Wherein Michaela and I speculate about a trend we have noticed and ask the publishing industry to maybe, possibly, just slow down a minute and really make the best possible books.
authors
Top Ten Authors I’ve Read The Most Books From
Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and The Bookish!
So I haven’t done one of these in a LONG time, but since the theme worked so well into the direction I’m turning the blog in (i.e., promoting what I love, leaving the critical reviewing behind), I just had to do it. So, here we go (in no particular order)!
This woman was the hero of my childhood. She was the hero of my tweens. She is the hero of my twenties. I got to learn from her for two summers in a row in high school–and THEN she came to my college freshman year–and the starry eyed wonder of her has never left me. Not to mention the fact that she has written more books than I actually know how to count and I have read them ALL.
2. Clive Cussler
There are about 20+ books in his Dirk Pitt series, PLUS however many are in the Kurt Austin adventures. He’s got a few other series now, but I’m a traditionalist and I’ve only ever read through these two favorites of mine.
3. 
Meg Cabot
Didn’t every girl go through this phase? I’m not just talking Princess Diaries here, either. I read her stand-alones, her All-American Girl series … everything. If Meg Cabot write it, I had to have it.
4. Philippa Gregory
I will forever be cranky about the historical leaps that she took in The Other Boleyn Girl especially, but that doesn’t stop me from lapping up every single book she writes on Tudor England. I think the only books by her that I haven’t read was that one non-Royal series she did and–strangely–her YA series. The first book of which I have lying around here … somewhere.
5. Richelle Mead
Richelle is another one of those authors that has written more books than I know how to count, but I haven’t actually read them ALL. I’m deeply obsessed with her 12 Vampire Academy and Bloodlines books but I have also read part of her Gameboard of the Gods series. I don’t know what I’ll do without more VA goodness, but she’s got me hooked enough on her to keep going with whatever she writes.
Did you guys miss the time that I drove 5 hours one way mostly to see Cassie? Because I did that. I have not only read everything she’s ever written, but also own it. (Except for that middle grade series she’s doing. I’m scared of middle grade.) She’s one of my favorite authors of all time right now, and I don’t see that changing in the foreseeable future.
7. Eva Ibbotson
Did anyone else read these books as a kid? I couldn’t stop. Sometime during my childhood, the publisher did a re-release of a bunch of her stuff and I bought all of it. It’s just so much … fun. Romantic, magical fun.
8. Simone Elkeles
I read Perfect Chemistry by Simone and I was just hooked. I went back and read all the stuff I’d missed beforehand, and then the two books that followed Perfect Chemistry. I even started her new series before my love of contemporary YA romance phased out. I still love these books to death, though.
9. Rachel Hawkins
Hex Hall was absolute perfection. When her Rebel Belle series started, I wasn’t so sure I could do it. But no. I’m in love with Rachel forever and always.
10. Kiersten White
Sometimes I forget just how MUCH STUFF Kiersten has done. Her Paranormalcy series was beautiful, of course, but then there was her Egyptian God based book Chaos of Stars–which I just reread–and her Mind Games series. All of which I own, of course!
Top Ten Authors Who Deserve More Recognition
Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish!
Okay, so, this is a really hard topic for me. I tend to spend most of my time dying over authors inside my own head, so I don’t really know who’s getting a lot of recognition and who’s not. So … this list is my attempt to help boost some signals without knowing exactly what I’m doing. 😛 Some authors I like because of deep reasons, others are debuts I want to raise a glass to, etc. This list is in no particular order.
12 Debut Authors I’m Looking Forward to in 2012
So, after my December post about books I was looking forward to in 2012–which ended up needing a part two–I realized that I only had one debut author on there. Clearly, something needed to be fixed. You have to have somewhere to go when those series have ended, right? So here are some of my picks for 2012! (In no particular order) In order to fit them all into one post, I have linked to all the blurbs–all of which lead to the book’s Goodread’s page. I have included some genre keywords so you can get a sense whether or not the book would be up your alley! Please note that all release dates are for the US and subject to change.
Author: Jodi Meadows
Book: Incarnate
Release Date: January 31
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal/Supernatural, Dystopian, Romance
Read the blurb here
Author: Brodi Ashton
Book: Everneath
Release Date: January 24
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal, Greek Mythology, Romance
Read the blurb here.
Author: Veronica Rossi
Book: Under the Never Sky
Release Date: January 3
Genre: Young Adult, Dystopian, Romance
Read the blurb here.
Author: Robin Bridges
Book: The Gathering Storm
Release Date: January 10
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal, Romance, 19th Century
Read the blurb here.
Author: Susan Dennard
Book: Something Strange and Deadly
Release Date: July 24
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal, Zombies, Historical
Read the blurb here.
Author: Wendy Higgins
Book: Sweet Evil
Release Date: May 1
Genre: Young Adult, Angels, Demons, Romance
Read the blurb here.
Author: Tricia Wolfe
Book: Destiny’s Fire
Release Date: January 10
Genre: Young Adult, Steampunk, Paranormal
Read the blurb here.
Author: Jessica Shirvington
Book: Embrace
Release Date: March 6
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal, Angels, Romance
Read the blurb here.
Author: Corrine Jackson
Book: If I Lie
Release Date: August 28
Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary, Military
Read the blurb here.
Author: Katherine Longshore
Book: Gilt
Release Date: May 15
Genre: Young Adult, Historical, Romance, Tudor
Read the blurb here.
Author: Michele Vail
Book: Undeadly
Release Date: February 28
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal, Necromancy
Read the blurb here.
Author: Kathleen Peacock
Book: Hemlock
Release Date: May 8
Genre: Young Adult, Urban Fantasy, Werewolves
Read the blurb here.
My Life is a Notebook 