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-   -   Who is your favorite author? (https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/showthread.php?t=26490)

  • May 23, 2006, 03:44 AM
    educatedhorse_2005
    Who is your favorite author?
    Who is your favorite author.

    What kind of books do you like to read.

    Mine are William W Johnstone and Louis Lamour.

    Western novels
  • May 23, 2006, 03:57 AM
    valinors_sorrow
    Wow, tough question since I could make a very very long list here. I tend to read all over the map and sometimes several books are "going" at the same time (not read silmultaneously though :D )

    If I had to pick the book that has made the biggest impression on my thoughts so far... it would have to be Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand.

    Who is John Galt? :p

    But some favourite books are also from childhood, and mostly for the gorgeous illustrations in them like The Golden Book of Fairy Tales illustrated by Adrienne Segur, which is still in print I understand.

    Good Question, Demon!
  • May 23, 2006, 04:08 AM
    RickJ
    I haven't read fiction in many years, but a couple of my favorites when I did were

    Michael Crighton (science related fiction but not really "science fiction")
    Allan W. Eckert (based on historical events)
    Stephen King (I was a big fan and even have a handwritten answer to one of my fan letters from him!)

    Lately, I'm on an Ian Wilson kick. (archaeology and history). Have read 3 of his books over the past couple months.
  • May 23, 2006, 04:45 AM
    DJ 'H'
    Mildrid D Taylor - Roll of Thunder Hear my Cry
    Margaret Atwood - The Handmaids Tale
  • May 23, 2006, 09:22 AM
    Nez
    Michael Palin,Dan Cruickshank,Terry Jones,Michael Wood.All travel,and history writers.Their DVD's,and books,are easily found worldwide.
  • May 23, 2006, 09:59 AM
    ScottGem
    For me too, this is a hard question to answer. I have so many favorites and I read so many different genres.

    If I had pick a specific book that had the most influence on me, I can easily name The Great Imposter by Robert Crichton. This was a biography of Ferdinand DeMara. This book very literally changed my life.

    As to favorite genres, I read sci-fi, action, mysteries, political and historical novels among others. Favorite authors include Heinlein, Asimov, Clancy, Ludlum, Follet, Stout, Parker, Grafton, Drury among others.
  • May 24, 2006, 12:30 AM
    educatedhorse_2005
    I also Like Jk Rowling
  • May 24, 2006, 03:25 PM
    orange
    My favorite changes all the time. I tend to go through phases where I read everything by an author and then get sick of them and move on. As others have mentioned, Stephen King, Margaret Atwood, and Michael Crichton are previous favorites of mine. Right now I am into Agatha Christie, as I never read anything of hers before. Some of my all time favorite authors though (who I never get sick of) are Anthony Burgess, Tolkien, C.S. Lewis and Isaac Asimov.
  • May 24, 2006, 03:42 PM
    J_9
    By far Dean Koontz
  • May 24, 2006, 03:43 PM
    valinors_sorrow
    I know what you mean about wearing some of them out Chava! Lately I have been reading and rereading a very short, very sweet kid's book called "Guess How Much I Love You". Anyone else heard of it?

    I am undoubtedly going to wear it out, but for the moment... it just sends me! :p :D :)
  • May 24, 2006, 03:49 PM
    orange
    Hmmm that book sounds familiar... who is the author and illustrator? My favorite kid's books are the Dr. Seuss ones, and also "Good Night Moon", "Where the Wild Things Are", "Harold and the Purple Crayon", and the Arthur series and Little Critter series. I read TONS of kids books now haha, with having the kids around.
  • May 24, 2006, 03:54 PM
    talaniman
    Haven't done a lot of book reading since this dog gone computor got my attention but Steven King was my favorite and loved the movies too!I like the sci-fis and westerns and Jon Carter of Mars series.
  • May 24, 2006, 03:55 PM
    J_9
    OMG Good Night Moon!! That is my little one's favorite
  • May 24, 2006, 08:14 PM
    wizzkid89
    I don't read all that much, I mean I enjoy reading GOOD books, but for me it's hard to find one I classify as good. I can really only think of one author who has changed the way I view the world, J.D. Salinger. I loved catcher in the rye, so much I went out and bought all of his books and read them all. They are so insightful, and his outlook on religion is one that I have never seen before. Also, I really enjoy his style of writing, I like how he writes his books in a stream of conscience kind of way, also I would like to mention another author, not necessarily a writer, but a poet. Robert Frost. I adore his work and I have all of his poems and I think he also has a great out look on life and it's inspiring to read his work.
  • May 24, 2006, 08:39 PM
    qwertyman
    I like Tom Clancy.
  • May 24, 2006, 10:06 PM
    educatedhorse_2005
    I would recommend The Lonesome Gods by Louis Lamour
  • May 24, 2006, 11:15 PM
    kp2171
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by valinors_sorrow
    I know what you mean about wearing some of them out Chava! Lately I have been reading and rereading a very short, very sweet kid's book called "Guess How Much I Love You". Anyone else heard of it?

