Most Anticipated Reads of 2014

I haven’t done much reading this week because of exams, but I’m proud to say that I still procrastinated through bookish means: looking up 2014 releases! Even though my TBR list is long enough as it is, I still can’t help but get excited for all the new and shiny books coming out next year. Huzzah, new books!!! Here are my most anticipated reads, divided into my top 3 from middle grade, young adult, adult fiction, and non-fiction (and organized by publication dates).

< MIDDLE GRADE >

1. A Snicker of Magic by Natalie Lloyd (February 25) / A debut about a girl who can see words on everything, that will “make your skin tingle, your eyes glisten... and your heart sing.” Aaand the ginormous ice cream cone on the cover? SOLD.
2. I Kill the Mockingbird by Paul Acampora (May 20) / A conspiracy hatched by three kids to get more people to read To Kill A Mockingbird. I want to join in on the book revolution!
3. Courage for Beginners by Karen Harrington (August 12) / Struggles of a seventh grader. I really like the title and the cover. (Yes, I absolutely judge books by their titles and covers. Eep.)

< YOUNG ADULT >

1. Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige (April 1) / Gritty retelling of The Wizard of Oz, featuring a Kansas girl trying to sabotage Dorothy’s work in the name of the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked. The plot sounds SO COOL and I might actually attempt to read The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and watch the movie (both with AND without Pink Floyd) for the complete Oz experience. Or I might just get lazy and read this without any of that stuff.
2. Hungry by H.A. Swain (June 3) / In the future, a girl starts feeling hungry in a world that doesn’t need food. BLASPHEMY! NO PEANUT BUTTER FOOD??!! MUST READ.
3. On the Road to Find Out by Rachel Toor (June 10) / A high school senior starts to run after getting rejected from her first-choice college. As someone who tried to integrate running into her life and gave up after a week, I’m hoping this book will be the all-in-one answer to motivation, romance, education, and exercise. (Read: high expectations!)

< ADULT FICTION >

1. Cell by Robin Cook (February 4) / A radiology resident tries to solve the mystery behind iDoc, a medical app capable of replacing physicians that is killing patients in its beta testing phase. I’ve got the shivers just thinking about this book – the premise is so plausible that it’s scary, and I’m looking forward to this medical thriller.
2. Resistant by Michael Palmer (May 20) / Third book featuring Dr. Lou Welcome about biological warfare. This is Palmer’s twentieth, and sadly, last book, so even though I haven’t read the last two books in the “series” (which doesn’t really matter because they’re borderline standalones), I’m definitely getting this book.
3. How to Tell Toledo from the Night Sky by Lydia Netzer (July 1) / Two astronomers raised to be soulmates for each other. Cunning mothers are cunning, and #whatislove. And the cover is just WOW.

< NON-FICTION >

1. Ha! by Scott Weems (March 4) / “The science of when we laugh and why.” Can I just hug all pop sci books? The question of why we laugh is something I think about every time my dad cracks a joke and then thinks I don’t get it because I don’t laugh, when really I just didn’t think it was funny.
2. Year of No Sugar by Eve Schaub (April 1) / Schaub shares her quest for zero added sugar. I’m skeptical about potential dietary imbalances that might come out of this (like eating less healthy foods or something), but we’ll see! Looking forward to this book.
3. We Are All Stardust by Stefan Klein (June 18) / Conversations with “nineteen of the world’s best-known scientists.” OMG I’m such a nerd but this is actually the book I’m most looking forward to reading on this entire list! Excuse me while I fangirl over Elizabeth Blackburn and Craig Venter. OMGOMGOMG. Okay I’ll stop.

And that’s it! Let’s see how many of these I actually get a chance to read in 2014, haha.

What books are on YOUR 2014 list? Do we have any overlaps? 🙂