I am going to keep my list contained to authors who are still with us as the qualifier "you would read regardless" made me think about present day and books that have yet to be created or released. So, here are my contemporary favourites, in no particular order (that would have hurt my brain, lol!):

Richard Russo
Miriam Toews
John Irving
Barbara Kingsolver
Tom Robbins
Khaled Hosseini
Ann Patchett
Rohinton Mistry
David Sedaris
Elizabeth Hay

Chuck Palahniuk
George Orwell
P.G. Wodehouse
Neil Gaiman
and
Woody Allen, maybe?

I can only think of a few:
Jane Austen and William Shakespeare

Chuck Palahniuk, George Orwell and P.G. Wodehouse

I'll come up with the rest after lunch.

Hmm...I think I have quite a few that other people haven't mentioned, probably because while I've been getting more into general fiction, I tend to obsess over fantasy. In no particular order, because I'm too tired for that sort of thing.

Mercedes Lackey - They're formulaic at times, but it's a formula that I enjoy coming back to, especially in her Valdemar books.
Lois McMaster Bujold - Arguably my current favorite author. I love her Vorkosigan books, and her Chalion books were top-notch.
Tanya Huff - So much fun. I always seem to laugh when I'm reading her books.
Carol Berg - I loved Transformation so much that I have to pick up everything she writes, even though I'm a bit behind in reading them.
Robert Jordan - The Wheel of Time may have deteriorated at the end, but I still need to read all of them eventually, and I will read Brandon Sanderson's conclusion to the series.
Patricia Briggs - Love her contemporary fantasy stuff, but also adored the first of her Hurog books, with the second on my to-read list.
Elizabeth Moon - Her Vatta's War series has made me really happy, so I've bought up a bunch of her other books.
L. E. Modesitt Jr. - I obsessed over his Recluce books for a long time, and I still am buying them, despite the formulaic nature of them. Like Mercedes Lackey, it's a formula that I tend to enjoy.
Madeleine L'engle - My childhood goal of reading every book she's written has not changed, even though I'm not pursuing it as actively anymore.
Kristin Cashore - Even though she only has one book out so far, I loved Graceling so much that I burn with the need to read more by this author.
Laurie Halse Anderson - Speak was so amazing that I think I'll keep pursuing this author for a while.

There are probably more, but I can't think of them at the moment. :)

1. Ernest Hemmingway
2. Isabel Allende
3. Sophie Kinsella
4. Mary Higgins Clark
5. Lois Lowry

I honestly cannot remember if I've commented in this thread or not but here goes:

1. J.R.R. Tolkien (if they found an old portfolio with his notes on anything, I'd read it =D)
2. Carlos Ruiz Zafon
3. Steve Berry
4. Jane Austen (same reason as Tolkien)
5. ...can't think of a fifth author *blushes*

1. Khaled Hosseini
2. J.K. Rowling
3. Neil Gaiman
4. David Sedaris
5. um, that's it, I guess.

Does anyone know if Khaled Hosseini (The Kite Runner, A Thousand Splendid Sunds) is going to be putting out another book anytime soon? Both of his books really touched me in a way that no other books have.

Mercedes Lackey. I have an addiction to find every hardback possible. Sad thing is I missed a couple.

Haven't found another author to latch onto completely but Neil Gaiman is climbing the charts! Haven't been disappointed at all.

Lisa See /used/ to be but after reading Shanghai Girls, I need to re-think her.

1. Jeffrey Deaver
2. James Rollins (just discovered last year and devoured all of his books)
3. Maria V Snyder (loved the Study Series, not as found of the glass-maker series)
4. Rachel Caine
5. JK Rowling
6. Nora Roberts
7. Karen Kingsbury


There are others, but I am blanking right now.

Oh my. Now you make me have to think about it. Here goes.....
1. Barbara Kingsolver
2. Diana Gabaldon
4. Jane Kirkpatrick
5. Danielle Steel (I know, I'm shameless)

I have others, but can't say I would add them to the list because I might have only read one or two books by the author.

