Today’s topic is new-to-me authors we discovered in 2017. Which authors did you discover last year? Head on over to the Broke and the Bookish to see who other bloggers found.
Obviously, these are new-to-me authors. I didn’t read enough books to discover 10 first-timers!
- Fredrik Backman. I’m so excited that I read A Man Called Ove this year and discovered that Backman has written many other books for me to enjoy!
- Lisa Kleypas is up here because I read the first two of her Ravenels historical romance series and I’m anxious to read the next two this year.
- Alice Walker is no debutante, but I read A Color Purple this year and want to read more of her backlist.
- Amor Towles came on my radar when I read about his latest, but our book club ended up reading Rules of Civility first and I loved it.
- Blake Crouch. I’d never even heard of him until I saw Dark Matter recommended around the blogs. Loved it so I’m excited to see what else he’s written.
- Paula McLain is a local Clevelander and I loved Circling the Sun and I’m looking forward to her even more popular The Paris Wife this year.
- Celeste Ng is another (sort of) local who wrote about the Cleveland where she grew up in Little Fires Everywhere. Now I need to read her first book.
- DM Pulley has written three books, and I read the first two by this Clevelander.
- Ernest Gaines is another one who has been around awhile but just got around to reading him for the first time.
- Nancy Horan. I read Loving Frank and want to read her other, Under the Starry Sky.
Who was your favorite 2017 author discovery?
Stacy's Books 
I’ve read 6 of those authors! I really do need to read Ernest Gaines because Wiley Cash raves over his work.
I need to read to read the one he’s most famous for, A Lesson Before Dying.
Love Lisa Kleypas too. Under the Starry Sky is on my want to read list.
I actually think I might have Under the Starry Sky on my shelves someone but didn’t realize it was written by the same person til I made this list!
I’ve read a couple of these – Nancy Horan’s LOVING FRANK. Also read Celeste Ng’s first book and discussed with a book group. I liked it, but it was not a traditional mystery of any sort. I’m reading LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE right now – just started it this morning. Several others that are on my radar. I thought about you and Cleveland earlier when I was reading Ng’s book.
A few from our book group went to hear Ng when she came back to speak but I missed it. So many things to discuss in that book. I do want to read the first because one of our members said she liked it better.
I read Blake Crouch’s first book Wayward Pines and loved it! I need to finish that series and move onto Dark Matter as well. My favorite new find was Octavia Butler. I read kindred and downloaded the rest of her sci fi novels and hope to get through one her series this year!
I added the first Wayward Pines to my TBR list 🙂
New to me authors last year: Abbi Waxman (The Garden of New Beginnings) and Jennifer Ryan (The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir). I loved both of those books.
Oh, I’ll have to try The Chillbury Ladies Choir. I met her at an even and she was lovely.
Fredrik Backman made my list, too. I read one of his books and then went out and bought a bunch more.
I’m excited that he has so many more for us to read 🙂
The only one on your list I’ve read is Blake Crouch, but I think I’m the only person who didn’t enjoy Dark Matter.
I read a bunch of new-to-me authors this year. A few of my favorites were Edgar Cantero, Josephine Tey, J.A. Hennrikus, and Francis Duncan.
So many great authors! Some I’ve read and most I haven’t. Yet. I hope to change that though. I want to read more Backman this year. I was kind of hoping my mom would leave behind his novella which she just finished, but she took it with her when she left for home. I want to try Celeste Ng this year. I’m going to make a point of it.
I hope you have a wonderful year of reading in 2018! Happy New Year, Stacy!