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?

2014: Book Reviews (15)

More mini reviews! About more books! Because I read so many books this year! That's literally all I'm going to say, I'm just going to jump into the books because there's a lot to go. This is going to be a long post, I think.

The Infernal Devices Manga (#1-3) by Cassie Clare and HyeKyung Baek
I really enjoyed these - I liked the art style, I loved all of them but Clockwork Princess is definitely my favorite, in both/any format. It's just so painful.

Sex Criminals, Vol 1 by Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarky (5/5)
This was a very interesting and kind of strange graphic novel - and I completely loved it. I loved the art/coloring for the scenes where everything, but the characters, was frozen, but also kind of in general. Fun series, can't wait for volume 2.

The Sea of Monsters: Graphic Novel  (4/5)
This was kind of - eh. I really liked the art, but it felt like it left out / was missing too much, I just think it should have longer.

Gil's All Fright Diner by A. Lee Martinez (3/5)
I just really enjoyed this book? It was a fun ride - it was just that, though. It's like a weird pulp fiction, urban fantasy... horror type thing. It wasn't amazing, but it was a lot of fun to read.

Helen and Troy's Epic Road Quest by A. Lee Martinez (4/5)
Strangely really fun. And just strange in general. It has the same kind of feel to it, but it's more polished (his newest novel, I believe, while I think Gil's was his first). I did a full review of this one.

On Dublin Street (On Dublin Street #1) by Samantha Young (4/5)
I really hated this love interest at the beginning (the guy), but I ended up warming up to him and really enjoying this book over all. It's just fun and has some interesting parts to do, some therapist scenes I thought were good/interesting.

Wife by Wednesday (Weekday Brides #1) by Catherine Bybee (3/5)
Uhh... this was one of those books I'm not sure why I read it? I only gave it two stars for some reason, but I continued with the whole series and surprisingly enjoyed it. It was a weird/strange troupe that I think is used in fan fiction, but this book was just a lot of fun. And sometimes that's all I want from a book - so I should probably raise this rating to at least a 3/5 stars, I think I will.

Married by Monday (#2) by Catherine Bybee (3/5)
I also raised this rating. I'm not someone who uses the term guilty pleasure, because I don't believe in that idea of feeling guilty for reading something. But these would be those books. They're like junk food, addicting and fun and probably not strictly good for you/the best, but whatever give me the next one. (insert "another!" thor gif. You know the one)

Fiance by Friday (#3) by Catherin Bybee (3/5)
I marathoned these three books over a ridiculously short period of time. I'm not sure I'd recommend them - but they surprised me and were fun... and free if you have the Amazon Unlimited thing. Though, they're pretty cheap, anyway, only a few dollars.

Ariel: The Restored Edition by Sylvia Plath (5/5)
And on the completely other end of everything - some Plath. I was never really yes I need to read Plath, but then something happened and I realized I just wanted to read something of hers. I'd bought The Bell Jar recently, but I wanted to try her poems first, to see if I liked them. I loved them - my favorites probably being Lady Lazurus and Tulips, though I don't think I didn't really enjoy any of them.

The Importance of Being Ernest by Oscar Wilde (4/5)
This took me a surprising amount of time to read for it being, technically, less then a hundred pages. I enjoyed it, but the language was a bit dense.

The Final Empire, The Well of Ascension, The Hero of Ages (Mistborn #1-3) by Brandon Sanderson
I marathoned these books over a surprisingly short period of days, I feel like I keep saying that, and gave them all 5/5 stars. I want to write a full series review for this first Mistborn trilogy, but I don't know if I can make it coherent enough to post. It would just be like: oh my god, read these books. Don't read the last 100 pages of any of them in public because oh my god. ohmygod. I highly recommend this series, and Sanderson, and this trilogy was amazing.

The Merciless by Danielle Vega (4/5)
A bit of gore, a bit of fun. I was just kind of eh about it until the last, like, sentence. (Full review here)

Tinder by Sally Garner (3/5)
Eh. I was really enjoying it at first, but it dragged on much too long. It's a gorgeous book, though, I'd highly suggest just picking it up to look at it and how pretty it is. And I thought it was okay, over all, just by the end of it, I just wanted it to be over, which isn't a good sign for a book. I might of tried to read it too quickly, but I was just in the mood to read something, not wait.

