2013 has been an incredible year for books.

Kate Atkinson’s Life After Life resonated with its readers, and The New York Times praised its “combination of good writing and theatrical bravado.”  Rainbow Rowell’s debut Young Adult romance, Eleanor & Park, set in the 1980s, was named a 2013 Goodreads Choice Award for best YA Fiction.  2013 was also the year in which J.K. Rowling disguised herself as Robert Galbraith, and published The Cuckoo’s Calling, a mystery novel, which was quite a departure from the magical Harry Potter series.

2014, however, will be another fascinating year in the literary world, with the release of these:

4. Hollow City by Ransom Riggs––Ransom Riggs is well-known for Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, a graphic novel that became a literary sensation back in 2011.  John Green stated that “[Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children] is tense, moving, and wondrously strange . . .”

Hollow City is the sequel, continuing in 1940, just after the first book ends.  Jacob and his new friends flee from the Welsh island to London, which is the Peculiar capital of the world.  While on the journey, they meet new allies, peculiar animals, and other surprises.  Miss Peregrine’s brother, Caul, is the villain of the novel, as he is a madman and is able to steal the abilities of the Peculiars.

Release Date: Jan. 14, 2014.

3. City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare––The Mortal Instruments series became No. 1 on the New York Times Best-Sellers Series List for eleven straight weeks in 2013, and it has been on the Best-Sellers Series List for two years.  The film adaption of City of Bones released in August 2013, and now, in 2014, the final installment is being released.  In the last novel, Clary, Jace, and Simon must join forces once again to fight Clary’s brother, who cannot be defeated by anything else.  The three must journey to another world to find a solution, and the synopsis states that “lives will be lost, love [will be] sacrificed, and the whole world [will be] changed.”

Release Date: May 27, 2014.

2. Landline by Rainbow Rowell––Unlike Eleanor & Park and Fangirl, Landline is a contemporary Adult novel, which is her first since Attachments (published in April 2011).  Attachments is praised for its quirky office romance, which Publishers Weekly compared to You’ve Got Mail, and saying its “[a] tale of missed connections.”

Landline, however, is different: Rowell is tapping into the elements of magical realism.  The novel is set in Los Angeles, and Georgie McCool is a writer for a television show.  Georgie’s husband, Neal, wants her to go with him and the kids to visit his family in Omaha.  Something has come up on Georgie’s television show, and she cannot go.  Neal packs up his bags and takes the kids with him to Omaha, and Georgie fears that her marriage with Neal is over.  Later that night, Georgie discovers a way to communicate with Neal in the past, and she tries to fix her marriage before it starts.

Release Date: Jul. 8, 2014.

1. Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult––Churning out novels on a yearly basis, Picoult is a lean, mean writing machine.  Her latest novel, The Storyteller focused on the issue of discrimination, and is set in the 1940s during the Holocaust and the present day.  The Storyteller was praised for its conflict, and USAToday stated that “[Picoult] has an enjoyable formula.”

Her novels typically include action and/or adventure, courtroom scenes, and romance.  Each of these aspects add several dimensions to her stories, and allow the reader to remain interested.  In spite of this formula, Picoult’s characterization and dialogue add a new edge to each of her stories.

Leaving Time is a departure from Picoult’s ordinary storytelling, focusing on a mystery between Alice, a mother, and her daughter, Jenna.  Alice runs an elephant sanctuary, until she gets into a tragic accident where an animal caretaker dies and Alice disappears, leaving a three-year old Jenna as the only witness.  Ten years later, Jenna uncovers new information through the help of a psychic and is able to convince the former detective in charge to open the case.  According to the author’s website, Picoult says that “[Leaving Time] has a fabulous twist, [possibly] bigger than My Sister’s Keeper.”

Release Date: Oct. 2014.

Other authors releasing books in 2014 include Lauren Oliver, of Delirium and Before I Fall fame, and Ellen Hopkins, whose novels are often told in free-verse poetry.  Oliver’s newest book, Panic, is coming out in March, while Hopkins’ next novel will be released at some point during this year.  Jennifer E. Smith, author of The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight and This Is What Happy Looks Like, is releasing her third novel, The Geography of You and Me, in April.  When shopping next year, keep an eye out for these books!