Liz Carlyle, Anne McCaffrey and Martin Cruz Smith did it in three books; Jane Austen, Mark Kurlansky and Rosina Lippi all accomplished it in one. The quickest, Linda Howard, did it in ten pages. On the other hand, it took Stephen King, Robert Silverberg and Alan Dean Foster at least ten tries each.
That's how many books by these authors that it took to convince me to collect their entire works and/or buy whatever they wrote in the future.
There's no logic to how it happens, but sometimes I think a bit of luck with reading order is involved. Anne McCaffrey had me after I'd read Get Off the Unicorn, Crystal Singer, and Powers That Be , in that order. I don't think it would have happened if I'd read any of the Pern novels first, though; all of those dragons would have sent me running in the opposite direction.
Of the authors I collect, Liz Carlyle is probably the only one I met in person before I read her work. We bumped into each other at a conference booksigning and chatted for a while. At that point I'd pretty much given up on reading historical romance, but I really liked Liz's personality. Talking with her made me curious to see how she handled story. Three books later, I cleared off a shelf for her novels.
How long did it take for one of your favorite writers to win you over as a collector of their work? Let us know in comments to this post (or, if you have no favorite authors, just throw your name in the hat) by midnight EST on Friday, August 17, 2007. I'll draw three names at random from everyone who participates, and send the winners an unsigned copy of Linda Howard's new hardcover novel, Up Close and Dangerous plus a surprise. This giveaway is open to everyone on the planet, even if you've won something here at PBW in the past.
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It took one book to love Sandra Brown's writing; I then purchased the second and the third in her Texas Trilogy and I was hooked for sure; Texas Chase, Texas Sage and Texas Lucky. Awesome books.
ReplyDeleteIt took two books for me to decide to buy/read everything by Janette Turner Hospital. I read her book "Borderline" as assigned reading in an Australian lit class when I spent a semester in Australia in college. Then I read "Charades" -- and I've bought/read everything since. I agree with you that reading order makes a difference. I didn't like her book-before-last very well, and I'm not excited about the subject matter of her book-just-coming-out-now, but I have faith in her so I will keep reading no matter what.
ReplyDeleteOne book for Marjorie M Liu...she had me at Tiger Eye, JR Ward only took one, also. I think I'm easy, because there are so many authors that have me after a blurb. Haha.
ReplyDeleteHarry Harrison had me at 2 pages of The Stainless Steel Rat Gets Drafted. Nathaniel Hawthorne had me with one short story (Young Goodman Brown, I think).
ReplyDeleteNeil Gaiman took the third chapter of American Gods, Naomi Tevik the same, Terry Pratchett one page, and C. E. Murphy two.
ReplyDeleteIf it takes a whole book to convince me, I forget before I can buy their stuff. >.>
It took the first chapter of JK Rowling's Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone before I decide to collect the whole series. The first book of the Narnia chronicles by CS Lewis also had me hooked and A Time to Kill by John Grisham had me scouting for more from him. Queen of Thrillers Mary Higgins Clark had me within the first few chapters but master of fantasy JRR Tolkien only had me hooked after the Lord of Rings trilogy was about to make the silver screen. The Merlin Conspiracy had be clearing a whole shelf by Diana Wynne Jones. In the romance genre, it took several books before I am hooked to the likes of Nora Roberts and Nicholas Sparks. There are just too many authors out there for me to list it all but these are just some of my favourites.
ReplyDeleteHave to agree with robynl about the Texas Trilogy by Sandra Brown (it was the same for me). Excellent books!
ReplyDeleteOne book from J.R. Ward (Dark Lover), Sherrilyn Kenyon (Night Pleasures), Linda Howard (Kill and Tell) and Rosemary Rogers (Sweet Savage Love)
Terri W.
(Don't enter me in the contest--given my recent extraordinary good fortune with contests, I have an unfair advantage...)
ReplyDeleteI know early on in the first book if it's going to be a long-term affair. I don't make it all the way to the end and only then say, "Oh, that was good, must have more." It's more like "Should I keep reading now or go order the backlist and spring for overnight shipping so it's here by the time I finish this one?"
