Apart for Terry who do you consider the best writers?

[Maria]

Just discovered Sophie Hannah's and Peter James' books. Strange relationship between the two main characters in Sophie's books. I seem to be going through a phase for crime books. I need to get back into reading something more fun. Any suggestions for light hearted authors?

[Quatermass]

Difficult to say who exactly are the best authors, besides Terry Pratchett. I have so many of them. I could make a list...why not?

*Charles Dickens (Especially Bleak House)

*Alexandre Dumas, pere (The Count of Monte Cristo)

*Mary Shelley (Frankenstein was pretty damn good to read, given how long ago it was written)

*Oscar Wilde (The Picture of Dorian Gray was excellent)

*George Orwell (Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four. 'nuff said)

*JRR Tolkien

*David Whitaker, Terrance Dicks, Malcolm Hulke (their Doctor Who novelisations inform much of my own writing style)

*Frank Herbert (Dune is THE best science fiction novel of all time, IMO)

*Thomas Harris

*Stephen King

*SA Wakefield

*Mark Gatiss

*Marc Platt (Lungbarrow is one of the best Doctor Who books ever written)

*Lawrence Miles

*Paul Cornell

*Kate Orman

*Eoin Colfer

*JK Rowling

*Douglas Adams

*William Gibson

*Ben 'Yahtzee' Croshaw (his first published novel Mogworld shows that if he stuck to novels rather than Zero Punctuation, he'd rival Pratchett)

*Alan Moore (Watchmen and V for Vendetta)

*Thomas Harris

*Naoki Urasawa (Monster is the closest manga I have ever read that is close to literature)

*Tsugumi Ohba (Death Note. 'nuff said)

*Michael Dobbs (House of Cards was a real eye-opener)

*Lois McMaster Bujold (Her creation of Miles Vorkosigan is the only science fiction character that I would seriously consider capable of matching wits with the Doctor)

[Ioustina]

Apart from Terry Pratchett, I like:

Tolkien
Roald Dahl
Doestoievki
Saint Exupéry
Neil Gaiman
Ken Follett
Piers Anthony
PG Wodehouse
Terry Goodkind
JK Rowling

These are the first names coming to my mind.

[pip]

Apart from Terry Pratchett, I like:

Tolkien
Roald Dahl
Doestoievki
Saint Exupéry
Neil Gaiman
Ken Follett
Piers Anthony
PG Wodehouse
Terry Goodkind
JK Rowling

These are the first names coming to my mind.

Good list.
With Ken Follett do you like all his work or specifically the Historical stuff.
Loved Pillars of the Earth and World without end
Have the last book sitting in my to read pile.
Tried some of the crime books but didn't feel it.

[Ioustina]

Apart from Terry Pratchett, I like:

Tolkien
Roald Dahl
Doestoievki
Saint Exupéry
Neil Gaiman
Ken Follett
Piers Anthony
PG Wodehouse
Terry Goodkind
JK Rowling

These are the first names coming to my mind.

Good list.
With Ken Follett do you like all his work or specifically the Historical stuff.
Loved Pillars of the Earth and World without end
Have the last book sitting in my to read pile.
Tried some of the crime books but didn't feel it.

I specifically talk about historical books. I love them (Except the scene in which a man gets flayed alive... I have just read the first line and couldn't go any farther. I was SO traumatized )
I haven't tried the crime books yet but and I don't really feel like it. And apparently you didn't like them so it is not encouraging to do so
You will have to tell me what you thought about his last book ! I haven't bought it yet.

[fuzzleg]

Of Authors I have a few favourite staples. Those ones you keep comming back to and re-reading.

Pratchett
Christopher Fowler. Esp. his Bryant and May novels.
Robert Rankin
Jasper FForde
And for real fantasy, Clive Cussler. I reckon Dirk Pitt could take Chuck Norris easy.

I work in the mining industry, and I work two weeks on/two off. This trip I have bought out-

John Wyndam
Bill Bryson
Christopher Fowler
John Kennith Galbraith
Tim Dorsey
And a book of essays by an Australian Journo/politician Bob Ellis.

[polythenegirl]

Hmmm... authors for me would have to be Terry Pratchett obviously... then after that:

John Grisham
Stephen King
Dan Brown
James Patterson

God, how cliche am I? I think I might need to start reading more and broadening my horizons a little!

