This week, the organizer of The Book Blogger Hop, Jennifer asked us to answer a specific question about our favorite new-to-you author. I have to admit that this is a really tough question. It’s tough to narrow my answer down to only one author, but it’s not impossible (not quite I mean). This year I started my book blog (3 months and nearly two weeks ago to be precise), and it’s been an amazing journey. I’ve read tons of YA novels from some authors that I’d never heard of and from others that made it into my vision sometime over the last year, and each of them helped open up my eyes to a whole new world of literature. I also read a few novels for an adult audience, which woke me up to new possibilities about what a novel can be.
Though it is tough to select only one new-to-me author, I figured that by bending the rules slightly, I’d know exactly who to select, so that’s what I’m going to do. Today, I want to commemorate two authors that I’ve discovered this year. I’m sure that you can tell from my blog that I read books from a wide variety of genres, but I do have a soft spot for drama tear jerkers and both of the authors and all the books that I’ve read by them so far this year certainly qualify in this regard.
I read Audrey Niffenegger‘s extraordinary paranormal novel, The Time Traveler’s Wife at the very beginning of the year (before I started my site). I have plans of writing up a review about it at some point because I think that Clare’s dilemma will have great appeal for the teen market, even though the novel was written for adults. Though perhaps that would require a re-read, which wouldn’t be at all bad in my opinion. 
The Time Traveler’s Wife was the first novel that I’ve ever read with alternating lead narrators, so it really opened my eyes up to a possibility that I’d always been told was “wrong.” However, it didn’t take long for me to fall in love with this narration style and make me realize that sometimes rules were meant to be, not broken, but destroyed.
While Niffenegger might seem like a bit of a wild card since I’ve never written about her novel on YABookShelf.com, Laurie Halse Anderson‘s writing has been somewhat of a mainstay on my site. Since I started reviewing books, I’ve read and featured both Speak and Catalyst, and I also have Wintergirls sitting patiently on my bookshelf waiting to be read. Moreover, I’ve written a couple of other commentaries that spoke of her character Melinda Sordino. These books hit readers (teens and adults alike) with not only a realistic portrayal of a teen girl’s thought patterns, but also with a truth that transcends the age differences. Her characters might not be perfect, but you’ll love the journey that reading through their perspectives permit.
If you haven’t read these books, then check them out. You won’t regret it! And while you’re at it, go hop on over to the Book Blogger Hop and meet some other great people and blogs.
Melissa Montovani is the founder of YABookShelf.com, where she has been writing content about YA authors and books since 2010. She has over five years of online marketing experience, active followers on Twitter and Facebook and writes freelance reviews for Canadian Children's Book News. She has an M.A. in English Literature and lives and works in Toronto, Canada.
