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Tuesday, January 26, 2021

Top Ten Tuesday: 2020 New-to-me Author Discoveries


As much as I love reading books by my favorite authors, I also enjoy discovering new writers, so I always try to mix it up.  Case in point:  in 2020, just over half of the 191 books I read were by authors whose work I had never tried before.  Although not all of them turned out to be winners for me, I did find a number of new authors that I liked and definitely want to read more from.  Since today's Top Ten Tuesday is all about those discoveries, I'll share ten of mine in just a sec.

Edit:  After crafting this whole post, I realized I made a similar TTT list back in July that included several of these authors.  Oops.  I'm too lazy to change out the duplicates.  Sorry!

First, though, I want to encourage you to join in the TTT fun.  All you have to do is buzz on over to That Artsy Reader Girl, read some quick instruction, make your own list, then spend some happy hours clicking around the book blogosphere.  It's a great way to spread the love around our fabulous community while getting great reading recommendations at the same time.   

Top Ten New-to-Me Authors I Discovered in 2020:


1.  Riley Sager—creepy adult mysteries/thrillers
Book(s) read in 2020:  The Last Time I Lied; Lock Every Door 


2.  Nic Stone—YA and middle-grade contemporary, featuring Black characters
Book(s) read in 2020:  Clean Getaway


3.  Julie Lee—middle-grade historical, featuring Korean characters
Book(s) read in 2020:  Brother's Keeper (debut)


4.  Alyssa Maxwell—adult historical mysteries
Book(s) read in 2020:  Murder at the Breakers
Book(s) read since:  Murder at Marble House


5.  Janae Marks—middle-grade contemporary, featuring Black characters
Book(s) read in 2020:  From the Desk of Zoe Washington (debut)


6.  Aida Salazar—middle-grade contemporary and historical, featuring Latinx characters
Book(s) read in 2020:  Land of the Cranes 


7.  Dusti Bowling—middle-grade contemporary and mystery
Book(s) read in 2020:  The Canyon's Edge


8.  Diane Chamberlain—adult historical and contemporary 


9.  Tea Cooper—adult historical and historical romance, set in Australia
Book(s) read in 2020:  The Woman in the Green Dress


10.  Ben Oliver—YA sci-fi and dystopian
Book(s) read in 2020:  The Loop (debut)

There you have it, ten new authors I found in 2020.  Have you read any of them?  Which new authors did you discover in 2020?  I'd truly love to know.  Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog.

Happy TTT!

61 comments:

  1. Half? Wow, you really read a lot of new authors. Now I want to track that. Dusti Bowling made my list, and I look forward to reading more from her

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, I was surprised when I counted them up to see just how many new authors I read in 2020. SO many.

      Bowling is great. I just checked out MOMENTOUS EVENTS IN THE LIFE OF A CACTUS from the library. Can't wait to read it!

      Thanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Sam!

      Delete
  2. I'll have to check out Nic Stone's stuff!

    My post.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've only read one of her books so far, but I've heard good things about her other ones. Hopefully, I'll get to one or two of them in 2021.

      Thanks for stopping by, Lydia!

      Delete
  3. So many authors I haven't heard about myself! 😍 Plus many of them middle grade authors! 🤩 I will be checking all of the books mentioned here by these authors! Except Riley Sager, all the other authors will definitely be new to be for this year! 🥺 Thank you for sharing! 💖💕

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love MG books, so I'm always on the look-out for great ones. I read a lot of them in 2020!

      Thanks for coming by, Kitten!

      Delete
  4. I like that you included author pictures haha. I forget there’s a person behind the books without looking at author bios! Nice list — you read so many, it’s certainly impressive!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Authors have faces? What?? LOL. It's always fun to see what an author looks like, in my opinion :) It makes their books more personal for me.

      Thanks for stopping by, Rabeeah!

