Fave authors

I came up with a list of favorite authors. I decided I should do this so I can be on the lookout for books by these people and not fear that I'm missing them.

Here goes:

Cecilia Ahern
Maeve Binchy
Elizabeth Berg
Jennifer Coburn
Megan Crane
Emily Giffin
Marian Keyes
Sophie Kinsella
Cara Lockwood
Liane Moriarty
Sinead Moriarty
Anne Tyler

Nick Hornby
Eric Jerome Dickey
Patrick Sanchez

Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez
Alison Pace
Meg Cabot
Jane Green
Lisa Jewell

Valerie Frankel
Melissa Senate
Jennifer Weiner

They are in no particular order. Also, I'm a little fickle...if someone's last book wasn't the best (e.g., John Irving, Gregory Maguire), they might not be on the list right now, but I might put them back later. Especially if they write something yummy.

I'm teaching tonight at a private club. I'm relieved that tonight's class is 6:30 pm, not 7 am like the last class I taught there. Bearette is just not a morning person. She wishes she could be, but it's not meant to be.

We're probably going to see Click (Adam Sandler) on Friday. He has really come a long way since Billy Madison. He's going to be in a 9/11-based drama, called Empty City. I'm not sure how it will turn out. But I guess he's trying to expand his repertoire.

I'm still revising "The Book", otherwise known as Behaving Badly. I feel like it's getting better and better and I can *envision* it being published someday (which does not mean I think it's ready yet, and I know it will take a lot of work and some luck to achieve that). But I do enjoy the writing itself. And I'm getting together with M in July to critique each other's writing. She's a little upset because she hasn't been able to write lately. I think everything is harder when you have 2 small children. And her husband doesn't like to be left alone with them.

Comments

Anonymous said…
I think Amy Tan would also be on my list, even though her last one was a dud. :)

(how are you liking Digging??)
Lisa said…
No Atwood? No Morrison? No Armstrong?

There are some on your list I'm not familiar with, but most I'd agree with. Well, except for Binchy.
Anonymous said…
I used to love Binchy and bought every book she published. But I don't know-- I just haven't enjoyed her last few nearly as much. I still read Circle of Friends and The Glass Lake over and over, though. ;)

I also really like her short stories.
Bearette said…
Liz - yeah, it was a dud, wasn't it? I think it was a case of her trying something really different and it didn't work out. i might add her back though. i like digging so far although it seems different too...and i'm wondering the way she presents iranian people is accurate...i guess after reading persepolis i can't help comparing it to that.

Lisa - don't diss the Binchy ;) Or should that be La Binchy, like La Lohan? nope, doesn't work. Atwood...hmm. she's ok but a little creepy. Morrison...ponderous. Armstrong...haven't read yet.
Bearette said…
i actually had the opportunity to meet toni morrison...she teaches at princeton and one of d's summer employees went to princeton at the time and invited us to some event where toni would be. maybe i should have gone for the story value ;)
Bearette said…
Liz - i read "light a penny candle" over & over as a kid, and wanted to name my kid aisling ;)
This suzy said…
One of my favourite authors is Barbara Kingsolver. I love to read The Poisonwood Bible multiple times, and it's probably her best known book. But I also really like Prodigal Summer.
Bearette said…
i like barbara, too. but i wish she'd write something new! :)
Lisa said…
You passed on seeing Toni Morrison?! Bearette! I have yet to see her, but I did spend a Saturday watching a three-hour interview with her on CSPAN-2. I still have it on tape somewhere.
Bearette said…
Hehe. I will let you know if the opportunity comes up again ;)
This suzy said…
I wish that too!! I keep checking any time I'm in a bookstore. lol
Anonymous said…
I just stumbled upon your blog so I hope you don't mind a stranger commenting...

A good list of authors there -- some I guess I should check out! Someone I love is Ann Packer but I wish she'd write another novel one of these days...
Elsa said…
There are quite a few on your list that I haven't read, however, I do like Nick Hornby and Ann Tyler and I did read Good in Bed by Jennifer W. One of my favorite authors is John Steinbeck - just timeless. I also enjoy Chuck Palahniuk, Tom Perrotta (I just recently discovered him), Michael Cunningham, John Irving, Jonathan Safran Foer and Ian McEwan.
Bearette said…
Hi Ashley! I liked The Dive from Clausen Pier...i wish she would write something else too.

