Tag: memes

#TopTenTuesday Debut Novels I Loved

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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’s topic is 2023 Debut Books I’m Excited About. I’ll be honest I didn’t have time to look through upcoming books to find those which are debuts so instead I’m looking back at ten debut novels I loved when I first read them. I always think it’s exciting to find an author at the beginning at their writing journey, one perhaps you can follow in years to come. Links from the title will take you to my review.

The Devil’s Half Mile by Paddy Hirsch – Fast-paced historical crime thriller set in late eighteenth century New York
Miss Boston and Miss Hargreaves by Rachel Malik – Based on the life of the author’s own grandmother, the tender story of two women brought together by war 
Blood & Sugar by Laura Shepherd-Robinson – A compelling historical crime mystery set in eighteenth century London
The Deception of Harriet Fleet by Helen Scarlett – Set in nineteenth century County Durham, an absorbing story of family secrets, betrayal, grief, jealousy and a desire for vengeance
The Final Revival of Opal & Nev by Dawnie Walton – Fizzing with energy, the story of a fictional band in 1970s New York set against the backdrop of segregation, discrimination and racial unrest
The Late Train to Gipsy Hill by Alan Johnson – A crime thriller with an intricate plot, a cast of shady characters and a storyline involving Russian criminals and money laundering that couldn’t be more up-to-date 
No Ordinary Killing by Jeff Dawson – Action-packed historical crime mystery set in late 19th century South Africa and featuring Captain Ingo Finch of the Royal Army Medical Corps 
The Far Field by Madhuri Vijay – In the wake of her mother’s death, a young woman from Bangalore sets out for a remote Kashmiri village
People Like Us by Louise Fein – Set in pre-WW2 Germany, the story of two young people who love each other but find events and political dogma place obstacles in their way
City of Spies by Mara Timon – Set in WW2 Lisbon, the cover quote “Casablanca meets Le Carré” is spot on

Are there debut novels that stick in your mind?

#6Degrees of Separation From Trust to How to Travel with a Salmon

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It’s the first Saturday of the month which means it’s time for 6 Degrees of Separation!

Here’s how it works: a book is chosen as a starting point by Kate at Books Are My Favourite and Best and linked to six other books to form a chain. Readers and bloggers are invited to join in by creating their own ‘chain’ leading from the selected book.

Kate says: Books can be linked in obvious ways – for example, books by the same authors, from the same era or genre, or books with similar themes or settings. Or, you may choose to link them in more personal or esoteric ways: books you read on the same holiday, books given to you by a particular friend, books that remind you of a particular time in your life, or books you read for an online challenge. Join in by posting your own six degrees chain on your blog and adding the link in the comments section of each month’s post.   You can also check out links to posts on Twitter using the hashtag #6Degrees.

TrustThis month’s starting book is Trust by Hernan Diaz which was longlisted for the Booker Prize 2022. As is often the case, it’s a book I haven’t read but I know it’s set in 1920s New York.

Also set in New York, but at the end of the 18th century, is historical crime mystery The Devil’s Half-Mile by Paddy Hirsch.

Staying in New York, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith is the story of the Nolans, a family of first-generation immigrants to the United States.

Colm Tóibín, the author of the 2009 novel Brooklyn, also wrote House of Names which is a retelling of the myth of Clytemnestra, wife of Agamemnon and mother of Orestes, Electra and Iphigenia.

The Trojan War is also the setting for The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker which focuses on Briseis, wife of King Mynes, who is captured and awarded to the warrior Achilles as a prize of war.

Achilles is also the name of a character in The Echo Chamber by John Boyne which also features a well-travelled tortoise named after a Ukranian folk hero. The book’s epigraph includes a quote by Umberto Eco, best known for The Name of the Rose but also the author of How to Travel with a Salmon and Other Essays.

My chain has taken me on a journey from New York to a satirical look at modern day living.  Where did your chain take you?

#6Degrees of Separation