This week’s theme over at ThatArtsyReaderGirl for Top Ten Tuesday is 2023 debut books that I am excited for. Since I don’t usually check to see if any books are debut books, I thought I should take a different route and pick debut books from the 20002 that have made a lasting impression on me, or rather, from the time I read them. When I did so, I realized I ended up with a list so very similar to my TTT for Wonderful 21st Century Books: The Classics! So it is back to

Debut books I Am Excited For in 2023!

Books linked to Goodreads here.

1. After Anne by Logan Steiner. A stunning and unexpected portrait of Lucy Maud Montgomery, creator of one of literature’s most prized heroines
2. Family Style: Memories of an American from Vietnam by Thien Pham. A moving young adult graphic memoir about a Vietnamese immigrant boy’s search for belonging in America, perfect for fans of American Born Chinese and The Best We Could Do! (YA and up)
3. A First Time for Everything by Dan Santat. This is not really a debut book by the author, but definitely his debut memoir-style book! A middle grade graphic memoir based on bestselling author Dan Santat’s awkward middle school years and the trip to Europe that changed his life. (middle grade and up)
4. Hidden Systems: Water, Electricity, the Internet, and the Secrets Behind the Systems We Use Every Day by Dan Nott. We use water, electricity, and the internet every day–but how do they actually work? And what’s the plan to keep them running for years to come? A nonfiction-graphic book for 12 years and up.
5. Late Bloomers by Deepa Varadarajan. An Indian American family is turned upside down when the parents split up thirty-six years into their arranged marriage​ in this witty, big-hearted debut.
6. A Likely Story by Leigh Abramson. The only child of an iconic American novelist discovers a shocking tangle of family secrets that upends everything she thought she knew about her parents, her gilded childhood, and her own stalled writing career.
7. The Love Match by Priyanka Taslim. To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before meets Pride and Prejudice in this delightful and heartfelt rom-com about a Bangladeshi American teen whose meddling mother arranges a match to secure their family’s financial security—just as she’s falling in love with someone else. (YA and up)
8. Our Best Intentions by Vibhuthi Jain. A pulsating debut about an immigrant family that gets caught in the middle of a criminal investigation, perfect for readers of Everything I Never Told You and Ask Again, Yes. (Adult Fiction)
9. Rubi Ramos’s Recipe for Success by Jessica Parra. Graduation is only a few months away, and so far Rubi Ramos’s recipe for success is on track. (YA romance)
10. Weyward by Emilia Hart. Weyward is a stunning debut novel about gender and control – about the long echoes of male violence through the centuries. But more than that, it is a celebration of nature, female power and breaking free. (Historical fiction)
11. The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer. Years ago, a reclusive mega-bestselling children’s author quit writing under mysterious circumstances. Suddenly he resurfaces with a brand-new book and a one-of-a-kind competition, offering a prize that will change the winner’s life in this absorbing and whimsical novel. (Adult Fiction)

Extra, Extra

Since I did spend time making up the list of debut books that impacted me, I decided to include that as well, along with a few other books and more, simply because!

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Debut Books That Left a Lasting Impression

This is the other list I made and which is very similar to my possible classics of the 21st century.

1. The Book Thief by Markis Zusak. A book I have talked about so many times on my blog, including here.
2. Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese. I am not sure if my words will be able to capture the beauty, the wonder this book is, but here is my complete review from ages ago (or so it seems like)
3. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini sure leaves an emotional footprint on your soul.
4. The Library of Lost Things by Laura Taylor Namey. A sweet, sweet YA read that will, like I mention in my review here, leave you with a whole library of feelings!
5. Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan. This book has numerous mentions on my blog, but no review yet!
6. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. Magical, mystical, and mysterious! And a book that inspired me write a review in verse (just like with the next one on the list too)
7. The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo. My review post title for this kind of summarizes my thoughts: Poetry That Slams Its Way Into Your Heart (Teen and YA)
8. The Twentieth Wife by Indu Sundaresan.
9. When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanidhi. A posthumously published memoir that left me speechless and in awe, and in tears too. Verghese wrote the foreword for this book.
10. Zorgamazoo by Robert Paul Weston is such a delightful read. Written for 7 – 11 year olds, but to be enjoyed by all!

More Books and Some Fun Facts

• Charles Dickens was born on Feb 7th, 1812. And while I have read a few books by him, I had not read too much about him. Two recent picture books I read about him include the Little People, BIG DREAMS book featuring Charles Dickens, and a delightful book connecting Edgar Allen Poe and Dickens – A Raven Named Grip!
• Another February 7th birthday is Sinclair Lewis, an author I am yet to read (but have been meaning to), especially his It Can’t Happen Here (which kind of did!)
• And there is Laura Ingalls Wilder. While I am yet to read any of the Little House series (I know!), I did read one of her biographies titled Little Author in the Big Woods: A Biography of Laura Ingalls Wilder by Yona Zeldis McDonough with illustrations by Jennifer Thermes. It is a must-read for anyone who grew up reading her books, and also for those who did not (like me!) for her ‘Little House’ books were autobiographical in nature after all!

And Now, the End of This Post

Dear reader, have you heard of or read any of these books? Your thoughts on them? And any reccomendations?