Top Ten Tuesday: Authors on my auto-buy list

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Every week the participants post their top ten to a specific topic.

This week is about authors that are so amazing and that we trust so much, we'd buy anything they wrote.

There are only a few authors from whom I'd buy absolutely *anything*. I mean, if I read the book description and it's about an issue that just doesn't interest me, or if they suddenly go into another genre, or if their new book is about a topic that is a trigger for me, I'd stay away, or at least not buy the book immediately. But there are many authors that I trust and whose writing I am totally in love with so that I preorder their books.

1. Melissa Marr
   I love love love her writing style. I've read all her Wicked Lovely stories including the mangas, many stories she has in anthologies (though not all because there are so many and I only have so much money and time) as well as Carnival of Souls. However, not sure about that middle grade series she has coming out soon... but that's because at this point I'm just not into MG.
   
2. Holly Black
   Her. Writing. Is. Magic. I've loved it since I read (and reread and reread and re-borrowed so I could re-read before I had my own copy) Tithe. I'm so excited about The Coldest Girl in Coldtown coming out in the fall! And the Curseworkers books just blew my mind.
   
3. Kim Harrison
   The Hollows series. Rachel. Jenks. Ivy. Al the coffee-loving demon. Kisten. Enough said ;)
   
4. Jeaniene Frost
   Cat and Bones are among my favorite couples :) Also, I love how she combines fun writing and banter with action and creepiness. She creates memorable characters that come to life on the page!
   
5. Richelle Mead
   Fun, action, heartbreak, redemption... I've read all her books apart from the Dark Swan ones because I haven't gotten to them yet. Her style is just so readable for me, I don't want to stop and just dive into the worlds she creates :)
   
6. Kelly Creagh
   Her writing is just sooo beautiful! I love how she brings the Poe elements to life in her books but also twists them and makes them her own! I read her books slowly just so I can savor them. I'm very curious about what her next project after the Nevermore trilogy will be!
   
7. Rachel Vincent
   Her writing is just so gripping and real! And I love the characters she creates. She doesn't shy away from letting them make risky decisions and facing the consequences. Very strong heroines. No sugar-coating the bad things. I'm very curious about that new YA project she's been hinting at!
   
8. Erin Morgenstern
   She's only published one book but seriously I loved The Night Circus so much I couldn't even review it because I have no idea how. It's a masterpiece. I'll buy whatever she releases next without thinking twice about it.
   
9. Kate Griffin
   What an imagination! I love her version of urban fantasy. So magical! Gives me a book high and lets me see the world with fresh eyes. Also, reluctant heroes that don't want to do heroic things by default. Love it :) Oh Matthew Swift...
   
10. a tie between Julie Kagawa and Sarah Rees Brennan and maybe Cassandra Clare
    Yup. Julie because I was hesitant about trusting her with the vampires but she was amazing at it, and I also loved her adult story in the 'Til The World Ends anthology. If she decides to go for adult horror next, I'm in.
    Sarah Rees Brennan because her writing is jus so fun and addictive, but also heartbreaking! She sure loves to torture us poor readers :P I loved the Demon books and Unspoken, but I haven't bought Team Human yet. I just don't know if I want to. I'm sure it's funny but... I dunno. The co-authoring bit might also play into my decision...
    Cassandra Clare because I don't know if she can do anything non-Shadow Hunters. I love those novels, the Infernal Devices even more so. But another trilogy? I mean, I'll certainly read it, but I'd also like to see her branch out a bit. I read a non-nephilim short story of hers in an anthology once but that one didn't really do it for me...

There are quite a few authors I feel sort of bad about not including but yeah... there can only be ten. And unlike for other people, J.K. Rowling is not an auto-buy for me.

What do you think of my list? Anyone you'd like to chuck out? Someone you also picked? Also, leave a link to your own list, I'm curious about maybe discovering new authors :)

Top Ten Books I'm Looking Forward to in 2013

Today is already the last day of the Top Ten event hosted by Rachel from Fiktshun,  Lisa from A Life Bound By Books, Jessica from Confessions of a Bookaholic and Jaime from Two Chicks on Books and Mindy from Magical Urban Fantasy Reads.

Since this is also a week of looking forward, this last day's topic is about the books we're most excited to read next year. And again, it's very hard to limit that to only 10...
This list is without a couple books I'm excited about but already have ARCs for, though I haven't read them yet.


