Chapter 16 - The New By The Known

Summertime wouldn't be as wonderful for reading if it wasn't for new books by those authors we know and love. If I have followed an author for a long time or even read of few of his/her books, I search that author out again and again until I exhaust their catalog of books. A long awaited book is as if the author has given me a gift.

Thankfully in the summer many well known authors come out with new books. Some authors (like James Patterson and Danielle Steel) are very prolific and seem to churn out books every month or so. Other authors, like those listed below, are more circumspect in how often their books come out. I don't know if it is because it takes them longer to write, or maybe they just have lives outside of writing but their books are always an occasion for celebration. Here are some new books by known authors.

Never Flinch by Stephen King - King's latest novel has two narratives. The first is a note from someone threatening to kill "thirteen innocents and one guilty" in retaliation for an innocent man's death. The second narrative is about a woman's rights activist who is being stalked as she spreads her feminist message. King has mixed a group of old and new characters and, knowing how Stephen King weaves a tale, we know that the two narratives will somehow meet for an explosive ending!

My Name Is Emilia del Valle by Isabel Allende - I think whatever Allende touches is gold so I'm really excited about her latest which just came out. In 1866 an Irish nun abandoned by her Chilean lover gives birth to a daughter. Raised by a loving stepfather she grows to be an independent woman who moves into the world of journalism. While covering a civil war in Chile she meets her biological father. As the war grows Emilia finds that love and family may not be the only way to discover who she is.

Don't Open Your Eyes by Liv Constantine - This duo of writers (sisters Lynne and Valerie Constantine) have given us quite a few good novels. This one, to be published in June, is about Annabelle who seems to have it all - a devoted husband, two wonderful daughters, and a great career. Then Annabelle starts dreaming dreams which seem to be coming true. When she has a dream that one of her daughters is in serious danger, she wonders if she can change destiny.

The River Is Waiting by Wally Lamb - Wally Lamb's last book was published in 2019 and told the stories of the women he taught creative writing to in New York prisons. His latest is more in keeping with the books we know and love from him. Corby Ledbetter is struggling with new fatherhood, the loss of his job, and a secret addiction. Then he makes a mistake that takes him to jail. Does jail, with its brutality and small acts of kindnesses change him? Can those who loved him once ever forgive him even if he has done his time? If you like Wally Lamb's writing this might be for you.

The Doorman by Chris Pavone - I fell in love with Pavone with The Expats and Two Nights in Lisbon both of which were twisty thrillers. In his latest novel, doorman Chicky Diaz knows everything there is to know about The Bohemia, the famous apartment house to the rich and famous. He knows everything about the tenants and the help as well. Before his shift this evening Chicky has bought a gun and someone will be leaving the Bohemia dead.

Have you read any of these authors in the past? Are there any you are particularly interested in? Let me know.