Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Authors On My Auto-Buy List

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme brought to you by The Broke and the Bookish. Each week a new Top Ten list topic is posted and book bloggers fill in their own choices. I'm a list girl (as in, I don't function without them), so I thought this would be a good choice for me! This week's topic was a difficult one. On one hand, I have my authors who I would buy and read ANYTHING they've written. They have written enough books that I've loved, that I know this to be true. One the other hand, there are the authors who have only written one or two books, and I think they would be on this list, but I would need to read more to be sure. That said, I am going to cheat a little and have TWO lists...

YA Litwit's Top Ten Authors On My Auto-Buy List

1.  Neal Shusterman~  I am a total fangirl, and have read all of his books, and loved them all.  He is brilliant, and his books make you think, which I love.  If you haven't read his books yet, get on it!  (Read my review of Everfound HERE and my Banned Book Showcase featuring Unwind HERE.)  Favorite Book/Series:  The Skinjacker Trilogy

2.  Ellen Hopkins~  I love the way Ellen writes, and I don't just mean her style.  Yes, I love that she writes all of her books in verse, but I also love her n0-holds-barred attitude about subject matter.  Ellen puts the tough stuff out there, and doesn't apologize for the fact that she makes it so you can't ignore certain issues.  (Read my review of Perfect HERE and my Banned Author Showcase, featuring Ellen, HERE.)  Favorite Book/Series:  Impulse/Perfect 

3.  David Levithan~  I have SO much love for David Levithan and his books.  His wit and humor make it possible for him to write about relationships in a very real way, and his books just stand out because of it.   Favorite Book:  Every Day (Read my review HERE.)

4.  John Green~  This is the guy who made me see contemporary YA as something to love, instead of page after page of angst-ridden, whiny, teenagers.  He gets the minds of teens, and manages to show us that they are so much more complex than we realize.  (Read my reviews of Paper Towns HERE and The Fault In Our Stars HERE.)  Favorite Book:  Looking For Alaska

5.  Libba Bray~  Such a fantastic writer, and I don't say this lightly.  Libba has written several different genres now, and she has done them all exceptionally well.  She is imaginative, funny, and witty, and I would read anything by her.  Favorite Book:  (tie) The Diviners (read my review HERE) and Beauty Queens (Read my review HERE).

6.  Cassandra Clare~  I think I would read the phone book if she wrote it!  I have not been disappointed in anything she's written.  I know she has only written one world so far, but I just have a good feeling in my gut. (Read my reviews of City of Fallen Angels HERE, City of Lost Souls HERE, and Clockwork Prince HERE.)   Favorite Book/Series:  The Infernal Devices (but don't make me chose which book!)

7.  Holly Black~  Holly Black has an impressively warped imagination, and I LOVE it!  I love her KidLit and her YA.  She is just a dazzling talent in the sea of mediocrity that is publishing! (This, of course, could be said of ANY of the authors on this list. Duh.)  I have read The Spiderwick Chronicles with all three of my children, and am eagerly awaiting the day when I can appropriately introduce my 11 year old daughter to her YA.  Can't wait to read Doll Bones with the three of them!   (Read my reviews of White Cat HERE, Red Glove HERE, Black Heart HERE, and The Poison Eaters HERE.) Favorite Book/Series:  The Curse Workers trilogy

8.  Gabrielle Zevin~  I have been a tremendous fan of Gabrielle's since I read Elsewhere, one of my all-time favorite books.  I don't know why, but that book left an indelible impression on me.  I truly wish that Elsewhere is what our afterlife will be like, because the idea of it is perfection.  After reading that, I had to put my hands on her other books, and although they are all very different from Elsewhere, and one another, they are still awesome in their own rite.  (Read my review of All These Things I've Done HERE.)  Favorite Book:  Elsewhere

9.  Lauren Oliver~  Much like Gabrielle Zevin, Lauren can write any genre.  Her debut, Before I Fall, is more of a Contemporary read, while the Delirium trilogy is definitely a Dystopian.  The Spindlers and Liesl & Po, her two MG books, are very fantastical.  Lauren's intelligence and warm personality shine through in her writing, and make me want to devour everything she puts on a page.  She also happens to be my 8 year old son's  very close 2nd favorite, behind Roald Dahl (someone who I think is a HUGE honor to be put in the same class with).  Favorite Book:  The Spindlers (Read my review HERE.)

10.  Jackson Pearce~  I have all of Jackson's books proudly displayed on my shelf because I totally love her, but it's not just about the fabulous writing with Jackson; It's about the whole package.  She's an Atlantan, for starters.  Then there are her hilarious YouTube videos (check out her channel HERE) and tumblr posts (check out her page HERE), in which she talks about books and writing, but also about loads of other stuff.  She is the best.  Sure, the books are the number one reason she's on this list.  I love them.  But it's always awesome when there's more.  (Read my reviews of Sisters Red HERE, Sweetly HERE, Fathomless HERE, and Purity HERE.)  Favorite Book:  Purity

Runners Up

(in no particular order; click the title for me review)

~Stephanie Perkins (Anna and the French Kiss, Lola and the Boy Next Door)

~Scott Westerfeld (Uglies, Pretties, Specials, Peeps, Leviathan, Behemoth, etc.)

~Victoria Schwab (The Near Witch, The Archived)

~Claire LaZebnik (Epic Fail, The Trouble With Flirting)

~Maureen Johnson (The Name of the Star, The Madness Underneath, 13 Little Blue Envelopes, The Key to the Golden Firebird, etc.)

~Kendare Blake (Anna Dressed In Blood, Girl of Nightmares)

~Kody Keplinger (DUFF, Shut Out, A Midsummer's Nightmare)

~Terra Elan McVoy (Being Friends With Boys, After the Kiss, Pure, The Summer of Firsts and Lasts)

~Myra McEntire (Hourglass, Timepiece)

~Beth Revis (Across the Universe, A Million Suns, Shades of Earth)

~Maria V. Snyder (Poison Study, Touch of Power, Scent of Magic, Inside Out, etc.)

~Rachel Hawkins (Hex Hall, Demonglass, Spell Bound)

~Laini Taylor (Daughter of Smoke & Bone, Days of Blood & Starlight, Blackbringer, etc.)

~Lauren Myracle (Shine, ttyl, ttfn, Bliss, Rhymes with Witches etc.)

Now, I know I have forgotten a BUNCH of authors I love, but I don't want this (already) fangirly post to go on forever and ever.  I love books, and that means I love authors...  I have WAY too many books that I haven't even read yet, which means I have a ridiculous Auto-Buy list already!  Who do you think I left out?  Do we share any?  Am I a total cheater by having such a long list of runners-up?  I ADORE comments, so let me know!