Lesley Anne: Top Ten New-to-Me Authors in 2013

When I first saw this week's Top Ten Tuesday topic, I thought I wouldn't have much of a list to share. But after I thought about it, I realized I read nine new-to-me authors this year! Not quite ten, I know, but considering the abysmal number of books I read last year, the fact that I read books from nine new authors in 2013 is a major win for me. 2013 has all around been an amazing reading year, but I'll discuss that more in our End of Year Book Survey. For now, let's talk about some fun and amazing authors!

Lesley Anne's Top Ten Nine New-to-Her Authors in 2013  

Veronica Roth - Whenever I hear stories like Veronica Roth's, I always wonder what I'm doing with my life. She's my age (25), she wrote Divergent while she was in college, and now is an internationally known author of three bestsellers, the first of which has been made into a movie. I mean, really?! What an inspiration. Plus, she is totally rocking that pixie cut right now. I just love her.

Richelle Mead - If I'm being honest, I didn't totally love Vampire Academy. I've only read the first two books in the series, but I hear they get better and better as the series goes on, so I definitely plan on finishing. Plus, I feel like I am missing out on all the Bloodlines fun!

Diana Peterfreund - YOU GUYS!!! I just love Diana Peterfreund! After reading glowing review after glowing review of For Darkness Shows the Stars (check out Jamie's and Hannah's reviews), I knew I had to experience this goodness for myself. And y'all...everyone was SO RIGHT. For Darkness Shows the Stars is one of my favorite reads of the year. Diana is also the reason I read my first ever Jane Austen novel (Persuasion), so I really have a lot to thank her for!

Cassandra Clare - Hello! Author of one of my new all-time favorite series! I gobbled up her Infernal Devices series this summer, and all I have to say is homegirl knows how to actually write a love triangle that works. I can't say the same for her Mortal Instruments series, but man did The Infernal Devices blow me away. If you haven't read this series yet, get your butt on the couch (or wherever you like to read) and meet Jem Carstairs and Will Herondale! You can thank me later.

Tahereh Mafi - I feel if I try to talk about my love for Tahereh Mafi's books, it will all just come out as one big fangirly blob of gibberish. Her Shatter Me series is amazing, plain and simple. This series is not for everyone, though, as her writing style tends to have a polarizing effect on people. Mafi has a talent for making you feel exhilarated, sympathetic, frustrated, and in love with her characters all at the same time, all the while leaving you begging for more. And speaking of more, the Fracture Me novella from Adam's perspective comes out today! WIN.

Markus Zuzak - So, The Book Thief. That is the only book I have read of Zuzak's, but I've heard good things about his other standalone novel, I Am The Messenger. I'm not sure if I will read any other works by Zuzak, just because it took me f-o-r-e-v-e-r to get into The Book Thief. As I've said before, it turned out to be such a beautiful read, but I might just leave my experience with Zuzak's novels at that.

Jennifer E. Smith - My first read of 2013 was Jennifer E. Smith's The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight, and it was a really cute read. It didn't change my life or anything, but if Smith's other novels are anything like Statistical Probability, then I know they are just the thing if I am ever in need of a pick-me-up. I'm just waiting for the day when they turn Statistical Probability into a movie -- the plot is straight out of a romantic comedy!

Jane Austen - Ok y'all, this is so difficult and embarrassing to admit. Up until this year, I had never read a Jane Austen novel from cover to cover. In high school, I was supposed to read Pride and Prejudice for one of my English classes, but my stupid high school self thought, why read the book when I've seen the BBC adaptation with Colin Firth so many times? I practically knew the story like the back of my hand. Oh, the logic of a teenager! But now my biggest sin as a reader has been remedied, and all is well with the world. My first Jane Austen novel was Persuasion, and I absolutely LOVED it. I mean, seriously, where has Captain Wentworth been all my life?!

C.S. Lewis - Likewise, I have been surrounded by the stories from C.S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia my entire life, but I've never actually sat down and read them until now. I asked Jenny and Brenna if I should start with The Magician's Nephew or The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe to kick off my experience with Narnia, and they both agreed I should start with The Magician's Nephew. I ended up liking it more than I thought I would! I also want to read Lewis' other more mature works, like The Screwtape Letters and Till We Have Faces. His writing is so well done, but it's the kind you have to sit and chew on for a while, as opposed to soaking in all at once.

So, what new (to you) author discoveries did you make this year? Let's discuss!