You know what I’m talking about. Everyone has those authors that no matter how bad of a book they publish, you are still going to read their next one. Their writing is like popcorn slathered in an illicit substance (or so I would assume that’s what it’s like….) and deep down we feel that slight tang of guilt at our enjoyment of their writing.

Here are my top 5 guilty pleasure authors:

1. Dan Brown
   
   

I fell for Dan Brown’s books in middle school. I loved the puzzles and the exploration of cities in some of his more popular writings. I have read all of his works, which is not something I can say about many authors. Lately, his books have not met the same quality of his earlier works, but I still gobble them up like candy. I can’t help it. It’s one of my weaknesses!

2. Mary Roach

Mary Roach is my favorite popular science writer. She incorporates humor into any topic, be it the science of death or digestive issues. That said, sometimes her jokes go overboard and land a little flat. I do, however, recommend her TedTalk. Fun stuff! (Warning: TedTalk NSFW!) Her writing is good, not great, but makes science accessible to pretty much any audience, and I really appreciate and respect that. Many of her topics are taboo, and so I feel slight guilt reading them on the bus, but I will read them anyway!

3. J. K. Rowling

Don’t get upset at me for putter her on the list. Harry Potter practically defined my childhood (right behind Lord of the Rings) but if I’m going to be completely honest, her recent work hasn’t been as good (I’m not going to complain about The Cursed Child, I’m not going to complain about The Cursed Child, I’m not going to complain about The Cursed Child …..) Yet I’ll still devour her work. Literaturus devourus!

4. S. E. Hilton
   To this day, The Outsiders probably remains in my top 5 favorite books. It resonated with me when I was younger, and I’ve been meaning to reread it now that I am older. I have read some of her other works, and while they were only so-so, and many of her other books have not received good reviews (like, not good at all), her works remain on my to read list and I’m sure one day I will read them based solely on the fact that she wrote them.
   

5. Tamora Pierce

It was really hard to choose the fifth author, as the first four pretty much sum up all of my guilt. So for this one, it’s more of an “I feel guilty for only reading a couple of her books and need to read more” kind of thing. Tamora Pierce was the first book signing I ever attended and I remember her being such a wonderful person. I don’t even want to admit that the only books of hers that I have read are the Alanna series. I have all of her others on my to-read list, and actually own several of them. I need to just get over myself and sit down and read them!

What about your guilty pleasure authors? Let me know and I’ll give them a try!