#TopTenTuesday Authors I Haven’t Read, But Want To

Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish and now hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl.

The rules are simple:

  • Each Tuesday, Jana assigns a new topic. Create your own Top Ten list that fits that topic – putting your unique spin on it if you want.
  • Everyone is welcome to join but please link back to That Artsy Reader Girl in your own Top Ten Tuesday post.
  • Add your name to the Linky widget on that day’s post so that everyone can check out other bloggers’ lists.
  • Or if you don’t have a blog, just post your answers as a comment.

This week topic is Authors I Haven’t Read, But Want To, a topic suggested by Deanna at A Novel Glimpse. My list is a combination of authors whose books I’ve heard about and authors whose books I own but haven’t yet got around to reading.

Redhead By the Side of the RoadAnne Tyler – I’ve seen Anne’s books receiving high praise from many other bloggers including for her most recent book, French Braid. And she won the Pulitzer Prize in 1988.

SnowJohn Banville – I have two of the author’s books on my bookshelves – Snow and April in Spain. My husband read Snow a few months back and really enjoyed it so that’s a recommendation I can’t ignore. John Banville also won the Booker Prize in 2005 for his novel The Sea.

Jane Harper – An author who has won numerous awards for her crime novels, this is another example of my husband having a better record of reading books sitting on our bookshelves than I do. He read and enjoyed Force of Nature, the second book in the author’s Aaron Falk series, recently.

Still LifeSarah Winman – I really have no excuse not to have read one of Sarah’s books, especially since I own a lovely signed copy of her much-praised book, Still Life.  And it’s on the longlist (and possibly the shortlist by the time you read this) for the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction 2022. I always try to read as many as I can of the books on the list.

Girl Woman OtherBernadine Evaristo – Another Booker Prize winning author whose books I’m keen to read. By now you won’t be surprised to learn that I have a copy of Girl, Woman, Other and that it’s as yet unread. 

The RoadCormac McCarthy – There are some authors whose books fall into the category of modern classics and I think Cormac McCarthy is one of those. His best known book is probably The Road for which he won the Pulitzer Prize in 2007. It’s post-apocalyptic theme still seems relevant to the times we’re living through.

The Sweetness of WaterNathan Harris – It was more a book – The Sweetness of Water – and its subject matter that drew my attention to this author. His debut novel was longlisted for the Booker Prize and the Dylan Thomas Prize. And, yes, I do have a copy on my bookshelf.

GileadMarilynne Robinson – I can thank a previous Top Ten Tuesday topic (21st Century Books I Think Will Become Classics) for the inclusion of this author in my list. I’m most likely to pick up Gilead which won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2005. 

The Last PartyClare Mackintosh – This is an author I’m aware has accumulated legions of fans for her bestselling crime thrillers. It’s a genre I don’t read much but I have a proof copy of The Last Party which I’m looking forward to reading.  

Rose NicolsonAndrew Grieg – This is an author I was unaware of until his novel Rose Nicholson appeared on the longlist for the Walter Scott Prize 2022. Once I read some reviews of the book I concluded this was an author whose books I’d enjoy. Even more so when I looked at his backlist and noticed he’d written a book called The Return of John MacNab, inspired by John Buchan’s novel John MacNab (regular followers of this blog will know I’m a huge Buchan fan). 

Which authors do you have in your sights?


#Extract Until We Meet by Camille Di Maio @CamilleDiMaio

I’m delighted today to bring you an extract from a book I’m hoping to read very soon, Until We Meet by Camille Di Maio. My thanks to Ellen at Books Forward for my digital review copy.

Until We MeetAbout the Book

New York City, 1943.

Can one small act change the course of a life? Margaret‘s job at the Navy Yard brings her freedoms she never dared imagine, but she wants to do something more personal to help the war effort. Knitting socks for soldiers is a way to occupy her quiet nights and provide comfort to the boys abroad. But when a note she tucks inside one of her socks sparks a relationship with a long-distance pen pal, she finds herself drawn to a man she’s never even met.

Can a woman hold on to her independence if she gives away her heart?  Gladys has been waiting her whole life for the kinds of opportunities available to her now that so many men are fighting overseas. She’s not going to waste a single one. And she’s not going to let her two best friends waste them either. Then she meets someone who values her opinions as much as she likes giving them, and suddenly she is questioning everything she once held dear.

Can an unwed mother survive on her own? Dottie is in a dire situation – she’s pregnant, her fiancé is off fighting the war, and if her parents find out about the baby, they’ll send her away and make her give up her child. Knitting helps take her mind off her uncertain future-until the worst happens and she must lean on her friends like never before.

With their worlds changing in unimaginable ways, Margaret, Gladys, and Dottie will learn that the unbreakable bond of friendship between them is what matters most of all.

