Top Ten Tuesday: Most Anticipated Releases for the First Half of 2021

This week’s topic is Most Anticipated Releases for the First Half of 2021, which makes our overencumbered TBR shelves shudder in fear. Thanks to That Artsy Reader Girl for another great Top Ten Tuesday!

Indiana’s Five

Let Me Tell You What I Mean by Joan Didion 
I’m always on the lookout for new Didion books. Hoping to pick this collection (which I believe includes a dozen essays) as soon as it’s out.  

How We Were Beautiful by Imbolo Mbue 
Mbue’s first novel was incredibly well-written and genuine. I had the chance to interview her a year or so ago and our conversation just made me look forward to this book even more. 

The Nature of Middle Earth by J.R.R. Tolkien 
These last few months I’ve been on a Tolkien run, reading The Hobbit through The Return of the King and now I’m on to The Silmarillion. Another Middle Earth book is just what I was hoping for this year.  

Bone Music by David Almond 
I actually hadn’t heard of this one until I started looking around to make this list but wow, this one sounds great. From the publisher: “This wonderful tale transports the reader from the city to the forests and fells of Northern England. Under a boundless starry sky, the unforgettable Sylvia Carr reconnects with the ancient past and discovers what it really means to be young in the world today.”

How to Avoid a Climate Disaster by Bill Gates 
This was another one I wasn’t even aware of until I started this list but it sounds interesting. So I’ll give it a shot! 

Pete’s Five

The Galaxy, and the Ground Within by Becky Chambers
Okay, so the second and third Wayfarers books didn’t click for me like The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, but I’m still captivated by Chamber’s hopeful sci-fi universe and will eagerly pick up this final volume.

Witch Hat Atelier #7 by Kamome Shirahama
Though I’m still in the middle of the third volume, I have no doubt I’ll be counting down for the release of the seventh. I adore this charming series and Shirahama’s incredible style.

Gearbreakers by Zoe Hana Mikuta
This story of two girls covertly working to take down mechas operated by an oppressive government sounds like a blast—and it gives me Mortal Engines vibes, which never hurts.

A History of What Comes Next by Sylvain Neuvel
Alien beings influencing humans to encourage their progress in space travel technology? Sounds like a ton of fun.

Star Eater by Kerstin Hall
The premise of this one is so complicated and intriguing that I’ll let the jacket flap speak for itself here:
“A phantasmagorical indictment of hereditary power, Star Eater takes readers deep into a perilous and uncanny world where even the most powerful women are forced to choose what sacrifices they will make, so that they might have any choice at all.”