A surefire way to sink the hook is to appeal to my sense of humor, something like "The French always make thank you sound like fuck you" or "Let's tie him to an ant hill and throw little pickles at him." For some reason, I find those little one-liners more revealing than entire chapters.
I remember reading Linda Howard and Elizabeth Lowell before they became household names when they wrote for romance serials and you could tell that they would make it big. They got me with their earlier books, with the first book I read of each of these two authors. They wrote characters with strong emotions and that hasn't changed.
ReplyDeleteIt took 5 pages into Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone to convince me that I needed to read the series.
ReplyDeleteSuzanne Brockmann's famous chocolate scene from Defiant Hero to convince me I couldn't quit until Sam and Alyssa had a HEA. And the geek David from Unsung being lambasted by Mallory for me to love her humor.
Took less than one chapter of Sarah's Child by Linda Howard to convince me she was an auto-buy.
Read Cherry Adair's Hide and Seek and that was enough to convince me to buy the set.
Took less than 5 chapters to convince me that I was a fan of Karin Slaughter's Blindsighted.
On the other hand...in less than 5 pages of one of the Undead books, I convinced myself I would never pick up another Mary Janice Davidson book.
Dark Prince by Christine Feehan convinced me to NOT by the Carpathian series.
Less than a page of Dennis Lahane (Mystic River) and John Le Carre (Constant Gardner) for me to throw the books in the used book store stack.
For me, Terry Pratchett took a few pages, Neil Gaiman took a few chapters of American Gods and Jim Butcher took only a paragraph...
ReplyDeleteLois McMaster Bujold did it around halfway though Shards of Honor, Steven Brust with halfway through Book of Jherek, and Anne Logston with the first two chapters of Shadow. Gaiman did it somewhere during the first Sandman trade paperback and the Pinis with just a couple of pages of the first Elfquest comic.
ReplyDeletePretty fast. In contrast, I also usually know pretty fast if I loath a writer's style.
Now we have to travel far back in time, to a remaindered bookshop near Victoria Station that sadly isn't there any more....
ReplyDeleteThis bookshop had a wide selection of cheap SF and I browsed there regularly after work. One day, I picked up Volume One of a collection of short stories by an author I'd never heard of and was hooked (altho I regret I can't remember how many stories it took). Volume Two, Volume Three, Volume Four, Volume Five followed in short order. This author has his own shelf but I'm still collecting his work even after all this time, adding to it every time the tireless agent for his estate gets another one out there. I also read his biography, which isn't a genre I'd normally go for.
PK Dick, my (writing) hero :D.
For me it took 2 books by Julie Garwood. I'll read anything she writes.
ReplyDeleteI don't wanna be put in the contest, but there's this one sci fi author who had me hooked just from reading an excerpt in the back of a Catherine Coulter book.
ReplyDelete:-)
There aren't too many authors that I have to have every single book they ever wrote. An author can one series I love, like Lora Leigh's Breed books, or another that is okay for me, but I don't HAVE to have them. Love Lora's Breeds but the Bound Hearts, I don't have to have every single one.
The Stephanie Plum books are another. I love Stephanie Plum and I started out of order... read five first, I think, and went all and bought all of them. But Evanovich's other stuff, I could take them or leave them.
Neil Gaiman hooked me with his author bio in Anansi Boys. I must be easy :)
ReplyDeleteI've recently been trying first-time novelists and that makes it difficult when you love their work - you have to wait for them to finish their next book! Claire Cameron's The Line Painter comes to mind. Joshilyn Jackson also got me in a chapter - Gods in Alabama - but she has two other books out, fortunately.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteMaeve Binchy had me about half-way through "Evening Class." Luanne Rice had me hooked after about three books, but I probably never would have picked up a book of hers again if I had read her very first novel first.
ReplyDeleteI tool one book for Rosemary Rogers. Stephen King, probably about five or six books. Judith McNaught, one book. Larry McMurtry only took one book as well...Lonesome Dove.
