Author Obsessions in 2016
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and The Bookish. Every week they post a new topic and invite everyone to share their answers. I'm so obsessed with lists - so I obviously love this feature!
Top Ten New-to-Me Authors I Read in 2016
1. Kate Atkinson | Life After Life
Life After Life was one of the first books I read in 2016, and I knew immediately that it would earn Kate Atkinson a spot on this list at the end of the year. She turned a complex concept - that could have easily been a mess - into an absolute page turner. Her writing was fantastic - I loved the setting and characters, in particular.
2. Alexandra Bracken | Passenger
When I went to YALLFest with Alexa, I bought a copy of The Darkest Minds. I've been meaning to read it ever since, and yet somehow Passenger ended up being my first read by Bracken. I loved the creativity and getting to visit so many different settings through time travel. Hopefully I'll binge more of her books in 2017!
3. Natalie Lloyd | A Snicker of Magic
Back in the day, I used to subscribe to a Christian magazine for girls called Brio. Natalie wrote a monthly column in it, and I used to tear out the articles to save and reread. I just loved her writing. So, I was giddy when I realized that she had a Middle Grade book. Reading it was such a treat - and I'm happy to say I loved it!
4. L.A. Meyer | Bloody Jack
I bought the audiobook for Bloody Jack after seeing it on several "Best of" lists for its narration. As soon as I started listening, I could see it deserved all the praise it was getting! But while the narrator was excellent, I have to give credit to the author for writing such an engaging story. I can't wait to read more of this series!
5. Shonda Rhimes | Year of Yes
I'm still majorly obsessed with Grey's Anatomy, even after all these years, so I heard about this book when it first came out. I wasn't really interested it until a friend recommended it - and it turned out to be one of the biggest surprises of the year. Shonda definitely knows how to tell a story, which I should have known to expect!
6. Katherine Rundell | Cartwheeling in Thunderstorms and Rooftoppers
I spotted Cartwheeling in Thunderstorms at the library one day and fell in love with the cover. Well, the story inside turned out to be even better! Rundell's writing is just fantastic, and I found the characters and setting so charming. Bonus: Rundell kickstarted the Middle Grade reading mood I've been in lately.
7. Jessica Shirvington | Disruption
I was watching a HarperCollins presentation about winter releases and became really intrigued by Disruption (and its sequel, Corruption). I thought I was completely tired of dystopian novels, but Jessica Shirvington brought something fresh and intriguing to the genre. I can't get enough!
8. Sally Thorne | The Hating Game
I spotted the cover of The Hating Game in an email with books for review consideration, and I became intrigued. Little did I know it would turn out to be one of my favorite books I'd read this year! I was rooting for these characters, laughing out loud all the way through, and recommending it like crazy when I finished.
9. Beatriz Williams | A Hundred Summers
Confession: I own basically all of Beatriz Williams' backlog but just read my first book by her this year. I think I just get sucked in by her gorgeous covers, especially because the summaries do sound like things I'd want to read! This was a dramatic and engrossing story, and I'm hoping that will be true for all of Williams' books.
10. Maryrose Wood | The Mysterious Howling
I love the cover and illustrations inside The Mysterious Howling - to the point that I'd always pick up the book to flip through whenever I saw it in stores. But it wasn't until my Middle Grade mood that I felt compelled to read it, and I'm so glad I finally did! The writing was delightful, and I love these characters so much.
What authors did you fall in love with this year?
Have you read anything by the authors on my list?
It thrills me to see Alexandra Bracken on this list, as I adore her work so, so much! I've actually read every single thing she has published now, and I can definitely say that her body of work is very much my cup of tea and that I enjoyed it all. So excited for Wayfarer!
ReplyDeleteAlso, I'm intrigued by Katherine Rundell and Beatriz Williams. I've heard of both authors, but still haven't managed to read any of their novels. Perhaps that will be remedied in 2017 ;)
I keep seeing that beautiful book by Rundel - I really need to check her out! And I was thinking about doing audio for Maryrose Wood, but Jose illustrations sound just lovely :)
ReplyDeleteThose* illustrations!
Delete