Books: The big names release new titles in 2011

Published on Thursday 6 January 2011 12:30

LONG after the annual Oor Wullie and Guinness World Record compendiums given over the festive season have been put away, readers can look forward to a year of new titles from exciting authors.

Big names for 2011 include thriller writer Jeffery Deaver, who is writing the new James Bond novel; Jean M Auel, who brings us The Land Of Painted Caves, the sixth and final instalment of the mega-selling Earth Children series; and Tom Bower, who has written a revealing authorised biography of maverick entrepreneur Bernie Ecclestone.

Tony Blair's former spin doctor Alastair Campbell will no doubt be generating headlines with the second volume of his diaries, Power And The People, published this month, which open as Tony Blair enters Downing Street and cover a host of political scandals and revelations.

Meanwhile, in fiction, Scandinavian crime writing is likely to be a major genre next year, predicts Jon Howells, spokesman for Waterstone's.

"It's been building over the last few years, and we've seen it crescendo in 2010 with the Stieg Larsson Millennium trilogy being out in paperback, the original Swedish films coming out and now the American remakes.

"Norwegian crime writer Jo Nesbo is one to watch out for and is being marketed as the next Stieg Larsson. The Snowman did fantastically well in 2010 and he has a new book out, The Leopard, in January."

Although Vampire tales, popularised by the likes of Stephenie Meyer, have certainly peaked, there's a new guide to the Twilight universe from Meyer out in April.

But the trend in supernatural tales is set to continue in the New Year, says Alice O'Keeffe, of trade magazine The Bookseller.

"There are a couple of witch-orientated books which may be big, including The Discovery Of Witches, by Deborah Harkness, set in a world where four species - vampires, witches, demons and humans - co-exist.

"Another in this genre is The Taker, a debut by Alma Katsu, which is said to take elements from Stephenie Meyer's Twilight and Interview With The Vampire." It should be available in April. Chick lit has moved on. Successful authors who made their name penning clever romantic tales which fell into this category - Marian Keyes, Lisa Jewell, Jane Green and Sophie Kinsella, to name but a few - have grown up, as have their novels which are now classed as 'modern women's fiction.' And watch out for new women's fiction titles from the likes of Jill Mansell, Cecelia Ahern and Patricia Scanlan, perfect to pack in the suitcase to take on holiday.

Joanna Trollope, a hugely successful author famed for her stories which tackle contemporary family issues, also has a new novel, Daughters-In-Law, out in March but if escapism is your bag, look out for the new Jackie Collins blockbuster, Goddess Of Vengeance.

Other recommendations in this genre include Christina Hopkinson's The Pile Of Stuff At The Bottom Of The Stairs, due out in the spring, about a former career girl who's married with two children and has had to go part-time to enable her to look after the children and play housekeeper.

Those who revel in celebrity memoirs may plump for Rob Lowe's autobiography, Stories I Only Tell My Friends, which details his experiences as an actor and father, to be published in May. Memoirs from Corrie and Loose Women star Sherrie Hewson and from Sarah Brown, who talks about life at number 10 in Behind The Black Door, and former Hear'Say star and Corrie actress Kym Marsh, are also out in spring.

Debut novels to watch out for are Pigeon English, by Stephen Kelman, narrated by a newly arrived Ghanaian boy living on an inner city estate and Before I Go To Sleep, by SJ Watson, a thriller about a woman who has a head trauma and becomes incapable of forming and maintaining new memories for more than a day. The film rights have already been sold to Ridley Scott's production company.

Finally, anyone who loves the Wallander series shouldn't miss Henning Mankell's last book featuring his most famous character, Inspector Kurt Wallander, tackling his final case. Happy reading.