Reader Rayna

Welcome to another Top Ten Tuesday, hosted by Jana of That Artsy Reader Girl! Top Ten Tuesday was 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 week’s topic is about ten of our favorite authors and our favorite book that each of them have written. Now I feel like this is hard because I honestly don’t know that I have a favorite ten authors? At least not that I think of when I think of favorites, because I usually only think of like my top three, so thinking of a longer list is honestly a little more challenging.

This list is in no particular order in terms of ranking! I don’t need that kind of stress in my life lol

Click on a cover to go to its Goodreads page!

• Shannon Chakraborty – The Empire of Gold was a phenomenal finale and one that truly wrenched my heart out (and many tears) in the best way possible. I could tell how much love was poured into the series and how much history and lore was wrapped up into these characters, so there is no other choice (as of right now) but to pick The Empire of Gold.
• Tracy Deonn – Choosing between the three books of the Legendborn series felt like a crime, but I think it has to go to Bloodmarked. I really enjoyed the second book as I felt that the stakes were raised just enough and the lore and magic was introduced and grew in ways that felt natural and genuine and real, plus the characters we met were so wonderful.
• Sarah J. Maas – Having done the reread and full series read (before the next books come out later this year) in 2025 and earlier this year, A Court of Mist and Fury still stands out as my favorite book she’s written. I love those characters and that world so much, and that books just holds a special place in my heart.
• Leigh Bardugo – I’ve read the Grisha trilogy and Six of Crows, and I gotta say that Six of Crows was such a wild ride and a really good time. I really enjoy Bardugo’s writing style, and I plan on finishing the duology in June, so I’m excited to see what happens in the finale.
• Kennedy Ryan – I’ve only read three of Ryan’s books so far, but Can’t Get Enough was a masterpiece to me, not just for the romance, which was a delight, but for the other content besides. I saw myself and my life reflected back at me, and that was a truly beautiful experience.

• Laini Taylor – It’s been about ten years since I last read Dreams of Gods and Monsters, but I believe that it would be my favorite book by Taylor. I remember being so enamored with this trilogy that I wouldn’t put it past me to find that the last installment would be my favorite.
• Tahereh Mafi – All This Twisted Glory is the third book in this five book series (the last book should be out in early 2027!), and it was by far my favorite, which honestly isn’t saying much because I’ve loved each and every book so far in this series so much. Each book has been 4 stars or higher, even though none has quite reached the five star threshold yet, but I’m holding out hope for the final book.
• Becky Chambers – I’ve read all of two novellas by Chambers – A Psalm for the Wild-Built and A Prayer for the Crown-Shy – and both were such great stories that she became an instant favorite author. I love her voice and writing style, and I can’t wait to jump into her A Long Way To A Small Angry Planet series.
• Kimberly Lemming – An unexpected author to me because when I picked up her books at first, they were just as a joke purely because of the titles (That Time I Got Drunk and Yeeted a Love Potion at a Werewolf), but I actually really enjoyed them, the humor within them, the characters, and the simple story that went along with them! I think that Lemming has a fun personality that’s definitely reflected in what she writes, so I’m excited to read more of her works!
• Robin Wall Kimmer – Now I haven’t finished Braiding Sweetgrass yet, however, what I have read (well, listened to), I’ve really enjoyed because Kimmer reads the book herself, and my god is her voice soothing as hell. Not only that, but the stories she shares, the wisdom she weaves, it’s all very enriching and rewarding. I recommend this book based off of what I’ve read so far!

What a very female author heavy list, I just realized. And like I said, this was actually very difficult toward the end picking ten authors I would consider favorites. Normally I don’t think about the authors when I think of favorites, but individual books unless I really, really enjoy a piece of work and want to read as many works by an author as possible, like Chakraborty, Ryan, or Chambers.

Let me know a few of your favorite authors and their books that are your favorite in the comments!