    I am undoubtedly going to wear it out, but for the moment... it just sends me! :p :D :)


    That is absolutely a cute book.

    Yeah, with the house remodel and the wild 2 year old, these days all I read are the little people books. Just tonight we read chicka chicka boom boom, birthday monsters, and hand hand fingers thumb.

    Oh well. My dusty friends will still be there in the library when I get a chance to say hello again.

    I think the last books I read were the red tent, lamb (story of jesus as told by his childhood friend biff, absolutely funny), and some painful fiction novel I hated but had to read to the end to see if it ever got better. Bleh.
  • May 26, 2006, 05:08 PM
    rudi_in
    I am a fan of Piers Anthony, Terry Brooks, Terry Goodkind, and Robert Jordan. I really enjoy books of fantasy and magic.
  • May 26, 2006, 09:06 PM
    Cynic
    Steve Niles...
  • Jun 8, 2006, 01:05 PM
    jep1982
    My favorite author of all time is Janet Evanovich! She has a great series I've gotten into and am currently waiting for the 12th book!

    Generally, my choice leans towards Courtroom/Lawyer Suspense, Murder Mystery, and an occasional Romance novel with some interesting plots. I also am a huge fan of Real Life Murder Cases... I can thank my Mom for this since she went back to school at 38 and majored in Criminal Justice.:D
  • Jun 9, 2006, 08:38 PM
    Tiffinityrose
    My favorite authors are Jackie Collins, Dean koontz, Iris Johansen, and J.K. Rowlings

    I tend to favor suspense, fantasy, and sci-fi horror.
  • Jul 6, 2006, 12:15 PM
    Kadehadaire
    Margaret Atwood - All her stuff really
    Juliet Marillier - Sevenwaters books
    Jaqueline Carey - Kushiel books
    Emily Maguire - Taming the Beast (highly sexual)
    Many many more
  • Jul 14, 2006, 01:43 AM
    yuta
    Mainly Japanese author simply because I'm Japanese, but these books are worth to read. I'm not sure if these books are translated or not.

    Natsuo Kirino---"Out"
    Murakami Haruki---"Five Spot After Dark"
    Hanamura Mangetsu---"Jin Jin Jin"
    Kenzo Kitamura---"Waiting For The Wind"
  • Sep 1, 2006, 10:38 PM
    GaryArt
    1. Tim Dorsey (Triggerfish Twist, Florida Roadkill)
    2. John Kennedy Toole (A Confederacy of Dunces)
    3. Elmore Leonard (Get Shorty)
    4. Carl Hiassen (Strip Tease, Lucky You)
    5. Kurt Vonnegut (Breakfast of Champions, Sirens of Titan)
    6. Rita Mae Brown (Rubyfruit Jungle)
    7. Frederick Forsyth (Day of the Jackal, The O.D.E.S.S.A. File)
    8. Maya Angelou (I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings)
    9. John D. MacDonald (Pale Grey for Guilt, The Tourquoise Lament)
    10. Robert B. Parker (Spenser detective series)
    11. W.E.B. Griffith (Brotherhood of War series)
    12. Allen Drury (Advise and Consent)
  • Sep 2, 2006, 04:59 AM
    binx44
    My favotite author is Sarah douglass she's writes fantasy novels... personally I think she's one of the best Australian authors since tolken... (The Wayfarer Redemption Series = 6 books in total so far I think.. 3 during "present times" and 3 from their children's lives 40 or 30 years later..
  • Sep 2, 2006, 05:02 PM
    magprob
    I just love the whole gang from MAD magazine. All of them... the whole crazy bunch of them.
  • Sep 6, 2006, 02:36 PM
    celiner
    Good Question.

