I read a lot (a lot) of new stuff, because I am a little bit of a bookish magpie, attracted to the new and the shiny, and this means that I read quite a lot of debut work and when I'm not reading the new and the shiny, I reach for things that are familiar, that I know there's a good chance I'll like.
Also, there are so many millions of books out there written very so many years by so many people, that it kind of goes without saying that there'll be so many people who have written stand out books that I have absolutely no idea about. I try not to think about that too much though as it only makes me sad and gives me bookish FOMO.
However, because I am easily influenced (thanks Instagram) and because one of my favourite things to do is by books with interesting covers / blurbs, I do have (so many) books on my shelves by people I've never read before and sometimes I'll pick one up and realise I've stumbled upon a gem. Those days are the best days.
That's what I'm here for now - and maybe I'll make this into a feature, we'll see - to talk about three new to me authors that I am loving.
Sharon Cameron.
I read; The Light in Hidden Places which was so up my street you don't even know. It's the true story of 16 year old Stefania, who in Poland in WWII with the Gestapo in her spare room, hides 13 Jews in her attic. It's wonderful, brave and terrifying and so so sad but so so hopeful. So well researched and so beautifully written. I loved it - which always feels like a weird thing to say about a book like this. But I did.
What I'll read next: Sharon Cameron has written lots and this is a fact that delighted me. It took me though approx. 0.2 seconds which of her back catalogue was for me. Rook is set in the sunken city that was Paris (yep, you're right, it was Paris that hooked me. I love that city so) and all who oppose the revolution are being put to the blade. Except for those who disappear from their cells, a red-tipped feather left in their place. Is the mysterious Red Rook a saviour or a criminal. This sounds like a retelling of The Scarlet Pimpernel to me and I am here for it.
Joshilyn Jackson
I read: Gods in Alabama which I absolutely loved. Seriously, this book is so so so good and so so so readable that I kind of want to shout about it from the treetops. It's about Lena, who made 3 promises to God before she left Alabama for college - she'd never lie, she'd stop fornicating with every man she met, and she'd never ever go home. All God had to do was make sure nobody finds the body. So what happens when ten years later a face from her past turns up on her doorstep and it looks like God is breaking his end of the deal? I LOVED THIS BOOK.
What I'll read next: Again, there's a few to choose from but I think I'll go for The Girl Who Stopped Swimming which is about a woman called Laurel who wants to do everything right and make sure her daughter doesn't have the childhood she had - it's all going well until ,she is woken by the 14 year old ghost of her neighbour, whose body is now floating in Laurel's swimming pool....I actually want to read this right now. Curses to no spend May.
Sally Rooney
I read: Normal People which again, I loved. It got right under my skin even though actually not a lot happens. I can't wait to watch the new BBC adaptation. It's the story of Marianne and Conal and follows them from the last year of school through college and it's just lush.
What I'll read next: Conversations with Friends, and I'm going to see if it's on audio with the same narrator as Normal People because I loved it. Goodreads tells me it's about two college students and the connection they forge with a married couple and I am hopeful it will be as insightful and precise as I found Normal People to be.