Format: Paperback (384 pages)    Publisher: Forever
Publication date: 1st March 2022 Genre: Historical Fiction

Find Until We Meet on Goodreads

Purchase links
 Amazon UK | Amazon US
Links provided for convenience only, not as part of an affiliate programme


Extract from Until We Meet

Distracted by the music and the twittering of their conversation, Margaret was surprised that an hour later, she had produced the base of a sock that, while not storefront-perfect, was something to be proud of. Gladys was about as far along as she was while Dottie was well on her way to finishing the matched sock that would complete the pair. At this rate, they could clothe the whole army in a short time. Dottie leaned in and showed them how to change the pattern in order to create the ribbed part that would hug the shin. Knit two, purl two.

As she continued, Margaret thought about the boys who would wear them and about a special request that John had asked of her. Could you write a note to my buddy William? He hasn’t received any letters yet, and I don’t know why. But I think it would mean an awful lot to him. Something cheery. You’re just the girl to do it.

She paused to glide a finger along her nearly done piece and thought about who this William was. Would he put the pair on right away? Or would he stash it in his rucksack for later? But most important, would he smile at the thought that some girl in Brooklyn had spent a Saturday evening making this for him? She was grateful her brother had enlisted her help. It gave her the kind of purpose that she felt working at the Navy Yard. That in some little way, she was contributing to the war effort.

“Margaret, watch out!”

Dottie was pointing to the pocket of the red sweater that Margaret’s grandmother had made for her many Christmases ago. It had seen better days – Margaret wore it frequently to the Navy Yard, and it had caught on her work more times than she cared to count. She missed her grandmother, having lost her two years ago to pneumonia, and the sweater was a warm reminder of the woman she’d loved. Margaret still felt the void at the dinner table every night as her grandmother’s seat remained empty. And now John’s.

She saw the problem that Dottie was pointing to. A piece of the yarn had come loose and had wound its way around the gray wool skein. The last row of Margaret’s stitching had the beginnings of an unintentional red border. “Looks kind of nice, if you ask me,” offered Gladys.

Dottie stood up to inspect the work. “I think she’s right, Mags. It dresses it up a little bit. Makes it stand out.” She dug through her bag. “I don’t have a red skein, but I have a yellow one if you want to make a border on purpose.” She held it up.

Margaret took it from her hand but wasn’t convinced as she put it next to the sock. There was something dull about it. Yellow on gray. Whereas the red reminded her of some of the flashiest dancing shoes her parents used to make. She shook her head and gave the yellow back to Dottie. Then she tugged on her sweater, loosening the yarn even more. “I’m going to stick with the red. For all the socks I make. It will be like having my signature on it.”

“Oh, Margaret!” exclaimed Dottie. “What do you mean? That’s your favorite sweater!”

Margaret’s heart beat faster as she doubted herself, but she knew deep down that this was something she had to do. “That’s why. It’s because it’s my favorite. What if this little sacrifice means something? Like the amount of our effort somehow elevates theirs?”

Gladys set her project down on her lap. “Like it’s in the stars. The more good you put out there, the more comes down to them.”

“Or” – Dottie seemed enthusiastic about the idea now – “it’s like sending them a bit of your grandmother’s goodwill. Letting her be their guardian angel too.”

Margaret smiled. “Yes. Exactly like that.”

“I like it. And so would John.”

Margaret stifled a yawn. It was only nine o’clock, but she still felt tired from the sleep she’d missed from the early shift yesterday. This work was too important, though, and this evening with her friends was too dear to wrap up early. Another Glenn Miller song came on – “Knit One, Purl Two.” The girls fell into another fit of giggles. The song had dominated radio stations last year, and its appearance at this moment felt like it was all meant to be.

“You know what?” said Gladys. “I think I’d like to do this every Saturday night after all.”

Margaret smiled at Gladys’s response to the silent wish of her heart. She whispered a prayer for the boys who would receive the socks and went back to work. Tomorrow, she would write a letter to William and slip it into the box before shipping it out.

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Camille Di MaioAbout the Author

Camille Di Maio left an award-winning real estate career to become a bestselling author. She has a bucket list that is never ending and uses her adventures to inspire her writing. She’s lived in Texas, Colorado, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and California, and spends enough time in Hawai‘i and Maine to feel like a local. She’s traveled to four continents (so far), and hopes to get to all of them someday. Camille studied political science in college. She loves to spend Saturdays at farmers’ markets and belts out Broadway tunes whenever the moment strikes. She lives with her husband of twenty-four years in coastal Virginia, has two kiddos grown and flown, and two still at home. Rescue pets have been a long-term passion for her, the most recent addition being a German shepherd puppy. (Photo/Bio: Publisher author page)

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