Top Ten New-To-Me Authors I Read in 2018

1. Naomi Novik

I started hearing about Uprooted this year or last, and then somebody recommended Spinning Silver to me this year, so I went ahead and read it. And then I found the Temeraire books,which I'm still going through!

2. Rachel Kadish

I picked The Weight of Ink up by accident in the library because I thought it was a different book! Would definitely read another Rachel Kadish book!

3. Ann Patchett

An author I've been meaning to read for years, and in 2018, I read both her collection of essays This Is The Story of a Happy Marriage, and her novel Commonwealth.

4. Becky Albertalli

I've been hearing about Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda for a while (I guess there's a movie?), but I was really captivated by the cover/description of Leah on the Offbeat, and so when I saw them in the library, I just read both!

5. Jenny Han

To All The Boys I've Loved Before had kind of been on my radar for a while, and then the movie came out in August, so I decided I'd better read it and I totally fell for Lara Jean and had to read them all!

6. Rena Rossner

I saw the cover of Sisters of the Winter Wood in the library and read the description, and fairytales + Jews+ Goblin Market=a book I had to read and I'm glad I did!

7. Nina LaCour

I'd vaguely heard of her, but I found We Are Okay in the library and I fell in love with her beautiful writing. I want to read her other books for sure.

8. Elaine Castillo

I saw America Is Not the Heart around on some debut lists, but I could not have imagined how good it was!

9. Elizabeth Acevedo

I saw The Poet X on a lot of lists, and then I saw Elizabeth Acevedo at the National Book Festival, and I bought it right there!

10. Becky Chambers

Her books always sounded perfect for me, and I finally got around to them in 2018, just in time for the third book to come out! Now I need more!

Comments

curlygeek04 said…

I love Naomi Novik and Commonwealth was a fantastic book. I've been meaning to read Han and Acevedo. Thanks for the recommendations!

January 28, 2019 at 6:59 PM

Space Station Mir said…

@curlygeek You're welcome! I actually liked Patchett's essays even better than Commonwealth, although Commonwealth is more interesting when you know her personal backstory.

January 29, 2019 at 3:37 PM

Books I Loved But Never Reviewed

Reviewed is a strong word. I've mostly stopped doing formal book reviews except for author requests and/or when I feel like it, but I usually give some description and or opinions of books I'm reading, usually multiple times, through weekly and monthly wrap-ups. I do find that it' s more difficult to review my absolute favorite books than books I either disliked or engaged with strongly on an intellectual rather than emotional level. For example, I rarely review poetry beyond "I loved it'" or "Meh." It's much easier to explain criticism of vocabulary usage or a plot device than explain how the book felt like a snug little snow globe. So, for this Top Ten Tuesday , I'm listing books that I loved, didn't give a formal review, and (I think) didn't discuss too much. Books I Loved But Never Reviewed A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers Tess of the Road by Rachel Hartman We Are Okay by Nina LaCour The Broken Earth Trilogy by N.K. J...

Cozy Snowy Books and Books I Want for Hanukkah

As usual, it's that time again to adjust the Top Ten Tuesday topic because tonight is the third night of Hanukkah. Hanukkah always starts on the 25th of Kislev but that sometimes needs some adjusting on the Gregorian calendar. Happy third night to my fellow celebrants, and happy almost-winter and/or winter holidays to everyone else! Since I also missed last week's topic, I've decided to share some cozy snowy reads--the topic was books set in snowy places but Jana added cozy and I like that as well-- to get into the wintery mood as well as some books I'd like for Hanukkah. Books Set in (Cozy) Snowy Places Love You a Latke by Amanda Elliott--This one is set during Hanukkah in Maine and NYC, so lots of cozy snow and wintry scenes in this evocative Hanukkah romance--and yes, it does involve a lot of food... The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis--Narnia is, of course, not an entirely nice place when the Pevensie children enter it, yet Mr. Tumnus, Mr. and Mrs....

Books That Conjure Up Happy Memories

Happy Top Ten Tuesday! I'm trying to get back in the swing. This one is asking for a bit more work than usual since I can't just pull up Goodreads, which I've only had as an adult. I do still have some of these on the shelves at least. Books That Conjure Up Happy Memories The Source by James Michener-- Going to Barnes & Noble with my grandpa who wanted to pick out this book for me since he thought I would enjoy it (he was right) Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares--My friend lending me the first 2 books at camp The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis--Reading these aloud with my dad The books by she who must not be named--Reading these aloud with my brother A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle--Finding this in the children's section of a library I went to as a kid The Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler--Reading this as a kid, teaching it as an adult, and sharing with other adults who appreciated it in one of my book clubs Last Day on M...

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