BS: Your Favorite Authors

Subject: RE: BS: Your Favorite Authors
From: Amergin
Date: 18 Dec 02 - 05:34 PM

forgot to add patrick macgill...

Subject: RE: BS: Your Favorite Authors
From: Amergin
Date: 18 Dec 02 - 05:33 PM

tim pat coogan...

Jean Markale...

tolkien...

douglas adams...

harry turtledove

morgan llewyllyn (sp?)

jack london

woody guthrie

Subject: RE: BS: Your Favorite Authors
From: alanabit
Date: 18 Dec 02 - 04:53 PM

I could go on a bit here, but I should start by saying that Shakespeare semed to know more about human beings past, present and future than anyone else I have ever read. I'll add:
    Mark Twain
    Oscar Wilde
    W.Somerset Maugham
    C.S.Forester
    Harper Lee
    Rudyard Kipling
    Douglas Adams
    another twenty tomorrow...

Subject: RE: BS: Your Favorite Authors
From: Cluin
Date: 18 Dec 02 - 03:48 PM

They really filmed "The Van"? How did I miss it?

Subject: RE: BS: Your Favorite Authors
From: GUEST,lola
Date: 18 Dec 02 - 03:38 PM

KATE ATKINSON!!!!
has anybody read "Behind the Scenes at the Museum"?
Nancy Willard
Tom Robbins
Joyce *sigh* -class by himself
Roddy Doyle, and yes, there is a film for every portion of the Barrytown trilogy, though i myself prefer "The Woman Who Walked Into Doors"
and Howard Pyle for his four-and-twenty martvelous tales, being one for each hour of the day

Subject: RE: BS: Your Favorite Authors
From: TIA
Date: 18 Dec 02 - 03:15 PM

Right on about Heinlen, but the best SciFi book ever was A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller Jr. Actually could be called a philosophy and/or religion (or anthropology?) book as well.

Subject: RE: BS: Your Favorite Authors
From: Amos
Date: 18 Dec 02 - 02:35 PM

Robert Heinlein has patrimonial claims on fifty per cent of the good scifi ever written, and deserves more credit than he's gotten for his anthropological observations and his studies of the mating rituals and defense behavbiors of homo sapiens sapientes.

That said, I think you guys have said it all, except I didn't see Poisonwood Bible authoress Barbara Kingsolver on the list, and she is a fo' shuah don't miss.

A

Subject: RE: BS: Your Favorite Authors
From: TIA
Date: 18 Dec 02 - 02:02 PM

Douglas Adams
Richard Feynman
Stephen J. Gould
Dr. Seuss
Robert Parker
Kurt Vonnegut
James Trefil
LLoyd Alexander

Subject: RE: BS: Your Favorite Authors
From: Fran
Date: 18 Dec 02 - 01:48 PM

J K Rowling
Roald Dahl
Bodie Thoene
Georgette Heyer

Subject: RE: BS: Your Favorite Authors
From: Kim C
Date: 18 Dec 02 - 01:35 PM

In no particular order (because it changes):

Charles Dickens
Victor Hugo
Howard Bahr

I have talked about Howard a fair bit in the threads at one time or other. He wrote two Civil War novels, The Black Flower and The Year of Jubilo. Both are excellent.

Some of you know that I wrote a song inspired by his novel The Black Flower. Mister and I have since met Howard, and we have become fast friends. He is a really swell guy, loves the old songs, and plays the fiddle himself.

Subject: RE: BS: Your Favorite Authors
From: Cluin
Date: 18 Dec 02 - 01:18 PM

Norman Maclean
Cormac McCarthy (for some reason makes me feel like I'm reading Hemingway again)
John Steinbeck (slightly surprised that the guy who wrote Grapes of Wrath and Of Mice and Men had me laughing all the way through Cannery Row)

Subject: RE: BS: Your Favorite Authors
From: JennyO
Date: 18 Dec 02 - 07:04 AM

Ah yes, I'd forgotten about Roald Dahl.Love his sense of the bizarre and unexpected. I wish I could write like him!

Also Douglas Adams
    Tolkien
    J.K. Rowling
    Gary Zukav

Subject: RE: BS: Your Favorite Authors
From: Grab
Date: 18 Dec 02 - 06:46 AM

Favourite authors that haven't yet been mentioned:-

- A A Milne (can't beat Winnie the Pooh! ;-)
- Roald Dahl (both the kid stuff and the adult stuff)
- Desmond Bagley
- R L Stevenson
- H G Wells
- John Buchan

Graham.

Subject: RE: BS: Your Favorite Authors
From: rube1
Date: 18 Dec 02 - 06:06 AM

James Ellroy

Subject: RE: BS: Your Favorite Authors
From: Just Amy
Date: 17 Dec 02 - 06:46 PM

For those of you who would like to try something different: Try any history book by Allison Weir - you cannot put them down. And "Be Ready with Bells and Drums" by Elizabeth Kata. It is the book that the movie "A Patch of Blue" was taken from. I also like David Brin for his Science Fiction.

