Happy Tuesday Bookworms! It’s time for our weekly list of Bookwormy goodness with The Broke and the Bookish. Today’s topic is the top ten new-to-me authors I read in 2012. Without further ado…
1. Kent Haruf. If it weren’t for “My Neighbors Are Better Than Your Neighbors Book Club,” I may never have stumbled across Kent Haruf. That would have been a terrible shame- Plainsong and Eventide were beautiful novels.
2. Erin Morgenstern. The Night Circus was super awesome. Magic and mayhem and blood feuds?! Yes please!
3. Vanessa Diffenbaugh. I can’t overstate how much I adored The Language of Flowers. It was one of those books that makes me happy to be alive and reading!
4. Jeanette Walls. I freaking loved The Glass Castle and Half Broke Horses. I’m a little surprised that Ms. Walls survived to tell her tale, but I’m so glad she did!
5. Max Brooks. Okay people, Zombies are awesome. World War Z was super brilliant. The stuff of nightmares, truly. Anyone out there who enjoys Zombie-lore in the slightest should read this book.
6. Kathleen Grissom. I love historical fiction, and The Kitchen House rocked my socks off. Bare feet all over the dang place!
7. Gillian Flynn. Was anyone in the world not completely blown away by Gone Girl?! Seriously.
8. Markus Zusak. Thanks to a blog contest, I won a copy of The Book Thief. So freaking good.
Excellent cover art! Death and Liesel are dancing!
9. Neil Gaiman. I decided to read Neil Gaiman because The Bloggess was always raving about him. She wasn’t being hyperbolic. A whole lot of awesome went on in American Gods.
10. Betty Smith. Yes, it took me until 2012 to read A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. Don’t judge me!
What about you, Bookworms? Who are your favorite new-to-you authors this year? Big plans for the new year? Let’s talk about it!
didibooksenglish
Loved the Book Thief and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. Read The Book Thief a couple of years ago and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn eons ago. As for the others anything by Neil Gaiman is in my view along with Gone Girl and The Night Circus. Did you know that The Night Circus was a NaNoWriMo novel. Only genius can come out of writing a first draft the month of November. 🙂
Words for Worms
I had no idea The Night Circus was the product of NaNoWriMo. Perhaps all you participants aren’t as crazy as I thought! 🙂
didibooksenglish
Well you gotta start somewhere.
Jupiter
Neil Gaiman is one of my Pretend Boyfriends. But I’ll share 😉
Words for Worms
When I was in high school I had three pretend Australian boyfriends. My Australian Rockstar Boyfriend (Daniel Johns of Silverchair). my Austraiian swimmer boyfriend (Ian Thorpe, aka, the Thorpedo), and my Australian actor boyfriend (Heath Ledger, may he rest in peace!) I would not have shared any of them because I was 17 and without an actual boyfriend. It’s really quite big of you to offer to share Neil Gaiman with me. You. Are. Awesome.
Bethany Farwell
Great list! I agree on Markus Zusak ! He’s amazing. Definitely have to check out some of your other picks!
-Beth
YA Vixens Top Ten Tues!
Words for Worms
Thanks Bethany! I’m going to need to check out your list- I’m woefully out of touch on the YA scene…
Sarah Says Read
I really need to read that Night Circus book one of these days. And that Max Brooks book! I MUST read it before I see the movie.
Words for Worms
I’ve heard terrible things about the movie adaptation… But. Brad Pitt. At least there’s Brad Pitt.
Lyssapants
World War Z and Gone Girl are on my list!
Words for Worms
List of awesomeness you’ve read this year or plan to read? If you haven’t read them, you will love them both.
Lyssapants
Oh, list I plan to read.
Chewylicious
ahhhh reading this list makes me want to cry….the day that i have time to read….i’d be so happy! i’ll make sure these will be on the top of my list….rather your entire blog! thanks!
Words for Worms
Awwww! You should try audio books! They can keep you reading while you do other things. I love them for long car trips!
Chewylicious
I should…but I normally can’t focus on the book and do something else at the same time. I have to always be doing 2+ things otherwise I feel like I’m wasting time….I have no idea why I’ve become like that …that’s why lately I can’t even find time to crochet… =*( it’s so sad…I really do love reading so much and I could read for hours on end ….not so long ago….how depressing hahahaa
Words for Worms
Alright. That’s it. Give me your phone number. I shall read to you over the phone! I do all the voices. Accents when appropriate. (I’m mostly joking, but I’m a little crazy and I’d probably do it :))
Chewylicious
hahahahaa ur soooo cute! that’d totally be awesome but i couldn’t allow my friend to do such sweet things! that’s just unheard of! but the gesture made my heart smile <3 xoxoxo what a great way to start the day!
Enchanted Seashells
great timing! I need some new books to read.
Words for Worms
I’m full of suggestions. Solicited and otherwise. I can’t keep my face shut about books!
Leah
I neeeed to read Jeanette Walls! And Neil Gaiman!
I also read Gillian Flynn and Betty Smith for the first time this year, and I am so glad I did! Gone Girl and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn are amazeballs 🙂
Words for Worms
Agreed. Also, “amazeballs,” while adorable in online chatter is really weird to use in real life. I tried it once. I wouldn’t recommend it.
Leah
Good to know!
Rhian
We just read The Night Circus for bookclub and we all enjoyed it, so it was good to see it on your list. I’ve read and enjoyed three books on this list, which means I have at least 7 news books to add to my “to read” list. What are you doing to me?! I have to work you know!
Words for Worms
Hahahahha! Seriously, this job nonsense is cutting into my reading time. Sigh. 🙂
Rhian
We have to pay for our habit, er, hobby somehow 😉