We've been hunting and gathering our way through publishers' catalogs and "most anticipated" lists from book critics and editors this past week. We think nearly any reader will find a book to get excited about from this selection of five books coming out in the first half of the year. Save these to your Tertulia "to be read" list and track what the first readers have to say about them:

#1 Oscar Wars by Michael Schulman (Feb 21)

"Regardless of your interest in Hollywood and awards season, this rich, deeply reported history has plenty to teach. New Yorker writer Schulman looks at the awards through a variety of lenses, including artistic, business, political, and cultural…This Oscars history mixes all the expected glitz and glamour with enough industry intrigue to power an award-winning drama." —Kirkus Reviews

#2 The Late Americans by Brandon Taylor (Feb 21)

"A beautiful, detailed writer, Taylor excels at penning his own expansive, contemporary versions of Victorian novels; exploring character and state-of-the-nation questions with impressive prose. The Late Americans is one of his most exciting creations yet, a saga starring a circle of friends and lovers whose lives are reaching a dangerous reckoning." —Harper's Bazaar

#3 Saving Time by Jenny Odell (March 7)

"Jenny Odell wants us to rethink our relationship to time. In 2019’s How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy, she argued for less self-promotion and more quiet contemplation. In her new book, Odell shows how the clock we live by is built for profit, not people. And she warns that if we don’t leave it behind, it will destroy us. ...An eye-opening look at what it really means to be alive." —Time Magazine

#4 Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld (April 3)

"An off-the-wall love story that follows the romantic travails of a TV comedy scriptwriter from the author of Rodham and American Wife."  And of course, don't forget her beloved coming-of-age book Prep. —Financial Times

#5 A Living Remedy by Nicole Chung (April 4)

"This riveting and tender memoir is a stunning meditation on grief and guilt, driven by the ways in which the U.S. healthcare system, one of the highest costs of healthcare in the world, fails those that cannot afford it. Detailing her father's inability to access healthcare and his premature death, Chung illuminates the hardships many Americans face caring for aging parents and loved ones..." This book is eagerly awaited by fans of Chung's earlier memoir All You Can Ever Know which explores the story of her adoption. —Today Show