Happy Friday, shipmates! It’s Alex, and I’m bringing you a continuation of my most-anticipated books of 2024 (the first half of the year, at least). These ones are all specifically sequels or later books in a series because they always deserve more love than they get. Hope everyone has been having a great first week of the new year. Stay safe out there, space pirates, and I’ll see you on Tuesday!
2024 is the tenth year of the Read Harder Challenge! Join us as we make our way through 24 tasks meant to expand our reading horizons and diversify our TBRs. To get book recommendations for each task, sign up for the Read Harder newsletter. We’ll also keep you informed about other cool reading challenges, readathons, and more across the bookish internet. If you become a paid subscriber, you get even more recommendations plus community features, where you can connect with a community of passionate, like-minded readers in a cozy and supportive corner of the internet. Sign up today!
Let’s make the world a better place, together. Here are two places to start: Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund, which provides medical and humanitarian relief to children in the Middle East regardless of nationality, religion, or political affiliation; and Ernesto’s Sanctuary, a cat sanctuary and animal rescue in Syria that is near and dear to my heart.
Bookish Goods
Iron Widow Quote Print by TsundokuChronicles
Since I’m back on my Iron Widow BS, you bet I’m going for something in that theme. This is an excellent quote from an excellent book. The seller also has a lot of other nice little prints like this! $3
(Soon-to-be) New Releases
The Imposition of Unnecessary Obstacles by Malka Older
Sequel to The Mimicking of Known Successes. Of course, I’m excited for another cozy little space mystery with Investigator Mossa and Pleiti. This time, it’s a missing person’s case, with students and staff from Valdegeld University vanishing and…no one noticing. Release date: February 13
Heavenly Tyrant by Xiran Jay Zhao
Sequel to Iron Widow, which was one of my favorite reads of 2021. Zetian has a lot of revelations she needs to deal with, all while figuring out how to navigate deeply misogynistic politics — and still find her vengeance. Through it all, those she loves the most are being held hostage, used as leverage against her. Release date: April 30.
For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.
Riot Recommendations
Round two of sequels, incoming!
The Sunforge by Sascha Stronach
Sequel to The Dawnhounds. I read the first book after it won the Sir Julius Vogel Award back in 2020, and it has stuck with me since because it was so…vivid and crunchy. The sequel promises to bring us more of the same, with the city of Radovan consumed by fire and the Kopek trapped there unless the pirate crew can find a way to escape. Release date: August 6.
The Brides of High Hill by Nghi Vo
This is the fifth book in the novella series that started with The Empress of Salt and Fortune, and I cannot wait to get my hands on it. The stories follow the travels of Cleric Chih and the stories they learn — or, in this case, make for themself. Release date: May 7
See you, space pirates. If you’d like to know more about my secret plans to dominate the seas and skies, you can catch me over at my personal site.