Top Ten Tuesday - Authors I've Met

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl. Top Ten Tuesday was originally created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

I've met more than ten authors in person at either book signings at indie bookstores or at book festivals. Below are the first ten authors that came to mind.

1. Thomas Steinbeck

2. Garth Stein

3. Lisa See

4. Roxane Gay

5. Judy Blume

6. Tayari Jones

7. Joyce Carol Oates

8. Sherman Alexie

9. Viet Thanh Nguyen

10. Amy Stewart

Do you have a favorite author experience? For me, meeting Thomas Steinbeck (son of John Steinbeck) was a real treat! My husband and I attended a literary event in Santa Barbara, California. It ends up that we were sitting right next to Thomas Steinbeck and his wife, Gail! We also met Thomas Steinbeck a second time at an indie bookstore in Santa Barbara as well. I have three signed books by Thomas Steinbeck, which I will cherish forever!

Top Ten Tuesday - Books I Want to Read by New to Me Authors

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl. Top Ten Tuesday was originally created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

There are so many books I want to read by new to me authors!! I randomly selected the following list of books written new to me authors.

1. Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

2. Culpability by Bruce Holsinger

3. The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters

4. I Am Not Jessica Chen by Ann Liang

5. Yellowface by R. F. Kuang

6. Permanent Record by Mary H. K. Choi

7. American Panda by Gloria Chao

8. Tornado Weather by Deborah E. Kennedy

9. Girl Mans Up by M. E. Girard

10. Flux by Jinwoo Chong

Have you read any of the above books?

Top Ten Tuesday - Books I Really Liked, but Can’t Remember Anything/Much About - FREEBIE

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl. Top Ten Tuesday was originally created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

Below is a random list of books I've read and reviewed here on my blog over the years

1. Where the Lost Girls Go by R. J. Noonan

2. Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple

3. Nothing More Dangerous by Allen Eskens

4. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

5. I Am Livia by Phyllis T. Smith

6. Flight by Sherman Alexie

7. The Good Traitor by Ryan Quinn

8. Deadly Readings by Laura Bradford

9. May Day by Jess Lourey

10. The Good Girl by Mary Kubica

Have you read any of the above books?

Top Ten Tuesday - New to Me Authors I Discovered in 2025!

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl. Top Ten Tuesday was originally created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

Last year, I had the wonderful opportunity to read several books by new to me authors. Below are the top ten authors whom I enjoyed reading books written by the most in 2025.

1. Samantha Hunt

2. Erle Stanley Gardner

3. Ekwaeke Emezi

4. R. J. Palacio

5. Charlotte McConaghy

6. Hilary Green

7. Patti Callahan

8. Juliet Blackwell

9. Marie Benedict

10. Oyinkan Braithwaite

Which authors topped your list of new to you authors in 2025?

I signed up to be a Social Media Ambassador for my Public Library!

I received an email from my county's public library recently asking for Social Media Ambassadors. Curious about what the role of a Social Media Ambassador entails, I looked into the program and have decided to become a Social Media Ambassador for my public library! 

Below is a description of what is being asked of Social Media Ambassadors for my public library entails.

Social Media Ambassadors

You can support public relations at the Library from the comfort of your home by volunteering as a Social Media Ambassador. You can help the Library extend its reach into the community and raise awareness of library collections, resources and programs at the same time.

No application is required. Simply sign up to receive Social Media Ambassador emails. They'll come once or twice a month. Each email will include information about library initiatives and topics. Ambassadors will be asked to post about the Library in their own words and to share stories about what they love about the Library – maybe an upcoming event, a recent blog post, a favorite branch or what they’re reading or watching. The Library is looking for ambassadors on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Nextdoor.

What Social Media Ambassadors Will Do

Add the Library on your favorite social media platforms and tag the Library in your posts
Share, like, and comment on Contra Costa County Library’s posts to help the library stay visible in the community
Tell your stories about the Library and use social media to tell the world what you love about the Library. Creativity is encouraged.

Participate as much or as little as you are able. Every post about the Library helps to grow a social media community.

Does your public library have a Social Media Ambassador program? If so, would you consider becoming a Social Media Ambassador?

Six In Six 2025

I learned about Six In Six from both Marianne @ Let's Read and also from Yvonne @ It's All About Books.

I've since learned that Jo @ The Book Jotter created Six In Six. Jo created 52 bookish related categories from which book bloggers select six of the categories that most resonate with them and then share six books/authors that belong into the categories they've chosen. All six books/authors selected must be ones that were read during the first half of the current year. See the official rules here.

