T - Authors from A to Z Challenge

Authors from A to Z is a posting challenge hosted by 

Heather at Proud Book Nerd. The challenge is simple: each day for the month of June (except Sundays) share your favorite authors whose last name corresponds to the letter for that day.  For more info, click the photo!

How I'm participating in the challenge:

I am trying to highlight at least three authors (YA or otherwise) per letter, some current favorites, others future favorites. If I cannot come up with three, I will substitute favorite books that start with the letter of that day. If that doesn't work, then just for fun I am going to list songs that start with the letter of that day. And if that doesn't work, well, it will be a surprise!

Today's Letter: T

J.R.R. Tolkien

Surely you saw this coming.  As much as I love Harry Potter, Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings was my first fangirl obsession.  Tolkien is a master of description, but his prose style isn't for everyone.  The Hobbit is easier on the brain than LOTR, but all the great bits are still there.  The stories of Middle Earth are nonetheless fantastic.  But not only did Tolkien write the seven books (yes, technically, it is seven books) that make up what most know of his work, he also created an entire, ridiculously thorough history of Middle Earth, complete with multiple languages, some of which dedicated fans actually know how to speak.  I even took a class on Tolkien and his work (which I aced!), so yeah, I'm a big fan.  I don't really think of Tolkien as merely an author, but a genius creator of a world I love.

Rumiko Takahashi

Inuyasha.  Seriously, one of my all-time favorite mangas/animes.  A unique and fun cast of characters, including frenemies and villains, and a time-jumping story with lots and lots of supernatural happenings (including the half-demon Inuyasha who is too adorably jerky for words) makes this a long and fun ride.  If you haven't picked this up by this writer/illustrator who has written several series, all I have to say is, "Sit!"

Leo Tolstoy (Future Favorite)

Okay, I know this is weird, having this Russian author of classics as my "future" favorite, but I can explain.  See, a while back, I read some Dostoyevsky and found I really have a thing for Russian literature.  I've read some small things by Tolstoy, bits and pieces really, and I want to read more.  What I know of his life is pretty interesting, and he has a lot of classics out there.  I just need to get to a point where I can sit and digest what I'm reading, because if it is anything like Dostoyevsky, I'm going to have to think through all of it, which is a good thing.