William Gibson
Stephen King
Ian McEwan
Chuck Palahniuk
Jennifer Weiner

JK Rowling
Dan Brown
Meg Cabot
Nora Roberts
Sophie Kinsella

Hm...I've got more female than male authors, more YA than adult fiction. I'm not really surprised, but it makes me realize I'm missing out on some great stuff!

Don DeLillo
Kurt Vonnegut
Lidia Yuknavitch
Kazuo Ishiguro
Elizabeth Kostova
Maureen Johnson
Patricia Briggs
Holly Black
Melissa Marr
Justine Larbalestier
Scott Westerfeld
Rachel Vincent
Terri Windling
Ellen Datlow
Maggie Stiefvater
John Green
Mur Lafferty

I'm sure there's more, but that's all I can think of, off the top of my head.

Mike wrote: "1~Anne Tyler
2~Richard Russo
3~Ian McEwan (and that's based on 1 book!)
4~Cormac McCarthy
5~Nathaniel Philbrick (non-fic)
5b~John Steinbeck
"

I like Anne Tyler also. I have not read anything lately of hers though.

1~Anne Tyler
2~Richard Russo
3~Ian McEwan (and that's based on 1 book!)
4~Cormac McCarthy
5~Nathaniel Philbrick (non-fic)
5b~John Steinbeck

All though there are A LOT of authors I would read no matter what, most of them only have one or two books out so I am picking my list from the people with most experience, just because it is more credible if I have read more then two of their books.

1) Terry Pratchett: My all time favorite writer!
2) Diane Duane: Even though her books are "for kids" their insight on the world and how it works in exciting and comforting. Plus she doesn't shy away from serious topics. She is one of those people that doesn't underestimate the mind of a child.
3) Diane Wynn Jones: I love almost all fantasy books, but the one author who consistently comes out with good and interesting fantasy book is this women right here.
4) Suzanne Collins: After the Underland Chronicles (which was my first books I have read of hers and devored on the bus ride home) and the hunger games (which I devoured under the covers on a school night) I would read ANY of her books.
5) Sarah Dessen: There is just something amazing about picking up one of her books. It just makes you feel good about the world. That no matter how crappy life is that sarah Dessen will always be there to cheer you up.
Wendy Mass: Her stories aren't fantasy or romances like what I dabble in, but they are slice of life. It's all about kids trying to find themselves in this crazy world, and it is amazing.
Laurie R King: I've read all of her Mary Russle books and I fell in love. Mixing both sherlock Holmes and a headstrong girl is what I have been dreaming of since I was a child.

Hmmmmmmmm..... that is hard to choose, very few have not let me down at least once.

1. Has to be Charles de Lint
2. Terri Windling
3. Emma Bull
4. Ellen Datlow
5. Nina K. Hoffman
6. Carol O'Connor

ooohh Akittykat... Yay for Saramago being on your list!!!

Mark Twain - my favorite author of all time. I love his wit and humor.
John Steinbeck - His descriptions of life in the Salinas Valley are great!
Jim Butcher - Yay for Harry Dresden, and the Codex Alera.
Louisa May Alcott - her stories always make me feel good.
Agatha Christie - The Grande Dame of mystery. Her books were some of my faves growing up.

Jose Saramago- Just read Blindness and was impressed

Anne Rivers Siddons-I love her description of Outer Banks area.

Pat Conroy-I will read anything by him

Alexander Dumas-He is an all time favorite of mine

and last but not least I have discovered Hermann Hess. Where have I been all these years.
My daughter got me hooked on Hess.

i love authors whos been there, done that, and writes about it:

Jack Kerouac
Jack London
Henry Miller
George Orwell
William Burroughs

1. Joey Comeau
2. Kresley Cole
3. Allan Campbell
4. Carlton Mellick III
5. Konstantinos

1. J.K. Rowling-- I'm a total Potter nerd and, when rereading the Potter books, the world she created never ceases to amaze me.
2. Albert Camus-- He's a literary genius.
3. John Green-- Because he's John Green.
4. Sarah Dessen-- Writes absolutely amazing chicklit-ish young adult fiction.
5. Maureen Johnson-- I love how all of her novels never actually have a "proper" ending.

