Welcome back to Book Break.
The last few months have been such an exciting time for book lovers
because so many of our favourite authors have come out with new books.
So in this video I'm going to talk about
some of the most exciting books that have come out
from just some of the most beloved authors.
So I'm starting with the latest book by Jessie Burton: The Confession.
And this one is a departure from her signature historical fiction
but it's still got such a strong sense of time and place.
And I actually did a whole video which I will link to below so you can go watch that
on all of the things that made everyone fall in love with Jessie Burton in the first place
and that you will find in spades in this book.
So things like her amazing female characters
and her portrayal of the complex relationships that can exist between women.
And also the fact that it's got this great mystery running throughout it
so it's a serious page turner.
So the story in this one is split between two timelines.
We've got present day London
where we meet a young woman trying to find who her mother was
and find out what the connection is that her mother had with this novelist named Connie
Holden.
And then we also go a little bit back in time to 1980s Hollywood
and meet a younger Connie Holden and see her love story with this woman Elise.
And it's all about trying to figure out what happened between those two timelines
and how things ended up the way that they did.
It's definitely my favourite of hers so far.
And next, I'm going to talk about the most recent book by Emma Donoghue
and what's so amazing about Emma Donoghue is that all of her books really are so different
from one another.
Possibly her most famous book is Room
which is the story of a young boy being held captive with his kidnapped mother.
Then there's also The Wonder, which is a historical fiction book set in 19th century Ireland
about a young girl who claims to have survived with no food for months.
There's Kissing the Witch which is a collection of fairy tale retellings
which are all interconnected in a really unusual way.
You really never know what you're going to get.
So with her latest book, Akin,
Emma Donoghue manages to bring not just a new plot, but also a new style and tone all
over again,
showing just how amazing Emma Donoghue's writing range is.
So Akin is about the bond between an 80 year old man named Noah
and his 11 year old great nephew
who he'd never met before but is suddenly entrusted into his care
after his father dies and his mother has been taken to prison.
So together they leave the US and fly to France
where Noah was heading to explore his roots
and it's all about the fact that
they come from such massively different backgrounds and have such different views on life
but it's actually about exploring the things that they find they have in common
so it's a really touching and powerful book
and there are family secrets to be uncovered along the way.
Next up, a book from everyone's favourite dark fantasy storyteller Frances Hardinge.
So her latest is Deeplight, and firstly just look at how gorgeous this book is.
Deeplight is set in a world that used to be ruled by these really cruel and merciless
gods
but now the gods are dead, and their remains are scattered beneath the waves.
So the story follows two 14 year old boys
best friends since childhood
Hark and Jelt.
And they are scavengers so they go diving to look for relics from the gods that they
can sell.
But on one dive they come across their most dangerous relic yet
and Hark ends up having to make a decision.
In order to save Jelt's life, it's a decision that might risk destroying both of them.
So this has got all of Frances Hardinge's trademarks,
it's got amazing world-building,
this really beautiful and unusual magic system,
but also plenty of darkness for the characters to battle.
Now the next book from the author of the insanely popular This Is Going to Hurt, Adam Kay.
This is his new book Twas the Nightshift Before Christmas,
so this is even more collections of his diaries from his time as a junior doctor,
but this time it's focusing on all the times that he spent Christmas on the wards.
This Is Going to Hurt is probably one of the most talked about books of the last few years,
it's such an eye opening account of what it's like working for the NHS,
and Twas the Nightshift Before Christmas is such an amazing follow-up.
It will make you, if possible, even more grateful for the NHS staff
who spend the festive season working on the front line.
I've got one here that was so highly anticipated: Wayward Son by Rainbow Rowell.
So this is the sequel to Carry On,
which is the story of a magician and his vampire roommate,
who are enemies but also fall in love,
which is just everyone's favourite trope.
And in the sequel we check back in on what happened to these characters after their happy
ending
so what happens to the hero after he completes his mission.
And in this book, what happens is he goes on an epic road trip across America with his
boyfriend.
And just to keep excitement levels really high,
Rainbow Rowell recently announced that there's going to be another book in the series called
Any Way the Wind Blows,
so the story is not over yet.
Another really highly anticipated one that came out this year was of course The Testaments
by Margaret Atwood.
So that is the sequel to The Handmaid's Tale,
written over 30 years since the first book came out,
and it's set 15 years after the events of the original.
And The Handmaid's Tale has just felt more relevant than ever over the last few years.
The TV show came just at the right time to really resonate with people who are feeling
pretty scared about the way the world is going.
And Margaret Atwood was really feeling that too,
so that's what inspired her to go back and revisit the story,
and see the ways that Gilead can still be relevant to our lives today.
So I'm not going to say too much about The Testaments because of spoilers,
but it follows three different women whose lives were affected by Gilead in very different
ways.
And the connections that they have to the original characters are for you to figure
out when you pick it up.
Now an author who is absolutely beloved for her uber-relatable characters is Jojo Moyes
and again her books are all quite different from each other
but they all just feel so warm and relatable no matter where they're set
because of her characters, who are just so real that they feel like your friends
and you feel really invested in their lives.
And her new book is called Giver of Stars and it's a historical fiction book set in
depression era America
and it's about five women who make this amazing journey
through the mountains of Kentucky
delivering books!
And they become known as the Packhorse Librarians of Kentucky,
it is based on a true story about these women.
So as well as being about these amazing women and the dangers that they face and the strength
that they show,
it's also about their commitment to bringing books to people who've never had them
so it's sort of a love story to the power of reading.
And finally, the most recent book from the lovely Irish author Cecelia Ahern
who is the author of the massive bestseller PS I Love You
comes Postscript.
And this is a sequel to that first book,
written 15 years after the first one came out,
and we're checking back in on the main character Holly
to see how she's doing years after her husband's death
and to see what grief and resilience look like that much further down the line.
So the first book, if you're one of the few people who didn't read it,
is about the first year after her husband's death,
and he writes her these letters which she reads once a month
which help guide her onto the path to recovery.
so it's a massive tearjerker.
So it's really lovely that this one gives us the chance to check back in on her and
see how she's doing
and also see how grief can shape us in a positive way as well as the sad bits
kind of how it turned her into the person that she is
and has led her life into a new place.
So who are your favourite authors that you're desperate to see something new from?
Do leave a comment below letting us know.
And give this video a thumbs up and hit that subscribe button below for new videos every
Thursday.
Coming up next week we're talking about some of the best new historical fiction.
And while you're waiting, you can always go and follow us over on Instagram @bookbreakuk.
See you next time!