If you could be best friends with an author, who would you choose and why?
If you could be best friends with an author, who would you choose and why?
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If you could be best friends with an author, who would you choose and why?
Brenda Wilkinson.. she wrote my favorite book ever, Ludell. I figure since my mom loved the book as well we all could talk about great things over coffee. It seems so fun in my head.
Emily Dickinson. I’m a strong introvert and I don’t think she’d expect much socializing. But I feel her letter writing game would be strong and when we did gather, it would just be to drink tea and read our respective books in front of the fire.
She apparently had epilepsy, which had a lot to do with her isolating.
If she were alive today I think I would like to be text buddies with her.?
Joe Hill because he seems genuine, funny, and can tell one hell of a story as he comes from good stock!
I remember following Joe Hill on Twitter, before he was published and before people knew whose son he was. I always thought – this guy is hilarious!!!
@Marie he is! When he was publicizing Strange Weather he just seemed so approachable and fun!
Wendy Corsi Staub – she’s my husband’s cousin!
I love her Italian-Queens books!
Oh! I’ve read her Lily Dale books.
Laura Ingalls Wilder because we are similar…
Stephen King! Hands down. Love his writing and his politics!
Me too!
Elizabeth Gilbert, cause she seems like a nice person. And she’s funny too. And I love the way she writes.
One of my best friends is an author, LOL!!
Non-fiction living: Barack Obama Best Non-fiction not living Nelson Mandala or Eleanor Roosevelt Fiction living: J. K. Rowling Fiction non-living: Mark Twain Because I love smart, significant, humorous minds whose life’s work influences others to take the high road, not the low road. And I love people who have a social conscience.
Also love J. K. Rowing because she takes no crap.
Mark Twain. Life would never be dull and the stories over drinks would be amazing!
Lewis Carroll. The man was a genius with such an imagination and gift for storytelling.
None of them. I may love their books, but do not feel the need to go further than that. It’s the same with actors and artists. I don’t need to know what’s going on in their personal life to appreciate their skills.
One of my friends is an author. I know a few other authors through her. They are people with friends and families. No one is suggesting stalking or anything
@Amy geez. I didn’t even think of that. I’m just saying I don’t think of meeting authors, let alone who I befriend. I meant no disrespect. I just answered honestly.
@Amy , I’m sorry you didn’t see the compliment in my comment.
Kurt Vonnegut, his dry, minimilist humor makes me laugh and think every single time.
Probably Diana Gabaldon because not only did she write my favorite series (Outlander) but we’re close in age, she enjoys travel, whisky and wine and I think we could have some very interesting conversations. Plus she can be snarky which some fans don’t like but I find amusing.
Stephen King.
Nevada Barr .. her Anna Pigeon books are set in different National Parks, and it would be fun to tag along with her when she was researching all the National Parks for her books.
Mary Shelley or Jane Austen
Would have loved to be hanging out w Mary and Percy and their friends the night she decided to write Frankenstein.
Pat Conroy or Rick Bragg
@Andrew Because he helps abused children
http://ldicp.org/
J.K. Rowling because she breathed life into magic and showed that each and every one of us has magic inside.
Jane Austen or Agatha Christie
Adriana Trigiani. Met her last summer, what a hoot!!
Mark Twain.
Me too
Jane Austen, because she rocks?
Jane Austen and Harper Lee
Octavia Butler
Yes!
Diana Athill or Pat Jilks, hands down.
In the past never Stephen King because I wonder about someone who can make up such scary stories, but now him because of his wonderful political comments.
Patti Smith, because she’s an amazing reader, writer and musician.
It’s a toss up between Adrianna Trigiani and Lisa Scottoline because I believe they would be as great as their characters and we could bond over Italian cooking and books.
George R R Martin
It’s a toss up between Neil Gaiman and Tom Robbins. Both awesome. I can just imagine sitting around, sucking a brew and shooting the breeze.
Laurie Halse Anderson and Ursula K. Le Guin, because they are (were) both badass women who I would definitely learn a lot from.
Abraham Verghese. Author of Cutting For Stone.
My father-in-law is an author (of history books)
Barbara Kingsolver She’s led an interesting life and is a great writer.
Rainbow Rowell ❤️
Deborah Harkness…because she loves wine as much as I do. And I’d get the wine education of a lifetime. With a good dose of history.
Anna Quindlen
Janet evanovich just because her characters seem so fun!
She visits our local library about once a year. Seeing how many people enjoy her writing, I now want to see her.
@Marie where do you live?
@Alice I’m in the Verde Valley, in Arizona. She comes to Cottonwood library.
@Marie wow, that’s very cool. Too bad I’m in Nashville ?
That would be a long trip – lol. Many people do visit Sedona, Arizona, which also has a wonderful little library.
I met her a couple of years ago, in Scottsdale. She did seem like a fun person. ?