ReplyDeleteI would have started in on Stephen King's books after two -- IT and Christine -- if I'd had the money. As it was, it took me until Insomnia was out to have a current "collected works".
ReplyDeleteLaurell K. Hamilton had me at Guilty Pleasures, though that might be because I was stuck on the couch with a nasty case of bronchitis for a week at the time. I read all nine books that were out in that single week.
Your Darkyn books had me at the first one, and I read them all in a week, too. Mostly because I still had to work. *sigh*
Others vary. Depends on which book I get first, I guess. Like Raymond Feist? I like most of his stuff, but not all. If I'd read some of the not-so-much stuff first, I'd have never read the Riftwar Saga. Or Piers Antony. Love the Incarnations of Immortality and the Xanth novels (God, it's been so long that I can't remember if Xanth is right!), not so much the one-shots.
Holly Lisle had me with one book: Talyn. That is, to date, one of the best fantasies I've ever read.
ReplyDeleteStephen King had me after two books: The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon and The Gunslinger.
Dean Koontz had me in three books. I read Ticktock first, and that was a really great book. I really liked it, but decided to see what his other books were like. House of Thunder was okay, but not near as good as Ticktock. What really hooked me was Odd Thomas, one of my favorite books of all time.
You had me at one (stardoc) :P Hmmm...as did Robin Mckinley. Patricia Mckillip and Holly Lisle took three. I grew up on Anne McCaffrey, so she doesn't even count. Lori Handeland had me at two. Wen Spencer at one...geez, I just have a lot of books, I'll leave it there.
ReplyDeleteMost recently, one book by Lindsey Davis.Her first book, Silver Pigs. It is rather quirky but I fell in love with her ancient gumshoe, Didius Falco.
ReplyDeleteI read the first of Terry Pratchett's Discworld books and was immediately hooked, so much so that I collect him in hardcover and even had a friend who traveled to London to pick up copies of the editions published over there. (They have different covers.) I also have the plays based on his books.
ReplyDeleteStephen R Donaldson also required only one book, although I have to say that his quality went down after the first Thomas Covenant trilogy. Still, he has incredibly powerful writing and plots that astonish me.
I was hooked on Karen Kingsbury's novels within the first few pages. Her characters really come alive for me.
ReplyDeleteI can usually tell in the first few pages whether I'm going to like the book enough to read it, and by the end whether I'm going to like the author's other works. You had me in the first chapter of Afterburn, but you kept me when you didn't screw up the ending. I hate that.
ReplyDeleteOh, I need to add Ursula K Le Guin. Most people come to her from the Earthsea books, but I found The World for World is Forest first and then had to have everything she wrote.
ReplyDeletePatricia McKillip. The first chapter of "The Riddlemaster of Hed" got me hooked and I have since read everything she's ever written.
ReplyDelete:)
I read Sweet Starfire by Jayne Ann Krentz way back. At the time, I was a science fiction snob. I tried another and I was hooked. That's when I decided to start reading romance. I now have all of her books on my shelf. I don't even care for historicals, but I have read and reread her Amanda Quicks. Like you she has several identities.
ReplyDeleteJohanna Lindsey after the first book. She's had a few so-so stories hit the shelves, but she still manages to produce stories I love to read. I adore her Malory series. The uncles, especially Tony and James, are hilarious.
ReplyDeleteIt usually takes one really good book for me.
ReplyDeletePatricia Briggs and Tamora Pierce each took about a chapter before I decided to get everything I could.
ReplyDeleteCris
(Don't enter me in the contest. *G* I've been very lucky lately.)
ReplyDeleteTam had me about 2 chapters in with Threads of Malice. And that has nothing to do with the fact that I had pneumonia in July. Marcia Muller had me about halfway through the first book of hers I read. I immediately went looking for the first two books in the series. You had me hooked on the Darkyn by the end of the first chapter and I swore I was done with books about vampires. (I had to buy a second copy of Night Lost because I bribed a lab tech with my first copy.)
