Top Ten Tuesday: 10 New-to-Me Authors

So I was lurking around some awesome blogs (*ahem-ahem*) when I stumbled onto this:

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by the folks over at The Broke and the Bookish. The idea is to put up a top ten list and share it with other bloggers. This week's list topic is:

Top Ten New-to-Me Authors I Read in 2012

(in no particular order)

1. Veronica Roth. One word: Divergent. I couldn't put it down. The plot and pacing sucked me in from the very beginning. A masterful debut for such a sweet, down-to-earth young author!


2. Kate Morton. I can't believe I only discovered Ms. Morton now. The Distant Hours is hands-down the most beautifully crafted book I've ever read. Why do I say "crafted"? Because not only is Ms. Morton a wonderful writer (her descriptions are so vivid, I could taste them), but there are so many twists and turns in that book, my head was spinning by the time I was done with it--in a GOOD way.


3. Laini Taylor. Ms. Taylor is a testament to all readers and writers everywhere that YA books can feature top-notch writing. Daughter of Smoke and Bone took my breath away: from the striking characters, to the stunning backdrop of Prague, to the heart-wrenching romance, Karou's story is forever emblazoned in my heart.


4. Rae Carson. Elisa from The Girl of Fire and Thorns, Ms. Carson's debut novel, won me over completely; her transformation was incredible, and most of all, believable. I also loved that Carson wasn't afraid to portray faith in all its fullness, especially Elisa's reliance on God through heartfelt prayer.


5. Marissa Meyer. Oh, she of the innovative ideas! From the cyborg Cinderella to the unique choice of setting (futuristic Beijing, anyone?), Cinder blew my imagination out the water.


6. Leigh Bardugo. Three cheers for fantasy stories that do NOT take place in medieval European kingdoms! Shadow and Bone took place in a distinctly Russian setting and was all the more rich and vibrant for it. The villain in this book is also extremely superb.


7. Kristin Cashore. When I found out Ms. Cashore wrote her stories by hand (by HAND, people!) and then transcribed them onto her computer via voice recognition software, my jaw dropped. Literally, dropped. For one thing, that just shows her dedication to her craft. And for another, Graceling, her debut fantasy, was such an intricately woven story that I can't even fathom the amount of thought and work that went behind it. God bless this woman. Seriously.


8. Susan Dennard. I first stumbled upon Ms. Dennard from NaNoWriMo; she was one of the published authors who was participating in the event. Not only did she answer people's questions with a thoughtfulness that I found refreshing, but her writing was RIDIKKULUS GOOD. (Yes, it's so good, it warranted slang-spelling). After all, very few authors would attempt something as insane(ly awesome) as mixing steampunk and zombies.


9. G.K. Chesterton. The man who contributed to C.S. Lewis's conversion to Christianity. I really wasn't expecting him to have a sense of humor, but Chesterton is HILARIOUS. Before you make up your mind about Jesus or even after your mind's been made up, go read The Everlasting Man. You can thank me later.


10. John Green. I know. I've been living under a rock. But better late than never, right?

Who are some authors you've discovered this year?