authors you keep reading even though you have no idea why

[Phillip]

Jennie wrote: "Philip, I had the same experience with Vonnegut. He was the first "real" writer that I ever read in high school -- you know after I graduated from YA books and the Jackie Collins crap I'd nick fro..."

Those are pretty much the ones I liked. There were places in "Slapstick" that made me laugh out loud. You know, "Jailbird", "God Bless you...", I have mixed feelings about "Sirens of Titan". But in the end I realized that I didn't like him.

I'm glad to hear that others have had my experience.

[Tess]

:) can anyone else rant with me about Karen Marie Moning? I started her "Fever" series, and by #3 just kept hoping the story would end... but then I went out and bought the next one right away! And, when I found out her romance novels tied into the Fever world (or vice versa?) I had to go out and read all of THEM even though each starred a petite blonde (I think one had black hair) and a hulking Highlander who was actually very sensitive... gag, but I kept reading and reading!
The other author I keep reading is Kerrelyn Sparks and her Love at Stake books. I love her vampire world, but could we please get some plots where it actually makes sense for the characters to like each other?

[Mirvan.]

i keep reading HARUKI MURAKAMI even though some of his books are really boring for me... just have to dinish it because i so love some of his books... hmmm.. this gets me thinking... who are the other authors that gives me the same feeling...?

maybe JAMES JOYCE and E.M. Forster... Nothing beats Maurice for me... i'll check my books and find out more...

[Nicola]

I like Sara Shepard and pretty little liars but I think Sara milks it a little bit too much

[John]

Does suffering through seven Richard Laymon books count? In my defence (not that I think there can be a defence for such a lapse in taste and sensibilities), I think I kept reading because I couldn't believe just how awful they really were.

[Joann H (Sshh!!! I'm reading)]

This was actually the case for me when I was younger. I hated Judy Blume!!! Oh my, I couldn't stand her but I kept reading her books because the library had a bunch of them and whenever there were no new R.L.Stine books available I'd just read her books instead. I complained the whole way through.

[Nicola]

I agree :)

[Sara]

I was addicted to The Pretty Little Liars series for a little bit in high school. What always got me is the girls know that A is following them around but still do stupid things. The main reasons I kept going for as long as I did is the mystery. Sara Shephard would put a hook out with the mystery at the end of the book that made me want to continue the series to see who was A. I stopped basically after realizing that Sara Shephard was adding 8 more books to the already 8 books in the series. Also, I heard that she originally intended for the series to end after 4 books. I read the first four books and accepted that as the ending.

[Kayris]

Patricia Cornwell. The last book I liked by her was "Black Notice." I haven't read her latest yet, because a bunch of people I know said they were offended by it. So maybe I'll be able to break the habit.

[Lynn]

I keep reading Dean Koontz...I love the premise of his stories but MY GOD DOES HE DIGRESS! In the words of a now-famous internet meme lady: "Ain't nobody got time for all that!"

[Casseroll]

Christine Feehan. Her Dark series became too predictable but I had really liked her Ghostwalker series. That was intense. I've branched into different genres now and am trying to find other things that might interest me. There were other books I had stopped a while back due to the same premise like Connie Mason (great writer) and Cassie Edwards. Some authors are great but I don't like to stay with a series too long unless there is some serious entertainment, like Sherrilyn Kenyon's/Kinley MacGregor's books. Those are great!

[Lori]

Phillip wrote: "My worst offenders were John Updike and Kurt Vonnegut. I started reading Vonnegut because a friend spoke highly of him. I read Updike because a professor lectured on him. At some point I realize..."

I loved Slaughterhouse Five. The thing with Vonnegut is this...When I was 16 someone recommended to me Breakfast of Champions. It was so horrible and such a bad read I abandoned it. When I was about 20 or so I picked it up again and it was a great book, and then I read just about all the rest of his volumes. Gotta love a name like Kilgore Trout!

[Lori]

Sonya wrote: "jean m.auel"

Yes! Her books just get progressively worse and worse!

[Lori]

Emily Griffin and Jane Green. Awkward and boring reads; stories you can't identify with; unlikeable characters--this is a great recipe for...books that suck!

