Prolific Authors – Four Books

It is time once again to take a look at the authors I have read the most, dating back to high school.  This year, I’m once again on pace to set a new record for books read in a year, so I thought it would be nice to take a deeper dive into those books I’ve read through August of this year. Since our last check-in, I’ve read an additional 114 books, so there should be some movement over the past two years.  Without further ado, it’s time to take another look and see if my “favorite” authors have changed much over the years.  We continue today with the fourteen authors I’ve read two times, up four from two years ago.

Scott Adams

The now-cancelled creator of Dilbert, who can’t seem to help himself from spouting racist takes on Twitter, Adams used his famous character to write a number of humorous business books, the most recent of which I read in 2012.

Suzanne Collins

A return to the world of the Hunger Games brought Collins back to my reading list in 2024.

James Ellroy

The author of the L.A. Quartet, which I finished off with The Big Nowhere in 2014.

Gillian Flynn

The former Entertainment Weekly writer turned into one of my favorite authors, though she still hasn’t written a new full-length work since 2012’s Gone Girl.

The Book of Lost and Found – Lucy Foley

Lucy Foley

A recent favorite, Foley, a New York Times best seller, has shown up annually since 2021 until this year, although there are still five months to go.

Diana G. Gallagher

The author, who passed away in 2021, can credit the world of Buffy the Vampire Slayer for all four of her entries, the most recent of which I read in 2011.

Lee Goldberg

A writer for the Monk television series who went on to pen a series of tie-in novels about the show.

Megan Goldin

The former Reuters correspondent first appeared on my radar in 2021 with her debut, The Escape Room.

The Blue Hour – Paula Hawkins

Paula Hawkins

The best-selling author of The Girl on the Train, her latest novel was released last year and read in early 2025.

Greer Hendricks

After spending two decades as an editor at Simon & Schuster, she has teamed up with Sarah Pekkanen for four novels, which I’ve read one annually starting in 2020 until this year.

Grady Hendrix

Winner of a 2018 Bram Stoker Award, the horror novelist debuted on my reading list with The Final Girl Support Group in 2021.

Carrie Soto Is Back – Taylor Jenkins Reid

Taylor Jenkins-Reid

I first came her work thanks to her smash Daisy Jones & The Six.  Her latest is currently on my waitlist at the library, so she will continue to move up this list.

Minka Kent

Two new reads in 2024, The Stillwater Girls and Unmissing, push her up this list.

John Vornholt

Three fourths of his works that I’ve read come from the world of Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Book 53 (of 52) – Unmissing

Unmissing – Minka Kent

Missing for ten years and presumed dead, a woman shows up on her husband’s doorstep, only to be greeted by his new wife.  Finding a local shop owner willing to help her get back on her feet, she tries to re-establish a relationship with her former husband and strikes up a friendship with the new wife.  But, everyone here has a secret that will ultimately threaten all of their lives going forward.

I’ve read a number of works from Minka Kelly in the past, but Unmissing, while having the germ of a good idea, missed the mark.  The wife, kidnapped and held captive for a decade, for some reason doesn’t go to the police once she escapes.  Her captor, who claims to have purposefully let her escape, does not seem overly concerned over the possibility of her going to the police.  And nobody seems all that concerned about cleaning up their mess once she shows back up, even when it is obvious she hasn’t gone to the police.  The whole thing was nonsensical.  There’s the ability to suspend disbelief and then there’s needing nobody in your story to act like a real human being would in order to move the plot forward.  Here’s hoping this was a temporary misstep for Kent and that she will rebound with her next effort, should I choose to read it.