  Splintered, by A.G. Howard
I heard about Splintered ages ago and was immediately intrigued. A dark retelling of Alice in Wonderland! And now I keep reading all those amazing reviews and just can't wait to see for myself what it's like and whether I prefer Jeb or Morpheus... 


Clockwork Princess, by Cassandra Clare
Will Herondale. That is... well, not all, but a great deal of it. Will breaks my heart like few book boys can. I would have included him in my book boyfriend post yesterday, but I read Clockwork Prince in 2011. I hurt. I hurt so much I actually cried ugly tears past midnight on Christmas. I just need to know how it all ends, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed for Will/Tessa though I don't see how it could happen. Don't get me wrong, I like Jem too. He's a wonderful guy, and I don't doubt that he loves Tessa and would do anything for her. I just like Will more and feel that I understand him better.


With All My Soul, by Rachel Vincent
I'm fairly new to this series, meaning I read it all in 2012, but I feel very bittersweet about it ending. I have grown to love Kaylee, Tod, Sabine, Emma, and the others so much! I think there will be a happy ending, though not one without heartbreak, but I will be sad no matter what because I'll have to say goodbye to the world Rachel Vincent created. I'll actually have to say goodbye to two of her worlds, because Oath Bound will be released in April as well. (Did that count as cheating?)


Dance of the Red Death, by Bethany Griffin
 After the way Masque of the Red Death ended, I am extremely curious about and somewhat wary of the sequel. The writing will be phenomenal, I'm not worried about that. But nothing good could possibly be in store for Araby in a world as destroyed as hers, or could there? I hope she and Will can work things out, and I hope Elliott will deboard the airship before it lands *ahem*. I guess you can tell who I'm rooting for...


The Indigo Spell, by Richelle Mead
I thought this would be a trilogy, with The Indigo Spell concluding it all, but I recently heard that there will be more books. I am not at all annoyed with that, because I love this series even more than I did Vampire Academy. It's a bit more... grown up? Also, I really enjoy seeing it all from the alchemyst's point of view. Though how much longer Sydney's POV will be alchemyst-conform remains to be seen. Not all that much, is my guess...
Also: Adrian Ivashkov. Enough said.


The Coldest Girl in Coldtown, by Holly Black
Yup, this one does not have a cover yet. But I've wanted it for the better part of a year already. It'll be out in September. It shares its name with one of Holly Black's short stories that I've read... and re-read. I love that story, and I just can't wait to read a whole novel set in that world! I hope Dante will be in it. He was only a subsidiary character, but I really liked him. I also hope that the cover will be revealed soon!


Sweet Peril, by Wendy Higgins
Kaidan Rowe. Not the only reason I want this book asap, but an important one - especially since we were lucky enough to read a couple scenes from his POV. However, Sweet Evil also had a great heroine in Anna and an incredibly intriguing world that I miss. I'll definitely re-read it before digging into Sweet Peril when it comes out. May the Neph rebellion start soon!


A Darkness Strange & Lovely, by Susan Dennard
I loved Something Strange & Deadly to pieces, and I can't wait to read more of Eleanor and the Spirit Hunters' adventures! Susan Dennard posted a few teasers during NaNoWriMo, so I already know that there will be an airship crash in Egypt, and that part of it takes place in Paris. Yay! And there will be more Daniel.


Phoenix, by Elizabeth Richards
After pining for Black City for a year and then finally getting to read it, I'm already waiting... again. Thank god the sequel will be out in June rather than November. I really need more of Ash and Natalie and the Darklings! Elizabeth Richards dystopian world is just so intriguing, I simply need more of the conflict and plot and romance...


Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea, by April Genevieve  Tucholke
Bad, bad boy. The description already makes it clear that River is a liar... but is he demonic in nature, too? And I'll have to wait until August to find out! Dark crumbling houses. Cliffs. Sea. Kisses in cemeteries. A boy crooked smile and a taste for coffee. Dear book fairy, let there be ARCs on NetGalley or Edelweiss...


Honorable mentions:
Gameboard of the Gods, by Richelle Mead 

The Eternity Cure, by Julie Kagawa (I dislike the cover change)

Gods and Monsters #3, by Kelly Keaton

Angel Fever, by L.A. Weatherly

Nevermore #3, by Kelly Creagh


Those last three have no covers, and in some cases also no titles yet. I just hope they really do come out next year, and not in 2014... 