      Delete
  5. I still haven't read any of these authors. :( I've been meaning to read several, especially Stone. I'm glad you loved their books.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Honestly, I probably wouldn't have gotten to Stone this year if it hadn't been for judging for the Cybils Awards. I'm glad I did, though, and I'm definitely looking forward to reading more of her books.

      Thanks for coming by, Deanna!

      Delete
  6. I like Riley Sager, Diane Chamberlain, and Nic Stone, but I had read them before 2020! I definitely want to check out some of your middle grade recommendations!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love MG books! There are some great ones out there. I hope you enjoy the authors I recommended—if you have recs for me, definitely let me know.

      Thanks for stopping in, Dara!

      Delete
  7. Nic Stone is the only author here that I've read and also discovered last year!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Luckily, she has only published a few books, so it shouldn't be too hard for me to catch up on her books. I've heard especially good things about DEAR MARTIN, so that will be my next read by her.

      Thanks for coming by, Angie!

      Delete
  8. I just read Murder at the Breakers, and enjoyed that. Thanks for the recommendation! They aren't new authors, but I discovered Connie Willis and Amy Stewart last year. I look forward to reading more from them.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm so glad you enjoyed MURDER AT THE BREAKERS! It's a fun start to a series that I'm really liking. I almost included Stewart on this list as I read WOMAN WAITS WITH GUN last year. I need to keep going with that series. Connie Willis is one I've never heard of. I'll have to look her up. Thanks for the rec!

      Thanks for stopping in, T!

      Delete
  9. Nic stone was new to me a few years ago when I read her novel, Dear Martin.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's the novel of hers I've heard most about, but it's not the one I've read. I'm hoping to get to DEAR MARTIN this year.

      Thanks for coming by!

      Delete
  10. I like to read a mixture of new authors and old favourites too. I enjoyed The Stolen Marriage by Diane Chamberlain, but she's the only author on your list that I've read.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've enjoyed several of Chamberlain's newer books, so I'm working on her backlist now. She's great.

      Thanks for stopping by, Helen!

      Delete
  11. Lovely list! I read Riley Sager's "Final Girls" and didn't care for it. I hope if you get around to it, you enjoy it as you did his other works!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Bummer! I haven't read FINAL GIRLS yet, but it's definitely on my TBR list. I've heard other Sager fans say it's not their favorite, so we'll see.

      Thanks for coming by!

      Delete
  12. Great list! I hope you can stop by:

    https://collettaskitchensink.blogspot.com/2021/01/top-ten-tuesday-2020-new-to-me-authors.html

    Colletta

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks! I'm glad to have found some new authors to love in 2020 :)

      Thanks for stopping in, Colletta!

      Delete
  13. hehehe... great list! I totally remembered doing something similar and changed it up for that reason. I hope you find amazing new authors this year too!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You have a better memory than I do! It didn't dawn on me to wonder why I already had pictures of some of these authors on my computer until I had finished the whole post. LOL. I'm getting old!

      Thanks for coming by and commenting, Leslie!

      Delete
  14. It's great that you tried so many new authors last year! With all that was happening in the world, I tended to stick with old favorites even more than usual. I haven't read any of these authors... and have only even heard of a couple. I'll look into the others. Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It makes total sense to me to stick with "comfort" authors in difficult times! I don't blame you one bit.

      Thanks for stopping by, JoAnn!

      Delete
  15. Nic Stone is amazing. Julie Lee's book is on my TBR shelf and I want to read it soon!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. One of the things I love about being a Cybils Awards judge is that I'm always introduced to new writers. I'm sure I would have gotten around to Stone eventually, but the Cybils "forced" me to read her. I'm glad I did and am looking forward to reading the rest of her books. I'm happy to say I'm caught up with Julie Lee's books - it's easy when there's just one :) Can't wait to see what she does next.

      Thanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Helen!

      Delete
  16. I haven't read any of these authors yet, but it looks like a great list! Happy Reading!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I was glad to have found all of these new authors and more. It's always exciting to find new books/writers to love.

      Thanks for stopping in, Nicole!

