Top 10 New-to-Me Authors I Discovered in 2023 | TTT

Posted on by Lauren

Hello, everyone! The snow that I was so excited about a few weeks ago has gone and left a miserable chill in its wake (we did, though, have a surprisingly warm pocket which was much appreciated). January always feels like such a long month but I can’t believe we’re already a month into the year at the same time (it’s still early enough that I keep fudging the written date). How’s everyone else fairing?

During my last reading year, I had a fair amount of rereads and/or familiar authors but there was actually just a teensy bit more statistically that were new to me (12.8% debut, 38.5% new to me, and 48.7% read before)!

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

1. Autumn Krause

I read Before the Devil Knows You’re Here towards the end of the year and ended up ranking it as my top read of 2023! I loved the prose and atmosphere of the folklore-imbued gothic horror fantasy. Absolutely sublime.

2. Tony DiTerlizzi

  • The Field Guide (The Spiderwick Chronicles, #1) (Fantasy, Magic, Middle Grade)
  • The Search for WondLa (The Search for WondLa, #1) (Fantasy, Science Fiction, Middle Grade)

Whenever I’m feeling a little slumpy in terms of reading, I always love picking up a middle grade read to remind me of what made me fall in love with reading in the first place. I read The Field Guide last year in the sliver of a lazy afternoon, and loved the chance to tap into my inner child!

3. Rachel Harrison

  • Cackle (Horror, Paranormal/Witches, Adult)
  • Such Sharp Teeth (Horror, Paranormal/Werewolves, Adult)
  • The Return (Horror, Mystery Thriller, Adult)
  • Black Sheep (Horror, Cults, Adult)

Black Sheep was one of my last reads of the year and, like Autumn Krause’s Before the Devil Knows You’re Here, it crowned the year excellently. Those two reads actually duked it out a little bit for my number one ranking, and I still don’t know which to choose. In my mind, they’re equal. The sharp, darkly comedic undertone of Black Sheep‘s horror about cults, generational trauma, and coming to terms with antiheroic tendencies was right up my alley. I’d love to check out her other work.

4. Kalynn Bayron

  • Cinderella is Dead (Fantasy, Retellings, Young Adult)
  • This Poison Heart (This Poison Heart, #1) (Fantasy, Retellings, Young Adult)
  • You’re Not Supposed to Die Tonight (Horror, Slasher, Young Adult)

From what I’ve seen, Cinderella is Dead is a very well beheld book but I started my time with Kalynn Bayron’s work reading You’re Not Supposed to Die Tonight. That book was unfortunately not for me (it felt a teensy bit derivative and cartoonish to me) but I believe her fantasy novels are praised highly (and You’re Not Supposed to Die Tonight may work for you)!

5. Jeffrey Eugenides

  • Middlesex (Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Adult)
  • The Virgin Suicides (Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Adult)
  • The Marriage Plot (Contemporary, Literary Fiction, Adult)

The Virgin Suicides seems to get very polarizing reviews; either people love it or hate it. I can see where both are coming from, and I think I fall somewhere in the middle (though definitely on the more positive end). The unreliable collective narratation of the story is to the point where it obscures the readers lasting opinions which I believe makes it very effective, aided by the seemingly intentional navel-gazey/purple-prosey through line. I’m not sure if I’ll read more of Eugenides’ work but I did enjoy The Virgin Suicides.

6. Gabrielle Zevin

  • Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow (Literary Fiction, Historical Fiction, Adult)
  • The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry (Contemporary, Books About Books, Adult)
  • Elsewhere (Fantasy, Paranormal, Young Adult)
  • Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac (Contemporary, Realistic Fiction, Young Adult)

Gabrielle Zevin has a large catalog to her name although I–like a lot of people, I think–first encountered her work with Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow. This literary novel’s strong focus on the many ups, downs, and lulls of a friendship spanning the 80s, 90s, and 00s was such a wide success, and it deserves its flowers for that. Like Jeffrey Eugenides, I don’t know if I’ll explore the rest of her work but I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow!

