Do you ever have the sensation that the books by an author you have never read will end up being appealing to you for years to come? I have an inexplicable feeling that the work of some authors I’ve never tried will end up taking a lot of space on my shelves in the future. Various of their books have been on my wish list for a long time. I’m confident I’ll like them. But I haven’t yet taken the next step, buy and read them, in order to confirm that those books are to my taste.
There are five authors whose work I haven’t read yet, but that I think I’ll cherish.
Shirley Jackson
The American author Shirley Jackson has forever been on my wish list. Having lived from 1916 to 1965, she is famous for her horror and mystery books, two genres I don’t tend to read often, but that I’m eager to explore further. Four of her books appeal the most to me: The Haunting of Hill House, We Have Always Lived in the Castle, The Sundial and Hangsaman. How unsettling and terrifying will they be?
Kazuo Ishiguro
I’ve been meaning to read the work of the British author Kazuo Ishiguro since I watched the film adaptation of Never Let Me Go. Born in Nagasaki in 1954, he moved to the UK with his parents when he was five years old. His body of work, which includes both sci-fi and historical fiction, won him the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2017. Besides Never Let Me Go, I also want to read at least The Remains of the Day and Klara and the Sun.
Agatha Christie
Yes, I haven’t yet read a single book by Agatha Christie, who was born in 1890 and died in 1976. Although I have the feeling that I will enjoy them, I’m always delaying picking one up. As you all know, she wrote detective and mystery novels. I want to start exploring her work with the novel And Then There Were None, but after that I have no idea about which of her other books to read. There are so many! Should I go for one featuring Miss Marple or Poirot? Currently, I’m more inclined to choose Miss Marple.
Carol Ann Duffy
I’m not familiar with British poetry, but the award-winning Carol Ann Duffy has caught my attention. Born in 1955, she has written poems about oppression and violence, for example, in a language that is considered accessible. I have three of her books on my wish list: Rapture, The Bees and The World’s Wife.
João Tordo
Born in 1975, the Portuguese author João Tordo has written books from a variety of genres, including not only literary and historical fiction, but also mysteries and thrillers, two genres that are not very common in Portuguese literature. Four of his books in particular have caught my interest: Felicidade, As Três Vidas, Águas Passadas and O Luto de Elias Gro (the first book in a trilogy). As far as I know, his work hasn’t been translated into English yet.
Are there any authors whose body of work you feel you will enjoy but haven’t read a single book by yet? Have you read books by any of the authors I mentioned? Tell me in the comments!
Ishiguro is a favourite writer of mine. I particularly love The Remains of the Day, Never Let Me Go, and The Buried Giant.
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I remember The Buried Giant being mentioned a lot some years ago, but it didn’t catch my interest as much as the others for some reason.
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You’re in for a treat with Shirley Jackson – one of my favourite writers ever. They are not really horror stories in the traditional sense of the word: just unsettling, but subtly done.
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I prefer unsettling stories to proper horror, so that’s great to hear!
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