@Marie, I’m in Bisbee. We have the oldest continuously operating library in the state. I would post a link to it but my phone is not letting me do it. Google “Copper Queen Library, Bisbee, AZ” and you’ll see what a great place it is.
@Maggie I’m going to have to go there.
@Maggie My daughter really likes Bisbee, will have to make a trip with her of visit the library, of course!
Laura Ingalls Wilder and Harper Lee.
Ditto!
Twain. He’s hilarious.
And down to earth, practical and kind
Elizabeth Berg because I love every book she has written.
Anne Lamott
Oooh, yeah!
Elizabeth Berg because I love every book she has written.
Agatha Christie, because she was brilliant.
Tess Gerritsen – she spoke at our library a couple years ago. I could have listened to her for hours…she was so interesting.
Christopher Fowler who has a fantastic imagination would be so interesting or one of my favorite historians David McCullough or Lynne Olsen
Zadie Smith. I’ve loved her books and I love her take about culture.
Stephen king because he can turn out great religious themes that don’t turn off non religious people.
Danielle Steel, the first author I discovered when I had time for pleasure reading after finally finishing school ❤️?
Jen Lancaster – she’s hilarious!!
Shakespeare and Twain!
When I was in high school late 1970s I must have read all of Sidney Sheldon … Great read back then and such an interesting author… ie The Other Side of Midnight
I read all of his, too! I remember feeling very sad after he passed
I remember Bloodline, Stranger in the Mirror, Rage of Angels, the Naked Face, Master of the Game, If Tomorrow Comes … All in paperback that can fit in your back pants pocket. Then I read Belva Plain, Jacqueline Susann, Harold Robbins, Jeffrey Archer …. My high school buddies:-(
@Alberto – I may have to read these again! ❤️?
Diana Gabaldon – she’s FUN!
@TTorrest. She’s me fave! ❤
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Jan Karon
Ann Hood she writes the best books. Her book, ”Comfort” helped me through my grief after loosing a loved one.
I heard her speak, and she’s wonderful!!!
Ann Hood spoke at the Friends of the Library Luncheon and she was very interesting. Our book club also selected her book The Book That Matters Most.
J.K. Rowling, because she has a wonderful imagination, a giving heart, and a sly wit. Or Harper Lee, because she wrote my all-time favorite book, and let it speak for itself. Also, she got to grow up with Truman Capote, and that’s not a bad childhood!
I’ve always been fascinated by her relationship with Truman Capote. I don’t think I’ve seen him mentioned much – will have to remedy that!
@Marie there’s long been a rumor that he actually wrote TKAM. Based on what I’ve read, I’m half-tempted to believe that’s true. Regardless, she would have been a helluva friend!
He could have at least been very involved in the writing of it since I believe they were close at the time?
@Nora After reading Go Set A Watchman I think Capote could be the author.
Sounds like a good thesis for a book.
@Marie Go Set a Watchman was reportedly the rough draft that got turned into TKAM. I’ve not read it (nor will I), but from what I have read, it seems as if he had a very heavy hand in the editing, if not the complete rewrite. Those rumors were pretty widespread long before GSAW ever saw the light of day. The comparisons of the writing styles seem to confirm the long-held suspicions.
Stephen King and Margaret Atwood both so smart, woke and just cool
Ray Bradbury, loved Fahrenheit 451. I love Stephen King but not his political views.
Ray Bradbury got more conservative as he aged. Mostly, he just didn’t like politicians, but his writing was mostly liberal, including Fahrenheit 451. His main point of F 451 was that television was replacing people–and that it was teaching people to be mindless drones who couldn’t think for themselves. Books, however, are dangerous. ?
@Holly so are mindless drones.
?
Stephen King or Christopher Moore. They are both smart, funny and a little twisted.
Elizabeth George–I’d like to help her explore settings for novels in England.
J. K. Rowling
David Sedaris and Sean Condon because both are able to take everyday occurrences and make them into hilarious stories. I love them both!
I heard Sedaris speak in Ann Arbor a number of years ago. He is very funny. My favorite story was about one of his friends who had a first date with a man who told he had problems with the “C” word. She responded “C–t”? He said, “No…commitment.” It was their only date. He is such a funny storytelller that I think you would never be bored.
@Debborah, i have heard him a few times, too, and wven got to meet and chat with him. Love him! And Sean Condon, too.
I can’t really limit myself to one. I think I’d be comfortable and would just have a good time with James Lee Burke, his daughter Alafair Burke and the rest of their family. On his Montana ranch. They both respectfully communicate with readers through social media.
jenny lawson!
Ms. Maya Angelou
Yes, I envy Oprah.
Maya Angelou. Definitely Maya.
Eric Jerome Dickey.
Hunter S Thompson
Anais Nin
Dorothy Parker
Allen Ginsberg
Harlan Ellison
Wild times!
PS: You have a great first name!
@Marie yes, wild times with brilliant people!
And thank you.
Anne Tyler. I want to write like her when I grow up!
