2016 is drawing to a close, and 2017 is right around the bend (so obviously it’s time to start outlining book choices for the new year). As you will know if you’re a regular reader, I rarely keep up with new releases, which is the theme of this week’s topic. Instead, I thought I’d share with you 10 books that I’m really excited to read in the first half of next year. Many of them were published this year, but some of them are older and I’m just looking forward to finally reading them.

• The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo–Amy Schumer

I really enjoy Schumer’s comedy, and I’m interested to see how she brings humor to her writing in a longer format.

• Hag-Seed–Margaret Atwood

Margaret Atwood + Shakespeare= Happy Dance

• Swing Time–Zadie Smith

Not only is it named after a great Astaire/Rogers musical, it’s also a book by an author I admire greatly. Can you believe she published her first novel at 24? I’m totally in awe of her.

• After Alice–Gregory Maguire

My TBTB Secret Santa gave me an ARC of this book, and I can’t wait to dig in. I’ve really enjoyed a lot of Maguire’s work like Wicked and Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister, so I’m interested to see what he does with this iconic story.

• The Underground Railroad–Colson Whitehead

I love the cleverness of this idea–a metaphor turned into a literal railroad.

• The Six Wives of Henry VIII–Alison Weir

Another gift from my Secret Santa, this book has been on my TBR list for an embarrassingly long time.

• Wolf Hall–Hilary Mantel

I read one of Mantel’s short story books last year and loved it, so when I found a copy of her historical fiction at my library’s used book sale, I knew I had to pick it up.

• Homegoing–Yaa Gyasi

This is the story of two half-sisters from Ghana and the separate paths their lives take–one becomes a slave and the other marries a slaver. The writing was compared to Chimamanda Adichie Ngozi, so I was on board from the moment I heard that.

• Paper: Paging Through History–Mark Kurlansky

Paper is so ubiquitous, but I don’t always stop and think about where it comes from and how amazing it is to have it around all the time. I love reading nonfiction about the things I use every day.

• Wide Sargasso Sea–Jean Rhys

I feel like this book and I have been circling each other in the pool, but it’s high time I caught up with it. This adaptation of Jane Eyre has been on my radar forever it feels like, but I only recently added it to my official TBR list.