Skip to main content

TTT: Top Ten New-to-Me Authors in 2014


This week's TTT topic: New-to-Me Authors in 2014

This is one of my favorite Top Ten Tuesdays of the year! You can see my list from last year here.

Some of these authors have one my love and devotion forever and ever already because I went and read as much of their work as I could after discovering them and fell more in love. Some are only on their first book, but I will definitely be around for the next because these books impressed me so much.

Name links are to authors' websites. Book links are to my reviews.


Emma Barry: Barry writes witty humorous romances with smart people that take place in the political maneuverings of Washington D.C. If there was ever a more perfect romance series for my tastes, I don't know what it could be.

Brandy Colbert: Pointe is Colbert's debut novel. It is one of my favorite books of the year. It is a hard tough read about hard tough things, but the main character finds her strength in the best of ways.


Liz Czukas: Until last week I would have told you that while Czukas's debut novel, Ask Again Later, was fun, she wasn't going to make this list. Then I read the second novel of hers released this year, Top Ten Clues You're Clueless, and that completely changed. This book is going to be an every December reread now. She has an adult romance (okay, NA-I still really hate using that) coming out next year that I find to be intriguing. Because she has won my trust, I will read it.

Heather Demetrios:  I took Something Real, Demetrios' debut novel, to the pool one afternoon expecting something fun, but nothing that was going to blow my mind. Ha! I loved everything about the book: the characters, the plot, the complexities of the relationships, the descriptions. And while I didn't love Exquisite Captive, the fantasy novel also released by Demetrios this year, the writing still captivated me. I can not wait to read her new contemporary coming out in 2015. 



Jennifer Echols: I have friends who love Echols and have recommended her stuff for the past few years. Her books were on my TBR, but I never seemed to get to them. I was fortunate enough to get a a galley of Biggest Flirts, the first book in her new superlative series. I read it in one delicious sitting and I was hooked. I've been working my way through her backlist ever since and am in complete and total love. (My favorite so far has been Such a Rush.) 

Rosamund Hodge: Cruel Beauty is Hodge's debut novel-and basically everything I've ever wanted in a Beauty and the Beast retelling. This is pretty major since that's my favorite fairy tale. Hodge has won my undying loyalty with this book and a place on my insta-buy author list. 


E.K. Johnston: The Story of Owen is a brilliant book that combines Nordic traditional tales with a modern setting. Despite the title, it's really the story of a girl and her music. It has the best world-building of any book I read this year and themes about propaganda, politics, and the power of story. It's ambitious for any novel, but particularly so for a debut. I'm so excited it's been nominated for the Morris Award.

Virginia Kantra: I started reading the Dare Island Series at the recommendation of Laura Florand (an author who made this list last year) and immediately fell in love with all the characters. I love the way Kantra writes family relationships too. It also takes place in one of my favorite places, NC's Outer Banks.


Jennifer McGowan: Something hard to find in YA is well written historical fiction that is also fun. Another difficult find is good decent female friendships. McGowan's books do both of things so well and also have adventure, mystery, espionage, and romance. Oh my heart.

Genevieve Turner: My newest find! Much thanks to Emma Barry for this recommendation because I loved Summer Chaparral for all the amazing characters, the setting, the historical details, for it being unique historical romance, its diversity-it's so good. This has the potential to be one of my favorite series of all time.

Shockingly no MG authors made the list this year, which is awfully strange since that is the age category I read the most from. Hmmmmm.....

What about you? What are some favorite author discoveries from your reading year?

Comments

LisaILJ said…
I LOVE Jennifer Echols, I am so happy you enjoyed her work. I've read a few of the authors on your list, but I need to check out a few more. Your list has caused my TBR list to get even longer.
Brandy said…
That's what I love most about TTT: getting more books on the TBR! :)
Anonymous said…
I don't know most of these! I really need to pick up Cruel Beauty; so many people seem to have loved it. Great list!

