Technically this was a Top Ten Tuesday topic… buuut it’s not this week’s, so this is a fail 😉 Ah well, pish posh, who cares about rules when it comes to sharing great books? I certainly don’t. And I really wanted to do this topic, because there’s nothing I like more than talking about AWESOMENESS (aside from griping about suckfests… moving on…). Besides, it was this or talk about *nothing* for Nothing Day (yes that’s a thing to, happy Nothing Day everybody!)
Anyhoo enough rambling- gonna try to not repeat myself too much from my best of 2017 post, although it can’t be entirely avoided 😉 Here’s some amazing authors I discovered in 2017:
Solzhenitsyn– I’m beginning to sound a lot like a broken record when it comes to the Gulag, but that’s not the only book I read by Solzhenitsyn last year. I started off my journey into the Siberian wastes with One Day in the Life of Ivan Densovitch and that motivated me to continue reading. Speaking of Siberia…
Ruta Sepetys– WOW what a writer. Of the two books I read by her last year, I preferred Salt to the Sea to Between Shades of Grey, but either way her stories pulled me in and were impossible to forget. There’s no question that I want to read more by this author.
Agatha Christie– two things happened on my blog last year relating to Christie: 1) I announced that I had zero intention of reading her work and… 2) I actually read her work. I have since seen the error of my ways and plan to read more soon 😉
S. K. Tremayne– gosh Tremayne reminded me reignited my zest for thrillers… I have to read MORE!
“Alan Partridge”– I read two books by “Alan Partridge” last year- I don’t think I’ve ever laughed at a book so much. It’s easy for me to say, considering that there are hilarious (yet totally mundane) asides on getting a car into gear in these books, that Steve Coogan could literally put out *anything* for this character and I’ll read it.
Robin Hobb– it took me long enough but I finally read Assassin’s Apprentice last year! And as some of you may know, I was so blown away it that I ended up going a little crazy, reading both the Farseer and Tawny Man trilogies in one go… Yeah, it’s no wonder I got a bit Hobbed out by the end of my massive binge. Still, though my appetite may have been dampened temporarily, I want to *jump right back up on that horse* and continue reading in 2018!
Mark Lawrence– I read a very respectable 4 books by Lawrence last year and they were all fantastic fantasies- now I want MORE… Lucky for me Grey Sister is out this year 😉
Ed McDonald– Blackwing was certainly one of the best debuts I’ve ever read- WOWEE- you can make a safe bet that I want to read the next one!
Katherine Arden– what list about 2017 would be complete without Arden? You all know by now how much I loved Bear and the Nightingale (if not, hi nice to meet you, I’m the Orangutan Librarian and I loved this book). So naturally I’ll be reading and reviewing Girl in the Tower soon- watch this space.
Eowyn Ivey– gorgeously atmospheric and beautifully written- I adored how this was a fairytale retelling woven together with a historical setting. I will definitely have an eye out for her other books!
Phew- managed to only repeat 3 from my top ten! Have you read any of these? What’s the best author you discovered in 2017? Let me know in the comments!
Oh..I loved reading The Bear and The Nightingale too 😊 Looking forward to reading some of these others. The Ice Twins certainly piques my interest.
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Ah yes it’s fantastic! 😊 Oh it’s really great if you like thrillers.
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I so agree with you about Agatha Christi her writing is amazing and I want to read more of her work sometime soon! I haven’t read the bear and the Nightingale or any of Ruta’s works so I want to read both of those authors as well hopefully this year!
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Ah yes! And I really recommend both of them!! Awesome!
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I always try to avoid reading posts like these out of fear that my to read list grows into a monster, but I guess it’s already too late anyway lol.
Definitely going to add Mark Lawrence to the list (Robin Hobb was already on my radar because of a previous post from you 😊😊
Oh by the way, I nominated you for an award which you can find here: https://raistlin0903.wordpress.com/2018/01/16/blogger-appreciation-award/
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hehehe I can really relate to that 😉
Awesome 😊😊
Ah thank you very much- I look forward to checking it out 😊
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I discovered Agatha Christie last year as well! I can not wait to read more of her books!
I am hoping to read some Ruta Sepetys and Katherine Arden this year!
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Yes!! she’s great!!
And that’s awesome- I’m glad to hear it 😊
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I do plan on reading Murder on the Orient Express this year and it will probably be my last Christie. I’ve read enough of her stuff to know that her style of hiding info from the reader really bothers me. So one more and I’m done 🙂
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Ah that’s fair enough- I know I’m not going to read loads of them, but I am happy to read a few more 🙂
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I do have Between Shades of Gray and The Snow Child added. Great list of authors. 💖 I hope you enjoy the The Girl in the Tower this year. Happy reading. 😀
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Brilliant! 😊💖 Thank you so much!! You too! 🙂
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As I’m already a fan of Agatha Christie, Robin Hobb, and Mark Lawrence, I’d have to go with Katherine Arden. Both The Bear and the Nightingale and The Girl in the Tower, completely blew me away. I’d also add Sophie Chen, whose book The Luster of Small Things is my favorite of 2017.😊
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Awesome!! 😊😊 Oh that sounds really great- definitely want to check it out now!
