Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten New-To-Me Favorite Authors I Read For The First Time In 2015
Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish. They created the meme because they love lists. Who doesn’t love lists? They wanted to share these list with fellow book lovers and ask that we share in return to connect with our fellow book lovers. To learn more about participating in the challenge, stop by their page dedicated to it and dive in!
This week’s topic: Top Ten New-To-Me Authors I Read For The First Time In 2015
Mogsy’s Picks:
How often have you said to yourself, “OMG! Why did it take me so long to read _____’s books?!” For me, it feels like a very frequent occurrence. This is why I love today’s topic.
Rachel Caine is the author of several well-known series and I remember my curiosity being mildly piqued by her Morganville Vampires books. I’m kicking myself though, because last year I also passed up a chance to read Prince of Shadows, her retelling of Romeo and Juliet, figuring it wouldn’t be my cup of tea. And to think, I almost said the same thing when I first saw Ink and Bone! I ended up loving it and of course now I’m scrambling around picking up Rachel Caine’s older books while her fans have been aware of her awesomeness for years.
Kim Stanley Robinson has been writing award winning stories since even before I was born, but I only read my first book by him this year. Seriously, what took me so long? The book was Aurora, a beautiful and powerful novel about a population of colonists traveling in a generation ship. Orbit has teased that KSR is currently working on another book and I can’t wait to hear more about it.
Joanne Harris is an incredibly versatile writer, whose books include at least fourteen novels, two cookbooks and many short stories. Arguably, her most famous book is Chocolat which I’m sure most people have heard of (or maybe seen the movie adaptation). I’ve had the book sitting on my shelf for years but I still haven’t read it yet! What I did read in 2015 was her book Gospel of Loki, which was finally published in the US by Saga Press. It’s an awesome book about our favorite trickster of them all!
I was only vaguely aware of the Fire and Thorns series before I read Walk on Earth a Stranger, but I ended up loving the latter so much that I went straight to Goodreads to find out what other books the author has written. When I saw the cover of The Girl of Fire and Thorns I did a double-take. I was like, ooooh, it’s that Rae Carson? Needless to say I’m now the proud owner of that trilogy, so I’ll have something of hers to read while waiting for book two of The Gold Seer trilogy.
Paolo BacigalupiAnother author that I can’t believe I waited until 2015 to read! Since reading The Water Knife I’ve also gone back and read Paolo Bacigalupi’s first novel The Windup Girl for my Backlist Burndown challenge–and I don’t plan on stopping there. I’ve since also added Ship Breaker and The Drowned Cities to my reading list (I’m quite curious about his YA) and of course I’ll check out anything new he writes in the future.
Why I have waited so long to read N.K. Jemisin?! Really, I have no excuse, none at all. I’ve heard my co-blogger Wendy rave about her books for years and I even own several of her books including The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms and The Killing Moon but I just never got the chance to read them. Then this summer an ARC of The Fifth Season unexpectedly showed up, and I just couldn’t resist tackling it first. Anyway, I loved it! Now I can’t wait for the next book and I’m definitely bumping her other books up my TBR.
P. N. Elrod is another author who has been writing for a long time but 2015 was the year I finally read one of her books. That book was her latest novel The Hanged Man, a great mix of Urban Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Mystery and Romance all rolled into one. I hope this will become a series because I’d love to revisit the world and its characters.
After 17 years, it was finally revealed this April that K.J. Parker is the pseudonym of author Tom Holt. Interestingly, 2015 was also the year I finally read his works for the first time–one book under each of his names, actually: The Good, The Bad, and the Smug (as Tom Holt) as well as the novella The Last Witness (as K. J. Parker). After reading the latter, I can really believe the two are one and the same. Though it is completely different from his satirical work, there’s definitely the telltale thread of his sly and wicked sense of humor lurking beneath the surface.
