There are many authors I love that I’ve discovered over the years I’ve been reading. They are on the list for various reasons, with new ones emerging every single day and others shifting to make place for them. But there are some authors who have made a permanent place for themselves in my heart and have remained there. They, through their writing and the stories they tell, have impacted me so much that were they to ask me of anything in the whole, wide world, I’d do it with my eyes closed.
I’ve already spoken about this and the extent to which I can go in a video. If you’d like to go check that out instead, here’s the link: 7 Authors I’d Do Anything For.
I decided that I wanted to put this in written form as well, especially since as I think I’ve already mentioned before – I express myself better when I write. So here I am with a brand new blog post in which I talk about my favorite authors of all time. Buckle up for some serious fawning and fangirling!
My life and my thinking are so much better because I decided to read Fierce Fairytales one day. Yes, it started off with me becoming obsessed with the cover, but the universe that exists and churns inside of this book created a new one like itself within me. Nikita Gill’s words are kind, compassionate, and like a warm, empathetic embrace while being encouraging, fiery, and powerful. Every time I read them, I have this strange combination of relatable grief and confidence burgeoning in my mind and heart. It tells me that I am important, that I can do whatever I want and put my mind to, that I deserve to air my opinion as much as the next person. And in every moment that I am down, I remember her words and they become the crutch that I can go on living with the help of. I might never be 100% fine. But that’s okay, because Nikita Gill has taught me that you don’t have to be perfect or a 100% okay to be worthy of love and respect.
I could go on for ages about how much I love Nikita Gill and it still wouldn’t be enough. I’m just grateful that she exists and that I had the good sense to pick her books up. She is one poet/author who I would do anything for, unconditionally.
For those of you who don’t follow me on YouTube and Instagram, I must tell you that The Midnight Library is my brand. I’ve cried about it on camera, I’ve gushed over it, I’ve shoved it in people’s faces, and shouted about it from the rooftops because of how much I found myself in it. I’d read Reasons to Stay Alive and Notes on a Nervous Planet and loved them, but it was The Midnight Library that cemented Matt Haig’s status on this list.
Matt Haig’s writing is simple, compassionate, and something you’ll want to listen to at the end of the day. I’ve heard a lot of criticism that there’s nothing new in what he says. But I find comfort and strength in his words. He sees something worthwhile in the world and that there is hope for the future, and despite me looking at the world with a wrinkled nose, I love the way he explains the world’s worth in a way that I appreciate. He funnels his experiences into books and in this process, gives me gems that I hold close to myself. For this, and for so much more, Matt Haig is one of my favorite authors of all time. He holds a special place for me and I’d do anything for him!
My first ever audiobook, The Poet X, is by Elizabeth Acevedo, which makes my connection with her a tad bit more special because of how much I loved it. The coming-of-age story of a teenage girl who is into slam poetry and what she does to live her life was such a powerful punch to the gut for me, I instantly fell in love with it. I have a rapid review of the audiobook (where I gush about it, obviously) on my channel. Here’s the link if you’d like to watch it: The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo.
Elizabeth Acevedo has a powerful, strong voice, be it in writing or her narration or her slam poetry. When you read her or listen to her, it’s like iron gushing through your veins. You feel her power and it will make you want to keep listening to her and keep reading the stories she tells. Every single one of her books so far has this quality, for she knows how to bring out these emotions in a novel in verse format. Her narrating her books herself is the cherry on top, because it elevates the experience of the story, for she puts in nuances to it that only an author can. All of this (and so much more, but I should limit myself here) is why I’m absolutely crazy about Elizabeth Acevedo and would do anything for her!
Sabaa Tahir is an author who I read in 2021 and I lost my mind over her Ember Quartet. There’s footage of me crying over it and only I know how much more I edited out. But oh, what a genius she is! For those books are nuanced in so many more ways than one. The plot weaves through fluidly and the character development is fabulous. A fantasy with so many disparate elements that fit together easily like a jigsaw puzzle, took over my brain and my heart and instantly pushed Sabaa onto this list. It’s a shame I haven’t yet been able to read her latest book, All My Rage, but I will soon. It’s a determined promise to myself.
Plus, it’s not just her books that make Sabaa the legend that I think she is. If you look at her Instagram, you’ll see reels and posts that are so funny and quirky, it makes me smile every single time. The way she stays connected to the people she writes for is so incredibly beautiful, it makes me love her even more. She is so great, so fantastic, and for this and more, I know that my connection with her will always remain special. Yes, she doesn’t know I exist, but I’d do anything for her. Really.
My connection with Jhumpa Lahiri was like what John Green said in The Fault in Our Stars: “I fell in love the way you fall asleep: slowly and then all at once.”
I started reading Lahiri with The Clothing of Books in 2019 and was instantly impressed, although not to the degree of fanaticism that has overcome me this year. I loved how she stressed on the importance of book covers. As against the saying, “Don’t judge a book by its cover”, Lahiri says that a book’s cover is a key selling point and to dismiss its importance is to do it an injustice. And though I know the vein of that saying is a tad different, I understand what she adds to it and love her for it.
But since 2021, my connection to Jhumpa Lahiri has grown in leaps and bounds. From Whereabouts, a collection of essays by an unnamed solitary narrator in Rome, to In Other Words, where she talks about everything related to learning a new language, to Translating Myself and Others, where she talks about being a narrator: I find so much of myself in these books that the very memory of them makes me cry. It’s like she took parts of me and put them in there while giving meaning to my existence and to language as a whole. This connection is the reason why, if she were to ask me for anything, I would do it with eyes closed and without question.
John Green is an author I’ve been fawning over for eight years now and I could safely say he was one of the very first authors to make it to my favorite authors of all time list. I discovered him after having watched the movie for The Fault in Our Stars and boy, oh, boy, I had no idea what was in store for me! Although, I must say, I think I must be grateful after all. And I am.
There’s no bias when I say I have loved all the books I’ve read by him so far. His latest, The Anthropocene Reviewed has become one of my favorite nonfiction books of all time, given the way he rates humanity based on his experiences. He has this capability of putting out serious topics and making his points with a wit, humor, and sarcasm that it becomes easy for you to fall in love with his writing. There’s absolutely no other way to say it except that I love his works, the way he interacts on social media, his stoic but ironic narration of his audiobooks, his characters – and so much more. If there was one author who could make a fictional character make you feel warmth from within, that would be John Green.
If you’ve read The Song of Achilles and loved it, you’ll know why Madeline Miller is on this list. Her writing is beautiful, full of angst and feeling that it settles down in your heart and fills you with longing. She makes sure to transport you back to whatever time she is talking about. As you read this story of Achilles and Patroclus, Madeline Miller’s writing makes you feel like everything is happening right before your eyes and this increases that wrench in your gut multifold. I personally felt helpless, watching this unfold in my mind’s eye and all I could do was cry.
Madeline Miller is a stark example of what powerful writing is. It makes the reader want to help the characters in the story, it makes them want to get involved and solve whatever problems are on the characters’ heads. And when it comes to mythological fiction and retellings, the way Madeline Miller does it is a mind-blowing experience to say the least. She wields this power with confidence, power, and brilliance, and it shows. Because that’s what caused me to fall in love with her writing and that’s what convinced me that whatever she asked me, I’d happily do for her.
So those were my favorite authors of all time and the 7 authors I would do anything for. Which of these authors have you read? Which of these do you want to read? Which authors are your favorites? Who would you do anything for? Let me know in the comments below. I’d love to hear from you. ❤
I’ll see you soon in the next blog post.
Until next time, keep reading and add melodrama to your life! 😀
The Melodramatic Bookworm 
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