The Nine New-to-Me Authors of 2016

Hi friends!

Happy Tuesday! How are things? I’m home from school today to attend a regional student government meeting, so my morning’s looking quiet, the perfect chance to catch up on a few assignments, sneak in a chapter or two of my current – and festive! – read, Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares, and take the moment to pause during this busy time of year. The calendar may read the sixth, but I’m still wrapping my mind around the fact that we’ve already reached December.

All that said, with the exception of holiday music and holiday cookies, there’s nothing I love more come this month than the chance to reflect on and discuss my favorite books, albums, and other forms of media of the year. I look to The Broke and the Bookish to kick off the season of recommendations, and so, I’m excited to join in this week’s prompt, Top Ten New-to-Me Authors I Read in 2016. Leaving out the debut authors and favorite writers whose books I devoured over the past few months, I was able to narrow it down to these nine ladies, all of whom earn my thumbs-up! Which authors made your own list?

To start, I’m so happy I took the plunge and checked out Burn Baby Burn earlier in the summer; it’s not only a vivid picture of urban life in the seventies, it also introduced me to an author who’s sure to be a long-lasting favorite. Meg Medina crafts dynamic friendships and family relationships, all of which have me anxious to check out her other novels, particularly Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass ­– who can resist that intriguing title? {Twitter}

I’ll be blunt: I love Una LaMarche. She has a strong sense of humor; she continually features diverse casts of characters; and she has knack for keeping her readers’ eyes glued to the page! My only regret? I didn’t think to read her books at an earlier point. While I recommend her memoir and the delightful You in Five Acts, I also plan to make my way through her backlist. Fortunately, it should be easy: I already have Don’t Fail Me Now on my bookshelf and Like No Other waiting for me at the library. {Twitter}

Over the past few months, I’ve sung the praises for Olivia Laing’s The Lonely City again and again {and I’ll do it once more: if you’ve yet to check it out, use this Tuesday to do so}. It’s all for good reason: Laing’s compelling portraits of isolated artists, in addition to her dreamy observations of living in the city, made the book one of my new favorites – and her an author I’ll be keeping an eye on. Both To the River and The Trip to Echo Spring have spots on my 2017 TBR list – I can’t wait to get to them! {Twitter}

I love me a good thriller and mystery, but I’m ashamed to admit that before this year, I hadn’t checked out any books by Jennifer Lynn Barnes, queen of writing YA crime. Her Scandal­­-inspired release, The Fixer, has since changed the state of things, as I followed the dramatic adventures of protagonist Tess as she investigated the DC political scene. I now consider myself a full-fledged Barnes fan, a title that’s sure to hold true when I grab her other novels ­– The Long Game, anyone? – from the library. {Twitter}

Before this past spring, I hadn’t heard of E.K. Johnston; I only checked out Exit, Pursued by a Bear, in fact, because of the stellar cover design. What a mistake on my part, for Johnston’s novel is a fantastic contemporary, complete with memorable characters, thought-provoking commentary, and a realistic look at female adolescence. Her other YA books, the duo A Thousand Nights and Spindle, fit the fantasy genre, but I nevertheless imagine that Johnston writes to the same high quality. {Twitter}

While preparing this post, I searched through my archives for any mention of Martine Leavitt, but I unfortunately found nothing. It’s a shame, because her most recent novel, Calvin, is a hidden gem, one I often recommend to friends and hope to read again. If the same quirky characters and well-plotted story are to be found in Leavitt’s other novels, My Books of Life by Angel and Keturah and Lord Death, I’m in for quite a treat.

If you haven’t yet read anything by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, there’s still time to fit in a novel before the ball drops; We Should All Be Feminists, for example, is a mere 64 pages, and yet I believe it’s one the best books I’ve read this year. Adichie has a convincing way with words, and I’m curious to see how it translates to her fiction work, such as Americanah and Half of a Yellow Sun. As has become the trend of this post, I’ll be reading both in the new year.

Dahlia Adler is a talented author, but I first came across her not in the bookstore, but on Twitter. Her regularly insightful tweets – along with the urging of my Lit Up Review team – prompted me to finally read one of her books, Just Visiting. I waited far too long to uncover such a powerful combination: distinctive characters, a refreshing premise, and the blend of romance and realism. I’ve heard similarly good things about Behind the Scenes, so I suppose I’ll be grabbing it – and its sequel – soon. {Twitter}

Finally, author Abby MacDonald knows how to keep a reader engaged; I stayed up long after midnight to finish the suspenseful and twisty Dangerous Girls, and even after closing its cover, her brilliant plot had my mind spinning for days. Though she hasn’t released a new novel since 2014, she has a number of backlist novels open to discovery, including the companion novel, Dangerous Boys. If I can track down a copy before winter break hits, you can guess what I’ll be doing. {Twitter}

Have the most wonderful Tuesday!
Bella