the screen. Pierre Berton–what was really in that joint he rolled? (It wasn’t oregano.) What catastrophe took place in Norman Jewison’s bathroom? And can the show still go on when your director in charge is delirious from an allergic reaction? (Yes.) All this and more is revealed by Rick in some of his sharpest and funniest writing yet.”
Why I’m Looking Forward to It: Rick Mercer is one of my favourite Canadians, and I was incredibly sad when he announced that the Rick Mercer Report was ending. I loved watching his adventures across this great country and I can’t wait to read about them one last time.
3. An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green
Release Date: September 25, 2018
About: “The Carls just appeared. Coming home from work at three a.m., twenty-three-year-old April May stumbles across a giant sculpture. Delighted by its appearance and craftsmanship—like a ten-foot-tall Transformer wearing a suit of samurai armor—April and her friend Andy make a video with it, which Andy uploads to YouTube. The next day April wakes up to a viral video and a new life. News quickly spreads that there are Carls in dozens of cities around the world—everywhere from Beijing to Buenos Aires—and April, as their first documentarian, finds herself at the center of an intense international media spotlight.
Now April has to deal with the pressure on her relationships, her identity, and her safety that this new position brings, all while being on the front lines of the quest to find out not just what the Carls are, but what they want from us.”
Why I’m Looking Forward to It: This book is on the list because I’m curious. I’ve always liked Hank Green, and even though I have mixed feelings about John Green’s books, I want to give Hank a chance. The plot also looks interesting, so hopefully, I won’t be disappointed with this literary debut.
4. Dear Evan Hansen by Val Emmich
Release Date: October 9, 2018
About: “Dear Evan Hansen,
Today’s going to be an amazing day and here’s why…
When a letter that was never meant to be seen by anyone draws high school senior Evan Hansen into a family’s grief over the loss of their son, he is given the chance of a lifetime: to belong. He just has to stick to a lie he never meant to tell, that the notoriously troubled Connor Murphy was his secret best friend.
Suddenly, Evan isn’t invisible anymore–even to the girl of his dreams. And Connor Murphy’s parents, with their beautiful home on the other side of town, have taken him in like he was their own, desperate to know more about their enigmatic son from his closest friend. As Evan gets pulled deeper into their swirl of anger, regret, and confusion, he knows that what he’s doing can’t be right, but if he’s helping people, how wrong can it be?
No longer tangled in his once-incapacitating anxiety, this new Evan has a purpose. And a website. He’s confident. He’s a viral phenomenon. Every day is amazing. Until everything is in danger of unraveling and he comes face to face with his greatest obstacle: himself.
A simple lie leads to complicated truths in this big-hearted coming-of-age story of grief, authenticity and the struggle to belong in an age of instant connectivity and profound isolation.”
Why I’m Looking Forward to It: I love Dear Evan Hansen, I’ve listened to the soundtrack dozens of times, and I can’t wait to read the book!
5. Bridge of Clay by Markus Zusak
Release Date: October 9, 2018
About: “The breathtaking story of five brothers who bring each other up in a world run by their own rules. As the Dunbar boys love and fight and learn to reckon with the adult world, they discover the moving secret behind their father’s disappearance.
At the center of the Dunbar family is Clay, a boy who will build a bridge—for his family, for his past, for greatness, for his sins, for a miracle.
The question is, how far is Clay willing to go? And how much can he overcome?”
Why I’m Looking Forward to It: I read The Book Thief earlier this year, and I loved it. I loved it so much that I want to dive into everything that Markus Zusak writes.
Are there any upcoming releases that you’re looking forward to? Let me know!