Name three of your favorite authors, the first book you ever read by each of them, and your now-favorite...?

This is a hard question.

1 Shirley Jackson - hands down, she is without question my favorite author. "We Have Always Lived In The Castle" is my favorite book of her's. It wasn't the first thing I read because I read her either her short story The Lottery or The Haunting of Hill House (made into two separate movies) first. Both fantastic but not my favorite.

My second fav by her would be a short story that I can't place the name of but it's about a man whose orderly home is invaded by a chaotic neighbor and her boss so rather than make a scene, he just leaves. I can't believe I can't recall the name of that story.

2. Joe Lansdale - fav book is a novella called The Nightrunners which is also not the first thing I read. A close second is a short story of his called "Fish Night."

3. Ursula LeGuin - The Fliers of Gy - This is a short story in the book "Changing Planes" and might be my most favorite thing ever written. I love it that much. I also love The Lathe Of Heaven which was the first thing I ever read by her.

I tend to be obsessive with authors. If I find someone I like I will read everything they have written straight through until there is nothing left.

Fascinating question :)

edit - I had to look it up this morning, the name of the Shirley Jackson story is "Like Mother Used to Make"

J.K. Rowling

Jodi Picoult

Nicholas Sparks

J.K. Rowling:

1st book: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Favorite book: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Jodi Picoult:

1st book: My Sister's Keeper

Favorite book: It's a tie between The Pact and Nineteen minutes lol

Nicholas Sparks:

First book: The Notebook

Favorite book: A Walk to Remember

U're so damn lucky for getting to meet Richelle Mead, i love her books just became a big fan i'm even following her on twitter well anyways here are my fav three authors, sorry but i have more than three 1. Richelle Mead 2. Stephenie Meyer 3. Audrey Niffengier 4. Alyson Noel 5. MaryJanice Davidson 6. Dan Brown 7. Kristin Cast and P.C Cast I really love reading, damn my list would go forever.

My favorite authors change all the time. I have thousands of favorites.

The first works I read by Joan Didion were essays. My favorite work is The Year of Magical Thinking, published in 2005. It's about the 1st year of life after death for the survivor.

Patricia Highsmith, read short stories first. My favorite of her work, The Talented Mr. Ripley, I didn't read until after the movie.

John Berendt, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. First read and yes favorite. I lived in Savannah and will return upon retirement. It's more interesting when you know the characters.

Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina, first read and my favorite. (My mother cheated with our Bishop. At the time I wished she would have thrown herself under a trolley.)

T.C. Boyle, The Tortilla Curtain, again first read, and favorite. Satire!

Opps. That's a handful, isn't it? Sorry. Kind of like eating chips. Always do a couple more than intended.

Sarah Dessen

1st book read: This Lullaby

favorite: The Truth About Forever

Paulo Coelho

1st book read: Veronika Decides to Die

favorite: Veronika Decides to Die

Ray Bradbury

1st book read: Fahrenheit 451

favorite: The Martian Chronicles

Scott Sigler Infected Favorite story by Sigler Chuckles Mulrooney Attorney for the Damned, fav book The Rookie (and I am not a sports fan)

Nathan Lowell Half Share fav South Coast (novels currently only in audio until May)

Robert Asprin Another Fine Myth fav M.Y.T.H. INC in Action maybe Cold Cash War

Philip K. Dick

1st book - Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

favorite - VALIS

Richard Dawkins

1st book - Selfish Gene

favorite - Ancestor's Tale

Terry Pratchett

1st book - Mort

favorite - Going Postal

Hmmm. The first author is Stephen King. And I have no clue as to the first book by him I ever read was. But my favorite book of his was probably "The Stand".

My second author is Dean Koontz. The first book I read of his was actually my favorite, so that fits in with what you were saying, and that book was "Midnight".

The third author I choose is Scott Sigler, and I have only read 2 of his books but the first was my favorite titled "Infected."

Infected is probably the best book you have never read. If you like sci fi with a huge whopping dose of creepy this is the book for you. Everyone I have turned on to it, loves it, and has immmediately gone out and bought the sequel "Contagious."

Great question!

1) Neal Stephenson - First book read "Snow Crash." Current Favorite: "Anathem"

2) Dean Koontz - First book read: "Phantoms." Current Favorite: "By the Light of the Moon"

3) Chuck Palahniuk - First book read: "Fight Club." Current Favorite: "Survivor."

I guess that when I read multiple books by an author, I am willing to accept a new "best" book. On the other hand, there are many authors I like because of one book, and either haven't read any other books by them, or liked the book because it was worlds above their other work. For example:

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley (couldn't get into his others)

Beloved by Toni Morrison (she said everything she had to say in that book, the rest are extraneous)

Dracula by Bram Stoker (you just can't top the Count, not with a mummy or a worm, anyway)

Interesting question. It made me think (about fun stuff)! Thanks.

Jules Verne - Around The World In Eighty Days

Arthur Conan Doyle - The Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes

Terry Prathett - The Carpet People

If I had to choose, although, i love Brian Jaques, Phillip Pullman, Tolkien, Harper Lee, C.S Lewis, Robert Louis Stevenson, Dumas, Orwell, Wells, Crichton, hell with it, books in general!