Debbie macomber, nora roberts, Mary kay Andrews
Mitchener.
JK Rowlings. I want to see her world through her eyes
Flannery O’Connor and Carson McCullers and Edith Wharton and Henry James
Intense!
@Marie They have all moved me deeply emotionally and changed my understanding of people and living.
I understand. I’ve read and reread many of Flannery and Carson’s writings and they still bring me to tears, partly because the writing is so beautiful! It’s been a long time since I read Edith and Henry, but did read many and treasure them. BTW – My first name is actually Jeanne.
@Marie Nice!
@Sarah People often question the spelling of it – my mother told me it is French.
@Marie Indeed it is the French feminine version of the name.
Recently I saw someone with it tattooed on her. When I commented on it she said it was her girlfriend’s name and pronounced Jahna, with a soft J. Interesting.
Barbara Mertz
Dr Suess might be a hoot? I want to try whatever he was on?
Shakespeare…because then I’d get to see the performances of all of his plays, which I love!!!
Oh, how wonderful that would be!
I know, right? You probably tells the best stories at dinner.
@Jacqueline how fun!
Rick Riordan
I try not to confuse the art with the artist. Not because I’m smart but because even a slow learner learns.
But truthfully, I’d try to leave them alone so they could concentrate. And then they might not think I cared.
I used to think Salman Rushdie would be so fascinating to talk to but then when I read his memoir, I realized that might not be so.
Honestly, Keith Richard’s memoir revealed such a lyrical understanding of the universe and how music is an organizing principal. And then he seemed to finally prioritize and serve what truly defined him after having made some really horrific life choices – therefore I believe it would be really really beneficial to waste some time with him. Quite a coping mechanism in that one! And insights about how to come back to one’s true self. I was deeply impressed by his book. It was not what I expected at all.
Oscar Wilde. I enjoy the company of intellectual wits.
Poe, Twain, Tolstoy, Alcott, George Elliot…
Well, since my head is still spinning a little after seeing David Sedaris last Friday night, I would pick him. So funny and easygoing.
I love him!
His latest book is soooo good!
Mo Willems would be a close second for me.
Jane Austen because her wit makes me laugh and her men make my swoon.
Laura Ingalls Wilder
Enjoy the history and family in a different ers
@Anne era
JK Rowling, her books helped me get through tough times growing up.
Either Roald Dahl, because he is simply fabulous, or C.S. Lewis, because I don’t think I’d ever want him to stop talking.
Michael Connelly as to he writes about my neck of the woods, strikes me as being very laid back, and likes great music!
His books are awesome.
@Nyeisha Right! Have you checked out the show Bosch on amazon prime?
Melanie Stewart no i gave up Prime after college ?. I heard it’s good though.
@Nyeisha it’s worth checking out if you’re a Bosch fan!
@Melanie I’ll have to see if I can get someone Prime info and binge it
The show is AMAZING!! Superlative casting!!
@Liz Oh yes! Someone else who has seen Bosch!
Ray Bradbury! I love the way his mind works.
Candace Bushnell – author of Sex and the City. Enough said! ? ?
Cosmos for all!!
Maeve Binchy
Jane Austen, Anne Taylor, Mark Twain, Barbara Kingsolver, Diana Gabaldon. What a great book club we’d have!
Carl Sagan and Stephan King, both brilliant and articulate.
Jodi Picoult – we see the world the same way a great deal of the time. She is also a humble, kind person who keeps in touch with her readers.
I appreciate that about authors.
Anne McCafferty. I loved her Pern books and she sang. I always wanted to sing.
After hearing them in various interviews, I’m torn between Sarah Vowell and Max Brooks. We could commiserate on politics, visit historical sites, and laugh till it hurts.
e.e. cummings because seemed to understand the human soul
Melanie Shankle I love her sense of humor conveyed through her writing, she’s relatable as we both grew up in the 80’s, and she has catchy book titles
Barbara kingsolver, Nevada Barr, Ann Hillerman
Kingsolver books are amazing!!
Liane Moriarty. Her books are fun and thoughtful and I love her humour (that’s how the Aussies spell humour in case you think I spelled it wrong) ??
Ree Drummond….sense of humor again, we both grew up in the 80s and catchy book titles…same as Melanie Shankle ?
Jules Verne …. And travel the world in 80 days, journey to the centre of the earth, from the earth to themoon, and twenty thousand leagues under the sea.
Donna Tartt. Love her books!
I’ve volunteered at the Tucson Festival of Books for several years now and I’ve met dozens of authors, including some mentioned here. They are almost all well-educated, well-informed, interesting people. Like most creative people, they tend to be liberal. I would love to be friends with almost all of them.
Louise Erdrich
Chris Bohjalien.
Connie Willis. She is so funny, sweet, and kind. And intelligent, very intelligent.
Arthur Conan Doyle. I would want to be introduced to the person who inspired Holmes.