Alcatraz and the Evil Librarians (Alcatraz #1) by Brandon Sanderson (5/5)
This is a middle grade series and I didn't know what to expect out of middle grade Sanderson - but holy shit, guys, this book is fantastic and hilarious. However, probably not for most people. If you are familiar and enjoy Sanderson's humor, then this book/series is for you (go forth, read them). I think this one is fantastic, I've only read #1 and #2 as of writing this, but I've really enjoyed them both.

The Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan (5/5)
I reread this whole series in a very short time period. I think this was my third time reading the series, I'm pretty sure I reread them immediately after finish The Last Olympian. I marathoned them all three times. I really enjoy these books, love them to pieces, but it'd been years since I'd read them so I wanted to reread them so everything was fresh and ready for The Blood of Olympus. Obviously, I highly recommend this series. I don't think I'll do a full series review, since I'm sure everyone had heard of it and probably knows if they want to read it or not.

Revolver by Marcus Sedgwick (4/5)
I really enjoyed this book. It was a super interesting, quick read, that was also pretty intense at parts. It was also my first books by this author and I'm looking forward to more, especially because all of his books sound really interesting.

Single by Saturday (Weekday Brides #4) & Taken by Tuesday (#5)  by Catherine Bybee (3/5)
This wraps up all the books that are out in this series, though obviously there's going to be seven (I think) because days of the week. I might end up reread them next year when they're all out and just marathoning all seven of them because I'm just not sure I'm going to remember anything by then. And it's not really needed to remember eveything - but I'm sure there will be a readathon and it sounds fun to me.
Once again - this series is just fun, I'm not sure I'd recommend it, but if you like slightly ridiculous, trope filled romance novels then have I have got a super quick reads series for you. (Which I really enjoy, but I've got pet peeves I try to avoid).

Opal Fire (Stacy Justice #1) by Barbara Annino (2/5)
I really wish I had DNFed this book when I was 20% in and not feeling it, but for some reason I kept going. I need to start letting myself DNF things. I don't know, I have no real feelings about this book. It wasn't horrible, but I just didn't care?

Not Quite Dating (Not Quite #1) by Catherine Bybee (3/5)
Do you see a trend? Of reading this authors books. I'm not even sure how it keeps happening, they're just addicting and I can't escape. Anyway - this was fun and a fluffy romance book. Also I've learned something about myself, I find the cowboy thing (in books) strangely charming. It might be the use of the word darlin', I am not sure if I should be embarrassed by this or not?

Not Quite Mine (Not Quite #2) by Catherine Bybee (3/5)
I liked this one better then the first and a surprising amount, for some reason. There's a baby, there's romance cuteness, and a lot of confusion. It's still trope-y, but I apparently don't mind tropes. (I've kind of always known this about myself, as long as they're done pretty well and not eye roll inducing/bad).

Purity in Death (In Death #15) & Portrait in Death (#16) by J.D. Robb (5/5)
Not much can be said because spoilers, but I really am loving this series. Also - Eve's reaction to what Mavis tells her in Purity was hilarious and fantastic. I just love this series, I don't know why, I just do.

And I think I'm going to stop myself there, before this post gets too long, though it probably is already too long. Have you read any of these books? What did you think? Or are you planning on reading any of them?

#Debutathon - A readathon

This is a read-a-thon hosted by Amber at Books of Amber. The debutathon is a week long read-a-thon all about reading books by debut authors - basically, books that came out this year where the author hadn't previously been published. The read-a-thon runs from the beginning of December 8th to the end of December 14th (your time zone).

Sign-Up/Info post

The post has links to certain lists if you're at a lost for ideas of what to read. Sadly, I'm not lacking ideas. Or books. I'm always buying new releases and then, too many times, I don't get to them for a while. So I actually have a stack of recently released debuts that I'd love to get to during the week. I have no idea how many books I'm going to be getting to, but I thought I'd just list the books I could read (aka: the ones I want to that I won).

