Sometimes there are books where you hit the last word and immediately run to Goodreads to see what else the author’s written that you can get your grubby little hands on.
And then there are those times when you realize there’s nothing, or very little, and the Earth opens under you and swallows you up, trapping you in the dark abyss. Just kidding. That’d be so much easier.
No, instead you’re left to wallow in the what-ifs and if-onlys until they eventually take pity on you and release something new. By then, it might be too late for your soul, but that’s okay. You probably weren’t using it anyway.
This week’s Top Ten Tuesday is supposed to be about auto-buy authors, but I don’t have those because my frugality (read: cheapness) trumps that and so I usually wait until my library gets it or there’s a sale. So this is the next best thing.
Some of these would, technically, be auto-buy authors, if I were the sort to rush out and immediately buy newly released books. So it’s close.
Fredrik Backman
Backman will forever by first on my list of nearly everything. I just can’t get enough from him, and I haven’t read anything of his that I haven’t immediately loved. The problem is that I, being the silly American I am, can’t read Swedish and therefore have to wait extra long for his books to be released in English. And that’s a pain. Not quite enough of a pain for me to learn Swedish, though.
Things the author is great at:
✿ Making you ugly cry and laugh at the same time. Craughing?
✿ Touching all the beautiful, painful, ugly, poignant moments in life. But in a funny, uplifting way.
✿ Snarky characters.
✿ Making me care about characters I have no right caring about.
✿ Hitting all the right nerves to make stories resonate.
✿ Titles that could almost be books themselves.
Neal Shusterman
Okay, so Shusterman is releasing books, but … not dang fast enough! First of all, I’ve had to wait pretty near a bloody eternity for The Toll, and not that it’s not worth it, but my poor soul is frayed at all the edges and wearing thin. In the meantime, he’s branching out a bit, but still sticking to dystopia, and it’s a genre that I love and just cannot get enough of.
Things the author is great at:
✿ Realistic dystopian settings that are probably only, like, 20 years off at most.
✿ Drama! Oh, the drama.
✿ Feasting on his readers’ tears as they wait for the next book.
✿ Cliffhangers!
✿ Interesting non-human characters.
Brandon Sanderson
This one’s also just a teensy bit cheating, because Sanderson releases all the books, all the time. He just doesn’t release the right books, okay? It’s a struggle. Like where the heck is Nightblood, hm? Yeah, sure, his other books are fantastic, but I want me some more homicidal talking swords. Is that too much to ask?!
Things the author is great at:
✿ Plots that hold me hostage until the last word.
✿ Characters that I’m forced to love, even when I shouldn’t.
✿ Twists that keep me guessing.
✿ Building freaking vast worlds with all the depth of the Marianas Trench.
✿ Podcasts! Shameless plug for Writing Excuses.
✿ Talking swords. Oh, you know, he should do more of that! *cough*
Jackson Ford
Here’s a new one! Not sure when his next book comes out, but there will be another book from him. Eventually. I’m excited for this series. I complained about there not being enough adult superhero books, and then poof this one fell into my lap like it had been gift-wrapped just for me.
Things the author is great at:
✿ Adult superhero books! With adult problems.
✿ Reluctant heroes and relatable characters.
✿ Sarcasm and humor.
✿ Action, explosions, and things flying through the air.
✿ Protecting their real identity, just like a superhero!
✿ I dunno, probably saving Gotham at night or something?
✿ Name’s Ford. Jackson Ford.
G.S. Denning
I stumbled on this series purely by chance when the third book came out, and I quickly zipped through it and realized there were no more. Yikes. Well, now there’s four, but that’s a recent development. You know what I never thought? Never in my life did I think, “You know, this Sherlock Holmes thing is pretty good, but you know what it’s missing? The supernatural!” And I’ve been wrong, obviously, because Sherlock Holmes definitely needed an addition of the supernatural and a comedy element, because these books are great.
Things the author is great at:
✿ Comedy so on point that I might risk peeing myself.
✿ Breathing new life into old characters.
✿ Unique plotlines, while still keeping a taste of the original.
✿ Fun twists and magic and supernatural.
✿ Wearing a deerstalker like a pro.
Alwyn Hamilton
Those who were around while I was reading (and therefore shouting about) the Rebel of the Sands series may not be surprised. It’s one of my favorite reads still, but it’s been a couple years now and there’s been nothing, and I need something more! Not necessarily in that world, but I’m ready to be swept into some other world somewhere and go on a grand adventure to save the world against impossible odds, please.
Things the author is great at:
✿ Writing about Djinn! And making them unique.
✿ Strong female characters who don’t need their male counterparts, but choose to keep them around.
✿ Vast, immersive world that carries the reader away to some sandy place. Never mind that it’s the middle of an all-out war.
✿ Slow burn romance with characters so stubborn you want to shake them and then smoosh their faces together.
Benjamin Alire Sáenz
Confession: I did not love The Inexplicable Logic of My Life. It was solidly okay. However, Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe more than made up for that, so we’ll call it a win. How can you not love Ari and Dante? Seriously. A sequel’s been teased, by the title of There Will Be Other Summers, but no ETA on it yet, and it was announced years ago. I know I haven’t been waiting as long as some of you, but I need this book to hurry and come out already.
Things the author is great at:
✿ Diversity!
✿ Powerful relationships between characters, both romantic and not.
✿ Toying with my feels.
✿ Coming of age stories with an emotional punch.
✿ Making me remember which magical combination I need to make á.
Emily X.R. Pan
This book broke me in all the right ways, but also touched on a lot of complicated issues (like suicide, being biracial, estranged family, etc.). I loved how much it brought to life the Taiwanese culture. She’s got an untitled book on Goodreads with absolutely no information whatsoever, but it gives me hope that another from her won’t be too far down the pipeline!
Things the author is great at:
✿ Stabbing me right in the feels, every time.
✿ Tackling all the hard subjects gracefully.
✿ Bringing new cultures to life.
✿ Can paint with all the colors of the wind.
Jessica Townsend
So, I read Nevermoor this year, both books, and it was the biggest mistake of 2019, because now I have to wait for aaaaall the other books to come out. Townsend has hinted that it should be a lengthy-ish series and not a trilogy, which is so what I wanted to hear. But now I wait. Have I mentioned that I’m really bad at it?
Things the author is great at:
✿ Whimsical, fun worlds that everyone wishes they could live in.
✿ Giant talking cats with attitudes.
✿ Mysterious villain with equally mysterious backstory.
✿ Super cool powers that I’m totally not jealous of.
S. Jae-Jones
I fell a little in love with S. Jae-Jones’ writing and characters in the Wintersong duology. And honestly, what’s not to love about der Erlkonig? She’s got a new series coming up called Guardians of Dawn, which the Goodreads description says is similar to Sailor Moon. Hello, flashbacks to my childhood.
Things the author is great at:
✿ Beautiful, lyrical prose.
✿ Swoonworthy, if not problematic, relationships.
✿ Drama and angst.
✿ Bringing a setting to life.
Townsend is a great pick! I’m glad it will be a longer series but boo at waiting. Also I have to wait even longer because I am waiting on the translations so my son can read them in the future too (I hope).
It’s a reverse Backman! xD I feel your pain. Except in this case, it’s a little worse for you because waiting for a series is worse than waiting on standalones.
Brilliant list, have to agree on schusterman and Townsend
Funny, though, because I went to my library book sale, and there was a Shusterman book I haven’t even heard of, and I bought it without hesitation. xD So I guess I do have a semi-autobuy function. I figured you’d agree with Townsend, of course, because Nevermoor. 😛
Also, it’s been bugging me all weeeeek. Are you the one that recommended The Wizards of Once? It seems like something I would’ve seen on your blog, and I thought I had. My library *just* got it in last week, and I immediately snagged it off the cart before it even went on the shelves. xD
I was reading The Wizards Of Once two weeks ago so you may have seen it on my blog! Tell me how you get on with it, Cressida has a certain voice in her narration that reminds me of Littlefae and her friends playing and that’s a really clever thing in children’s books.
Yes! I thought so. xD But then I wasn’t sure if I had lost my mind, because my memory is bad haha. I should be getting to it sometime in the next two weeks, since I just got it, so I’ll let you know!
I can’t believe I spaced on Schusterman! Scythe blew me away. You have an amazing list. I need to finish these.
I can’t wait for you read Thunderhead! Not just because everyone should be as broken as I am. But also a little bit of that. 😛 I’m sure you’ll love it!
I really need to read A Man Called Ove sometime.
My TTT.
You do! I’m sure it won’t disappoint. 🙂
Oh I love Brandon Sanderson and Neal Shusterman!
Great list!
(www.evelynreads.com)
Yes! So glad to hear it. 😀
Yes yes yes to Neal Shusterman! I’ve been dying for The Toll for so long; all of his books are so out of the box and interesting, I love them!
Yes! I actually just found one yesterday at a book sale which I’d never heard of. Immediately grabbed it, like you do. xD I love little discoveries like that, because when an author writes a lot, it’s hard to keep track of all their books haha.
Yes those are perfect! And he has so many books. Haha
I would like to know who Jackson Ford “really” is, since it’s a pseudonym. So he’s already written other books, we just don’t know what they are🤣
Yup. Says that they’ve won awards and such, so it seems like they have experience. Oh, the mystery! I’m sure someone will crack it before too long, but it’s fun to wonder about.
Great list! Tbh if I had access to a library I’d spend less on book buying and only have my all-time favorite favorites on my shelves. As it is, if I don’t buy my books I don’t read and I don’t need to make my even more depresso than it is LOL I still really need to read Backman… And YAS to Shusterman and Sanderson! If I could list all my auto buys they would’ve been on there.
My TTT post
Hmm, that’s rough. I know some cheap ways to get access to, like, Overdrive through libraries, but I think it only works if you’re in the US. xD Our library is pretty small and hecka niche. The majority of people seem to read mystery, chick lit, or romance, so those are the best stocked books. Trying to get them to get more of what I read is like pulling teeth lol. So I end up buying more than I’d like. xD
You doooo. Backman is soooo good. I think you’d like him. 😛
Yeah, Indonesia is definitely lacking in the support for readers department. It’s pretty sad 😅 I do like having a Kindle though coz I also buy a lot of e-books and they’re much cheaper than the physical copies. Though ever since joining bookstagram, that’s gone out the window 😂
OK. I’m going to give backman a serious chance! Haha I think I’ll start with Ove before Beartown.
I can’t wait to see what you think of them!
I totally need more from Jackson Ford! 🙂
Lauren @ Always Me
Oooh great list!! Neal Shusterman (sp??) and Branden Sanderson almost made my list too, they are fantastic.
THE TOLL!!! Dude, that’s KILLING MEEEEEEE. Not sure where you’re based, but have you seen the B&N Exclusive Edition of The Toll?
Oh, and my TTT post is here.
I HADN’T. OMG IT HAS A COMMENTARY. 😮 And it’s the same price as preordering the other one? Umm … I’m not seeing a downside and a reason not to order that one over the other?! Is there something I’m missing? It seems too good. xD
I have no idea BUT DO IT IF YOU CAN. Since they don’t ship to the UK, I’m gonna preorder it to my California BFF, and she’s going to send it to me. Such is my love and excitement for this edition
That’s a shame they don’t ship it internationally, but that’s a great workaround. Thanks so much for telling me about it. I’m even more excited now. xD I’m glad I haven’t preordered it yet lol.
Oddly, they ship internationally just not to the UK – it’s something to do with our new data protection laws. And I know, I’m so lucky to have awesome American friends who will do these things for me.
And you’re welcome!!! I hope they do more editions like that bc OMG
A big fat yes to both Fredrik Backman and Alwyn Hamilton! Especially the first, as he’s one of my all time favorite authors. The other authors I’ve either not tried yet or still have books left to read of. 😉
He’s one of mine, too! I just got my copy of Britt-Marie Was Here in the mail yesterday and I’m so excited! For how big an author he is, especially for the demographic of readers in my county, I’m sort of amazed that my library only carries A Man Called Ove and Beartown and its sequel. =/
That’s definitely strange… I hope you will enjoy your time with Britt-Marie! xx
There are a few authors on your list that I haven’t read anything by. I’ll have to check them out!
I hope you enjoy them if you do!