Top 5 Tuesday || Authors From A to E

Ah, yes, the cornerstone of all lists: the alphabet.

A while back, Shanah @ Bionic Bookworm Blog did an A to Z T5T series focused on favorite books. Now, she’s turned the tables and brought it back, this time for favorite authors! Today, we’re looking at authors from A to E to kick March off!

A is for Rachel Aaron

After reading Aaron’s Eli Monpress series last year, she rocketed up the list of my favorites as if she’d always been there. Between her almost anime-esque fight sequences, her brilliantly nuanced takes on abuses of power, and the sheer joy of following an overconfident thief into every mess under the sun, it’s a wonder I didn’t fall in love with her sooner. She’s got truly clever, engaging work to boast about, and I’m a huge fan.

Of course, I still need to get my hands on some of her other series…

B is for Libba Bray

It’s not a huge secret that I love Bray’s Diviners series. Mixing the paranormal with the 1920s and then throwing unusual superpowers on top is genius, and it’s honestly a crime that I don’t have The King of Crows on my shelf yet. But I really love how big the Diviners books are (a short book can be refreshing, but I am in this for the long haul, thank you very much), and how they improve with every installment! Longer series, especially ones that aren’t finished when I pick them up, have to work extra hard to retain a place on my favorites shelf, but Bray’s done that with ease.

C is for Kelly Coon

I actually got to meet Kell back in December, and I’ve been on her street team even longer, so perhaps I’m a little biased. But really, she’s a delight and deserves a place on this list! Her debut, Gravemaidens, was so packed with sibling emotions (especially that familiar dose of “I want to shake my siblings around until they get some common sense but also I love them and would do anything to protect them”), and fantasy STEM girl smarts versus the dangers of murder afoot.

If you haven’t figured it out yet, I am advising you to go read Gravemaidens. Like, right now.

But circling back to Kell, she was so funny and energetic in December, and we had a ton of fun chatting! I’m so much looking forward to Warmaidens and any future tour stops that I might be able to make.

D is for Susan Dennard

Another possibly biased opinion, since I’m also on the Witchlands street team, but I really do think Sooz deserves a spot on my list! I met her a few years ago at a signing, and she was so kind and wonderful to chat with. Plus, she’s writing something truly amazing with the Witchlands series, and I have so much admiration for the scope of it. It’s a rare series that has more than three books to it (she can’t tell us exactly how many there’s going to be yet, but AT LEAST five, not counting Sightwitch, which you should also read, because Tor hasn’t done a great job as marketing it as the essential read that it is), and every book improves on the last.

More than that, though, Sooz has twice made me change my mind on how I feel about a character, and that’s rarer than a blue moon. I am notoriously stubborn about my character opinions. Painfully stubborn, even. And yet here Sooz is, shocking me again and again!

E is for Shea Ernshaw

I know lots of folks found Ernshaw’s debut a hit or miss affair, but for me, The Wicked Deep is a hit. I fell in love with the eerie atmosphere and time-sensitive setting, plus the fact that I began reading it on the same date that the story starts. My experience with The Wicked Deep comes down to unusual coincidence and prose appreciation. And maybe a little bit of cover envy. Both the US and UK versions boast gorgeous covers, and that’s always a treat!

Hopefully somewhere soon, I’ll get to Winterwood and decide if Ernshaw stays on this list…

So, do we share any favorite authors from A to E? Or have I helped expand your TBR? Let’s be real: the topics this month are dangerous for doing that. Highly recommended authors and little to no impulse control? That’s a recipe for too many books waiting to be read (and yet we do it anyway)!

And if you wanted a glimpse of my A to E books, drop by here to take a look! These alphabet series are a lot of fun!