• The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen- I want to read this, because I'm over halfway through it, I just want to finish it. I don't know why I haven't yet. I was loving it and it's still really good, I just stopped and have had a hard time getting back to it.
• Otherbound by Corinne Duyvis - just short of 400 pages, but apparently has a very diverse cast and I've heard really good things about it. 
• Midnight Thief by Livia Blackburne - also just short of 400 pages. Fantasy and I've heard good things, also, and I'm pretty sure I preordered this?
• Snow Like Ashes by Sara Saasch - also don't know what it's about (I swear I knew more what these were about when I bought them, but I've forgotten. I think it's post apocalyptic or dystopian). it's a bit over 400 pages and I've heard good things.
• Jackaby by William Ritter - about 300 pages. I've been hearing some eh things, some really good things. This sounds like something right up my alley, though, so hopefully I love it. 
• Every Breath by Ellie Marney - Sherlock stuff. I love Sherlock stuff. And I think I've heard just good things. I haven't looked too far into this, just saw a good review from a person I trust and... now here we are.
• Grave's Guide: The Art of Pretending to be a Grown-up by Grace Helbig - this counts, right? It is a debut book. I'm not sure if I'll read this one, but it's only like 240 pages and I'm sure will be hilarious (and possibly have some actual helpful things?). 
• Red Rising by Pierce Brown - some people have been reading the sequel recently (which comes out in early 2015. I want to say January, but I'm not sure). It sounds really good, and I just ordered the paperback (I was convinced by Crini's review).

I think that's all of them, that I own. See what I mean? I have read a good amount of the new releases I've bought, but I fell behind when suddenly all of the books started coming out. I also own Conversion, but it doesn't like it's going to be a fast read (I think there's time jumping, I think just in the narrative?, and Salem witch trials).

I'm definitely not going to be able to read them all, but - I'd like to read a few of them? A good few, even, if I can. 1-5 is currently my goal, 2-5 really but putting pressure on myself never ends well. However, if I only finish The Queen of the Tearling, I'll also be happy. I'll be posting a wrap-up post at the end of the week.

I'm such a mood reader and I haven't been in a reading mood all month, that I might end up reading other books during the week. Obviously, I won't count them towards this read-a-thon, but that's why I'm not aiming too high. Maybe I'll be able to work through the pile, that'd be good. (God, I have so many books I want to finish before the end of the year...)

If you're participating let me know! And let me know what you're reading, and if you've read any of the ones I've got to read.

2014: Book Reviews (14)

Part fourteen, last part ended up being the series one, mostly TMI and ID. And this part is going to start with a book that I read about six months before it released, I got an ARC copy at LeakyCon, and devoured it surprisingly quickly (it pulled me out of a mixture of 'TMI series is over slump' and post travel slump, I always have a hard time getting back into reading after traveling, no matter how long or where).

The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black (5/5)
I'm looking at my notes I wrote right after I finished it and the first thing I wrote was: "such beautifully strange perfection," which feels like a good description. I'm hoping to put a review up close to when this book comes out, hopefully I remember, I'd also like to reread it. It is beautiful and a lot of fun. I really like faeries, though, am possibly a bit of a sucker for them, so if you don't like them as much, you might not enjoy it as much. But I'd still suggest reading this - incredible, lovely.

Say Her Name by James Dawson (4/5)
I've always really liked Bloody Mary as an urban legend, so I was a bit suspicious of what this was going to entail. I ended up liking it - it was strange and weird, at points, and eye roll inducing at others. But overall I thought it had a good story, a good reason for Mary, and also a fantastic ending.

Anna and the French Kiss (Anna #1) by Stephanie Perkins (5/5)
I didn't expect to love this book - I've always been a little eh about the young adult contemporary I've read, but for some reason I just loved this. It was fun and strange and a little lovely. Not my favorite of the three, but I did love their story. And the setting, I've always wanted to go to Paris, and now I think I might bring this book along to go where they go in the book.

Mortal Danger (Immortal Game #1) by Ann Aquirre (5/5)
I had a few problems with this one (suspension of disbelief at the beginning) but when it started getting going more and I got more into the story - I just ended up really enjoying it. I don't know why, but I just got caught up in the story. I should probably of just given it 4/5 stars since I struggled with it at the beginning, but even when I was struggling, as soon as I got past page ten or so I flew through this book. (full review here)

Lola and the Boy Next Door (Anna #2) by Stephanie Perkins (5/5)
I think this was my favorite - I just love Lola and her clothes and wigs and personality. And I don't know why, but I had a lot of fun reading this one. Another place I've always wanted to go, not quite as unattainable as Paris, but still hasn't happened for some reason.