7. Charles Bukowski

  • Post Office (Classics, Humor, Adult)
  • Ham on Rye (Classics, Coming of Age, Adult)
  • Women (Classics, Humor, Adult)
  • What Matters Most is How Well You Walk Through the Fire (Poetry, Adult)

My introduction to Charles Bukowski was a little unorthodox as I started with a posthumous collection rather than any of his novels or more popular poetry. I felt the collection I read was a bit bloated and very aggressive in places but at the same time had a paradoxical sense of sentimentality to it. There were parts I loved, and parts I definitely did not but I could see myself reading more of his work (with a grain of salt, however).

8. Jenny Han

  • To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before (To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, #1) (Romance, Contemporary, Young Adult)
  • The Summer I Turned Pretty (Summer, #1) (Romance, Contemporary, Young Adult)

I’m not much of a romance reader (though I love watching a rom-com or the occasional rom-dram) so The Summer I Turned Pretty was a pretty different read for me. Taking it for what it was, I enjoyed reading it well enough (with some qualms with the flat characters, love interests with very much to be desired, the overall melodramatic–but I’d say pretty authentically so–teen experience, though). I doubt I’ll read anything more from her but that has more to do with the fact that it’s less my genre that in it is with her writing in particular!

9. Taylor Jenkins Reid

  • The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo (Historical Fiction, Romance, Adult)
  • Daisy Jones & the Six (Historical Fiction, Music, Adult)
  • Malibu Rising (Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Adult)

I’m not sure if this week’s prompt refers more to authors one has never heard of at all or just never read. I’m taking it as never read, and Taylor Jenkins Reid is high up on the list of that. Not only did I first read her work in 2023 but I read three of her books and enjoyed them all (Daisy Jones & the Six and Malibu Rising were some of my top reads of the year). I doubt I’ll pick up any of her contemporary romances but I do see myself reading Carrie Soto is Back at some point!

10. Rick Riordan

  • The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson & the Olympians, #1) (Fantasy, Mythology, Middle Grade)
  • The Lost Hero (The Heroes of Olympus, #1) (Fantasy, Mythology, Middle Grade)
  • The Red Pyramid (The Kane Chronicles, #1) (Fantasy, Mythology, Middle Grade)

If you followed me last year, you’re probably sick and tired of me talking about Rick Riordan and Percy Jackson but like I mentioned earlier in this post, I love a middle grade read to get me out of a slump. The entire year of 2023 felt like a big reading slump, so taking on a middle grade series seemed the best prescription. I’m so glad I picked it up because it really made my reading year, helping me revitalize my relationship with reading, reminding me that it should be enjoyable far ahead of something I force myself to do. I think I’ll be reading The Heroes of Olympus series sometime this year, so the Riordanverse chatter will probably continue here!

Have you read any of the listed authors’ books? Did you like them? Why, or why not? Would you recommend any of their books specifically? What authors did you read for the first time in 2023? I’d love to hear your thoughts below!

Unknown's avatar

Published by Lauren

Hi! I’m Lauren (she/her, 22), and I like to read and write; I’m still trying to figure out the rest.

8 thoughts on “Top 10 New-to-Me Authors I Discovered in 2023 | TTT”

  2. I love Taylor Jenkins Reid. I couldn’t wait for Daisy Jones to become a Prime series but I couldn’t get into it after loving the book so much! It’s my 2024 mission to try and finish the Percy Jackson series, I’ve read the first three!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I enjoyed the Daisy Jones & the Six show but I can see what you mean — the book is already so good as it is. I’ve actually been meaning to reread it. I hope you get to finish the Percy Jackson series and that you enjoy it! 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  5. I’ve enjoyed several of Zevin’s books, although I have not yet read TOMORROW, TOMORROW, AND TOMORROW. It’s getting such mixed reviews that I’ve kind of been avoiding it, honestly. Maybe I’ll pick it up sometime, but I’m not in a hurry, you know? Glad you found all these new authors to explore!

    Happy TTT (on a Wednesday)!

    Susan
    http://www.blogginboutbooks.com

    Liked by 1 person

    1. The story is very character-focused, and I think some people might not have loved the characters it focused on — I liked them so I enjoyed the story but I can see where the hesitance would play in! If you pick it up, I hope you enjoy it. 🙂

      Like

Leave a reply to The Biblioshelf Cancel reply