Top Ten Tuesday - New-To-Me Authors for 2015

So today's Top Ten Tuesday hosted (as always) by The Broke and the Bookish was about my top ten releases of 2015. But since I don't generally read books as they come out and most of the books I read were published years ago, I don't really have many anticipated book releases for 2015.

I wasn't going to do a post for today, but then I stumbled across this post by Katherine @ I Wish I Lived in a Library, and thought I'd take a leaf out of her book (metaphorically, that is).

So today's list is going to be:

Top Ten New-to-me Authors I'd Like to Read in 2015

1. Neil Gaiman - I own The Ocean at the End of the Lane and Smoke and Mirrors, but a friend of mine has been trying to get me to read Neverwhere for years. This year is the year I find out what all the fuss is about!

2. Alexander McCall Smith - I actually own quite a few books by this author, and my mum owns the entire No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, so really I have no excuse! I don't know why I've never picked up one of his books, but I'm excited to do that this year.

3. Zadie Smith - I bought White Teeth in a recent book haul, and have heard great things about it (though mixed reviews of her other books...), so I'm keen to get to it this year.

4. George R.R. Martin - My brother gave me A Game of Thrones last year for my birthday (in 2013!!!) and I got about three chapters in before having to head back to Germany where I was living at the time. And that book's not exactly the one you wanna lug through Europe on the train... But I really want to get back to it this year, and maybe read the rest of the series if I enjoy it! I know I'm probably the last person to read this book on the entire planet...

5. Junot Diaz - I put The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao in a TBR post for autumn 2014*, and needless to say I didn't get round to reading it! I got very close to starting it a few times, but studying just got in the way, sadly. I'm very keen to get to it this year though, and I'd love to explore more of his writing.

6. Donna Tartt - I've been hearing people raving about The Secret History (which I really want to read but am slightly intimidated by, due to its size!) and The Goldfinch, which won the Pulitzer Prize last year I believe. I'm hoping to get to one of those books this year.

7. Elizabeth Gaskell - I've heard some amazing things about North and South, which would probably be where I would start with her... But I just love discovering new 19th-century authors, especially women!

8. Octavia E. Butler - I mentioned in my 2015 resolutions post that I'd like to be more adventurous with my genres and that I'd bought a sci-fi (ish) book to kick-start that plan. Well the book I bought was Kindred by this author. I've heard some really fab things about her and can't wait to discover her for myself.

9. Marjane Satrapi - OK, so this one's kinda cheating because I already read one of her books (Persepolis - review coming soon!), but I read it this month so she still counts as a 2015 debut-for-me author. She's done a couple of other graphic novels that were listed in the back of Persepolis, and I'd love to read them in the original French if I can get hold of them!

10. Alice Walker - Finally, I'd love to read The Color Purple this year, as well as discovering what else she has to offer!

*Fun fact: That post was also my very first Top Ten Tuesday! Ah, memories ;)

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So, that's all folks! Feel free to link me to your TTT post for today, whatever the topic, in the comments below! 

Who are the authors you'd like to get started on in 2015? Let me know in the comments :)