Most-Anticipated Adult Books of 2018

We asked our adult specialists which books due out in 2018 they are most looking forward to reading, and here is what they said. 

Cræft: An Inquiry Into the Origins and True Meaning of Traditional Crafts by Alexander Langlands (January)

"Combining deep history with scientific analyses and personal anecdotes, an archaeologist and medieval historian searches for the lost meaning of craft, taking us into the ancient world of traditional crafts where we will be connected with our human past, our sense of place and our extraordinary capacity to survive in the harshest of landscapes." - Publisher

Shroud of Eternityby Terry Goodkind (January)

"The formidable sorceress Nicci and her companions―the newly powerless Nathan and the youthful Bannon―set out on another quest after driving ruthless Norukai slavers out of Renda Bay. Their mission: restore Nathan’s magic and, for Nicci, save the world." - Publisher

The Nicci Chronicles

1. Death's Mistress

2. Shroud of Eternity

Heart Berries by Terese marie Mailhot (February)

"Heart Berries is a powerful, poetic memoir of a woman's coming of age on the Seabird Island Indian Reservation in the Pacific Northwest." - Publisher

The Line Becomes a River: Dispatches From the Border by Francisco Cantú (February)

"A beautiful, fiercely honest, and nevertheless deeply empathetic look at those who police the border and the migrants who risk - and lose - their lives crossing it. In a time of often ill-informed or downright deceitful political rhetoric, this book is an invaluable corrective."

--Phil Klay

Come hear Francisco Cantu in conversation with Lauren Markham and John Washington, February 13 here at NYPL.  [REGISTER]

The Merry Spinster by Mallory Ortberg (March 2018)

"A collection of darkly playful stories based on classic folk and fairy tales (but with a feminist spin) that find the sinister in the familiar and the familiar in the alien." - Publisher 

The Female Persuasion by Meg Wolitzer (April)

"Expansive and wise, compassionate and witty, The Female Persuasion is about the spark we all believe is flickering inside us, waiting to be seen and fanned by the right person at the right time, and the desire within all of us to be pulled into the light." - Publisher

The Traitor God by Cameron Johnston (June)

"A city threatened by unimaginable horrors must trust their most hated outcast, or lose everything, in this crushing epic fantasy debut." - Cameron Johnston

My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh (July)

"A shocking, hilarious and strangely tender novel about a young woman’s experiment in 

narcotic hibernation, aided and abetted by one of the worst psychiatrists in the annals of literature." - Publisher

Thanks to the following NYPL staff for their contributions: Emily Nichols, Alex Mouyios, Aidan Flax-Clark, Judd Karlman, Gwen Glazer,  Jenny Chisnell, and Laura Stein.

Have trouble reading standard print? Many of these titles are available in formats for patrons with print disabilities.

Staff picks are chosen by NYPL staff members and are not intended to be comprehensive lists. We'd love to hear your ideas too, so leave a comment and tell us what you’d recommend. And check out our Staff Picks browse tool for more recommendations!