Top Ten Tuesday: New-To-Me Authors I Read in 2014

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme by The Broke and the Bookish, this week is all about authors that were new to you in 2014. I'm not even sure, at the moment, who I'm going to be picking. There were a few new to me authors I've fallen in love with this year.

These aren't really in any particular order, just as they popped into my head or as I browsed through my goodreads challenge pages to jog my memory.

Maggie Stievfater - I read The Raven Boys and The Dream Thieves so far and completely fell in love. The first books in a while that I've just fallen head over heels for, I can't explain what I mean by that, but they were different. And I've already reached the point where she can do no wrong in this series (which is my favorite point to be in a series. Who wouldn't want to enjoy a series instead of be disappointed?) I haven't read Blue Lily, Lily Blue, or any of her other works, but I'm definitely planning on it very soon.

(Note: I hate this cover, the paperback US one. It's just... they look like a boy band, alright? Don't even try to deny it - They've even got The Raven Boys over them and the head tilt, looking off things going on. Boy band. Which is hilarious if you really start to think about it. I can't hate it because of how amusing I find it, which is a strange feeling).

Stephanie Perkins - I'd met Stephanie before and actually first heard of her books through either John Green or at LeakyCon (and then realized her husband was in Gred and Forge, it's a weird word friends, also there's a wizard rock band rec for you). I read all three of the Anna books, I'm not sure what else to call them, and I really enjoyed all of them. I'm hesitant to pick a favorite, but I'd probably say Lola if pressed.

Emery Lord - her debut, Open Road Summer, was one of the contemporaries I read this summer, when I suddenly got thrown into a contemporary kick. And it definitely pushed me to read more contemporary. It had a fantastic friendship between these two girls and also a good love story, and talking about it makes me want to reread it. Fantastic debut, and I'm super excited for her next book.

John Scalzi - I owned Scalzi books, meaning to read it with the Sword and Laser book club, but never ended up doing it. And then, randomly, I picked up Redshirts and had this kind of 'holy shit' moment. I'm not a Star Trek fan, but I don't think you have to be. I was, and still am, mildly (very, like very) obsessed with Stargate SG-1 (the show) and the jokes about some of the stuff was completely hilarious to read about. And Old Mans War was incredible, I wasn't sure what to think about it, but I highly, highly recommend it.

James S.A. Corey - Space. Opera. I'd never really thought about it, considering how much I loved Stargate, that I'd like space opera. The Expanse series is a set in a far future and has so many elements - there's the ship crew element, the noire detective element, and then the horror element. It's fantastic, I highly recommend it. So far I've only read books one and two, and four are out, and five is coming out next year. And there's going to be a show starting next year on SyFy.

Patrick Rothfuss - I've only read The Name of the Wind, but I'm including him because I loved that book. He has a gorgeous writing style and such a way to tell stories. Normally I just want to know what happens, but this book was different - the story, the way it was told, everything that was happening. Basically - highly recommended. (Full review)

Derek Landy - Skulduggery Pleasant. It's a middle grade series about a young girl, who is strong and kickass, and a skeleton detective. It's smart and the dialogue is hilarious, and I just really have loved the first two books in this series (haven't had time to read it book three yet, but I'm planning to soon).

Kelly Armstrong - I'd never read Kelly Armstrong before this year. I know. And I've only read one book so far by her, Sea of Shadows, but I really enjoyed that and I'm definitely going to have to try out her other series. And I can't wait for book two in Age of Legends series.

Gene Luen Yang - I've read American Born Chinese and the Boxers & Saints duology by him, just this year of course, and I really enjoyed all three of them. I don't know if I can articulate anything about these - but they're freaking fantastic.

Matt Fraction - A comic book author, I've read Hawkeye and Sex Criminals, and I'm loving everything I've read by him. I can't wait to read more by him. Hawkeye was fantastic and the art, too, was also incredible. (Same for Sex Criminals)


I'm cheating with a bonus author: Leigh Bardugo. I marathoned her Grisha trilogy and really loved it, and I'm sure I wouldn't of loved them so much if I hadn't. But I really did and I'm really excited for her new book in 2015 that's set in the same world.


Whew - that was last minute, normally I do all my TTT's ahead of time, knowing which ones I want to do, but this was one of those 'I saw all the lists and wanted to join in.' I read so many good books this year and I know I've never going to be really able to spotlight all of them. I'm already trying to work on my top books of 2014 list and am considering making a separate post for the comics/manga I read in the year.

What are you top new-to-you authors? And were these any of yours? Or are you looking forward to reading any of these?