Six new authors to me

1. Samantha Hunt

2. Marie Benedict

3. Colin Higgins

4. Patti Callahan Henry

5. Lois Murphy

6. Erle Stanley Gardner

Six authors I have read before

1. Willa Cather

2. John Steinbeck

3. Jessica Hagedorn

4. Harper Lin

5. Richard Matheson

6. Joshilyn Jackson

Six audiobooks I’ve listened to

1. Colorful by Eto Mori

2. The Seas by Samantha Hunter

3. TheSacrifice by Rin Chupeco

4.Aphrodite's Island by Hilary Green

5. 84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff

6. Spoon River Anthology by Edgar Lee Masters

Six from the non-fiction shelf

1. Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World by Vicki Myron

2. Trust Your Intuition by Jill Sylvester LMHC

3. Botanical Curses and Poisons Fez Inkwright

4. The Oswalds: An Untold Account of Marina and Lee by Paul R. Gregory

5. Millionaire Mission by Brian Preston

6. Stealing the Show: A History of Art and Crime in Six Thefts by John Barell

Six books recently added to my wishlist

1. Talulla Rising by Glen Duncan

2. By Blood We Live by Glen Duncan

3. I, Lucifer by Glen Duncan

4. Butcher by Joyce Carol Oates

5. These Things That Walk Behind Me by David Surface

6. Every Day Is A Gift by Tammy Duckworth

Six authors I read last year – but not so far this year

1. Gary D. Schmidt

2. Paul A. Offit MD

3. Jeff Strand

4. Martha Wells

5. Peter Straub

6. David Morrell

So, are you willing to create your own Six I Six post?

Consider yourself tagged if this kind of post you like

to create!!

Top Ten Tuesday - New-to-Me Authors I Discovered in 2024

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl. Top Ten Tuesday was originally created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

Below is a list of authors who've I have heard of before in prior years. However, I'd only read book(s) by them for the first time in 2024.

1. Peter Straub

2. Louise Erdrich

3. Laura Creedle

4. Ira Levin

5. David Morrell

6. Louise Murphy

7. John Marrs

8. Won-Pyung Sohn

9. Robin Sloan

10. Elizabeth Acevedo

Have you read books by any of the authors I've mentioned in this week's Top Ten Tuesday post?

Alta Journal's California Book Club Event - Goodbye, Vitamin by Rachel Khong

 

Last Thursday evening, I enjoyed attending Alta Journal's California Book Club virtual event, which featured Goodbye, Vitamin by Rachel Khong. This event began at 5pm PST and lasted well over an hour.

I enjoyed hearing the the author, Rachel Khong, discuss her novel, Goodbye, Vitamin, and give a short reading from it. This novel spotlights the topic of Alzheimer's disease. My understanding is that Goodbye, Vitamin didn't start out as book about Alzheimer's, but rather inspired by the topic of memory.

Memory was discussed quite a bit by the author in the online event. She talked about how memory shapes who we are and without them we'd essentially not no who we are. Plus, how people have different memories about the same event/situation. 

Other things were discussed, of course, but the discussion regarding the topic of memory was the most fascinating to me.

This will probably be my last author event for 2024 and it was another wonderful one from Alta Journal. 

Have you attended any virtual or in person author events recently? Let me know in the comment section below!

Ten Authors I Want To Read More Books Written By in the Future

I have read one or more books written by the following ten authors. I enjoyed reading books written by these authors so much, that I look forward to reading more of their books in the future. 

1. Margaret Atwood

2. Barbara Kingsolver

3. Geraldine Brooks

4. Robin LaFevers

5. Amy Engel

6. Joshilyn Jackson

7. Tracy Chevalier

8. Jeff Strand

9. Jerry Spinelli

10. Gary D. Schmidt

Which author's books do you want to read more of in the future?

Top Ten Tuesday - New-to-Me Authors I Discovered in 2023

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl. Top Ten Tuesday was originally created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

The following is my list of new to me authors for 2023 in no particular order of favorites:

1. Lisa Unger
2. Belinda Bauer
3. Lydia Millet
4. Cate Lawley

5. Colin Cotterill
6. Aleatha Romig

7. Simon Scarrow

8. John Fortunato

9. Ernesto Quiñonez

10. Anita Loos

Have you read any books by these authors?

Happy St. Patrick's Day ~ Celebrate Irish Authors!

I came across an article titled, Irish Authors: The 30 Best Irish Writers published on the No Sweat Shakespeare website. In the article, I read the following:

The Irish are a nation of writers. Ireland is a small country with a small population, so the number of writers who have achieved universal fame is incredible. Among the most famous Irish writers, they have produced some of the most renowned and significant works of literature in the English language. Here is a list of some of the most prominent Irish writers of the last four centuries, with a message to us from each one, ordered by their date of birth.

