11 Sensational Books to add to your TBR List

With the country aiming for a smooth unlocking, book lovers have begun their book-hunting.  From heart-warming rom-com to twisty thrillers, the publishing calendar is filled with exciting new titles that bibliophiles are eagerly waiting for. Be it fiction or non-fiction, books would leave you spoilt for choices. Pre-order, order or bookmark the below list of best books to read in the upcoming days. We are keeping our eyes open for 11 sensational books to add to your TBR list!

1. Cleanness by Garth Greenwell

First on the list comes a book in harmony with Pride Month!  Cleanness, a much-anticipated book by Garth Greenwell, opens up to the narrator meeting a student in a cafe. The narrator is an American high school literature teacher in Bulgaria. The student is gay and struggles with his desires in a community where homosexuality is still not accepted. Cleanness thrums with life and invites its readers to a state of high intensity. The readers are sure to be moved by the story as they begin to understand the possibility of living life differently.

Released in January 2020

Purchase: Amazon/ Flipkart

Publisher: Picador, Pan Macmillan

2. Deacon King Kong by James McBride

The year is 1969 and the South Brooklyn neighborhood is shaken up by unexpected violence- a local drug dealer is shot by a shabby deacon. Deacon King Kong revolves around the repercussions of the shooting from different perspectives- the dealer, the members of the neighborhood, the witnesses, as well as the deacon’s parish. James McBride’s Deacon King Kong can be considered as a feverish love letter to the people and the writing industry. It is a plethora of events, lives, times as well as conversations. It is a book that is full of humor and compassion. The narrative is about the poor and flawed people who are trying to navigate an ugly and racist world with the help of their God, each other, as well as the bottle! The stories of these people are unique and universal at the same time.

Released in March 2020

Purchase: Amazon 

Publisher: Transworld Publishers, Penguin Random House

3. The Mirror & the Light by Hilary Mantel

The Mirror & the Light is the successful conclusion to the trilogy which Hilary Mantel begins with Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies. She traces back the final years of Thomas Cromwell, a boy from nowhere who had climbed to power while offering a portrait of prey and predator. Mantel’s The Mirror & the Light also talks about a ferocious contest between the past and present, and between the royal will, to the vision of a common man, making way through passion, conflict, and courage. The novel brings the high-intensity action and drama that are much looked forward to by historical fiction lovers. The storyline brings to life Tudor England brilliantly, with its magnificent courts, jousts, costumes, and pomp along with the underbelly and back alleys of London.

Released in March 2020

Purchase: Amazon/ Flipkart

Publisher: 4^th Estate, Harper Collins

4. Afterlife by Julia Alvarez

After 15 years, Julia Alvarez has returned with a dynamic novel that explores the changing notions of a family. In Afterlife, Alvarez tells the story of Antonio, a retired professor. Antonio’s life is turned upside down by the death of her husband as well as the appearance of a pregnant teenager at her doorstep.  Alvarez outlines the contours of private moral decisions that replicate our national conversation which prevents migrant communities from claiming their contributions to the country. Afterlife is a nimble, compact, and sharp novel that is set in the political moment of distrust and tribalism, talking about what we owe to those in crisis and how one can live in a broken world without losing faith in one another.

Released in April 2020

Purchase: Amazon

Publisher: Algonquin Books

5. The Lying Life of Adults by Elena Ferrante

The Lying Life of Adults tells a story about Giovanna, a teenager whose contradictions and transformations are matched by that of the city. Giovanna is searching for the true reflection of herself in two kindred cities that detest and fear one another: The Naples of Depths which is a place of vulgarity, and the Naples of Heights, that takes a mask of refinement. She keeps moving between these two cities and is disoriented by the fact that neither of these cities seems to offer an escape or answers. Elena Ferrante has been named as one of the most influential people of 2016 by TIME Magazine. She is also frequently lauded as a future Nobel Prize-winner. Ferrante has become one of the most acclaimed writers of the twenty-first century. In The Lying Life of Adults, readers would find a highly addictive, gripping, and unforgettable Neopolitan story, and don’t forget to keep your eyes on Netflix as it will soon come on-screen.

Released in May 2020

Purchase: Amazon

Publisher: Europa Editions

6. The Room Where It Happened by John Bolton

John Bolton served as the National Security Advisor to U.S. President Donald Trump for 519 days. Bolton was a seasoned public servant who had also formerly worked for Presidents Bush Senior, Bush Junior, and Ronald Reagan. Bolton has about thirty years of experience in handling international issues as well as a reputation for blunt and tough talk.

