Top Ten New-To-Me Authors I Discovered in 2023

January 30, 2024 Top Ten Tuesday 3

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Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature/meme now hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. The meme was originally the brainchild of The Broke and the Bookish. This week’s topic is Top Ten New-To-Me Authors I Discovered in 2023.

Top Ten New-To-Me Authors I Discovered in 2023

I wish I had been better about reviewing last year, because I read some wonderful new-to-me authors! I hope to get around to reviewing some of them this year… which might require a reread. (What a hardship, right? I would happily reread any of these.)

Author links go to the author’s Goodreads page; title links (where available) go to my review.

Andrea Penrose. I buddy-read the entire Wrexford and Sloane historical mystery series with Sophia Rose this year, and completely fell in love with the series and the characters. Penrose also writes the Lady Ariana mysteries (now on my TBR list.) She also wrote several Regency romances under the names Cara Elliott and Andrea Pickens, which I’ll keep my eye out for.

Heather Fawcett. I absolutely loved Fawcett’s Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries, with its socially awkward professor, academic vibe (there are even footnotes!), grumpy/sunshine relationship, eerie and unpredictable Fae, and Nordic setting. I’m in the middle of the sequel right now, and so far it’s just as good. I will definitely be checking out Fawcett’s backlist.

Margaret Rogerson. I loved An Enchantment of Ravens for its take on the Fae, not to mention creating a believable romance between a human and a Fae lord. I immediately put both Sorcery of Thorns and Mysteries of Thorn Manor on my TBR list. (Vespertine sounds a little dark to me, but we’ll see.)

Joanna Lowell. Artfully Yours was a delightful historical-romance romp through the world of art forgery, and Lowell excels at writing both humor and passion. I have several of her other historical romances on my TBR already.

Catherine Bakewell. I enjoyed Bakewell’s Flowerheart, a YA fantasy that uses the main character’s wild, ungovernable magic as a metaphor for depression. The allegory may be a trifle heavy-handed, but Bakewell’s characters and worldbuilding are delightful; I’ll be interested to see how her work develops over time.

Cathy Yardley. I have long been frustrated with the dearth of older main characters in romance novels, but Role Playing hit the spot. It’s a grumpy/sunshine romance with main characters in their late 40s who in an online RPG. Yardley expertly blends humor and heartfelt emotion, and I thoroughly enjoyed the book. I don’t read a lot of contemporary romance, with the exception of a few authors, but I’ll definitely read whatever Yardley brings out next (and probably check out her backlist, too.)

Sally Coulthard. I really enjoyed Coulthard’s A Short History of the World According to Sheep, an account of the role sheep and their wool (and meat and milk) have played in the history of civilization, and more particularly European history. Coulthard writes about nature and natural history for both children and adults; she has also written a number of books on interior and garden design. I put several of her books on my TBR list—one on floriography, one on superstitions, and one on creating a studio space. I’m also on the lookout for some of her children’s picture books.

    Peggy Orenstein. Unraveling: What I Learned About Life While Shearing Sheep, Dyeing Wool, and Making the World’s Ugliest Sweater was my introduction to best-selling nonfiction author Peggy Orenstein, and it was delightful. Orenstein writes well and thoughtfully, combining honesty with flashes of wry humor. The subject matter is what drew me to this particular book, but I may someday read her memoir Waiting for Daisy.

    What new-to-you authors did you discover in 2023?

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