Tuesday, December 9, 2014

#amonthoffaves: Fave New-to-Me Author Discoveries


Today I'll tell you about my Fave New-to-Me Author Discoveries of the year --

Edgar Cantero: Author of The Supernatural Enhancements, Cantero did a great job crafting an epistolary novel where all of the bits gave essential information but none of it was boring or obvious. In fact, he crafted such an amazing NO WAY!! ending that I thought about the possibilities it raised for days. Edgar is from Barcelona (like my beloved Carlos Ruiz Zafón) and I would love to read a book by him that is set there. As this is his first novel, I will be proud to say that I loved his books from the beginning!

Jonathan Carroll: I loved Jonathan Carroll's amazing ideas so much that I ended up reading two of his books in this first year of knowing him -- The Ghost in Love and The Land of Laughs. He's a favorite of Neil Gaiman's and now mine and I look forward to delving more into his back catalog over the next year or so (as I doubt I will be able to wait too long between each book). Carroll is an American living in Vienna.

William Ritter: William Ritter lives much closer to me, in the land to the south that is called Oregon on most maps. Again, Jackaby was his first novel but I hope that he continues the series with the same strong female characters and awesome supernatural details. There was an honesty to the book that you don't always find in genre fiction.

Ben H. Winters: I can't believe that I read all of Ben's Last Policeman books this year because it seems like they've been in my mind forever now. If you've talked to me at all this year about books, I've probably recommended the series to you. I was a bit wary at first because he was the author of Android Karenina and Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters. I technically read him before with SS&SM but I'm not really counting that because it wasn't completely his own. But, this year, he got me completely invested in a story about an impending apocalypse and about policemen, neither of which are my favorite subjects. I hope that he surprises me again with his next work. (Indiana, if you were wondering ...)

Jo Walton: This is a weird one because I have only read Jo's book of Tor essays about other books -- What Makes This Book So Great. She is, as many surely know, a well-renowned fantasy writer (living in Canada) but I haven't picked up one of her books yet. But the way she wrote about both books I loved and others I haven't yet read, made me decide that she is simply an awesome person and I like the way she thinks. I'll be reading at least one of her own books in the coming year.

I am a little surprised to see that almost all of my choices are males but am somewhat satisfied that they are dispersed so nicely over the globe.

Singing praises,
K

12 comments:

  1. Jo Walton has written so many different kinds of (fiction) books, I feel sure you will find one to love! Her upcoming release, The Just City, sounds amazing.

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    1. I am almost certain that I will love her writing. I just have to pick one and get to reading it!

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  2. I really enjoyed The Supernatural Enhancements too, and I have Jackaby in my TBR library pile. I'll definitely be checking into the other authors on your list!

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    1. Jackaby was so fun that I immediately went to make sure it was going to be a series. (It is! Yay!)

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  3. Some great new discoveries. I'm loving Supernatural Enhancements.

    Land of Laughs was my first experience with Carroll, and I also enjoyed Bones of the Moon. I was a little disappointed with Ghost in Love, though all these years later I am not sure why.

    I've only read Walton's Among Others, and a handful of the essays in this book, but I love her passion for reading and for genre fiction. She is an incredible reviewer, too.

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    1. I could see how Ghost in Love wouldn't be for everyone. I think it's even one of those books that could read differently based on mood or what you just read before it.

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  4. I like your list. I'll have to check out the Ben H. Winters books you've mentioned. Here's a link to my TTT list for this week: http://captivatedreader.blogspot.com/2014/12/top-ten-tuesday-top-ten-new-to-me.html

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    1. Definitely worth checking out the series, even if it doesn't quite seem like something you would read ...

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  5. I haven't heard of any of these authors...I will have to look into them!

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    1. Well, two of them are debut authors so they're new to everyone this year. ;)

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  6. Jackaby sounds so goooood! Someone said the words "Doctor Who" in describing it, and I very much cannot wait to get it out of the library.

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