As vaccine rollouts lent a glimmer of light to the end of the long, dark tunnel we called 2020, I realized just how much hope I'd stored up in the promise

of 2021. But I’ve learned—in my many, many hours on the couch during this pandemic—that no matter what celebrations or challenges lie ahead, I’m going to need a story. When lockdown forced me into 24-hour days in my shoebox apartment, I had books like Chelsea Bieker’s Godshot and Diane Cook’s The New Wilderness to lure me away from work and Twitter and general existential despair, into a world with, well…a little more fresh air. Hopefully, 2021 won’t have nearly as much need for escapism and downtime, but when boredom or curiosity or nostalgia or hope strike—even in a so-called “normal” reality—books become just as necessary as they were in quarantine.

And 2021 promises not to disappoint. If the pandemic has developed your appetite for science fiction, biography, or old-fashioned dystopia, you’ll find just as many delights here as fans of romance, memoir, and literary fiction will. These are the most exciting new releases headed our way. Happy pre-ordering!