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As we near year’s end, I’m re-posting a few heavily-commented-upon posts from earlier in the year. Here’s one of my favorites!
I’ve been mildly obsessed with the novels of Nevil Shute for the past three years, and have finally completed my collection of his books — 25 volumes in all, including an autobiography. I still have two books left to read, and they’re lined up at the end of my Shute Shelf. The unread books are both old editions from the 50’s, and have that pleasant library/grandma’s attic smell to them.
This is not the first time I’ve read every book by a given author — I had a Michael Crichton phase in high school, followed by an Arthur C. Clarke phase (I didn’t read everything, but close). Prior to high school, I’m pretty sure I read everything Cynthia Voigt ever wrote. After college I discovered and devoured Neal Stephenson’s work (including the Stephen Bury books).
Anyway, it took me years to track down all the Nevil Shute volumes, and I feel a certain completist satisfaction in seeing them all together on a shelf. When I finish the last one, I’m considering going back and reading them over, chronologically (I hear you get bonus nerd points for doing that). Shute’s books are pretty similar in their details: there’s generally some sort of challenge that necessitates a long journey, a lot of technical material concerning airplanes and boats, and some sort of wartime romance. Despite this similarity of theme (or perhaps because of it), I still enjoy each volume, and reading so much by a single author has taught me something about writing — I can see him experimenting with technique, and I can see his style evolve over time. I’m even considering going to a meetup sponsored by the Nevil Shute Norway Foundation — thus solidifying my status as a superfan.
Anyway, all this got me thinking: which authors have inspired you to read all their work? And yeah, I suppose J.K. Rowling counts.
Note: check out the 212 comments on the original post!
Comments (29)
Comment
this thread makes me feel better about people. i thought reading and curiosity were on the way out in our gadget- and technology-world.
thank you
thank you
p.s. my obsession with Vonnegut started in high school and has remained with me ever since, though i read lots of other stuff now too. and i also read the RL Stine, C. Pike, and Babysitter’s Little Sister series as a kid.
posted by the creature on 12-29-2007 at 10:41 am
I must also admit to Babysitters Club. Although my first love in my youth was Marguerite Hennry- she wrote stories about horses. Through grade school, Michael Crichton, Dean Koontz and Stephen King. In College-Philosophy: Augustine being one of my favorites. Now- probably Mark Twain, Michael Chabon, and (this is going to sound REALLY dumb) JRR Tolkein (don’t tell my husband!). But GOTTA LOVE the Harry Potter series!
posted by Ashley on 12-29-2007 at 1:24 pm
grade school: Enid Blyton
high school: Asimov, Ray Bradbury, Tolkien
college: Stephen King (this one continues, since there’s usually 1 or 2 new books a year)
master’s: Philip K Dick, Orson Scott Card
now: finished Rowling, working my way through Neil Gaiman and Kim Stanley Robinson
posted by Jocelyn on 12-29-2007 at 5:47 pm
Robert Heinlen(sp?) was my first ever introduction to science fiction at about age 10, and I systematically devoured everything of his I could find. By 17 I moved on to a variety of authors, Danielle Steele, Arthur C Clarke, and of Course J K Rowling. Also read Tolkien somewhere along the road, and Every “Bathroom Reader” I could find. Needless to say I am a voracious reader….with a wide variety in what appeals to me!
posted by Sandie Finlayson on 12-29-2007 at 6:57 pm
Two years ago I hunted down and read Angela Thirkell’s Barsetshire novels. A few months later I blazed through Miss Read’s Fairacre and Thrush Green series. Collecting the complete works of both authors took trips to several local libraries. Back when I was a younger lass I devoured anything from Stephen King and Jackie Collins, Jacqueline Susann and VC Andrews.
posted by Gwendy on 12-29-2007 at 7:11 pm
Big Beverly Cleary fan as a little kid but moved on to Judy Blume as I got older. My mother inadvertantly introduced VC Andrews (smut!!)
I have read all of Amy Tan (even Saving Fish from Drowning… not a good book, I am sad to say), Harry Potter series is fun, fun, fun (and anyone who says they don’t like them is either a snob, lying, lazy or all three… I actually heard someone say that she didn’t read the books because it just ruins the movie for her! ARGGGG!!), and a guilty pleasure is John Grisham!
Happy New Year!
posted by Heather on 12-29-2007 at 8:21 pm
Rowling, Lawrence Sanders, Jan Karon, Joshua books (Girzone?), Grisham. I seem to be on a path where all I read is non-fiction and “bathtub-books” – our name for pb books that are alright to read in the tub since if they fall in it is no big deal, you already know what will happen.
