15 new books to read for the new year
Zibby Owens is the host of award-winning daily podcast "Moms Don't Have Time to Read Books." Her debut novel, "Blank," comes out March 1.
2024 already has hundreds of amazing books sprouting up on everyone's "Most Anticipated" lists. Could it be that this will be an even better year than the one that came before it? Is every year of reading better than the last? If these 15 books are any indication, the answer is: Yes.
If you're looking for a Dry January motivator, a self-care story, an inspiring historical novel, a spy drama, friendship tales from high school through old age, cancel culture cautionary stories and a look at racism in industry, grab those reading glasses and get comfortable. These are just a few bound to capture the collective attention in the new year. Cheers!
"Ilium: A Novel" by Lea Carpenter
Novelist and screenwriter Lea Carpenter is known for her perceptive look at the secrecy of the military, which she has chronicled from various perspectives in her beautiful novels "Eleven Days" and "Red White Blue." Now, Lea has created a glamorous underworld for her young, unnamed narrator in "Ilium." When a lonely British young woman marries a dashing older gentleman, Marcus, she is suddenly whisked around the world, starting with a honeymoon in Croatia. She soon learns that she must pose as an art adviser with a family in the south of France, helmed by Edouard. She has become a pawn in an elaborate CIA-Mossad operation. Written with exquisite prose, "Ilium" is like "James Bond" as told by The New Yorker.
