Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl
Last week I unfortunately didn’t have time to leave comments on everyone’s Top Ten Tuesday posts. Thank you to all of you who commented on mine! I’ll be back to my regular commenting habits again this week.
I’m a frugal, minimalistic, and environmentally conscious person, so this week’s list is going to be pretty short. The vast majority of the authors I enjoy are people I can wait to read until the library has a copy of their newest book waiting for me or until I can get it in e-book form.
(If all writers were immortal, this list would be much longer! Sadly, many of my all-time favourite ones are no longer around to give us new stories).
To be perfectly clear, in no way do I judge what others do. These restrictions are ones I only place on myself because of how much I value being mindful about the resources I use. Buying paper books is a better decision for some people for any number of reasons, and I completely respect that.
With that being said, I find it hard to say no to the following authors. Click on their names to go to the Goodreads lists of their books or keep reading to discover why I enjoy them so much.
Most of her books are set in the Victorian era and feature queer women as the main characters. They are richly detailed stories that I read over and over again. She produces new stories so infrequently and I adore her writing style so much that I immediately buy whatever it is she comes up with.
In my opinion, Margaret Atwood is the best living novelist here in Canada. Most of what she writes is speculative fiction, although she has branched out to other genres on occasion. Right now I’m impatiently counting down the days until the release of her next book, The Testaments, this September because it’s a long-awaited sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale and I can’t wait to see what it will be like.
Who else had a short list this week? Are any of my followers also into being frugal, minimalistic, and/or eco-friendly? If so, I’d love to know how you balance those ideals with keeping on top of your reading habits…other than regularly visiting the library, of course!
Great list! Sarah Waters made my list this week, too – I hope we don’t have to wait too much longer for another new novel from her. I’m ashamed to say I’ve only read The Penelopiad from Margaret Atwood so far (which I loved), so she’s an author I really want to read more from!
Margaret Atwood has written so many amazing books. I hope you read more from her.
And, yeah, it’s time for Sarah Waters to release another book for sure.
I keep meaning to read The Little Stranger. I need to see if Book Outlet still has it.
I hope you get a copy of it. It’s a wonderful story. (The movie is great, too).
Hah, I tend to think of Margaret Atwood as a one-hit wonder. I’ve never checked to see what else she’s written!
She’s definitely not a one-hit wonder. She’s written dozens of amazing books! I hope you do give the rest of her work a try. Which one of her books have you already read?
I included authors whose e-books I buy on my list, but I do also buy paper books a lot. They’re easier to share, and Mr. Wyrm doesn’t like e-readers so if I think he’ll enjoy the book also I get the paper version.
That makes a great deal of sense.
I feel the same way as you about collecting books. Most authors I can wait for. I also get a lot of my books at library sales and at Half Price Books, so I can resell them once I am done. I even try to limit my Kindle-buys. I have a hard time spending more than a few dollars for a book in digital for, so I am always on the look-out for good deals via BookBub (though in general I am trying to buy less all-around. Must pay the bills instead, and all that nonsense!)
(Also, I accidentally deleted your comment from my TTT post when I meant to delete a different comment that was a duplicate from someone else, so I did not get a chance to respond there. I’m sorry!! https://allthebookblognamesaretaken.blogspot.com/2019/07/top-ten-tuesday-auto-buy-authors.html)
No worries! I’ve accidentally deleted comments, too.
And I love your approach to book buying.
Margaret Atwood is such a prolific writer! She is also one of my favourite Canadian writer 😛
Glad to hear it. And she sure is!
Even though I did have ten people on my list, only two of them were true auto-buy authors.
Thanks for sharing that. I feel less guilty for having a short list now. 🙂
I’d love to downsize in the future. We built a home several years ago and it’s too large but we live and learn! I keep my print collection trimmed back every so often but the tbr is out of control!
I hope you’ll get to downsize someday.
I have The Handmaids Tale but I haven’t read it yet. I really need to though!
