December 6, 2016

Top Ten Tuesday: 2016 Discoveries

Top Ten Tuesday was created by the gals over at The Broke and the Bookish, and it combines two of my favorite things: making lists and books (at least, majority of the topics end up being book-related). Anyway, it's been quite a while since I did one of these posts, but when I saw what the topic was for the week, I knew I had to join in (so excuse the double post today)! I've been tremendously fortunate to discover a whole group of new-to-me authors this past year, and I can't wait to share them with all of you.


(1) I'm so looking forward to reading more stories from Natalie Blitt, particularly if they are as enjoyable and adorable as The Distance from A to Z. I'm always looking for new contemporary YA authors to love, and Blitt is definitely one I'm watching out for to see what she has next. Her debut reads like a romantic comedy in the best way, and obviously, I'm a fan. (P.S. The book is only $1.99!)

(2) I read a shit ton of fantasy this year, which is something I'm pretty proud of. But a new-to-me fantasy author that is now on my radar in the best way is Evelyn Skye, who is the author of The Crown's Game. The inspiration from Russia, the clever and fun magical system and the likable narrators - all of it won me over immediately. I'm very excited for the sequel!

(3) I binge read the entirety of the available volumes of Amulet, written and illustrated by Kazu Kibuishi. It's a middle grade graphic novel about two siblings who find themselves in a magical otherworld that is currently at war, and both find themselves getting involved. It has magic, humor and a whole lot of heart, and I absolutely love it.

(4) Towards the end of the year, with a gentle push from Macky, I wound up binge reading The Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia C. Wrede. This series is an absolute delight from start to finish, populated with characters that are utterly wonderful to read about and with a habit of smashing fairytale tropes in fun, subtle ways.

(5) I had to mention yet another series that I binge read this year - the Malediction Trilogy by Danielle L. Jensen. I honestly didn't think I would love a series about trolls, so I usually steer clear of them. However, this series proved me wrong! It had strong troll lore, a strong main heroine and such great storytelling to boot.


(6) Jay Kristoff is an author that I tried out and fell head over heels in love with in 2016. I binge read the entirety of his series The Lotus War, and also read his newest book Nevernight, and I thoroughly enjoyed both. Kristoff has a talent for bringing worlds to life, as well as writing complex, flawed and very real characters.

(7) There's really only one new adult author I need to feature, and that's the amazing Elle Kennedy. I'm so glad I listened to Kelly and started reading her Off Campus series. It is, as of right now, my favorite new adult series ever! The characters are all people I love and feel like real friends to me. The books are hilarious and emotional and extremely well-done (and all different from one another), and now I just want to reread it all over again.

(8) I have yet to continue the rest of the series, but holy moly, I really loved Jacqueline Carey's writing in Kushiel's Dart. Carey is a master at weaving in just the right amount of detail to bring a world, a character, and a plot to life, and I loved reading about Phedre and experiencing her story. It bodes well for the rest of the series, and that's for certain.

(9) I also haven't yet continued this series, but I want to. I absolutely adored Sharon Shinn's Troubled Waters, which is the first in her Elemental Blessings series. Shinn combines some of my absolute favorite things: elemental magic, royalty, powerful females and very, very subtle romance. I'm definitely planning to keep on reading this series!

(10) There's just no way that I can make this list without including my new favorite adult contemporary fiction author - Fredrik Backman. As of right now, I've read A Man Called Ove, My Grandmother Asked Me To Tell You She's Sorry and And Every Morning The Way Home Gets Longer and Longer. I enjoy complex and interesting characters and Backman is a master at that. His stories are always fairly simple, but he knows how to make the reader feel all the things.

Who are some new-to-me authors you discovered in 2016?

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