Subject: RE: BS: Your Favorite Authors
From: GUEST,Fred Miller
Date: 17 Dec 02 - 06:31 PM

It's alienating how few of the recurring authors here I can get anything out of. What's the deal with Robert Heinlein? He's everywhere it seems.

Also, Jim Wayne Miller. Always better than I remembered it.

Subject: RE: BS: Your Favorite Authors
From: Pushkin
Date: 17 Dec 02 - 04:14 PM

J R R Tolkien
Anne McCaffrey
Mercedes Lackey
Ian Rankin
Louise Hamilton
Lewis Carroll
P D James
Terry Pratchett
Rudyard Kipling
Jonathan Kellerman
P G Wodehouse

and anything with vampires in it (yep, even Buffy)

Subject: RE: BS: Your Favorite Authors
From: Cluin
Date: 17 Dec 02 - 04:09 PM

Whoops, should be Ian Rankin

Subject: RE: BS: Your Favorite Authors
From: Cluin
Date: 17 Dec 02 - 04:04 PM

Aw hell, I'll mention 3 more anyway:

W.O. Mitchell
Ernest Hemingway
Ian Rankan

Sure, and Roddy Doyle too, though The Commitments is still the only movie that surpasses the book I've ever seen. The Barrytown Trilogy is hilarious. They'd better get busy and make "The Van" into a flick before Colm Meaney gets too old.

Subject: RE: BS: Your Favorite Authors
From: Cluin
Date: 17 Dec 02 - 03:55 PM

Saw John Myers Myers mentioned a couple of times above and I'd like to third that nomination. Other nominations to numerous to mention.

As long as the subject of film adaptation is brought up, I can't understand why nobody has set Bester's "Stars My Destination" to celluloid yet. Seems a natural to me.

Subject: RE: BS: Your Favorite Authors
From: GUEST,Bman
Date: 17 Dec 02 - 02:45 PM

It's so hard to narrow it down. If I were gonna pick just one, it would probably be John Crowley (Little, Big) by a whisker. May be the best book I ever read. Scott Turow. Charles Dickens, for the wonderful language. Thomas Hardy, for his exposition; the incomparable John Varley, the amazing Tim Powers (may actually be first), Richard Powers (no relation, far as I know), John LeCarre, Barbara Tuchman, Sebastian Junger; Malcolm Macdonald, a British author who writes historical fiction. Connie Willis (To Say Nothing Of the Dog, Passage), William S. Gibson, Joanna Russ, Ursula K. LeGuin. There's a wonderful cyberpunk book called Vacuum Flowers by a guy named Michael Swanwick; it's great. Edward Gorey, for the pictures. Wallace Tripp, likewise; if you have small kids, you really oughtta find a copy of Granfa Grigg Had a Pig or A Great Big Ugly Man Came Up and Tied His Horse to Me. Heck, find copies even if you don't have kids. (What can you say about a guy who draws a mouse taking off a pair of boots and saying "My feet hurt. Gad, how I hate anthropomorphism!) Theodor Seuss Geisel, for his wonderful earlier work like McElligot's Pool, To Think That I Saw it on Mulberry Street, and If I Ran the Circus; you can have most of the later stuff. Rita Mae Brown, John Brunner. Roger Zelazny for his early work; don't care for the Nine Princes in Amber series. Heinlein for the early work as well. Larry McMurtry. I have an indescribable book by one of the Theroux, Alexander I think, called The Shinocephalic Waif; it's one of my personal treasures. Dee Brown. Martin Cruz Smith, for Gorky Park and Polar Star. These are some of the top tier. There are many, many more. Did I mention Robert D. Kaplan (Balkan Ghosts, The Ends of the Earth, Eastward to Tartary)? Oh my goodness, almost forgot Robert Louis Stevenson! regards, Bman

Subject: RE: BS: Your Favorite Authors
From: wilco
Date: 17 Dec 02 - 02:10 PM

James Fenimore Cooper
Majorie Kinnan Rawlings
John Steinbeck

Subject: RE: BS: Your Favorite Authors
From: Clinton Hammond
Date: 17 Dec 02 - 02:10 PM

Well, thank gods I'm not the first one to mention Neil Gaiman... "Smoke And Mirrors" is some of the BEST short speculative fiction ever written... and "American Gods" would make a fantastic movie...

Looks like I am the first to mention William Gibson, the father of cyberpunk... We fans of his are still waiting (Especially given the sucess of movies like The Matrix) for a really good movie adaptation of his book "Neuromancer"... but given the dreck that 2 of his stories have already been made into, ("Johnny Mnemonic", and "New Rose Hotel"... great stories... lousy movies...) we're not holding our breath...