1. Laurie R. King (the only author whose books I eagerly await--and the only currently writing mystery author I truly enjoy!)
2. Amy Tan
3. David Ebershoff
4. Sinclair Lewis
5. Wilkie Collins

Is it weird to have classic authors on there? Every time I run across a new-to-me book/story by either of them, I check it out immediately!

Cliff wrote: "My top 5
1. Harry Turtledove - for his alternate histories usually involving the US, Crosstime Traffic, American Empire, etc

2. Eric Flint - same thing, the Ring of Fire series

3. S.M. Stirling -..."

I think I'll have to look up Shatner's. I'm a huge trekkie and am interested to see how he would write Kirk! Do you have a reccommendation on where to start?

1. David James Duncan
2. Walker Percy
3. Annie Dillard
4. Umberto Eco
5. Hermann Hesse

1. William Styron
2. Haruki Murakami
3. Khaled Hosseini
4. Madeleine L'Engle
5. Marion Zimmer Bradley

1. Jasper Fforde
2. Agatha Christie
3. Richard Montanari
4. Simon Kernick
5. Kate Morton

And I'll probably pick up JK Rowling's next offering, and then decide based on that.

My top 5
1. Harry Turtledove - for his alternate histories usually involving the US, Crosstime Traffic, American Empire, etc

2. Eric Flint - same thing, the Ring of Fire series

3. S.M. Stirling - the Novels of the Change series

4. Tom Clancy - mostly for the novels involving Jack Ryan

5. William Shatner and his vision of Captain Kirk in the Star Trek universe, they're interesting

1. S.E. Hinton: I loved her book The Outsiders and have tried to read every book she has wrote. I love her stories and it was after reading her books that I decided I wanted to write books of my own.

2. Philip Pullman: His stories are just amazing. He's a very talented author.

3. Diana Wynne Jones: I haven't been a fan of her for to long and have only read about 3 books from her, but what I have read I love. I just like how she writes, her stories are so good.

4. Walter Dean Myers: His books are very good and I love the characters in his books.

And I really can't think of a 5th one right now, but if I do I'll add it.

Five authors I would read regardless:

1. Gabriel Garcia Marquez
2. V.S. Naipul
3. Dr. Irv Yalom
4. Elizabeth Marshall Thomas
5. Paul Scott
6. Damon Runyan

I was always good at English and could never do maths. Shows, doesn't it :-D

My favorites authors - (in no special order):

1. Philip Gulley. He can be found in the religion section although he doesn't preach in his books. He's a Quaker minister who writes about a Quaker minister and his congregation(?). Gulley cracks me up - there are some real characters in his books!

2. Brendan O'Carroll - he wrote The Mammy series - it's a riot.

3. Elinor Lipman - I wish she would write more. I've enjoyed everything she's written. The first book of hers that I read was The Inn at Lake Devine. I don't usually re-read books but that's one that I will re-read.

4. Marian Keyes.

5. Jane Austen.

And women authors are the majority on my list :)

Joanna, I love your authors!

I sooo couldn't cut mine down!

In order of when I discovered them:
1.Anne McCaffrey - she was my first fantasy addiction, and I can't discount her now, even though I hardly read her now, I still aim to own all of her Pern series in hardback. :)
2.Elizabeth Peters - her newer stuff less so, but I still buy it.
3.Fannie Flagg
4.Amy Tan
5.Robin McKinley - Sunshine!!
6.Jane Austen
7.J.K. Rowling
8.Terry Pratchett
9.Jasper Fforde
10.Sophie Kinsella
11.Diana Wynne Jones
12.Tamora Pierce

Oh! and Shakespeare he would come second in the line up. Charles Dickens should probably also be up there, but he's a budding favorite, I've only read three of his books so far.

