A new year means new books! While reading classic books is always fun, it’s also nice to be on the lookout for new books from your favorite authors. So, for my fellow book lovers, here are 3 books I’m excited for that come out this year:
Time is a Mother by Ocean Vuong
Vietnamese American poet and author Ocean Vuong strikes again, this time with his second poetry collection, Time is a Mother. You may have heard of Vuong from his widely acclaimed 2019 debut novel On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous (which is in motion for a film adaptation by A24 Studios) or from his first poetry collection published in 2016, Night Sky with Exit Wounds. His work is deep and raw, with themes on masculinity, queerness, and intergenerational trauma from the Vietnam War. Time is a Mother comes in light of Vuong’s mother’s passing and deals with grief, loss, and survival. This book comes out on April 5, 2022. I absolutely loved both On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous and Night Sky with Exit Wounds, so I’m highly anticipating this second poetry collection.
Olga Dies Dreaming by Xochitl Gonzalez
Olga Dies Dreaming is American essayist and screenwriter Xochitl Gonzalez’s debut novel, which focuses on the intertwining themes of family, race, and politics. The story follows Olga, a Puerto Rican wedding planner, and her brother Prieto, a Brooklyn congressman, navigating life in New York City after the devastating 2017 Hurricane Maria. Their lives change when their mother Blanca, a Puerto Rican revolutionary, re-enters their lives. This book was just recently released on January 4, 2022.
Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng
Chinese American writer Celeste Ng recently announced her third novel, Our Missing Hearts. After reading Ng’s two New York Times Best Sellers, Everything I Never Told You and Little Fires Everywhere (also adapted as a show on Hulu), I’m excited to read this one. The story consists of themes on the power of art, family and, Asian American resilience as it follows a 12-year-old boy named Bird Gardner, who lives with his “loving but broken father”. Their lives take a turn when Bird receives a mysterious letter leading him to search for his estranged mother, a Chinese American poet whose works were removed forcibly from libraries for its “unpatriotic” connotations. This book is set to release in October 2022.
Make sure to add these books to your TBR list and check out the other works of these amazing authors! Happy reading!