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: Clare Mackintosh

Clare Mackintosh is a writer I hugely admire: not just for her terrific novels (and I am very much looking forward to reading her latest book which is a memoir) but also for her self-promotion. If that seems like a strange thing to admire, let me say that most authors need to get a little better at this – publishers only have so much time and resources so we need to do it ourselves without embarrassment. But Clare isn’t just about pushing her own books; she’s also incredibly supportive of others – one of the reasons why she agreed to give me her choices for Books under the Radar. Here’s a bit more about her:

Clare Mackintosh is the multi-award-winning author of seven novels, including the global bestseller I Let You Go and the critically acclaimed DC Ffion Morgan series. Her books have sold more than two million copies and been translated into 40 languages. Together, they have spent more than 65 weeks in the Sunday Times top ten. In 2024, she released a memoir, I Promise it Won’t Always Hurt Like This, based on her experiences of grief following the death of her son.  

You can find her on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok as @claremackwrites

Here are Clare’s recommendations:

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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:

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Read This is a weekly post written by a guest author – often a friend of mine, or someone I’ve met on my writerly travels, 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: Gina Chung

Gina and I met when we were put together because we’d both written books that featured octopuses – hers being the wonderful Sea Change, about a woman called Ro whose only real friend is a Pacific Octopus called Delores. She interviewed me about mine – The Memory of Animals at McNally Jackson, a gorgeous bookshop in New York. Here’s what she has to say about herself:

Gina Chung is a Korean American writer from New Jersey currently living in New York City. She is the author of the novel Sea Change, which was longlisted for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize, a 2023 B&N Discover Pick, an APALA Adult Fiction Honor Book, and a New York Times Most Anticipated Book, and the short story collection Green Frog, which was a Good Morning America Book Buzz Pick. A recipient of the Pushcart Prize, she is a 2021-2022 Center for Fiction/Susan Kamil Emerging Writer Fellow and holds an MFA in fiction from The New School.

Here are Gina’s recommendations:

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Read This 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: Lindsay Hunter

Lindsay and I met in 2023 when she interviewed me about my novel, The Memory of Animals as part of the US book tour for the book, at the wonderful bookshop in Chicago, Exile in Bookville. She was (is) so lovely and enthusiastic and funny, that we’ve stayed in touch. She gave me a proof of her latest novel, Hot Springs Drive, and unsurprisingly I loved this too, wrote her a quote for the cover and posted a mini review of it on Instagram. I highly recommend it. Here’s what she has to say about herself:

(*Why am I not surprised that Lindsay cheated and gave me four recommendations?)

I’m Lindsay Hunter, author of five books. My latest novel, Hot Springs Drive, was named one of the best thrillers of 2023 by the Washington Post. I host I’m a Writer But, a podcast about writers and their lives. I live in Chicago with my family. 

I’m excited to recommend the following books to you! These are titles that have stayed with me ever since I had the pleasure of reading them. They inspire me in my own writing, and show me that there are no limits, only those I’ve imposed on myself. Also, and this is important: they are a blast to read.

Here are Lindsay’s recommendations:

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

Read This: Francesca Ramsay

Here’s the disclaimer: Francesca is a friend of my son’s and it was via him that I was sent her book. Of course it doesn’t always work out when you’re sent a book via a friend or relation but this time it did. I loved Pinch Me, and you can see the breakfast picture I took of it and read my brief review on Instagram here. And only a couple of weeks ago I finally met her in real life when I was in Bristol with Henry. She’s as lovely in real life as she is on the page. Here’s a bit more about her:

Francesca Ramsay is an author, editor and art history teacher based in Bristol. Often working at the interface between art and the public has made her adept at writing about what we see in ways that are both accessible and entertaining. Her first book, PINCH ME: Trying to Feel Real in the 21st Century came out last year, and has recently been published in Italian as Toccami (Touch Me). 

You can find her on Instagram. Here are Francesca’s recommendations:

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