1. John Steinbeck
2. Ernest Hemingway
3. Ray Bradbury
4. Fyodor Dostoevsky
5. J.K. Rowling (I agree with everyone else though, no Harry Potter rip-offs, just her stuff please! And yes, I do read her "supplement" books like Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Love it!)

Southernbelle0326 wrote: "5. Paula Deen-lol"


Did you see her halloween costume? She was a stick of butter!

The top 5 authors that I would read regardless are

1.Cathy Marie Hake
2. Deeanne Gist
3. Janette Oke
4. Jane Austen
5. Paula Deen-lol

1. Marian Keyes (Always, always makes me laugh)

2. Meg Cabot (Ditto)

3. Laurie Graham (Funny while set in times of war, etc so I get a sense of a differet lifetime while still being able to read humorous characters)

4. Elisabeth Young (Funny, funny, funny)

5. Stephen King (Maybe because hes also from Maine and maybe because he is also a great writer... and horror is not really my thing but I still love him)

These authors entice me with every new release;
James Lee Burke
Jan Karon
Anne Rivers Siddons
Sue Grafton
Nevada Barr
Dorothea Benton Frank
Oops, more than five. What a surprise....

MY favorite authors are:

1. Thrity Umrigar - The Space Between Us (a fav)
2. Anita Shreve - I've read all her books (Testimony is most recent)
3. Chris Bohjalian - I've read all his books too
4. Jodi Picoult - read all her books: new one - Handle With Care is terrific
5. Wally Lamb - love his books but they are few and far between

1 John Irving
2 John Steinbeck
3 John Updike
that's it for the John's....
4 Herman Wouk
5 Leon Uris

Jessica, you have a great list.

Here are mine:

Margaret Atwood
Haruki Murakami
Anita Shreve
Edith Wharton
Shakespeare

I'm sure there are others I can't think of right now, but that's 5 so...I'm done.

My top five would have to be:

Kurt Vonnegut
John Steinbeck
Margaret Atwood
Kazuo Ishiguro
Alice Hoffman

Pale Fire is supposed to be one of his best... I am surprised it wasn't as good as Invitation to a Beheading. Perhaps I started with the best. That would be a bit sad.

Im only 35 pages in right now. Its written as though he is speaking to me, the reader, and can get a little dry... but I have high hopes.

Ive also read Laughter in the Dark (bonus for being a Lost Lit novel too!), and Pale Fire. So far none have matched the quality and intrigue of ItaB.

I also really loved Nabokov's Transparent Things but I was indifferent towards Lolita and Look at the Harlequins. Next on my list is The Real Life of Sebastian Knight

How is despair?

Manday, Invitation to a Beheading was my first Nabokov as well....and I really liked it. Very strange and twisted.

I hit the Nabokov jackpot at a library sale earlier this year, and am currently reading Despair.

El wrote: "
Megha, did you read The Neon Bible by Toole? I wasn't a fan of A Confederacy of Dunces myself, but have been curious to know what people thought of his other book."

No I haven't read The Neon Bible. But I remember reading somewhere that Toole himself didn't think much of this one since he had written it when he was still a teenager. I should perhaps just read it anyway. Thanks El for reminding me. :)

Nabokov... I read Invitation to a Beheading and was transfixed, I want to read everything he put out! (which is A LOT).

Megha wrote: "(in no particular order)

Salman Rushdie
Junot Diaz
Haruki Murakami
Joseph Heller
Kurt Vonnegut
F Scott Fitzgerald
Thomas Pynchon

And I really wish I could read more by John Kennedy Toole. If only..."

Megha, did you read The Neon Bible by Toole? I wasn't a fan of A Confederacy of Dunces myself, but have been curious to know what people thought of his other book.