Laura Hilldebrand
The late Sue Grafton. Love her on so many levels.
John Gresham, Belva Plain, Naomi Regan
Mitch Albom Such an inspirational author?
Ann Lammott, I think. She’s an interesting woman and we share a lot of the same philosophy.
Nora Roberts present day Laura Ingalls Wilder and Robert Louis Stephenson for my childhood favorites and probably Mark Twain
David Duchovny because, oh my goodness, you really have to ask why?
Oscar Wilde
Well, as a best friend I bet he would make your life interesting.
As I would make his
I can’t even imagine
I think I wanted to meet Mark Helprin, who writes on the urban fictional (or fantastical) scene, and has a train ride in Italy.
Diana gabbledon , cause she visits the most beautiful countries .
Margret Mitchell, William Shakespeare, Steinbeck……
Steven King cause we have he same warped minds
Really? He’s pretty freaky….
J.J. Rowling.
Annie Lamott…I love her books and she’s had quite a journey…a veey interesting person. I wouldn’t mind some time with David Sedaris, too.
I have met Anne Lamott. She is just as real and funny in person!
Sue Grafton
I miss her.
Dr Seuss! Creativity, imagination, and fun.
Someone I’ve known since he was a preschooler, recently said he got his sassiness from Dr. Seuss. I loved it!
Judith Viorst
Mark Twain, for the depth of his humor. I like to think I’d make him chuckle, too.
Oscar Wilde, Kurt Vonnegut and DH Lawrence.
Good list!
Diana Gabaldon….because it would be fun to talk to her and discover how she works and writes!
Either Susannah Kearsley because of how she blends history into her novels, or Anna Quindlen because I always gain a new perspective from her books, or maybe Tracy Kidder…so hard to pick just one!
Luv Anna Quindlen, Dorothea Benton Frank could be as much fun as her characters and Nora Ephron cause we’re both of that certain age
Anna Quindlen for sure!
Mailer, as if anyone could be Norman’s best friend.
Stephen King, because he is just such a great writer and thinker.
JRR Tolkien—he had such a huge imagination!
I love him too!!
Michael Cart the first one looks scary! I want to read more of CS Lewis.
wow! Love those!
that would be cool!!
Living: JK Rowling because I love her writing, her humanity and she seems like an amazing person to be around.
Deceased: Laura Ingalls Wilder, I would love to talk to her about her amazing life.
Agreed!
Diana Gabaldon. she was very funny when I met her at a talk. would like to talk more..
Oooo. C.S. Lewis. To talk with him about walking through Narnia, would be so awesome. I could talk with him for hours and hours.
Diana Gabaldon living and Dorothy Dunnett of she were alive. My 2 favorite authors
Maybe Diane Keaton because I really liked her autobiography, her films and her interviews. Of course, I tend to feel that way every time I read an autobiography!
Dorothy Dunnett, John Fowles, PD James, Elizabeth George
Barbara Kingsolver!
Amazing writer. Loved The Poisenwood Bible.
@Liz, my favorite, of hers!
@Liz I have not read this book but it’s on my list.
@Donna, prepare to be moved!
@Glenda everyone tells me what an excellent book it is. I am reading Eunice, The Kennedy That Changed The World. Next, I am reading The Handmaid’s Tale. Then, I will read The Poisonwood Bible.
Donna, I read The Handmaids Tale a long time ago and it is terrifying! Good luck!
Just finished a reread of Poisonwood Bible
@Sheryl, considering same, now. Its been a long time. Did you enjoy the second read?
@Glenda that is what my friend just told me today when I went over to her house to visit her.
@Donna, I haven’t been able to watch it on Netflix. Partially bc it seems too possible in our current political climate.
Glenda Standish that is the truth, isn’t it? My friend is Lakota Sioux and we had quite a discussion about the background of the book. I told her not to tell me too much because I want to read it! She has been a social worker and also a midwife so she has some interesting experiences.
@Glenda yes perhaps even more for two reasons: 1: I can better appreciate her beautiful writing and the unique voices of her characters. 2. because I have a better understanding of the history and cultures of African nations.
charles bukowski <3 he'd be a great drinking buddy, hemingway too, i guess most authors...
Toni Morrison or Doris Lessing, because of their brillant minds,loving suffering hearts and depth of experience. I’ve heard both lecture live and was spellbound both times, in different ways.
Joss whedon
Jon Krakauer or Barbara Kingsolver. Both have written books I have loved and long remember.
Jules Verne- what a visionary
How about a novel’s character? I choose Kinsey Milhone. 🙂
As a character, I would like to befriend Munch Mancini from a series by the late Barbara Seranella because I love complex, troubled, but resilient characters. ( Like Andy Sipowicz from NYPD Blue or Scarlet O’Hara.) Except for the resilience and a strong sense of justice, this character couldn’t be more different from me. Since the author died early, I will sadly never get to know Munch Mancini any better. (That is why I was so surprised and thrilled when Ann Hillerman picked up her dad, Tony’s series and did his characters justice.)
