Even though I’ve read hundreds of books in my life thus far, it’s still hard to imagine that there are millions of books out there that I haven’t read yet. Thousands come out every year and as hard as I try, I can hardly scratch the surface of new releases. That’s why when I read new books and new authors, they’re not necessarily new, they’re just new to me.
1. JoJo Moyes
I don’t think I would have ever read any of her books if Me Before You hadn’t become a movie. Whenever I saw a book by her come through at the library, I sort of recoiled from the thought of reading one of her books. All her books have flowery text and bright colors, all screaming romance and fluff. But when I read Me Before You and After You, I was surprised by their prose. It was more than just a love story, it eloquently discusses issues that many of us don’t want to talk about or even face. I’m glad I discovered her this year and look foreword to eventually reading more by her.
2. Alex Haley
These days, I shy away from long books, but I decided to give Roots a shot. There is nothing light about the book, both in length and subject matter. It took me about a month to get through it but I think it’s one of those necessary reads even if you don’t like everything that you read in it.
3. Ann Rule
I finally bit the bullet and read one of her books. I decided to read The Stranger Beside Me and wow, how scary was Ted Bundy? He murdered all these young girls and no one could figure out it was him for the longest time. Not only that, he worked with Ann Rule at a crisis center for a couple years and she never suspected that he was the one doing all the killings. Gives me shivers down my spine.
4. P.D. James
From James, I read Death Comes to Pemberely. I was interested in reading something that remained true to Pride and Prejudice, but had it’s own originality to it. I’m not sure if all of James’s books are like this but I was a little so so about the book. It was good enough for me to finish it but not enough to wow me. Still, maybe I’ll give her a go with another book sometime in the future.
5. Markus Zusak
A few years ago, I decided to watch The Book Thief. It was one of those movies based on books that I’d rather see the movie first. I knew the story was told from the perspective of Death and that made me a little hesitant. I loved the movie because Death’s perspective wasn’t intrusive, so when I was reading the book, I was distracted by Death putting in his thoughts every five minutes. In spite of it all, I enjoyed the book because I loved the story of Liesal and her foster parents.
There are many books that are also new this year, including When Breath Becomes Air and others but these are what stood out to me this year as far as new to me authors. Here’s to reading more in the future!
Apt Reader 