I have a TBR that is a mile long. Always. But there are a few authors whose books hit the top of the stack the second they drop. For these wonderful authors, I will stop reading everything else in favor of their new works. One such author is YA fantasy author Victoria Schwab (she also writes adult fantasy under the name V.E. Schwab).
Amy and Jae introduced me to Schwab on our long car ride to BookCon. It started with The Archived and Unbound. Now, I’ve read eleven of her novels, and am anxiously awaiting her forthcoming book, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. It drops on October 6, and I’m here for it. I’m so very here for it. In fact, I bought tickets to a virtual event with her on October 7th that scored me a signed bookplate and an art print, along with the book. So, why all the anticipation?
Aside from the fact that her books are always solid reads, and some are among my all-time favorites, Schwab is an absolute delight on Twitter. I literally only have Twitter to follow authors and publishers. So it is my happy space. And the transparency that Schwab displayed while writing Addie has only made me love her more and become obsessively excited about the novel. She shared her triumphs and foibles—the good, bad, and ugly of book writing. She shared the self doubt that comes when authors write, which I found so refreshing. Who knew that best-selling authors with massive publishing deals also suffer from cases of imposter syndrome, and must battle the self-doubt demons that plague everyone who tries to write a novel? Being humble seems rare these days.
It is clear that Schwab herself really loves this novel, that it is special to her in a way that seems bigger than some of her other work. And that makes me confident that I will love it, too. She seems like such a kind and lovely person and that makes me want her to succeed. I just want to stand over here cheering her on, one of her adoring fans. So, the second this novel is in my hands, the binge read is ON.
Are there books you are waiting for? Are there authors whose new work immediately goes to the top of your TBR? Let us know in the comments!