AWESOME Authors I Discovered in 2017 *and* Am Looking Forward to Reading More From

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!

The Snow Child Filled Me With Child-like Delight

There’s so much to love about this book that I genuinely can’t imagine people not enjoying it. Despite the cool settings, reading Snow Child was like being wrapped in a toasty blanket. I’m getting chills just thinking about how good the writing in this book was. All the descriptions were as clear and beautiful as freshly laden snow; the atmosphere danced off the page.

From the beginning, I felt myself drawn in by the narrative voice. I could practically feel the sadness seeping off the page in the melancholy opening. Yet what was remarkable about this book was the whole range of emotions it tapped into, from child-like wonder and playful delight, to prickling fear and nervy hope. In the end, it’s enough to make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

The story itself was enchanting. It had a fairy tale feel, yet at the same time it felt raw and real. Juxtaposed with the original, it made for a rich retelling, which will feel even more unique to us non-Russians who aren’t familiar with the tale. The best part of this, however, was how it clung to its fairy tale roots, whilst reaching out into a historical landscape, making us ponder whether magic played a part, or not.

With every turn of the page, you could feel the characters coming alive. I really appreciated the slow build of characterisation. My one issue was that I felt a tiny bit disconnected from the romance later on, which is the only reason this didn’t get five bananas from me. With that said, I gave it:

Rating: 4½/5 bananas

Have you read this? Do you plan to? Let me know in the comments!