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Hi there, I’ve nominated your blog for the Liebster Award. Please visit my post for details on how to accept award: https://liveeatcolour.com/2018/01/17/liebster-award/
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Thank you very much! I’ve just seen it 😀
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You crack me up every time.
Just looked up Salt to the Sea…wow… intense read.
The Snow Child also looks pretty good.
You liked the Bear and the Nightingale??? Really?? I’m so shocked 😉😄😜
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hehe yes it was very intense- but so so worth reading! And it really was 🙂
hahaha I know SHOCKER 😉
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I’ve read Agatha Christie (Murder on the Orient Express is great but And Then There Were None is my all time fave!). I’m definitely interested in Eowyn Ivey’s other work too.
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I actually just read and then there were none the other day- so good!! 😀 Awesome!!
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Nomad is HILARIOUS!!!!
I don’t think I’ve been that pleasantly surprised or laughed that hard in my pleasantly surprisedness (My word, lol) since I read Craig Ferguson’s “Between the Bridge and the River”.
Good stuff OG! As per . . .
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hehe I completely agree!! (I like the word surprisedness 😉 ) And now I want to read Between the Bridge and the River 🙂
Thank you very much!
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You will enjoy it I think!
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I’m in the middle of Murder on the Orient Express right now and I’m liking it better than the movie.
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That’s awesome- I’m glad- I think it was really well written!
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I love the Farseer Trilogy!!
How did the Tawny Man trilogy go??
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Ahh yes it was really good!! I’m sure you’ll like it if you enjoyed farseer!
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Wow…Love this post ☺️💛…even I discovered Ruta Spetys in 2017 and she is awesome! Great post ☺️
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Thank you so much!! I completely agree about Sepetys 😀 Thank you 🙂
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☺️☺️
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I loved both Bear and the Nightingale and The Snow child. And YES to Agatha C. In this list, I have wanted to read Robin Hobb. I havent picked a book from her all these years
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Ah brilliant!! Oh I definitely recommend her- it’s taken me forever to get to her work but it was so worth it 😀
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Both Hobb and Lawrence are wonderful! If you can’t get enough of Lawrence though, you should check out his Prince of Fools series too. Prince Jalan is nothing like Jorg, but he is soooo funny!
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They really are!! Oh yes- I definitely plan on reading that at some point!! I know I’ll love it 😀 Thanks for the rec- I’m so excited now!!
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Ruta Sepetys is one of my favourites! I got Salt to the Sea for Christmas and I can’t wait to to get to it!
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Ahh she’s fantastic!! And that was one hell of a book- hope it is as good for you as it was for me!
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I haven’t read any book by authors in this list. 😦 I want to read Agatha Christie’s books, I might be the only person on earth who haven’t read her book.
Authors I discovered in 2017 and my favorite are- H.A.Leuschel, Anuja Chandramouli, Iain Reading, India R. Adams.
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Ah don’t worry- I hadn’t read any last year- and was pleasantly surprised (though I really shouldn’t have been given her acclaim)
Oh Leuschel is great!! Cool list!
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I was picking up a hold at the library the other day, an old copy of “Black Lamb, Gray Falcon” (Rebecca West) when the librarian told me she loved old books and was super excited to have just acquired a first edition of “Murder on the Orient Express.” Another Agatha Christie lover.
Also, I was watching an episode in the second season of “Toast of London,” which featured a funny sendup of The Mousetrap, the AC play that’s been running continuously in London’s West End for more than 60 years. It reached its 25,000th performance back in 2012.
Cheers.
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Wow that’s so cool!!
And that sounds great 😀
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All new to me!
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Awesome- more to look forward to- they’re all great 🙂
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Well, something to look into when I’m ready for new reading material. ☺
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Funny books are a rarity on my TBR list, lists–a list tucked everywhere. I may have to read Nomad.Have I told you lately I love your writing style on this blog? You’re awesome 🙂
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Ah I totally get that- I’m the same. Nomad is hilarious- it’s basically a mock-biography- he has another one as well called “I Partridge we need to talk about Alan” and it’s funnier if you watch the tv shows first (knowing me, knowing you- a spoof of chat shows- and I’m Alan Partridge a mockumentary that was a precursor to the office) Oh gosh I’m so sorry for just swamping you with recs!! Aww thank you so much!! You’re very kind!!
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No, you’re fine. one of my best friends is Irish and I was married to an Irishman with lots of relations living in London so we used to watch a lot of British and Irish TV. I vaguely remember my friend Orla being a fan of Alan.
Great. One more thing to look at on youtube. LOL.
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Fantastic!! 😀 It’s sooo good!! I really recommend it! hehehe yes 😉
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Omg I never knew that Alan Partridge had books! I am so going to have to read them…..after I’ve grabbed a whole cheese on a fork and ran around with it 🧀 😂
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hehehehehee DO IT!! hahahaha!
