Ep 396 - Most Anticipated Books for the Start of 2025 + Clay McLeod Chapman!

Brea and Mallory discuss their most anticipated books for the start of 2025, and interview Clay McLeod Chapman about his new book WAKE UP AND OPEN YOUR EYES! Email us at readingglassespodcast at gmail dot com!Reading Glasses MerchRecommendations StoreLinks -Reading Glasses Facebook GroupReading Glasses Goodreads GroupAmazon Wish ListNewsletterLibro.fmTo join our Slack channel, email us proof of your Reading-Glasses-supporting Maximum Fun membership!Magical Readathon from Book RoastBrea and Mallory’s New Show - Reading [email protected] Glasses Book Launch EventClay McLeod ChapmanWake Up and Open Your EyesBooks Mentioned - Daughter of Daring by Mallory O’MearaCatching the Big Fish by David LynchJanuaryWitchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady HendrixWake Up and Open Your Eyes by Clay McLeod ChapmanAdrift in Currents Clean and Clear by Seanan McGuireHomeseeking by Karissa ChenHistorical fiction, love story, 1940s, Shanghai, Los Angeles, Chinese diasporaY2K by Colette ShadeNonfiction, essay collection, 2000sGood Girl by Aria AberDebut literary fiction, coming of age, Berlin nightlife, racial tensionsDeath of the Author by Nnedi OkoraforLiterary fiction, writing, publishing, reality mixing with fantasyWe Do Not Part by Han King, translated by E. Yaewon and Paige Aniyah MorrisLiterary fiction, hidden history, KoreaBlack in Blues by Imani PerryNonfiction, Black history, the color blueOnyx Storm by Rebecca YarrosFantasy, third in Fourth Wing seriesOld Soul by Susan BarkerLiterary thriller, Japan, mysterious lady killerBlob by Maggie SuDebut literary novel, weird fiction, sentient blob, woman looking for loveFlirting with Disaster by Naina KumarRomance, second chance, accidental marriage, TexasTartufo by Kira Jane BuxtonFunny literary fiction, small dying Italian village is saved by gigantic truffleMystery Royale by Kaitlyn CavalanciaYA fantasy mystery, murder, family secrets, competitionGood Dirt by Charmaine WilkersonLiterary fiction, multi-generational family epic, mystery heirloom, racismThe Queen’s Spade by Sarah RaughleyHistorical thriller, revenge, romance, Victorian England, kidnapped African princessThe Last Bookstore on Earth by Lily Braun-ArnoldSapphic YA thriller, two teens fall in love in an abandoned bookstore in the apocalypseThe In-Between Bookstore by Edward UnderhillMagical realism, trans protagonist, magic bookstore, time travelThe Rainfall Market by You Yeong-Gwang, translated by Slin JungFantasy, magic to change your life, magic catVantage Point by Sarah SligarLiterary thriller, New England, family curse, digital hauntingPretend We’re Dead: The Rise, Fall, and Resurrection of Women in Rock in the 1990s by Tanya PearsonNonfictionAll the Water in the World by Eiren CaffallSci fi, dystopia, trying to save a museum from a floodImmortal by Sue Lynn TanRomantasy, royal court, godsWe Could be Rats by Emily AustinQueer literary fiction, sisters, family reconnectionFebruaryReading the Waves by Lidia YuknavitchQueer memoirLoca by Alejandro HerediaLiterary fiction, queer, debut, NYC, friendshipHungerstone by Kat DunnCarmilla reimaginingSoft Core by Brittany NewellLiterary fiction, coming of age, sex work, woman finding herselfDengue Boy by Michel Neva, translated by Rahul BerryWeird fiction, part mosquito part boy goes on journey through dystopian worldMutual Interest by Olivia Wolfgang-SmithHistorical fiction, queer entrepreneurs in Gilded Age NYCVictorian Psycho by Virginia FeitoThriller, black humor, murderous governessThe Echoes by Evie WyldLiterary fiction, ghost protagonist, grief, relationshipsCrush by Ada CalhounLiterary fiction, debut, polyamory, relationships, marriageThe Lamb by Lucy RoseHorror, folk horror, queer, gothicBibliophobia by Sarah ChihayaMemoir, surviving mental breakdown through booksLittle Mysteries by Sara GranShort stories, mysteryOne Message Remains by Premee MohamedSci