I'm a little late to the TTT party today, but I hate missing out on this fun weekly event, so here I am! Today's prompt—Top Ten New-to-Me Authors I Discovered in 2023—is an easy one, at least for me. I counted it up and of the 223 books I read last year, 146 of them were by authors I had never read before. Many of them were debut authors, although a few were by authors who have been around for awhile that I've just never tried out before. I love discovering great new writers to love, especially when they have a long backlist for me to explore. 

Before we get to my list, though, be sure to click on over to That Artsy Reader Girl and give our fabulous host, Jana, some love.

1. Brodi Ashton, Cynthia Hand, and Jodi Meadows—I realize this is three authors, but since I've only ever read the books they've written together, I'm going to count them as one. This creative trio pens a wholly entertaining YA series that I discovered last year with My Calamity Jane, an alternate history (with werewolves!) novel set in the Wild West. I enjoyed it so much, especially on audio, that I've since listened to My Plain Jane and am currently in the middle of My Imaginary Mary. The books mix history, sci-fi/fantasy, horror, humor, (a little bit of) romance, and lots of imagination to create funny, action-packed romps that are just all-over delightful. Bonus: they're PG rated, which is not always easy to find in YA.

2. Alice Feeney—Daisy Darker is, well, dark, but it's also engrossing and compelling. Even though I saw the Big Plot Twist coming, I still quite enjoyed the read (listen, actually). I'll definitely pick up more of Feeney's books.

3. Meg Shaffer—Shaffer's debut, The Wishing Game, got a lot of buzz when it came out and deservedly so. While it may not be the most unique or pulse-pounding read, it's wholesome and uplifting, a happy book that made me smile. I need more of those in my reading life, so hopefully Shaffer's next novel will have a similar vibe. (I just looked it up and The Lost Story, a "wondrous" novel about two boys' mysterious disappearance in a mysterious land, is coming out on July 4. Yay!)

4. Erin Bow—I loved Bow's latest, a contemporary middle-grade novel called Simon Sort of Says. Bow mostly writes fantasy, which isn't really my thing, but I'm definitely up for more realistic fiction by her.

5. Katherine Marsh—Speaking of realistic middle-grade fiction, I also really liked Marsh's moving historical novel, The Lost Year. As with Bow, I'm looking forward to reading more of her realistic fiction.

6. Nicole Deese—Christian fiction can be hit or miss for me. Before I Called You Mine was the former. You better believe I'll be checking out Deese's backlist and watching what she does going forward.

7. Peng Shepherd—The Cartographers is an imaginative adult portal fantasy that doesn't really feel like fantasy (if that makes sense). I enjoyed it, though, and plan to look for more books by Shepherd. Ooh, I just checked out her website and her forthcoming book, All This & More (available July 9, 2024), sounds super intriguing!

8. Carlene O'Connor—I enjoyed the first book in O'Connor's new County Kerry mystery series and am looking forward to the next one. The author also pens a couple of cozy mystery series set in Ireland that I want to check out.

9. Emily Inouye Henry—Henry's debut, a YA historical novel about discrimination against Japanese Americans during World War II, was inspired by her own family history. It's a beautiful, touching book that I loved. Henry's sophomore effort is a picture book biography about a Japanese American NBA star. I'm not really interested in that, but I'll be keeping an eye out for whatever Henry does next.

10. John David Anderson—Anderson's latest middle-grade novel, The Greatest Kid in the World, made me laugh out loud, but it also has a tender poignancy that touched me. I had never heard of the author before; obviously, I've been missing out!

There you go, ten new-to-me authors that I found last year. Have you read any of them? Which of their books are your favorites? Which awesome writers did you discover in 2023? I'd love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog. I also reply to comments left here (although I'm a little behind currently).