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I so am! 😉
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I’ve heard a lot about the Bear and the Nightingale, so I’m definitely curious about that book… but, because I already have some pretty good books I recently got and want to read soon on my TBR, can you tell me why the Bear and the Nightingale is such a good book? Is it one worth bumping up higher on my TBR? Great post, btw 😊
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hehe how long have you got? Honestly I loved it for many reasons: it had a great fairytale feel, but the stories were not ones I was familiar with so it felt fresh and different; the writing was stunning and atmospheric and the characters were both romantically ideal and quite realistically flawed. I just thought the execution of the book was perfect and it made me nostalgic for some old favourites 🙂 Definitely worth checking out! Thank you!!
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After reading quite a few posts from you about the Bear and the Nightingale I may need to finally read it! Have you read An Enchantment of Ravens? I loved it. Its a fantasy novel also a little fairy tale like…
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Well I’m really glad!! I hope you love it as much as I did!! Oh I definitely want to read that- it sounds like my kind of book 😀
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I discovered Agatha Christie two years ago, but since then I’ve only read two books by her, one book per year! I feel like I need to read more of her books in 2018! 🙂
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Ah that’s cool- I think that’s a fair amount to read a year 😀
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I can’t wait to read Eowyn Ivey’s new(ish) novel! I loved her writing! I also have Robin Hobb on my list to read soon. Great list! 🙂
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Ah me too!! And I definitely recommend Hobb 😀 Thank you!
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I read Between Shades of Gray and I liked it but I didn’t love it. I’m happy to hear you liked Salt to the Sea more! I’ll definitely order it now! 🙂
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I can understand that- I liked it too- but I loved Salt to the Sea 😀
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I’m glad there were so many amazing authors you discovered in 2017. 🙂 I feel like I mainly discovered debut authors so maybe one of my goals for this year is to discover some non-debut authors! I’m hoping to get around to The Bear and the Nightingale at some point so maybe at the end of this year you’ll see Katherine Arden on my Top Authors of 2018 list! 😀
Great post, and great list as well. Here’s hoping there are plenty more amazing authors to be discovered this year for you. 🙂 ❤
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Thank you!! 😀
I think it’s really cool that you mostly discovered debut authors- perhaps my goal should be to read more new authors 😉
Ah fantastic!! haha I hope so!!
Thank you so much!! 😀 ❤
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That’s all right. 🙂
Last year it was mostly debut authors I feel like this year I should try and discover non-debut authors. Shake things up a bit. 🙂 ❤
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hehe yes!! 🙂 ❤
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THIS IS THE LIST I’VE ALWAYS WANTED IN MY LIFE!! YASS YOU ROCK 😀 Fantasy authors are my new goal for this year 😉 !! So yeah Mark Lawrence and Robin Hobb!! Woohoo
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Aww I’m so glad you liked it!!! YES!! 😀
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So many great books I need to read myself! Hahaha I laughed about the whole Agatha Christie thing because I’ll probably be finding myself in the same position in the future xD (I don’t know in regards to which book, but I will!)
I reeeeally need to read Robin Hobb and all the other fantasy books here. Alan Partridge sounds insanely funny so I need that one in my life as well. Adding it to the TBR as we speak!
Lovely post ❤
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haha absolutely!!
hehehe I totally know what you mean 😉
Ahh she’s so good!! I’d been meaning to read her work forever- it was so worth it!! It really was hilarious!! Awesome!! 😀
Thank you!! ❤
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Back of the net! I really must read those Partridge books. I’ve never been interested much in Agatha Christie but now you’ve mentioned her I think Murder on the Orient Express should go on my TBR. Excellent list as always!
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hahahaha!! AHA! I knew you’d like that 😉 You really should- his books are *seriously* hilarious- this one’s set after Alpha papa, but I Partridge, we need to talk about alan is set before (recommend that one first 😉 )
Yeah I honestly thought I’d never read her books or watch any adaptations- but I caved and I’m glad I did! 😀 Thank you!
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I literally own both Salt to the Sea to Between Shades of Grey ((for like 2 years – whenever Salt to the Sea came out)) and have YET to read a Ruta Sepetys book…. I WILL read one this year! Mark my words. I’ve also wanted to read a Robin Hobb book forever. I just went and requested Assassin’s Apprentice from the library, so hopefully it will motivate me when it comes in.
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Oh definitely do- I think you’ll like them 🙂 Oh good- I really enjoyed that series- I hope you do too!
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I just added Hobb to my TBR I hope for that to be my first jump into epic fantasy.
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That’s fantastic!! 😀
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Would look to forward to reading the ones i haven’t read till now.
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Fantastic!! 😀
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😊
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New to your blog and love it absolutely. 💛
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Aww thank you very much!! ❤
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Pleasure 💜
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Hell yes to this list of awesome authors! Agatha Christie, Robin Hobb, Mark Lawrence and Ed McDonald!!! I haven’t read anything by Hobb except a short story in an anthology, but man do I need to try her Farseer trilogy asap. Neil Gaiman was one of my top author discovery in 2017 and hopefully I’ll be able to read a couple more of his stuff this year. 😀
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Ah they’re all fantastic!! I think you’ll like the Farseer trilogy as well 😀 Oh yes, Gaiman’s amazing!!! 😀
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I’ve only read two of Agatha Christie’s book, but I liked them. I should read more of them.
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Oh me too! 🙂 Definitely agree!
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