Top Ten Tuesday: New-to-Me Authors I Read In 2018

Top Ten Tuesday new

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 New-to-Me Authors I Read In 2018.


My list is made up of authors of books I read for blog tours, for reading challenges or because I was sent review copies or approved for titles on NetGalley by lovely publishers.  Regardless of how it happened, the end result was I came across some fantastic new authors and, as a consequence, I’ve added other books they’ve published to my wishlist.

Click on the book title to read my review.

Claire Fuller (Bitter Orange)

David Downing (Zoo Station)

Robert Olen Butler (Paris in the Dark)

Daniel Mason (The Winter Soldier)

David Hewson (Juliet & Romeo)

Katherine Stansfield (The Magpie Tree)

Philip Kerr (Prussian Blue)

Philip Kazan (The Black Earth)

David Hingley (Traitor)

Stefan Merrill Block (Oliver Loving)

Which new authors did you discover in 2018?

The Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction 2019: Some Contenders?

The deadline for publishers to submit books published in 2018 for The Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction 2019 is fast approaching (31st January).  Like other historical fiction fans, I shall be eagerly awaiting the announcement of the longlist and the ‘Academy Recommends’ list in February/March. Last year, I managed to read eight of the thirteen longlisted novels and all but one of the shortlisted novels.  You can find links to my reviews here.  This year I aim to read, if possible, all the longlisted novels (assuming I haven’t already read them).

There were some fantastic historical fiction novels published in 2018 and listed below are some I’ve read that I’d love to see make the longlist (subject to them meeting all the eligibility criteria).  In addition, there are some books in my TBR pile I haven’t got around to reading yet but which, judging from reviews, potentially deserve a place.  Finally, there are a few others that I’m yet to acquire but which also look like possible contenders for inclusion.

Check back when the longlist is announced to see how my picks match the judges’ choices – if at all!


Books I read and loved in 2018 (click on title for my review)

The Mermaid and Mrs. Hancock by Imogen Hermes Gowar (Vintage)

The Devil’s Half Mile by Paddy Hirsch (Corvus)

Paris in the Dark by Robert Olen Butler (No Exit Press)

The Black Earth by Philip Kazan (Allison and Busby)

The Great Darkness by Jim Kelly (Allison and Busby)

The Winter Soldier by Daniel Mason (Mantle)

The Good Doctor of Warsaw by Elisabeth Gifford (Corvus)

Nucleus (Tom Wilde #2) by Rory Clements (Bonnier Zaffre)

Mr. Peacock’s Possessions by Lydia Syson (Bonnier Zaffre)

The Poison Bed by E. C. Fremantle (Michel Joseph)

The Story Keeper by Anna Mazzola (Tinder Press)

Smile of the Wolf by Tim Leach (Head of Zeus)

Books in my TBR pile (click on title for Goodreads description)

Transcription by Kate Atkinson (Doubleday)

All Among the Barley by Melissa Harrison (Bloomsbury)

Now We Shall Be Entirely Free by Andrew Miller (Sceptre)

Books ‘on my RADAR’ (click on title for Goodreads description)

Warlight by Michael Ondaatje (Jonathan Cape)

Love Is Blind by William Boyd (Viking)

Is your favourite on my list?  What other historical fiction novels published in 2018 do you think deserve to be nominated?