What do you think of my picks, and what are you excited for in 2013? 

Top Ten Villains of 2012

Hello lovelies! Today was another day of too many delicious things and cookies and spending time with 6 of my cousins and their boyfriends - Christmas, family, the works. It was fun :)

But let's shift to the topic at hand. Today is the third day of the Top Ten of 2012 event co-hosted by Rachel from Fiktshun,  Lisa from A Life Bound By Books, Jessica from Confessions of a Bookaholic and Jaime from Two Chicks on Books and Mindy from Magical Urban Fantasy Reads.

Day three means the participants can choose among several topics. Many of them fell flat for me because I read less than 10 books this year that would fit the description. I wavered between debuts and villains for a while, but eventually settled for villains because even though I'm very fond of a good villain, I never bothered to think about a top ten list before. Sometimes I find it even hard to identify any one villain. Maybe an antagonist or a group of them, but not a real villain. I also tend to side with the bad guys every once in a while...

Here are the top ten villains of books I read this year that I eventually came up with. It was much harder than I thought because sometimes the villain-ness is not quite clear. I think that is because I prefer books where the line between 'good' and 'evil' is not so clear cut...

1. Avari from the Soul Screamers series by Rachel Vincent
   Avari is just purely evil. Not shred of good in him. He is greed personified. He wants Kaylee. And he stops at nothing to get her, no matter whose body he has to hijack or which of her loved ones he has to kill. And still I found him disturbingly intriguing at times.


2. Jonathan / Sebastian from City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare
   Clary's brother, the half-demon. This guy is sick. But again, fascinating. It's hard not to have some sort of passionate reaction to him. Plus, he's extremely intelligent and cunning, and I'm always drawn to guys with brains.
   
   
3. Jake Tower from Rachel Vincent's Unbound series
   I'm especially thinking of Shadow Bound here. What he has done to Kori is just unspeakably cruel. I hate his guts. What I like about him is that he is not necessarily motivated with the wish to do evil. He's more of a businessman - cunning and ruthless, going for the utmost efficiency and best way to control his bound subjects.


4. Thiago from Days of Blood & Starlight by Laini Taylor
   I first wanted to go for the emperor's brother but couldn't remember his name for the life of me. I don't have the book with me to check. But actually Thiago, the white wolf, is the better villain because of his perfidity and manipulative wiles. I hated his guts from the beginning, hated his possessiveness of Karou and how he guilt-tripped her into working for his goals, how he kept her out of the information-loop. Terrible guy. Deserved what he got.
   


5. Athena from Kelly Keaton's Gods and Monsters series
   I thought Athena was a bit too stereotypical for a female villain in the first book and was glad to find her more complex in book two. She's the goddess of both war and wisdom, and I liked learning more about her past and where she was coming from. I still dislike her, but she's also a strong woman in a pantheon of misogynist, very patriarchal guys.


6. Barron Sharpe and Zacharov from Holly Black's Curse Workers series
   Depending on what book you choose, the villain sort of differs in this series. There are never any clear lines, and that's something I really enjoy about Black's novels. I actually like both Barron and Lila Zacharov's father. Zacharov is ruthless, but he's looking out for his family and subjects. I had the impression that he actually likes Cassel - doesn't mean he wouldn't kill him if he felt it necessary.
   Barron is also a bad guy, especially for what he did to his own brother! But he's also somehow tragic because of all the blowback he has to deal with, the amnesia etc. I liked his wit and the wordfights between him and Cassel.


7. Anna, from Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake
   This is again a strange case. Is or isn't Anna a villain? She's killed a lot of people, but she's not really evil. I thought she was pretty damn awesome in any case.


8. Cole, from Brodi Ashton's Everneath
   I liked Cole. He actually had some sort of personality. Then again, I tend to go for the bad boys. Was he a villain? Not sure. He abducted Nikki though and deceived her, but again I'm not sure whether his motives qualify him for a villain. I kept thinking that Nikki should just go with him. I mean her options were pretty bleak. I'd rather go back and be Cole's queen then die miserably and painfully in the Tunnels.
   
