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. You can see the full list of books which have been selected, as well as the author’s latest book on Bookshop.org, where you can have a browse and buy any that take your fancy. Happy reading!
Read This: Alice Peterson
Alice Peterson’s novel, The Saturday Place was selected as the Big Book Club read for Winchester Books Festival in April 2024, and I had the great pleasure of hosting the event where people who had read the book gathered to discuss it with Alice. There were so many things to discuss and Alice was delightful. Keep an eye out on the festival’s website for who we’ve picked for next year’s Big Book Club read. (I’m already excited.) And I’m so pleased that Alice agreed to select three under-read books for Read This. Here’s what she has to say about herself:
I was always ‘Alice the tennis player’. Aged 18, and about to sign a tennis scholarship to America, I experienced pain in my right hand, which developed into severe rheumatoid arthritis – a condition which is incurable. In my early 20s, a friend encouraged me to write my story, hoping it could help me to grieve the loss of my old life. My first book is a memoir about my tennis days and overcoming a harrowing, relentless illness by rebuilding my life as an author. My novels are infused with adversity, love, support, community and friendship. My most recent, The Saturday Place touches on volunteering and homelessness, and how love can heal the most broken of people. Alongside my writing, I am a psychotherapist and counsellor.
Here are Jane’s recommendations: