
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted at That Artsy Reader Girl. Each week you compile a list of ten books which coincide with that week’s theme. You can find everything you need to know about joining in here!
This week’s theme is ‘New-to-Me Authors I Read in 2020’, so let’s take a look at the authors I read novels by for the very first time in 2020 and who I’d like to read more from in future!
Alix E. Harrow
Technically I did first read Harrow in 2019 when I read her Hugo Award-winning short story, ‘A Witch’s Guide to Escape: A Practical Compendium of Portal Fantasies‘, but I first read her novels, The Ten Thousand Doors of January and The Once and Future Witches, last year and she has cemented herself as one of my favourite authors. The Once and Future Witches, in particular, is a new favourite of mine.
Katherine Arden
I finally read The Bear and the Nightingale in 2020 and really enjoyed it. Arden’s writing is stunning and I really want to continue with this series!
Nghi Vo
The Empress of Salt and Fortune was such a wonderful novella and I’m so looking forward to reading more from Vo in 2021. If Asian-inspired fantasy is your jam, you need to try Vo’s work.
Audre Lorde
Lorde is an author I’ve been meaning to read for a long, long time and in 2020 I finally read her famous poetry collection, The Black Unicorn, and loved it. I’d like to read more from her in 2021.
Robin Hobb
Hobb is one of the queens of the fantasy genre and I read the first trilogy in her Realm of the Elderlings – Assassin’s Apprentice, Royal Assassin and Assassin’s Quest – in 2020. I’m so excited to move on to the next trilogy, which I’ve heard is fantastic, and continue with the series!
Anna-Marie McLemore
McLemore is another author who was on my radar for a long time and I finally crossed Wild Beauty off my TBR in 2020 and loved their writing. Magical realism isn’t a genre I tend to reach for very often, but McLemore writes it beautifully.
Talia Hibbert
I read both Get a Life, Chloe Brown and Take a Hint, Dani Brown in 2020 and it was so refreshing to pick up a UK-based contemporary romance that wasn’t set in London. I’m looking forward to Act Your Age, Eve Brown!
Tasha Suri
Suri’s debut, Empire of Sand, ended up being such an immersive, romantic desert fantasy and she’s an author I’ll definitely be reading more from in 2021!
Tamsyn Muir
I fell in love with Gideon the Ninth back in November – its sense of humour and the way Muir writes were excellent – and I can’t wait to read more from Muir.
Jessica Townsend
By now you all know how I fell in love with Townsend’s Nevermoor series at the end of 2020 and gobbled up all three novels in November and December. I’m so excited for the fourth book, whenever it’s coming, and I’ll be shoving the series into everyone’s hands!
I read Audre Lorde autobiography, Zami A New Spelling of my name and loved it. Her writing style really shone through and her life’s story was gripping, though as I don’t read a lot of bios it was strange for me to read about a real person’s hardships.
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I absolutely love Robin Hobb and Talia Hibbert! I hope Alix E. Harrow, Katherine Arden and Jessica Townsend make my list of new authors to me in 2021.
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I’m kicking myself for forgetting both Katherine Arden and Tamsyn Muir when I was writing my list! Can’t wait to carry on with both of their series in 2021.
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Oh I really need to try Katherine Arden and Robin Hobb, too! 😏
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I hope you enjoy them both!
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I really need to read books by Talia Hibbert and Robin Hobb soon. I’ve heard so many good things about them.
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The Brown Sisters series is a lot of fun and Robin Hobb is brilliant, too. 🙂
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So glad to hear you loved The Bear and the Nightingale as it’s a series I definitely hope to discover in 2021 🙂
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I hope you enjoy it!
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Oooh, The Bear and the Nightingale is on my tbr. Sometimes I feel like the only reader who hasn’t read it. 😉
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Haha I felt like that for a long time, too! It’s the perfect winter read.
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I tried one by Talia Hibbert last year and it did not work for me. But I think the real issue was the narration (which I really disliked) and not the writing, so I need to give it another try soon, this time on the Kindle. 🙂
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It’s always a shame when a narrator ruins a book! I did enjoy Get a Life, Chloe Brown, but I loved Take a Hint, Dani Brown. 🙂
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I adore Tamsyn Muir’s books so much, and I’m looking forward to getting to Audre Lorde’s and Nghi Vo’s books this year, too! And you’re right about Katherine Arden’s writing, some of her paragraphs are simply breathtaking.
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I’m so excited to get to Harrow the Ninth!
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I love Katherine Arden so much! Her Winternight trilogy is one of my favorites, it’s so so beautiful. Nghi Vo is one I’ve been wanting to check out as well! I love Tasha Suri’s books as well, I can’t wait for The JAsmine Throne.
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Yes, I’m so excited for The Jasmine Throne!
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I read Alix E. Harrow and Talia Hibbert for the first time last year and thought they were both fabulous. I’m also a big Katherine Arden fan.
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Harrow’s writing is so beautiful. ❤
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Gideon the Ninth is going right to the top of my TBR pile. I’ve been hearing so many great things about it lately.
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It’s SO good, I hope you enjoy it!
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Harrow is someone I definitely want to read after loving her short story. And the Fool series is so good!
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The Once and Future Witches is brilliant!
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Oh, you have to continue Katherine Arden’s trilogy. It was so good!
Jessica Townsend, Tamsyn Muir, Talia Hebert, and Alix E. Harrow are on my TBR but I haven’t read any of their books yet.
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I need my library to open so I can get my hands on The Winter of the Witch!
Ahh I hope you enjoy all of them when you give their work a try!
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Yay for Anna-Marie McLemore and Tasha Suri. I’m so glad you were able to pick up both of their books!
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I loved them! I’m so excited to read more from both of them this year.
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Katherine Arden is a popular author this week! I’ve read her middle grade novels but I need to read her fantasy trilogy. 🙂
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I really want to give her Middle Grade a try!
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I’m really looking forward to trying more from Tamsyn Muir too.
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She writes brilliantly!
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Robin Hobb is one of those authors I’ve been putting off for way too long. I need to get to her stuff. 🙂
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Her work is definitely worth trying!
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You’ve got so many great authors on this list! I have read quite a few of these recently, and I’m so glad to hear that you’ve enjoyed them as well.
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Even though 2020 sucked, I’m glad I at least read a lot of great books!
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Great list! I’ve been seeing a lot of good about Talia Hibbert, looking forward to checking them out 🙂
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The Brown Sisters series is really fun!
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I definitely think I’ll be checking them out!
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Alix E. Harrow and Katherine Arden are both amazing! I’m planning to finally read Gideon in 2021!
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Yay, I hope you enjoy it!
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Harrow was a late addition to my list for last year. I loved The Ten Thousand Doors of January and finished it right before 2020 ended. Such a great author.
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I love her writing so much. ❤
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Great list! I love Katherine Arden and Robin Hobb’s work!
I’m currently in the middle of Wild Beauty, and already loving the writing!
My post!
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Their writing is so lovely! I want to read more from Anna-Marie McLemore this year.
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Whohooo, I’m looking forward to reading Nevermoor at some point myself. Happy reading! https://readwithstefani.com/popular-books-i-did-not-finish/
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It’s such a good series, I hope you enjoy it!
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I loooove the Nevermoor series!! I’m so glad that you did too. I really hope to read Robin Hobb this year!
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Nevermoor’s so good! I need the next book immediately. I hope you enjoy Robin Hobb!
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Oh, the next two books are just as good! Enjoy! Thanks, me too!
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Everyone seems to really like Katherine Arden’s stuff, I definitely have to check her books out soon!
My TTT: https://jjbookblog.wordpress.com/2021/01/26/top-ten-tuesday-300/
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The Winternight trilogy is perfect reading for when the weather’s freezing!
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Definitely seems like it!
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I loved the Katherine Arden trilogy and I’ve also enjoyed most of Robin Hobb’s books – I only have her final three Realm of the Elderlings books left to read and am hoping to get round to them soon. The Ten Thousand Doors of January is on my TBR too!
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I hope you enjoy The Ten Thousand Doors of January! I really want to keep making my way through the Realm of the Elderlings books this year.
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It’s so nice to see Robin Hobb on your list! I discovered her two years ago and loved her books. 🙂
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She’s brilliant, I’ll definitely be reading more from her this year!
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I’m so excited to read The Once and Future Witches! Glad to hear you enjoyed it. I’m also so glad Robin Hobb’s mammoth series is getting lots of love these days. I have very strong feelings about the whole saga but it really is one of my faves.
I haven’t heard of The Empress of Salt and Fortune before, but it sounds absolutely up my street so I’m adding that one to my TBR immediately!
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The Once and Future Witches is brilliant, I can’t recommend it enough, and I definitely want to continue my journey through Hobb’s series this year.
Ahh I hope you enjoy The Empress of Salt and Fortune!
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So many exciting books 🥺
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Hi Jess! The only authors I recognize is Katherine Arden and Jessica Townsend. Haven’t read any of their work, but both are on my TBR.
Happy TTT!
Elza Reads
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Ooh I hope you enjoy their work when you get to it! The Nevermoor series is SO good.
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Lots of people have loved the Brown Sisters books, I think.
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They’re really fun!
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Yay for Hibbert and Townsend! Both authors made it onto my list this week too 😊 I can’t wait to read more of them this year as well! Harrow is going to be a new-to-me-author this year cos I’m FOR SURE going to pick up the 10k Doors of January this year. Great list, Jess!
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Yaaay I hope you enjoy Alix E. Harrow’s work, Dini! She’s very quickly become one of her my favourite authors. I really enjoyed The Ten Thousand Doors of January and I LOVED The Once and Future Witches. ❤
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I need to read more of Katherine Arden’s stuff!
My post.
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She writes beautifully!
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I haven’t read any of these authors, but I do want to read Katherine Arden at some point!
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Her writing is lovely!
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Talia Hibbert’s work sounds interesting.
Here is our Top Ten Tuesday.
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I’ve really enjoyed the Brown Sisters novels!
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I love finding a new author that I’d like to read more of! I hope you can stop by:
https://collettaskitchensink.blogspot.com/2021/01/top-ten-tuesday-2020-new-to-me-authors.html
Colletta
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Same!
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I love Katherine Arden and Robin Hobb. I really need to hob back on the realms with the next arc of it. But its been hard to focus on things.
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I feel you–I really want to read Ship of Magic, but the majority of Hobb’s novels are so dense and detailed that I haven’t been able to pick it up yet.
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