Here’s hoping that one and all had a very Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and are relishing in the glow of a Happy New Year. I am hoping that you have had time to listen to my new podcast. That’s right, in addition to this website I now have a podcast titled “Books & Looks” which you can access on any podcast platform. While there is no set release dates for each podcast it is my hope to publish these every two weeks, and it is possible for even greater frequency. Here is a link to the Apple podcast location. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1514324351?i=1000590730990
So what does the new year have in store for you? A goal for the number of books you want to read? Maybe it is reading some books in new genre or settling down into a book you have been meaning to read for year, or an old classic that you want to enjoy once again. I thought long and hard about this question, and decided that this is going to be my Year of Discovery.
Now what do I mean by that? Well, I want to spend this year reading a lot of books by new authors, or authors I have not heard of previously. I began in 2022, and if you have been following my reviews, you will notice a lot of books that fit that profile. Kevin Doherty fits that profile with his new book “Landscape of Shadows” which was one of my top reads for 2022. But there also were fiction novels by Dan Pryor, Richard Martin, Judy Nunn. And there were a host of new authors in the realm of non-fiction, history and true crime who are just marvelous reads.
This year I have already read three books by authors I had never heard of and I want to bring their talents to all of you. Many of the new authors are self-published and there is no longer a stigma about that, since the major publishing houses thrive on the “old reliables.” Nothing wrong with that, but that also means a lot of quality writers, people who have great plots and characters have to fight it out without that huge infusion of cash and PR from these major publishing houses. And many of them are happy to do that. One such author is John Constable who has just self-published the Sol Nemo series here in the US. John is a fascinating author who lives in England and whose books are set in South Africa. I had a chance to talk with John and you can hear his interview on “Books & Looks.”
So while I am making this my Year of Discovery, I hope that you too will do the same. Peruse your local libraries for unknown authors, go to used book sales to find those hidden gems that others no longer desire. Do some searches on Goodreads for books by your favorite authors that you may have overlooked. And, keep following me right here at ViewsonBooks.com, as well listening to me on my podcast,“Books & Looks”, and learn about what I have found during my Year of Discovery in 2023.
