The Best New Books You Need to Read This January
Our editors independently select the products we recommend. We may earn a commission on items bought through our links.
Today's Top Deals
We know what you want. You want a new book to suck you in right away and hold your attention until the very last page. A book so good you find yourself unable to shut up about it, the kind of book you convince all your friends to read, so you have someone else to talk to about it. The kind of book that leaves an impact on you, that gives you a book hangover so strong you may never fully recover. Luckily for you, we don’t just have one book like that for you this month; we have an entire list!
Spanning various genres from memoir to horror to manga to romance, all of these best new books of 2023 are destined to become major bestsellers and award-winners, so add these new reads to your bookshelf now so you can brag to all your friends that you read these books before everyone else.
MEMOIR
Spare by Prince Harry
Buy Now On Amazon
The celebrity memoir is to end all celebrity memoirs. Spare is the highly anticipated from Prince Harry that promises to shed even more insight into his life and upbringing with his mother, Princess Diana, expose palace secrets, and generally shift the narrative on the British royal family. Read this one before it’s too late if you want to keep up with all the water cooler gossip.
THRILLER
Age of Vice by Deepti Kapoor
Buy Now On Amazon
If you’re looking for a book that offers the same kind of thrill ride you get from watching shows such as The Sopranos, and The Wire, look no further than The Age of Vice. This book was so hot at the auction house that it sold to publishers in 20 countries worldwide right out of the gate and will undoubtedly become one of the best new books of 2023. An intoxicating novel of gangsters and lovers, false friendships, forbidden romance, and the consequences of corruption.
FANTASY
The Stolen Heir by Holly Black
Buy Now On Amazon
If you grew up reading Holly Black’s bestselling books, The Cruel Prince or The Wicked King, it’s time to return to the Elfhame world with The Stolen Heir. The first book in a new duology–meaning, new readers can start here rather than reading the original trilogy–is set eight years after the events in The Queen of Nothing, where in the icy north, Lady Nore of the Court of Teeth has reclaimed the Ice Needle Citadel.
THRILLER
The Villa: A Novel by Rachel Hawkins
Buy Now On Amazon
If you just finished watching the second season of The White Lotus and you’re in the mood for more Italian mystery vibes, this one is for you! This new thriller from the bestselling author of The Wife Upstairs returns with a 1970s, gothic thriller set at an Italian villa with a dark history. Combining elements of Mary Shelley’s horror style with a modern pace and story, The Villa is full of twists and turns that will keep you on your toes until the very last page.
MANGA
Tombs: Junji Ito Story Collection
Buy Now On Amazon
Welcome to the Ito-verse of cosmic horror. If you are in the mood for some fresh manga-horror, this collection of short stories from Eisner Award-winning creator Junji Ito will be right up your alley. Countless tombstones stand in rows throughout a small community, forming a bizarre tableau. What fate awaits a brother and sister after a traffic accident in this town of the dead? This is just one of the many stories featured in this new collection.
LITERARY
The Bandit Queens: A Novel by Parini Shroff
Buy Now On Amazon
The Bandit Queens is one of the best new books of 2023 for readers looking for a book that’s quirky, irreverent, and razor-sharp. When a rumor starts spreading that a young Indian woman killed her husband, instead of being ostracized by her community, women in her village start coming to her for help–help with getting rid of their own husbands.
HISTORICAL
The New Life: A Novel by Tom Crewe
Buy Now On Amazon
This is one of the best queer books of 2023 that requires a warning: this moving and captivating book will be a painful read, but we promise it will be worth it. Set in 1894, this powerful, visceral novel about love, sex, and the struggle for a better world, two men collaborate on a book in defense of homosexuality, then a crime—risking their old lives in the process.
THRILLER
Liar, Dreamer, Thief by Maria Dong
Buy Now On Amazon
This one is for fans of dark, twisty thrillers with a speculative bent. Liar, Dreamer, Thief will keep you guessing what is real until the very end. The story follows a young woman who obsessively watches her coworker until one day she witnesses his suicide. But before he jumps from the bridge, he slams her with a devastating accusation: his death is all her fault.
