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.   

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

Book(s) read since:  Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus

8.  Diane Chamberlain—adult historical and contemporary 

Book(s) read in 2020:  Big Lies in a Small Town; Necessary Lies; and The Stolen Marriage

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.

Living in North Korea means being on guard at all times.  The Pak family knows they must never criticize the government, they must always attend Communist meetings, and they cannot trust their neighbors to keep their secrets.  Above all, they have to keep their Bible well hidden, so that their illegal Christian beliefs are never revealed.  In addition to all of society's rules, 12-year-old Sora also lives under the constant watch of her overbearing mother, who insists Sora follow traditional female roles.  Although she's smart and ambitious, Sora is no longer allowed to attend school.  Instead, she cooks, cleans, watches her younger brothers, and in all ways prepares to be a proper wife in an arranged marriage.  Sora loves her 8-year-old brother, Youngsoo, but she can't help feeling resentful and jealous of his privileged status as a beloved oldest son.  If Sora could only continue her education, she knows she could make her family proud of her, even if she is only a lowly daughter.  

With the threat of war looming over the country, the Pak family has more serious concerns.  Like many of their neighbors, they decide to leave their home and flee to the south, where they hope to find safety.  Attempting to escape North Korea is considered treason, so Sora and her family sneak off in the night.  When a bomb drops nearby, she and Youngsoo are separated from their parents.  Knowing they cannot return home, the children set off on the 400-mile journey to Busan, South Korea, on their own.  The trip will be treacherous, full of danger around every turn.  Can the pair survive hunger, illness, freezing weather, wild animals, exhaustion, and—scariest of all—other terrified refugees, to reach their goal?  Or will they become more innocent casualties of a despotic regime determined to terrorize its citizens into submission? 

Brother's Keeper, a debut novel by Julie Lee, is loosely based on the experiences of the author's mother during the Korean War.  It tells a harrowing story that's as fascinating as it is haunting.  Sora is a very sympathetic character whose frustrations are authentic and relatable.  She's brave, determined, and loyal, all of which make her a heroine who's admirable and root-worthy.  The plot is compelling, with lots of tense action to keep it exciting.  Although Brother's Keeper is a sad book, it's also poignant, illuminating, and touching.  I've never read a novel about the Korean War, but this one made me eager to learn more.  I enjoyed it.

(Readalikes:  Reminds me of The Girl With Seven Names by Hyeon-seo Lee)

To the FTC, with love:  Another library fine find

Today's a doozy of a Tuesday.  It's Election Day here in the U.S. and, let me tell you, tensions are running very, very high!  I've never experienced a crazier, more divisive election—I can't wait for it to be over.  People are panicking (Costco was completely out of toilet paper by the time I got there at 11:30 yesterday), desperately worried over what will happen if Trump loses.  I'm praying that peace and level-headedness will prevail.  If it doesn't, my pantry and freezer are stocked in case we need to hunker down for awhile.  I admit I'm concerned about the fate of my beloved nation, especially if my chosen candidate does not triumph, but I have faith that God is the one who's truly in charge.  May He bless my beloved nation today and always.

Top Ten Tuesday is always a fun distraction and today it's especially needed!  The topic du jour—My Top Ten Non-Bookish Hobbies—is one I did back in January of 2018 and then again in April of this year.  I don't have enough hobbies to revisit the subject, so I'm going to do something else with my list today.  

1.  Luck of the Titanic by Stacey Lee (coming May 4)—Titanic books always interest me, so I'm all in for this novel by Lee, who's one of my favorite writers of YA historical fiction.  The story revolves around a British-Chinese teen who smuggles herself on Titanic.  Her plan is to find her missing brother, then convince the higher-ups at the Ringling Brothers Circus to take them both on as trapeze artists.  Of course, nothing goes quite as planned.  Sounds good, yes?

2.  The Girl in the Painting by Tea Cooper (coming March 9)—I discovered this Australian author earlier this year and have been anxious to read more by her ever since.  Starting in 1906, her newest concerns a young orphan who is taken in by philanthropist siblings.  When her female guardian reacts strangely to a gallery exhibit, the girl realizes how little she really knows about the woman.  She sets out to discover the enigmatic woman's back story.  

3.  After Alice Fell by Kim Taylor Blakemore (coming March 1)—In 1865, New Hampshire, a woman is summoned to collect her sister's body from the mental asylum where she has just died from a four-story fall off the institution's roof.  The asylum directors claim their patient committed suicide, but her sister suspects something far more sinister:  murder.

4.  The Moonlight School by Suzanne Woods Fisher (coming February 2)—When Lucy Wilson comes to rural Kentucky in 1911 to work for the education superintendent, she is shocked to discover that most adults in the area's hill country cannot read or write.  She vows to change that.  Inspired by true events, this one sounds excellent.

5.  In Times of Rain and War by Camron Wright (coming April 6)—Okay, so I couldn't resist including one World War II novel.  I've enjoyed other books by Wright, so I'm excited about this novel, which is about a soldier who discovers a young German Jewish woman hiding in plain sight in England.  A connection grows between them, but can they trust each other with their dark, dangerous secrets?

6.  A Place to Hang the Moon by Kate Albus (coming February 2)—Alright, two World War II novels!  This middle-grade offering stars three orphaned siblings who are desperate to stay together, despite the fact that suitable guardians are in short supply and none are looking for more mouths to feed.  They're evacuated to the country, where they finally find hope in a kind village librarian.  Can she keep them safe when the Nazis are already suspicious of her allegiances?

7.  The Fabergé Secret by Charles Belfoure (coming January 5)—Set in Russia, 1906, this novel concerns the persecution of Jews and the couple who determines to do something about it, despite the risks.

8.  Finding Junie Kim by Ellen Oh (coming May 4)—I can't find a lot of information about this middle-grade novel, but I know it's set during the Korean War.  The cover is very similar to Brother's Keeper, so I'm guessing it tells a parallel story.  Before picking up Brother's Keeper, I'd never read a book about the Korean experience during the war—I definitely want to learn more.

9.  Mazie by Melanie Crowder (coming February 23)—This YA novel set during the 1950s is about a Nebraska teen who's unexpectedly given the opportunity to pursue her dream of performing on Broadway.  Intimidated by the noisy city and the frustration of actually making it in the Big Apple, she has to decide whether to persist with her dream or leave it all behind and return to the life she left behind.

10.  Tidewater Bride by Laura Frantz (coming January 5)—Unlike most residents of Virginia colony, Selah Hopewell has no interest in marriage.  It's ironic, then, that she's put in charge of a group of tobacco brides who are being shipped in to marry Virginia's many tobacco barons.  The last thing Selah is expecting is her own romance ...

There you have it, ten soon-to-be-released historical novels that I'm looking forward to.  Do you enjoy hist fic?  Which up-and-comers are you excited about?  Who's your favorite writer of historical fiction?  I'd truly love to know.  Leave me a comment on this post and I'll gladly return the favor on your blog.