Top Five Tuesday – A-Z Authors

A new Top Five Tuesday, the prompts are created by Bionic Book Worm. This month’s topics are A-Z authors, this week it’s U-Z, these were definately tricky! I hope you are all safe and well in this strange time.

W: Alison Weir

Weir writes some of the best historical fiction out there, she is also a historian which is probably why she’s so good! Her Six Tudor Queens series is so brilliant. The books are written almost as acurate as biographies, I feel as if I really know the Queens and what they went through. If you are interested in the Tudors I strongly recommend her.

W: Katherine Webb

I read The Legacy a while ago and loved it. It’s set at a gorgeous old house, sisters Erica and Beth used to spend their summers their as children. One summer the girls’ cousin goes missing which tears the family apart. The sisters return as adults and are flooded with memories. This is my favourite style of book, set in an old house with a mystery surrounding it. I’ve got Katherine Webb’s other books on my tbr list and I’m excited to get to them.

W: Jacqueline Wilson

Jacqueline Wilson was one of my favourite authors as a child, her characters were always relatable and brilliant in their own way. It makes me nostalgic just thinking about them! My favourites were probably Midnight, The Diamond Girls and The Lottie Project. I haven’t read them in a long time but I love the memory of them.

Y: Heather Young

I haven’t yet read any of Heather Young’s books, but The Lost Girls is in my tbr list. The book begins in 1935 in Minnesota. Emily goes missing at only six-years-old, her mother never recovers and stays at the lake house for the rest of her days, hoping her daughter will come back. Emily’s sisters also stay with their mother. One of the sisters writes down the events of that summer sixty years later, before she dies, she leaves her notes and the lake house to her grandniece, Justine. I love a historical mystery so I’m really looking forward to reading this.

Z: Markus Zusak

The Book Thief is one of my favourite books ever, the way it’s written with Death as the narrator is so clever. It is set in Germany during WWII, we follow Liesel who has been fostered by a couple because her mother couldn’t look after her. Liesel wants to learn to read and tries to teach herself using a book she found at her brother’s graveside, The Gravedigger’s Handbook. This story is powerful and beautifully written.

I hope you are all safe and well in this strange time, take care.

Top Five Tuesday – A-Z Authors

A new Top Five Tuesday, the prompts are created by Bionic Book Worm. This month’s topics are A-Z authors, this week it’s P-T, I struggled with one letter this week, the rest were pretty easy. I hope everyone is well and safe in these strange times.

P: Philip Pullman

I used to love His Dark Materials when I was younger, the trilogy is still a great read now. My obsession with the nothern lights definitely started with these books. I’m so glad Philip Pullman has started a new series centred around Lyra Belacqua, I’ve read the first one in The Book of Dust trilogy and it has the same feeling as the original series, I’m very excited to read the rest.

R: Lucinda Riley

I discovered Lucinda through The Seven Sisters series, each book tells the story of one of the adopted sisters and how they discover their birth origins. The girls have lived a happy life altogether with their father and when he died he left them all a letter, a clue and coordinates to where from around the world he adopted them. It also goes back in history and tells the story of the sister’s ancestors. I highly recommend the series if you love historical fiction like me!

S: C.J.Sansom

I haven’t read all of his work yet but Dominion is one of my favourite books. It’s set in the 1950s except instead of going to war with Germany in 1939, Britain made a treaty with them instead. But there is a rebel force led by Churchill himself. We follow a government worker who has joined the resistance and his efforts to save a scientist from being discovered by the Nazis. This book made me so scared, but it is so clever, a must read.

S: Lemony Snicket

What a strange soul Lemony Snicket is, his books are quirky and brilliant in equal measure. I used to love A Series of Unfortunate Events when I was younger because it was so different to everything I had ever read.

T: Adrian Tchaikovsky

I first discovered this author when I read Children of Time which is set way in the future. Humanity has tried to reach out into the stars to find a place to live. They started terraforming selected planets and releasing our chimp ancestors down to those planets with a genetic accelerator so they evolve quicker. But the experiment is sabotaged. The last of humanity years later are stranded on a spaceship trying to find these planets, but what they find is more of a nightmare. One of the most interesting books I’ve read, it’s very clever and it even got me to like spiders for a while!

Top Five Tuesday – A-Z Authors

A new Top Five Tuesday, the prompts are created by Bionic Book Worm. This month’s topics are A-Z authors, this week it’s K-O. I did struggle with some of the letters this week!

K: Sue Monk Kidd

I discovered Sue Monk Kidd when I read The Secret Life of Bees a couple of summers ago. It was the perfect summer read, set in South Carolina in 1964, Lily and her ‘stand in mother’ Rosaleen go on the run when Rosaleen insults some horrible racists and faces a jail sentence. They find a place that Lily’s real mother visited, a safe place where three eccentric sisters look after bees. It’s such a profound story and you get to learn about bees!