ROMANCE
Lunar Love by Lauren Kung Jessen
Buy Now On Amazon
This sweet, enemies-to-lovers debut rom-com filled with Chinese astrology will undoubtedly prove to be a perfect match with readers of Helen Hoang, Jasmine Guillory, and Helena Hunting. Along with celebrating Chinese culture and traditions, Lunar Love depicts the lengths one heroine will go to keep her family’s cultural legacy alive.
GRAPHIC NOVEL
Shubeik Lubeik by Deena Mohamed
Buy Now On Amazon
We feel pretty confident that this comic will go down in history as one of the best books of 2023. A brilliantly original debut graphic novel that imagines a fantastical alternate Cairo where wishes really do come true. Shubeik Lubeik—a fairy tale rhyme that means “your wish is my command” in Arabic—is the story of three people who are navigating a world where wishes are literally for sale.
Rewind: The Best New Books to Read in November 2022
If you are someone who set a reading goal as a New Year’s resolution, we’re here to remind you: there are only two months left to hit your reading goal. If you find yourself a little behind, no worries; we got you!
There are loads of new books across all genres this November. From a new rock memoir to manga, exciting thrillers to steamy romance, there is something on this reading list for everyone to cozy up with this month.
Legends & Lattes: A Novel of High Fantasy and Low Stakes
Buy Now On Amazon
The subtitle of Legends & Lattes is “A Novel of High Fantasy and Low Stakes,” which is just about everything you need to know about this cozy caper. For fans of anything that makes you feel good, this delightful debut novel is about an orc who retires from the warrior life and opens the fantasy city’s first coffee shop. Originally self-published, this charming book went viral on TikTok and sold over 40,000 copies in two months. It was swiftly acquired by a prominent New York publisher and is now getting the wide release it deserves and includes a never-before-seen bonus story, ‘Pages to Fill.’
White Horse: A Novel
Buy Now On Amazon
A dark, gritty horror novel starring a metalhead protagonist who doesn’t take shit from anyone? Sign me up! This voice-driven debut novel is about an Indigenous woman—Kari, a hard-drinking, Stephen King-mainlining, fuck-around-and-find-out kind of woman—who is gifted a family heirloom. Cool right? I love a good free piece of antique jewelry. The only problem is this bracelet comes with strings. . . or rather, ghosts. When all sorts of ghosts from Kari’s past and present start showing up, including her mother’s spirit, she sets on a journey to figure out what’s going on and hopefully uncover the truth about her missing mother. White Horse brings all the twists and turns of a thriller with just enough horror to keep your nerves on edge until the very last page.
Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story
Buy Now On Amazon
There are dozens, maybe hundreds of books about U2’s Bono, but not one of those biographies was written by Bono himself until now. In the vein of Patti Smith’s Just Kids or Bruce Springsteen’s Born to Run, Bono shares the story of his life in his own way. The book contains forty chapters, all titled after different U2 songs, and each chapter also features a hand-drawn illustration from Bono himself. This candid and intimate memoir journeys from his childhood in 1970s Ireland, to the unlikely rise of U2, to his call to activism and the fight against AIDS and poverty. As far as rock memoirs go, this may be one of the best written and the kind of book you buy two copies of, one to keep for yourself and one to gift to a friend.
Ship Wrecked: A Novel
Buy Now On Amazon
If you are already a fan of Olivia Dade thanks to her massively popular books, Spoiler Alert and All the Feels, then please proceed to the next book on this list; I know you’re already ship shape and ready to board this love boat. For everyone else who is new, hello and welcome to the Olivia Dade universe, a delightful world where the romances are steamy, and the heroines are always fat and sexy as hell. In Ship Wrecked, two co-stars who once had an incredible one-night stand—and after years of filming on the same remote island, are finally ready to yield to temptation again… This is a perfect, breezy little read that’s got it all: a one-night stand, lovers who discover they’re coworkers, forced proximity, lovers who become friends who become lovers again, and co-stars falling in love.
