Poems and Books for 2024

Some poems to bring in the new year and 2024 releases that I'm looking forward to.

Happy New Year! I hope 2024 is a good year for growth, letting go, and kindness, so I am sharing three poems I’ve been thinking about. The first, little prayer by Danez Smith, has been on repeat in my brain since I read it at the start of December, and I keep whispering “let it be” to myself. The second, by Emily Dickinson, is always a good reminder, and the third, Small Kindnesses by Danusha Laméris, is just lovely and always poignant.

And now, to the books. Here are 10 books coming out in 2024 that I’m looking forward to reading:

• Anita De Monte Laughs Last by Xochitl Gonzalez

  • It is a novel that moves between the perspectives of two women, Anita and Raquel, as Raquel, an Ivy League student, discovers Anita’s work decades after her suspicious death. The novel promises to explore the politics of memory, class, and the relationship between art/artist.

• The Mercy of Gods by James S.A. Corey

  • A new space opera series from the author of The Expanse series.

• Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange

  • A follow-up to There There, which was so good. This one will expand on the narratives of There There into the past and future, so I’m very excited.

• Somewhere Beyond the Sea by T.J. Klune

  • A sequel to the most adorable book of all time, The House in The Cerulean Sea. I love, love, love T.J. Klune.

• Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder by Salman Rushdie

  • The title is pretty self-explanatory for this one. Salman Rushdie was the victim of a failed assassination attempt in 2022, although it was initially unclear whether he was going to survive it. He’s one of the best authors alive, and I’d recommend reading Midnight’s Children if you haven’t already. Both Knife and Imaginary Homelands are on my list for next year.

• There’s Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension by Hanif Abdurraqib

  • Hanif Abdurraqib could get me to read about anything. His essay writing is unparalleled, and as I’ve already said, I love reading non-fiction written by poets.

• Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar

  • Kaveh Akbar is an excellent poet, and I’m looking forward to his new collection. Check out some of his poetry here and here.

• The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley

  • This seems like a really exciting debut! I like to read new authors in the world of speculative fiction of SFF, and the description of time travel romance and speculative spy thriller convinced me.

  • I also received an advance copy for it this week, so a review is coming!

• Like Love: Essays and Conversations by Maggie Nelson

  • After Bluets, I’ll read anything Maggie Nelson writes. I love essays in particular, but The Argonauts is also on my 2024 list.

• The Brides of High Hill by Nghi Vo

  • The fifth installment of the Singing Hills series! I love this sweet series of novellas and would recommend checking them out. They can be read in any order, although I read them chronologically as they’ve been released.

And two more books releasing in 2024 that I’d recommend:

Exordia by Seth Dickinson & Tusks of Extinction by Ray Nayler