Hi guys! Happy New Year ^^
To kick off this year's blogging, I thought I would share with you some of the authors whose works I hope to discover this year. These are all authors I've been meaning to read for a while now but for some reason, I never got around to doing so. If there are authors here whose books you've read, feel free to recommend which book of theirs I should start first. That would be really helpful ^^
Since this post is more about the authors than the actual books, I've included links to the Goodreads page of each mentioned book rather than write down an actual blurb.
1. Catherynne M. Valente
She's the author of quite a few books including the Fairyland series and the recently published Radiance. I'm actually pretty hyped about starting her Fairyland series because it sounds both beautiful and whimsical and usually carries great reviews. Radiance too sounds pretty intriguing and I might check it out this year.
2. Sarah Waters
All I know about this author is that her books are supposedly witty and very good and deal with feminism and LGBT themes. And that's about enough to convince me to pick up her books. Trouble is, I don't actually know which one to start with. I'm thinking Fingersmith or Tipping the Velvet. What do you think?
3. Ali Smith
This is another author who writes a lot about feminism, gender and LBGT themes. Some of her books are quite short, including Girl meets Boy, which was the first book by her that I read. I really enjoyed her writing style and I'm excited to read her other books this year. I think my next one will perhaps be How to be Both.
4. Jeanette Winterson
This author also covers some themes similar to Ali Smith's. I read one of her books in 2015, The Stone Gods, which I really enjoyed. It's sort of a dystopian story which transcends time and has some elements of love, science-fiction and fantasy. It's more about the people than the actual setting and does a great job at bringing these characters to life. Hence, I almost hesitate to label it as a dysotpian. I'm not sure yet what other book by her I'll be picking up next so do let me know if you have recommendations.
5. Toni Morrison
This author is mostly known for her African American characters and for discussing themes such as race and equality in her books. I've heard great things about her books and will hopefully be reading Beloved very soon.
6. Helen Oyeyemi
Her books take their inspiration from fairytales and swing between magical realism and hard realism. Her books carry more mixed reviews than the other mentioned authors' books but they do sound pretty unique and mysterious. I'm thinking I'll start with White is for Witching first and if I enjoy it, I'll be reading Boy, Snow, Bird next.
So those were some of the authors I'm hoping to discover in 2016. Looks like it's time to buy some new books! What new authors do you want to discover this year? Let me know in the comments ^^
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Cover art by Of Stacks of Cups via Pagemodo
This is a great idea! Maybe I will do a list like this one in the future. I really want to read Ali Smith and Toni Morrison, too. I hope you enjoy their books when you read them.
ReplyDeleteSofia @ Bookish Wanderess
I'd love to see what new authors you want to read. Maybe I might even find some to add to my list ;)
DeleteToni Morrison is an author I definitely want to read! I have two of her books and they are her most popular ones, which means I should get to them!
ReplyDeleteI'd love to see what you think of them when you do get to them. I'm thinking of picking up Beloved soon. If I enjoy it, and I think I will, I'll see about getting her other books.
DeleteSheesh! I haven't heard about any of these writers. Is that so bad? :P Well.. this list would be really helpful for me :) Happy Reading!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad I could point out a few new names for you ;)
DeleteThe only author I've read among these is Catherynne M. Valente but I wholeheartedly recommend her ♥ Her writing is gorgeous and the story itself is whimsical and sweet as can be! I hope you enjoy it too :) Sarah Waters and Toni Morrison are both ones I'd love to read too! Hopefully you'll get to read all of these authors in 2016! xx
ReplyDeleteNow I'm really motivated to read Fairyland ^^
DeleteOh man, I think Beloved was one of the best books I read in 2013 (I think I read it in 2013...it was one of the best books I read whatever year I read it, anyway!). It is difficult for a couple of reasons: there is a lot that's essential that you only learn later through flashbacks so the timeline is a bit skewed, and Morrison's language is dense, wonderful, and technically astounding:
ReplyDelete"I24 was spiteful. Full of a baby's venom. The women in the house knew it and so did the children. For years each put up with the spite in his own way, but by 1873 Sethe and her daughter Denver were its only victims. The grandmother, Baby Suggs, was dead, and the sons, Howard and Buglar, had run away by the time they were thirteen years old--as soon as merely looking in a mirror shattered it (that was the signal for Buglar); as soon as two tiny hand prints appeared in the cake (that was it for Howard). Neither boy waited to see more; another kettleful of chickpeas smoking in a heap on the floor; soda crackers crumbled and strewn in a line next to the doorsill. Nor did they wait for one of the relief periods: the weeks, months even, when nothing was disturbed. No. Each one fled at once--the moment the house committed what was for him the one insult not to be borne or witnessed a second time."
It's much less like a novel and much more like an extended prose poem. I hope you're able to get around to it and I hope you like it as much as I did!
Wow, I'm so reading Beloved soon! And thanks for including this extract. It's definitely makes me want to read the book :)
DeleteVery nice, Soudha! I just about bought Beloved on Audible, but decided to read it on paper at the last moment, as many people have complained that while Ms. Morrison is a terrific writer, her strength does not lie also in reading her work :) But it's on my list for 2016 as well - that, a whole bunch of classics :)
ReplyDeleteI hope you'll enjoy Beloved too! Happy reading :)
DeleteReally love list Soudha. I've got Ali Smith and Jeanette Winterson on my list as well - I'm currently reading Public Library and Other Stories by Ali Smith and would really recommended, and today Weight by Jeanette Winterson arrived! It's going to be a good reading year I think :)
ReplyDeleteI really want to read Public Library now! :D I'm also looking forward to see what you think of Weight. I've heard it's really good :)
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