Best New-to-Me Authors of 2012

It's really hard for me to believe that 2012 so close to being over.  The first half of the year seemed to drag for me but, especially from September onward, the second half is flying by.  Maybe that's because I'm retiring at the end of the year and still have so much to do before I can turn in my office key...or just maybe, it's because 2012 has turned out to be such a great year for discovering new authors.

In no particular order, here are the five the new-to-me writers I'm happiest about finding this year, along with the book that turned me on to them (titles are linked to my review of each title):

Robert Goolrick, author of Heading Out to Wonderful

Lynn Shepherd, author of The Solitary House

Jessica Gregson, author of The Angel Makers

Andromeda Romano-Lax, author of The Detour

Joseph Schuster, author of The Might Have Been

Hey, I just realized something.  Of the five novels, Joe Schuster's baseball book is the only one with a contemporary setting.  One takes place in WWII Italy, one in WWII Hungary, one in barely post-WWII America, and the other in the London-era very familiar to readers of Dickens novels.  I must be getting nostalgic in my old age - even for periods before my own time.  Hmmm.