A Book For Every Month Of The Year
Looking to commit to reading more this year? If you’ve aspired to read a book a month, a handy schedule to guide you and a little TBR inspiration are all you need to succeed.
From beach reads for the summer months to cosy, winter titles for the festive period, we’ve curated the perfect year-long reading list. With one book for every month, this annual checklist is perfectly attuned to the nuances of every season.
Matching genre to mood and plot twists to different parts of the year, reading has never felt so in sync with the calendar.
Scan through now, and bookmark this blog to return to each month for your next read.
January: The Midnight Library, Matt Haig
Let’s kick off the year with a cosy, life-affirming read from a treasured author. There’s a lot of pressure on the New Year to bring with it renewed vigour and zest for life. But, for many of us, a little help in that department would be much appreciated.
The Midnight Library is the perfect reminder that it’s ok not to feel ok, but that any life is worth living. Perfect for times when setting intentions feels impossible, Matt Haig’s bestseller brings comfort, guidance, and encouragement to keep on going.
February: A Court of Thorns & Roses, Sarah J. Maas
Since February is Valentine’s month, what better to read than some textbook romantasy? Immerse yourself in the twists and turns of Sarah J. Maas’ A Court of Thorns & Roses and experience a rich new world brimming with suspense and excess.
Whether you’d rather flee to the faerie realms and pretend Valentine’s Day doesn’t exist, or soak up every moment of lust and longing, this novel is a must-read. Nothing screams Valentine’s Day more than faeries and a kingdom full of roses and brooding High Lords, right?
March: Lessons in Chemistry, Bonnie Garmus
As we edge towards spring, an empowering and witty novel is just what you need to freshen things up. Lessons in Chemistry is a feminist masterpiece about intellectual freedom and resilience. Set in the sexism of the 1960s, Bonnie Garmus’ dazzling debut is sharp, important, and an excellent depiction of women defying societal expectations.
And, no, the fact that International Women’s Day is in March is not lost on us for this one.
April: Where the Crawdads Sing, Delia Owens
In April, nature comes alive: birds make nests, Easter symbolises new life, and lambs frolic in the fields. So, naturally, the perfect novelistic accompaniment has to include flora and fauna at some level, right?
While not explicitly about nature, Delia Owens’ Where the Crawdads Sing is overflowing with stunning depictions of the natural world, making it the ideal early summer read. This is without even mentioning that Owens herself is a retired wildlife biologist.
From swamps and forests to stark, sandy beaches, this novel is hot, humid, and humming with life.
May: Atomic Habits, James Clear
They say May is the time for spring cleaning your home and starting afresh, so why not do the same with your mind?
James Clear’s Atomic Habits will help you there. The literary equivalent of pressing the “Restart” button (or seeing a really good therapist after a disappointing string of not-so-good ones), this book is the gentle shakeup you need to get your life on track.
Starting small, like waking up earlier in the morning or trying something for just two minutes, this book gives you the motivation to improve in a realistic way – one step at a time.
June: Ultra-Processed People, Chris van Tulleken
While you’re on the non-fiction train, why not ease yourself into summer with some more self-improvement material?
As picnic season approaches, Ultra-Processed People will have you thinking more carefully about what you choose to pop in your hamper this summer (in a good way!).
As the days lengthen and you inevitably spend more time in nature, this book is the perfect accompaniment to healthier habits. Learn more about what goes into the food you eat, and how to break free from sugar and packaged snacks – one perfectly-aimed stat at a time.
July: Dinner Party, Sarah Gilmartin
As summer begins to stretch out, it’s time for a well-deserved beach read. Want a book that will leave you on the edge of your seat (or sunlounger?). Dinner Party is a textbook holiday read, with a dark undercurrent that will have you gripped from the first page to the last.
In a nice segue from Ultra-Processed People, Dinner Party also holds food as a central theme, but more as a dramatis personae than a subject of investigation. At the heart of the novel is a dysfunctional family with deep-cut divides and shocking secrets. It’s all wrapped up in a plot that invites you to take a seat at the table, and try to figure out exactly what’s on the menu.
August: Klara & The Sun, Kazuo Ishiguro
Before you ask, no, we didn’t just choose this for August because it has “sun” in the title. Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel is unique, interesting, and the perfect story to keep your critical thinking skills in action while you have some downtime over the summer months.
Set in a near-future society, the eponymous Klara is an “Artificial Friend” who tries to get to grips with the complexities of human emotion (despite not being able to feel emotions herself).
As AI becomes more and more a part of our daily lives, now’s the perfect time to read the zany and slightly unnerving dystopian novel by Ishiguro.
September: Babel, R. F. Kuang
If you’ve heard of “dark academia”, you’ll have heard of Babel. A bestselling, mammoth novel from R. F. Kuang, Babel has impressed readers and critics across the globe.
Set within the framework of the collegiate system of Oxford University, Babel is the ideal read to nudge you towards back to school season. Although, if you’re expecting dull classroom drama, you can think again. Magical realism and intellectualism drop from every page, presenting a complex and deeply rewarding read.
October: Nightbitch, Rachel Yoder
Our pick for October simply has to be a Halloween-inspired read. So, what better than a modern fairytale novel where the protagonist turns into a wolf? Yes, really.
Rachel Yoder’s Nightbitch is a baffling and impressive new piece of fiction that draws inspiration from Angela Carter’s Bloody Chamber, packing a punch of dark humour and surrealism on every page.
In a warped retelling of the Little Red Riding Hood story, Yoder breaks apart the domestic sphere, and does away with gender roles, too. Transformative (literally) and gruesome, this is the perfect spooky read for October.
November: How to Kill Your Family by Bella Mackie
As the dark months set in, we’ve suggested some dark humour to go with them. Clever, fast-paced, and more than capable of cutting through the November gloom, How to Kill Your Family is an off-the-wall must-read title.
Filled with bitterness, sardonic quips, and lots and lots of loathing, Bella Mackie’s story gives us a twisted narrator and an equally twisted dual-structure plot. Filled with the right level of spice to warm up the late autumn nights, this novel will have you rethinking everything (and hopefully not plotting to kill your loved ones).
December: Before the Coffee Gets Cold, Toshikazu Kawaguchi
December is all about cosiness; about cuddling up with your favourite blanket, sipping a mug of cocoa, and diving into a book that promises nothing but warmth.
Well, Before the Coffee Gets Cold offers readers exactly that in its pages. Acting like the coffee shop itself, for many, this book is a refuge and a safe place to come in from the cold and learn about what it means to be human; to remember, to yearn.
If you’ve read every festive-themed romance on the shelf and need something a little less on-the-nose for holiday cheer, Kawaguchi’s book is perfect for you.
Read the year away with Victoria Freudenheim
Whether you’re a non-fiction superfan or have a penchant for thrillers and horror, this list will have you sampling something from every genre across the course of the year.
Prefer to chart your own course when it comes to reading? Get some inspiration from our latest reviews page and map out your monthly reads yourself!
