COMING IN May 2025:
VIANNE
On the evening of July 4th, a young woman scatters her mother’s ashes in New York and follows the call of the changing winds to the French coastal city of Marseille.
For the first time in her life, Vianne feels in control of her future. Charming her way into a job as a waitress, she tries to fit in, make friends, and come to terms with her pregnancy, knowing that by the time her child is born, the turning wind will have changed once again.
As she discovers the joy of cooking for the very first time, making local recipes her own with the addition of bittersweet chocolate spices, she learns that this humble magic has the power to unlock secrets.
And yet her gift comes at a price. And Vianne has a secret of her own; a secret that threatens everything…
Or check out my handy reading group guide here…
ALL BOOKS
Fantasy/mythpunk
RUNE/Loki books:
People keep asking me what order to read the books of this series in: I think they work in any order, but officially it’s:
1: Runemarks. 2: Runelight: 3. The Gospel of Loki. 4: The Testament of Loki.
Loki is a relentlessly wonderful character; an amoral and capricious, but also completely psychologically plausible anti-hero, whose antics range from mischief to genocide, across 300 endlessly entertaining pages. (Andrew Lawston, Amazon)
Loved Runemarks…a core fantasy much like the stories of David Eddings or Terry Brooks, with a cool twist on Norse mythology. (Stephenie Meyer)
Folklore/fairytale
I loved this story for the imagery, for the idea that such magic could exist. It offers a reminder that however much man tries to insulate himself with his beliefs and inventions, he remains reliant on and at the mercy of the forces of nature. We may damage our world but it will not be tamed. (Jackie Law)
Magical, poignant, and wholly transporting. (Publishers Weekly)
Chocolat series
These books are part of an ongoing series, and for the most part stand alone, but work best in this order (although VIANNE is a prequel to CHOCOLAT, and can of course be read beforehand):
1: Chocolat. 2: The Lollipop Shoes. 3: Peaches for Monsieur le Cure. 4: The Strawberry Thief. 5: Vianne.
Trying to decide if ‘Chocolat’ series is whimsy dressed in steel-toecapped boots, or an iron sword barefoot in a floral dress. Either way, it’s brilliant. (@CallMeHobbit on Twitter)
Is this the best book ever written? Harris’s achievement is not only in her story, in her insight and humour and the wonderful picture of small-town life in rural France, but also in her writing. (Literary Review)
French novels
“…unexpectedly sweet and powerful, a reward for the patient reader.” (New York Times)
Psychological thrillers
The St Oswald’s books are part of a trilogy. All the books stand alone, but if you’d like to experience the full evolution of the world and the characters, they are best read in this order. 1: Gentlemen and Players. 2: Different Class. 3. A Narrow Door. Blueeyedboy is not a St Oswald’s book, but does fit into the series, somewhere between Different Class and A Narrow Door.
The tightly plotted drama of “Different Class” plays out in a way which is exciting and surprising, but the novel also says something meaningful about our shifting sense of values. I read this novel at a much faster pace than I read most books for the sheer pleasure of the idiosyncratic characters and the desire to know how their intriguing story would play out. It’s a highly enjoyable read. (The Lonesome Reader)
Imagine Carrie White had suppressed her paranormal abilities.
Imagine she’d lived a normal life: a house, a son, a husband, a job in an indie bookshop. Not a very happy life, but a normal, boring, suburban life in a busy part of London.
Now imagine if her powers emerged, not with puberty, but with MENOPAUSE…
“Bold, brave and timely.” Sarah Pinborough.
Gothic novels
A hauntingly evocative laudanum-dream of a novel. (Time Out)
Short stories
I thought Jigs & Reels was a really enjoyable collection of short stories. The collection shows off Harris’s diversity as a writer. The tales in Jigs & Reels touch and the light and dark aspects of life and vary from the funny to the chilling. I also loved the fact Harris included a little note of each story’s origin. (The Book Lover’s Boudoir)
This Dr Who novella, featuring the Third Doctor, was written for the BBC as part of the TIME TRIPS series: you can get it here as an e-book…
Harris not only has a keen understanding of Doctor Who, she has a keen sense of how to properly present a short story. Unlike the majority of these Time Trips, she has written to the length of the remit: there is not so much story that things feel rushed or skimmed over, but there is enough that we don’t feel short-changed with an over-simple plot stretched to fit. (P. Kennard, Amazon)
Cookery books
Audiobooks narrated by Joanne
Click on the image to hear a clip!
On Writing
Joanne Harris’s Ten Tweets have been tiny islands of sensibleness and wisdom in the sea of lunacy that is Twitter for a long time now, dispensing advice and distilled observation to those who follow her. I’m delighted they are going to be collected in one place and, selfishly, am looking forward to catching up with all the ones I’ve missed. (NEIL GAIMAN)
Joanne is not only a master of her craft but has the rare gift of being able to explain that craft, and offer peerless advice, in the clearest, no-nonsense, practical and entertaining of ways. Wherever you are in your writing voyage, Joanne is the perfect navigator. Learn, absorb, and enjoy! (MATT HAIG)
Essays on the writing life, featuring Joanne and many other authors.
Stories Featured In
Introductions:
I wrote an essay about the importance of Terry Pratchett for this edition of WYRD SISTERS.