    Wally Lamb (She Comes Undone-I Know This Much
    Is True)
    Shakespeare (The Taming of the Shrew)
    Jane Austen (mmmm... Mr Darcy)
    Janet Fitch (White Oleander)

    Also I am a closet Nora Roberts reader. Her books are great for when you just want your brain to have a holiday. Perfect beach reading.
  • Sep 25, 2006, 11:55 PM
    Starman
    Hg Wells great: Sci Fi
    Louise Amore's: great Westerns
    Alfred Lord Tennyson: great poetry

    Dean Koontz is interesteing to read as well. Never a dull moment. Some authors having tremendous reputations test the reader's patience. Some of these I have forced myself to read based on their reputation. But it shouldn't be that way.
  • Sep 30, 2006, 11:09 PM
    metalikhan
    Exploring this great website and found this question -- couldn't resist.
    In the SF and fantasy genres: Terry Pratchett, Frank Herbert, Ann McCaffrey. Also liked Stephen King's Dark Tower series, Robin Hobb's Liveship Traders trilogy, Robert Holdstocks' Mythago Wood books, and Louise Cooper's Indigo series.
    Of course, there are the single favorites: Songs from the Drowned Lands, Bridge of Birds, and Moonwise.
    Westerns :anything by Louis L'Amour; I also enjoyed Don Coldsmith's Spanish Bit series about Native Americans.
    Horror/Thrillers: Dean Koontz, Charles Grant
    Classics: Finnegan's Wake, Beowulf, most of Shakespeare's plays, Le Mort d'Arthur (and the numerous versions of the Arthurian legends), The Oddessy and the Iliad (and versions surrounding the people and events surrounding the battle of Troy), Celtic myths and legends, fairytales and The Poetic Edda.
    I love poetry, too, but not much of the contemporary stuff. Favorites include Yeats, Kipling, Pope and Service plus a hefty collection that ranges from ancient Greece and Rome to the Oriental dynasties to the British Isles and more.
    Oh, and I'm still a sucker for beloved children's books such as Heads Up! By Patsy Gray and Shamrock Queen by Marguerite Henry.
    The rest of my reading is non-fiction.
  • Oct 10, 2006, 03:16 PM
    shygrneyzs
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by educatedhorse_2005
    Who is your favorite author.

    What kind of books do you like to read.

    Mine are William W Johnstone and Louis Lamour.

    Western novels

    My favorite author is Sigrid Undset and my favorite book is her work, "Kristin Lavransdatter." Other favorite authors are Hemingway, Hill, and Rolvaag.

    I enjoy reading historical non fiction and fiction, documentaries, biographies, and family histories.
  • Oct 19, 2006, 07:19 AM
    Vicky_27
    Have to say my favourite author is Stephen King. I also really enjoy books by Clive Barker, Irvine Welsh, Patricia Cornwell, Thomas Harris, C.S. Lewis, also Tennyson's poetry is beautiful. And I also love Robert Burns.

    I love to read - so any kind of book really. I always have a book on the go and it doesn't matter to me the genre really! Apart from fiction I also love reading true life stuff - like books about mass murderers, mysteries etc!