If Neal Stephenson knew how to end a book to save his life, William Gibson'd be off the top of my list though.... the first chapter of "Snow Crash" might be the coolest first chapter ever...

For High Fantasy and Historical Fiction, I pick Guy Gavriel Kay as my all time fav... I'd much rather read the back cover of "The Fionavar Tapestry" then ever have to read anything between the covers of "Lord Of The Rings" ever again (Oh how I wish that Tom Bombadil hadda been in "The Hobbit", instead of being glossed over in that over crafted pos...) George RR Martin though, is running a VERY close 2nd right now, simpley because I've only read the fist in his "Game Of Thrones" series... man oh man can that guy write!

Hard Science Fiction... well, I'm kinda partial to dudes like Arthur C Clarke, Marshal T Savage, and Frank Herbert...

When I wanna read a good scary book, I take Stephen Kings advice, and read Clive Barker

Subject: RE: BS: Your Favorite Authors
From: Rapparee
Date: 17 Dec 02 - 02:02 PM

If I might add some more?

Al Pope (esp. the "Epistle to Arbuthnot" for it's invective)
Billy-Bob Shakespeare
John-Boy Dunne (*love* his "MacFlecknoe")
Larry Ferlinghetti
Doyle's "Sherlock Holmes" stuff (ONLY!)
Loyal Jones
Billy Ed Wheeler
Sandra Boynton
Dee Brown

That's enough for now and forever. There are lots, lots, more!

Subject: RE: BS: Your Favorite Authors
From: Cluin
Date: 17 Dec 02 - 01:44 PM

Sounds like Mom more is little more than kin and less than kind. Pickin' on a guy's obvious typo...

*tsk tsk tsk*

Subject: RE: BS: Your Favorite Authors
From: Gareth
Date: 17 Dec 02 - 01:39 PM

OOOOPS Typo !!

Gareth

Subject: RE: BS: Your Favorite Authors
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 17 Dec 02 - 01:36 PM

Spider Robinson
Richard Halliburton
Kenneth Roberts
Elizabeth Peters
Carl Hiaasen
Naguib Mafouz
Mervyn Peake
Christopher Morley
Patrick Dennis
Bruce Chatwin
Lois McMaster Bujold
Thorne Smith
Dashiell Hammett
Rumer Godden
Arthur Upfield
Robert Heinlein

. . . for starters!

Linn

Subject: RE: BS: Your Favorite Authors
From: Raptor
Date: 17 Dec 02 - 11:46 AM

Carl Hiaasen

Elmore Lenard

James Patterson

Dr. Zeuse

Dick Frances

John Stienbeck



Raptor

Subject: RE: BS: Your Favorite Authors
From: Bee-dubya-ell
Date: 17 Dec 02 - 09:38 AM

Dear Bruce,

Always proofread your posts, no matter how short. Shakespeare did not write any "thagedies". He did, however right some really nice "tragedies".

Your Mom

Subject: RE: BS: Your Favorite Authors
From: Bee-dubya-ell
Date: 17 Dec 02 - 09:34 AM

In some univerities Shakespeare is in three classes by himself: one for the thagedies, one for the comedies, one for the histories.

Subject: RE: BS: Your Favorite Authors
From: MMario
Date: 17 Dec 02 - 09:29 AM

That's becuase he drove everyone else out by speaking in rhyming couplets.

Subject: RE: BS: Your Favorite Authors
From: kendall
Date: 17 Dec 02 - 09:27 AM

Shakespere is in a class by himself.

Subject: RE: BS: Your Favorite Authors
From: GUEST,Fred Miller
Date: 17 Dec 02 - 09:17 AM

Nabokov.
(Sigh.)

Raymond Carver, Calvino, Updike's short stuff, Shakespeare's long stuff. I like Shaw for some reason I can't understand, read everything, I think, even the intros.

Subject: RE: BS: Your Favorite Authors
From: Bagpuss
Date: 17 Dec 02 - 08:58 AM

Neil Gaiman
Iain Banks
James Kelman
Douglas Adams

Thats off the top of my head - I'll probably come up with a few more soon.

Subject: RE: BS: Your Favorite Authors
From: MMario
Date: 17 Dec 02 - 08:52 AM

Most of those already mentioned - plus:

Thornton W. Burgess
L. Frank Baum

Subject: RE: BS: Your Favorite Authors
From: GUEST,Geordie
Date: 17 Dec 02 - 08:44 AM

Virginia Woolf, Thomas Hardy, Robertson Davies,Lewis Carroll,Tolkien,P.D. James, Yeats,Walter Pater, Margaret Laurence and Shakespeare. I love Shakespeare because you can just open it anywhere, any play and be amazed at the art of it.
   Great thread..Thanks

Subject: RE: BS: Your Favorite Authors
From: mack/misophist
Date: 17 Dec 02 - 02:49 AM

Whoever traqnslated my copy of Dante was great
Xenophon
Marcus Aurelius
Machiavelli
Any good translation of Tao Te Ching
The guy that wrote Dee Goong An
Others
Plus Robert van Gulik

Subject: RE: BS: Your Favorite Authors
From: GUEST,van lingle
Date: 17 Dec 02 - 02:22 AM

William Boyd, Thomas McGuane, Jim Harrison, E.M. Forster, very early Hemmingway.

