Question #115: Finding New Authors

[lisa, Questioner]

Hello! I cannot believe it's already February? Where did January go? Was anyone else's January as insanely crazy busy as mine? Here's hoping for a calmer February.

Anyway, this question is inspired by the struggle that I think a lot of us readers have--finding new authors to read. So, this week's question: What author, that you read for the first time in 2012, would you recommend others sample if they haven't already? What author did you try for the first time in 2012 whose work you can't wait to read more of?

As I look at all the books I read in 2012, I find a lot of repeat authors, but one author I read for the first time in 2012 and whose work I want to read more of is Ali Smith. I read her book Hotel World and thought it was brilliant. Some people may be put off by her play with different narrative styles, but at the end of the novel...wow, I was really emotional! I think her writing is beautiful and just want to read more of it.

What about you? What author did you read for the first time in 2012 whose work you wanted to read more of?

[Diane]

I discovered a few authors in 2012 that I will read more of in 2013 and beyond.
1. José Saramago I read Cain and enjoyed it. I enjoyed Saramago's writing style even more than the story itself. I almost immediately downloaded six of his other books to my nook. :) He won the Nobel Prize for Literature (given for overall contribution to literature rather than individual works) in 1998.
2. J.M. Coetzee. He also won the Nobel Prize for Literature, in 2003. I read Disgrace his 1999 Booker Prize winner. I picked up a couple of his books as well for my shelves.
3. Lou Berney I LOVE mystery/crime novels, particularly those that "go sideways" with humor. It's my guilty pleasure. I read both his books Gutshot Straight: A Novel and Whiplash River: A Novel in 2012, and I'm sure I'll be one of the first in line for his next novel.

[lisa, Questioner]

Hi Diane,

I read your post and then ten minutes later found another reference to Jose Saramago. Strange! Have you read The Double? I think it's high praise for an author when you read him/her for the first time and then go and buy six of their books.

[Rachael]

This is really sad, but I read a few new authors in 2012 and their books were fine, but I'm not overly interested in reading another book by them.
1. by Amy Efaw
2. by Coe Booth
3. / by Megan McCafferty

Those are just a few examples. There was one author that has quickly become an author I love because she gets teens and her characters are amazing.
by Susane Colasanit.
I also read by Susane Colasanti, but it wasn't as good as Keep Holding On.

[Diane]

lisa wrote: "Hi Diane,

I read your post and then ten minutes later found another reference to Jose Saramago. Strange! Have you read The Double? I think it's high praise for an author when you read him/her f..."

I have not yet read The Double, but it is one of the books I bought for my nook. :) I'm planning on reading Blindness at some point in the next few months. It is rare to read an author that I feel so strongly about that I buy *so many* of his/her books, but Saramago touched me in that way... and nook had a one-day sale on all his books, so... :)

[lisa, Questioner]

...so of course you couldn't resist! Thanks for the recommendation. I'm definitely going to give him a try.

[Cornerofmadness]

In recent years I've been using this group and the GR giveaways to find new authors. I find a lot by perusing the shelves at book stores and libraries and I belong to book clubs for my favorite genres (mystery/SF/UF) so I see a lot coming across that way.

Brandon Sanderson's made me go back and look for his Mistborn series

Maggie Stiefvater's had me hunting down her other series

lisa wrote: "Hello! I cannot believe it's already February? Where did January go? Was anyone else's January as insanely crazy busy as mine? Here's hoping for a calmer February.

Anyway, this question is insp..."

[Faye]

I only just discovered Jeannette Walls in 2012, though there not be many left that haven't already. I highly recommend her memoirs.

http://www.literature-map.com/ is a website that someone on here once recommended and it's kind of fun for finding new authors.

[Clint]

While it was actually 2013, I read the entire Alera Codex by Jim Butcher in the first two weeks of the year it was so good.

Authors of the past couple of years I've fallen in love with are Brandon Sanderson, Brent Weeks and Patrick Rothfuss.

[Alison]

Last year I read one book by Cody Young and fell in love with her. I haven't been able to find any more books by her though. This year I am reading a lot of different authors that I haven't read yet. So hopefully i find more new authors I like!

[librarian4Him02]

As far as a new author, I discovered E.L Doctorow. I read his book Homer and Langley and loved it. It was a powerful piece of writing. Eventually I plan to read more of his books. Just need to get my "to-read" list down a bit.

This book and a couple others I read introduced me to a new genre which I hope to explore too. In general I realize they're historical fiction, but they are fictionalized accounts of real (more obscure) people. Can't put my finger on why I I'm enjoying this particular sub-genre, but a lot has to do with the fact it appeals to my imaginative, "what-if" side. I'm currently reading The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb about Lavinia "Vinnie" Bump, a feature of P.T. Barnum's sideshows. Quite an enjoyable and lively read so far.

Juli

[KenziTheRagin, Group Read Curator]

Looking back at last year's reads, I realized I had many more first time reads for authors than I had remembered.
Kristin Britain's Green Rider series is a most excellent story to get into in the fantasy genre. Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies is an interesting work on the development of humanity and society. Jeff Lindsay's Darkly Dreaming Dexter was a very creepy story to get into, but I enjoyed it, and hope to read a couple more of his books this year. David McCullough's 1776 presented the first year of the American Revolution in a very graspable narrative, even for a history dunce like myself. Lorna Landvik's Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons was a step into feminist-ish fiction that I enjoyed much more than expected. I listened to the audio-book with each characters chapters narrator by a different voice, so this may have affected my feelings towards the novel.

[Karen]

Clint wrote: "While it was actually 2013, I read the entire Alera Codex by Jim Butcher in the first two weeks of the year it was so good.

Authors of the past couple of years I've fallen in love with are Brandon..."

I agree, it seems like a few new authors have taken the Fantasy genre by storm. You have mentioned the four authors that I would have recommended to anyone looking for a great new author.