Apr 23 2008
Favorite Authors (Part I)
Last night I was contemplating the enormous amount of books I own (and the ones I wish to acquire) and their imminent move (the movers always sigh when they see the paperbacks, then groan when they see all our biology and medical texts). I was asked recently to list my favorite authors and why… I quickly came up with a list of thirty authors of which I own at least one book. There’s more, but I’ll start with these. I’ve alphabetized to be fair. Here’s the first ten.
Mary Kay Andrews. Southern women’s fiction – women in a crisis and how they cope. Her first novel was set in Savannah, GA and I read it while living there. Great writing style. While writing this list, I discovered there’s a new one I haven’t read!
Jane Auston. Sense and Sensability and all the others.
Marion Zimmer Bradley. Her Mists of Avalon and others in the series are pure joy to read.
Dan Brown. The Davinci Code is great, but so are his other books.
Bill Bryson. He’s a travel writer. He’s best known for A Walk in the Woods and it is funny. So are his other books.
Lee Child. I love his character Jack Reacher and his fast writing style.
Jennifer Crusie. Fun – and different from what I’ve read in the past. I’ve just started reading her work and have several more books to go.
Clive Cussler. I love the history combined with adventure. I prefer his earlier, solo work.
Diane Mott Davidson. Mysteries solved by a caterer. And you get recipes.
Aaron Elkins. He writes about a forensics anthropologist who keeps stumbling over skeletons on vacations and solving the mystery that surrounds them.
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To be continued…
7 responses so far
My all time favorite author is definitely Jane Austen. I just watched 2005 movie adaptation of Pride and Prejudice (my favorite book) and enjoyed it. Still, the best adaptation is 1995 BBC 6-part series. I also enjoyed the books by Dan Brown and Marion Zimmer Bradley. I find myself gravitating towards myths, fantasy, mystery and historical fictions lot more than others. Can’t wait to see what other authors you like.
Wow–you’ve got a great range. I can’t wait to see the rest of your list. I remember how amazed I was when I tore through Da Vinci Code, but I think I like Angels and Demons better. And MZB has been in my TBR pile for a while so I’ll move her up now. Can’t say that I’ve heard of Mary Kay Andrews, but after my recent success with Joshilyn Jackson, I’ll give her a try. Thanks for the tips!
Hyun – I’ve been meaning to watch that whole series. I’ll have to get on that. And I love mystery and historical fiction. Its great when the two are combined.
Pam – I ordered Eileen Rendall from my library on your tip so I’m glad I can return the favor. I just picked up ‘The Girl Who Stopped Swimming’ so Joshilyn Jackson might be a favorite soon as well. And I do find myself torn between ‘Da Vinci Code’ and ‘Angels and Demons’. Like you, my husband prefers ‘A & D’.
I liked Angels and Demons better too. I so wish I had more hours in the day so I could read more! Thanks for sharing your favorites. I’m going to have to check out Diane Mott Davidson and Aaron Elkins. Next to romance, mysteries are my favorite.
I like it best when mysteries have romance in them. One thing about the mystery writers to keep in mind is that they often have a running series. I find I’m always happiest if I start back at the beginning (or read a current one and then start with their first book).
I have enjoyed several books by Phillipa Gregory and Rosalind Miles. Have you read any of their books?
I’ve read one by P.G., but not the other. I’ll have to keep those names in mind as well. Thanks.