# Writers whose books you can't put down



## moondog (Sep 17, 2010)

I love a book that won't let me put it down, even if it's 2 in the morning and I have to get up in 5 hours to go to work. Nothing better than a story you can't walk away from.
I'd love to hear from others about books you have had a hard time putting down as recommendations of the authors work.
I know Dan Brown can be considered fluff, but I have found it difficult to put his books down in the past because of the endless tension he creates. And I'm one of those that thought Angels and Demons was a better read than The Di Vinci Code, but man, did they botch the movie!


----------



## Danielleqlee (Jun 21, 2010)

It takes a very special book to keep me from straying but I'm reading Sherrilyn Kenyon's Acheron right now and it's pretty darn good! Jurassic Park was the only book to keep me enthralled for nearly seven hours straight.


----------



## Daniel Arenson (Apr 11, 2010)

I find Dean Koontz's books difficult to put down.


----------



## R. Doug (Aug 14, 2010)

_The Exorcist_ did that to me back in college. _The Eiger Sanction_ and _Jaws_ when I was stationed in England. _The DaVinci Code_ and _Angels and Demons_ (concur that the latter is better than the former, by the way) more recently, but man . . . was Brown's last one a disappointment. Early in life _To Kill a Mockingbird_ and _Rosemary's Baby_ fit that description. Also found the later _Bond_ series books quite hard to put down, but the earlier ones were not nearly as good.


----------



## RoseKeefe (Sep 27, 2010)

Mike Poeltl's _The Judas Syndrome _ was that type of book for me.


----------



## J.M Pierce (May 13, 2010)

I was a Michael Crichton fiend for a good long while. There was many a late night spent with his work.


----------



## Thalia the Muse (Jan 20, 2010)

I felt that way about American Gods, Lonesome Dove, and Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell-- huge books that I simply couldn't stop reading!

But the one author who does it to me consistently is ... Stephen King. There is something about his storytelling that just sucks me in helplessly and makes me keep turning pages, even in his weakest books (and some of them are pretty damn weak). In Harry Potter, someone mentions a magic book that once you pick it up, you can't stop reading and you have to walk trhough the rest of your life holding the book in front of your nose. I'm pretty sure that book is by King.


----------



## Monique (Jul 31, 2010)

J.M. Pierce said:


> I was a Michael Crichton fiend for a good long while. There was many a late night spent with his work.


Same here. They were just so much _fun_.


----------



## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

Most of Stephen King's stuff does that to me...


----------



## bevie125 (Feb 12, 2010)

Without a doubt anything I read written by John Saul or Bentley Little I will not put down, well unless I have to.


----------



## kcmay (Jul 14, 2010)

So far, every Brandon Sanderson book has been hard to put down. (Just one more scene/chapter, THEN I'll go to sleep...)


----------



## Joel Arnold (May 3, 2010)

Stephen King has fit that bill pretty darn nicely for me, too. Also, the Harry Potter series was pretty much impossible for me to put down.


----------



## Sandra Edwards (May 10, 2010)

Daniel Arenson said:


> I find Dean Koontz's books difficult to put down.


Ditto. Love to read Koontz 

I also get sucked in by Mickey Spillane, too.


----------



## Figment (Oct 27, 2008)

King an Koontz, Conway and Colfer, Rowling and Fforde, Pratchett and Moore, Hiaasen and Gregory. Quinn...so many authors, so little time!!!


----------



## LCEvans (Mar 29, 2009)

Lee Child, early Dick Francis, Stephen King.

Linda


----------



## Debra Purdy Kong (Apr 1, 2009)

Thalia the Muse said:


> I felt that way about American Gods, Lonesome Dove, and Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell-- huge books that I simply couldn't stop reading!
> 
> But the one author who does it to me consistently is ... Stephen King. There is something about his storytelling that just sucks me in helplessly and makes me keep turning pages, even in his weakest books (and some of them are pretty d*mn weak). In Harry Potter, someone mentions a magic book that once you pick it up, you can't stop reading and you have to walk trhough the rest of your life holding the book in front of your nose. I'm pretty sure that book is by King.


I agree completely with you about Stephen King (although his endings often disappoint me) and the Harry Potter books, although I wanted to take out my editor's pencil and scratch through the many adverbs she was became fond of using.


