Top Ten Tuesday | Best Female Authors of 2014!

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature created at The Broke and the Bookish. Each week you compile a list of ten books which coincide with that week's theme. You can find everything you need to know about joining in here!

This week's theme is 'Top Ten New-To-Me Authors I Read In 2014', which I'm really excited about because I was actually planning on writing a blog post on this topic anyway!

I tend to read a lot more female authors than male ones, so today I'm going to share with you my top ten female authors of 2014 - all of these ladies are worth checking out!

Daphne du Maurier (1907-1989): So far this year I've read Frenchman's Creek and Rebecca and I adored them both. I've put off reading anything by du Maurier for so long, no idea why, and now that I've finally started reading her work I've learned that I absolutely love her and I'm making it my mission to try and read as much of her work as possible.

Robin LaFevers: I heard a lot of great things about Grave Mercy, but I was still somewhat sceptical when I bought myself a copy of it right at the beginning of this year. I ended up enjoying it far more than I thought I would, and I loved Dark Triumph even more. I can't wait to get my hands on a copy of Mortal Heart and I'm definitely going to read more of LaFevers' work in future.

Mira Grant: I've read Feed and Deadline this year, and while I'm desperate to finish the trilogy I'm savouring Blackout because I'm not quite ready for this series to end. I'm definitely planning on reading Grant's other series; both her Parasitology series and her October Daye series (written under her real name of Seanan McGuire).

Jenny Colgan: I don't tend to read a lot of contemporary, but for whatever reason I've been on a real contemporary kick this month and in doing so discovered Jenny Colgan. While I thought Welcome to Rosie Hopkins' Sweet Shop of Dreams sounded cute, I had no idea I was going to like it as much as I did. I loved Christmas at Rosie Hopkins' Sweet Shop even more, and now I can't wait to read more of Colgan's work! Next up I'm hoping to read The Christmas Surprise, the next Rosie Hopkins book, and in the year I'm planning on reading Little Beach Street Bakery and The Loveliest Chocolate Shop in Paris. Her books are perfect for people who have a sweet tooth!

Jemma L. King: I don't tend to read a lot of poetry either - something I need to change! - and yet one of the best books I've read this year is The Undressed, a stunning poetry collection by Welsh poet Jemma L. King. I highly recommend checking this collection out, because it's just perfection.

Geraldine Brooks: After reading Year of Wonders earlier this year, which I really enjoyed, I've been meaning to read more of Brooks' work. I've heard wonderful things about March, and I'd like to read Caleb's Crossing, too.

Margaret Atwood: I'm ashamed to say that I hadn't read any of Atwood's fiction until this year when I read The Penelopiad with one of my friends.. I'm really eager to read Alias Grace, and I need to cross The Handmaid's Tale off my TBR, too.

Sarah Waters: I'd been meaning to read some of Waters' work for years, and this year I finally accomplished that goal when I read Affinity back in April. I really enjoyed it and I'm looking forward to reading some of Waters' other novels - particularly Fingersmith.

Shirley Jackson (1916-1965): One of the girls on my course recommended Shirley Jackson to me last year, and after receiving a copy of The Haunting of Hill House last Christmas I got the chance to check her out for myself this year. I still need to read The Lottery, though!

Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1860-1935): Charlotte Perkins Gilman is another author I've been meaning to read for a while, and one that I only managed to cross off my TBR fairly recently when I read The Yellow Wallpaper and Other Stories. She's well known for her feminist fiction, and I'm hoping to read her utopian novel Herland soon!

Who made your list?