I thought I had read a lot of new talent this quarter, but have been a bit surprised to discover that of 30 books read in the past 3 months only 5 were previously enjoyed authors, meaning 25 of the 30 are newbies.
Quickly scanning top to bottom through the list, at a rough estimate I would be happy to read about 20 of them again in the future - not a bad percentage overall.
Some 5 star stand-outs all recommended - John Fusco, Joel Townsley Rogers, Dietrich Kalteis, Brian Freemantle, Matthew McBride, John Stonehouse, Allen Eskens and Sam Wiebe.
5 of the 5 stars are debut novels.
Links to my reviews below.
July - 12 new authors from 14 books read
Michael Avallone - Shock Corridor (3)
Victoria Dougherty - The Bone Church (4)
Lori Rader-Day - The Black Hour (4)
Matthew McBride - A Swollen Red Sun (5)
Joel Townsley Rogers - The Red Right Hand (5)
John Lutz - The Truth Of The Matter (4)
John Dolan - Jim Fosse's Expense Claim (4)
Jonathan Latimer - Red Gardenias (3)
Verge Le Noir - Black Pills And Red Bullets (4)
Keith Nixon - Dream Land (4)
Eva Hudson - The Last Ride (4)
August - 8 new authors from 8 books read
John Fusco - Dog Beach (5)
Robert Silverberg - Pickup (4)
Alan Jones - The Cabinetmaker (4)
Dietrich Kalteis - Ride the Lightning (5)
John Stonehouse - An American Outlaw (4) - on reflection re-scored to (5)
Brian Freemantle - Charlie M (5)
Allen Eskins - The Life We Bury (5)
Martin Clark - The Many Aspects of Mobile Home Living (3)
September - 5 new authors from 8 books read
Judy Nedry - An Unholy Alliance (4)
Rob Brunet - Stinking Rich (4)
Sam Wiebe - Last of the Independents (5)
James McKimmey - The Perfect Victim (4)
Scott McKenzie - Drawing Dead (4)
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I think I will now back-track and see what the scores were for the first two quarters this year.
Col - You do have a solid group here of new-to-you authors. I like the variety, and it's good to see that you enjoyed most of them.
ReplyDeleteMargot, I probably enjoyed too many - which means that TBR pile isn't going to shrink any time soon!
DeleteCol, thirty is a very good score for any quarter and I like the ensemble of authors you read. Robert Silverberg is on my list..
ReplyDeleteI hope you can try the Silverberg, Prashant. I can't remember if you said you'd read some of his science fiction or not.
DeleteYou're really expanding your horizons with all those new authors, I'm very impressed!
ReplyDeleteMoira, I've enjoyed most of them, but fair to say it has been at the expense of reading some previously enjoyed authors that are sitting in the stacks.
DeleteThose covers are all so great. I am looking forward to Charlie M and The Red Right Hand and Last of the Independents.
ReplyDeleteI don't think you could go wrong with any of those 3. I want to know how Charlie M grabs you, especially.
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