L: C.S. Lewis

I used to love the Chronicles of Narnia, my favourite is of course The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, the Pevensie children’s stories are the best of the bunch. I re-read some of them a while ago and they bring back a feeling of comfort and warmth. We still have my Mum’s set of books from when she was a child so they’re very precious.

M: Kate Morton

Possibly my favourite author ever! Every one of her books is beautiful, complex and full of brilliant characters. The first book I read was The Forgotten Garden which still remains my favourite, nothing can quite top my connection with the characters, especially Eliza Makepeace, a young girl from the early 1900s, a writer who was treated horribly by her family. The Lake House and The Clockmaker’s Daughter are some of my other favourites.

N: Naomi Alderman

I have only read one of her books but it is one of the most thought provoking books I’ve ever read. The Power is set both in the present and the future, young girls suddenly gain an ability to harness electricity and shock others, they realise they can awake this ability in women as well, evolution has worked in our favour to level the playing ground. But is a matriarchy any better? Humans are still violent and cruel at their core. This book really shook me, I want to read more of Naomi Alderman’s work.

P: Terry Pratchett

I couldn’t find anyone for O so I’ve chosen one of my favourite authors ever: Terry Pratchett. The world that he created is so chaotic, vibrant and funny, I couldn’t help but love the Discworld novels when I first discovered them. The first Pratchett book I read was The Carpet People which isn’t from the Discworld series but I still loved it. My favourites are probably Mort, Night Watch and Hogfather so far but I still have some left to read!

Top Five Tuesday- A-Z Authors

A new Top Five Tuesday, the prompts are created by Bionic Book Worm. This month’s topics are A-Z authors, this week it’s F-J:

F: Nicci French

I love this author, their books are all fictional crime, some are reall scary. They have a way of drawing you in. I recently finished reading their Frieda Klein series which spanned eight books. I still have a lot of books to read of theirs but I think one of my favourites is Beneath the Skin, it is pretty scary but very clever.

G: Philippa Gregory

Again one of my favourite authors, all historical fiction about the Tudors and the War of the Roses. My first book was The Other Boleyn Girl and reading what happened to Anne and how she was treated opened my eyes! Although it’s all fiction because it’s based on real people I feel as if it is fact. I love reading about the Wat of the Roses from the women’s point of view but I think my favourite is probably The Virgin’s Lover which is about Elizabeth and her love of Robert Dudley.

H: Robin Hobb

One of my favourite fantasy authors, I haven’t read all of Robin’s books yet but I really enjoyed the Farseer Trilogy and the world that it takes place in. The journey that Fitz goes on gave me Lord of the Rings vibes but it has everything fantasy needs, royalty, travels and some dragons!

I: Eva Ibbotson

I haven’t read her books in a while but I loved them when I was in my early teens. Journey to the River Sea was the first book I read by Eva Ibbotson and I loved how it transported me to the Amazon and all its jungle beauty. Some of my other favourites are A Company of Swans and A Countess Below Stairs, both are historical fiction centred around young girls trying to make their way in the world.

J: Liz Jenson

I’ve only read one of Liz Jenson’s books but it was so atmospheric it has stayed with me. The Rapture is set at the end of the world. Natural disasters are becoming more frequent. Gabrielle is a psychiatrist and one of her patients claims that electro shock therapy can help her predict the future. She can forsee the destruction to come. It’s a fascinating book about psychology and how humanity tries to cling to life.

Top Five Tuesday – A-Z Authors

A new Top Five Tuesday, the prompts are created by Bionic Book Worm. This month’s topics are A-Z authors, this week it’s the first five A-E which wasn’t too difficult but I have a feeling it will be tougher as we go down the alphabet!

A: Kate Atkinson

Kate has written lots of different books ranging from crime to historical fiction. But her characters are always well written and likeable. I discovered her when I read When Will There Be Good News? which is part of her Jackson Brodie series, Jackson is a police officer turned private investigator. I was really into crime novels at the time but my favourites are probably Life after Life and A God in Ruins which are set during WWII and follow the Todd family through their lives. Kate Atkinson is one of my authors that I always look out for and can happily re-read her books forever!

B: Emily Brontë

Wuthering Heights is one of my favourite classics, probably because of the gothic theme. I had to study it at college but I still love the book, that’s how good it is! The characters are so dramatic and the story so strange, it has a dark and eerie feel that appeals to me.