@Linda I googled the author and character that you referenced; sounds interesting I’m going to check out the books!
@Susan Start with No Human Involved. I loved all her books. They are largely auto-biographical. Unfortunately, her early life style lead to a sadly premature death.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbara_Seranella This article is very sketchy and incomplete, but it is a start.
Meeting John Steinbeck, Author
It was late summer 1966, I had just finished two very difficult military schools back-to back; Special Forces Enlisted Training Group and Artillery Officer’s Candidate School. I was finishing up a third very difficult course at the Monterey Language School on the coast of California.
Upon graduation from the language school I had orders directly to the 5th Special Forces Group in Vietnam. I was in superb physical condition and ran ten miles every morning along the beaches at Monterey and along the spectacular coastal residential roads before classes.
On the weekends, I would drive along the Pacific Coast Highway looking for rest stops where I could rappel down the cliffs and free climb back to the top. One Saturday I found a beautiful site over-looking a cliff dropping down to a crescent shaped beach. There was a FOR SALE sign off the main highway and a paved road leading back to where the flat foundation from where a house or cabin had been. A couple of cars were parked off to one side hidden from sight and I could hear surfers talking on the beach about a hundred feet below.
I checked out the cliff and decided to rappel down it using the back bumper of my 1966 Mustang as an anchor. I free rappelled down the cliff and spent a few minutes on the private beach enjoying the sea air and watching the kids surf.
There was an old stairs on the side of the cliff the surfers used but I decided to practice free climbing back to the top and found out halfway up the foot and handholds were unreliable and I had a difficult time. When I reached the top I saw a man sitting on an overhang watching me. He had a short beard and was hold an apricot French poodle. Behind him was a maroon and black Rolls Royce, I assumed was his. The look, the dog and the car all spelled homosexual to this very arrogant highly trained Special Forces second lieutenant.
He smiled and said hi. I nodded and started retrieving my nylon climbing rope. He made small talk about rappelling and I said as few words as possible trying to ignore him. He mentioned his son was in Vietnam and had taken a discharge and stayed over there as a Buddhist monk. I gave him the high-eyebrows indicating to him I did not approve of hippies or the peace groupies. He smiled and told me he was trying to get a passport to visit Vietnam. I found that interesting and we talked for a few more minutes and then I suddenly realized—seeing him sitting on the rock with the dog—“Travels with Charlie”—I had just read the book.
He saw the light come on in my eyes and his whole demeanor changed—he now was the one becoming aloof. When I asked him, “Aren’t you John Steinbeck…” He nodded and turned to leave. I tried talking to him but he went over to his Rolls Royce and drove off.
I read every one of Steinbeck’s books from “Grapes of Wrath” to “Travels with Charlie.” He was my favorite American author.
It was a very hard lesson; one should be treat strangers with kindness. It took a few more encounters before I learned that lesson.
Don
P.S After reading thousands of books. Now I write novels! https://www.amazon.com/MYK-Prince-Vends-D-Zlotnik/dp/1520123213/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1528490811&sr=1-1&keywords=MYK%3A+Prince+of+the+Vends
Amazing story! Thanks for sharing. I grew up in the SF Bay Area and John Steinbeck has always been one of my favorite authors. The Grapes of Wrath is one of my favorite books of all time.
Rowling.
Chris Almeida & Cecilia Aubrey because they are fantastic people. They interact with fans. I love their stories.
Nora Roberts I love her books and her In Death series she writes under the name J.D. Robb ??
Ann Rivers Siddons
I identify so well with so many of her characters
Octavia Butler because she knew things!
Terry McMillian
Diana Gabaldon (Outlander): her writing style has influenced my sentence structure.
Maria Semple because I like how her brain works.
Mark Twain, because he sounds like a well travelled person.
Anne Tyler
Anita Shreve
Ben Franklin or Ernest Hemingway
Daphne du Maurier or Frank Peretti
Patricia Cornwell as I love her mind and all its mystery solving abilities.
Diana Gabaldon
Mark Twain…
Me too!
Mary Roach (non-fiction). She is so smart, and interesting, and funny!
Karen Kingsbury because she is so inspirational.
Wally Lamb
The last line of his book THIS MUCH I KNOW IS TRUE
“ Out of the rich loam of forgiveness grows love”
I loved that book. He spoke at my granddaughter’s high school graduation this past Thursday. It was also his 50th class reunion from the same school.
Anne Rice. We both love her books!?
Pat Conroy
Yes. I think we could talk about almost everything.
@Janet, and eat some low country shrimp with iced tea ?
@Donna Sounds good to me. ?
Mary McCarthy
@Donna ,sweet tea for sure.
Richard Russo
Louise Penny because she is someone I feel I would be able to relate to comfortably.
David Sedaris, he would keep me laughing.