[snowballs]

L.E.Modesitt,jr
Raymond E Fiest
Arthur C Clarke
Christian Jacq
Jack Higgins

[Broccolee]

Phew, you guys all outbook me.I have a pretty eclectic attempt to reading,plus I only get about an hour a day to do it,mostly interrupted at minute interval.First,of course,Pterry.Then...
Do I get walloped if I admit to reading Diana Gabaldon?A lot?And enjoying it?:oops:
I like Rita Mae Browns books,too,I never cared for the US but the way she describes Virginia I really started to like it and now I´d like to see the Blue Ridge Mountains,too.

I also read Dan Brown,although after rereading all of the watch books I must admit that I keep on imagining Fred or Nobbs in the weirdest situations and start grinning.People watching me read Dan must think I´m really weird.Well,I am,but not that weird.
I like the Chocolat books,the first and the second,by Joanne Harris.Makes the little witch in me come out and wink.. Plus I love chocolate-a lot...

I like J.K.Rowlings Books a lot,but I also admire Jenny Nimmo´s work.
I actually read Shakespeare,believe it or not,and relish it.It´s fun reading and especially if one imagines when he wrote it.He must have been such a scandal sometimes...!

Of course Kipling,the Cat of the Just-so-stories is best,thats me from beginning to end.
Dickens,Tolkien,and the two Lewises:Lewis Carrol and C.S.Lewis.
A.A.Milne,of course-here´s to you,Pooh!
Jostein Gaarder,another of the great ones.
Alexandre Dumas,when I feel I need some swashbuckling.
Jane Austen,definitly.
My kids like Roald Dahl,so I get to read those too...And B. Potters´ books,same reason.
Just got a Gaiman in the sales,am looking forward to him but can´t really form an opinion yet...
And Douglas Adams is always good for a laugh but Pterrys books are rounder,somehow.
As I said,you all outbook me by miles...

[snowballs]

I dont think you are outbooked, your choice of reading is interesting as you are what they call in sweden an all eater, it means you read a wide spectrum of types of books in this case.

The only one there that I know I dont like is Dan Brown, I think he overexplains. Otherwise some authours I have never read or even heard of that you have.

I liked the first and next last harry potter books, the others felt forced to me.

[Broccolee]

Hey Snowballs,
yeah,definitly alleater...
I just don´t like to read just one sort of book,it makes me feel stagnant.
Which Authors haven´t you heard of?

[snowballs]

Jostein Gaarder, A.A.Milne are the two I dont know at all.
A.A.Milne sounds familiar but I dont think I've read anything.

I've just been given a box of English books to go through so I probably will find some weird and wonderfull reads there.

[Tonyblack]

Jostein Gaarder, A.A.Milne are the two I dont know at all.
A.A.Milne sounds familiar but I dont think I've read anything.

I've just been given a box of English books to go through so I probably will find some weird and wonderfull reads there.

A A Milne is the guy who wrote the Winnie The Pooh books.

[snowballs]

Jostein Gaarder, A.A.Milne are the two I dont know at all.
A.A.Milne sounds familiar but I dont think I've read anything.

I've just been given a box of English books to go through so I probably will find some weird and wonderfull reads there.

A A Milne is the guy who wrote the Winnie The Pooh books.

Is it?, stupid me, but never read the pooh books, in the films its on tigger and the donkey that I can stand.

[Broccolee]

Hold the phone,snowy,where were you living again?Go to your next bookshop,tell them you don´t know Gaarder and they will probably say,oh well, you just moved here two weeks ago,right?
Jostein Gaarder is the skandinavian Philosoph who wrote Sophies World and many others,some directed more to children,others intended for grownups,although my eldest has been reading one of the grownup ones and loves it and I love the childrens ones,too.We always read the "Christmas Secret"in the weeks before Christmas,and have collected wooden figures of everybody who joins the story every day,and they start a procession on our dresser,to finally reach the crib at Christmas eve.They love it.
Gaarder can really flip over everything you always thought as a given worth of "normal",he gets you thinking about everyday things upsidedown.I like that cause it keeps me existing in the real world.Read Sofies World and you´ll know what I mean..
Hey,lucky you,you might even be able to read them in swedish!