Unlocked: An Oral History of Haden's Syndrome by John Scalzi (4/5)
I haven't read Lock In yet, but I read this before Lock In even came out. And, obviously, really enjoyed it. It's short, only 68 pages, and just in the style of World War Z, but it's the actual official report of what happened, mostly, and I think it definitely adds something to the story, when a lot of the time prequel novellas can be hit or miss on goodness/importance to the story. Scalzi is a writer that I've learned this year that I adore.

The Name of the Wind (Kingkiller Chronicles #1) by Patrick Rothfuss (5/5)
This book took me forever to read, but only because of it's length and it's a bit dense. The writing is beautiful, though, and I was listening to the audiobook on and off (the narrator was fantastic, I've never gotten hooked into an audiobook like this one before). (full review here)

Isla and the Happily Ever after (Anna #3) by Stephanie Perkins (5/5)
I really enjoyed this book and I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. I know other people haven't or haven't as much as the other two, and it definitely is probably my least favorite of the three but I still really enjoyed it. These two were sweet together and a little ridiculous. And the end was perfect.

My Drunk Kitchen by Hannah Hart (5/5)
I'm going to keep this short and sweet so I don't just start spouting love for Hannah, which is why I haven't, and probably won't, write a full review of this. This book is good, it's fantastic, and it made me laugh at multiple part. If you don't know who Hannah Hart is well.... YouTube Channel.

NaNoWriMo 2014 | The End

The last week of NaNoWriMo this year was not the best for me, and I'm already thinking about how I can make next year better. How I can push myself in a more sure way. I like writing all of the words, but I'd like to refocus on stuff and write maybe not all the words (though a lot of them, let's be real here, once you overachieve, you never go back, friends. Be warned).

It was still an okay week. I had one day where I wrote nothing, however, and another day I wrote the equivalent of nothing (I think I wrote 200 words? It's few enough, I'm just skipping that day, too, mostly because I didn't post about it).

And now, after the month, a few days after - I'm still exhausted. And it's not the good 'yes, I fucking did it, take that, novel' exhausted, which is an exhaustion I don't mind and actually kind of revel in, because hell yeah I did it. This exhaustion is sadder, more just sigh.

Though I'm still proud of what I did this year - 300k is nothing to shake a stick at. And I'm overly proud about writing 50k day one but am more convinced then ever about never doing that thing again unless I have a lot of story to write in a limited timeframe. Even then, I'm not so sure about it, honestly.

Saying this, I'll probably still be considering joining the lovely, and as insane as me, overachievers who end up doing it every year.

If you participated this year - I hope it went well, at least, and I'd love to hear a sum up of your month. Or let me know if you posted some kind of wrap up (just the month/weekly/whatever). And if you're on the fence - next year! Even if you on'y write ten thousand, fifteen thousand, twenty five - that's that many words that I'm sure you wouldn't of written otherwise. November makes you push yourself - write more then you thought you could or write on a project you thought you were stuck on.

It's more then worth it, trust me, even just giving it a try. I challenge you, next year, NaNoWriMo 2015 - see you there (it'll be my seventh year, which is incredible that this was my sixth).

Day Twenty Two (261,876)
Day Twenty Three (263,323)
Day Twenty Four (273,113)
Day Twenty Five (285,259)
Day Twenty Six (292,129)
Day Twenty Nine (300,613)
Day Thirty (308,128)

NaNoWriMo profile
Writing Tumblr/Blog

December 2014 TBR

I can't decide if I want to read all of the things, or just take a break. I've already hit my 250 book goal that I switched to in a moment of insanity (apparently not insanity because I made it! A month early!). I do kind of want to see how much I can read this year, I have a feeling I won't be having a year like this again, probably ever, but I can strive for it.

I'm currently feeling pretty burnt out from November - I wrote a ton, read a ton, had to deal with family on Thanksgiving, went out shopping on Black Friday. And now I just need some rest and time to recharge (which has been hard for me lately, for some reason, and as an introvert, is also very important).