I enjoyed reviewing the list of Irish authors presented in the above mentioned article. I am familiar with many of the authors mentioned, but have only read works written by roughly five of the writers mentioned definitively... However, I may have read something written by three of the other writers listed as well. Perhaps, it's high time I read something written by Edna O'Brien, James Joyce, and a few of the other Irish writers listed in the above article.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!! I hope you enjoy the day and are reading something written by an Irish writer. If you have a favorite Irish writer, please share which Irish author is your favorite in the comment section below.

New to Me Authors I discovered 2022!

I read 99 books in 2022... Most of the books I read 2022 were audiobooks. I actually listened to more books than read books in 2022, which is a first for me I'm pretty sure. Many of the books I read in 2022 were written by authors I'd never read before 2022.

Below are the top ten new to me authors I read in 2022:

1. Margaret Walker - Jubilee
2. Peter Swanson - The Kind Worth Killing
3. Helen MacDonald - H is for Hawk
4. Sarah McBride - Tomorrow Will Be Different: Love, Loss, and the Fight for Trans Equality
5. Diana Rowland - My Life As a White Trash Zombie
6. Xio Axelrod - The Girl with Stars in Her Eyes
7. Rudolfo Anaya - Bless Me, Ultima
8. Glen Duncan - The Last Werewolf
9. Elizabeth Day - Magpie
10. S. T. Gibson - A Dowry of Blood

Have you read any of the above authors or books? Which new to you authors did you read in 2022? Share with me in the comment section below!

Top Ten Tuesday - Freebie - My Favorite New To Me Authors of 2021

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl. Top Ten Tuesday was originally created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

I have come across several new to me authors this year and have read some wonderful books in the process... And by new to me, I mean either I'd never heard or read anything by the author before OR as in the case of Ursula K. Le Guin, I'd heard of the author before, but had never read any of their books until this year.

1. Darcie Wilde

2. Susan Gregg Gilmore

3. Jennifer J. Chow

4. Gary D. Schmidt

5. Lily King

6. Ursula K. Le Guin

7. Xhenet Aliu

8. A. G. Howard

9. Anna Banks

10. Sherri L. Smith

Have you read any books written by any of the above mentioned authors?

The Fifth Annual San Diego Union-Tribune Festival of Books 2021

 

 The San Diego Union-Tribune Festival of Books

is happening a week from today on Saturday, August 21, 2021 

from 10am to 5pm.

This all day virtual book festival event sounds like a blast!

Check out the following YouTube video to learn more.

So make next Saturday a book festival kind of day!

Top Ten Tuesday - New-to-Me Authors I Read in 2020

  

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl. Top Ten Tuesday was originally created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

Below are ten new to me authors for 2020:

Susannah Hardy
Cynthia Kadohata

Leslie Budewitz
Sayaka Murata
Bryn Turnbull

Catherine Adel West
Sarah Weinman
Allen Eskens
R. J. Noonan
Nadine Brandes

Have you read any books by these authors?

Top Ten Tuesday - Thanksgiving/I’m Thankful for… Freebie

 

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl. Top Ten Tuesday was originally created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

I am thankful/grateful that I've read the following thought provoking books this year by some amazing writers!

1. George by Alex Gino

2. Saving Ruby King by Catherine Adel West

3. Kindred by Octavia E. Butler

4. Nothing More Dangerous by Allen Eskens

5. Animal Farm by George Orwell

6. The Color of Air by Gail Tsukiyama

7. Born A Crime by Trevor Noah

8. The Sellout by Paul Beatty

9. The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien

10. Missoula by Jon Krakauer

Have you read any of the books on my list?

Top Ten Tuesday - Authors I’ve Read the Most Books By

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl. Top Ten Tuesday was originally created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

Below is a list of 10 authors I've read the most by over the years.

1. Agatha Christie
2. Jerry Spinelli
3. Judy Blume
4. Tamar Myers
5. Kate Collins
6. VC Andrews
7. Margaret Atwood
8. Maya Angelou
9. Geraldine Brooks
10. Diana Gabaldon

Top Ten Tuesday - New-to-Me Authors I Read In 2018

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl. Top Ten Tuesday was originally created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

Here's my top ten list of new to me authors that I read this year!

1. Wendy Walker ~ All Is Not Forgotten
2. Deborah Coonts ~ Wanna Get Lucky?
3. Jana Deleon ~ Louisiana Longshot
4. Victoria Helen Stone ~ Half Past
5. Ariel Lawhon ~ I Was Anastasia
6. Ann Howard Creel ~ The Whiskey Sea
7. Natalie Baszile ~ Queen Sugar
8. Raina Telgemeier ~ Drama
9. Ariel Levy ~ The Rules Do Not Apply
10. Andrew Sean Greer ~ Less

Have you read any books written by the above authors?

