Top Ten Tuesday: New to Me Authors of 2013
Top Ten Tuesday is a great meme created by Jamie at The Broke and the Bookish that combines top ten lists and books. She’s come up with a great list of weekly discussion topics and I hope you’ll join in the discussion by commenting on this post or some of the other ones (you can find the list of participating blogs in this week's Top Ten Tuesday post on her site). Oh, and be sure to check out my giveaway while you're here! Over twenty books and two Amazon Gift Cards up for grabs!
This week’s topic is Top Ten New to Me Authors Read in 2013.
I used to always stick to my favorite authors--mostly the classics (Dickens, Austen, Bronte, etc.) and since becoming an author I've definitely branched out, reading more contemporary authors. That, combined with the fact that in the latter half of 2013, I've made a concerted effort to get my TBR pile under control, means that in 2013 I've definitely read lots of new to me authors. I gave myself a little pat on the back when I was compiling this list!
1. Gail Z. Martin (Ice Forged)I’m actually reading Ice Forged now so this one just squeaks in under the wire. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting (well, chatting via email with) the lovely Gail Z. Martin. I have to admit that, at the time, I didn’t realize how big of an author she is until I posted the BRoP interview with her and one of my friends said, “I love the Chronicles of the Necromancer.” Apparently I live under a rock. Anyway, I’m enjoying Ice Forged and have to check out her other work ASAP.
2. Vera Nazarian (Cobweb Bride)I just completed the first two books of this series two weeks ago and I’m on the edge of my seat waiting for the third book to release. I will definitely be looking for more work from this author.
3. Peter Reynolds (Ish)Okay, so this guy writes children’s books. Who cares?! I loved Ish, which was given to me as a gift by someone that was reminded of me by it. I loved it, thought it was lovely and amazing, and I’m eager to check out his other books.
4. Ellen Larson (The Measure of the Universe)I’ve actually met the incredibly awesome Ellen Larson and her books are as smart as she is. I really enjoyed The Measure of the Universe and I’m looking forward to her latest, which just released last month.
5. Mike Allen et al (Clockwork Phoenix 4)I discovered a bunch of new authors via this anthology and the authors’ readings at Readercon back in July—Yves Menard, Shira Lipkin, Nicole Kornher-Stace, Gemma Files, Yukimi Ogawa, Kenneth Schneyer, Barbara Krasnoff, and Alisa Alering in particular—and I look forward to tracking down other works by each of them. I had never read anything by any of the authors in this anthology, and after reading their stories here, I wondered where they had all been my life.
6. Marie Bilodeau (Destiny’s Blood)I really liked Destiny’s Blood, which I won; it was a unique combination of fantasy and science fiction and I’ve had the sequel sitting on my iPad for far too long. Must.Read.Faster.
7. Andrew Bliss (The End of the World)Unfortunately, this is Bliss’s only prose work to date (he’s mainly a playwright); I’m looking forward to seeing more from him, though, and I keep hoping he’ll do another novella or even a novel.
8. Erin Morgenstern (The Night Circus)While I agreed with many other reviewers that the The Night Circus didn’t really hold together plot wise, Morgenstern’s writing was lyrical and transportive. I can’t wait to see what she does next.
9. Jennifer Pelland (Machine)Pelland writes very dark material; Machine is, I believe, one of her lighter pieces, and it was pretty dark, so I’ve been trying to screw up my courage to dive into her other works, since I tend to shy away from the dark stuff. But either way, she’s an incredible writer and I look forward to see what she comes up with next.
10. Rose Mambert et al (Rapunzel’s Daughters and Other Tales)Like Clockwork Phoenix 4, I discovered several new authors via this anthology and am looking forward to tracking down their works, Heather Fowler, Suzanne Lilly, Alison Balaskovits, Amy E. Yergen, M. Shaw, Duncan Eagleson, and David Turnbull, especially, and like Clockwork Phoenix 4, I hadn't read any of these authors before.
And there you have it! What do you think of my list—any surprises? What about you—what authors did you discover this year?
TERRI BRUCE writes science fiction and fantasy stories with a literary bent from a haunted house in New England where she lives with her husband and three cats. Look for her contemporary fantasy Hereafter (Afterlife #1) coming January 2014.
Comments
@Sandra: Machine is awesome & I'm really enjoying Ice Forged. It's a big/intimidating looking book, but I'm flying through it.
@Juli: LOL, that's why I don't make New Year's resolutions - the to-do list just gets too long and makes me depressed
My TTT:
http://diamondinroughcoal.blogspot.com/2013/12/top-ten-tuesday-15-or-top-ten-new-to-me.html