Many moons ago when I was in high school Kurt Vonnegut had me hooked on his books by the time I'd finished the intro to Welcome to the Monkey House.
I think it was probably a quarter to halfway through Eye of the World before I went crazy over Robert Jordan's books.
ReplyDeleteIt's usually one. My autobuys are Robin McKinley, Patricia Briggs, Ilona Andrews, Patricia McKillip and Michelle Sagara. Usually I just know - this is true love. :)
ReplyDeleteSharyn McCrumb had me at the title.
ReplyDelete"If I'd Killed Him when I met him, I'd be out of jail by now."
It's a battered woman mystery but done with grace, style and humor. It isn't exploitive..just understanding.
Also loved her title "Bimbos of the Death Star" about a fan con.
I love her Ballad stories..the history and the mystery and songs and settings are woven lyrically together making those books a must read.
that said..haven't been able to get into her St. Dale nascar books.
sorry. the above comment is mine.
ReplyDeleteposted too quickly.
Rebecca
It depends if the book i'm reading is the author's first book or not. I tend not to fall in love with debut authors, even though i make a point out of finding a few every year and reading them. I always love them more after they've published a few and grown as a writer. Then i start in the middle, or with their most recent, fall in love and i read everything they've done.
ReplyDeleteStephen King still hasn't won my complete loyalty. Neil Gaiman took me 4 or 5 books, Holly lisle 1 book.
I usually get hooked right away. With JacQuelyn Frank I got hooked with the first book I read by her. With Christine Feehan, Nalini Singh and Robin Owens it was also the first books I read by them. They might not be the absolute first book they have ever written because I am very cautious about trying new authors.
ReplyDeleteIt took only one, "A Great Deliverance", to get me hooked to Elizabeth George. I know, it's so boring it doesn't ring true, but it is!
ReplyDeleteNeil Gaiman had me at the back cover blurb. I read the description from Neverwhere, and had to force myself to not pick up all of his books right that minute, even though I had never read anything of his before.
ReplyDeleteJane Austin had me at one, but P&P is always a good place to start with her.
And in the third grade, the first Babysitter's Club series novel had me hooked. I owned every book in that series up until 54.
It took only a few pages of Kim Harrison's Dead Witch Walking to convince me that I would want to buy anything she wrote.
ReplyDeleteI'm more of a try-before-you-buy type of reader - I tend to borrow most books from the library and then only buy them if I know I'm going to want to read them again. I still buy plenty of books, and none of them are duds, which is important when you're on a student's budget. Consequently, I can't really say I collect the work of any authors (although Neil Gaiman comes very close to that status).
ReplyDeleteThere are quite a few authors who have convinced me that I want to read all their books, and this can happen with as little as one book. I need to read the whole thing, though, because a lot of times I love the beginning and am unimpressed by the end. On the other hand, I can often figure out that I don't like an author within a chapter or two.
My father read me Patricia Wrede's Dealing with Dragons when I was 8 or 9. A couple of chapters in I was in love and over ten years later I'm still reading (or re-reading her work.
ReplyDeleteBecause of space constaints I have to be very careful about how many books I keep. My family has promised revolt if I try to move anymore book cases into the house.
ReplyDeleteI have a copy of by two fav Kathleen Woodiwiss book which were also the first two historical romances that I ever read. Then I have several of my favorite Linda Howard books.
I tend to collect series not all the books written by an author. Those series I'm collecting based on the first book include Kelly Armstrong Women of the Otherworld, Kim Harrison's series, JR Ward's BDB, The Darykn series, Patricia Briggs, JR Robb's in Death series, and a new author I just finished reading Rachel Vincent and her werecat series that starts with her debut novel Stray.
I ttook me one book to get hooked on Monica Wood as an excellent writer. Just love her work.
ReplyDeleteActually, it took only one from several authors. "I Robot" from Asimov and I started buying all I could find in print.
ReplyDelete"Hunting the Corrigan's Blood" made me a Holly Lisle fan for life. I believe that I have almost all of Holly's books right now.
