10 Authors Who Ate and Left No Crumbs This Decade

Alright, bookworms and vibe-checkers, buckle up. This isn’t your basic “Oh, these authors are kinda cool.” Nahh, these are the GOATs as these authors didn’t write only, they devoured the literary scenes and had us sobbing, gasping, and throwing their books across the room, in the best way, obvs. Also, while we’re here, let’s talk real: if you’re into stories based on actual tea, WWII tearjerkers, fantasy epics, or millennial messiness, this lineup has covered you. Now, let’s get into these literary baddies.

Meg Waite Clayton

Book Count: 8+ (yep, she’s been busy).

Style: She writes in a style that’s emotional AF but also empowering – like a comforting hug with a splash of “you got this! energy.”

Top Pick: The Last Train to London. WWII drama that punches you right in the feels.

Awards Flex: Finalist for National Jewish Book Award and a certified queen of bestseller lists.

Clayton’s writing is like binge-watching a gripping Netflix series but way more meaningful. Meg gives you a warm hug through her books but the kind that leaves you sobbing into your pillow. You’ll thank me later.

Brit Bennett

Book Count: 2 (quality over quantity, babes).

Style: Deep, raw, and relatable stuff – perfect for your “thinking about life” mood. She gets into identity and family drama like no one else.

Top Pick: The Vanishing Half. Sisters, secrets, and self-discovery. Need we say more?

Awards Flex: TIME’s 100 Must-Read Books of 2020.

Her books feel like a therapy session you didn’t know you needed. She writes like she’s in your head, and lowkey it’s really scary but also so damn good.

Colson Whitehead

Book Count: 8+

Style: Historical fiction with a side of whoa, that’s so deeeep.

Top Pick: The Nickel Boys. Heartbreaking, eye-opening, Pulitzer-winning-you know, casual.

Awards Flex: Oh, just TWO Pulitzers. No big deal. The man is really unstoppable.

Whitehead’s books hit harder than your last existential crisis. It’s more like a history lesson, but way more interesting and way more emotional.

Sally Rooney

Book Count: 3

Style: Gen Z-approved minimalist prose with millennial drama. Love, messiness, and vibes. Perfect for overthinking your life.

Top Pick: Normal People. You’ll relate too hard, and that’s the point.

Awards Flex: British Book Awards’ Book of the Year 2020.

Reading Rooney is like scrolling TikTok at 3 a.m. – weirdly comforting but also making you question your life. He writes for the girlies who are always in their feels. (Yes, that’s you.)

Ocean Vuong

Book Count: 2 (and both are poetic masterpieces).

Style: Lyrical AF, pure poetry, even when he’s writing prose.

Top Pick: On Earth, We’re Briefly Gorgeous. Spoiler Alert: it’s exactly what the title promises.

Awards Flex: MacArthur “Genius” Grant – like, officially a genius.

Reading Ocean is like watching an indie film: beautiful, moving, and hits just right. It’s like he is whispering secrets straight to your soul or staring at a sunset while Lana Del Rey plays in the background.

Maggie O’Farrell

Book Count: 8+

Style: Historical fiction queen with a side of OMG drama.

Top Pick: Hamnet – a fictional take on Shakespeare’s family life, but makes it emotional AF.

Awards Flex: Women’s Prize for Fiction winner.

Thinking about her storytelling? Maggie’s storytelling feels like stepping into a time machine with tissues in hand. So cinematic that you will feel like you are watching a movie in your brain.

Bernardine Evaristo

Book Count: 9

Style: Bold, brilliant, and unapologetically diverse.

Top Pick: Girl, Woman, Other. So many voices, all so real.

Awards Flex: Booker Prize co-winner.

Evaristo writes like she’s schooling you and making you love every second of it. Her pen cuts through stereotypes, leaving you awake AF. A true queen.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Book Count: 6+

Style: Culturally rich and feminist vibes all the way.

Top Pick: Americanah. It’s sharp, it’s witty, it’s everything.

Awards Flex: Orange Prize for Fiction winner.

Adichie’s books = brain food for the soul. A TED Talk you don’t want to end. I bet you!

Emily St. John Mandel

Book Count: 5

Style: Dystopian with a side of poetry. More likely, post-apocalyptic fiction with a literary edge.

Top Pick: Station Eleven. End-of-the-world vibes, but somehow beautiful?

Awards Flex: Arthur C. Clarke Award winner.

She proves dystopia can be weirdly soothing (don’t ask us how).

Brandon Sanderson

Book Count: 40+ (not a typo).

Style: Fantasy wizard. World-building is so good you’ll forget reality.

Top Pick: Mistborn. Magic, mayhem, and pure epicness.

Awards Flex: Goodreads Choice Awards regular.

Sanderson writes faster than you can read, and we’re totally obsessed. His world-building? Chef’s kiss.

Final Mic Drop:

Whether you’re into emotional historical fiction, fantasy epics, or relatable millennial drama, these authors have been serving absolute heat all decade. What are you waiting for? Time to hit the bookstore baddies!

Time to update your TBR pile. Let’s get reading, fam!