fi, dystopia, short storiesBeta Vulgaris by Margie SarsfieldWeird fiction, “vegetable gothic”The Poorly Man and Other Things by Sam RebeleinHorror short story collection set in world of his previous book EdenvilleIdle Grounds by Krystelle BamfordLiterary fiction, thriller, family gathering, lurking darknessThe World After Gaza: A Short History by Pankaj MishraNonfictionNothing Serious by Emily J SmithThriller, feminist, modern dating, murderThe Rose Bargain by Sarah Peyton SmithRomantasy, Victorian England, fae(S)kin by Ibi ZoboiContemporary fantasy, Caribbean folklore, inherited magic, novel in verseThe Forest King’s Daughter by Elly BlakeRomantasy, enemies to lovers, adventure, magic warDream Girl Drama by Tessa BaileyRomance, hockey, spicy, family dramaBook Boyfriend by Emily Wibberly and Austin Siegemund-BrokaRomance, fantasy fans and fandom, workplaceA Circle of Uncommon Witches by Paige CrutcherRomantasy, witches, curses, adventureDeep End by Ali HazelwoodRomance, diver and swimmer, OlympicsEmily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales by Heather FawcettFantasy, third in seriesHarlem Rhapsody by Victoria Christopher MurrayHistorical fiction, Black history, novelization of life of Jessie Redmon Fauset, Harlem renaissanceBack After This by Linda HolmesRomance, funny, podcastingMarchStag Dance by Torrey PetersNovella collection, speculative fictionStop Me If You’ve Heard This One by Kristen ArnettLiterary fiction, clowns, funny, authenticity, finding yourselfCover Story by Celia LaskeyRomance, sapphic, HollywoodThe Unworthy by Agustina Bazterrica, translated by Sarah MosesHorror, post apocalyptic, body horror, creepy conventThe Dream Hotel by Laila LalamiSci fi, near future dystopia, dream monitoringDream Count by Chimamanda Ngozi AdicheLiterary fiction, story of four interconnected women, loveThe Antidote by Karen RussellFantasy, “dust bowl epic”, prairie witchEnemy of the Sun: Poetry of Palestinian Resistance edited by Edmund Ghareeb and Naseer AruriPoetry anthologySucker Punch of Scaachi KoulMemoir of divorceThe Haunting of Room 904 by Erika T WurthHorror, psychic, haunted hotelThe Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham JonesHistorical horror, vampireI’ll Love You Forever: Notes from a K-Pop Fan by Giaae KwonNonfictionSunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne CollinsFifth Hunger Games novelJane and Dan at the End of the World by Colleen OakleyRomance, funny, falling apart marriage, crimeThe Love Simulation by Etta EastonRomance, funny, competition, teachersThe Bane Witch by Ava MorgynRomantasy, thriller, Gone Girl meets Practical MagicMalinalli by Veronica ChapaHistorical reimagining of life of Mexican interpreter, epic taleBroken Country by Claire Leslie HallLiterary, romance, suspense, small town secretsHot Air by Marcy DermanskyLiterary fiction, black humor, money, marriage, sex, revengeWild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghyLiterary fiction, climate fiction, science researchers, Antarctica, secretsSalt Water by Katy HaysThrillers, murder, family, secrets, CapriElphie by Gregory MaguirePrequel to WickedThe Paris Express by Emma DonoghueHistorical fiction, 1895, FranceWhen the Moon Hits Your Eye by John ScalziSci fi, John fuckin ScalziEverything is Tuberculosis by John GreenNonfictionNowhere by Allison GunnHorror, disappearances in a small townA Harvest of Hearts by Andrea EamesCozy fantasy, magic, love spell gone awry, talking catThey Bloom at Night by Trang Thanh TranYA horror, Louisiana, small town disappearances, underwater monstersFable at the End of the World by Ava ReidSci fi, dystopia, queer romance, wastelandThe Burial Tide by Neil SharpsonFeast While You Can by Mikaella Clements and Onjuli DattaTell Me I’m Worthless by Alison RumfittSurvivor Song by Paul TremblayAnd Then I Woke Up by Malcolm Devlin Help support this show and unlock bonus content! 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