And of course, "Stardoc" has made me a life long S. L. Viehl fan (including all the other names Sheila goes by).
It can work the other way too...One book from Stephen Donaldson, (Thomas Covenent), and I know I wont read anything else from him.
I do try to collect complete series. Finding space for all the books is a problem though.
Actually, Stardoc won me over a little less than halfway through. Orson Scott Card won me over with Ender's Game in about the same time.
ReplyDeleteI picked Dune by Frank Herbert up about 12 times before finally forging past the 2nd or 3rd chapter. I was hooked before I finished.
It any took one of Amy Lane's. And it was not even the first one.
ReplyDeleteMy two favorite authors are Lynn Viehl (you :P) and Orson Scott Card. I only had to read Stardoc to want all books written by you, but it took me reading Ender's Game to buy the rest of the series and then The Worthing Chronicle to want the rest of OSC books.
ReplyDeleteThrowing my name at the hat
ReplyDeleteIt was one book for Nora Roberts but it took two or three for Iris Johansen. Linda Howard I think it was one.
ReplyDeleteAs the daughter of a collector, I've been a collector myself since I was young. The first ones I remember collecting of my own volition was LM Montgomery. My darling great-aunt gave me the first three Anne books (since I'm named Ann) for my ninth birthday. I read them in about a week and have been a devout Montgomery fan ever since.
ReplyDeleteI started collecting Amanda Quick after one book, and Misty Lackey after the first Valdemar trilogy. One short story was all it took to make me collect Dorothy L Sayers' Lord Peter books.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteIt is usually one book for me. Doesn't seem to make any differance on whether its the first of a series or the middle. I immediately have to find all the books that author has written. Thus my 3 rooms overflowing with books. I can't even find the top of my desk anymore, seems lucky to find my keyboard. Not to mention I tend to spend all my grocery money on books!
ReplyDeleteI have to buy Angela Knight, JK Rowling, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Iris Johansen, JR Ward, MaryJanice Davidson, Mary Balough, Jo Beverly...lol just to name a few. I can't believe how long the list really is.
Jen :)
Martin Cruz Smith. I read Gorky Park and then when about 10 pages into Polar Star, I decided that no matter how long I had to wait between each novel, I would own every one of them. He crafts each sentence into a work of art.
ReplyDeleteWilliam Goldman. When I finished The Color of Light, I knew I wanted to be a writer and that I needed to own more this man's books. After reading Boys & Girls Together about three times over I started looking for everything, even screenplays written by him.
I bet LInda Howard's Mr Perfect wasn't even half the book before I was sold. Lisa Gardner might have been three books, but i think I bought the first one then went back and glommed the other paperbacks. Marsha Moyer - I bet she wasn't ten pages....she's a very special writer!
ReplyDeleteI've bought nearly all of Jan Karon's, based on reading the first book of her Mitford series. She's put out a few quote books that I haven't gotten, though, because it's not original work.
ReplyDeleteJoel Rosenberg is right there, also, as is Roger Zelazny.
I won't even mention JK Rowling. And since I don't think she'd ever top Harry Potter, I doubt I'd buy anything else she put out.
Angela Knight, Morgan Hawke and JD Ward managed it in just one; Terry Goodkind and the Weis/Hickman team came a close second at two; through my husband, we have enough Stephen King books to build a small house and I'm still not convinced.
ReplyDeleteThe first book in the Dark-Hunter series a friend gave me to read had me hooked. I've read all the books in Sherrilyn Kenyon's series and went to her release party for her new book Devil May Cry in Ann Arbor on August 6th.
ReplyDeletePlease throw my name in the hat. I started reading Paul O. Williams Pelbar series and loved it. I like the world he built through the novel without giving too much away.
ReplyDeleteI don't have an answer, but I do have a question. I wonder after people have decided they *love* an author and will buy everything, how many "bad" books by that author will they go before giving up? I think I go two or three. And I don't count mediocre books in there--they have to do something really annoying like make a character I love into a complete creep or something...(then there is the mourning period, the anger, you know all those stages of grief :D )
ReplyDeleteJust curious how others are with this.