The Husky and His White Cat Shizun: Erha He Ta De Bai Mao Shizun (Novel) Vol. 1
Buy Now On Amazon
Also known as 2ha, the wildly popular danmei/Boys’ Love novel series from China, The Husky and His White Cat Shizun is a historical fantasy epic about a tyrant’s second chance at life and the powerful cultivation teacher he can’t get out of his mind. Publishing for the first time in English, this translated edition is uncensored(!) and will feature all the romance and sex scenes other editions excluded. This deluxe edition will include exclusive, all-new covers and several interior illustrations from artist St with a translation by Rynn & Jun.
The Ruin of All Witches: Life and Death in the New World
Buy Now On Amazon
Did you know that in 1651, half a century before the infamous Salem witch trials, there was another town in Massachusetts with a witch trial? Extensively researched and written in a captivating way, The Ruin of All Witches explores the little-known story of Mary and Hugh Parsons, a young couple newly arrived in Springfield who didn’t quite fit in with their Puritan community and were thus accused of witchcraft after a series of odd and random events occurred in the colonial town. When you combine fear, envy, and religious fervor, you get a potent brew bound to bubble over.
The Cloisters: A Novel
Buy Now On Amazon
If you love thrillers that combine danger, intrigue, and a race to uncover a historical mystery (think The Lost Apothecary or The Maidens), then The Cloisters by Katy Hays is right up your alley. When Ann gets a museum job at The Cloisters, a gothic museum tucked away in the northern tip of Manhattan; she begins researching the history of fortune telling but becomes obsessed when she stumbles across a secret deck of tarot cards from the 15th century that might hold the key to predicting the future. This gripping page-turner is a story of magic and the relentless, destructive pursuit of power.
Shuna's Journey
Buy Now On Amazon
Decades ago, Studio Ghibli co-founder Hayao Miyazaki graced Japan with one of the most beautiful and sublime manga classics of all time. It has finally been published in English. Originally published in 1983, as Entertainment Weekly noticed, Shuna’s Journey “. . . carried the seeds of stories, ideas, and designs that would later flourish fully in his acclaimed movies like Princess Mononoke and Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind.” Inspired by the Tibetan folktale, ‘The Prince who became a Dog,’ Shuna’s Journey is a gorgeously illustrated story that follows the journey of a prince on a quest for a golden grain that would save his land.
Trespasses: A Novel
Buy Now On Amazon
Set in Northern Ireland in 1975 during the Troubles, Trespasses follows the story of a Catholic school teacher who has a torrid affair with a married Protestant barrister for the IRA. Set during a period of severe unrest in Belfast, Louise Kennedy writes with authority as the author’s family pub was bombed twice in Northern Ireland at the same time the novel takes place. As tender as it is unflinching, Trespasses is a heart-pounding, heart-rending drama of thwarted love and irreconcilable loyalties in a place what you come from seems to count more than what you do or whom you cherish.
The Girls in Navy Blue: A Novel
Buy Now On Amazon
Calling all World War I history buffs! A dual timeline novel set during WWI and 1968, The Girls in Navy Blue is about three women who joined the Navy during the first world war to become yeomanettes and their choices’ impact on one of their descendants in the 1960s. A perfect read for fans of Jennifer Robson’s Somewhere in France, Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb’s Last Christmas in Paris, and Lauren Willig’s Band of Sisters, The Girls in Navy Blue is an excellent choice if you’re looking for a new book to read with your book club.
The World Keeps Ending, and the World Goes On
Buy Now On Amazon
The World Keeps Ending and the World Goes On manages to explain that unexplainable feeling of what it’s like to be alive during ‘unprecedented times,’ when every day you wake up and bear witness to a new historical event that can’t help but give you a sense that everything around you is swiftly coming to an end. Named a Most Anticipated Book by Time Magazine, Franny Choi’s third book of poetry features poems about historical and impending apocalypses, alongside musings on our responsibilities to each other and visions for our collective survival.
More Top Deals from SPY
Best of SPY
Click here to see more up-to-date holiday deals!