In The Room Where It Happened, he offers a factual and substantive account of his time in the administration which contains an explosive anecdote stating that the President wanted to continue freezing millions of dollars to aid Ukraine till the officials agreed to investigate on Biden as well as other Democrats. Bolton’s account contradicts the statement of the president’s lawyers, and he faces removal from the office. This memoir has a string of political tell-all, which includes “A Warning,” by an anonymous White House official.

Released in May 2020

Purchase: Amazon

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

7. Rodham by Curtis Sittenfeld

The protagonist of Sittenfeld’s new novel, Rodham, is Hillary Rodham and what her life would have been had she refused to marry Bill Clinton. In Rodham, Hillary’s early life is the same, be it the upbringing in suburbs, studying at Wellesley College, or attending a law school at Yale. She also meets Bill who is charming, unfaithful and has assault allegations against him. However, in Rodham, the story changes: Hillary Rodham leaves. Rodham is a moving, nauseating, morally suggestive, and a technically brilliant book that makes the readers think about the aims and limits of fiction. Rodham cannot be called fan-fiction; however, there is a steaminess in reading it, which satisfies the impulse of grief or fantasy.

Released in May 2020 

Purchase: Amazon/ Flipkart 

Publisher: Penguin Random House

8. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes narrates the 10^th Hunger Games in which the Academy students had been paired with tributes as their “mentors”. The story is about Coryo who is desperate to take advantage of the situation while hiding his poverty from other class members. He believes that his charm is his main “real currency”. In The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Suzanne Collins narrates how Coryo needs to negotiate with the neglectful and hostile authority figures. She creates a prequel that is taking place in Panem, roughly 60 years before “The Hunger Games.” This is a part of Collins’s best-selling trilogy that has ushered a new phase in the Y.A. literature, earning the interest of both young as well as adult readers.

Released in May 2020

Purchase: Amazon/ Flipkart 

Publisher: Scholastic US

9. Malorie by Josh Malerman

Malorie is a sequel to the successful Bird Box. Malerman brings the story of Sandra Bullock, a blindfold character who is led through a near-future apocalypse with the help of the trained ears of her children. This has become synonymous with the latest generation of horror stories. Malorie by Josh Malerman gained popularity after it was introduced to Netflix as a movie starring Sandra Bullock and John Malkovich.  Malorie is expected to be an exciting story that would entertain its readers a lot. We may even get another Netflix movie considering the initial success of the first part.

Expected to Release in July 2020

Purchase: Amazon

Publisher: Orion, Hachette

10. Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi

Gifty, a sixth-year Ph.D. student of neuroscience at Stanford University is studying the reward-seeking behavior of mice as well as the neural circuit of addiction and depression. Her brother, Nana, used to be a gifted high school athlete. He died because of a heroin overdose after an injury on his ankle left him dependent on OxyContin. Gifty’s suicidal mother is living on her bed making her all the more committed to discovering the scientific basis about the suffering that she sees around her. The Transcendent Kingdom is a touching story about the family of Ghanaian immigrants that were ravaged by addiction and depression. This grief-stuck novel is all about faith, religion, science, and love. Emotionally searing and exquisitely written, this is a powerful follow-up to Yaa Gyasi’s phenomenal debut.

Expected to Release in March  2021

Purchase: Amazon 

Publisher: Penguin Random House

11. Untitled by Chelsea Manning

Untitled is a story of a former Army intelligence analyst, Chelsea Manning who was jailed for sharing classified information with WikiLeaks. She calls this memoir a coming-of-the-age story that outlines the factors that led her to leak those files, her jail experiences, and ultimately why she lost faith in the government. In Untitled, Manning talks about how her pleas for increased government accountability and institutional transparency took place as she fought to defend her trans-woman rights alongside. She also reveals her challenging childhood, the struggles she went through as an adolescent, the reasons for joining the military, as well as the pride that she took in her work. Manning also describes how and why she decided to share classified military documents with WikiLeaks. This powerful and observant memoir is sure to stand out as a definitive testament to today’s digital age.

Expected to Release in May 2021

Publisher: Pan Macmillan

*Owing to the current global situation, the release dates may change. But these books would definitely be available through various other online mediums. Stay Home, Stay Safe, and keep reading lots of books. For more such brilliant listings do not forget to visit Book Art – The One-Stop book blog for all the latest bookish information.