Top Ten Tuesday: My picks for 'New To Me Authors I Read For The First Time In 2015'.

I read so many different Authors this week and a fair few of them I completely fell in love with. I can't wait to tell you all about ten of my favourites that I read for the first time!

1) Nathan Filer.

I Read: 'The Shock Of The Fall'

I read this book at the beginning of the year and really enjoyed it. I was really impressed by Filer's extensive knowledge on Mental Health and the current UK system of care. Not only was the storyline interesting and well developed, but I learnt a lot while reading. This book has received a fair few awards and I completely understand why after reading. It's an emotionally compelling novel.

2) E.K. Johnston.

I Read: 'A Thousand Nights'

This is my most recent exciting read and it's by an Author that I had never heard of until now. Johnston did such a gorgeous job with this well-known tale and I loved the way she completely re-imagined the plot. This was a clever book with a gorgeous use of language and imagery and a subtle message. I want to read more of Johnston's work!

3) Tom Rob Smith.

I Read: 'Child 44'

I'd been wanting to read 'Child 44' for a while, thanks to the recommendation of one of my Flat Mates. Despite the fact that Crime/Thriller novels are not normally my thing, I adored this book! Smith did a wonderful job of building suspense and there were so many great twists and turns, most of which I didn't expect. I want to read the rest of the series and I'm also in possession of his other recent release 'The Farm'.

4) Graeme Simsion.

I Read: 'The Rosie Project'

This was my favourite holiday read and I think it will be pretty tough to beat it. Once again this is another genre that I don't generally enjoy: Romance. But Simsion made this book absolutely hilarious and not only was it light-hearted and fun, but it felt like a really original story. I can't wait to read 'The Rosie Effect'!

5) Marie Brennan.

I Read: 'A Natural History Of Dragons'

This is the first book in what looks to be a fantastic series. I'd had my eye on it for a while but I had no idea just how much I would enjoy it! I loved the heroine best of all because she had so much spirit and determination despite facing a society that degraded her gender. I loved reading about her adventures too, and especially meeting the Dragons. It was interesting to actually study them and not just watch them kill people.

6) Gabrielle Zevin.

I Read: 'The Storied Life Of A.J. Fikry'

This was such an emotional story that had me totally gripped from start to finish. Zevin's masterful story-telling made sure that I got through this book in a record amount of time. I loved the constant references to other books too and the quotes at the beginning of each chapter were really good ones. I've noticed that Zevin has written a lot of other books and I really want to get hold of them to read!

7) Intisar Khanani.

I Read: 'Sunbolt'

I actually heard of this Author when she released 'Thorns', but it was 'Sunbolt' that I managed to get hold of and read. Despite it's short length, it was one of the best fantasies I had read in a while! In fact, Khanani did a great job considering the fact that there are so few pages. The sequel promises to be longer and I'm really excited about it. I want to read 'Thorn' too when I get a chance.

8) Shari Arnold.

I Read: 'Neverland'

This is certainly up there as one of my favourite reads this year and it's by an Author whom I had never heard of until reading this book! I'm going to keep promoting this novel because such a gorgeous, thoughtful retelling of Peter Pan deserves to be read by a large audience. This was so much more than a Fairy Tale: it was about accepting the loss of a loved one and learning to deal with grief. If you're thinking of giving it a read, bring tissues. 

9) Emily St. John Mandel.

I Read: 'Station Eleven'

This book is probably the first book that sprung to mind when I read the topic. Emily St. John Mandel has written a fair few books but it was 'Station Eleven' that I saw absolutely everywhere and wanted so desperately to get into. Now that I have been totally bowled over by it, my eyes are drifting greedily towards it's predecessors. Such a mastery of language, characterisation and plot development really impressed me and I hope she is consistently good at this!

10) Erin Bowman.

I Read: 'Vengeance Road'

Yet another book that blew me away this year, and a pretty recent read of mine. I'm so glad to have a beautiful hard cover copy of this in my possession because it means I can read it over and over! YA Western was not a genre I had considered until now and I loved it! Bowman has written another series that, without reading this book, would probably not have really grabbed my attention. Now I really want to give it a try!