Top Ten Tuesday - Authors I’d Love to Meet

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl. Top Ten Tuesday was originally created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

This topic has been done before on Top Ten Tuesday, but I'd love to do it again. I've had the opportunity to meet many authors at book signings and book festivals, especially since moving to the San Francisco Bay area. Below is an updated list of the top 10 authors I'd love to met in person!

1. Jerry Spinelli - I've read many of his novels. Most of them I've loved. So, he's be an author I'd love to met in real life.

2. Diana Gabaldon - I love her Outlander series and first began reading her novels back in 1997 when my maternal grandmother (of all people) introduced me to her novels.

3. Margaret Atwood - I became acquainted with Margaret Atwood's writing back in college for a Women In Literature course. I've loved reading her novels, short stories, and poems ever since then.

4. Geraldine Brooks - I've read four of her novels to date! People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks is one of my favorite novels of all time.

5. Robin LaFevers - I loved reading her 'His Fair Assassin' trilogy. I'd love to see this trilogy made in a television series or three separate movies.

6. Tamar Myers - I've read her entire 'Den of Antiquity Mystery' series. Although, I didn't love every cozy mystery novel in the series, I am glad I read the entire 'Den of Antiquity Mystery' series. I think it would be fun to meet Tamar Myers in person since I've read so many of her novels.

7. Gloria Steinem - I'd love to meet Gloria Steinem!! She is such a feminist icon and all around interesting person. I read her memoir, My Life on the Road, which was very enjoyable.

8. Marjane Satrapi - I've enjoyed reading her graphic novels, 
Persepolis & Persepolis 2, plus Embroideries. 

9. John Green - I've enjoyed reading both of his young adult novels, The Fault in Our Stars and Turtles All The Way Down. So, would enjoy meeting him in person too.

10. Susan Rivers - I read her novel, The Second Mrs. Hockaday, last year and loved it!! I was really blown away with how fabulous this historical novel is. I look forward to seeing what else Susan Rivers publishes in the years to come.

Which authors would you love to meet in real life?

SF In SF - Science Fiction in San Francisco. - The Perfect Fit!

As an avid book lover, there is always a plethora of literary events and author signings in and around the San Francisco Bay Area to attend, for which I am immensely grateful. I recently learned about SF In SF - Science Fiction. San Francisco. - The Perfect Fit through author, Meg Elison's Facebook page.

As a relevant side note here, I'd wanted to see/hear Meg Elison and a few other authors speak on day two of the 2018 Bay Area Book Festival. Unfortunately, I missed day two of the 2018 Bay Area Book Festival due to unforeseen circumstances. Fortunately, for me, Meg Elison is a resident of San Francisco's East Bay Area, so I was finally able to see/hear her speak last night at SF In SF along with authors, Terry Bisson, Ellen Klages, and Lucy Jane Bledsoe at the American Bookbinders Museum in downtown San Francisco.

About 20-25 attendees came to hear moderator Terry Bisson introduce each author and then hear Meg Elison, Ellen Kluges, and Lucy Jane Bledsoe each read a bit of their writing, discuss their work, and answer questions from the audience. Afterward, each author signed copies of their books. I came away with five signed copies of books to added to my ever growing signed book collection.

Left to right: Meg Elison, Terry Bisson, Ellen Kluges, and Lucy Jane Bledsoe

The following is more information about SF In SF from their about page:

Science Fiction in San Francisco – A perfect fit. Located in the City, we host a monthly series of author readings from the science fiction, fantasy, horror, and genre literary fields, hosted by Terry Bisson. In partnership with the Balboa Theatre, we also host regular movie sneak peaks.

All events are underwritten by our sponsor, Tachyon Publications. Books are sold at author events courtesy of Borderlands Books.

Find us on Twitter at @sfinsfevents, on Facebook, and at Meetup under SF in SF Events. For more info, email Rina Weisman, coordinator, at sfinsfevents@gmail.com.

My husband and I had a blast attending our very first SF In SF event last night and I am not even a huge fan of the science fiction genre... Neither is my husband as he doesn't read many books, but he happily comes to these book events with me. We were very impressed with the SF in SF event and the venue where it was held! The staff was very friendly and so were those attending this event. My hubby and I were at the SF in SF event for approximately three hours. We arrived early and enjoyed walking through the American Bookbinders Museum before the evening's festivities began. The American Bookbinders Museum is small but fabulous museum! We look forward to returning for one of the in depth docent lead tours in the future. The best part was having front row seats and hearing the authors speak/read and having my books signed by the authors! The perfect date evening with my hubby. I'm feeling blessed!