Top Three New-to-Me Authors in 2020

[Jenna, I'd be free if not for Temper & Edgewalker]

This week, let's share the authors you had the pleasure of reading for the first time this year (and the books you read by them). It doesn't matter when the books were released or how long the authors have been around, only that they are new to you. :)

[Jenna, I'd be free if not for Temper & Edgewalker]

So far this year:

Ken Liu


Neal Shusterman

[Aakash]

1. Reki Kawahara

2. Cassandra Clare

3. Jim Butcher

[Jason]

Grady Hendrix.... Read the vampire one, then possession one, goi g to read the IKEA one soon and have the heavy metal one and Satan Loves you one ready to go as well

[Chris]

Oddly enough, I didn't try many new authors this year. Two of them ended up being DNF...

But here's one I finished and liked quite a bit:

HL Tinsley


as honorable mentions to get me to 3:

T.R. Napper - had only read 1 short story before this


David Hair - read Book 1 in this series near the end of last year

[Tammie]

This year I read quite a lot of new-to-me authors. Most of them I don't feel were really worth mentioning, but there were a few I liked.

I was most impressed with M. L. Wang . I love this book.

I also finally read Mary Shelley .

I also enjoyed reading Lauren James , Zen Cho , Margaret Rogerson , and Minka Kent .

[Soo]

What a great question! A hard one to narrow down. I decided to list authors that are new to me this year and excited to read more of their work.

a) Mary Doria Russell (Sparrow Duo-logy)


The Sparrow duo-logy was great! It was a great mix of science, first contact, religion, philosophy and a tumultuous chaos of self-discovery.

b) John Bierce (Mage Errant Series)


The covers are kind of cheesy and I wasn't sure if I was a fan of the story because the MC was not at all likeable, but that response was part & parcel of the story line. Turned out to be a fun YA fantasy with a great world and interesting characters.

c) A Tie Between the P's: Natasha Pulley & Suzanne Palmer

- Natasha Pulley has a way with words that sneak in magical aspects in the ordinary. A slight twist that turns a story from a cool historical fiction into fantasy.



- Suzanne Palmer created a rich SF world that has a ton of possibilities. She can easily create a fully fleshed out character within an active scene and then smack you around with a bunch of action sequences that move at a quick pace.



Honorable Mentions:
- Never Die by Rob J. Hayes
- Race the Sands by Sarah Beth Durst
- The Boy from the Woods by Harlan Coben

[Silvana]

Marlon James -
Tade Thompson - trilogy
Simon Jimenez -

Honorary mention:
Silvia Moreno-Garcia -

[Narilka]

Nick Moseley


Jonathan Maberry


Graeme Rodaughan

[Shae]

Discovered some great 'new to me' authors this year:

1. Angus Watson - really loved his West of West trilogy, starting with You Die When You Die - so funny and clever!

2. Ed McDonald - really got into his Raven's Mark trilogy, starting with Blackwing - dark and twisty.

3. Patrick Samphire - new indie author, absolutely loved the first book in his Mennik Thorn series: Shadow of a Dead God - sort of gave me Dresden/Amra Thetys vibes, but in a really fresh, engaging way.

[Mel]

Last year was my year of discovering new authors, and this was the year of sticking to my comfort zone. I rarely reread books, but this year found myself turning back to familiar stories, more than I ever have before.

That said...
森薫 (Mori Kaoru) - Historical fiction manga artist. I fell in love with her lush illustrations of 19th century central Asia in 乙嫁語り 1 Otoyomegatari 1