[amaldae]

Paulo Coelho and P.C. Cast (especially HoN series). I find their works bad and often insulting but, for some reason, keep waiting for miracles to happen. Also, Cassanra Clare and Lauren Oliver (but she has so inriguing settings!), albeit I've decided to stop reading them sooner rather than later.

[Katie]

I am going to have to agree with the Evanovich. I have read her entire series, mostly on the train to and from work and on lunch breaks during my old job. I read Takedown Twenty when it came out and I am now on Top Secret Twenty One and I am struggling to get into it. I think I enjoyed them before because they were easy to put down and not lose your place. Now that I have lees of a commute and more free time I am having a really hard time enjoying her writing. The books are all the same- same plots, same character descriptions, not to mention the lack of character development. I keep telling myself that I have to sit down and finish it but I have so far been finding better things to do.

I am also ashamed to say that I have been feeling this way about J.K. Rowling recently. I loved Harry Potter. It came out at the perfect time in my life and as trite as it sounds, I really grew up with the characters. Which is why it has been so hard for me to read the new books that she has been writing. I really struggle with them and I feel like I have to read them and I have to recommend them to others because it is J.K. but they are really not to my taste. I have The Silkworm to read so hopefully that will be more what I am looking for.

[Lori S.]

J.R. Ward. I started reading the Black Dagger Brotherhood (Lover Reborn) out of pure curiosity and now I can't seem to stop reading them.

Ward is a horrible writer. Her plots are thin, the romance is over the top (and unrealistic), she strains metaphors to the breaking point, and, according to long time fans, has taken to totally ignoring the rules of the world she set down in the first four books. Her language leaves a lot to be desired - I've never come across a more foul mouthed bunch of characters before and I wonder if they even own anything other than leather to wear for everyday.

I've yet to encounter a 'lesser' who could actually do any of the Brotherhood and their allies any harm. As enemies they seem to be something of a joke.

And the Brotherhood itself? All I can think of whenever Ward describes any of the Brothers is Conan-clones - huge, hulking, brutes who would probably, if they existed in reality, be top heavy and hard pressed to keep their balance. I won't even start in on the tiny, delicate, females of these books.... [shakes head]

[Lily]

Sarah Shepard and her Pretty Little Liars series. Please stop. The first few books were good and kept the story interesting, but now we are getting almost to the 20s in books and the plot is exactly the same.
That and James Patterson. STOP WITH MAXIMUM RIDE! A new book is coming out and the last 4 were horrible ;_; I really love the first three Maximum Ride books, but he destroyed them after that :(

[Aiden (The Book Scourge)]

Dan Brown...I honestly don't know why. His plots are so convoluted and you can clearly tell the research is half assed. Not to mention, the closest thing to character development for Robert Langdon is himself obsessing over his Mickey Mouse watch and his Harris Tweed jacket. To top it all off,
every book Dan Brown wrote is PREDICTABLE AS HELL!

[Julia]

Katie wrote: "I am going to have to agree with the Evanovich. I have read her entire series, mostly on the train to and from work and on lunch breaks during my old job. I read Takedown Twenty when it came out an..."

I agree about J.K. Rowling... I LOVE Harry Potter but have absolutely no interest in her other books. Regardless of how great Harry Potter was to read, nothing in her new books appeals to me. I gave her a "second chance" with Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, but I really loathed it.

[David]

I used to enjoy Faye Kellerman.
I started reading The Hunt. I doubt I'll be able to finish it since it focuses on a toxic relationship with a POV female character and a gangster/boyfriend who treats her abysmally.
So, to get the nasty out of my head I decided to check out a new female mystery author, Cheryl Bradshaw. Her third book involved a murder that happens at a high school reunion on a Caribbean cruise.
That setting is dropped immediate - and guess what - she also has a gangster/boyfriend who disrespects her autonomy.
SERIOUSLY!

[Lori S.]

David wrote: "I used to enjoy Faye Kellerman.
I started reading The Hunt. I doubt I'll be able to finish it since it focuses on a toxic relationship with a POV female character and a gangster/boyfriend who treat..."

Well, that's not fun at all.

While she doesn't write about toxic relationships, I've stopped buying Josh Lanyon books.