Top Ten Auto-Buy Authors

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created over at my other blog, The Broke and the Bookish.

Okay, this list was not easy for me! It made me realize just how many authors I automatically buy books from, narrowing it down to just ten was difficult.

1.       J.K. Rowling- I didn’t even care for The Casual Vacancy, in fact, I didn’t even finish it. ( You can read my discussion about it with some of the gals from The Broke and the Bookish, here) However, Rowling will forever remain an ‘auto-buy’ for me. She wrote the books that made up my childhood, and most of the time I really love her writing.

2.       Maria V. Snyder- I’ve purchased every book she’s written and will continue to do so. She never disappoints. She creates detailed and intriguing worlds, strong heroines, hilarious dialogue and swoon-worthy guys.

3.       Robin LaFevers- She became an instant favorite when I read Grave Mercy, and when I was offered an arc for the sequel Dark Triumph I was so giddy I was dancing around my living room. I love her writing, and the amount of research she puts into her books is fascinating. Find her on tumbr, she posts some fun stuff.

4.       Gayle Forman- One of the only authors I know that can put every emotion that a human is capable of feeling all into one book. I cry, sigh, laugh, yell at the characters… Any time I hear she has a new book coming out I hunt for every sneak peek and tidbit that I can find until the book is actually published.

5.       Ally Condie (Allyson Braithwaite Condie)- I get to brag, I’ve been a fan of Ally’s since before Matched. I read her books that she had published through Deseret Book.  I remember when I first heard about Matched. I’d spent a few years telling everyone to read her books, suddenly Matched was published and I was the one being told all about her. I’d just secretly gloat that I’d known about her before. (I've even been lucky enough to meet her!)

6.       Cinda Williams Chima- I downloaded the first Seven Realms book, Demon King, from Audible on a whim… About a month later I had listened to the first three books and was patiently waiting dying while waiting for the last book to come out.

7.       Garth Nix- Humor, incredible world building, outstanding characters and great stories. What is there that you could possibly dislike?

8.       Rick Riordan- I actually haven’t read ALL of his books, yet. He’s yet to disappoint me with a book, however, so he remains on my auto buy list.

9.       Brandon Sanderson- Again, I haven’t read ALL of his books yet. Love his writing style and his ability to create a world  and characters that are so vivid that I disappear completely when I’m reading.

10.   Maureen Johnson- I just finished another of her books The Madness Underneath. Absolutely loved it! Which is just about how I feel about her other books.

 

Others that I didn’t list because I can’t exactly consider them auto buys anymore… because they don’t exactly publish new stuff: Charles Dickens, C.S. Lewis, Michael Crichton…

What about you?? Who is on your list?

The Madness Underneath

Book/Author: The Madness Underneath by Maureen Johnson (Shades of London)
Genre: YA, Mystery
Series: Yes (second in the series)
Publication Date: February 26^th (I pre-ordered it and it came early!)
Buy It: Amazon
Add It: Goodreads

 (Slight spoilers for The Name of the Star possible!)

After her near-fatal run-in with the Jack the Ripper copycat, Rory Devereaux has been living in Bristol under the close watch of her parents. So when her therapist suddenly suggests she return to Wexford, Rory jumps at the chance. But Rory's brush with the Ripper touched her more than she thought possible: she's become a human terminus, with the power to eliminate ghosts on contact. She soon finds out that the Shades—the city's secret ghost-fighting police—are responsible for her return. The Ripper may be gone, but now there is a string of new inexplicable deaths threatening London. Rory has evidence that the deaths are no coincidence. Something much more sinister is going on, and now she must convince the squad to listen to her before it's too late.

My Thoughts

I absolutely loved the first book in the series, The Name of the Star. As for this book… It was even better! So many series, especially YA it seems, suffer from ‘second book syndrome’. Amazingly, this doesn’t! I love Rory’s voice, her sense of humor and the way she looks at things. I’m an Anglophile to begin with, so I loved reading a story that takes place in London. It’s not just set in London to make it interesting, it’s part of the story and adds as much to it as the characters do. The story never dragged either, it kept going at a great pace, I stayed up far too late reading because I simply could not put it down. The ending... It's been a while since I've had an ending impact me so much.

Who would like it?

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys a good mystery, wants a book placed in London, or is looking for a book with a strong, fun main character.

My Rating

5+ Stars! I love this book!

Top Ten Female Characters in Fantasy

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created over at my other blog, The Broke and the Bookish.

(in no particular order)

1.      Vin (Mistborn)- She is small, not all that confident in herself, and doesn't really have much ambition. At least when you first meet her. After she meets a group of rather amazing people, she learns more of who, and what she is and becomes amazing. Strong, fast, with a quick mind.

2.      Raisa ana'Marianna- (Seven Realms)- Oh my goodness. I just was introduced to this series a few months back, during the summer. AMAZING series. Anyway, Raisa. She is tough. She is smart, snarky, sarcastic and could take a full grown man down, despite being built small. I can't say a lot without spoiler a lot of the series so I'll be vague. From the beginning of the series she is strong, but she only grows stronger and absolutely kick-butt.

3.      Yelena Zaltana (Poison Study Trilogy)- This girl... Don't mess with her. She is a powerful magician, lethal with the staff she carries. She is smart and her tongue is as sharp as the rest of her. If she doesn't beat you senseless with magic or her staff, she'll tear you to pieces with words alone.

4.      Sabriel/Lirael-(Abhorson)- So I cheated with this one. I can't choose between the two of them, and they're from the same trilogy... Both of them are no nonsense, does whatever she can do to fight and do the right thing. They're both tough, but don't seem to realize how strong they actually are. They're so busy keeping others safe, or doing what they're supposed to do that they don't stop long enough to realize what they are doing is actually pretty incredible.

5.      Ismae/Sybella (His Fair Assassin)-  First of all, yes, I’ve read Dark Triumph. I was lucky enough to get an arc! Both of these girls come from bad backgrounds, but they are given the tools and training to become tough, fantastic characters. Don’t mess with these girls. They are tough, but have hearts of gold.

6.      Hermione Granger (Harry Potter)- What list would be complete without Hermione? There really is nothing to dislike about her. She is tough, smart, and the truest friend someone could ask for.

7.      Nita/ Dairine Callahan (Young Wizards)- I cheated again, but they're sisters! Both of them are tough as nails. They're young, 13 and 11 as their story starts out but there are a few things that set them apart. They're smart. Really smart. They're both wizards, with stronger powers than most. They come up against some of the most frighting foes, one in particular, and every time they come out on top. They are endlessly kind and have the best sort of humor.

8.      Cinder (Lunar Chronicles)- She's a cyborg. And totally awesome. She is handy with anything mechanical, smart and strong. I’m reading Scarlet right now, I just barely bought it. Can’t wait to dive back into the book!

9.      Gabriella (River of Time)- When you first meet her, she’s pretty much your typical modern teenage girl. After she is sent back in time however, she adapts fast. She doesn’t let anything slow her down or keep her from her task. Falling in love doesn’t make her stupid, it just makes her fight harder.

10.  Elisa-(Girl of Fire and Thorns)- I’ve only read the first in this series, the second book is next on my to be read list, a friend sent it to me as a gift (thanks Daisy!) so I’ll definitely be reading it soon. But I adore Elisa, she grows so much so quickly. She adapts quickly, is naturally witty, even when she doesn’t realize it, and loves fiercely, she’ll protect those she cares for.

What are your favorite characters? Which genre did you pick? Do we have any characters in common?