As a teacher and a librarian I am sure I was taken with some authors from college lit courses, but I cannot seem to remember any specifically (maybe Richard Wright?)
posted by Pat on 12-29-2007 at 8:41 pm
Nice to know I’m not the only one with “author ocd”!
James Clavel, Morgan Llewellyn, Jack Whyte, Stephen R Donaldson, Raymond Feist, Margaret George, James Mitchner, Steven R Lawhead, Anne Rice (Even the Rampling and Roquelaure stuff), Jean M Auel, and needless to say, I’ve run out of book shelf space! LOL!!
posted by Gretchen on 12-29-2007 at 9:00 pm
I learned of Kurt Vonnegut at 12 when I was introduced to “Welcome to the Monkey House” and believe I’ve read everything he ever wrote, including the obscure play, “Happy Birthday Wanda June.” Among my most prized possessions are my Vonnegut first editions. Thank God for and God Bless KV (I always get a chuckle when I say that. LOL).
Like many of you, I also went through a Stephen King phase, Grisham, Ludlum, Amy Tan, Gore Vidal, Turow, and I read Al Gore’s books on the environment when they were first published. Benjamin Hoff and his “Tao of …” series are also high on my list. Frank Herbert, JRR Tolkien, loved teh Harry Potter books, man this could go on a while…
But next to Kurt Vonnegut, my favorite all time author has got to be Shel Silverstein, especially “The Giving Tree.” Wow, what a classic as are all of his books. What a gift.
Thanks for the walk down memory lane everyone. I think I’ll log off and go take a book off the shelf.
posted by memory470 on 12-29-2007 at 10:11 pm
Oh my goodness, how could I forget the Hardy Boys mysteries? My brothers had all of them but the spines went unbroken until I picked them up. Good old Frank and Joe. My folks bought me a Nancy Drew mystery for Christmas one year but like the Barbie dolls they tried to get me to play with, Nancy and crew languished on the floor of the closet. When our son was a young boy, we read all of those books together. I enjoyed them even then. What fun!
posted by memory470 on 12-29-2007 at 10:17 pm
My first obsession was all the Agatha Christie books followed by all the Edgar Rice Burroughs Tarzan and Princess of Mars books. I had the good fortune of babysitting for a family with complete paperback collections and they were happy to let me borrow these yellowing musty tomes. Good times, good times.
posted by Wiley on 12-29-2007 at 10:21 pm
Patrick McManus. The man should have been Alaskan. Funniest short stories ever, at least if you grew up camping and fishing. And I mean real, almost-got-killed- by-a-rampaging-moose, chest-waders, combat-fishing camping and fishing, not “we stayed in a cabin in Yellowstone once”. Otherwise… well, it’ll still be hilarious. But not as hilarious as it could be!
posted by denise on 12-29-2007 at 11:48 pm
Azimov…absolutely every scifi book he ever wrote….sorry but I just couldn’t make it through his physics and math books
posted by Braveheart on 12-30-2007 at 2:23 am
I’m also a compulsive Vonnegut fan…
I read them when i find them. Then I reread them. Then I do it again for good measure.
posted by Ed on 12-30-2007 at 9:53 am
As a teen (currently) I am still trying to get through the Animorphs series by K. A. Applegate, not because they take a long time to read, but because out library doesn’t have most of them… (very, very annoying when you have to wait two weeks for a book I can read in a hour…)
I also read most of Brian Jacques books, although they get a bit clichéd. I read some Chrichton, but the some parts are a bit to [cough cough] for my taste, and the same for most of Tom Clancy’s stuff.
I’ve read the Lord of the Rings (even the appendix) but I don’t think I’m at the point where I could handle the Silmarrilion quite yet.
I’d appreciate suggestions on good authors to read up on.
posted by Tyler on 12-30-2007 at 11:11 am
David Brin, John Varley, Robert Heinlein, Frank Herbert, Terry Pratchett, Simon R Green, Vonda McIntyre, Sheri S Tepper, Douglas Adams, Robert L Forward, William Gibson, and at one point in the past Anne McCaffery, Stephen King, Arthur C Clarke, Michael Crichton (sp?) and Clive Barker as well.
And I’m sure I am forgetting a few more of my author obsessions…there is only so much room in my brain at any one time and since I read 3-4 novels a week, it gets a bit crowded in there.
posted by Alli on 12-30-2007 at 11:58 am
100% read (and reread and rereread) : Douglas Adams. Actually I think I’ve experienced Adams work in all media, from books, to radio play, to movie. There may have been a kabuki version of “Last Chance to See” that I missed but that’s about it.
80% John Varley. His “Eight Worlds” stuff is a blast, but I could never get through the “Titan” series.
50% Arthur C. Clarke It feels like I’ve read everything by ACC, but he’s so damn prolific!
.001% L Ron Hubbard. A chapter or two of one of his endless volumes let me know I was in the presence of a master crap spackler!
posted by Ego, Egoing, Egone on 12-30-2007 at 12:07 pm
wonderful to see that others are reading and what they are reading.
my list:
thomas hardy– started with an assignment in brit lit when i was in h.s.– tess of the d’urbervilles. have purposefully been taking my time as the quantity is limited.
douglas adams– sass that hoopy frood. now!
margaret atwell– the handmaid’s tale was just the beginning of man long and satisfying reads for me.
susan vreeland– combines my loves of art and literature.
terry pratchet– my daughter introduced me to pratchett. sadly, he’s just announced he is in the early stages of alzheimer’s.
posted by shelly on 12-30-2007 at 12:48 pm
I’ve read all the Harry Potter books at least twice, all the romantic thrillers of J.D. Robb a.k.a Nora Roberts,
Amy Tan, Tony Hillerman, all the Jack Reacher novels by Lee Child and I think I’ve read everything that Samuel Clemens a.k.a Mark Twain wrote when I was in college.
posted by Melinda on 12-30-2007 at 4:30 pm
James Patterson, Ed McBain, Preston & Childs and Carl Hiaasen are my favorites. I turned my 9 year old son on to “Flush” & “Hoot” as a break from working his way through R.L. Stine’s 300+ Goosebumps, Rotten School and Fear Street books.
posted by Sue on 12-30-2007 at 9:15 pm
Douglas Adams’ books were okay, read them all. Rowling’s pretty good…I’ve read the HP books 4x each. Finished all of Dashiell Hammett’s books this year, too. I have to say, though, my favorite is John Mortimer’s Rumpole of the Bailey series, I’ve read them all except for the newest one and have read some of his other fiction with more on the list. I’ve started to like Raymond Chandler, Ray Bradbury, Agatha Christie, and Michael Chabon and hope to complete their works in the next few years.
posted by Chris on 12-30-2007 at 10:04 pm
Just to reiterate the Vonnegut phase-I’ve outgrown it but I meet more and more people that went through their own Vonnegut phase.
By the way-they are all the same book. They’re genius works- compiled in differant ways-but the same book.
posted by stephanie on 12-30-2007 at 10:29 pm
John Irving, Tom Robbins, Douglas Adams and Robert Asprin.
posted by Joseph on 12-31-2007 at 8:50 am
J. D. Salinger! I’m so surprised that I’m the first one to mention him.
posted by Sarah on 12-31-2007 at 10:21 am
When I was a youngster, I was all about the Roald Dahl… *sigh*
posted by allyson on 12-31-2007 at 10:24 am
All of Douglas Adams
Working on Discworld books
Have read the HP series
Disected all of Fforde so far
Devoured Vonnegut, Asimov and Bradbury in high school.
John Irving was a fave throughout college
and I’m not embarrassed to admit I read the Vampire Chronicles from Rice.
posted by Hannah on 12-31-2007 at 10:44 am
Way back when I read ALL of the Nancy Drews (over and over and over). I collected them all — and got as many “originals” as possible.
I’ve also collected and read just about anything that Jack Finney and Richard Matthesen wrote.
I have all of the Diane Mott Davidson culinary mysteries (except for her latest — I’m a paperback kind of gal) and Sue Grafton’s alphabet mysteries.
Also adore Dorthea Benton Frank…just recommended her to a co-worker.
posted by Beth on 12-31-2007 at 11:24 am
Another off-color, laugh-out-loud author for those in the market for a cynical (yet informative and insightful) look at religion/afterlife: Christopher Moore…. I loved loved loved “LAMB, The Gospel According to Biff, Jesus’ Childhood Friend.”
posted by Heather on 12-31-2007 at 11:42 am
RL Stine when I was young, Stephen King, JK Rowling, Douglas Adams, Orson Scott Card, Edgar Allen Poe
posted by Leah on 4-7-2008 at 5:50 pm