   
9. Cam, from Lauren Kate's Fallen series
   I read book 1 - 3 this year and depending on the installment, Cam comes across as more or less of a villain. I liked him. At the beginning, I actually much preferred him to Daniel both in looks and personality. Then there was a period when I thought he was a really mean and evil guy, but then I was fond of him again. He never hid things from Luce the way Daniel did, and he actually has a sense of humor.
   


10. Vivian from Kiersten White's Paranormalcy
    I've only read the first book in the series so I have no idea how this develops, but I liked Vivian's spunk. She and Evie are two sides of the same coin. I don't think Viv actually got that much 'screentime' but I remember her as strong, slightly psychotic, but also intriguing and potentially vulnerable. I read the book quite a while ago and under strange circumstances though, so my memory is a bit fuzzy.

So... these are my top ten. I thought to include Prince Prospero (? I think that was his name?) from Bethany Griffin's Masque of the Red Death, but he was somehow too oblique a figure...
What do you guys think of my pics? Did I forget anyone obvious? Or do you disagree vehemently with one of my picks? Suggestions of books with great villains are also very welcome ;)

Top Ten Favorite Book Covers of 2012

Hey guys :) Merry Christmas to all of you! I hope you can spend some relaxed days with your loved ones and eat tons of cookies ;) I'm sure eating more than I should, but my mom's are just too good to resist ^^''

Anyhow, today is the second day of the Top 10 of 2012 event co-hosted by Rachel from Fiktshun,  Lisa from A Life Bound By Books, Jessica from Confessions of a Bookaholic and Jaime from Two Chicks on Books and Mindy from Magical Urban Fantasy Reads.

And it's all about the cover-pretty of 2012! Choosing was really hard for me and I'm sure I simply forgot about quite a few really amazing ones. They must be for books published in 2012, and it would be better if we'd actually read them though it's not necessary.


Here I go... click the covers to get to Goodreads.







I haven't read Opal, Ten Tiny Breaths, and Blackbirds yet but the covers and descriptions sound awesome! I generally tried to choose different types of covers. I like the more abstract, illustration-design of Unspken and Blackbrids a lot, but of course I also like girls in pretty dresses... and there are so many amazing covers of that type around now! Also, I would love to have included Clockwork Princess and Splintered but those won't be out until next year.

Here are my three honorable mentions:


Two more pretty dress covers I really liked. And I like the simplicity of the cover for Confessions of an Angry Girl.

What do you guys think of my choices, and what made it onto your lists?

Top Ten Books I've read in 2012

Hi everyone :) I'm part of the Top Ten of  2012 event co-hosted by Rachel from Fiktshun, Lisa from A Life Bound By Books, Jessica from Confessions of a Bookaholic, Jaime from Two Chicks on Books  and  Mindy from Magical Urban Fantasy Reads.

Each deay from December 24 to December 28, the participating bloggers post and link up their top ten of a certain topic. I'm really glad they allowed for multiple categories and a few honorable mentions, otherwise I'd have a very tough time choosing! I've read sooo many amazing books this year :) I've ordered mine into paranormal / fantasy books and contemporaries. The list is about books we read in 2012, even if they came out earlier.

 Paranormal / Fantasy:

Days of Blood and Starlight, by Laini Taylor
I read both DoBaS and Daugher of Smoke and Bone in 2012, but I think the second book was even better than the first. It doesn't really matter though, because I absolutely adored both! The writing is just phenomenal :)

The Lux Series, by Jennifer L. Armentrout
I'm just putting them both together here. Yes, I'm a little cheater :P If you made me pick though... gah. I don't know. I loved Onyx and seeing Katy come into her was awesome, but I think I liked Obsidian just a tiny bit better ^^ I'm really curious for Opal, I'll have to get it soon.

Enshadowed, by Kelly Creagh
I waited a whole agonizing year for this book to come out and it was worth every single second! Soooo good! I love Varen. He's hands down my favorite book boyfriend. And Isobel grew so much during this novel! The lore. The Poe aspect. The beautiful, beautiful writing. I need more! You can read my review here if you're interested :)

Something Strange & Deadly, by Susan Dennard
My first zombie novel, and I loved it sooo much! I mean I kind of knew it would be great, but it was just so much more than I had expected! The historical aspect was phenomenal, and I loved the dynamics between Daniel and Eleanor ^^

Dearly, Departed, by Lia Habel
Yes, another zombie book. I think I always pick the steampunk zombie books that aren't the usual zombie apocalypse book. I've never read one of those, and I doubt that I'd like them, but I was blown away by this one! The world building is amazing, and Bram totally made me believe in a zombie love interest! And despite the gore, it was a fun read too :)

The Night Circus, by Erin Morgenstern
I don't know why it took me so long to read this book. It was soooo beautiful! I felt completely pulled into the world of the cirque des rêves and my mind still goes there quite often. This book is so well-structure and thought out! It made me laugh and cry and feel pretty much the whole emotional spectrum.