Subject: RE: BS: Your Favorite Authors
From: Benjamin
Date: 17 Dec 02 - 12:46 AM

Neil Postman

Subject: RE: BS: Your Favorite Authors
From: Rustic Rebel
Date: 16 Dec 02 - 11:47 PM

I'm not much of a fiction reader but I wait patiently (he writes a book every six or seven years) for a new Tom Robbins book.
Then there is Edward Abbey-The Monkey Wrench Gang. Great book.
And I like the writings of Richard Bach-Illusions, Jonathan Livingstone Seagull author.
Peace, Rustic

Subject: RE: BS: Your Favorite Authors
From: kendall
Date: 16 Dec 02 - 11:01 PM

John Myers Myers
C.S. Forrester
Homer

Subject: RE: BS: Your Favorite Authors
From: Bee-dubya-ell
Date: 16 Dec 02 - 09:44 PM

Khandu - Thomas Berger wrote "Little Big Man". Another one of those literary "one hit wonders" I suppose. I've certainly not heard of any other books he wrote, but "Little Big Man" is a great one.

Bruce

Subject: RE: BS: Your Favorite Authors
From: Bobert
Date: 16 Dec 02 - 09:13 PM

Khanny:

"Lonesmoe Dove" was written by Larry McMurtry, whose son is from 'round thes parts and is one heck of a singer song-writer who now lives and plays in the Austin area, James McMurtry.

Bobert

Subject: RE: BS: Your Favorite Authors
From: khandu
Date: 16 Dec 02 - 09:04 PM

Harper Lee (though she only had the one novel!)
Dean Koontz
Frank Yerby
Peter Straub
The guy who wrote "Lonesome Dove"
& the guy who wrote "Little Big Man"
Max Lucado
O. Henry
Oscar Wilde
Longfellow's poetry

Subject: RE: BS: Your Favorite Authors
From: Bobert
Date: 16 Dec 02 - 08:46 PM

Well, now I know this may surprise the heck out of alot of Catboxers but I'z severely dexlexic so books don't do a lot fir me so I'm respondin' as an illiterate. With that said, accoring to a couple a documents out in a foot locker in my studio my old boney Wes Goinny butt got a couple of college degrees so I guess I musta read somthin'...

My favorite current author is GUEST even if GUEST has really pissed me off (excuse my French...) acouple of times. GUEST is a good writer and doesn't dangle any participles...

Okay, Tom Robbins. In "Even the Cowgirls Get the Blues" he talks about the rednecks on Southside Richmond, Va. and having lived there I know exactly what he was seeing. Unrelated he also writes: "If a hen and a halk can lay an egg and a half in and hour and half, then how long will it take a monkey with a wooden leg to kick the seeds outta of a dill pickle?"

But my favorite author is tough. Comes down to a coin toss between Matthew, Mark, Luke or John... but I'm going with Matthew...

Bobert

Subject: RE: BS: Your Favorite Authors
From: Poddy
Date: 16 Dec 02 - 08:29 PM

Yeah, I wanna add Rowlings too. And Frances Hodgson Burnett, and Lewis Carroll, and C.S. Lewis. And Neil Gaiman, and Terry Moore. There's just so many!

Subject: RE: BS: Your Favorite Authors
From: RangerSteve
Date: 16 Dec 02 - 08:27 PM

Mark Twain
PG Wodehouse
Bill Bryson
Dave Barry
William Least-Heat-Moon
Stephen King - unlike BWL, I don't care who knows.

Subject: RE: BS: Your Favorite Authors
From: Leadfingers
Date: 16 Dec 02 - 08:02 PM

NOT A MENTION OF ISAAC ASIMOV????
The good doctor must be top of my list,along with J R R Tolkien and the wonderful Terry Pratchett.
And Gareth,I am Surprised at you not getting C S Forresters initials right.
They would be my top three but Heinlien,Mc Caffrey,Scott Card,and J R
Rowlings are in there as well.

Subject: RE: BS: Your Favorite Authors
From: Deckman
Date: 16 Dec 02 - 07:19 PM

Ivan Doig!

Subject: RE: BS: Your Favorite Authors
From: GUEST
Date: 16 Dec 02 - 07:17 PM

C.S.FORESTER.
John Myers Myers.
Homer