Binish Qureshi’s Most Anticipated Books of 2020
The new year is fast approaching, and all bibliophiles know what that means – a whole slew of new book releases! 2020 promises to be an incredible year in the publication industry, with a wide range of highly anticipated novels arriving in the months to come. To get you excited for the year ahead, Binish Qureshi has made a list of the books she is most excited to read in 2020. Qureshi is an entrepreneur, real estate developer, investor, and Director of FJ Corporation Ltd. who currently resides just outside of London. However, in her downtime she is an avid reader.
1. A Long Petal of the Sea by Isabel Allende
Revered Chilean author Isabel Allende returns with yet another fascinating tale. A Long Petal of the Sea is one of the books Binish Qureshi is most excited to read in 2020 and for good reason. This epic novel will span decades and continents, as it follows two young individuals who are forced to flee their homes following the Spanish Civil War. The two protagonists go by the names of Victor Dalmau, a young doctor, and his sister-in-law Roser Bruguera, a pianist. The story begins with them leaving Barcelona in search of a better life. An opportunity to travel to Chile quick arises and they take it. Victor and Roser end up boarding a ship chartered by famous poet Pablo Neruda and it is on the vessel that most of the book takes place. Binish Qureshi says that if you are a fan of historical fiction, then you’re sure to fall in love with A Long Petal of the Sea. You will be able to pick up a copy of Isabel Allende’s high anticipated novel when it is released on January 21, 2020.
2. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
Fans of the now-iconic Hunger Games trilogy won’t be able to resist the latest novel from American author Suzanne Collins. Entitled The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, the upcoming book will take readers back into the world of Panem, but in a different era, shares entrepreneur Binish Qureshi. This novel is set 64 years before The Hunger Games, on the morning of the reaping of the Tenth Hunger Games, making The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes a prequel to The Hunger Games. The cover art for the highly anticipated prequel was revealed this past fall and it features the famous mockingjay symbol with a snake woven through it. Sadly, given the timeline of the new book, it seems unlikely that our favourite District 12 resident, Katniss Everdeen, will make an appearance. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is set to hit bookshelves on May 19, 2020.
3. The Night Watchmen by Louise Erdrich
Another book that Binish Qureshi cannot wait to read in 2020 is The Night Watchmen by Louise Erdrich. According to Qureshi, the latest novel by the National Book Award-winning author is said to be based on Erdrich’s own grandfather. The story tells the tale of a night watchman in his fight against Native dispossession of the land, all the way to the nation’s capital. The Night Watchmen honours his legacy, following protagonist Thomas Wazhashk, a Chippewa Council member who works at a plant near the Turtle Mountain Reservation. Recognizing that the new “emancipation” bill brought by Congress is about anything but freedom for the Native people, Thomas must fight against this bill that threatens to destroy the very place he calls home. The Night Watchmen is scheduled to be released on March 3, 2020.
4. The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel
From Canadian writer Emily St. John Mandel, author of the award-winning Station Eleven, comes a tale of money, ghosts, and white-collar crime. The Glass Hotel is a mystery novel that takes place in three captivating locales: Mauritania, New York City, and Vancouver Island. The book begins when a woman disappears from a ship off the coast of Mauritania. At the same time, a huge Ponzi scheme is revealed in New York that drags many of the city’s elite down with it. Meanwhile on Vancouver Island, a hooded figure writes a note on the wall of Hotel Caiette (a hotel owned by a New York financier) that reads, “Why don’t you swallow broken glass.” Thirteen years later, a bartender who was working at Hotel Caiette at the time the note was left disappears off the deck of a ship. Emily St. John Mandel brilliantly weaves these characters and landscapes together to create a fascinating thriller centered on the ghosts of your past. According to Binish Qureshi, The Glass Hotel comes out March 24, 2020.
