Authors who are very popular but you just don't get....

[Corneliawildthing]

I read the first Harry Potter book when my kids were little and was rather underwhelmed by it (maybe I wasn't the target audience). I started The Cuckoo's Calling and seemed to have been reading for about 2 hours and had only reached page 25.

My in-laws raved about the Stieg Larsson books but I think I lasted about 20 pages.

Oh I don't like Donna Tartt either. Pretentious drivel.

Philip Pullman-so so boring.
Kate Atkinson- I just find her style irritating and waffly.

Jojo Moyes - meh, I can read them but don't get the level of love she seems to inspire.
One author I can't stand is Jodi Picoult.

Donna Tartt - enjoyed The Goldfinch and The Little Friend but don't get why people rave over The Secret History. I even reread it recently and I felt exactly the same about it , it's populated by very unlikeable characters.

I like Sophie Kinsella, but I cannot stand the shopaholic series

@evilharpyinapeartree I absolutely love John Wyndham and I like Orwell, especially 1984 (I liked animal farm too but doing it at school spoiled it a bit for me). Also like Grapes of Wrath and Of mice and men. Actually I might try rereading as these are books I haven't read for about 20 years!

Having said that I'll happily read jojo Moyes, sophie kinsella, Marian keyes... I also have enjoyed Dan Brown and the Jack Reacher I tried was readable. I have low standards though

Matt haig - Just crap

@TheWildOnesNeverDie

Yes. He seems like such a nice guy though as well, I used to follow him on Twitter and feel guilty that I thought his books were shit.

Can't stand the majority of Ian McEwans books although Atonement is very good.
I do quite like jk Rowling though.

Hilary Mantel - so slow going and I hate the stupid "he" device she uses.

Oh no I've just started Hilary Mantel so I hope I don't think the same opinion now!

Another one for Walliams. Offensive and rude imo. To a point where I am annoyed QB put his illustrations to it!

Thanks for the fantasy recommendations, my concentration is very poor at the moment (health issues) but I really miss reading maybe a new genre will help.

I mainly like crime fiction probably influenced by my mum, both parents are readers but dad likes much heavier going stuff like Russian authors so when I hit teens mum was able to recommend more approachable authors. She started me off on Agatha Christie because they're well written "adult" without really having too much gore or sex in and I'd watched some of the tv adaptations so was kind of familiar with them that way.

She also tried me on Barbara Taylor Bradford (a woman on substance was on tv at the time and I was enjoying) but she was ridiculously over descriptive of the most mundane crap! - 2 whole pages of the soft furnishings in a living room at one point! Nope!

She also recommended Virginia Andrews really not suitable for a mid term in my opinion as a mother now but at the time I didn't think it odd.

She didn't know I was reading (admittedly for somewhat salacious reasons as a curious teen) Lace by Shirley Conran (also on tv at the time), and Jackie collins - which are actually quite well written for a popular author, especially like the "Lucky" books - they're complete nonsense but good fun.

Catherine Cookson I also went through a phase of but they are VERY samey after a while. You are just reading the same book with different character names after a point.

Spy novels are another genre I want to try having enjoyed the film and tv adaptations of several.

I’m so pleased so many of you also dislike Ian McEwan
Yes, me too. Elena Ferrante’s offerings are just plain dull, but McEwan is offensively bad. On Chesil Beach is utter, pretentious drivel. Awful protagonists, about whom I cared nothing. The Guardian, of course, loved it. And I was dismayed to see, the worst book I’ve ever read, included in a list of ‘best ever books’ recently, can’t remember where, Times probably. The Luminaries. So, Eleanor Catton, for that alone.

I agree with everything you said about On Chisel Beach @Judashascomeintosomemoney. The ending ruined the whole book for me, it made the whole pacing of the book feel wrong. I tried another one of his books but it was full of people I didn't like, I obviously need to like some of the people in a book I read.

100& Kate Atkinson. I've tried a few times, persuaded by the general love for her writing but am always disappointed.

Also Donna Tartt, my ex was a big fan, so I have read the secret history and the goldfinch, but waited the whole way through for the wow moment, or for it to grip me and failed both times.

Sally Rooney, I don't dislike, but there is so much hype about her that I think she cannot fail to disappoint. Shame, I hope she doesn't suffer under the weight of expectation and is allowed to grow into her potential (meant in a less patronising way than it sounds!)

John Irving is another one. I read A Prayer for Owen Meany and thought it was pretty rubbish. So I tried another because of the hype and gave up.

It's funny how personal books are. The more time I spend in this section, the more I am starting to identify a few posters with similar reading preferences to me. I tend to listen to their recommendations and ignore most others I'm also getting much better at ignoring what I "should" read or "should" enjoy!

Hilary Mantel for me too. I found Wolf Hall absolutely unreadable.

Another vote for Thomas Hardy and Ian McEwan. Also:

Philip Roth
Salman Rushdie
David Mitchell

ELJames
Tony Parsons - soooo self absorbed
Cecelia Ahern
Ian Mckewan - love the idea of the book and the plot. Don’t get on with the style of writing

There’s an early Sophie Hannah that’s a mystery set in an academic scene with emphasis on the metaphysical poets. I loved it.
Then I was pleased to see she’d written a whole series and it’s so...different! Dark, dreary detectives. I read a few of them but I don’t know why.

I’m currently reading my first Victoria Hislop, and while I appreciate the research that’s gone into it, it’s presentation is a bit dull.

Danna Tartt is not for me, but I enjoy Kate Atkinson, Austen and list others mentioned here.

I used to think I didn’t like Margeret Atwood but then I started again with the MadAddam Trilogy and I love those

I don’t know how anyone gets past the blurb of a Tony Parsons book. All I could hear was “poor meeee, I’m a man, and I have to look after my own child, how can this have been allowed to happen???”.

As a result I’ve never read one, so I can’t offer an opinion on the actual content.

Agree on Gabriel García Márquez. Think I read 100 years... kept waiting for it to get good. Nope.

I like Donna Tartt and Kate Atkinson. I agree that Sally Rooney has no chance of meeting the hype. Liked Ian McEwan, but haven’t read any of the more recent ones (yet).

Hated Hardy, Austen and Dickens. Never got as far as the Brontes in case they were same.

I love Shakespeare’s language but think most of the storylines are shit.

Also Milan Kundera. Tried the Unbearable Lightness of Being. Reminded me of Garcia Marquez. Can’t remember why now.

Matt Haig. Urgh twee bollocks. Painful to read.

I'll add my voice to those disliking Thomas Hardy (too depressing) and 'Wuthering Heights'. I feel about WH the same way I felt about 'Bridget Jone's Diary' both are full of unlikeable characters who are far too self-absorbed. However, I love 'Jane Eyre' and 'Tenant of Wildfell Hall' so its not a general allergy to the Brontes.

I don’t know how anyone gets past the blurb of a Tony Parsons book. All I could hear was “poor meeee, I’m a man, and I have to look after my own child, how can this have been allowed to happen???”.

I was given two of them about a decade ago, and this is a great summary 😂

I ageee @BeardedMum for both Jojo Moyes and David Walliams. I also just can’t get along with Jessie Burton, and despite the huge hype around Emma Donoghues Room the writing style just drove me mad, though I haven’t read anything else by her so it may just be that book!