Top 5 Tuesday is hosted by the wonderful Shanah @ Bionic Book Worm.
Does anyone else have those authors whose work you know you are going to love, but for whatever reason you just never pick up? I have so many that it was difficult to narrow it down to only five!
Francesca Zappia
Francesca Zappia seems to write the kind of hard-hitting YA that I absolutely love. Eliza and her Monsters was extremely popular when it was first published, but I just never got around to it. Now Entering Addamsville is her latest release and, while it does not seem to be getting the same hype, I am intrigued by it. Made You Up has also been on my TBR for years! I just need to pick up one of her books already!
Ruta Sepetys
Salt to the Sea is one of those books that I just know I am going to love. It has been on my shelves for a couple years now, and I have no excuses as to why I haven’t picked it up yet. Ruta Sepetys’s latest release, The Fountain of Silence, has been getting rave reviews! I have realized that I have not read a love of YA historical fiction, which is ridiculous because it is my favourite genre. Is it just not as popular?
Meg Wolitzer
Meg Wolitzer has a pretty extensive backlist, but these are the three books of hers that I am most interested in reading. I saw the movie adaptation of The Wife and thought it was wonderful. I am a sucker for books about books or the literary world! I have have The Interestings on my shelf for awhile now, though admittedly I do not know much about it. The Female Persuasion is the one that I seem to hear the most about! I am usually drawn to literary fiction, so it surprises me that I haven’t read anything by her yet.
Octavia E. Butler
It is sinful that I have never read anything by Octavia E. Butler, especially as a self-proclaimed SciFi fan. I have had Kindred on my TBR for ages and I have only heard incredible things about it. In fact, all of her novels have high ratings on Goodreads. I did not realize just how many books she had written! I think I am going to start with Kindred, but would love any advice you have on where to go from there.
Barbara Kingslover
I remember when The Poisonwood Bible was all the rage! I would have been sixteen when it came out and I guess it just wasn’t something I was drawn to back then. Fast forward fifteen years and it sounds exactly like the kind of novel I would love. Her latest release, Unsheltered, is one I meant to read last year but just never got around to. Kingslover seems to write a mix between historical fiction and literary fiction- my favourite combo! I am hoping to fall in love with her work and eventually make my way through her backlist.
Have you read books by any of these authors? Where should I start? Who is the one author you would most like to read?
Definitely second that you need to read Ruta Sepetys & Barbara Kingsolver! Salt to the Sea was beautiful, and Unsheltered was heartbreakingly thought provoking. I’ll have to look into the others on your list!
They both sound so amazing! Heartbreakingly thought-provoking is one of my buzzwords!
Haha I’ve gotten pretty attached to books like that!
I love Ruta Sepetys. I hope you will too.
I have a feeling I will as well!
I have numerous books by the first two authors listed here only TBR too. I hope we both get a chance to check out some of their books soon (:
I hope we do as well!!
oh I love this post. i’ve been meaning to get around to octavia butler for a long time but just havent.
Thank you! Same, and I do not know why!
I have never even heard of my of them 🙈 I’m glad you’re highlighting them !
It makes me happy that I got to introduce you to some new authors!
I’ll be honest: I don’t care for Octavia Butler. I read Kindred and it was all right, but I wasn’t overly impressed. Then I read two thirds of the Passenger series before giving up. Just wasn’t for me.
Thank you for sharing! I will go into Kindred with more realistic expectations. I love that even though you didn’t love Kindred you tried more of her work. I try to do the same before deciding an author isn’t for me.
I’ve been so interested in reading The Fountains of Silence recently, it sounds so good!
It really does! Has a great cover as well!
So many yes’s to Ruta Sepetys!! She’s absolutely incredible!
Ah I really just need to make Salt to the Sea a priority. It is ridiculous that I haven’t read it yet!
I adored Salt to the Sea and have been meaning to read more of Ruta Sepetys work. I love how she tends to spotlight historic events that are usually swept under the rug.
I love when historical fiction authors do that as well!
Nice choices! I loved Eliza and Her Monsters and Now Entering Addamsville.
Thank you! That is great to hear!
You’re welcome. I hope you end up liking them, too.
I have tried to read The Interestings three times and I can never get in to it! I’m going to try The Wife by her.
