I am currently reading everything I can by:

Tracy Chevalier

Ann Rinaldi (historical fiction...found in the Young Adult section of the library, but as a 40-something elementary school teacher, I still enjoy them myself)

Previous favorites were:

John Grisham (legal dramas)

Robin Cook (medical mysteries)

LaVyrle Spencer (period romances...she is now "retired" from writing, but I loved her books.  Such depth of the characters.  I wish she would start publishing again.)

Nicholas Sparks

My top 5 (right now)

Sharon Kay Penman

Margaret George

James Alexander Thom

Stephen King

Clive Barker

My favorite authors are:

Jodi Picoult - Wonderful!! Writes about controversial topics but very well written.

Francine Rivers - Christian fiction - awesome! (Redeeming Love - an all time favorite!)

Lori Wick - Christian fiction (Pretense - also one of my favorites!)

Jenny Gardiner - Chick Lit - Sooooo Funny!  (Sleeping With Ward Cleaver)

Cindy Dees - Action/Mystery with strong women - haven't read one of her books that I did not love!

The only author that I really devour EVERYTHING by is Dick Francis.  His characters are so well-developed, and his stories move along at a great pace ... out of 41 novels, I'd be hard-pressed to name 2 duds ....

I have read nearly every book by these authors :

Bruce Alexander

Janet Evanovich

Dick Francis

Sue Grafton

Jan Karon

Sue Miller

Mary Alice Monroe

Rosamunde Pilcher

Alexandra Raife

Kathy Reichs

Luanne Rice

I would say Jodi Picoult, Jane Green, Barbara Delinksy, and Chris Bohjalian.

However, I've recently started reading a lot more new authors and definitely see a lot of potentially new favorite authors!

My top 5 would be:

Sarah Rayne

Bentley Little

John Saul

Michael Crichton

Robin Cook

I also like Richard Laymon, Graham Masterton, Heather Graham, Harlan Coben, Jack Ketchum and many others.

Just a few of my favorites....

Jodi Picoult--If you are thinking of reading her novels start with NINETEEN MINUTES or PLAIN TRUTH

Jeffrey Deaver

Erika Spindler

I'm a James Patterson Junkie, but I have to pass on some of his more odd novels....I didn't get the one about flying people....

My first mystery love was Mary Higgins Clark, but I have sort of evolved into Kathy Reichs and Patricia Cornwell.

I read anything by these folks:

Bob Greene (loved Be True to Your School)

Anne Rivers Siddons (Peachtree Road and Colony were the best!)

Lee Smith (Oral History was the first I read and I was hooked)

Pat Conroy (I still remember some of his descriptions from Prince of Tides)

Anita Shreve

Jonathan Kellerman

Jodi Picoult

Adrianna Trigianni

Elizabeth Berg

and the cozy writers such as:  Susan  Witting Albert, Laura Childs, Monica Ferris, etc.

Karen K

Emily, Tracy Chevalier is one of my favorites!  I really loved the Virgin Blue and the Lady and the Unicorn.

Other current faves: Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, Bharti Kirchner, Mary Daheim, Chris Bohjalian, Gail Tsukiyama, Alexander McCall Smith, Rett MacPherson, Brendan O'Carroll, Billie Letts...

Harlan Coben, Karin Slaughter, PJ Tracy, and a new one for me, Tess Gerritsen.

A few of my favorite authors are:  Mariah Stewart, Karen Robards, J.D. Robb/Nora Roberts, Fern Michaels, Sandra Brown and Barbara Delinsky. 

This was fun to think about.  I realized that I have had a favorite author most times in my life.

Carolyn Keene (Nancy Drew Mysteries) in grade school early junior high

Louis L'Amour in early high school (when my step-father moved in with a big collection)

Madeleine L'Engle beginning in high school and continuing

Stephen King in college and early adulthood

Dr. William Sears as a mom of young kids

Jan Karon as my kids got older

Barbara Kingsolver about 5 years ago and continuing

Jodi Picoult, my most recent favorite

I wonder what I find next?

Cindy

I seem to like the quirky ones:

Carl Hiaasen (friend of a friend)

James W. Hall  (went to same college and had mutual friends)

Randy Wayne White

Patricia Cornwell

Janet Evanovich

Donald Miller -- especially "Searching for God Knows What", but also "Blue Like Jazz"

Gail

Tanith Lee - Amazing Sci-Fi and Fantasy Author ( Am I the only one who read her book, Biting The Sun?)

Neil Gaiman- Great Storyteller~ Author of the Sandman Graphic Novels as well as novel like American Gods.

Steve King- Love his early books and short stories, Carrie, Salem's Lot, Nightshift.

Angela Carter - Wrote The Bloody Chamer, a collection of re-written fairy tales.

Richard Matheson - A master horror writer, wrote the book I Am Legend (which is much better than the movie!)

I constantly find authors I love but those are current favorites.

My favorites are:

Diana Gabaldon (reading her series "the Outlander".  It is truly wonderful)

Lee Child

Harlan Coben

Nelson DeMille

Philippa Gregory

Paullina Simon

Francine Rivers

Beverly Lewis

Wanda Brunsetter

Lori Wick

Tracie Petterson

Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins

Danielle Steel 

and so many more

Charlotte Bronte - and her sisters, too!

Miss Read.....

and that's all that's coming to mind right now.

Hmm, I'll try to keep the list whittled down to 6...

Tom Robbins

Kurt Vonnegut

Jack Kerouac

John Irving

Francesca Lia Block

Tom Wolfe

Hmm! I just went to a website with a "literature map" and it showed fans of Tom Robbins as being fans of all the other authors i listed except for Francesca Lia Block. I guess that shows that i need to diversify!

LaVyrle Spencer

Jodi Thomas

Nicholas Evans

Curtiss Ann Matlock

Dorothy Garlock

Carolyn Davidson

Pamela Morsi

Christopher Moore

Stephen King

Christopher Fowler

Robert Rankin

Wallace Stegner

Robert McCammon

Frank McCourt

Douglas Adams

Billy Hopkins

Tata - I have read all of the Outlander Series - Which one are you reading now?

A few of the authors I have loved:

Sue Grafton

Norman Maclean

Mary Higgins Clark

Jane Austen

C.S. Lewis

Current and Past favorites:

J.R.R. Tolkien

Tom Clancy (although he doesn't write much anymore)

John Grisham (always a safe bet)

Michael Crichton (I don't think the man can write a bad novel)

Nelson DeMille (love most of them although there's a couple I've put away for now)

Vince Flynn (newly discovered and loving them!!!  I read one and went right out and bought/swapped for all the rest)

J.K. Rowling

Robert Ludlum (have them all and have read most of them)