Who is your most read author?

[TattiePants]

I expected my most read author to be Kate Atkinson but it turns out it’s Pat Barker. I’ve only got 2 more Barkers to read then I’ve ran out until her next one comes out in 2024. There is a new Atkinson and Harris out this month and I haven’t read the latest Aaronovitch / Rivers of London yet so that’ll be a few more to add to the list.

Pat barker 13
Kate Atkinson 11
Robert Harris 10
Ben Aaronovitch 8
Margaret Atwood 7
CJ Sansom 7

This is a numbers or a 'most read' question?

Numbers would be Shakespeare, Dickens, Zola and Trollope in terms of number of books currently owned. Childhood would be Blyton, Weis and Hickman, Jackson and Livingston, Coolidge.

I like to repeat read some of the same authors so that would be different.

A lot of The Babysitters’ Club books were ghostwritten so not sure that counts for being by one author. Same with Nancy Drew - Carolyn Keene doesn’t actually exist!

Mine would probably be Robert Goddard - he’s written 30 books and I have read them all, some numerous times. Enid Blyton would probably be up there too.

The author of The Beano Annual comes in a close second as I had one every year from around 6 to 14 🤣

We had inherited copies, too! In which cas I'd have to also add Beano and Bunty to the list.

Scott Mariani - currently on book 20 of the main series but read a few of his shorter stories / spin offs too

Though the comics and annuals will be multi authored of course.

I haven’t heard of lots of these authors so I fear my TBR pile is going to shoot up. It’s at 373 already!

Definitely Stephen King for me. A couple of years ago I decided to read / reread all of his books in order so I don't expect this to change.

I have no idea of exact numbers but probably Lee Child, Martina Cole and Charlaine Harris.

Ann M. Martin still wrote 30+ Babysitter books herself apparently.

The books are dated now, but Arthur Hailey was a brilliant author.
Also Antonia Forest
P D James
Maeve Binchy
Elizabeth Goudge
Noël Streatfield

Jeffrey Archer - 11
Lucinda Riley - 8
Julia Quinn - 8 (read all the Bridgerton books this year)

Probably Agatha Christie and Maeve Binchy for me but we are coming into the season where i very much enjoy reading Rosamund Pilcher.

Susan Hill

I have more Terry Pratchett than any author because he wrote so much. Bernard Cornwell and Ken Follett next. I have probably read the gruffalo more times than any other book as the kids love it. Not one I would sit down to read by myself though! Ruth Saberton is the one I have most on kindle as she writes fun romances with a conveniently large family of siblings to keep the series going.

Under the dome is a terrible book full of poor characterisation, predictable cliche and rubbish ending. I regret that I will never get the hours of my life back that I wasted on reading it!

It will always be Agatha Christie for me because I read all her books as a teenager. I read an awful lot of Ruth Rendell and Joanna Trollope too when I was younger.

John Connolly must be my most read current author as I've read all the Charlie Parker books and He. I've also read almost everything by Alice Hoffman, Anne Tyler, Maggie O'Farrell, Lionel Shriver, Sebastian Barry and Emma Donogue.

Tolkien
Pratchett
Patrick Rothfuss
JKRowling
Diana Wynne Jones

Robert Goddard for me too at 25, although I’ve a few still to read
Also Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files 17

Childhood - Enid Blyton
Adulthood - Anne Tyler

Interesting to see those names coming up a lot 😊

P G Wodehouse
Stephen King
Bill Bryson
Lindsey Davis
Hilary Mantel
Maggie O Farrell
J K Rowling
Charles Dickens
Jane Austen
Peter Tinniswood
Douglas Adams
Colleen mccullough
James Hawes
Graham Greene
....In no particular order

Thomas Hardy
Shakespeare
Agatha Christie

• in no particular order. I could add Emily and Charlotte Brontë on the basis of having read Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre dozens of times.

If I’m to go back Enid Blyton, Roald Dahl, whoever wrote Sweet Valley high books and The Saddle Club, then Terry Pritchett, Dean Koontz, Stephen King, John Grisham, Patricia Cornwall and now Kathryn Croft (thrillers) and T A Williams (chick lit set in Italy)

Martina Cole by a mile is my most read,must have read all her books multiple times, Jodi picoult, Cecilia Ahearn. Childhood Enid Blython, Francine Pascal who wrote the Sweet Valley books,I read them the whole way up & The babysitters club

Elinor Brent Dyer 70
Annie Groves 21
Rosie Hendry 8
Nancy Revell 12
Katie Fforde 14
Elaine Everest 11

Sweet Valley High is another series that was mainly if not entirely ghostwritten - Francine Pascal came up with the concept and stories but other writers actually wrote them. Not sure if Francine actually wrote any of them herself.

@MarthaMayWhovier I was careful to say that The Babysitters’ Club was mainly ghostwritten because I know that Ann M Martin did write a reasonable number of them herself!

Here's mine in no particular order:

Stephen King
Dean R Koonz
Katharine Kerr
Margaret Attwood
Jean Plaidy
Cynthia Harrod-Eagles
Richard Laymon
Arthur Conan Doyle
Jonathan Maberry