Critics are enjoying a bumper year for books, with a string of new releases from established authors and talented newcomers.

We round up some of the most hotly anticipated titles:

Thus Bad Begins, Javier Marias

In 1980s Spain, Juan de Vere, the assistant to famous film-maker Eduardo Muriel, finds himself trapped in an unsettling love triangle. As Muriel's wife flits in and out of the book - and other people's beds - Juan is tasked by the jealous husband to find out all he can about one of her mysterious old friends, who seems to be inexplicably linked to the Franco regime. Javier Marias has a knack for exploring disquieting relationships and this looks to be a similar affair.

Barkskins, Annie Proulx

Brokeback Mountain author Annie Proulx has spent ten years working on Barkskins and it looks set to become a bestseller even before publication. Set in 17th-century New France and reaching all the way to China and New Zealand, the book tells the story of two settlers and their trials and sorrows. The book has already been picked up by Scott Rudin Productions and a mini-series set to premiere globally in 171 countries and 45 languages is planned.

The Girls, Emma Cline

Set in 1960s California, Cline's debut novel chronicles a Charles Manson-esque story from a woman's perspective. Damaged, young and vulnerable, Evie is lured into a dangerous cult in a reimagining of the summer leading up to the notorious Tate-LaBianca murders in Los Angeles.

When Breath Becomes Air, Paul Kalanithi

This heart-breaking memoir chronicles a young doctor's path from promising neurosurgeon to terminal cancer patient. Diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer aged 36, Dr Paul Kalanithi is suddenly forced to adjust to his role as patient instead of healer.

By Milica Matic