Read This: Books under the Radar is a weekly post written by a guest author – often a friend of mine, someone I’ve met on my writerly travels, or an author I admire who recommends three books they think deserve more recognition. If you’re interested in buying any of the books, please click on the covers and give these hidden gems some love.

Read This: Vanessa Harbour

Vanessa is one of those lovely writers I seem to have known forever, often popping up at my local independent book shop, at other authors’ launches and events. She is incredibly supportive and encouraging of other authors and she must make the most wonderful mentor. Here’s what she has to say about herself:

Vanessa Harbour is a disabled author and Programme Leader of the BA in Creative Writing at the University of Winchester. She has also mentored aspiring writers for many years, acting as editor and workshop leader. History fascinates her. Her novels Flight and Safe combine her passion for horses and the Second World War. She loves to use words to paint pictures through storytelling. Follow Vanessa on Instagram.

All three of the books I’ve chose have something in common. They’re driven by characters and family whether the one you’re born into or the one you create around you.

Here are Vanessa’s recommendations:

Birdeye by Judith Heneghan

I need to be upfront and state that Judith is a colleague so I am aware of her writing processes and her research.

The main character, Liv, who runs a commune in the Catskill mountains, whilst caring for her daughter and is a cancer survivor. Her other hugely successful daughter, Mary, lives in London. This story draws you in right from the beginning. The characters and setting are beautifully crafted and realised. The writing is tight and precise as each word seems to have earnt its place on the page. You live the story with Liv through the twists and turns of the story as the pain of loss and pressures of caring ripple throughout. This is a story of relationships and family. Family you’re born into and family you create. Secrets and memories weave their way throughout a narrative rich in layers and depth. In the first few pages we meet Conor – a young man who tries to ingratiate himself. There’s something not quite right the story challenges your loyalties. An intriguing story that replicates life in its quiet richness.

Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors

This is another story based on family. This time it’s a story told from the perspective of three sisters, Avery, Bonnie and Lucky. It’s a year since their sister Nicky died. They’re all struggling in their separate ways. Like Birdeye the characters and settings are richly and

effectively created. A story of grief and relationships. The sisters are spread around the world but must come together in order to sell the family home in New York. By doing this they start to navigate the issues in their respective lives from addiction to heartbreak all wrapped up in unbearable grief. Each sister has a very strong yet distinctive voice. The threads of sibling relations run deep though. Their childhood was complicated, and this adds to the layers and depth of the story. It’s another story that draws you in and allows you to get lost in the narrative. The writing is not as tight as Birdeye but is equally evocative and crafted. Highlighting that inspiring writing can come in many forms as has been the case with these three texts.

Letter from New York by Helene Hanff

Written in a diary style this book takes us back to heart of Manhattan in the 1980s. Hanff introduces us to her favourite people, pets and places. There’s a gentle sense of humour that runs throughout as she describes her life at the time. We get to experience the different seasons and events as they happen in New York. Hanff ensures you feel part of her life. As someone who can remember the 80s it’s good fun to read, but it’s also wonderful to experience the characterisation and a chance to explore the city. It was a very different time then.

It started off as a short project but ended up as a six year one. We get a wonderful sense of New York pre Friends and Sex in the City. Even though it’s forty years on the stories are still pertinent. It’s timeless. We all know characters just like the ones we meet in Letter from New York – particularly the dogs! This is a joyous book to dip into.

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I’ve read, loved, and reviewed Birdeye by Judith Heneghan and I urge you to read it! I haven’t read Letter from New York, but I have read Hanff’s 34 Charing Cross Road, which is absolutely wonderful, so I’m definitely going to read this one. Plus Manderley Press choose very classy books to republish and are definitely worth following. Blue Sisters sounds really intriguing and is going on the list. Any here that catch your eye? And if you’d like to be told about future Read This recommendations, you can follow me on Instagram, or subscribe to my newsletter.

More Read This: Books Under the Radar

Lou Morrish author of Women of War
Francesca Ramsay author of Pinch Me
Sarah Leipciger author of Moon Road
Tim Chapman university librarian
Juliet West author of The Faithful
Lindsay Hunter author of Hot Springs Drive
Gina Chung author of Sea Change
Susmita Bhattacharya author of Table Manners