Then maybe I can add Margaret to my list in the future
You should definitely read The Handmaid’s Tale. It’s a classic.
Oh man, I also can’t wait for The Testaments. I haven’t actually been a huge fan of Atwood’s other works, but Handmaid’s Tale is stunning.
I hope the Testaments lives up to all of our expectations!
I’m really curious about Margaret Atwood, not having read her yet but having watched the Handmaid’s Tale adaptation. Now that she’s releasing The Testaments I’m seriously considering reading both!
I hope you will. The book was basically covered by the first season of the TV show, so there are differences between the two.
Awesome list! I like Sarah Waters.
Thank you. And glad to hear it. Sarah Waters needs more recognition.
Margaret Atwood is an excellent choice! Thanks for visiting my blog today!
You’re welcome.
Ooh I like the way you’ve structured this list. Really cool 🙂
Thank you!
I hate to admit this…but I haven’t read either of these authors. I know, shame on me.
There’s never enough time in the day to read every author! You’ll get no shame from me. 🙂
Short and frugal lists are good! I know I need to do better at not spending so much, but I do want to be able to support my favorite authors as much as I can. I guess every little thing we do counts as well 🙂 Thanks so much for visiting Lydia! I always look forward to your comments.
You’re welcome. Thank you for your kind words.
I still haven’t tried Sarah Waters, what book would you recommend first? I don’t buy many new paperbacks either. It’s e-book or used book for me.
Ooh, good question!
If you like the romance genre, I think Fingersmith is a great place to start.
If that’s not a genre you typically read/enjoy, The Little Stranger is the other book of hers I recommend a lot. It’s a paranormal mystery that was made into a great movie, too, a year or two ago.
Ha, I love that we approach the “auto-buy” idea similarly. I try to be frugal by really limiting my buying. I cross-reference my Goodreads TBR with my library (physical and Overdrive), and if there’s a copy there, I tend to not buy it (unless I’ve already read it and loved it and need to own it, which happens sometimes). I’ve switched to buying more Kindle books, though, because less paper is used (obviously) and I generally wait until they’re on a $1.99 sale to buy them. I also try to save physical copies that I want for sales/promos (like I just snagged Wicked Saints and Aurora Rising FINALLY during Prime Day when it was $5 off $20 lol). I sometimes approach being frugal as a game. xD
I had to really think, too, because a lot of authors I enjoy have also passed, sadly. Terry Pratchett was the first to come to mind when I made my list, but nope. T_T
I still haven’t read Margaret Atwood, but I need to! I’ve heard such great things about her books.
Wow, we have a lot in common here!
Margaret Atwood has written so many great books. Not all of them are sci-fi which is think is surprising to some people since her SFF books tends to be her best known.
What Terry Pratchett books would you recommend?
I love The Handmaid’s Tale show but I watch it with one eye open and one eye closed. I don’t think I could handle a full book like that. If her writing is half as good as the show I commend her 🙂
The book version of The Handmaid’s Tale is much less graphic and brutal than the show. And the violent parts are implied or discussed afterwards instead of shown directly. If you like the story itself, I would recommend checking it out.
My problem this week was keeping my list close to ten. I could have named many more authors than I actually listed.
Good for you! I wonder how long your list would have been if you’d shared everyone? 🙂
Nice list! Short is better because it’s easier on the wallet! Lol!
Thanks for visiting my TTT post!
You’re welcome.
I haven’t read anything by Sarah Waters, but I recently picked up The Handmaid’s Tale, and I’m enjoying it a lot more than I expected (if “enjoying” is the correct word for a novel like that, that is.)
I’m glad you found that book worth reading. Do you think you’ll read the sequel?
Lovely choices. I added a few of my favorites who aren’t around to write anymore anyway (as a reminder to look for any of their books I might have missed.) I use the library a lot, too.
Thank you. Yeah, maybe I should have done the same thing. 🙂
Margaret Atwood is a fantastic writer – I can’t wait for The Testaments later this year! Great choices 😊
Thanks and agreed!