----------



## Cynthia Thomason (Aug 18, 2010)

I agree about Lonesome Dove.  Great book and very good movie.  Although anything with Duval and/or Jones holds me spellbound.  Also like anything by Anne Rivers Siddons.  Poetry and plot woven seamlessly.  And The Thornbirds still gets me every time.
Cynthia


----------



## Markus_Kane (Sep 10, 2010)

Pretty much anything by Ian McEwan. However, I nearly threw the book across the room the first time I read the first act in Atonement. Of course, when it ended I went back and read the book again and had no such impulse.


----------



## SidneyW (Aug 6, 2010)

I agree with Daniel on Koontz. Whispers was one of his I found pretty compelling. Ross MacDonald has some titles in the Lew Archer series that are pretty relentless. The Instant Enemy, The Chill and some of the '60s ones are quick and hard to put down to me.


----------



## jackwestjr_author (Aug 19, 2010)

Ludlum did that for me.  Follett too.


----------



## theaatkinson (Sep 22, 2010)

Joel Arnold said:


> Stephen King has fit that bill pretty darn nicely for me, too. Also, the Harry Potter series was pretty much impossible for me to put down.


I agree. For some weird reason, I cared what happened to those lil witches...grin. Personally, Ididn't favor the Dan Brown books. Put them down 3 pages in. Reading is so subjective. I did try twice because of the rousing comments from others, but I just coulnd't do it. ditto for Twilight series. But I totally admire these writers' abilities to move plot along and capture the audience they're looking for.

I did love the Poisonwood bible, and really had a hard time putting down Time Travellers Wife because it was quirky. Graceling was a neat one too, but I was camping and I have a hard time putting down anything when I'm camping.


----------



## lorezskyline (Apr 19, 2010)

David Gemmell when he's really on from Legend, Waylander etc.  Michael Marshall Smith and also Neil Gaimain
A couple of Dan Browns were like that but the last one was just a slow tedious slog.


----------



## robins777 (Aug 10, 2010)

Pre Kindle L K Hamilton and Kelley Armstrong paperbacks and since I got my kindle the one which has kept me reading to early morning is The Third Kiss: Dorian's Dream  by Heather Killough Walden.


----------



## stormhawk (Apr 29, 2009)

Stephen King
The Harry Potter Books
Ray Bradbury


----------



## padowd (Jan 14, 2010)

I also agree about Koontz but I have a hard time putting down any books by Karin Slaughter. I always hate to start one of her books because I want to read it through without stopping because to me they are that good but I love these types of books. I usually try to start one on the weekend because I have more time to read.


----------



## Daniel Pyle (Aug 13, 2010)

There are many individual books that have been hard for me to put down, but the authors who have kept me consistently turning the pages are:

Stephen King
Lee Child
Michael Crichton
Dean Koontz
J.K. Rowling
and Richard Laymon

I love a good page-turner.


----------



## theraven (Dec 30, 2009)

Donna Andrews. I love the humor in her books and she's my go to author when I need a pick me up.


----------



## stormhawk (Apr 29, 2009)

forgot about Andrew Vachss.

I stay up late every time he releases a new book.


----------



## Jon King (Sep 10, 2010)

Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child when they write together. _Still Life With Crows_ would not let me go.


----------



## Mike D. aka jmiked (Oct 28, 2008)

At this point, I'd say my selections would be:

Bill Crider
Patrick McManus
Christopher Fowler
Lee Child
Preston & Child

Mike


Edited to add P&C. I intended to include them, but my brain forgot.


----------



## gone (May 8, 2010)

Preston/Child novels. Always finish them in a day


----------



## Beth O (Jul 9, 2010)

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.
Something Borrowed and Something Blue by Emily Giffin.
And of course the Harry Potter books.


----------



## MLPMom (Nov 27, 2009)

I have had the pleasure of reading many books that were hard to put down and many that I did not until I was at the end. That to me, is a great sign of an even greater author.

I don't even know if I could list them all.


----------



## 911jason (Aug 17, 2009)

W.E.B. Griffin probably tops my list, quickly followed by Lee Child, Vince Flynn, most of Brad Thor's books and KB's own Jeffry Hepple.


----------



## Harry Shannon (Jul 30, 2010)

James Lee Burke
Michael Connelly
John Connolly
Robert Crais
Cormac McCarthy
Gregg Hurwitz
Ken Bruen
Stephen King (a bit hit and miss though)
Joe R. Lansdale

Lots and lots of novels, but those writers in particular


----------



## Cliff Ball (Apr 10, 2010)

My novels...   just kidding. 