Lori
http://www.loridevoti.com
I'm really too broke to buy an author's entire works. I'll usually clear out their shelf in the library for their voice- even if the plot is bad, the characters suck and the book is one big ball of clishes, if the writing is witty I'll have a good time anyway.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first read Laura Lippman I knew that I had to read all of her novels.
ReplyDeleteMary Doria Russell was a great find for me. Read all of her wonderful books.
ReplyDeleteI got hooked on many authors by reading one book and loving it. Kate Austin is one of them and Emilie Richards.
ReplyDeleteMarian Keyes got me interested with Watermelon, but Rachel's Holiday made me a fan for life. Anyone who can make drug addiction an enjoyable read is okay by me.
ReplyDeleteHeather
Peter Pezzelli was a great find. So enjoyable and fun. When I read Deborah Crombie's first book I was enthralled and then read them all.
ReplyDeleteWhen I discover a new author I find it delightful and then I get all their books. One of these is Faye Kellerman. Great.
ReplyDeleteAll my favorites won me in the first book and I know I'm hooked because I spend untold amounts of time on the internet trying to find other work by them.
ReplyDeleteHas anyone said thanks for PBW today :)
THANKS
maggie
I wonder after people have decided they *love* an author and will buy everything, how many "bad" books by that author will they go before giving up?
ReplyDeleteOo,oo! I'll answer!
See, I mentioned Laurell K. Hamilton in my "must buy" list up above, but that's actually something of a misnomer. I'd call her more of a must-read now instead of a must-buy. See, about four of her Anita Blake books in a row were -- well, not sucky, but definitely not what I'd come to expect from LKH or from Anita Blake. So I got in the habit of borrowing them from my sister or a friend, rather than rushing out to buy immediately.
Still read them, still enjoyed them, but they weren't the same. Now this last one, though...yeah, she's gone back to the formula that works. When all else fails, bring back Edward.
Three iffy books would put me on the "I'll wait and borrow" list, and maybe two more after that would probably dim my wonder for an author.
Well being a romance reader I would have to say certain authors got me hooked within the first few pages, as was the case with your Darkyn ;), JR Ward, Sherilyn Kenyon, Kim Harrison, ect. The list is somewhat long.
ReplyDeleteOh and I just read a great fantasy by Morgan Howell, her debut novel I think and well, needless to say I am eagerly awaiting her next one as it had me after the first few chapters.
Sylvia
One book writers:
ReplyDeletePatricia Briggs
Patti O'Shea
Linnea Sinclair
Marjorie M. Liu
Naomi Novik
Three book writers:
Gena Showalter
Carol Berg
Lois McMaster Bujold
Jayne Castle
LKH is definitely on my list. Picked up her 4th book at the airport and loved it. Had to rush out and get the first three stories and I still have her on my must buy list.
ReplyDeleteSanta Montefiore whom I just discovered has brought me hours of pleasure and joy. I have found her books to be refreshing and wonderful and have been trying to locate all of them.
ReplyDeleteLori wrote: I don't have an answer, but I do have a question. I wonder after people have decided they *love* an author and will buy everything, how many "bad" books by that author will they go before giving up?
ReplyDeletePersonally I don't love the author, I fall for the writing. I've been collecting two authors for years whom I later met in person after I got published. Let's just say I quickly discovered that in person, they were not my cup of tea. It didn't stop me from continuing both collections. After all, I don't have to see the author on my book shelves every day, just the novels.
The only authors I've stopped collecting was one who has been phoning it in since going platinum, one who plagiarized another writer's work, and one who no longer allows any of the books to be professionally edited. I find all three of those situations too professionally repulsive to continue collecting the author.
Sara Donati had me at one (and she apologized to me for any quality errors before I bought it??). Then Rosina Lippi sealed the bid for good measure.
ReplyDeleteTom Clancy had me at one, but he's been farming most of his stuff out to other writers lately and just signing his name (at least that's the way it appears), so he doesn't catch my eye so much lately.
