5 books to read this January that will take you on adventures real and imagined

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The year's publishing schedule is off to a great start with various new releases, both fiction and non-fiction. There is a long list of books to look forward to this year, with a few coming out in January. They include a new sci-fi book from Nnedi Okorafor and a new horror from Grady Hendrix.

'Immortal' By Sue Lynn Tan

Sue Lynn Tan returns to the universe of her Celestial Kingdom series with a standalone romantasy that draws on Chinese folklore. The story follows Liyen, a newly crowned ruler who finds herself at the country's helm after her grandfather dies. Determined to end her kingdom's ties to the immortal gods and avenge her grandfather's death, she aligns herself with the God of War. When summoned to the Immortal Realm to pledge her allegiance, she finds herself balancing her plans and a growing attraction to the enigmatic God of War. The fantasy romance "provides all of the beautiful world-building and heart-wrenching emotions" of Tan's previous books, said the Library Journal. "Romantasy and Eastern mythology enthusiasts will find this an excellent entry into the subgenre." (Jan. 7, $32, Amazon)

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'The Crazies: The Cattleman, the Wind Prospector, and a War Out West' by Amy Gamerman

A modern legal battle over land gets the "David-and-Goliath treatment" in Amy Gamerman's narrative nonfiction book "The Crazies," about "colorful characters in Montana's Crazy Mountains," said The Washington Post. Local ranch owner Rick Jarrett's decision to lease his property to a wind farming company causes tension with his neighbor, a Texas billionaire who "preferred unobstructed views." When Jarrett rejected his buy-out offer, the ensuing lawsuit "kicked off a decades-long battle involving regulators, Native inhabitants, conservationists" and others with interest in "defining land ownership in the American West," said the Post. Gamerman's "lush prose evokes the imprint of the harsh, beautiful landscape on its more hard-bitten inhabitants," said Publisher's Weekly. "It's a captivating saga." (Jan. 7, $30, Amazon)

'Witchcraft for Wayward Girls' by Grady Hendrix

The modern bestselling horror author of "How to Sell a Haunted House" and "The Final Girl Support Group" publishes his latest this month. Set in the 1970s, "Witchcraft for Wayward Girls" bridges horror and fantasy to tell the story of a group of teen girls at a Florida home for unwed mothers. The group discovers dark, powerful magic that helps them reclaim some of their autonomy. "Witchcraft for Wayward Girls" is reminiscent of "Rosemary's Baby" and is based on real-life stories of pregnant, unwed teens. Hendrix told People the book was his "hardest one yet." Like the author's previous work, the story promises to "deliver fresh takes on traditional horror tropes with his signature voice full of humor, heart, jump scares and a bit of a wink," the publisher said to People. (Jan. 14, $30, Amazon)

'Death of the Author' by Nnedi Okorafor

The highly acclaimed science fiction author starts the year with a metafictional book about Zelu, a disabled Nigerian author whose life changes after writing a book about an AI apocalypse. Similar to R.F. Kuang's "Yellowface" but with a "speculative twist," the author "loses control of the narrative" and "life imitates art when the robots do actually rise, with Zelu's novel 'Rusted Robots' offering a new way forward," said Lithub. It is a prescient semi-autobiographical novel that explores both the power of storytelling and our bubbling fears about artificial intelligence. (Jan. 14, $30, Amazon)

'From These Roots: My Fight with Harvard to Reclaim My Legacy' by Tamara Lanier

In her memoir, Tamara Lanier recounts her fight to honor her family's legacy in a story that starts with a promise she made to her mother to record their history. Tracing that lineage led to the discovery that photos of two of her ancestors were being held at a Harvard museum. Her great-great-great grandfather, Renty Taylor, and his daughter Delia were among seven enslaved people depicted in daguerreotypes commissioned in 1850 by a Harvard professor. Lanier began a "battle to take ownership of her family's heritage," and to "question who it is that has the right to own history," said Town and Country. A "stirring first-person account" of "holding powerful institutions responsible for abetting slavery," said Kirkus Reviews. (Jan. 28, $30, Amazon)