Great list!
Thanks.
I read The Handmaid’s Tale about 10 years ago and loved it, I don’t know why I never read any of Margaret Atwood’s other books. I’ll have to remedy that soon.
I hope you do. She’s written a lot of great ones.
I have to agree with both of these — I definitely look forward to reading more by Sarah Waters (i still have a few of her books to catch up on), and Margaret Atwood is a big YES.
Glad to hear it.
I haven’t heard of these 🙈 But I have heard of The Handmaid’s Tale series. I’ll have to pick up the book!
Genesis @ Whispering Chapters
I hope you enjoy the book! It’s not exactly the same as the TV show, but I enjoy both.
Two really great choices! Both powerful, wonderful writers.
Thanks.
Great choices. I’m also looking forward to The Testaments. My list is the opposite of yours, I had to make myself stop at 12! Happy reading.
Heh, thanks.
It’s a short list- but you’ve got a couple great authors on there. I respect your will power not to buy physical books! Although to be honest- I really don’t do much of that either.
Thank you.
Margaret Atwood is such an amazing author. It’s funny how she wrote books 20 years ago that are still current today and hit home on so many levels.
Absolutely.
Yes, I love Sarah Waters!
Glad to hear it.
I completely agree–I wish writers were immortal so I could list some of my favorite oldies! 🙂
If only, eh?
Like you say, some of my fav authors won’t write ever again either :/ thinking of my favorite of all time, a French one…. so so sad
It sure is.
Fabulous author choices! It is refreshing to see your approach towards buying books! I am trying to go this route though it is a learning curve I am slowly getting there.
Thank you very much. Good luck on your adjustment!
I’ve liked many of Margaret Atwood’s books, so take a little bit of issue with an earlier comment that called her a one hit wonder. Some of her books have fallen a little flat for me, so that’s why she wasn’t on my list, but she’s a great writer.
Thanks. I think she’s a great writer, too.
I haven’t read The Handmaid’s Tale but I was close to because it was supposed to be an assigned reading for my Literature class back when I was a college freshman. But I have watched the show. I just don’t know how faithful it was to the book.
The first season of the show was pretty faithful to the book. The rest have not been.
I’ve only read The Handmaid’s Tale but it very quickly became one of my all time favorites. I bought a few of her others books as well, but haven’t got to them. I guess in a way she’d be considered an auto buy for me? I’m ridiculously excited about The Testaments!
My TTT post
Atwood has written so many other great books. I hope you get a chance to read the ones you already own soon.
And glad to hear you’re also excited about The Testaments!
I actually skipped this one because I don’t buy lots of books! I occasionally buy books but have always been a library goer. I also work in publishing, so I often pick up books from work and of course, I can’t resist an e-book bargain.
That makes a great deal of sense. I hope we’ll see you in another TTT round-up soon.
Sarah Waters is new to me, so I will have to check her out further!
Oh, I think you’d love her stuff. Enjoy!
You know, sometimes I forget that the Top Ten part of this prompt isn’t set in stone. Two makes an excellent list.
Thank you for sharing your choices!
You’re welcome.
I don’t normally publish such short lists, but it is nice to have flexibility there.
I don’t think I’ve seen Sarah Waters before. She’s new to me. Thanks for sharing!
You’re welcome. I sure enjoy her stories and hope you will, too, if you decide to check one out.
Despite her popularity, I’ve never read anything by Atwood. I really need to change that soon. I keep seeing her Master Class ads on YouTube and it helps to keep her and her books on my radar. 🙂
I didn’t know she had a Master Class. That’s awesome.
She’s a wonderful writer. I hope you enjoy her if or when you give her a try.
I love a good Victorian era story! Double thumbs up that it features queer women. Happy reading!
Thanks. I love your site, by the way.
Looks like you have a similar situation as me when it came to this week’s TTT! I get almost everything I read and listen to from the library as well because I can usually wait a few weeks for new releases.
