Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and Bookish where we get a new topic for a top 10 list.
2016 has been a good year for me in terms of reading books by new to me authors. I had heard of a lot of the books and this was the year I finally picked up the books and read them.
1. The Weight of Feathers by Anna-Marie McLemore: This book was a pleasant surprise. I knew it had a Romeo and Juliet vibe in a magical realism setting and I was absolutely blown away by the book. It’s simple but beautiful and the writing is captivating.
2. Wolf by Wolf by Ryan Graudin: I’d heard a lot of buzz about this book last year and I finally picked it up and now I understand the immense hype. This duology is one hell of an addictive read and the setting is both fascinating and terrifying. Just imagine living in a world where Hitler won the war. The exploration of identity was incredible and while I’m still reeling from Blood for Blood I can safely say I’ve found a permanent book boyfriend in Luka.
3. Play On by Michelle Smith: 2016 was the year I jumped on the sports contemporary bandwagon. Play On had a lot of qualities I love in a book. The romance, the exploration of that small town community, baseball and a whole lot of heart.
4. Air Awakens by Elise Kova: This series has been making waves in the past year or so and I can definitely understand the hype. The book covers alone are enough of a selling point for me but it also helps that the story is equally as fascinating. I’ve not finished the series yet but it is on my immediate to-do list.
5. Half a King by Joe Abercrombie: I blame Joey for this one. He’d hyped up this book for me and thankfully it delivered. Half a King is the ultimate underdog story and now that I’ve gotten a taste of Abercrombie’s books I can safely say I’ll be picking up the rest of his books.
6. The Deal by Elle Kennedy: This book kicked off my current addiction to sports contemporary romances. The Deal is the complete opposite of the angsty NA dramas we’re so used to seeing. In it’s place we have a lot of laughter, banter and a sizzling romance that’s grounded in friendship.
7. Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys: 2016 was also a great year for historic fiction. I’m making it my mission to read all of Ruta Sepetys’ books because Salt to the Sea was a hauntingly tragic and beautiful read. It packs a lot of punches and it’s a story that will stay with me for a long time.
8. The Wrath and the Dawn by Renée Ahdieh: Another book with a lot of hype surrounding it. I was nervous to read this book but thankfully I had Summer on hand to fangirl over all those glorious shippy moments. Khalid and Shazi are one of my ultimate OTP’s.
9. More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera: Why I waited so long to read this book, I do not know. More Happy Than Not was raw and emotional and so worth the hype. I urge you all to read it.
10. Bittersweet by Sarina Bowen: After reading this book all I wanted to do was hop on a plane to Vermont and track down my own Griffin Shipley. The True North series were just what I needed after reading a slew of high fantasy books, that were full of death and destruction.
Those are the books I read by new to me authors in 2016.
Who made it to your list?
I love seeing Elle Kennedy & Sarina Bowen on here! Two of my most favorite authors. 🙂 Great picks!
My TTT.
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I am so glad I jumped on that bandwagon and I’m hoping to read Him in 2017 cause these two together would be magic.. 😀
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Oh, they are. And then you need to try Erin Watt’s Royals series, if you haven’t already. Erin Watt = Elle Kennedy & Jen Frederick. It was amazing. I also just read my first Jen Frederick sports romance and I loved it!
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Elle Kennedy would be on my list, too, if I made one for this week! And I still have to read anything by Elise Kova and Anna-Marie McLemore – the latter, especially, I’ve been hearing such great things about recently. Have you read her latest release?
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When the Moon was Ours is on my to read list for 2017 but I’ve heard nothing but great things about the book and the way it explored gender identity. 😀
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Elle Kennedy. Totally forgot to mention her on my list xD I’m happy you liked The Wrath and the Dawn. I’ve seen so much hype about Wolf By Wolf that I’m hesitant to pick it up…
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Elle Kennedy’s books might be my favourite discovery cause it introduced me to Garrett Graham and how NA can be fun and not boggled by angst.
Don’t let the hype intimidate you is what I’d say for Wolf by Wolf. The concept alone is fascinating and even if you’re not a fan on the premise, the pacing of the book will make it an addictive and quick read. I hope that you enjoy it if you do pick it up. 😀
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I completely agree with you about Kennedy’s portrayal of NA. Her characters are just so much fun to read!
After hearing so much about it, I think I will pick it up sometime. Thanks! 🙂
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Wolf by Wolf has been on my TBR for a while now…i need to finally read that author hehe 😀 http://www.curious-daisy.com/top-ten-tuesday/top-5-new-to-me-authors-i-read-for-the-first-time-in-2016/
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Wolf by Wolf is such an addictive read. I was hooked from the get-go and I’d definitely recommend picking it up. 😀
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YES to Elle Kennedy and Sarina Bowen. They are on my list too. I read Michelle Smith for the first time this year too and enjoyed her. Great list!
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I am so happy to be on the Kennedy/Bowen band wagon. I’m making it my mission to binge read their books in 2017. 😀
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I loved More Happy Than Not. Such a beautiful book!
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I’m so happy I picked up the book. It pack so many emotional punches.
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More Happy Than Not totally lived up to the hype for me. I loved everything about it.
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Oh yes. The hype for MHtN is sooooo worth the emotional turmoil haha. 😀
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Ruta Sepetys and Ryan Graudin are two of my favorite authors so I’m so glad to see them on your list! 🙂 Thanks for sharing and, as always, great choices! ❤
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Same. Those two and historical fiction are a match made in literary heaven. 😀
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I loooved The Deal, Salt to the Sea, and Bittersweet, such great books!
Nereyda│ Nick & Nereyda’s Infinite Booklist
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Those are the books that have me crawling back and re-reading time and time again.
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Salt to the Sea has been sitting on my shelf since it came out. I really need to stop procrastinating and just read it. I’ve also heard really good things about Between Shades of Gray!
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