Winter is technically in full swing, not that us Texans would know what that means and with it comes a whole slew of new books. I’m gearing up for my Christmas Holiday, and I have an iPad stocked with upcoming releases and a whole stack of physicals ARCs just calling my name. I also find that the first few months of the year, tend to be heavy publishing months which is smart, because what else are you suppose to do when it’s cold and dreary outside other than curl up with a good book? I got a little overwhelmed with the shear number of new books coming out, so I decided to narrow it down to my top 22 coming out this winter.

While Winter 22′ should actually include some December releases, I’ve already got my December Most Anticipated List Up so I’m focusing on true 2022 releases. I’m looking at you January and February! I’ve been lucky to received a number of advanced copies for these books and while some of them may not have delivered for me, they were still books I was highly anticipating, thus I’ve choices to include them on this list.

My picks are broken down by genre and are in no particular preference order. I’ve also linked my full reviews for the ones I have read and will be sharing my both a January Most Anticipated and a February Most Anticipated Lists which will have all of the books I’m looking forward to in the coming months. Be sure to follow my blog for weekly updates and to get notified when those new lists drop! Now keep scrolling to see which books should be on your radar heading into the new year.

Don’t forget to check out my DECEMBER MOST ANTICIPATED LIST HERE!

Mysteries & Thrillers

Mysteries and Thrillers are my bread and butter, so you will always see a larger number of these than other genres on my Most Anticipated Lists. However, the sub-genres of mysteries and thrillers are so board that there still seems to be a decent amount of variety that can be found in this category.

Four of my Most Anticipated new releases in this genre are the second book in a series, three I have read and have full reviews linked below. . Finlay Donovan Knocks ’em Dead, Desolation Canyon, and One Step Too Far were all great reads and really made me excited for future books in the series. Marion Lane and the Deadly Rose is the second installment in the Marion Lane series. Ever since I read the first book earlier this year, I’ve been anxious to get my hands on book 2. While I don’t have a copy of this yet, I do have a review for the first book in the series.

Review: Marion Lane and the midnight murder

Told in the vein of Long Bright River (Review) , Notes on an Execution follows the life of a death row inmate. Long Bright River was one of my favorite reads in 2019 so I’m excited to start listening to my audio copy of this one.

Real Easy, is said to be perfect for fans of Gillian Flynn and Tana French. Since I enjoy both of those authors, with Tana French being one of my favorites, I’m anxiously waiting for the release of this one.

REVIEW: FINLAY DONOVAN KNOCKS ‘EM DEAD

REVIEW: RECKLESS GIRLS

REVIEW: DESOLATION CANYON

REview | Notes on an Execution

REVIEW: ONE STEP TOO FAR

REVIEW: The MAID

Literary & Contemporary Fiction

My Literary and Contemporary picks are all quite different but all three explore the journey of life.

I’m hoping to read a few of these soon so be sure to check back for reviews in the coming weeks.

Review | The Brightside Running Club

Fantasy & Science Fiction

I’ve been lucky to get copies of all four of my Most Anticipated Fantasy and Science Fiction books. The two I’ve read so far, unfortunately they didn’t hit the mark for me.

The School for Good Mothers, while the message is good it felt like a much longer book than it is and the narration fell flat for me. On the other hand League of Liars, even though it’s YA, it could have used a bit more depth and a more developed plot line. I have reviews for both below if you’d like to give them a shot.

Review: The School for Good Mothers

REVIEW: LEAGUE OF LIARS

Romance

What can I saw about my romances picks, besides I think they both sounds like cute and fast reads. I received an ARC from Berkley Publisher of The Roughest Draft and hope to read it over my Christmas holiday. Be sure to check back for my full review.

Review | The Roughest Draft

Historical Fiction

By far this was the hardest genre to narrow down my top anticipated reads for. I once again, and very surprisingly have ARCs of all six of these stories, though I have yet to tackle any of them. For some reason I find that I tend to read most of my Historical Fiction books in the first few months of the year, it just fits my mood, which is why I have yet to read any of these.

Yonder is said to be perfect for fans of The Water Dancer, while The Saints of Swallow Hill is being prompted for fans of Where the Crawdads Sing. As a fan of both those stories, I knew these two had to be on my Most Anticipated List.

Both I Must Betray You and Our American Friend are set during the cold war, which is one of my favorite time periods to read about.

I hope you found a book or books that you are truly excited about in this post. Make sure to sign up to receive updates of new reviews, reading lists, and more. My January 2022 ost Anticipated List will be coming soon, and you don’t want to miss it.

Let me know which other new releases you are excited for this coming winter by commenting below or by messaging me on Instagram @speakingof_books. You can also find me on Pinterest @speaking_of

Happy Reading!

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