Laura Lippman had me at one or two -- I think it's the combination of Baltimore and San Antonio as settings, because her main character grates on me a bit.
Jennifer Crusie had me at one, but only after being convinced by Holly Lisle that she was to die for before I would give her a try.
Star Doc, because of the conflict, the characters, and the worlds.
The Darkyn because of the writing -- in spite of the subject matter of vampire fiction being a total turnoff, I love this series (vampire fiction doesn't begin to do it justice).
TSJ (Tamara Siler Jones) had me within the first chapter, and I think the only way she'll lose me is if she quits writing. She is so unique and compelling.
There's probably more...
Hello!
ReplyDeleteI have become more picky after having issues with authors I really liked jumping the shark. One has already been mentioned. I read the first 8 books on loan from a friend, and when the ninth came out, I though "Oh. Maybe I won't rush to get these."
As for the author who stopped getting professionally edited, I don't know if we're talking about the same person; but if you read a book thinking "just get rid of the damn corpse already!" I suspect we have the same feelings.
I also stopped purchasing another author when her love triangle dragged out into the double digits.
That said, I do have some must buys. THe most recent are StarDoc, Kelly Armstrong's Otherworld Series (I think having different protagonists was genius on her part) and Kim Harrison's Hallows stories. Those are the most recent that come to mind. Along with the boy who lived.
JulieB
Sometimes there is no rhyme or reason. I think I used to do it more when I first started reading - now that I am online I keep finding new authors and can't keep up with my tbr piles - I have bought quite a few from Harold Robins, Rosemary Rogers, Taylor Caldwell, James Michener, Stephen King, Daphyne duMaurier, R. F. Delderfield, Victoria Holt, Danielle Steel, Julie Garwood, Jill Shalvis, Irving Wallace, Phyllis Whitney and of course Kathleen Woodiwiss.
ReplyDeleteP.J. Tracey and Dennis Lehane only took one book. So did Barbara Kingsolver (Pigs in Heaven). The public library is so useful for trying out new writers (or discovering old ones you hadn't noticed before).
ReplyDeleteHmm, interesting thought. The folks that I used to collect were the ones that caught me as a kid and I haven't the foggiest how many because my sister already had them all.
ReplyDeleteNow I tend to collect people I know as a show of support (though I certainly haven't been disappointed when I start reading them :D). Don't go to the library as much as I used to, cause I have a backlog of known entities that I actually buy.
Oh, and then there's Karen Traviss. I got the first through a publisher reader comments program and have bought everything since...so I guess one book :).
And then there's my husband who, if I can get him to try some of the folks I know, tends to buy them all for me. I've got him hooked on two thriller romance writers now (though neither do I know but both were given to me at first) :). Which isn't including you, cause he's been hooked since the first StarDoc :D.
Cheers,
Margaret
Isaac Asimov ---one book I Robot
ReplyDeleteHobbit series
Bujold first book
and lastly Anne Bishop
One.
ReplyDeleteAndre Norton. I sat, reading Ordeal in Otherwhere with my jaw hitting the floor.
Thankfully, she wrote a lot of books.
Please don't enter me in the drawing.
Judith McNaught won me over three hours. That's how long it took me to read Whitney My Love. In some cases I've read the first book of other authors and didn't like it and then gave them a second try and was hooked. I think my mood and the things happening in my life have a little influence on whether or not I like a book right off the bat.
ReplyDeleteThere are too many great authors that I adore to name any one single name. But when I read a book, I get a good feel for an author and how she/he writes. If I enjoy a book, I will go out and get another book by the same author. If both books turn out to be great reads, then I am well and truely hooked.
ReplyDeleteOnly one book for Katie MacAlister--Improper English. Anything that can make me laugh that hard out loud is worth owning. Nora Roberts...maybe two or three--starting with Montana Sky. Madeleine L'Engle--took 4--the Time Quartet.
