My most anticipated reads of 2018.

There are some amazing books to look forward to in 2018

Three Things About Elise by Joanna Cannon – 11 January 2018
Having adored The Trouble With Goats and Sheep I’m excited about Joanna Cannon’s second book, Three Things About Elsie. Just reading the book description has me feeling this will be in my top reads of 2018. I rarely pre-order books, the last being the stunning Tin Man, but I will with this novel, her writing is worth any amount of money!

There are three things you should know about Elsie. The first thing is that she’s my best friend. The second is that she always knows what to say to make me feel better. And the third thing… might take a little bit more explaining.
84-year-old Florence has fallen in her flat at Cherry Tree Home for the Elderly. As she waits to be rescued, Florence wonders if a terrible secret from her past is about to come to light; and, if the charming new resident is who he claims to be, why does he look exactly a man who died sixty years ago?
From the author of The Trouble With Goats and Sheep, this book will teach you many things, but here are three of them: 1) The fine threads of humanity will connect us all forever. 2) There is so very much more to anyone than the worst thing they have ever done. 3) Even the smallest life can leave the loudest echo.
Circe by Madeline Miller – 19th April 2018
I can’t begin to explain how excited I am about this new Madeline Miller release and how long the wait has seemed and continues to seem before we can read it. I fell deeply in love with The Song For Achilles, which reduced me to a sobbing mess. I feel oddly nervous though about reading Circe, because of how much her first book continues to mean to me. Will her new novel also become a much loved read? Only time will tell! Is it April yet?

From the Orange Prize-winning, internationally bestselling author of The Song of Achilles comes the powerful story of the mythological witch Circe, inspired by Homer’s Odyssey
In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. But Circe has neither the look nor the voice of divinity, and is scorned and rejected by her kin. Increasingly isolated, she turns to mortals for companionship, leading her to discover a power forbidden to the gods: witchcraft.
When love drives Circe to cast a dark spell, wrathful Zeus banishes her to the remote island of Aiaia. There she learns to harness her occult craft, drawing strength from nature. But she will not always be alone; many are destined to pass through Circe’s place of exile, entwining their fates with hers. The messenger god, Hermes. The craftsman, Daedalus. A ship bearing a golden fleece. And wily Odysseus, on his epic voyage home.
There is danger for a solitary woman in this world, and Circe’s independence draws the wrath of men and gods alike. To protect what she holds dear, Circe must decide whether she belongs with the deities she is born from, or the mortals she has come to love.
Breathing life into the ancient world, Madeline Miller weaves an intoxicating tale of gods and heroes, magic and monsters, survival and transformation.

The Burning Chamber by Kate Mosse – 3 May 2018I

I am a massive fans of this author’s books and so I am excited to discover she has a new book out next year. Given that she is one of my go to authors I will be reading this book as soon as I download it.

Bringing sixteenth-century Languedoc vividly to life, Kate Mosse’s The Burning Chambers is a gripping story of love and betrayal, mysteries and secrets; of war and adventure, conspiracies and divided loyalties.
Carcassonne 1562: Nineteen-year-old Minou Joubert receives an anonymous letter at her father’s bookshop. Sealed with a distinctive family crest, it contains just five words: She Knows you live.
But before Minou can decipher the mysterious message, a chance encounter with a young Huguenot convert, Piet Reydon, changes her destiny forever. For Piet has a dangerous mission of his own, and he will need Minou’s help if he is to get out of La Cité alive.
Toulouse: As the religious divide deepens in the Midi, and old friends become enemies, Minou and Piet both find themselves trapped in Toulouse, facing new dangers as sectarian tensions ignite across the city, the battle-lines are drawn in blood and the conspiracy darkens further.
Meanwhile, as a long-hidden document threatens to resurface, the mistress of Puivert is obsessed with uncovering its secret and strengthening her power . . .

Transcription by Kate Atkinson – 6 September 2018

After falling in love with Kate Atkinson’s writing after reading Life after Life, I’m looking forward to reading her new book Transcription. If it’s half as good, it will be a fabulous and addictive read.

Transcription is a bravura novel of extraordinary power and substance. Juliet Armstrong is recruited as a young woman by an obscure wartime department of the Secret Service. In the aftermath of war she joins the BBC, where her life begins to unravel, and she finally has to come to terms with the consequences of idealism.

These are just some of the books I’m looking forward to reading. Looks like it’s going to be another exciting reading year in 2018.