TOP TEN TUESDAYS | POPULAR AUTHORS I HAVEN’T READ YET

When I found out this week’s TTT topic, I told myself to not make a list that consists of 100% YA authors.  Or at least make a separate list for them.  The book blogging community is inundated with YA-related discussion, reviews, giveaways, and conversation.  More than half of the names, I haven’t even heard of before.  That’s an entry right there.  I’ve only been dipping into the apparently magical world of YA.  But there are other names in the game that I’ve heard of so many times before, even bought their books, but never really read it.

There are a couple of very popular authors that I initially wanted to include but then again, I’ve read at least ONE of their work.  One out of 234907, that is.  For Neil Gaiman, I’ve read – and not finished – one.  Same with Max Brooks.  They don’t count anymore.

This week’s Top Ten Tuesday , we’re hanging our heads in shame and admitting to the fact that we’ve not read ALL the popular authors! Try not to judge us too much.

I feel that I’m familiar with a lot of these authors’ books because of screen adaptations.  For example, I own and read a lot of Stephen King in high school.  I love Firestarter starring Drew Barrymore… but I’ve never actually read the book.  I have it, I started reading a few pages but Stephen King being Stephen King, it became too tedious for me.  The same with The Shining, I watched it but never read it.  I’ve subjected myself to a couple of Nicholas Sparks because my friends said it’s the only author they’d read.  Please, let me be a warning… don’t do it.  If you want Sparks so bad, watch the movie adaptation.  At least that has hot guys.

I’m not a stranger to “collecting” bibliographies though.  I’m almost complete with James Rollins‘ Sigma Force series of books as well as George RR Martin‘s A Song of Ice and Fire.  I do like these character-driven mystery series occupied by the likes of Dan Brown, Tess Gerritsen, Steve Berry, and the late Robert Ludlum.  I seem used book stores with monotone shelves lined with all the books of these authors, spines ranging from good as new to tattered and loved.

So… off the top of my head, here we go:

1. John Green.  I am avoiding The Fault in Our Stars until the very last minute.  Hype is not a good thing, y’all.

2. Laurell K. Hamilton.  I love Anne Rice and her type of vampire fiction.  I was told that Miss Hamilton’s work is similar to that.  But all I’ve heard about her is her dislike of fanfiction.

3. Sophie Kinsella and Meg Cabot.  Their topics are simply not my thing.  I might pick one up when I’m bored at the dentist’s waiting room but to make it a point to follow everything they’ve done?  No, too many and my interest is just not there.

4. Jonathan Kellerman and Sue Grafton.  These authors are used bookstore staples.  I see Kellerman’s name all the time but I don’t really know much about him.  I’m told he’s in the mystery genre so I might remedy this in the future.  And NGL, I have most of Grafton’s Alphabet mystery series.  I just have no idea where to start.  I kept on pushing it further back until I forgot about it.  Also, David Baldacci.

5.   Margaret Atwood.  I’ve been meaning to read her work for yeaaaars.  I never had any of her books until late last year and still I haven’t read it.  I’ve heard nothing but great things, I need the time. *hangs head in shame*

6. Nora Roberts and Mary Higgins Clark.  Another used bookstore regular.  Roberts is everywhere.  But I don’t have any of her stuff.  And Clark?  I see her books at grocery stores and my local Rite Aid, for crying out loud.

7. James Patterson, John Grisham, and Tom Clancy.  I’ve watched all the film/tv/game adaptations of their books but I’ve never read a single one.  Hollywood kept churning them out faster than I can read any of them.

8.   Salman Rushdie.  He’s Padma Lakshmi‘s ex-husband.

9. Keira Cass.  When her book, Selection, came out, I came across the most scathing reviews before I found relatively favorable ones.  And even those aren’t really positive.  Ally Condie.  The premise of her series is interesting.  The blurb is not.  Sara Shepard.  I don’t even watch Pretty Little Liars.  Tahereh Mafi.  I love her husband’s (??) work so she should be under my radar, right?  Not really.

10. Rainbow Rowell. That’s her real name, right?  I have Eleanor & Park but there are other books in my queue that interest me more.

So I cheated.  Again.  Haha!  There’s simply too many books and authors and so little time.  If you’ve read anything from these authors, I’m open to recommendations.  Thanks!