Top 10 Auto Read Authors

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Again, I never do these when you're supposed to, but I still like these memes. It's supposed to be Top 10 Auto Buy Authors, although I'm going to change it to Top 10 Auto Read Authors.

Top 10 Auto Read YA Authors (in no particular order)

1. Gayle Forman. The first time I read her debut, If I Stay, I couldn't finish it. At that time in my life, it was too intense, too personal. I had to put it down. Several months later, I decided to try reading it again. I'm so glad I did because it was so heartbreakingly beautiful. When I heard she was writing a sequel, I was skeptical. But it was even better than the first book. And now she's come out with another "duet" as she calls it, Just One Day and Just One Year. Both of these duets feature a romance where the first book is from the girl's perspective and the second book is from the guy's perspective. I like that I don't have to commit to a whole series with her, but I also get a little more story than can fit in just one book. I also love her ability to write so realistically from different perspectives. I met her and she was a really great, funny, genuine person.

2. Adele Griffin. I picked up her book Amandine at the library on a whim when I was a teenager. It absolutely blew my mind. She writes these amazing thrillers (as well as a popular middle grade series) that continue to surprise and mesmerize me. I had the pleasure of meeting her not too long ago, and she was so gracious and lovely.

3. Courtney Summers. When I read Some Girls Are, something shifted for me. All of a sudden the rules changed. Girls didn't have to be nice in YA anymore. Well, it's not that simple, but it's such a refreshing change, it gives me hope for the future. It's okay for male characters to be lovable assholes, but when girl characters are written that way, people say, "No offense, but she's kind of a bitch. Can't you make her nicer?" Courtney Summers says no thank you sir, I will write my characters whatever way I want. Girls don't have to be nice.

4. Sarah Dessen. My favorite book of all time is her novel The Truth About Forever. I've read this book so many times I've lost count. Every time I read it, I just become completely immersed in the world of the novel which is populated by achingly real characters. I love her contemporary fiction because they are high-stakes even though they aren't high concept. Her books operate on the premise that just because your life doesn't seem exciting, it doesn't mean your story doesn't matter. Her last book, What Happened to Goodbye, disappointed me, not because it was a bad book, just because it paled in comparison to her previous novels. But you can't hit it out of the park every time, and I'm with Dessen for the long haul.

5. Gabrielle Zevin. Her book Elsewhere blew my mind, and she's been an auto read author ever since. Her new series, which begins with All These Things I've Done, is amazing. I went to an event where she was interviewing Jasper Fforde, and I went up to her afterward and was like, Yeah I really came here to see you, and started telling her how much I love her books and gushing about the Dickensian influences in her new series and she told me a little bit about what's in store for the third book in the series. Such a fangirl moment.

6. E. Lockhart. Her Ruby Oliver series is still one of my favorites. I just wanted to be friends with Ruby, and I love the way Lockhart portrays all the different ways members of the opposite sex can come into your life as a teenager. It's not always as a boyfriend. Sometimes, it's that guy who ogles you in class, that guy your parents made you go on a date with, that guy you thought you were going out with, that guy you were going out with who then just stopped talking to you, and on and on. It's laugh out loud funny, but it's emotional as well (Noel/Ruby OTP). She also writes great stand alones, and Frankie from The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks is an example of the kind of female character I'd like to see more of in YA. I just want to help her take down a secret society, and then maybe have tea.

7. Jaclyn Moriarty. I don't know why she isn't more popular in the US, because she's really popular in Australia. She's written four contemporary novels that take place in the same town, so they're not sequels per se, but the characters in her different novels tend to have mutual friends or know each other. They're all epistolary, told in emails, letters, notes, scraps of paper, etc. I've never read anything like her books. There's no one else out there who writes like she does. She absolutely amazes me. The perks of being an intern allowed me to get my hands on the manuscript for her upcoming novel, which is non-epistolary. I'm so excited to read it I can't even explain it in words.

8. Lauren Oliver. When I read her debut novel, Before I Fall, I knew I had found a new favorite author. Her writing is so lyrical and she's not afraid to put her characters in difficult situations and ask the really hard questions. I was surprised that her next project was a dystopian trilogy, but Oliver quickly put my doubts to rest. I can honestly say that my most anticipated read this spring is the conclusion to the Delirium trilogy. REQUIEM COME TO ME.

9. Lauren Myracle. I first read her TTYL series, where the stories are told entirely through instant messages sent between three friends. Some people saw this as a gimmick, and the books as being somewhat shallow. I think this is a total misjudgment. The format of instant messages was the perfect medium to depict the dynamic between three friends. Sometimes they all chatted together, but sometimes just two of them would chat, and say things to each other they didn't share with the other friend. Or would they would talk about that other friend. All of her books deal with the fragility of friendship and its shifting dynamics, and she always executes it beautifully. Most recently, she wrote a book called Shine which I still think about. It broke my heart and put it back together. It's not for the faint of heart, but it's such a worthwhile read.

10. Ned Vizzini. The only problem with Ned Vizzini is that he's not as prolific as I would like. I waited faithfully for his latest novel for six years. SIX YEARS. He's so funny, and it's clear he can so accurately translate what he observes in life onto the page. His dialogue is pitch perfect. I first read his book of semi-autographical essays entitled Teen Angst? Naaah. So funny. I follow him on Twitter as well, he's hilarious. He tweeted back at me a couple of times, and I almost died. If I met him, I think I would just babble about how much I love him. He also writes for Teen Wolf, interestingly enough. 

