It’s the third night of Hanukkah, and I think you might need some books.
Books?! No one around here wants any of those!
Ha. Not.
First: my Hanukkah wishes for you tonight: may the books and stories that keep you company provide everything you’re looking for, and many hours of happiness.
For our third night of Hanukkah, we’re giving away a $25 gift card to the bookstore of your choice!
So perhaps your next reading time will resemble this picture?
Or this one?
You should definitely read by the glow of some string lights.
Oh, no, this is how the winner shall be reading:
I love stock images sometimes. They’re so intriguing!
To enter, please comment and tell us what author or creator you discovered this year?
Standard disclaimers apply: We are not being compensated for this giveaway. Void where prohibited. Open to international residents where permitted by applicable law. Must be over 18 and ready to read and pause all those pesky tasks on the to-do list. May cause increased feelings of mellowness!
Comments will close 10 December 2023 at or near 11:59pm ET, and winner will be announced shortly afterward.
Good luck, Happy Hanukkah, and thank you for being part of Smart Bitches!
WINNER UPDATE: Congratulations to Drew!
I know that I’m really late to this particular party, but I discovered both NINTH HOUSE and HELL BENT this year (it was reading reviews of HELL BENT that sent me back to NINTH HOUSE to see if I would enjoy this world). Readers, I loved it. In fact, I was angry about a few little things and, after rereading NINTH HOUSE earlier this week, reread HELL BENT until 6:30 am this past Friday morning. I think that this must be beyond bad decisions book club and into some other deeper level of bad reading decisions. I paid for it, but boy was it fun while I was at it.
I think it’s been about a year since I “discovered” Cat Sebastian. I knew from reading this blog that her books were excellent; I just hadn’t actually cracked one open yet. That has definitely changed!
Charlie Adhara was new to me this year and I’ve started mainlining the Wolf at the Door series
Freya Marske was an author I read the first time this year! I really loved her world building, her writing style, her descriptive metaphors, her queer rep… Basically everything about her books. I am waiting not-so-patiently for my hold on her third book to come in from the library.
Does it count as discovering if they just came out? Sophie Irwin’s Lady’s Guide novels are so great, I’m on the edge of my seat for what she’ll do next.
But I also finally got around to reading Allison Goodman when her new one came out this year, The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies, and now I’m absolutely dying to go back to Dark Days Club and all her backlist.
Ali Hazelwood
Probably my favorite discovery this year was Travis Baldree, and their Legends and Lattes. Such a nice slow burn romance in a fun fantasy world.
Happy Hanukkah! New to me this year are Lydia San Andres (love Compromised Into a Scandalous Marriage), Sangu Mandanna (The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches), and Eden Appiah-Kubi (The Bennet Women). Planning to read more from all three next year. Mandanna’s next is my most anticipated 2024 release.
Karin Slaughter was new for me this year. They can be very dark and violent but apparently that’s what I wanted.
I don’t read a lot of contemporaries, but just recently I discovered Caitlin Crews, and she really hits my sweet spot, when I’m in the mood for an HP!
Scarlett Peckham was new to me this year, as was Megan Bannen!
I discovered, and inhaled, Ashley Gardner’s Leonidas the Gladiator Mysteries. I love her Kat Hallowat series she writes as Jennifer Ashley, but I never tried her other mysteries. The ancient Rome setting is not one I read about usually, so it was a nice change.
New to me and great author Simone st James!
Colette Rhodes
Rebecca roanhorse and I am so sad it took me this long to read
Tiffany Aliche has been amazing. I’m working on mastering my finances and she brakes everything down into simple steps.
Helena Greer! Love, love, love the combination of Hallmark movie but make it queer ethos with her characters doing real emotional work to get their HEA. I was a serious book pusher with her first novel Season of Love. And I can’t wait to get my mitts on For Never & Always.
Regina Black. The Art of Scandal was terrific!
Ana Huang, Holly Roberds, Brynne Asher (and Rebecca Yarros…)
Gabrielle Zevin was new to me this year! Her books are very different than what I normally read, but really interesting!
(not a romance, unless how much I loved it & carried it around w/me for weeks counts)
New-to-me Henry Hoke wrote a slim book called “Open Throat” that is unlike anything I’ve ever read (I’m pretty much an historical/contemporary romance/non-fiction reader). It is not hyperbole to say it blew my mind (well, maybe a little). If you need a palate cleanser in between what you usually read, try this.
Happy Hanukkah, Bitches!
I’m double dipping with this one because Cheryl Strayad also brought me lots of glittery joy. But she was an excellent discovery for me as well.
There were so many! I just scrolled my Goodreads “read” list, and would like to mention Hannah Bonam-Young. A great imagination, and the audiobook versions of the two books in the “Next” series were amazing (great material, skilled narrators).
Meghan Quinn and Rebecca Zanetti!!! Both awesome writers!!!
Parini Shroff, who wrote Bandit Queens, was a discovery.
I discovered Kate Clayborn this year
Benjamin Stephenson with the superb title “Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone.” He has a new book coming out, too! (With the excellent title “Everyone on this Train is a Suspect.”)
i discovered Amy Barry-her first is Kit McBride Takes a Wife, second is Marrying Off Morgan McBride. They are set in the historical West, a young girl advertises for brides for her brothers so she can get a bit of help with her chores. I really love this series and can’t wait for the other brother’s books!
I’ve read several books this year by Paul Cartledge, a classicist. He’s probably my favorite new author; however, I always go back to old favorites, like Ngaio Marsh (I’ve read several Alleyn mysteries this year).
I discovered Ally Carter
Laura Pavlov and thank you for the giveaway
Jess Lourey. I had read her cozy series but hadn’t read her in awhile and discovered she has branched out into supernatural type books! Also read Simone St. James for the first time.
Happy Hanukkah! I’ve discovered Taylor Fitzpatrick and I’ve really been enjoying her hockey romances.
I discovered R phoenix and Adara Wolf, a due that writes great dark romance (mainly mm).
Ari Baran is a new favorite this year. Loved the first two in their Penalty Box series, and am thrilled to hear that there is more coming!
New to me this year was the duo of Jenny Fyfe and Natalie Murray, their debut collab Hating the Best Man was a swoon-fest fave of mine from this past year
Lots of new authors for me this year, including K.D. Edwards, C.J. Archer, Kelly Armstrong, and Sarah Gailey. An artist that I recently discovered is Angie Pickman, with Rural Pearl Studio: she does hand-cut paper art, and I love her themes and style!
Zoey Draven and her Brides of the Kyler series – I wasn’t expecting how good these books were. I really hope she continues the series.
Rachel Reid was my new discovery this year and she is definitely responsible for my membership to the bad decisions book club being renewed many times over. I basically live there now.
I’ve lost track of who was new to me this year, so picking a favorite is hard. One author that was definitely new to me was K. Sterling – I really enjoyed the Nannies of New York (though I have one more to me). I think I’d know of John Scalzi but never read him, but absolutely enjoyed Starter Villian.