I read Karen Memory in January and loved it. Classic case of “Why haven’t I read this author before now?!” The books in Elizabeth Bear’s Eternal Sky trilogy were originally what I had my eye on, and I’d initially filed Karen Memory under the “maybe” shelf. Glad that I decided to change my mind and give it a chance! This imaginative steampunk novel was a rich blend of mystery, suspense, action and romance…the perfect book for me! I look forward to reading more of Bear’s work.
The first time I ever heard of Ben Tripp was when I caught the buzz of his Young Adult novel The Accidental Highwayman. I didn’t get a chance to check that one out, though I was definitely curious. Soon afterwards, a lot of my fellow bloggers started talking about his new book called The Fifth House of the Heart. The excitement caught and I requested a review copy of it in July but didn’t get a chance to read it until October. AHHHH, IT WAS SO GOOD! Needless to say, after I finished it I rushed to add his other books to my TBR, including his zombie series Rise Again.
The BiblioSanctum 
Rae Carson is on my list too, but for The Girl of Fire and Thorns trilogy, which is FREAKING FANTASTIC. Also, RACHEL CAINE. I love love love her Morganville Vampires series–it’s one of my favorites–so YES, READ IT.
Rachel @ Beauty and the Bookshelf
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As soon as I finished Walk on Earth a Stranger, I went and got the Fire and Thorns trilogy! I can’t wait to check it out!
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I must read N.K. Jemisin!!! Moving up to the top of the list right now. KSR also made my list – I was very impressed with his style of writing 😀
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I’ve been saying I need to read N.K. Jemisin for the last two years now, I’m glad I finally did! 😀
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Oh yes some great authors there!
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Hope you found some interesting titles 🙂
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I sadly could not get into Ink and Bone, despite already loving the author. Oh well!
Here’s my Tuesday Post
Have a GREAT day!
Old Follower 🙂
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Sorry to hear that! Ink and Bone was one of my favorites this year. I need to check out her other books now.
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Looks like a REALLY good year! Kim Stanley Robinson, Paolo Bacigalupi and Elizabeth Bear are all authors I also need/want t get friendly with. I’ve only been perhaps vaguely aware of P.N. Elrod up to this point but The Hanged Man sounds amazing!
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I was the same way with P.N. Elrod, ie. just vaguely being aware of her books. So when I was pitched the Hanged Man earlier this year, I couldn’t resist…and it’s really good 🙂
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I really want to read Rae Carson’s series!
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Same here, glad I have that to read while I wait for the sequel to Walk on Earth a Stranger 🙂
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Ahhh, I keep meaning to pick up Ink and Bone. It’s been on my radar for a while. This is a great list.. I haven’t read half of these authors though :s *embarrassed*
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Ink and Bone was awesome! Seriously, one of my favorite books of the year 🙂
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N.K. Jemisin would be on my list of “new to me” authors for 2015, too. And since you have some of her older books, you can read them while waiting for The Obelisk Gate. 😉
If I’d made my own list, I’d put these authors on it as well:
2. Laini Taylor
3. Patrick Rothfuss
4. Leigh Bardugo
5. Juliet Marillier
6. Naomi Novik
Not quite ten, obviously, but those would be my choices.
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EEE! Those are all amazing authors and I am so excited you got to read them this year. Marillier and Novik especially 🙂
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I couldn’t agree more with Ben Tripp, Rachel Caine and N.K. Jemisin! And there are a couple of authors I plan to get to soon: Rae Carson and Elizabeth Bear for sure. Lots of backlist goodness waiting for us, right??
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Totally! On your list, the only author I hadn’t read was Valente…her backlist books are top priority for next year for sure!
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Likewise for KRS & Bear! Bacigalupi & Jemisin are on my list too. Will check out the other recs.
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Next time I go book deal shopping, I’m going to have to keep my eye out for more Bear and KSR 🙂
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Oh my god so many good authors on this list!! I also discovered N.K. Jemisin this year (although she didn’t make my list – it was hard this year! It turns out practically all the books I read were new authors!).