C: Suzanne Collins

I still haven’t quite forgiven Suzanne for the end of Mockingjay but I’m still grateful for the messed up world of Panem she created and all the characters I love within it. One of my favourite things about The Hunger Games is that it points to so many damaging things in our own society like our obsession with reality television no matter how damaging it might be to the people in it.

D: Emma Donoghue

I have only read one of Emma’s books but I know I need to read more because she is a brilliant author. Room was so clever and terrifying. The way it was written felt so real. Like the reader was also trapped in one small room with no possible escape. But I love how the characters never lost hope and had their sweet routines.

E: Joy Ellis

I have only ever listened to Joy Ellis’ books but they are some of my favourite audiobooks. The books I’ve heard are from her DI Jackman and DS Evans series, it’s set in Wales, I love the pace of the books, they’re never rushed and when the detectives solve their cases it always makes sense. The characters all fit well together and you feel like you’re part of the police team. Also Richard Armitage narrates the audiobooks so you can’t go wrong there!

Top Ten Tuesday – Auto-Buy Authors

I do have a collection of authors that I have to read everything they’ve ever written!

1. George R.R. Martin

This man though….he’s honestly a genius. I’ve read all of A Song of Ice and Fire and the first part of Fire and Blood which is about the Targaryen kings and queens. I’ve got Nightflyers waiting on my bookshelf which is a completely different genre from ASOIAF. It’s set in space in the future and I’m really looking forward to reading it.

2. Kate Morton

All of her books are stand alone but they all have a similar style. Set in different times but centred around the same place, usually an old house. The characters are so well written and I always form a strong connection to them. I love Kate’s descriptions of the houses and the different time periods feel real. I’m reading the Clockmaker’s Daughter at the moment which goes from 1862-2017 and lots in between but every time we switch there’s a different feel to the chapter, I don’t know how she does it. I’m always eagerly awaiting her next book!

3. Kate Atkinson

I first discovered Kate Atkinson when I read When Will There Be Good News? which is part of her Jackson Brodie series, he’s a private detective but the books aren’t so much focused on the crimes in them, more about the characters and how they’re affected. I read the rest of the series and when Life After Life came out I was bowled over with the incredible writing and depth of this book, it’s so beautiful and covers the theory of parallel worlds but not in a super sci-fi way. I recently read Transcription which was again historical fiction and I loved it.

4. Nicci French

Nicci French is actually a husband and wife duo! Their books are crime/psychological thrillers and some of them are super scary. I can’t stand scary films but these are different they’re full of suspense. The Frieda Klein series is really good, Frieda is a psychologist who consults with the police and seems to attract trouble. I’ve still got two books left to read from that series and then I’m going to tackle all the ones I haven’t yet read.

5. Laura Andersen

I’ve read her first trilogy The Boleyn Trilogy which is written as if Anne Boleyn had given birth to a son, she survived Henry and her son and daughter are heirs to England. It’s great historical fiction with a twist, the new characters who are friends of the Prince and Princess are Minuette and Dominic all four of them are true friends and have to try and navigate court life together. I’ve started the second trilogy which is set twenty years after the first, I can’t wait to read the rest. I really like Andersen’s style and choice of genre!

6. Lucinda Riley

I am loving her series of The Seven Sisters, every book tells the story of one of the D’Apliese sisters on the journey to discover where they were born. They also flashback to characters in history of each place, so far we’ve discovered Brazil and Norway! I really enjoy reading about the sister’s dynamics, I only have two sisters but they still reminded me of us a little bit! I’m really excited to read the rest of the series.

7. Ian McEwan

I read Atonement for the first time years ago and fell in love with it, since then I’ve read Sweet Tooth which is set in England during the Cold War, Solar and The Children Act. I love how all his novels are completely different, I’ve got all of his older ones on my TBR list and the newest one about robots!

8. Katherine Webb

Webb’s style is similar to Kate Morton, based in the past with ties to the present. The Legacy was the first book I read by Katherine Webb and I was completely hooked. Her others look just as intriguing, The Unseen is next on my list, it’s set in the early 1900s in a small village in England, when two strangers show up and change the town forever.

9. Stephen Fry

I’ve been reading Stephen’s books about Greek Mythology, the way he ties them all together is so clever. Mythos was great, I used to love learning about the many Greek Gods and Goddesses at school but I had forgotten how funny they were. I’ve started Heroes and there’s a third book still to come!

10. J K Rowling

Although we haven’t had anything from Rowling for a while and despite the epic disappointment the was Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (which wasn’t written by Rowling), I would probably still read anything she writes. After Harry Potter we had the Casual Vacancy about a small town, it’s residents and their complicated relationships and biases, I really enjoyed the book, I might re-read it soon.

So there they are, who are your must buy authors?