    This is a fantastic question. It's really interesting to read about others opinions on this too!
  • Feb 1, 2007, 09:43 PM
    airbats-goku
    I like the usual Stephen King and Dean Koontz

    However, my favorites are:
    Comedy : Janet Evanovich (One For The Money 1 out of twelve in the series!)
    Gothic Type: Anne Rice (Interview With The Vampire or The Witching Hour) - Trust me start
    With these ones as they are the first of two series
    Suspense/Detective: Michael Connelly ( Blood Work, The Black Ice or The Poet) Warning! -
    Not for those who easily get attached to the characters, I've cried
    More than once.
    Classic: Alexandre Dumas ( The Three Musketeers, Twenty Years After, Count of Monte
    Christo, Man in the Iron Mask)

    Hope this helps anyone looking for a good reading workout! Most of these are long books that one has to stick with and pay attention to.
  • Feb 3, 2007, 09:48 PM
    Morganite
    Like many respondents I have several favourite authors. When I was a child I was limited to Enid Blyton and JM Barrie, but now I am grown I have enjoyed and been moved by so many, some of which are:

    The Anglo Saxon Chroniclers
    Jeffrey Chaucer
    William Shakespeare
    Bede
    Louis Golding
    Richard Llewellyn
    John Steinbeck
    Nikos Kazantsakis
    Pushkin
    Winston Churchill
    Charlotte Brunty
    William Dawes
    John Bunyan
    Edgar Allen Poe
    Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
    The Great McGonigle
    Charles ens
    Rudyard Kipling
    Etc...
  • Feb 4, 2007, 01:18 AM
    wizzkid89
    Not enough credit goes to John Steinbeck or J.D. Salinger on this board lol
  • Feb 5, 2007, 10:08 AM
    Morganite
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by wizzkid89
    Not enough credit goes to John Steinbeck or J.D. Salinger on this board lol

    Steinbeck is on my list of favourites.

    But, to be fair, wizzkid, the question asked for personal preferences, so who does and who does not get 'enough credit' is moot. Choosing a favourire anythings is not rocket science. It is nothing more than what appeals to each person. I havre read Salinger, but he does not rank among my 'favourites'.

    :)
  • Feb 5, 2007, 10:21 AM
    Synnen
    I have to agree with Val... [U]Atlas Shrugged[U] changed the way I look at the world more than any other book has.

    Favorites though... Robert Jordan, Tad Williams, George R. R. Martin, J. R. R. Tolkien, Sara Douglass, Mercedes Lackey, Stephen King, Raymond Feist, David Eddings, Terry Goodkind... the list goes on and on.
  • Feb 16, 2007, 03:53 PM
    jmillerascs
    My favorite author is John Irving. The Hotel New Hampshire and A Prayer for Owen Meany are amazing pieces of literature. His last few books have been less than inspiring, though.
  • Feb 18, 2007, 11:28 AM
    ignatz2000
    Donald E. Westlake's Dortmunder series. If you haven't read them you should.
    It's a series of comedy/crime novels.:)
  • Feb 18, 2007, 11:43 AM
    Nosnosna
    Hmm, how did I miss this?

    I don't read enough anymore, even though I spend half my life in a used bookstore. Talking about favorites doesn't mean much, as that varies quite a bit based on the types of books I'm in the mood for. Right now, I'm in the middle of:

    The Masks of God by Joseph Campbell (four book series on comparative mythology)
    A Brief History of Western Philosophy by Bertrand Russell
    Ulysses
    A Song of Ice and Fire by George R R Martin, 4 books thus far of probably 8 total
    Welcome to the Monkey House by Vonnegut... actually, it's rare that I'm not in the middle of this one.
    Dark Seas of Infinity and The Dream Cycle of H.P. Lovecraft, collections of H.P. Lovecraft stories... same as the Vonnegut above
    Shamela by Fielding... haven't actually started it, but I've had it sitting on my desk for two weeks. Maybe I'll actually do that (and then re-read Richardson's Pamela for a laugh) tonight.
    Harry Potter
    Life is Elsewhere, The Joke, and Farewell Waltz by Milan Kundera.
    Anthem, Ayn Rand
    Justine, Marquis de Sade

    ...

    That seems short... I know I'm reading something else now, even leaving out textbooks and other research materials.
  • Feb 18, 2007, 12:38 PM
    tamed
    In terms of fiction, it would have to be Jostein Gaarder, Lemony Snickett and Milan Kundera (probably in that order too), they write so well. When it comes to non-fiction at the moment it would have to be M. Scott Peck I just enjoy his writings.

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