E, I like John Irving & Perrotta as well. I find JSF to be a little full of himself but I read him anyway. My mother loved Atonement, but I found it depressing :(
Anonymous said…
Elsa -- Tom Perrotta is, hands down, my favorite contemporary author. It's SO funny you mention him because I teach high school and our librarian is on a crusade to ban his most recent (Little Children) from the library (apparently she can't handle the fact that there's a reference or two to "sucking dick" in there...).

And, yes, Dive was really good. Has anyone read any Curtis Sittenfeld? I liked Prep and want to check out her latest...

As for JSF, I smiled at your comment, Bearette. My friend and I are constantly laughing about his apparent "hipster quotient." (I am kind of talking out my ass here because I haven't read more than a short story of his, but whatever...).

I take it you're writing a novel, Bearette? Me too!
Elsa said…
Bearette - Yes, Atonement was a definitely a downer, but I loved it. I really like McEwan's writing style and his story lines. I've also read Saturday and Amsterdam.

Ashley - I wanted to read The Dive when it came out in harcover, then didn't. Then it came out in paperback and I meant to pick it up and then I forgot about it unti you just mentioned it. It sounded like a good (possibly sad) story. Regarding Tom Perrotta, I just picked The Wishbones as the July pick for my book club. I just recently read Little Children and loved it.
Elsa said…
I can't believe I forgot to mention Jeffrey Eugenides as one of my favorites! I LOVED his book Middlesex - definitely one of my favorite books ever!
Anonymous said…
Elsa- I loved that book (Middlesex). I was sad when I got to the last page!
Lisa said…
I loved "Middlesex," too. And that reminds me of a book I read at the same time that I really liked---"Brick Lane" by Monica Ali. I'm looking forward to her new one.

I really liked the new Sittenfeld; didn't agree with the critics at all. They obviously were never shy, confused, awkward girls.

Two other authors I'd recommend: Kate Atkinson and Donna Tartt.
Bearette said…
Ashley - hehe ;) His wife, Nicole Krauss, actually writes really similarly. And he always dedicates his books to "Nicole, my idea of beautiful." Isn't that a little insulting? Yup, I'm writing a book too. And I think it's really cool that you're an English teacher (I visited your blog)...and oh yeah, I like Curtis too.

E - The Wishbones is my favorite Perrotta ever. He was on an earlier, longer version of this list - as were Curtis and Eugenides. But i had to trim it down...it was 2 pages.

Liz & Elsa - Eugenides trivia: he lives on the Haight in San Fran ; I was able to figure this out b/c he's in my college database.

Lisa - ditto on Middlesex. I couldn't get into Brick Lane, though for a while I was seeing it everywhere. Kate was on the earlier list of favorites - i loved the museum one and case histories. I have her new one on my wish list. Donna Tartt is good too. I can see why you like her - she's a little Atwoodesque. :)
Caro said…
I used to love Mary Higgins Clark.

Sadly, her last few books haven't been so great either.
Perplexio said…
Hornby's kind of hit or miss with me-- I loved About a Boy and High Fidelity but was underwhelmed by How to Be Good and I've been in no rush to read his latest.

Speaking of authors who fall on and off the list-- last night I just finished Adam Davies' Goodbye Lemon and enjoyed it far more than his debut, The Frog King.
Bearette said…
Awesome! I put it on my wish list.

I agree, How to be Good was underwhelming. But not actively bad.
Anonymous said…
the last was me, posting under my blogger ID, apparently...
Bearette said…
Ashley/Pop Scholar - thanks! I love book recommendations. i am going to check out crossing california. i'm assembling a big ol' wish list over at amazon (i use it to remind me what to get at the library - my hold list is full).

i actually have the tropper book in my pile!

i can't remember that scene but i remember really liking the book as a whole.
Roxanne said…
Let us not forget to add James Frey to the list. ;)
Bearette said…
hehe ;) As carolyn pointed out, he is a fine fiction writer :)
Elsa said…
Liz - That's exactly how I felt when I got to the end of Middlesex. I wish he would come out with another book soon.

Lisa - My sister also enjoyed Donna Tartt's Secret History.

Perplexio - I read Horby's latest - A Long Way Down and I enjoyed it.

Ashley - Thanks for the suggestion on The Dive.

Bearette - Now I'm so glad I picked The Wishbones for my book club since it was your favorite. I can't wait to read it!
Lora said…
So many good books, so little time... You had skipped some of my faves, but I see they mentioned by others in comments.I'm still vey disappointed by John Irving's last book. He's simply not prolific enough to write bad books.
Bearette said…
Yes, his last book was awful. I'm hoping his next is much better.

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