Sam Baker's 2014 Reading List

Sam Baker's pick of the best books to look forward to in 2014

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<p class="Body"><strong>Still have a pile of unread good intentions from 2013 glaring at you from your bookshelves? Me too. But already 2014 has much in store to make your bookish heart beat faster.</strong></p> <p class="Body"><strong>January</strong></p>  <p class="Body">Already on the shelves is Samantha Ellis' ingenious memoir about a childhood spent with her nose in a book, <em><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/How-To-Be-Heroine-learned/dp/0701187514" target="_blank">How to be a Heroine</a>&nbsp;</em>(Chatto). <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Lie-Helen-Dunmore/dp/0091953928" target="_blank"><em>The Lie</em></a> by Helen Dunmore (Hutchinson) is the first of many novels exploring WW1 and its aftermath in this centenary year (for more, see <em>Bazaar's</em> January issue). Also out this month are new ones from Hanif Kureishi - <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Last-Word-Thomas-Nagel/dp/0195149831" target="_blank"><em>The Last Word</em></a> (Faber) in which a young biographer plays psychological poker with an ageing pillar of the literary establishment - and Armistead Maupin, who continues his much-loved <em>Tales of the City</em> series with the wonderful <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Days-Anna-Madrigal-Tales-City/dp/0062196243" target="_blank"><em>The Days of Anna Madrigal</em></a> (Transworld). Also interesting if, like me, you're a Thomas Hardy fan, is Christopher Nicholson's <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Winter-Christopher-Nicholson/dp/000751607X" target="_blank"><em>Winter</em></a> (Fourth Estate), in which an elderly Hardy dallies with a young actress.</p> <p class="Body"><strong>February</strong></p>  <p class="Body">This month sees the new novel from Jojo Moyes, whose <em>Me Before You</em> word of mouthed its way to international bestseller. In <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-One-Plus-Jojo-Moyes/dp/1405915579" target="_blank"><em>The One Plus One</em></a> (Penguin) she explores how far a single mum would go to save her family. A far less comfortable read is Helen Walsh's <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Lemon-Grove-Helen-Walsh/dp/1472212088" target="_blank"><em>The Lemon Grove</em></a> (Tinder Press). Deceptively slight, it still packs a punch. Phil Hogan's mordant <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/A-Pleasure-Calling-Phil-Hogan/dp/0857521888" target="_blank"><em>A Pleasure And A Calling</em></a> (Transworld), in which an estate agent is strangely reluctant to relinquish the keys, will have you changing the locks. Finally, two authors explore life in the shadow of an artist this month. In <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Poets-Wives-David-Park/dp/1620405245" target="_blank"><em>The Poets Wives</em></a> (Bloomsbury), David Park imagines the lives of Catherine Blake, Nadezhda Mandelstam and a contemporary woman married to a poet. While in <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mrs-Hemingway-Naomi-Wood/dp/0143124617" target="_blank"><em>Mrs Hemingway</em></a> (picador), Naomi Wood gives voice to the four women who shared the writer's life.</p> <p class="Body"><strong>March</strong></p> <p class="Body">Two authors with long-awaited new novels this month: Emma Donahue's <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Frog-Music-Emma-Donoghue/dp/1447249771" target="_blank"><em>Frog Music</em></a> (Picador), her first since <em>The Room</em> transports us to nineteenth century San Francisco, while Karen Joy Fowler (author of <em>The</em> <em>Jane Austen Bookclub</em>) returns with <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Are-All-Completely-Beside-Ourselves/dp/0399162097" target="_blank"><em>We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves</em></a> (Profile), the story of how one woman lost her siblings - with a brilliant twist. <em><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Viper-Wine-Hermione-Eyre/dp/0224097598" target="_blank">Viper Wine</a>&nbsp;</em>(Jonathan Cape), the debut novel from journalist Hermione Eyre, promises an entirely unique take on Seventeenth Century high society, while Stephen May follows up his Costa-shortlisted 2012 novel <em>Life! Death! Prizes!</em> (of which I was a fan) with another magazine coverline-inspired title, <a href="http://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/wake-up-happy-every-day-9781408840740/" target="_blank"><em>Wake Up Happy Everyday</em></a> (Bloomsbury). Finally fans of both Austen and crime novelist Val McDermid have a treat in store, with her contribution to Harpercollins' Austen Project, a reimagining of <em>Northanger Abbey</em>.</p> <p class="Body"><strong>April</strong></p>  <p class="Body">Four very different prospects to look out for this month: Lauren Owen's gothic debut <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Quick-Lauren-Owen/dp/0224096389" target="_blank"><em>The Quick</em></a> (Vintage) is already being lauded by the likes of Hilary Mantel and Kate Atkinson. <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Campari-Breakfast-Sara-Crowe/dp/0857522159" target="_blank"><em>Campari for Breakfast</em></a> (Transworld) by Sara Crowe is a quirky unexpected delight. <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Temporary-Gentleman-Sebastian-Barry/dp/0571276954" target="_blank"><em>The Temporary Gentleman</em></a> (Faber) by Sebastian Barry is the moving tale of the eponymous gentleman looking back over his life from the vantage point of old age. Also set in the First World War is <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/God-Every-Stone-Kamila-Shamsie/dp/1408847213" target="_blank"><em>A God In Every Stone</em></a> (Bloomsbury), an international love story by orange-shortlisted author Kamila Shamsie</p> <p class="Body"><strong>Later in the year...</strong></p>  <p class="Body">There is plenty to look forward to later in the year too. In May, Lyn Barber continues <em>The Education</em> with the next instalment of her memoir,<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/A-Curious-Career-Lynn-Barber/dp/1408837196" target="_blank"><em> A Curious Career</em></a> (Bloomsbury) and Harriet Lane follows up the highly acclaimed <em><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Alys-Always-Harriet-Lane/dp/0297865013" target="_blank">Alys, Always</a> </em>with <em>Her</em> (Weidenfeld &amp; Nicholson) in June. A new one from Lauren <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Shining-Girls-Lauren-Beukes/dp/0007464584" target="_blank"><em>Shining</em> <em>Girls </em></a>Beukes is mooted for summer (Harpercollins). The summer also sees three much fought over debuts: <em>The Miniaturist</em> (Picador) from Jessie Burton, set in 17th century Amsterdam, <em>Elizabeth is Missing</em> (Penguin), a mystery about losing your memory by Emma Healey, and <em>A Song for Issy Bradley</em> (Hutchinson), Carys Bray's very loosely autobiographical novel about a family of Lancashire Mormons.&nbsp;</p> <p class="Body">As ever, autumn brings out the literary big guns with new work from Japanese best seller Haruki Murakami, David Mitchell, Sarah Waters, Ali Smith, Rose Tremain and Nick Hornby. Plus two long awaited sequels - Marilynne Robinson revisits Gilead in <em>Lila</em> and Colm Toibin's Norah Webster almost returns to Brooklyn.</p> <p class="Body">But before you embark on your new year's reading resolutions, a tip: if you haven't yet read Kate Atkinson's <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Life-After-Kate-Atkinson/dp/0385618670" target="_blank"><em>Life After Life</em></a> (Transworld) which won the Costa Novel award last night, do. Truly original, it will linger in your mind long after your resolutions have faded.</p>

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