The 2020 Books We Cannot Wait To Read

It's everyone's favourite month - January! Between the excesses of Christmas and the smoldering wreckage of our bank accounts, it’s easy to find the whole thing a bit depressing. But, there is some good news. With a new year comes a whole slew of new books to get your hands on. We’ve rounded up just some of the books, fiction and nonfiction, which we’re most excited to read.

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NB: Lots of the books which are coming out in the second half of next year haven’t been announced yet, so we’ll update as we go.

Such A Fun Age by Kiley Reid, published 7 January

The publisher says: Such a Fun Age is a page-turning and big-hearted story about race and privilege, set around a young black babysitter, her well-intentioned employer, and a surprising connection that threatens to undo them both.

We say: There’s a huge amount of buzz around Kiley’s debut and we can see why. It’s coming to the Grazia Book club in January and we can’t wait.

How To Break Up With Fast Fashion by Lauren Bravo, published 9 January

The publisher says: Fast fashion is the ultimate toxic relationship. It's bad news for the planet, our brains and our bank balances. We can't go on like this; our shopping habits need an overhaul.

Journalist Lauren Bravo loves clothes more than anything, but she's called time on her affair with fast fashion in search of a slower, saner way of dressing. In this book, she'll help you do the same.

We say: Let’s face it, being more sustainable is hard when you can have a new dress at the click of a button, and cheaper than ever before. We need Lauren’s wisdom ASAP.

The Guest List by Lucy Foley, published 20 February

The publisher says: On a remote island, guests gather for the wedding of the year – the marriage of Jules Keegan and Will Slater. The wedding cake has barely been cut when one of the guests is found dead. And as a storm unleashes its fury on the island, everyone is trapped.

We say: Foley’s previous murder mystery, The Hunting Lodge, was a masterpiece, and we’re hearing that The Guest List is - if anything - even better.

Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women That a Movement Forgot by Mikki Kendall, published 25 February

The publisher says: Today's feminist movement has a glaring blind spot, and paradoxically, it is women. Mainstream feminists rarely talk about meeting basic needs as a feminist issue, argues Mikki Kendall, but food insecurity, access to quality education, safe neighborhoods, a living wage, and medical care are all feminist issues.

We say: If you’re worried that your feminism isn’t intersectional enough (or even if you’ve never given it much thought) then Mikki Kendall’s work is exactly where you should start.

What’s Left Of Me Is Yours by Stephanie Scott, published 21 April

The publisher says: Within the Tokyo underworld there is an industry which exists to break up marriages. It is known today as wakaresaseya– agents who, for a fee, can be hired by one spouse to seduce the other and provide grounds for divorce on favourable terms. Inspired by a real case, this is the story of Kaitaro Nakamura, a wakaresaseya agent, who is hired by a man to seduce his wife. Kaitaro falls in love with his target, Rina, and after the divorce she moves in with him, unaware of his role in the demise of her marriage.

We say: Is that not the best book premise you’ve ever heard? We cannot wait.

If I Had Your Face by Frances Cha, published 23 April

The publisher says: If I Had Your Face plunges us into the mesmerizing world of contemporary Seoul - a place where extreme plastic surgery is as routine as getting a haircut, where women compete for spots in secret 'room salons' to entertain wealthy businessmen after hours, where K-Pop stars are the object of all-consuming obsession, and ruthless social hierarchies dictate your every move.

We say: K-Pop, plastic surgery, what’s not to love? If you loved Crazy Rich Asians or Daisy Jones And The Six then this is going to be right up your street.

Scenes of A Graphic Nature by Caroline O'Donoghue, 18 June

The publisher says: After a tough few years floundering around the British film industry, experimenting with amateur pornography and watching her father's health rapidly decline, Charlie Regan and her best friend Laura journey to her ancestral home of Clipim, an island off the west coast of Ireland. Knowing this could be the last chance to connect with her dad's history before she loses him, Charlie clings to the idea of her Irish roots offering some kind of solace. But she'll find out her heritage is about more than clichés and clover-foamed Guinness.

We say: We loved Caroline’s previous book, Promising Young Women, and her second seems set to be brilliant in all the same ways, while totally different in others.

The Love Square by Laura Jane Williams, published 9 July

The publisher says: Penny Bridge has, historically, been very unlucky in love. She’s pledged to focus on other things – her friends, her career – making the most of what busy London life has to offer.

But when difficult circumstances mean that Penny’s uncle must hand over the kitchen of his beloved restaurant in Derbyshire, she finds herself stepping into a new life in a new town.

We say: We’re huge LJW fans here at Grazia, so if you can’t wait until 9 July, check out her other books on Amazon.

Glossy - The Inside Story of Vogue by Nina-Sophia Miralles, published 27 August

The publisher says: Today, 125 years later, Vogue spans 22 countries, has an international print readership upwards of 12 million and nets over 67 million monthly online users. Uncontested market leader for a century, it is one of the most recognisable brands in the world and a multi-million dollar money-making machine. It is not just a fashion magazine, it is the establishment. But what - and more importantly who - made Vogue such an enduring success?

Glossy will answer this question and more by tracing the previously untold history of the magazine, from its inception as a New York gossip rag, to the sleek, corporate behemoth we know now. This will be a biography of Vogue in every sense of the word, taking the reader through three centuries, two world wars, plunging failures and blinding successes, as it charts the story of the magazine and those who ran it.

We say: Obviously we want to read every single behind-the-scenes Vogue secret, even if it's just people arguing about where the stapler has gone.

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