ReplyDeleteOctavia Butler hooked me in one chapter. Many years ago I picked up Parable of the Sower at random in the library, never having heard of her before that, and since then that book has been my favorite book ever. Maria V. Snyder hooked me after one book, Poison Study. Of course she only has two books published at the moment, so it wasn't hard to collect them all.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading one page of "Night Pleasures" I knew I would buy any and all novels by Sherrilyn Kenyon,as well, novels by Alice Hoffman, Karen Marie Moning, Lynn Viehl and JR Ward. Ah, the power of the written word! I feast on paranormal books, and these ladies string together stories, characters and dialogs that keep me addicted like a junkie. I also take delight in almost every other genre. Other authors that fill my amazon cart include: Billie Letts, Pablo Neruda(Poet), Patricia Briggs, Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, Anne Lamott, etc...
ReplyDeleteI have a lot of favorite authors, but Dorothy Dunnett is on the top of the list. By the time I had read the first page of "Game of Kings" I knew I wanted to read everything she had ever written!
ReplyDeleteJane Austen - 1 (Persuasion: probably still my favorite book almost of all time)
ReplyDeleteRobert Parker (Spencer, etc.) - 2 (almost hooked on one; the second one convinced me I had to have them all; now I have all 2,147 and I'm in debtor's prison; just kidding)
Brian Freemantle and Julian Symons - 2 each (can you tell I like spy and detective novels?)
Henry Roth - 1 (far less damaging to my bottom line than Parker, and every bit as exciting)
Bernhard Schlink - 1 (so amazing, although a tad disappointing after The Reader, but a reader's loyalty, once won, is unwavering)
That's all I can think of quickly. This is a lovely exercise! Thanks a million.
Well there are a lot of familiar names already listed - i started tracking down books by Scott Orson Card after reading a short story by him in a sci-fi anthology
ReplyDeleteI have quite a wide range of interests and have followed some authors from their starts at loveswept and Mills and boon.
Sometimes i go for locations or worlds as much as authors such as Dragon Lance or the Forgotten Realms. Authors that are weighing down my shelves include David Eddings, Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis, R A Salvatore, Dick Francis, Faye Kellerman, Amanda Quick, Linda Howard, Nora Roberts, Christine Feehan, Sherilynn Kenyon, Kerry Armstrong, Katherine Kurtz, Piers Anthony, Terry Goodkind, Kim Wilson, Traci Harding and of course SL Viehl for Star Doc and happily anticipating the Darkyn novels (still trying to acquire them all - I like to read in order of publication but I am getting there)
Cheers
Heather from Australia
Ursula le Guin hooked me when I was 11, sitting in a wardrobe (closet) on holiday (vacation) - "The Tombs of Atuan" was in a pile of books my mother had bought blind for me to read while we were away, and I can still remember the joy and excitement of opening that first page and realising, at once, that this was something completely different and far more compelling than anything I'd read for ages. I've read most of the rest of her work over the following 30 years, and not changed my mind yet.
ReplyDeleteNaomi Novik is currently hooking me with the first book.
Some authors hook me for one series - Philip Pullman hooked me for the "Dark Materials" series by the second page, but I don't feel the same overwhelming urge to read the rest of his oeuvre.
Some authors I can still take or leave after enjoying lots of their books - Stephen King would be one of those, for me.
just throwing my name into the hat!
ReplyDeleteelaine
I have many, many auto-buys, and it often takes just one book to send me scrambling for the complete backlist. Someone I read and hated, who then became an autobuy is Jayne Ann Krentz. I read "Whirlwind Courtship" and thought it was completely dreadful. I was somehow persuaded to try her again. I took "Absolutely, Positively" on a week-long research cruise & read it out of desperation. It was like the JAK switch was flipped in my brain - I spent the next 6 months tracking down and reading everything of hers (except the ungodly expensive McFaddens).
ReplyDeleteJude Devereaux - 1 book - A Knight in Shining Armor
ReplyDeleteKaren Marie Moning - 1 book - can't remember which one
Sherrilyn Kenyon - 1 book on the Dark Hunters and I had to read the older ones
Please drop my name in the hat.
Amanda