Anna Dressed in Blood, by Kendare Blake
A year late to the party, but I read this in the summer really quickly. I love Cas' voice! Can't wait for Girl of Nightmares to come out in paperback so I can finally buy it and they'll match. I'm really curious about what will happen!

The Soul Screamers series, by Rachel Vincent
Yup, I'm cheating again and just putting the whole series there. I read it all between January and June. Then I read more of Rachel Vincent's books. I'd love to list them, too, but that might be going a bit far with the rule-bending. I love Tod and Kaylee and Sabine. If I had to pick a single favorite from the series it would be If I Die.

Black Heart, by Holly Black
I love Holly Black. All her books. She is such a courageous writer! The Curse Workers Trilogy is a masterpiece, and this was the perfect conclusion! I'm really sad there won't be more Cassel and Lila stories, but I like where it left off. Doesn't mean my heart wasn't broken on the way through the book. Definitely worth the pain, though!

The Shadow Society, by Marie Rutkoski
I requested this on NetGalley on a whim and never expected to love it quite as much as I did! What a unique idea, and what a wonderful heroine! And my favorite poem played quite an important role in it :)

Contemporary:

Notes from the Blender, by Trish Cook and Brendan Halpin
I laughed so much when I read this book, and still it was about serious matters, too! I loved both Declan and Neilly, and getting their separate perspectives of the same events was awesome. Also, the authors actually GET Declan's perspective and know what they're talking about with his music etc.! I read it in a day.

Pushing the Limits, by Katie McGarry
I loved Echo and Noah! A wonderful book, again with dual perspective. They're chemistry is off the charts, and they make a great team. The tough issues both characters are dealing with were well-handled.

The Language of Flowers, by Vanessa Diffenbaugh
This was the first contemporary I read this year. The first one I'd read in many years! I stuck firmly to fantasy for like half a decade (probably more) before that. I picked it up on a whim at the bookstore because I liked the cover. Then I saw that it was about a girl from the foster system, and it played in San Francisco. The first few sentences pulled me in, so I bought it. Then it was on my shelf for almost half a year. Then I read it, and my heart opened, I hurt, I cried, I was happy. It's a tough book, but a truly beautiful one.

Anna and the French Kiss, by Stephanie Perkins
This isn't something I would have bought if I hadn't read so many awesome reviews. I picked it when I won my first giveaway. It was such a fun, engaging read! I'm always scared there will be too much drama in contemporaries. I hate drama. But it wasn't too much in this one, and realistically handled. I really need to get Lola and the Boy Next Door soon!

The Breakaway, by Michelle Davidson Argyle
I finished this one yesterday but I just had to add it to the list! The issue of kidnapping, Stockholm Syndrome, and abusive / dependent relationships was really well-handled, in my opinion. I think I would have acted different from Naomi on quite a few occasions, but I could see where she was coming from and why she did what she did. My review will be up in February as part of the blog tour for the sequel.

Manhattan Transfer, by John Dos Passos
The only non-YA book I've got here. It's a classic, and the writing style takes a while to get used to, but then I found it hard to put down! There are dozens of characters, some of whom never show up again, but there are also reoccurring ones and I loved following the development and intersections of their lives over the years. It covers New York history from the 1890s to the mid1920s.

I didn't manage to come up with ten contemporaries. As I said, I'm new to the genre. There were a few more that I read and enjoyed but I didn't really feel like putting them into my top ten just to fill it up.

Here are a few other amazing books I read this year though. Some of them it was really hard to pit against each other and I wish I could have featured them on my list!

Honorable mentions:

Click the covers to get to Goodreads

What do you think of my list, and which ones made it onto yours? Tell me in the comments!

Tomorrow, I'll choose my top ten favorite covers of 2012. It'll be agony >.<