Books I'm Excited For in January 2016

Last year, at the start of every month I tried to post a list of all the upcoming books published in the UK by British authors. I had a lot of fun doing these posts and I got a great response for them.  I mostly compiled those lists to help those of you taking part in the British Books Challenge I was hosting last year ... but this year I'm not hosting that challenge. And this year it feels like too much restriction to be posting only about British authors. So I've decided in 2016, instead, I'll just be sharing a smaller selection of those books I'm most excited to read. And maybe you'll also be excited by some of them too? Who knows. We shall see.

So here we are, a little bit late. The books I'm absolutely the most excited to either read or have more people reading during the month of January!

Inferno by Catherine Doyle

Luckily, I've already read Inferno, the explosive and hugely exciting sequel to Vendetta. You can look out for my review and a guest post from Catherine on the blog soonish. But definitely do get your hands on a copy of this book, if you haven't already or if (somehow!) it's slipped your radar! It's about a girl caught up in a complicated family thing involving the mafia.  There's love and friendship and family and action and I couldn't possibly love it anymore than I do.

Mind Your Head by Juno Dawson and Dr Olivia Hewitt

I'm a huge fan of Juno's in general, but I'm really super looking forward to this guide to mental health for teenagers and young people. From the second I heard that Juno would be writing another non-fiction guide for young people (following Being A Book and This Book Is Gay) I was very excited. Mental health is definitely a topic close to my heart and I really hope this book is as amazing as I hope it will be.

This Raging Light by Estelle Laure

I managed to get hold of a copy of this book absolutely ages ago and it is so incredible. I cannot wait for more people to read it.  I didn't know a thing about the book before I picked it up (but was really intrigued as to why the publisher chose to send the book along with some fajita seasoning!) but from the very first page I was swept away in the beauty of this book. It's such an emotional story about love and friendship, a great sisterly relationship and some difficult topics written about in such a gorgeous way.

Maresi by Maria Turtschaninoff

This book arrived gorgeously packaged with this beautifully engraved comb with my name on it. It was described as being a fantasy, feminist, Finnish novel and doesn't that just sound incredible?! I've already started reading this book and I love the setting and the characters and everything already. More of my thoughts on this book soon!

Front Lines by Michael Grant

I'm also currently reading this book, the newest book from Michael Grant. It's his first book that I've attempted to read and so far I've found it really easy to feel sympathetic towards the characters I've met and the situation that they're in. I feel like I'll need to prepare myself for harder things to come however... this book is an alternative history book in which laws were passed that allowed for women to join the war effort as soldiers during World War II. Alternative history stories (and indeed historical fiction) aren't normally areas of interest for me, but I'm so curious about this book.

How Not To Disappear by Clare Furniss

I didn't know a single thing about the plot of How Not To Disappear when it was first offered to me for review but I accepted the request immediately because I adore both Clare Furniss and her debut book, The Year of the Rat. Both feelings were strong enough for me to be hugely excited about this one and dive in without knowing anything else. I figured it was going to be just as beautifully-written and emotional as Clare's first book. And so far it is. More to come! 

All the Rage by Courtney Summers

I'm very, very excited that Macmillan are publishing Courtney Summers in the UK. Especially All the Rage, her very important book that deals with rape and rape culture. I read this book last year when it was first published in the US (because I'm such a Courtney Summers fangirl!) and I'm excited and hopeful that the UK publication will bring lots more readers to both CS and this story.

What books are you looking forward to reading in January?