I would have loved to have been friends with Nora Ephron! So funny, so wry, and managed to find the humor in some really bad times.
Maeve Binchy – loved her books and sad to know we will not have any more –
John GRISHAM. Because he writes about a work world he used to live in. Wecould have talks about law, firms, law cases and such.
William F. Buckley, erudite and wise.
John Kennedy Toole
Anne Lamott
Jeffery Archer, he just has a great way to tell a story. He would interesting to sit and chat with.
Isabel Allende – I love her use of magical realism and culture.
Carl Hiaasen. I am also a native Floridian. He and I would totally get each other.
His books are amazing. His columns are too. Good pick.
Dan Simmons. I just think he would be a fascinating person to know.
Walter Mosley.
I think Janet Evanovich would be great fun. I also agree with the comments above on Pat Conroy. You could have a great long talk with him about books and food.
Liane Moriarty – love the way she keeps the reader off guard until the very end of her books and she seems like she would be fun to hang out with!
Mark Twain!
Mark Twain
I’m not sure I would want to. I’ve already learned the hard way that knowing more about an author can ruin my reading experience. At least with the living ones, so I think I would choose a dead one, probably Roald Dahl. Or R.A. Lafferty. They both have the type of imaginations where I think we would all “get” each other.
Also, Jason Reynolds. He’s my current favorite author of YA. He’s smart and has a great voice. Every book makes me think and brings me to tears.
Harper Lee. Or Larry McMurtry
Mary Alice Monroe…I’d love to spend time with her in the SC lowcountry on sea turtle patrol.
me too
Louise Penney
Pete Hamill..he has his finger on the pulse of what makes Americans American …. oour immigrant ancestors
L. Frank Baum or Roald Dahl.
So many, so many….John Meacham.
Probably Hemingway, not that I like his books that much, but I think he probably would know where all the interesting bars and restaurants are.
Mo Willems – his characters bring kids so much joy and they’re so funny! It seems like he doesn’t take himself too seriously and he is aware of the great trust children have placed in him.
Alice Munro! She passed away, but every short story she wrote resonated with me on some level. She wrote with clarity and an understanding of her characters beyond the superficial, leaving the reader to form their own opinion?
Oh, I loved The Lives of Girls and Women.
John Irving
Me too!!
Dorothy Wordsworth.
Fiona Davis…because I really like her books.
Louisa May Alcott. She was so ahead of her time. She came from a family that believes in abolition, social acceptance, and strong women. She was a feminist before it existed! She lived life by her own rules. I am always fascinated by the Alcott family, Louisa in particular. I’d love to have a conversation with her!
I converse occasionally with my fave author and she responds. No, seriously!
When I was in high school, I wrote to Pamela Des Barres several times, and she replied! This was pre-internet, so all through the mail. So cool.
That’s so amazing!
I wrote mail to Carolyn Chute once to her publisher and she responded and was happy to correspond…
I ended upfeeling shy after and then… time passed… and so, we didnt become pen pals. But, her letter was <3
Virginia Woolf b/c her intellectual curousity and the conversations we would have would be dynamic.
Maeve Binchy or Anne Rivers Siddons
Yes!
@Elizabeth, she writes and she cooks.
C. S. Lewis. I love The Chronicles of Narnia, Mere Christianity, The Space Trilogy, and The Screwtape Letters. It would be amazing to talk to him, he had such a brilliant mind. I know I could learn so much from him. Plus, he was part of the Inklings. Maybe he would introduce me to his friends!
My favorite author. Love the story of his life and his marriage. He was brilliant. The Screwtape Letters is excellent.
Peter Reynolds. I love the messages of his books ( children’s). The artwork is simple and unique, but the words themselves paint emotions and life experiences beautifully. Read THE DOT. Then you’ll understand.
Anne Patchett. Love her books and she owns a bookstore in Nashville!
We’re going to Nashville in a few days. Good to know?
@Catherine, Parnassus is the name of the bookstore.
Jen Lancaster and Laurie Nautro both crack me up.
Erma Bombeck. Could always use another sweet, funny friend.
That’s a hard one!
Samuel Clemens/ Mark Twain. The man was brilliant and ahead of his time. Plus, what a wit!
Barack obama, my most admired leader
Jane Austen or Shel Silverstein….
Samuel Clemens or Agatha Christie
Ken Follett
Anne Lamott
JK Rowling
Margaret Mitchell, Cathy Gohlke, Ellen Marie Wiseman…..the list is endless!
@Helen , I would love to be her best friend. She seem down to earth and of course I would get to read her books before anyone else!!
Ken Foley his books are good to read.
Christopher Moore…such an interesting mind and sense of humor
Sebastian Barry! Fabulous writer. “The Whereabouts of Eneas McNulty”.
Will Schwalbe- he leads to more great book recommendations- found David Halbertstam and “A Prayer for Owen Meaney” and many more by reading “The End of Your Life Book Club”
Wow, just too many to pick just one!!
