Today's topic for Top Ten Tuesday, hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, is debut authors we loved (and we're counting the days until their next book comes out) or authors whose second book was even better than their debut.
7 Debut Authors Whose Second Works I'm Anxiously Awaiting:
The River of No Return by Bee Ridgway // The Martian by Andy Weir
I'm almost certain there will be a sequel to "The River of No Return." There better be! Weir is already working on a second book, called "Zhek," which is much more sci-fi-y than "The Martian." Apparently it's got aliens and telepathy!
Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple // Kitchens of the Great Midwest by J. Ryan Stradal
Both of these books made me smile -- and laugh out loud -- and I can't wait to see what the authors put out next. (Ok, so I just double-checked Goodreads and it turns out Maria Semple has written one other book, back in 2008. But it doesn't have very good ratings and I will probably never read it. So we'll just say I'm anxiously awaiting her follow-up to "Where'd You Go, Bernadette! It's cheating, but oh well.)
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern // The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins
Both hauntingly good books by talented writers. I will definitely check out these authors' next books!
The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
So, yes, this was the cliched "Gone Girl" of 2015. But I enjoyed it, and I'm curious what Hawkins' next story will be about. Will she stick with the unreliable narrator/psychological thriller or branch out to something new?
3 Authors Whose Sophomore Works Were Even Better Than Their Debuts:
Golden Son by Pierce Brown // The Mime Order by Samantha Shannon
These are both second books in a series and both were among the very best books I've read this year. "Red Rising," Pierce Brown's first book, was stellar, while "The Bone Season" by Shannon was decent. Both sequels were awesome! There's only one more book in the Red Rising trilogy, but there should be five more books in the Bone Season series. I'm looking forward to them all!
Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
Hillenbrand's wonderfully readable non-fiction debut was 1999's "Seabiscuit." Great book, but "Unbroken" was phenomenal. It took her 11 years to publish her second book, so I guess we can expect her third work in 2021!
Scott Hawkins made my list as well. The Library at Mount Char was the one book this year I still can't put into words, but I loved it...and hated it....and am still confused. I STILL need to read The Martian. Hopefully I will get to it soon.
ReplyDelete"The Martian" was awesome! The movie was really well-done too. And I agree about "Mount Char" -- I liked it, but I hardly even know how to describe it!
DeleteI can't wait for Morgenstern to write another book! The Night Circus is one of my all-time faves. I have The Library at Mount Char but haven't dug into it yet--it looks so weird and I just don't think I've been in the right mood for that type of book.
ReplyDeleteThey're very different books, but if you liked "The Night Circus" there's a good chance you'll like "The Library at Mount Char"!
DeleteGreat list. You have a few books on here that I have read and enjoyed myself. I think I am also going to have to add a few of these to my Christmas wishlist, it looks like I have missed out on some great debuts recently. I am especially excited to read The Midnight Circus, I have heard so many good things about that one. Here’s my TTT.
ReplyDeleteGah... I meant The Night Circus! Haha
DeleteYour list is great!!! So many that I forgot. I loved Where'd You Go Bernadette. Thought it was so fun and quirky. Also The Night Circus and The Girl on the Train were two I enjoyed a lot. Kitchens of the Great Midwest is one I have wanted to read so glad to see you liked it.
ReplyDeleteI hope you enjoy "Kitchens"! It was written in kind of a unique way, and I guess some people didn't like that. For me, though, that's what made the book awesome!
DeleteThanks! I am book fein. Love the recommendations. I just did a big book post myself earlier this week.
ReplyDeleteI had The Martian on my list and forgot about Where'd You Go Bernadette! That's one of my favorites. I also thought The Mime Order was a great sequel.
ReplyDeleteI LOVED "The Mime Order" -- I thought it was so much better than "The Bone Season." Can't wait for book 3! :)
DeleteGreat list! You are right - Bernadette was so funny. And I also loved Girl on the Train. I hope both of these authors come out with more greatness! :)
ReplyDeleteHi! I loved Red Rising and i am currently reading Golden Son, and it's amazing. I can't wait to the release of Morning Star T^T
ReplyDeleteThe Martian looks good so i'll probably give it a chance :D
English is not my mother tongue - i'm spanish- so i don't now if i have written correctly everything, hehehe
Bye!
I read both "Red Rising" and "Golden Son" at the beginning of 2015 and I absolutely loved them! Pierce Brown might be my favorite author right now. If you liked those books, you should definitely read "The Martian." It's a very different kind of space novel, but I think they'd appeal to the same reader.
Delete