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Sep
23
Tuesday Thingers: Favorite Authors
2008 at 8am Posted by Rebecca Joines Schinsky
Today’s prompt: Favorite Authors. Who do you have named in your LT account as favorite authors? Why did you choose them? How many people share your choices? Can you share a picture of one of them?
I have eight favorite authors listed, though I think the list is actually a bit longer. They are:
Margaret Atwood (shared by 430 other LTers). Read my review of The Handmaid’s Tale here.
Bill Bryson (shared by 286)
John Irving (shared by 327)
Jhumpa Lahiri (shared by 73—that’s surprisingly low for such a great author, don’tcha think?) I reviewed Interpreter of Maladies here last week.
Toni Morrison (shared by 141) I’m chomping at the bit to read my ARC of A Mercy. Isn’t she lovely?
Mary Roach (shared by 20)
Richard Russo (shared by 67) I really expected this number to be higher…I think he’s one of the best contemporary American writers we have.
David Sedaris (shared by 247)
I chose to add these authors because I’ve loved everything I’ve read of theirs. With the exception of Atwood and Bryson, I’ve read and loved every book they’ve published. Well, I haven’t finished reading all of Morrison’s critical essays, but I’m close. Mary Doria Russell was also a contender because I loved The Sparrow so much, but I didn’t find her more recent novels to be quite as wonderful.
Who are your favorite authors?
Ooh, that reminds me I meant to add Margaret Atwood to my list.
I read ‘Dress your family in…’ by David Sedaris long back and I loved the book. Since then whenever I go to any bookstore, I always ask if there is any other book by him. And surprisingly there is none. It makes me want to bang my head on the wall.
I like Jhumpa Lahiri too.
Oooh, I just added authors this morning after I read the question, and I can’t believe I forgot John Irving.
Violet: Sedaris has several others, beginning with Holidays on Ice, Naked, Me Talk Pretty One Day, Dress Your Family, and most recently, When You Are Engulfed in Flames.
Russo had me from his first book. My favorite author, hands down.
Margaret Atwood is on my list too.
I too love Lahiri, and I’m also a big fan of Jennifer Weiner, Geraldine Brooks, Marisa de los Santos and Sarah Addison Allen. Not sure why all my favorites are women . . . ?
Meg: I like de los Santos quite a bit, but the big twists at the ends of her books turned me off a bit. I am looking forward to seeing her at the Nat’l Book Festival in DC this weekend, though. I’ve been meaning to read Geraldine Brooks for a while and haven’t gotten around to it.
I really liked one of Mary Doria Russell’s later books and have just ordered a copy of The Sparrow from Paperback Swap.
I love Lahiri, but I’ve only read Intepreter of Maladies! I’ve been waiting…and waiting…and waiting…for Unaccustomed Earth from the library. The Namesake was difficult for me to get into.
What a great list! I’ll have to add John Irving to mine. I haven’t worked on my favorite authors list since I joined…
Rebecca, I totally see your point about the big twists . . . it did get a bit predictable by the end of “Belong to Me.” But I’m totally jealous you’re heading to the festival this weekend! I’m DYING to go (I even wrote a whole stupid blog about it!) but am stuck working . . . Have triple the fun for me, too!
Hey, even though Ti already did this, I’m giving you an award!
[...] Do you have a favorite author? I have several favorites, but for the sake of today’s conversation, I’ll go with Toni Morrison, who [...]