Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten New-To-Me Authors in 2012
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. It’s awesome. Every Tuesday, the lovely folks over at The Broke and the Bookish post a top ten list topic so that book lovers like you and me can pour over our shelves and make our own lists. You can check out all the other Top Ten Tuesday‘s on their site!
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I don’t think there’s anything about reading I enjoy much more than discovering something NEW that blows me away. Except for maybe cozying up to something familiar and wonderful and getting more of something awesome. That’s pretty great, too. But this list isn’t about the known–it’s about the unfamiliar, and a special kind of unfamiliar at that: the kind that makes you feel like an ass for not knowing about it sooner. I’m largely (although not entirely) trying to stay away from debuts here because I feel like that’s a separate thing. Don’t worry, though. I got this.
Jodi Lynn Anderson
When I read TIGER LILY a few months ago, it shattered me and wrung me out and chiseled itself permanently into my heart and mind. I won’t say that it’s a book for everyone, even though I’ll PUSH it on everyone, but I adored it, and it made me incredibly eager to read the copy of PEACHES that’s been sitting on my bookshelf for ages.
Marissa Meyer
The debut author I just couldn’t leave off. Not only because CINDER absolutely knocked my socks off and is one of my favorite books of the year, but because I’ve also had a chance to read SCARLET, and that’s going to be one of my favorite books of 2013. No lie. The world-building in Marissa Meyer‘s books is stellar.
Patrick Rothfuss
I know that I’ve mentioned before how long, exactly, THE NAME OF THE WIND was sitting on my bookshelf not only unread, but literally unopened (hint: I have a first edition hardcover of this book, which came out in 2007), but I find it bears repeating. Because THIS BOOK is an insta-favorite. I loved it basically from the first page. And then, when I listened to book 2, THE WISE MAN’S FEAR, I knew that my love was totally legit.
Cinda Williams Chima
I’m really glad that I got into this series this year, friends. It’s got lots of things going for it, but not the least of which are Han Allister and Raisa, star-crossed lovers of a sort who have tons of baggage and angst and stuff. I have to admit that the magical elements in this series are not always awesome, but the characters and the conflict? THOSE are super.
Robin LaFevers
No, putting an author on this list because of a debut YA under a slightly different name does not count as a debut. Because Robin LaFevers–or R.L. LaFevers–is also the author of a MG series that sounds pretty fantastic. And even though I can’t imagine that the two are very similar–assassin nuns of death just doesn’t scream FIFTH GRADER-APPROPRIATE to me–but I really LOVED the characters and the political scheming and the danger in GRAVE MERCY. It makes me really excited to check out her Theodosia Throckmorton series about a young girl in Victorian London with some magical abilities whose father is the head curator at the London Museum of Antiquities. EGYPT, HOLLA!
Richelle Mead
I know. I only just this year read the Vampire Academy series. I thought that vamps and I had broken up for good, but Richelle Mead just sucked me right back in (UGH horrible, unintentional vamp pun. Apologies). There’s action and romance and angst and mystery and fast-paced crazy-pants vampire business. Rose is a BAMF, and the mythology is great, too.
Cath Crowley
Aussie word-magician Cath Crowley totally surprised me with how much I LOVED GRAFFITI MOON. I often wish that we here in the States had an easier time of getting our mitts on more Aussie YA, because it’s all basically awesome. I’d read all of Cath Crowley‘s words for sure.
Beth Kephart
I’ve had a few Beth Kephart books on my TBR for awhile, but it was her most recent book, SMALL DAMAGES, that really got me excited about her work. I was really moved by SMALL DAMAGES: the setting (Spain), the language, and most of all, Kenzie, a young girl made of tougher stuff than she realizes who slowly comes to grips with being a mother.
Courtney Summers
Because she got me to read–and LIKE–zombies, a feat heretofore unheard of in these parts. I gather that her other books are kind of dark and intense and something more like emo’s bitter, twisted cousin. So not for those moods when I’m feeling light-hearted and happy go lucky. But I’m game.
Patrick Ness
No, I have not yet read any of the Chaos Walking trilogy because I FEAR IT. Like, the whole thing from start to finish. But! I did read A MONSTER CALLS, and several things happened: my heart blew up, my nose ran OFF my face, I sobbed audibly for a number of minutes, and then I passed out in a snotty, exhausted heap. I know I have to read more of Patrick Ness‘s work. I do. I’ll get to it.
Cath Crowley’s on my list, too! And I adore Patrick Ness and Beth Kephart, and Marissa Meyer’s Cinder was fantastic! Great picks.
Interesting list with some new-to-me authors 🙂 But I’ve read quite a few too, and loved their books – Crowley, Mead and Patrick Ness.
Girl, GO READ CHAOS WALKING! It’s worth the fear, trust me! And I had no clue that Robin LeFevers wrote other books! I thought Grave Mercy was a debut. Huh, how about that?! Great list!
I’m really excited to hear that Marissa Meyer’s Scarlet was just as good as Cinder! Looking forward to it!
I want to read Cinda Williams Chima’s books–I almost met her at the Buckeye Book Fair last year, but she was out to lunch when I was there, unfortunately.
I am taking mental notes on what fantasy series I need to start (since you mention a lot of the ones I haven’t tried yet on this list). But great picks!