Happy Tuesday! Or as I would say…
*long sigh* Well, it’s time then for Top Ten Tuesday, brought to you by The Broke and the Bookish. This week’s theme is “Top Ten Debut Authors Who Have Me Looking Forward To Their Sophomore Novel.” Sadly, I’ve been in a reading rut, so all the recent debuts are in my TBR pile. The mental one because I haven’t even bought them yet. 
But, instead of crying about this, I’m going to choose to dance. (That is what I’m told to do at my workplace. No, I am not lying.) So I’m holding a Pre-Christmas Debutante Ball, full of the ghosts of debuts past. Some I took for multiple spins around the dance floor while others just sat in one of those metal folding chairs along the wall because one dance was enough. So without further ado, I proudly present…
TOP TEN DEBUTANTES AT THE PRE-CHRISTMAS DEBUTANTE BALL
SOCIETY’S BEST:
1.Khaled Hosseini– The Kite Runner
The strong, sensitive type. This book made me cry and kept me turning pages. I thought about it for days after finishing it. Then came A Thousand Splendid Suns which was just as splendid.
2. Susane Colasanti- When It Happens
Funny and easy to get along with. I read this entire book on a trip from Indianapolis to Los Angeles. I couldn’t put it down. It read so easily and thoroughly entertained me. The next book was just as good*. (*Though, after quite a few, I find I’m losing interest. I probably have commitment issues.)
3. Julia Alvarez– How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents
Dreamy. I discovered this book one summer. I read it on a raft in my pool. Lest you think it was the sun and pool that brought a favorable review, the next book In the Time of Butterflies gave me butterflies. And it was winter time.
WALLFLOWERS:
1.Lauren Oliver– Before I Fall
Just a tease. I loooooved Before I Fall. It might have been just contemporary enough to hook me. But then Delirium went all dystopian on me, and well, the romance was over. Take a seat along the wall for the rest of the night.
2. Sarah Ockler– Twenty Boy Summer
Nothing beyond the initial attraction. This one was a great summer read. It reminded me of Susane Colasanti and Sarah Dessen and others like them. But then I tried Bittersweet, and I kept looking over my shoulder to see who else was on the dance floor. I’m pretty sure this one really is a case of “It’s me, not you.” Maybe I should give The Summer of Chasing Mermaids a try.
3. Mark Haddon– The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime
That weird kid. This book was so intriguing (starting with the length of its title.) But then I read A Spot of Bother. I can’t even tell you what it was about. All I remember is sitting with my book club in silence. Furrowed brows summarized our discussions. And they never let me choose a book ever again.
WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
1. Lauren Graham– Someday, Someday, Maybe
Cool and totally popular. Maybe it’s just because Gilmore Girls is the greatest piece of media ever put out into the world. But I happen to think Lauren Graham can do no wrong. She’s funny and her book was entertaining. Where is the next one? I want another dance!
2. Molly Moynahan– Stone Garden
Brooding but in a thoughtful not bleak manner. This book mesmerized me with its sadness. “There’s a skull beneath the skin, I wanted to scream at them, and someday you’ll know the truth and no one will have prepared you for that pain.” And you were even funny when you said, “I will start out by saying, ‘My parents loved me,’ and no one will buy my book. It doesn’t help either that I’m not a Chinese-American lesbian with dyslexia.” What happened to you, Molly Moynahan? Did your mom pick you up early?
3. Daniel Handler and Maira Kalman– Why We Broke Up
Out of my league. The question is really, Where have I been? I just found out this moment that there are other collaborations between these two! How did I not see you standing at the edge of the dance floor? How did I let myself get so distracted that I didn’t see your books Girls Standing on Lawns and Hurry Up and Wait??? I blame the time I wasted on Mark Haddon.
Who should I be looking for at the edge of the dance floor? Any other ghosts of debuts past you recommend? Any ghosts of debuts future (on the off chance that I will eventually start to make a dent in my TBR list)?
