Author Spotlight: Toni Morrison

Name: Toni Morrison

About Author: Born in February 18, 1931, Toni Morrison has proven to be an exceptional novelist. Morrison transitioned from professor, editor, and finally writer. She began writing at Howard University as part of a group of writers and poets. Her success began with her debut novel Bluest Eye in 1970. With the success of later novels, Morrison was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1993. She has also been awarded the National Book Foundations Medal of Distinguished Contribution to American Letters.

Published Works:

• Bluest Eye (1970)
• Sula (1973)
• Song of Solomon (1977)
• Tar Baby (1981)
• Beloved (1987)
• Jazz (1992)
• Paradise (1997)
• Love (2003)
• A Mercy (2008)
• Home (2012)
• God Help the Child (2015)

Recommendation: Although I've only read one Toni Morrison book, it was in that text that I discovered her ability to create vivid characters, thought provoking themes, beauty, and passion. Toni challenges her readers to think outside the box and face real life challenges. If you are intrigued by complex plot lines and true to life characters look no further than Ms. Morrison. 

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Author Spotlight: Marissa Meyer

Name: Marissa Meyer

About Author: Marissa Meyer is a young adult author best known for her Lunar Chronicles series, a fantastic set of novels loosely based around famous fairy-tales. Before her introduction to the world of young-adult fiction, Meyer originally wrote Sailor Moon fan fiction under the pen name of Alicia Blade.

She developed the idea for the Lunar Chronicles while writing a futuristic version of Puss in Boots for a NaNoWriMo competition that took place in 2008. In addition to the Lunar Chronicles, Meyer is contracted to write another series based on Alice in Wonderland. The first book Heartless is set to release in the fall of this year.


Published Works:

• The Lunar Chronicles 
• Cinder (2012)
• Scarlet (2013)
• Cress (2014)
• Winter (2015)
• Fairest: Levana's Story (2015)
  

My Recommendation: Although I have only read Cinder, I can truly say that Marissa Meyer has a gift for writing fairy-tale re-telling's with a futuristic twist. Her writing is continuously engaging, fast-paced, and entertaining. There wasn't a moment when reading Cinder that I was bored or felt like the story was moving slow. If you are truly interested in books that focus on fairy-tales, but also contain fast-paced adventures. I would highly suggest looking no further than Marissa Meyer's Lunar Chronicles. 

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Author Spotlight: Jenny Han

Name: Jenny Han

About Author: Jenny Han was born and raised in Richmond Virginia and attended the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill to obtain an undergraduate degree. Following this she received a Masters Degree of Fine Arts in creative writing from New School.

Han is best known for her ability to write intriguing contemporary summer reads that exhibit teen angst, growth, and love. She published her first novel Shrug, a middle-grade novel, while she was still in college in 2006 which produced a series of positive reviews.

Published Works:

• Shrug (2006)
• Clara Lee and the Apple Pie Dream (2011)
• The Summer I Turned Pretty Trilogy
• The Summer I Turned Pretty (2009)
• It's Not Summer Without You (2010)
• We'll Always Have Summer (2011)
• Burn for Burn Trilogy 
• Burn for Burn (2012)
• Fire with Fire (2013)
• Ashes to Ashes (2014)
• To All the Boys I've Loved Before Duology
• To All the Boys I've Loved Before (2014)
• P.S. I Still Love You (2015)

My Recommendation: 

Jenny Han is probably one of my favorite contemporary authors. Her novels are extremely easy to relate to as the chronicle the journey of young adults through some difficult issues including figuring out their love life. Her books are perfect for beach reads especially her The Summer I Turned Pretty trilogy. If you are looking for a new contemporary author that exhibits the ability to give her characters life and personality then I would look no further than Ms. Han. 

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Author Spotlight: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Name: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

About Author: Best recognized for her presence in African literature, Adichie was born in Enugu, Nigeria. After completing sometime at a university in Nigeria, she transferred to a university in the United States graduating with her degree in 2001. After obtaining her bachelors degree, Adichie then furthered her education by attending and receiving master's degrees from both Johns Hopkins University and Yale University. She has given several lectures since her rise to a prominent writer including the infamous "We Should All Be Feminists" TEDx Talk. Here's a video of the lecture.

She has been awarded several different awards for her writing including the following: Commonwealth Writers' Prize: Best First Book (Africa), Anisfield-Wolf Book Award,  National Book Critics Circle Award: Fiction category, and many more.

Published Works:

• Purple Hibiscus (2003)
• Half of a Yellow Sun (2006)
• The Thing Around Your Neck (2009)
• Americanah (2013)

My Recommendation:

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is vastly one of the most complex authors I have encountered in my time of reading. I think I truly fell in love with her sheer intelligence when I listened to her "We Should All Be Feminists" lecture on YouTube. However, this year was the first year I was able to read one of her works (Americanah) and it was breathtakingly beautiful. She is capable of truly introducing the world to the meaning and purpose of African literature. If you are looking for a diverse author with a true and beautiful gift for story-telling I would look no further than Ms. Adichie. 

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Author Spotlight: Rick Riordan

Name: Richard Russel "Rick" Riordan

About Author: Best known for his ability to incorporate mythology into spell-binding novels, Rick Riordan has become a world-renowned author. Born in San Antonio, Texas, Rick has successfully developed several different series that were initialed inspired by his children as a bed-time story.

Published Works:

• Percy Jackson & The Olympians 
• The Lightning Thief (2005)
• The Sea of Monsters (2006)
• The Titan's Curse (2007)
• The Battle of the Labyrinth (2008)
• The Last Olympian (2009)
• The Heroes of Olympus
• The Lost Hero (2010)
• The Sun of Neptune (2011)
• The Mark of Athena (2012)
• The House of Hades (2013)
• The Blood of Olympus (2014)
• The Kane Chronicles
• The Red Pyramid (2010)
• The Throne of Fire (2011)
• The Serpent's Shadow (2012)
• Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard
• The Sword of Summer (Fall 2015)
• Tres Navarre Series

• Big Red Tequila (1997)
• The Widower's Two Step (1998)
• The Last King of Texas (2001)
• The Devil Went Down to Austin (2002)
• Southtown (2004)
• Mission Road (2005)
• Rebel Island (2008)

My Recommendation: Rick Riordan is turning out to be one of my new favorite authors. His stories not only exhibit fantastic world building, but they also illustrate his ability to pay attention to the smallest of details. If you are looking for books that not only exhibit adventure, passion, but also humor look no further than this author. Although most of his books are written and published as middle grade novels, it is without a doubt that Riordan has written books to captivate the world. 

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Author Spotlight: J.K. Rowling

Every Monday I will be spotlighting or highlighting some of my favorite authors. This will be a "Author Spotlight" series. For the first in the series I will be spotlighting one of my favorite authors of all time: J.K. Rowling.

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