I have heard mixed things about The Interestings! I hope The Wife is a better read for you!
I discovered Ruta Sepetys months ago through Salt to the Sea and it was insta love! I also adored The Fountains of Silence so I’d say choose one of these.
Those are the two I am most interested in! So happy to hear you enjoyed them both.
Francesca Zappia is amazing. I read Eliza and loved it. Read welcome to addamsville and that was pretty good, just not as good as Eliza in my opinion.
Ruta Sepetys is a must read. I absolutely fell in love with salt to the sea when I read it and am currently reading fountains of silence and adoring it.
Both of these authors are amazing at their craft and make the reading of their books super effortless! I hope you pick these two authors up soon and love them as much as I do!!
Thank you for this! I think Eliza was so well-loved it will be hard for her to top that one!
Happy to hear you are loving Fountains of Silence. I can not wait to read it!
I hope I get to them both soon as well and that I adore them as much as you do!
Sepetys is a cross over author and I never think I’m reading YA when I’m reading her books (out of the Easy seems the most YA out of all the titles). I hope you enjoy well researched and well written Sepetys books!
That is so awesome to hear. I appreciate well-researched historical fiction!
Ruta Sepetys’ books are the ones I would most like to read as well. I do actually have Salt to the Sea on my shelves but I’ve not been in the mood to read that kind of book at the moment.
I am the same way. It has been on my shelves for a couple years just haunting me!
Great list! Ruta Supetys is one author I also really need to get to & actually own a few books by this author *for shame* lol. I read Eliza and Her Monsters last year & LOVED it, would love to read another book by this author. Happy reading! 🙂
Haha I have owned Salt to the Sea for years!! I am so glad you loved Eliza!
Ruta Sepetys is one of my all-time favorite authors – Between Shades of Gray is my favorite- and I can’t recommend Eliza and Her Monsters and Made You Up enough! I still have to read Now Entering Adamsville,
That is good to hear. I feel like Between Shades of Gray doesn’t get talked about as much.
Excited for both of those books. I know I will love them!
You just NEEEEED to read «The Fountains of Silence», it was my first Ruta Sepetys book and it’s probably one of the best books I’ve ever read… <3
I also bought her other books – Salt to the Sea and Between Shades of Gray, and hope to read them very soon.
Ahhhh that makes me so excited!!! I love falling in love with an author like that.
Salt to the Sea is such a good book! Highly recommend it!
I have Eliza and her Monsters sitting on my shelf waiting for me to read… I don’t know what I’m waiting for! 😛
I have so many books on my shelves that I know I will love but just never pick up. Always distracted by other things!
Story of a bookworm’s life, right? 🙂
Truly.
Great post!
I haven’t read any Meg Wolitzer books yet either. Every time I’m at the bookstore I always see her books too. I definitely hope to read some books of hers in the new year. The Interestings sounds like a good read. I remember a few years ago the book was adapted for one of those Amazon Prime pilots, where audiences would choose what pilot they liked best to become a series. I didn’t watch it, but I remember it had a really great cast. It didn’t get picked up as a series, but it would have still been cool to see.
Ah that is really interesting. I’m curious to see who the cast was. Going to look it up now!
I remember hearing that Lauren Ambrose was in it. She is an amazing actress. I loved her on HBO Six Feet Under.
I read Ruta Sepetys for the first time this year and I definitely want to read more!
That’s great to hear!
Great list! I hope you get to them sometime soon!
(www.evelynreads.com)
Thank you. I hope so too!
It took me two times to read Poisonwood Bible but it became an all-time fav. I’m hoping to reread soon! Enjoy them all!
That’s so good to know! Thank you!
I haven’t read any work from those authors either. The new book of Ruta Sepetys looks like a great one!
It does! Can’t wait to read it!
Really recommend Ruta Sepetys! I loved between shades of grey and salt to the sea. And I really really liked eliza and her monsters too!!
That’s great to hear. I know I will love Ruta Sepetys as well!
I must confess I’ve not read any of these books but you certainly have me intrigued! Especially Francesca Zappia.
Her books sounds really good, don’t they?!
Fantastic post. Thanks Kristin for the recommendations! I’d love to read more of Barbara Kingsolver!
Thank you! I just know I am going to adore her books when I get to them.