As a bonus, here are a few authors that will become auto buy authors for me, but have currently only written one book or series:


1. Rae Carson. I cannot say enough good things about her debut, The Girl of Fire and Thorns. A fantasy trilogy that has Spanish influences? Yes, please. I love desert based worlds. There's political intrigue, romance, coming of age, magic, murder, fighting, kidnapping, and everything else you could possibly want. The sequel, The Crown of Embers, was so beautiful and heartbreaking I just hugged the book afterward, knowing I would have to wait for the conclusion. When I get The Bitter Kingdom in my clutches, I am going to lock myself in my room over a weekend so no one will disturb me. Or see my tears. *Ahem* She's also got plans to write a new trilogy about a girl with the magical ability to find gold during the Gold Rush. Whatever Carson writes, you can sign me up.

2. Marissa Meyer. Her series of fairy tale retellings is truly masterful. Hello, cyborg Cinderella? I love that she was inspired by the strong female friendships in Sailor Moon, and that she wanted to write four different characters who had their own stories and problems, but who would unite and form friendships along the way. Scarlet, the followup to Cinder, was just as good, if not better, so I cannot wait to read Cress, the third installment. I also was lucky enough to have cupcakes and champagne with her, and she's funny and down to earth. Her husband also goes on tour with her, and they're adorable together.

3. Beth Revis. I just finished her sci-fi trilogy which begins with Across the Universe. I waited so long to read it, and I wanted to smack myself when I realized what I'd been missing. I really hope she's going to make hard sci-fi cool again in YA. I gave these books to my dad and uncle to read as well, and they loved them. Despite taking place on a multi-generational space ship, the characters and their fears feel real. Revis has her characters face extremely difficult choices, and on every page, I felt like nothing was sacred. Anyone could die, and anything could happen. So good, and I can't wait until her next trilogy!

4. Jess Rothenberg. Her debut, The Catastrophic History of You and Me just devastated me. And then it lifted me up. And devastated me. And lifted me up. Again and again and again. When I finished it, I just lay on my bed clutching the book. I highly recommend it to everyone; her next book can't get here soon enough.

5. Gina Damico. The first book in her series, Croak, has a great combination of things I love: grim reapers, quirky characters, a new world to explore, a snarky protagonist, and the fate of human souls hanging in the balance. There have been two books so far, and I'm eagerly awaiting the third installment.

6. Jandy Nelson. Why has she never published anything after The Sky is Everywhere?? That book absolutely blew me away. Lyrical, heartbreaking, and heartwarming at the same time, she took what would be a simple story in someone else's hands and made it absolutely incredible. Her next project on Goodreads has been sitting there with no release date for way too long.

Instead of a Portal World, Try Peeling Back the Layers of Our Own

This post about portal fantasies gave me some food for thought. The author of the post is wondering why no agents are interested in representing portal fantasies in the vein of the Chronicles of Narnia. Many agents feel that portal fantasies have low stakes because the danger never affects the protagonist's home world. I tend to agree with that sentiment. I remember that I liked The Magician's Nephew, the prequel to The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, much better than the actual first book. In the prequel, the White Witch actually comes into the human world and wreaks havoc, while in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, the entirety of the action takes place within the portal world. I also find it a bit unbelievable when the residents of the portal world are these amazing, powerful beings who need a human to solve all their problems.

On another note, the author of this post notes that there is little YA fiction that involves space travel and alien planets. I think that is largely because for a long time, those premises were relegated to the hard sci-fi section and as YA doesn't have a ready made market for hard sci-fi, people may have been confused as how to sell these books in the young adult market. However, I think this is changing, due to the popularity of the Across the Universe trilogy and the recently published Mothership by Martin Leicht and Isla Neal.

Also, the author suggests that "Maybe the lack of portal fantasy is a metaphor for the belief that modern teenagers don’t want to travel to strange new worlds, even in their reading." I think this whole discussion about portal fantasy ignores the fact that perspective is crucial to the story being told. I have nothing against exploring a strange new world, but I don't need it to be introduced to me via a portal fantasy premise. To me, that seems like an extra step, and I'd like to cut out the middleman. Every time I read a new book, I, the reader, fill the role of the protagonist of a portal fantasy as I enter the world this book is showing me. I greatly prefer straight fantasy because the perspective is from the natives of that world. Some writers might find it hard to introduce their new world and use a portal world as a shortcut, however, for the most part, I find this to be lazy writing and story-telling. In Cinder by Marissa Meyer, for example, Meyer sucked me right into her futuristic Beijing retelling of Cinderella with a cyborg protagonist. I never say "never," so a well-written portal fantasy can certainly suck me in, but for the most part, I prefer a different premise.

A really good way for me to talk about this is to discuss a recent YA book I've read and loved: Croak by Gina Damico. This is a book that introduces the reader to a strange new world while still keeping the stakes high for the "real" world. In this novel, Lex is sent to live with her uncle after a recent run of delinquent behavior. Little does she (or her parents) know that her uncle is a Grim, someone who sends departed souls to the afterlife. Lex arrives in the little isolated mountain town of Croak, one of a few places where Grims live and work together. Non-Grims don't see these places for what they are, and the magic of the places send them away confused. The Grimsphere is another layer to our world, and Grims can still move freely through the rest of the world. One of the Grims goes rogue and starts Damning criminals (preventing their souls from reaching the Afterlife), but soon the Grim starts Damning innocent people as well. The eternal souls of the entire human world hang in the balance, which gives this story high stakes and makes it so compelling.

All in all, when I was younger, I read a fair amount of portal fantasies, but I've since left those stories behind, and I look with excitement to the future of YA fantasy. I'm only a lowly intern at the moment, but someday down the road when I'm an actual agent, I would love to represent something like Croak. For those interested, there are currently two books in the series with a third on the way. Add it on Goodreads here. By the way, how cool is that cover?