I'm not sure, at all, what I'll be reading this month, but I'd also like to get a bunch of blog posts done, if not posted, that I've been working on (especially those mini book review posts, before the end of the year comes. How the hell is it December already?). I would like to finish some, if not all of the books I've started and haven't finished. I'd kind of like to start 2015 with no books on my currently-reading shelf, even if I keep my bookmarks in them, if I'm not actively reading them, I might take them off.

Anyway - there are a bunch of books I want to read, or could read. I'm planning on probably reading some romance novels at the beginning of the month, mostly because of that burned out feeling. Ones I have on my kindle, or that I can get through Amazon Unlimited, most likely. And I'd also like to finish one more series, as I've technically finished 11, if my count is right, so far this year (which is ridiculous, and I'm planning on doing a 'series' post in January 2015, just not sure when/how to do it).

What are you planning on reading? Are you close to your goal, if you have one, or is it going to be a stretch? Are you already planning 2015 stuff? (Or are you way ahead of me and already have some done? All my planning has been mental planning so far).

November 2014 Wrap-Up

November was a very strange month for reading because of NaNoWriMo. I'd planned on just writing a smaller amount then normal and take time to write and read - but I forgot how addictive over achieving is. So that plan, quickly, dissolved.

• The Raven Boys (Raven Cycle #1) by Maggie Stiefvater (5/5)
• Click-Clack the Rattlebag by Neil Gaiman (4/5)
• Hawkeye, Vol 3: LA Women by Matt Fraction (5.5)
• Hawkeye: #13, #15, #17, #19 by Matt Fraction, and illustrator/artists (4/5)
• The Wicked and the Divine #3 by Kieron Gillen (4/5)
• The Dream Thieves (Raven Cycle #2) by Maggie Stiefvater (5/5)
• White Cat (Curse Workers #1) by Holly Black (5/5)
• Red Gloves (Curse Workers #2) by Holly Black (5/5)
• Black Heart (Curse Workers #3) by Holly Black (5/5)
• Chew, Vol. 3: Just Desserts by John Layman (4/5)
• Howls' Moving Castle (Howl's Moving Castle #1) Diana Wynne Jones (5/5)
• Three to Ride by Sophie Oaks (2/5)
• Siren Beloved (Texas Sirens #4) by Sophie Oaks (3/5)
• No Plot? No Problem: Revised and Expanded by Chris Baty (5/5)
• The Siren (The Original Sinners #1) by Tiffany Reisz (4/5)
• Wallbanger (Cocktail #1) by Alice Clayton
• Girl in Love (Kylie Ryans #3) by Caisey Quinn
• An On Dublin Street Christmas (#1.1) by Samantha Young
• Until Fountain Bridge (On Dublin Street #1.5) by Samantha Young

If I've counted right, I read 22 things this month. Considering it was NaNoWriMo and I also wrote 300k+ words, I'm very pleased with this. A few were single issue comics, and I think I won't count them towards my reading challenge on goodreads last year. I can't decide (any opinions?)

Anyway - I really enjoyed quite a few of the books I read this month, even though it feels like I read some of them months ago, instead of just a month ago. Stills, out of all of these books, I'd have to say The Raven Boys and The Dream Thieves were my favorite - I'm loving this series and I can't wait to read the third on. They're incredible and I'm still surprised at how hard I feel for these books.

The Hawkeye comics are also pretty incredible, I'm loving them and am in denial about them ending (two issues left right? Or is it over? I don't want to check). And the Curse Workers series was really good, and I marathoned them in like eight hours, I think. Howl's Moving Castle was breathtaking and the fantasy world was incredible. Though, I do think I enjoy the movie more, which is rare, but it's just so good (I watched that, in full, for the first time this month as well).

I also read some predictable romance, towards the end, just because I was feeling so burnt out. On everything. Writing, reading, I couldn't even try to watch a TV show. I'm still kind of in that mood, so the beginning of December will probably be filled with some romance - but I can't fault them. Sometimes you just need some light, fluffy stuff to read, right?

How did your month go? Reading and otherwise? Have you read any of these books and how did you feel? I hope you had a great month! And my December TBR(ish) post should be up tomorrow).