Hi everybody!
For a little while now, I've had the idea in my head that I really wanted to write a post about some of my favourite authors. A lot of different books get a whole lot of love, but I very rarely see authors being commended for having a really strong, complete body of work.
I finally found a little bit of time this week, and so I decided I was going to spend it thinking about who I would consider to be my favourite authors, and just what it is about them that makes them so special.
It turns out, this is actually really hard!
A couple of authors leapt out to me immediately, and they probably won't come as a surprise to anybody reading. However, I found it really difficult to pick out more than a couple.
The problem is, I think, that although there are dozens and dozens of books that I would consider in contention for my top 10 favourite books, my standard for a favourite author is unbelievably high. As much as I've absolutely adored so many different books, or series of books, I don't think that a single book or series can qualify an author to be among my favourites.
So I changed my approach slightly. I decided that instead, I was going to write about my top 'go-to' authors. The authors that I turn to when I'm in a reading slump, for comfort, or simply authors that I auto-buy without even needing to read the synopsis of their books; I just know already that I'll love it anyway.
I narrowed it down to a top 4, which is a pretty exclusive club!
Below, I've written a little bit about each of my choices, including why they made the cut, what I love about them, and which of their books are my favourites. Make sure to let you know if you agree with me or not!
Author #1: Agatha Christie
I know. This is far from a shock. I've always been very vocal about my absolute love for Agatha Christie and her novels, so of course she had to make the list. She's absolutely my favourite author of all time.
Why They're A Great Author:
Christie wrote so many novels in her time, and she truly deserves the title 'Queen of Crime Fiction'. She can write a murder mystery like no other author I've ever encountered. Her characters are intriguing (and often surprising!), her plots are detailed and full of twists and turns, and she is a master of writing a shock ending. There have been so many times that I've read an Agatha Christie novel, and still been shocked by the ending. Also, their stories are so accessible and easy to read!
What They Mean to Me:
I remember being very young when I was first introduced to Hercule Poirot. My dad is also a huge fan of Agatha Christie, and I happened to watch the television adaptation of Hercule Poirot's Christmas on TV one day with him. From that moment, I was an Agatha Christie fan. Now, I've read the majority of her novels (and am working my way through the rest), and Hercule Poirot is probably one of my all-time favourite fictional characters. Christie's writing is full of nostalgia for me, but I also explore more of her writing every year, and I absolutely love it.
My Recommendations:
It's almost impossible for me to choose just two or three of Christie's dozens and dozens of novels to recommend, but I'll try my best! If I had to, I'd narrow it down to recommending And Then There Were None, Crooked House and Murder on the Orient Express. I recently wrote another blog post, however, about my top 10 Agatha Christie recommendations, which you can find here if you're interested.
Author #2: Marissa Meyer
If you'd asked me to write this blog post even a year ago, I would not have put this author on my list. However, I've read a lot more of their books this year, and they really inspired me in ways that I find difficult to explain.
Why They're A Great Author:
I mentioned earlier that one great series does not a great author make, and so when I read and loved The Lunar Chronicles a couple of years ago, I still wouldn't have considered Marissa Meyer among my favourite authors. However, I then read Heartless, and the Renegades series earlier this year, and they changed everything. Meyer knows how to create a really magical world that draws you in and makes you feel amazed at the sheer detail and beauty of it.
What They Mean to Me:
When I read Heartless earlier this year, I remarked that Marissa Meyer knows how to write fairytale-esque stories. Then I picked up the Renegades series, and I thought the story was incredible. Her stories simply make me feel like I'm part of something, which is exactly what really great fantasy fiction should do. I also think, as I've now read everything Meyer has written and think it is all fantastic. Her consistency makes her eligible as one of my go-to authors.
My Recommendations:
I could genuinely recommend any of Meyer's fiction. I personally loved the Renegades series the most, because it drew me in in a way I haven't been in years. However, the modern fairytale retellings in the Lunar Chronicles are immensely popular with good reason, and Heartless is a great standalone story if you're looking for a a starting taster.
Why They're A Great Author:
I mentioned earlier that one great series does not a great author make, and so when I read and loved The Lunar Chronicles a couple of years ago, I still wouldn't have considered Marissa Meyer among my favourite authors. However, I then read Heartless, and the Renegades series earlier this year, and they changed everything. Meyer knows how to create a really magical world that draws you in and makes you feel amazed at the sheer detail and beauty of it.
What They Mean to Me:
When I read Heartless earlier this year, I remarked that Marissa Meyer knows how to write fairytale-esque stories. Then I picked up the Renegades series, and I thought the story was incredible. Her stories simply make me feel like I'm part of something, which is exactly what really great fantasy fiction should do. I also think, as I've now read everything Meyer has written and think it is all fantastic. Her consistency makes her eligible as one of my go-to authors.
My Recommendations:
I could genuinely recommend any of Meyer's fiction. I personally loved the Renegades series the most, because it drew me in in a way I haven't been in years. However, the modern fairytale retellings in the Lunar Chronicles are immensely popular with good reason, and Heartless is a great standalone story if you're looking for a a starting taster.
Author #3: Jane Austen
This was another no-brainer for me. My favourite book of all time is Pride and Prejudice, but I've read and loved the majority of Austen's novels.
Why They're A Great Author:
Why They're A Great Author:
The author of so many classic novels, Jane Austen is popular for a reason. Although she wrote in the nineteenth century, she was ahead of her time in the way she wrote female characters. They are full of depth, individuality and independence in a way that often wasn't acknowledged in her era. I love that she was ahead of her time, and I also love diving into her world of romance and regency. The stripped back nature of her novels is refreshing and inviting.
My Recommendations:
I would always recommend Pride and Prejudice, which is also probably the most well-read of Austen's novels. However, if you're new to her work, I would recommend Persuasion, which is a lot smaller and gives a great introduction to the author's style of writing.
What They Mean to Me:
Jane Austen is another author who was introduced to me when I was relatively young, My mum used to have the BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice that I must have watched over 100 times. I can probably still recite large portions of multiple scenes, and to this day I still love it. I reached a point in my early teens when I decided it was time to read it, and I loved the story even more. From there, I went on to read Sense and Sensibility, Persuasion and Northanger Abbey. At this moment, I've also currently read half of Emma. Jane Austen makes me think of family.
My Recommendations:
I would always recommend Pride and Prejudice, which is also probably the most well-read of Austen's novels. However, if you're new to her work, I would recommend Persuasion, which is a lot smaller and gives a great introduction to the author's style of writing.
Author #4: Liane Moriarty
Last but not least, I chose to include Liane Moriarty. Moriarty is the author on this list that I have the least connection with, but she is here for a reason, and it's simply because she is an auto-buy author for me!
Why They're A Great Author:
I wouldn't count chick lit necessarily as among my favourite genres to read. However, it's still the genre that I go to for a really easy comfort read, and Liane Moriarty counts for a high proportion of the chick lit I've read. She just knows how to write a very easy to read yet interesting story that draws the reader in. It's light-hearted, fun, and often laugh-out loud fiction at its best.
My Recommendations:
What They Mean to Me:
I remember reading What Alice Forgot many years ago now, and it was my first Moriarty novel. Since then, I gradually picked up and read more and more of her novels, and I found that I often enjoyed the next one more than the last. Although I haven't been an enormous fan of every book this author has written, her track record is pretty damn great and she's definitely an auto-buy author for me. If she has a new book coming out, you know I'll be buying it before I even read the blurb.
Predictably, Big Little Lies is a great book. However, I'd also recommend The Husband's Secret, What Alice Forgot and Three Wishes.
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These are the authors that I would consider to be my favourites, and for many different reasons. There is the nostalgia of Jane Austen, the sheer brilliance of Agatha Christie, the excitement of Marissa Meyer, and the consistency of Liane Moriarty. More than anything, it's the trust that if I pick up any one of their novels, I know I'm going to enjoy it.
And that's a great feeling.
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