      Delete
  17. Riley Sager is a good author! I'm a fan of him and his books. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Agreed! I'm picking up HOME BEFORE DARK at the library today. Can't wait to read it.

      Thanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Lark!

      Delete
  18. I've heard of some of these authors but I haven't read them. I'm glad they made you happy and gave you such great reads! Here's my post: https://www.nbiblioholic.com/2021/01/hello-it-was-so-nice-to-meet-you.html

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you! We all needed good reads in 2020, didn't we?

      Thanks for stopping in, Natalie!

      Delete
  19. I'm only familiar with Riley Sager and Diane Chamberlain so I need to check out the other authors from your list. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I hope you enjoy these authors if you do check them out, Melody!

      Thanks for coming by!

      Delete
  20. Nic Stone is a female? This whole time I thought she was a he. Ha! Thanks for visiting my blog.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ha ha! Yes. I thought she was male, too, because of her name and because the book I read by her had a male protagonist. But, she's definitely female. And a great writer!

      Thanks for stopping in, Anne!

      Delete
  21. I discovered Alyssa Maxwell in 2020 too! I have Riley Sager on my TBR but have yet to get to any of his books.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nice! I'm loving the Maxwell series. I love that the books are light, fun reads but also well-written and engaging. Sager's books are totally different than Maxwell's, but I've been enjoying them, too.

      Thanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Katherine!

      Delete
  22. Great list! I know I've discovered Riley Sager and Diane Chamberlain not too long ago. Need to check out some of the others you mentioned!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I feel like I was late to discover both Sager and Chamberlain, but I'm glad I did :)

      Thanks for stopping in, Iliana!

      Delete
  23. Oh yay, I see lots of my favorites on your list. I love Diane Chamberlain, Riley Sager, and Nic Stone. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Great minds think alike! I'm planning to read more by all of these authors this year.

      Thanks for coming by, Suzanne!

      Delete
  24. I just really need to read a Riley Sagar novel! I've heard such great things and I need to try them out!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You do! I like spooky mystery/thrillers, so his books are right up my alley. I hope you like them when you try them.

      Thanks for stopping by, Hasini!

      Delete
  25. I've read a few Nic Stone novels, so she's an easy go-to. I have to check out Riley Sager because you're not the first one that has him on this week's TTT list!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've seen him on lots of lists this week! He's definitely a fan favorite. I hope you enjoy his novels when you get to them.

      Thanks for coming by!

      Delete
  26. Interesting list, as always. I'm happy for you that you found so many new authors.

    Thanks for visiting my TTT earlier.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I read a TON of new authors this year. I'm glad a number of them turned out to be writers I want to keep reading!

      Thanks, as always, for coming by an commenting, Marianne!

      Delete
    2. A new good author is always a great find. I'm happy you said you found several. So did I.

      Delete
  27. I love that you featured their pictures! You’ve inspired me to do that next time!
    https://readingladies.com/2021/01/25/new-to-me-authors-in-2020-toptentuesday/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I like seeing what the authors look like. It personalizes their books a little more for me, you know?

      Thanks for stopping in!

      Delete
  28. Diane Chamberlain is an author I've been meaning to try for years. Hopefully this year I'll make that happen.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've been saying that about a lot of authors! LOL. I've already tried a few new ones and have been mostly pleasantly surprised. I hope that trend continues throughout 2021.

      Thanks for coming by, Tanya!

      Delete
  29. Love Riley Sager - a lot of these authors are on my GR shelves that I haven't gotten around to reading their works yet! Thanks for stopping by my TTT to leave a comment.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I hope you enjoy them when you get around to reading them!

      Thanks for stopping in, Sarah!

      Delete
  30. Hey, this time you're the one with a bunch of names I don't recognize! I haven't read any of these, but the two you listed from Dusti Bowling both appeal to me -- and she's one of those I hadn't heard of, so looks very much like an author who could potentially be a favorite of mine as well.

    ReplyDelete
  31. I read The Loop and Lock Every Door last year too!

    ReplyDelete

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