Top Ten Tuesday: Most Overlooked Authors

This fabulous meme is hosted by The Broke and The Bookish, and this week's topic is authors that don't get enough recognition. I actually couldn't come up with 10 for this one, so you're getting a Top 5 post this week.


1.) Jaclyn Moriarty – she's one of my top recommendations for contemporary YA authors, but I don't see her books being mentioned nearly enough. She's got such talent for writing distinctive voice and fantastically funny humor. If you're looking for a feel-good contemp YA read, I'd definitely recommend either Feeling Sorry for Celia or The Year of Secret Assignments.


2.) Patricia Wrede –  How is it that practically no one has read her Enchanted Forest Chronicles? They're light fantasy, dosed with plenty of humor, a fabulously independent heroine, dragons (both good and bad), very wicked wizards, and an unpredictable enchanted forest. Some of the books also feature a magic carpet that can't fly properly, a stone prince, and a levitating blue donkey named Killer (well, he's actually a rabbit). Um, how can you go wrong? You can't.

And that's not even getting started on the wonderful novel Sorcery & Cecelia that she co-wrote with Caroline Stevermer. It's a book that I have re-read so many times I've stopped counting. Love it.

3.) Phyllis Reynolds Naylor – I grew up reading the Alice series. Alice's charm is that she is so very relatable to teens, as are her experiences in dealing with friendships, romance, break-ups, jobs, school, and family. Her friendship with her two best friends, Elizabeth and Pamela, is one I always envied, because despite their ups and downs they stick it out together. Serious topics such as bullying, abusive relationships, and death are touched upon but tempered with humor laced throughout. There are still a couple more Alice books to come (Incredibly Alice is going to be released in May) before the series ends, which I know I'll find a little sad. I'm surprised these books don't get more buzz in the blogosphere.

 4.) Gerald Morris – He makes Arthurian legend accessible and funny. I don't like all of his books in the Squire's Tale series equally, but I can certainly recommend The Squire, His Knight and His Lady, The Savage Damsel and the Dwarf (which I think is my favourite) and The Lioness and Her Knight.

5.) O.R. Melling – she takes Irish legend and makes it her own! I think my favourite is The Summer King (book 2 of her Chronicles of Faerie) but honourable mention goes to the standalone novel The Singing Stone.

I'm interested to see everyone else's most overlooked authors!