Here's mine.
Anonymous said…
It makes me happy to see Jennifer Echols in this list! Rosamund Hodge and Virginia Kantra are in my list too. :)

Pointe is already on my wishlist because of you. Looks like I'll be adding Top Ten Clues You're Clueless and Summer Chaparral as well.
Brandy said…
Cruel Beauty was a perfect book for me. Rich, beautiful language and complex broken characters are my weakness. :)
Brandy said…
I think you will like both those!

I'm glad I finally took your advise on reading Jennifer Echols. :)

Popular posts from this blog

Favorite Kissing Scenes

When thinking of a favorite things post I could do for February I decided it would have to be kissing. I've already done couples and I was feeling in the mood to do something fluffy and Valentine's related. So kisses it is. I read more MG than YA, and the YA I read tends to not focus on romance so this was actually harder than I expected it to be though a few jumped into my head right away. (And one of my choices does actually come from a MG book. One is adult. Gasp!) The actual scene from the book is quoted followed by my thoughts. The king lifted a hand to her cheek and kissed her. It was not a kiss between strangers, not even a kiss between a bride and a groom. It was a kiss between a man and his wife, and when it was over, the king closed his eyes and rested his forehead against the hollow of the queen's shoulder, like a man seeking respite, like a man reaching home at the end of the day . - The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner Turner doesn't write the

TTT: Most Recent Additions to My TBR List

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly themed blog hop created by  The Broke and the Bookish  and now hosted at  That Artsy Reader Girl . This Week's Topic: Most Recent Additions to My TBR List From Most Recent to Least: What books have recently caught your eye?

This Side of Home

What attracted me to This Side of Home by Renee Watson was the cover. The story hooked my interest. The characters made me fall in love. Maya has lived her entire life in the same neighborhood in Portland hanging out with the same group of friends: her twin sister Nikki, their best friend Essence, and Ronnie, Malachi, and Devin-three boys her father mentors. They have plans for the future that involve each other: prom, college, life. But things in their neighborhood are changing. People are moving in and starting new businesses. Property values are going up as a result. In addition to change, this is also causing trouble. Essence has to move out of her  house when the owner decides he can make more money selling it than renting it. The racial demographics of the school, which has been mostly African American, is shifting. This presents new challenges and choices for Maya and her friends. It brings new people into their lives at the same time. Maya has to figure out how-and if-she wa

Serafina and the Black Cloak

Serafina and the Black Cloak  by Robert Beatty is a thrilling tale of mystery and adventure set at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC in 1899. Having lived in Asheville and visited the house several times, there was no way I was going to pass up a chance to read this. (Also it's MG fantasy, always a bonus for me.) Serafina lives in secret in the basement of the Vanderbilt's spacious vacation home. She has lived there most of her life. Her father worked on the house as it was being built and is the mechanic who runs the massive generator and keeps the electricity going. Serafina is the chief rat catcher, slipping through the halls of her massive home secretly and quietly. She is light on her feet, sees well in the dark, and is quick enough to catch the vermin and keep them out. Serafina knows she if different and strange. Her father insists she stay hidden. But all that changes when one night Serafina witnesses a horrible crime. A little girl, a guest in the house, is fleein

Shorter Musings MG Fantasy

Here are some shorter musings on recent MG fantasy reads. Anya and the Dragon   by Sofiya Pasternack This book is fun. It is a book full of adventure, an obvious bad guy, some more complicated morally gray area characters, and a strong, brave heroine. It is also a book about friendships, community, and fighting for what is right. All things that usually work for me really well. While I enjoyed this, I did feel it was a little overlong and there were certain plot points at the end I didn't love. However, there were things I thought were done really well, such as Anya's Jewish faith and the idea that power needs to be challenged. In the end it was a middle of the road read for me, but it is one I will certainly be recommending to dragon and fantasy adventure lovers I know! R is for Rebel   by J. Anderson Coats This is tough because I usually really like Coats's books. I had such a hard time with this one though on so many levels. It's difficult to get into because t