And oh my god I am SO excited you discovered Paolo Bacigalupi! I feel like he isn’t talked about much, which is a damn shame because he’s up there with Shusterman for me for some serious thought provoking writing. I loved Ship Breaker, but The Drowned Cities has been my favourite so far (Windup Girl is next on my list!). His dystopias are the most realistic I’ve read – honestly they’re in some ways a reality in third world countries today which makes it hit even harder. It’s also nice because even though Ship Breaker and The Drowned Cities are part of a series, they’re only loosely connected (by a minor character in the first book) so you can read them in either order, plus there’s no cliffhanger. I approve of no cliffhangers!
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I know, it was so hard for me to narrow down my list…I had to take out debut authors (because I might do another list for them) and only focused on authors who have at least one book published, and still I’m sure I’m missing a few off my list. This has been an amazing year for reading.
And Bacigalupi writes beautifully! I think his books are more literary which might be why they get left out of SFF conversations, but I agree wholeheartedly – his stories are so thought provoking.
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I still need to get to Rachel Caine, Joanne Harris and Rae Carson myself! It makes me feel a little better that you waited so long to check them out too 🙂 I’ve heard good things about The Water Knife too^^ Awesome list Mogsy!! ♥
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Yeah, I can’t wait to see what other authors I’ll discover next year. Lots of great backlist books I plan on going through in 2016! 🙂
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Interesting ones that I should read 🙂
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Hope you found some new discoveries 🙂
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Jemisin and Bear are fairly new discoveries for me as well, and they are both writers to keep on one’s radar. The jury is still out on K.S. Robinson, but I hope to add him soon to my list of favorite authors 🙂
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Most definitely…and if I don’t get a chance to check out older books from these authors, I’ll certain try to pick up anything they write in the future 🙂
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Some great choices on here!! I am going to try and get a list together for this because its such fun seeing what everyone else has picked. I really, really need to read Fifth House of the Heart!
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When I saw this TTT topic, I knew I had to do it. Looking forward to check out yours!
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I’ve had N. K. Jemisin on my list for soooo long. Far too long. Must. Get. To. Reading. Her.
Also, K. J. Parker. And Elizabeth Bear.
I’ve never heard of Rae Carson so there goes another one on my authors-to-read list. There are not enough hours in a day!!
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Yeah Jemisin is definitely one those “Why did it take me so long to finally read?” authors. Last year it was Juliet Marillier. Can’t wait to see who I’ll discover next year 🙂
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I didn’t know you hadn’t read Elizabeth before! Karen Memory was a very good book; I loved how Karen was such a foodie! And after reading The Folding Knife, K.J. Parker would definitely be on my list too.
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Yeah, Bear was totally new to me this year! Like I said, it was originally her Shattered Pillars trilogy on my radar, and I had been planning on skipping Karen Memory…I’m glad I didn’t!
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I’ve heard alot of positive things about Ink and Bone so that might be a book that I need to check out soon! great TTT post!
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Loved Ink and Bone! One of my favorites this year, do check it out if you get the chance! 🙂
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These are mostly either on my list to read sometime soon, or I read them this year! Great minds, I guess?
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I hope you get a chance to check them all out! 🙂
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So many authors I haven’t tried yet and some not on my radar at all. I’m going to add more authors and books to list for when I get time! Great list.
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I’m glad I got to help you discover some new authors. 🙂
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Consider this post bookmarked for when I need ideas for what to buy in the future. 🙂 I read Rae Carson’s Girl of Fire and Thorns earlier this fall but I still have to read the rest of the trilogy. I haven’t reviewed it yet but I thought it was cool, only there was this divine element I wished was less pronounced.
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You’ve gotten me curious, I admit. Divine elements can be tricky, eh? I’ll keep that in mind when I read it, thanks! 🙂
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Great list – I think I shall maybe go away and check out Carson – may already have been added to my wishlist but I’d like to make sure!
Ta
Lynn 😀
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