Dave Pelzer
Fannie Flagg because her books are like comfort food.
Diana Gabaldon, just seems like a woman I’d like to drink whiskey with
Louise Penney because I’d like to know how she came up with the lovely Armand Gamache and three pines! How does she knock out a decent book once a year.
She lives in area very much like three pines, she’s said, and with a number of local characters to draw from. Of course, she puts her own spin on them. I love her books.
Jane Austen
Mat Johnson
Anne Tyler, because she makes such quirky, but relatable characters. Neil Gaiman because I love his versatility, his humor, and his voice. Also, he comes with bonus Amanda Palmer, whom I admire.
The more I think about it, the more authors I want to know.
Cheryl Strayed. I admire her humanness, fortitude, versatility, and honesty.
My daughter has crossed paths with her in Portland and I think she lives at least part of the time in the same area of the city. Fun fact. Relatable author.
Debbie Macomber. She seems like such a sweetheart.
David Sedaris….I mean come on, this guy is awesome!!
Heathery Lynne gah!!! Yes!!!! Which one do you have? The new Calypso has gotten great fanfare. Read Alan Cumming’s review in the NYT to get a feel for it. I also loved Naked. Me Talk Pretty OneDay is a must…
Heathery Lynne enjoy!!! He’s an American Treasure
Stephen King
Karen White… She’s funny, loves my beach
I love Karen White books!
Ann Patchett: heard in person & is wildly funny, opinionated, smart, charming, immensely generous with her knowledge-views — owns indie book store!
I’ve always thought I’d bump into Barbara Kingsolver and we’d
Would love to be her neighbour!
Amy Tan because she is the coolest author ever and her words speak to me
There is a book, The Grand Tour, mostly letters written while she was on tour around the world with her first husband in 1922–Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii, Canada. She and her husband were among the first Europeans to stand on a surfboard. It was pretty interesting. She had an adventurous spirit.
Apostle Paul
It’s between Louise Penny and Kate Morton. Great question!
John Steinbeck – he was interested in everything and fearless!
Wally Lamb, Chris Bohjalian- they just seem to care a lot about people and be interesting.
Wendell Berry
Louise Penny because I have met her and she is a fun person.
Living: Barbara Kingsolver. Gone on: C. S. Lewis
Margaret Atwood, in hopes that some of her wisdom would rub off on me.
Agatha Christie. She’s my favorite old time mystery author
Me too! ❤
Jane Austen!!! Then, we could go to parties together, have interesting conversations about life and love and proprietary while trying to make out peoples character!!! ??
Anne Lamott
Pat Conroy
Nora Roberts- would love to sit and talk about where she gets her ideas and maybe if we got to be real great friends she’d take me along on her Irish holidays!
I’d love to go to the Kentucky Derby with her!! ☺?
@Cate That would be fun too!!
John Irving
David Rosenfelt because he is a fanatical dog lover. Tim Dorsey because Serge is very creative and Linda Howard because the steam oozes from her books .. does she experiment first?!!
Karen Kingsbury because their would never be a dull moment.
David Sedaris, he’s hilarious and insightful
Ann Patchett. She is everything I admire in a woman and I love her writing.
Diana Gabaldon
There are so many to choose from. If she were alive I would go with Agatha Christie, but since she isn’t I would like to be friends with Karin Slaughter.
Barbara Kingsolver
Shel Silverstein. His offbeat humor. My boys and I love reading his poems. Jacques Prevert too. Same reason
Dean Koontz. Possibly Jim Butcher.
Oscar Wilde, because it would be so much fun!
Erma Bombeck…she had a way of making ordinary things funny.
Great choice!
Graham Greene
I think she was the one who wrote about her grandmother giving children dog treats for cookies and the grandmother wore her girdle upside down and backwards insisting it fit better that way???
Erma declared herself a member of the ‘see America unintentionally club” because she got easily lost. I always loved that way of reframing.
Anna Quindlen
Me, too!
Christopher Moore, Fredrik Backman or Nick Hornby. I love their works and we have enough in common and I think I’d really enjoy hanging out with them.
Louisa May Alcott, Stephen King,
Nora Ephron…..for the humor and feminism….in that order.
Kurt Vonnegut
Barbara kingsolver.
Louise Penny. I’d love to sit with her in the Bistro chatting and drinking tea by the fire.
Hemingway… what a ride that would be!
Also JK Rowling. She’s an amazing woman.
Agreed!!
Harper Lee, or Jennifer Weiner … talk about 2 ends of the spectrum !?
Louisa May Alcott, Jane Austen
Maya Angelou – she’s so strong !
Christopher Moore, he makes me laugh.
James Mitchener
Mark Twain
Needs no explanation
The bonus would be that he was also friends with Tesla.