Seriously though, I'd say S.M. Stirling, Eric Flint, Harry Turtledove, Michael Crichton, Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan series, Kevin J. Anderson, and maybe even Dean Koontz, since I enjoy his take on Frankenstein.


----------



## L.J. Sellers novelist (Feb 28, 2010)

The last novel I remember staying up half the night to read was The Witching Hour by Anne Rice. But strangely, I haven't read anything by her since. Authors who keep me reading now:
Harlan Coben
John Sandford
Michael Connelly
...to name a few.

Many readers have e-mailed me and posted on my FB page about my books keeping them up half the night reading.  
L.J.


----------



## Thumper (Feb 26, 2009)

Mine:

Christopher Moore
Stephen King
Anne Tyler
Charlaine Harris

...and a few more, but my brain just locked up...


----------



## prairiesky (Aug 11, 2009)

Stephan King
James Lee Burke
Dean Koontz
Jonathan Kellerman


----------



## metal134 (Sep 2, 2010)

Thomas Pynchon.


----------



## jackie999 (Oct 8, 2010)

Some of my favourite authors,

Lee Child
John Sandford
Nelson DeMille
Ridley Pearson
Michael Connelly
Robert Crais

I try and read their books slowly to make them last....

I see a lot of people mentioned the Harry Potter series which I've never read, thinking that it was just for kids...


----------



## crash86 (Oct 8, 2010)

Stephen King, for the most part
The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins.  
The Passage by Justin Cronin

The Hunger Game books kept me up til 2am and I ended up reading a book a day, I just could not put them down.  Th Passage took about 3-4 days of reading, I did it in massive chunks but it was a great read.


----------



## manou (Sep 5, 2010)

James Clavell's books did that for me, especially Taipan. I remember being unable to put it down and reading through many a night     His books had the same effect on Mr Manou.
I agree on the Harry Potter books as well - love them.


----------



## ozace50 (Sep 15, 2010)

Out of the many that I could list:

Harry Potter series (I saw people from 15 to 80+ reading these in airports everywhere I went!)
Ken Follett (I'm about to start his latest - he tells great stories)
Edward Rutherfurd (his blend of history and family stories is brilliant)
John Sandford (Lucas Davenport 'Prey' series)
John Buchan (both his fiction and non-fiction books)
Patrick O'Brian (Master & Commander series - forget the movie!)
James A. Michener (great sagas!)

My main problem is that my favourite authors can't write their books as fast as I can read them!!


----------



## manou (Sep 5, 2010)

I just started Bill Bryson's latest book and can't put it down


----------



## Malweth (Oct 18, 2009)

Kazuo Ishiguro. I've read two now, and both have been engaging.

^ Bill Bryson I can half-way agree with... I can't put them down until about half-way through, then I want to put them down!
(To be fair I've only half-read a couple of his books).


----------



## Carl Ashmore (Oct 12, 2010)

I have to agree with many others - the Potter books were wonderful. Still, I adored Thomas Harris' 'Red Dragon' and really couldn't stop reading that.


----------



## Rhiathame (Mar 12, 2009)

I have to agree with the Thomas Harris books, at least until the last one.
I also have had trouble putting down the Lois McMaster Bujold Vorkosigan series of books and some of the Honor Harrington books by David Weber.


----------



## purplepen79 (May 6, 2010)

George RR Martin
JK Rowling
Ira Levin
Anne Tyler (_Accidental Tourist_ and _Saint Maybe_ come to mind)

I'm sure there are others I'm not thinking of at the moment . . .

Lots of good recs here as I peruse the thread--thanks!


----------



## PraiseGod13 (Oct 27, 2008)

It's definitely Stephen King for me too. About the only time I ever put a Stephen King book down is when I need to catch my breath because I've been holding it so long.


----------



## hsuthard (Jan 6, 2010)

L.J. Sellers said:


> The last novel I remember staying up half the night to read was The Witching Hour by Anne Rice. But strangely, I haven't read anything by her since. Authors who keep me reading now:
> Harlan Coben
> John Sandford
> Michael Connelly
> ...


I really need to read your books. That's my list, plus some of the older Laurell K. Hamilton, Harry Potter, and a few others.


----------

