My favourite authors through the ages

Happy Monday everyone
I got to thinking the other day how my tastes have changed over the years and also how, where in the past I would have one favourite author whose books I would snap up at the first opportunity, over the years their number has grown considerably.
So, I decided to put pen to paper and note down who my favourite authors have been, starting with my earliest memories.

Topsy and Tim books - I had to look up who the authors were - I dare say at age 3-4 I wasn't caring - Jean Adamson & Belinda Worsley
Enid Blyton - yes, complete with Noddy, Big Ears, golliwogs and all. I particularly liked the Five Find-Outers and Dog series, as well as The Secret Seven, The Famous Five and the St Clare and Malory Towers boarding school books. I also have a particular penchant, still, for The Magic Faraway Tree and can't wait until I can read it to baby Antonia!

Elinor M Brent-Dyer - The Chalet School books

CS Lewis - The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - I so wanted to be Lucy!

Carolyn Keene - Nancy Drew series
Franklin W Dixon - The Hardy boys series  - these, naturally, go hand in hand

For some reason I can't recall quite what I was reading for part of secondary school, and I pretty much read nothing during my whole time at university which wasn't a prescribed text. (I did a degree in Spanish, French, Italian and Portuguese literature - as you can imagine, it left little time for anything else)
I think I read whatever my parents had at home, so Jeffrey Archer - Kane and Abel was the first, and I read all of his up until he went to prison and I haven't read any since!
Christine Marion Fraser - I know, random, but they were set in Scotland and my mum had them.
Sue Grafton - I think I got one of these out of the library and it appealed to me that each book was of the format, A is for Alibi, B is for Burglar, etc.


But I know what I was reading the day after I left university - Agatha Christie and I then worked my way through at least 90% of her works.

Maeve Binchy - it started with Circle of Friends and ended with her last book. I have yet to read the stories from the Irish Times, which have been put together into a volume, but I've read everything else.

Then they all started to come together in droves, round about the time books became more affordable.
Jill Mansell - I still buy/read all of her books
Carole Matthews - ditto
Katie Fforde - still read most of Katie's stuff
Cathy Kelly - similar to Maeve Binchy, but slightly more modern
Patricia Scanlan - as above. Patricia and Cathy tend not to bring books out as often as Jill, Carole, etc and I've read almost all of both their works.
Jane Green - love her stuff. Read A Patchwork Marriage last year, but have been reading her for well over a decade.
John Grisham - I do love me a legal drama! Also loved Skipping Christmas, a very fun, short book. But Bleachers and a few of his other more recent books didn't inspire me. That said, I will be picking up Sycamore Row when it comes out in paperback.
Ian Rankin - love the whole Rebus series
James Patterson - I read all of James's books for years, but when it got to the silly stage of one coming out every 6-8 weeks and being co-written, I chucked him! I did, however, love the Maximum Ride children's series in particular. I remember those, whereas after the original Cross books, many of them became interchangeable. Who can recall the details?
Henning Mankell - Swedish crime writer - even saw him at the Edinburgh Book Festival. Didn't like his non-Wallander stuff so much.

Alexander McCall Smith - loved The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series and the Scotland St books. He started bringing books out too often, too and it was costing me a fortune. Little Bertie's mother had started getting on my nerves, so I stopped parting with my cash! Fortunately I saw Alexander at the Edinburgh Book Festival too.
Sophie Kinsella - it started with Confessions of A Shopaholic, but the best one for me so far has been I've Got Your Number
Jodi Picoult - love her moral dilemma books, but Lone Wolf put me off, as it was just a bit odd.
Cecelia Ahern - another Irish writer whose books I always buy
Michael Connelly - the crime writer. I was so delighted when he tweeted me last year!
Dorothy Koomson - love her books - contemporary fiction, the later ones are rather dark
Victoria Hislop - love her books set in Greece and Spain.
Jo Nesbo - Norwegian crime writer. Read the first six books, but was having bad nightmares! Too dark!
Diane Chamberlain - have quite a few still to read, but downloaded a few the other day, too. Akin to Jodi P.
Carlos Ruiz Zafon - The Shadow of the Wind series and also his YA books like The Midnight Palace.
Latterly, Jenny Colgan - I read one of Jenny's books over a decade ago and didn't like it, but Rosie Hopkins Sweetshop of Dreams convinced me to try again and since then I've read quite a few more.
Sophie Hannah - her thrillers are so dark!
Emily Barr - again I read one of Emily's books about 15 years ago and didn't really like it. Last year I discovered I loved her other books. So glad have a few more to read this year.

Anyway, you get the picture and this list is not exhaustive - far from. I just need to get to bed!
I would love to hear about the authors you can't and couldn't live without. Recommendations gratefully received.

Tune in on Saturday for a surprise visit.
Sooz