Also, I love cats and he had hundreds of polydactyl cats. I am sure he would have given me as many as I wanted. ?
anne tyler because of her loveable characters
@Ramie indeed
Most definitely…David McCullough or Doris Kearns Goodwin
Judy Blume. No, Eric Carle. Wait, Ann Patchett…or Patricia Polacco. No, Beverly Cleary. Nooe. Can’t pick just one…
I’ve met Patricia Polacco. She is a lovely and very funny lady.
.
D.H. Lawrence ….
It’s hard to narrow it to one, but if I had to, off the cuff I’ll say Neil Gaiman quite possibly – he’s always come across in readings and interviews as funny and relatable, and he’s a compassionate and endlessly interesting person.
To spice things up a bit… Xaviera Hollander! Would love to visit with her in The Netherlands!
Barbara Kingsolver. She seems like she would be calming
Stephen King, I want to know how his mind works.
Another great one. He’s so freaking hilarious. I used to subscribe to Entertainment magazine back in the day, just to read his articles at the back of the mag.
Kate DiCamillo. She’s a noticer…she pays attention.
David Sedaris…also for the humor.
I’ve been wanting to read his books so bad! I just need to do it
@Amber I started by listening to them on audio. Once his voice and delivery are in your head you can read…but the listening experience is SO GOOD!
@Toni agree! He is hilarious, and I read everything in his voice now. I’ve been lucky enough to attend two of his readings, too!
@Toni I’ll have to do that then! Thanks!
Diana Gabaldon
Wow…have to think about that…..I think I would want to be friends with Jill Shalvis. She always has so much humor going on in her books and so much realism like I can see her personality in the books
Dean Koontz because he’s got dogs?
I also really like his books, I’m not that shallow❤??
Am, Jane Resh Thomas.
Lisa Genova because she’s knowledgeable about diseases.
Jennifer Haigh
Diana Gabaldon and Jane Austen
Danielle Steele because when I want my crazy world to slow down and don’t have to have a lot of concentration I can read one of her books and be placed in a somewhat non reality world.
@Amy
@Nancy
@Amy
@Katharine
I admire these ladies very much.
Steven King. He has to be a cool guy, because he gets all his demons out of his system.
I just finished looking at all the different authors people selected and I would say some very excellent choices. I would like to pick a fiction and non fiction. I would like to select Allan Eckert and Jodi Picoult.
Brene Brown. 🙂 Her books changed my life.
Anna Quindlen. I’ve read several of her books as well as interviews and op-eds written by her, and I think we might have common ground. Her books One True Thing and A Short Guide to a Happy Life are among my favorites.
She was my first choice, too.
Mine also.
Kelly Corrigan
Maeve Binchy, Nora Ephron, Irma Bombeck, Pat Conroy -sad that they have all been taken too young
I would go a different route @Peggy and pick Armistead Maupin. So we could have brunch together in San Francisco and gossip and people watch!
Sounds irresistable. What do you suggest I start with? Tales of the City? I haven’t read him, but I just checked out his website, and I’m ready!
The first book – tales of the city. I read them in my 20s and it occurred to me they may not be so terrific now. MASTERPIECE did a series in them back in the day starting Laura Linley. Loved it. Heard they were doing a remake.
This would be SO much fun! Loved the series in the Chronicle. Books are even better.
David Sedalia. I’d be laughing all day long.
Whoops. Sedaris – auto correct
Wouldn’t he be fun to hang out with!?
@Marsha – Yes! I’m reading his latest book of essays now. They make me laugh out loud.
My husband is reading it now and says it’s really funny. I love his sense of humor.
California Cooper. I have loved her books for some time – very realistic
Mark Twain. He makes me laugh yet has deep thoughts about mankind.
Fannie Flagg
Lisa See – I would love to travel around with her while she is doing research for her books.
Glennon Doyle or Brene Brown
No one K know will be surprised when I say Colum McCann.
Elizabeth Berg. She loves dogs and books.
Any one of the Apostles.
Louise Penny
J. K. Rowling. Love her philanthropy and sense of humor.
Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Oscar Wilde. I love how he says things, even though I disagree with many of his philosophies. That would make for some fun debates.
Jodi Picoult
Margaret Atwood. I love her books and her vision.
Dean Koontz because of his great novels and more importantly his love of dogs!
Jane Austen
Anne Rice
Jim Butcher
Depends on the decade
This is the best response.
Sarah Addison Allen — I love her writing; I find it very lyrical.
I love that she made your list. Her Garden Spells is one of the best and most memorable novels I’ve read in recent years.
Neil Gaiman. He’s funny, he’s a compassionate human being, uses his fame for good, and his wife would be pretty wild to get to know too. Loved her book.
Judy Blume or David Sedaris
David Sedaris is hilarious!
I would be friends with George R R Martin, so I could say to him “quit fooling around, George, and finish the books.” Or I could help him if he was stuck.
Please call him and get that friendship going!
I don’t think he’s ever going to finish the series.?
Elmore Leonard and J. K. Rowling
Mary Kay Andrews
This goes way back ..,Pearl S Buck! