Which authors' success is a complete mystery to you?

[emkana]

Tony Parsons

Jodi Picoult

Most chick lit.
Marian Keyes in particular

Anyone who has written a mislit memoir.

jk rowling
i have never managed to make it beyond the third chapter of any of her books.
mind you, i havent managed to sit through to the end of any of the films either. unless i caught it at the tail end, whilst the kids were watchingit on telly.

god, loads

let's start with banyard

Alexander McColl Smith bloke

Catherine Cookson

Tolkien

JK Rowling

Iain M Banks.

Hemingway

Although we disagree about Marian Keyes, I must second you on that, mmj. I don't know why anyone would want to read vivid accounts of child abuse

and yes tolkien, boooring

Agree with Beansprout and MMJ re mis-lit authors

Also Jodi "every book is the same and they all lack depth" Picoult

and Patricia Cornwell (is that her name?).

J K Rowling and Him from The Da Vinci code .

I really didn't like that book that everyone went on about...the one by Alice Sebold

People who write more books about restoring a Tuscan farmhouse/riding around Australia on a motorbike/taking a fridge around Ireland or similar. There are quite enough traveloguey books out there already - thank you.

I third the abused childhood themed books. Ok, write it down but please don't publish it .

Yes, mad and horrid mmj! I flicked through one once and it was horrendous. It's part of this sensationalist gore that people seem to crave

The author who wrote about her dying sister and now churns out more grim books on a regular basis. I can't even recall her name now. Thingy-ma-jib woman.

J K Rowling. Wasn't Worst Witch author there first, Jill something?

Also, Maggie O'Farrell? Dreadful

Dan Brown imitators writing about more conspiracies in the Catholic church in the aftermath of the Da Vinci Code.

Yes, I agree about Tolkien. Thank god they just made the films - which saved me a lifetime of tedium reading the books and confirmed my worst suspicions.

Never could understand the interest in Helen Fielding with the highly irritating and high maintenance Bridget Jones. Who cares??!

Joanne Harris - thought Chocolat was pretentious and pants.

Dan Brown - pile of poo

those carcrash/abyssmally abusive childhood 'authors'.

who the hell reads these types of books?!

Rachel Cusk.

I borrowed Arlington Park from a friend and forced myself to read it to the end, but still couldn't divine a point to it all.

celeb 'authors'.

again, who is reading this tosh?!

Most chick lit but I do except Marian Keynes. She does make me larf sometimes.