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Julia's Picks
1. Meredith Duran: I started off this year reading through some of the books on my eReader (a goal that oh so quickly fell to the wayside as new and shiny things grabbed my attention). Meredith Duran was one of those purchases I did while reading romance deals posts and I really enjoyed the story I read, The Duke of Shadows. It made me want to seek out more of her work, which is on my eReader, but I have yet to read book two.
2. Jim C Hines: This author was a unique discovery for me. I knew him from the internet and his blog where he poses like romance novel hero/heroines and fantasy heroines to see how ridiculous the poses are. I found out about his new series through those posts and had them on my to read list for quite a while. Luckily my sister bought them so I was able to finally try out his work.
3. Ruta Sepetys: I have you guys to thank for this one. Out of the Easy was one of the recommendations from the Slumplist and I really loved it. It has made me want to seek out some of her other books or at least I have her on my radar for when her next release comes out.
Bridget's Picks
4. Lev Grossman. I read The Magicians, the first in a trilogy, this year and it was awesome. The two other books in the trilogy are definitely on my Christmas list. :)
5. Jeffrey Eugenides. I read The Marriage Plot on my honeymoon (thought it would be appropriate) and over the summer I read The Virgin Suicides. I liked The Marriage Plot better, but both were good. Hoping to read Middlesex sometime next year.
6. George R. R. Martin. I also started reading A Game of Thrones on my honeymoon after it utterly captured my husband for two straight days. I'm sort of in a slump with the series right now—I put down A Feast for Crows a few months ago and haven't felt motivated to pick it up again—but for the most part I've been enjoying it.
Jamie's Picks
7. Sarah J. Maas. I know I'm late on the bandwagon here but I read Throne of Glass on Memorial Day and then binge read Crown of Midnight and Heir of Fire right after BEA. SARAH J. MAAS = my 2014 really. She changed the game for me.
8. Marie Rutkoski: Another author just totally getting me hooked on fantasy this year. I LOVED The Winner's Curse and The Winner's Crime. This trilogy is PHENOMENAL and Marie just has a way with words and shredding my heart!!!
9. Kiersten White: So I read Illusions of Fate and this was my first Kiersten book! I was really, really impressed. Then I read her story in My True Love Gave To Me and loved that. Can't wait to check out the rest of her books!
10. Corey Ann Haydu: Life By Committee just blew me away! Corey is so, so talented and I've loved getting to know her online as well where we've had some really great conversations about life! Definitely an author who I feel is underrated and it is my mission to shout her name from the rooftops!
And Jana's jumping in last minute to add Mary E. Pearson (Kiss of Deception), Abigail Haas (Dangerous Girls), April Lindner (Love, Lucy), and Jennifer L. Armentrout (Don't Look Back).
So tell us all your new favorite authors from 2014 and make our TBR list EXPLODE!
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Corey Ann Haydu was on my list as well. I've only read OCD Love Story though ... so I guess I need to get to her other books as well now!
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ReplyDeleteJim Hines, I love his Princess books!!! I still need to read Lev Grossman, but really want to. I can now that all three books are out! Um, and George R.R. Martin, too, but I'll wait until they're all out! Sarah J. Maas...SO glad you discovered her, Jaime! And if I hadn't read WINNER'S CURSE last year, Marie would so be on my list! And Jana, I added Mary E. Pearson, too! And you discovered Jen, yay! Great choices, ladies!
ReplyDeleteYou'll probably be waiting a looooong time for George R. R. Martin! Besides, if you're anything like me, it might take you until the last books are out just to finish the ones that are already published...they're quite long and can get dry at points, leading to slumps like I mentioned above. :) Also, definitely get the Magicians trilogy. It's like Harry Potter, THE COLLEGE YEARS, with a healthy dose of Narnia thrown in. Somewhat dark, but awesome.
DeleteAh, I read Jeffrey Eugenides for the first time this year, too! (The Virgin Suicides, also in the summer. Something about that book + season combo, I think?) He was on my TTT list originally, but then I decided to put a little spin on it and make it specifically female writers I read for the first time in 2014. He was definitely a favorite of the year, though - I'm really looking forward to reading his other books!
ReplyDeleteThe Virgin Suicides was a bit tough for me to get through, but I thought The Marriage Plot was great. But yes, you're right, The Virgin Suicides goes very well with the summer. I think that might be part of the reason I struggled getting through it...it was so hot out and I felt so lazy and the book's sort of languidness definitely carried me off to sleep once or twice.
DeleteJennifer Armentrout is on my list as well. She's just an amazing writer.
ReplyDeleteI love Ruta Sepetys; Between Shades of Grey broke my heart. I hate to admit that Out of the Easy is still sitting on my shelf just waiting to be read.
ReplyDeleteI tried to read Game of Thrones once, but it was just too dry for me. I couldn't get into the story. Glad you liked it!
ReplyDeleteSo funny story—I wasn't able to get into it until, after my husband finished it, I made him tell me the whole story. I still didn't really want to read it, but I felt like I was missing out on some cultural touchstone, so he more or less summarized the entire book for me after I threatened to go to wikipedia if he didn't XD Only after that did I decide to read it, and by the time I was done with the first (having known everything that happened was the only thing that kept me going) I actually cared enough to move on to the second.
DeleteJeffrey Eugenides - I think Middlesex was probably the best of the three...if you don't mind some weird stuff!
ReplyDeleteGood to know! Excited to read it! :)
DeleteMarie Rutkoski made my list as well, and a lot of lists I imagine!
ReplyDeleteGeorge R.R.Martin made my list this week too! Great choices :)
ReplyDeleteCheck out my TTT!
Katrina @ Chased By My Imagination
Jim C. Hines. Definitely!
ReplyDeleteThe Marriage Plot on your honeymoon? Very clever, I love it! Middlesex is actually on my list and I can't wait to read more of his books. It was an excellent read.
ReplyDeleteI loved OUT OF THE EASY as well. Very atmospheric and absorbing. I've read a couple of Kiersten White's books -- need to read more!
ReplyDeleteI'm also in a slump with 'A Feast For Crows'. Set it down earlier this year and haven't picked it up since. Doesn't help that I don't have 'A Dance With Dragons' to urge me on. :(
ReplyDeleteAccording to everyone I've spoken to about it, A Feast For Crows is a slog and pretty much everyone has some trouble with it. I definitely needed some time away, especially since all I had been reading was GoT, so it's been refreshing to read some other stuff. I'm hoping I'll get back into it in the new year.
DeleteI have Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys on my reading wishlist. I'll have to bump it up!!
ReplyDeleteI have Marie Rutkoski on my list too! I absolutely loved the Winner's Curse. I was actually able to meet her on the Fierce Reads tour this past Fall. She was as amazing in person as I thought she would be.
ReplyDeleteGeorge RR would've made my list a couple years ago in this topic, but now I find myself mired in a Feast for Crows as well... :-) Good luck!
ReplyDeleteBecause I review a lot of books I think most of the books I read this year were new to me authors..lol. I have heard of a couple of the authors listed but not read them. I do have Sarah J. Maas on my list to read next year.
ReplyDeleteI love Jeffrey Eugenides though I still haven't read The Marriage Plot! I loved The Virgin Suicides and Middlesex, though.
ReplyDeleteI loved Kiersten White’s Paranormalcy trilogy and Mind Game books. Except for the first book in the Game of Thrones series I haven’t read anything else on this list, so I will have to check them out.
ReplyDeleteI love Game of Thrones! And I'm hoping to start The Magicians soon--it looks really good.
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