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Top Ten New-to-Me Authors I Read in 2014

Happy Top Ten Tuesday!

1. Ann Leckie

I'm probably not the only one who has Ann Leckie on their list this year, and I only found her after everyone else did. But I will be following her output very closely from now on!

2. Danielle Ackley-McPhail and Day Al-Mohamed

I was truly blown away by Baba Ali and the Clockwork Djinn, it's definitely one of my favorite books of 2014. I only found it because the authors asked me to review it, but I will definitely be seeking out the sequel.

3. Rhett C. Bruno

I had never heard of Bruno before he queried me to review his novel, The Circuit: Executor Rising, but I was very impressed with this not-quite-dystopian space opera, and look forward to the sequel.

4. Anchee Min

Her books were some of the few of my local library's relatively small audiobook collection that interested me. Her fictional memoirs of China's last empress are exquisite, and Min herself is fascinating. I heard her speak (and sing!) at the National Book Festival in August, and she was a riot. She spoke about her personal memoirs, which I have yet to read, and shared stories of how she was chosen to be an actress in Communist China, how she trained in Chinese opera, and how she deceived her way to the States and learned English in six months, among other tidbits. I definitely plan to read more of her.

5. Vivien Shotwell

Vienna Nocturne is a novel that melts in your mouth. LibraryThing Early Reviewers introduced me to this one, but I'll be on the lookout for more.

6. Jennifer Baggett, Holly Corbett, and Amanda Presner

I read their memoir, The Lost Girls , about traveling around the world, twice this year, and dip into it when I need adventure. Sadly, I think this was a one-time deal, but I appreciate it deeply.

7. Vanora Bennett

I really enjoyed The Queen's Lover, about Catherine of France and Owen Tudor. Bennett will be another historical fiction go-to for me.

8. Rokheya Shekhawat Hossein

Her short story "Sultana's Dream" was amazing, I just wish there was more.

9. Matthew Schultz

I was very impressed with "On the Study of Physics in Preschool Classrooms," I would read more of his stuff.

10. Cole Becher

Likewise, "Charybdis" was brilliant, though the subject matter was disturbing.







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