I do actually have a couple of Sarah Waters’ books but I haven’t gotten around to reading them. They are at the top of my TBR pile, though!
Heh, I think we were in similar boats!
I hope you enjoy Sarah Water’s stories. They’re always filled with interesting details about whatever historical era she’s writing about.
I feel exactly the same way about books and authors (and many of my favorite ones are long gone now as well). Your comment on my TTT ensured that your sentiments here were in sync with mine 🙂
Margaret Atwood is one author I have been meaning to read but never gotten around to yet..
Will be back to read more of your posts
So glad to hear that.
And it’s nice to meet a kindred spirit! 🙂
Shockingly I haven’t read Sarah Waters but she is on my TBR list. I read on my Kindle, so I have minimum books on the bookshelf, only ones I want to lend or discuss.
Good for you for keeping your TBR pile in check!
I hope you do give Sarah Waters’ books a try sometime. She doesn’t write very quickly, but she does create some of the most detailed worlds I’ve ever found in historical fiction.
Yeah, I generally try to find books at the library before buying them. Not always, but I do try 🙂 Sadly, I haven’t read anything by Sarah Waters yet. I have tried to read THE HANDMAID’S TALE and I just can’t get into it. Not sure why since I love dystopian books. I probably just need to be more patient. Story of my life, ha ha!
Thanks for coming by my TTT earlier 🙂
Susan
http://www.blogginboutbooks.com
You’re welcome.
Have you seen the TV version of The Handmaid’s Tale? It does explain things better than the book. Or maybe that’s simply not the book for you! I never pressure anyone to like the stuff I do. 🙂
I really need to read The Handmaid’s Tale – maybe in time for The Testaments? 🙂
Ooh, I hope you do!
I still haven’t read anything by Margaret Atwood. Though The Handmaid’s Tale does sound interesting.
It was a great story! The TV show is good, too, although very dark.
I’m a digital book hoarder. I don’t buy much in paperback mostly because of space but I like the perspective that I’m also being more environmentally conscious in doing so. I try really hard in other elements of my life, I just never considered that angle with my book buying habits! 🙂
Thanks. Yeah, ebooks have a lot of benefits.
I haven’t read anything by Sarah Waters. I’ll have to check out her books 🙂
She’s fabulous. Enjoy!
I wouldn’t call myself minimalistic, but I adhere to frugal and environmentally conscious. I just can’t buy books, especially new releases, when I can borrow them for free instead. Having said that, I am becoming a shrewd book thrifter and recently exchanged used book credit for two Atwood novels: The Robber Bride and A Cat’s Eye, looking forward to reading both, and of course I’ll make an exception for The Testaments; I know it will deliver the goods.
That’s so cool! Will you be blogging reviews of any of those books? I’m hoping to review The Testaments at some point this autumn (depending on how quickly I can get and read it).
Hi Lydia,
thank you for visiting my blog and commenting about my favourite authors.
I have read both the authors you mention, only one by Sarah Waters (The Night Watch) which I liked very much, but three by Margaret Atwood (The Handmaid’s Tale several times, Oryx and Crake, and The Blind Assassin
I also don’t buy books straight away, often try to get them through the library but the authors I mentioned on my list are always on top of my wish list.
Have a happy reading week!
Marianne
You’re welcome. The Night Watch was a great story! I hope it will be made into a movie someday.
My own list used to be longer, but so many of my favorite authors have died. But yes, I’ve been moving toward purchasing fewer books (in physical form, at least) and using the library more… plus, as a blogger, I get a fair number of review books, usually in Kindle format.
Sarah Waters isn’t an author I’m familiar with, but I’ll keep my eyes out for her.
I hope you like Sarah Waters.
And it’s always sad when a favourite author dies or stops writing.
Margaret Atwood is definitely a favourite of mine!
Cool!
I haven’t read a book by either of these authors! I know of Atwood, but I’ll have to look up Waters. Thank you for the recommendation and stopping by my page! 🙂
You’re welcome.