As 2013 becomes just a faint memory, here are some authors who made 2013 more interesting for readers. They may be curmudgeons, partial recluses and potentially very confusing to us, but they’re our authors and we love them (most of them) anyway!
Jonathan Franzen

Image via Macmillan
Because, why not? Franzen made a splash reminding us all that he’s the resident
literary curmudgeon with his dislike (and to some extent lack of understanding of) Twitter and social media in general. But, because he’s Franzen, this was literary news for months, giving those of us interested in books and members of “literary Twitter” something to talk about.
J.K. Rowling

Image via JK Rowling’s Official Site
Of course, right? When Rowling was unmasked (
unpenned?) as Robert Galbraith the author of
unsuccessful detective novel The Cuckoo’s Calling we were all given yet another thing to talk about. And, quite possibly another reason to love Rowling, who wanted to try out something new and not rely on name recognition to sell the book. Recently, her
lawyer was fined for breaking her confidentiality.
Meg Wolitzer
(Credit: Wikimedia Commons)
Meg Wolitzer used her book tour for
The Interestings as a platform to discuss the publishing industry’s alarming choices for the covers of all books written by women, regardless of topic. This was most famously covered in a
Salon interview.
Jennifer Weiner
Image via the New Yorker
Obviously you know how I feel about Weiner’s escapades. While the New Yorker piece was published in January, Weiner made quite a splash throughout the entire year–most notably taking the New York Times Book Review to task for not featuring “chick lit” review.
What author did you find most interesting this year? Did I miss someone you think should be on the list? Let me know!