Top Ten Favorite Authors

I am doing this as my first link-up with the lovely ladies over at The Broke and the Bookish who host this little get together ever week.

This week the topic is our top ten favorite authors and I have no problem whatsoever coming up with ten of them. Just to clarify when I say my favorite authors I mean that these are auto buy people for me. To make it more interesting I am going to include a short little description of why I love them, which might help clarify why I will spend my money on them.

1) J.K. Rowling

I really don't think I need to elaborate on this one that much, do you? I grew up in the middle of pottermania, though to be clear I knew about the books before the midnight releases and movie premiers. Like so many others out there these books helped me get through some tough adolescent years and I will buy and read anything that this author puts out. Whether under her name or a pen name.

If you like someone who is a master as storytelling and world building then I recommend this person.

2) Anne Tyler

I love her writing style and her characters. It just all feels so real to me and she has ingenious insight into the inner workings of a family and what it means to be human. Her characters are so real that I often forget that they are not sitting with me as a living breathing human being. They are flawed and the author makes no illusion to the fact that anyone in her book is perfect. It is such a sigh of relief to have openly flawed characters who are genuinely good people at heart but are just slightly struggling in some aspect of their life. The families in her books are also flawed but there is an underlying theme of love and commitment to each other that brings them together as a whole in the end. I will buy and read anything that she writes forever and always to the end.

If you like someone who can weave together the inner workings of a typical family full of drama, heartache, and ultimately love then I recommend this person.

3) Amy Tan

This is another author that offers amazing insight into what it means to be human and function in a family unit, however she focuses mainly on the immigration side of this. As a descendent of immigrants who came to this country to make a better life for themselves and who struggled with the need to fit into the new environment and the desperation to hold onto their customs and traditions I can relate to the characters. My great-grandparents never learned to speak English and I saw my grandfather struggle to keep the balance between his two lives. This is a common theme in all of her books and you come to love all of her characters as they struggle to keep the balance when they are torn between two worlds.

If you like someone who focuses on trying to choose between the world of your parents and the world that you will ultimately have to function in then I recommend this author.

4) Ian McEwan

I read Atonement and then promptly went and picked up a number of other books by this author. I will admit that the story is a tad bit dry at times and not a whole lot happens in terms of excitement factor. It is mainly about the main character allowing her imagination to take hold of her and the guilt she feels when she realizes that she blamed the wrong man for a crime that happened during her childhood. The ending is a twist that I did not see coming and I cannot wait to read more from him. His characters are relatable and intriguing and his writing style is poetic.

If you like stories that do not have a lot of action but plenty of inner turmoil and a plot twist that will knock your socks off then I recommend this author.

5) Rainbow Rowell

How do I tell my love for thee Rainbow Rowell. You speak to my heart and I feel like your characters were handpicked from my life and plopped into the world that you created in your books. The story that you tell could easily be my story or that of someone that I know which is why I love your books.

If you like a really good contemporary novel with loveable characters and a funny plotline then I recommend this author.

6) Neil Shusterman

His novels are a bit darker than these previous ones and I am a little bit worried about how he ever came up with the plotlines because they are disturbing. However, as a lover of all things sci-fi I always just eat them up. I do not necessarily read his books because of characters or writing style, even though I don't have a problem with either. It is mainly for the world building, plot line, and under lying themes on society.

If you like books that have a darker side to them and are at times a little bit much to handle then I recommend this author.

7) Cassandra Clare

All I have to say on this on is haters gonna hate. I know that a lot of people either love or hate her books. I am more on the love side of this one. I think that her Mortal Instruments series was phenomenal and I cannot wait for the Infernal Devises series. I will be the first to admit that there are times when the characters get on my nerves and she is no Shakespeare as far as writing goes but hey they are enjoyable and I own all of her series.

If you like slightly sassy characters and a little bit of romance that is marred by the paranormal aspect of the book then I recommend this author.
 
8) Scott Westerfield

I think that his Uglies series is pure genius. Not only were the characters likeable and slightly badass but the book actually made me stop and think for a moment. Which is an automatic five star for me. I really enjoyed looking at what the world would be like if they made everybody "equal" because it strips away your very essence. Yes, there are times when looking like a supermodel would be awesome and very useful but if that means losing myself in the process I have to say that I would like to stay ugly. And by ugly I mean I want to stay looking like myself and not giving into society's standard of beauty.

If you like authors who make you stop and think for a moment while keeping you entertained and on the edge of your seat for the entire book then I recommend this author.

9) Lois Lowry

I cannot say enough about this author because I love the Giver series. It takes a truly gifted writer to be able to write four books that do not necessarily follow the same story line but in the end weave all of it together in a ending that not only clears up any loose ends but will warm your heart. The writing style is phenomenal and the characters will stay with you long after the book is finished. Again this author looks at what would happen if individuality were stripped away in the prospect of sameness. It really does take away the essence of who you are and in these novels the price is the ability to love. I am now so excited about the series I may have to give it a proper re-read.

If you like stories that do not follow a chronological order but are cleverly interwoven and make you think about underlying social commentary then I recommend this author.

10) Harper Lee

While she has currently only one book out there is going to be another one in July. And you know that I have pre-ordered it and am waiting with bated breath. I love To Kill a Mockingbird and have re-read it numerous times. There is a childlike innocence in the book that just makes it a magical experience. Again the book really makes you think but this time it is towards the treatment of others. No matter who you are there will be biases because that is a part of life, but you cannot let these biases interfere with your treatment of others. Everyone deserves to be treated as a worthwhile human being and this author explores what it means to be just and fair towards everyone.

Again if you like a book that makes you think and a writing style that is both childlike and eloquent then I recommend this author.

An the honorable mention goes to Phillip Pullman. Because I really enjoyed his Dark Materials series but he is not on the auto buy list so I couldn't include him in the top ten but I wanted to give a shout out to him.

That is it, that is my top ten favorite authors.

Happy Reading!