Top Ten Tuesday – 10 Authors New to Me in 2016

top ten tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday is a fun weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week’s topic is Top Ten New-To-Me Authors I Read For The First Time In 2016.  This is a fun topic for me because one of my goals with starting my blog this year was to branch out and read a lot of new authors this year.  These ten authors were some that I found to be the most entertaining, but this list is just the tip of the iceberg for me.  I also read so many phenomenal debut authors as well, but I’ll share those in another post sometime.

Ten Authors I Read for the First Time in 2016

 

1. Emma Donoghue

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I had never read Emma Donoghue prior to 2016, but I enjoyed her writing so much that I not only read both Room (Click to read my Review) and The Wonder (Click to read my Review), but I also just recently purchased a copy of Frog Music.

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2. V. E. Schwab

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I don’t know how V.E. Schwab was not on my radar prior to 2016, but thanks to winning a copy of A Darker Shade of Magic (Read my review here), I’m now a huge fan of hers.  I’m really looking forward to reading the next book in this series because I just adored Lila and Kell, and then I also have This Savage Song on my TBR for 2017.

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3. Colm Tóibín

brooklyn

Colm Tóibín is another author who I read for the first time this year.  I read his novel Brooklyn and just thought it was such a lovely coming of age story.  I don’t have a proper review for the book up on my blog because I actually read it before I started blogging, but you can read the Goodreads synopsis here.

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4.  John Connolly

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Another new author to me in 2016 was John Connolly. I read one of his Charlie Parker novels, A Time of Torment, and reviewed it for my blog (Read the review here) . I enjoyed reading it enough that I’ve since added The Book Of Lost Things to my TBR for 2017.

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5. Colson Whitehead

underground railroad colson whitehead

I’m actually reading Colson Whitehead for the first time right now.  I had purchased a few of his earlier works at a book fair this summer, but decided to dive into his latest work instead since it has become such a big hit.  It’s a great read so far.  Read the Goodreads Synopsis.

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6. Sarah J. Maas

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I’m probably the last person on the planet to get around to reading Sarah J. Maas, but I finally bit the bullet and dove into the ACOTAR series. LOVED it!  You can read my review for that here.  I enjoyed this book so much that I’ve gotten the second book in the series and plan to read that as soon as possible. A couple of the Throne of Glass books are also in my TBR so 2017 promises to be the Year of Maas for me.

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7. Curtis Sittenfeld

eligible

I’m a huge Jane Austen fan, so what drew me to Curtis Sittenfeld for the first time was her novel Eligible, which is a modern retelling of Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.  This was such an entertaining read for me (My Review) that I’ve since gone out and purchased Sisterland and really look forward to reading it soon.

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8. Rainbow Rowell

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I had my first experience with Rainbow Rowell this year as well, and boy was it amazing?!  I read Eleanor and Park prior to starting my blog and fell in love with that book, but by far, one of my favorite reads of 2016 has to be Fangirl.  As you’ll see from my review, I just loved everything about it. I have Landline in my TBR pile now so there’s definitely more Rowell in my future.

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9. Pierce Brown

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2016 was my first exposure to Pierce Brown as well.  I finally read the first book in the Red Rising series and thought it was amazing. (Read my review here).  I recently snagged the second book in the series for a great price at a local book fair, so I’m looking forward to continuing the series soon.

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10. Haruki Murakami

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I read The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle prior to starting my blog, so I don’t have a proper review up for it. Murakami was a challenging read for me, and at times, I didn’t particularly care for the writing but at other times, I very much enjoyed it.  The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle wasn’t really for me, but I still purchased a copy of IQ84 because I’d like to continue to explore this author’s whimsical writing style.

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Question:  Were any of these authors new for you in 2016?  If not, who did you read for the first time this year?

18 replies
  1. Lisa
    Lisa says:

    That same John Connolly book is sitting in my parents’ closet as a Christmas gift for my dad. I actually don’t think I’ve read any new authors this year. Just new books by authors.

    • Suzanne
      Suzanne says:

      Thanks! Yes, I was really late to the ACOTAR game. Just got ACOMAF so hoping to be all caught up before the third book comes out next year.

  2. Jordan
    Jordan says:

    Ooh, looks like you read some great new authors this year! I am a huge Murakami fan, so I feel obligated to encourage you to try some other books by him as well. His style doesn’t really change, but some books are definitely a bit more… odd or difficult to get through. I also read V. E. Schwab for the first time this year, and I can’t believe I hadn’t picked up her work sooner, either! Great list! 🙂

    • Suzanne
      Suzanne says:

      I definitely want to keep going with Murakami. I think that first book just threw me for a loop because the style was so different. We’ll see how it goes with IQ84 🙂

  3. Lindsey @ Lindsey Reads
    Lindsey @ Lindsey Reads says:

    Oh, great list! V.E. Schwab made my list this week too because I also fell in love with A Darker Shade of Magic this year 🙂 And I’m so happy you liked ACOTAR because Sarah J. Maas is one of my favorite authors <3 And of course Rainbow Rowell is amazing too. I've had Red Rising on my TBR for way too long now, I hope to get to it soon!

    • Suzanne
      Suzanne says:

      Thanks! Yes, I really can’t wait to start reading the ACOMAF. I got it for my birthday and am sitting here staring at it longingly while trying to get through 2 ARCs I need to review ASAP. Really hoping to get it read over the Christmas holidays.

  4. Hannah @the exponential bookshelf
    Hannah @the exponential bookshelf says:

    I also read Brooklyn this year, and enjoyed it 🙂
    I’ve read Eleanor and Park and definitely want to read more Rainbow Rowell! Also really keen to read Emma Donoghue, Murakami, Maas… Hoping to get The Underground Railroad for Christmas too. (I think we might have compatible tastes! 🙂 )

    • Suzanne
      Suzanne says:

      It definitely sounds like we share some similar reading tastes 🙂

      I’m not too far into Underground Railroad yet, but it already looks like it’s going to live up to the hype surrounding it, which is always nice.

  5. Wendy @ Birdie Bookworm
    Wendy @ Birdie Bookworm says:

    Oh my, Rainbow Rowell and Pierce Brown! I wish I was just discovering them too. Sadly, I’ve currently read everything they’ve written. And loved them all!

    I’ve heard so much about VE Schwab recently. I’ll have to get one and give her a shot.

  6. Katie/Girl About Library
    Katie/Girl About Library says:

    You found some great authors this year! I started reading “Brooklyn” last week and absolutely love it. I really want to watch the movie, but I won’t let myself until I finish the book. I need to pick it back up and finish it. I also fell in love with Emma Donoghue’s writing this year. “Room” is now one of my favorite books!

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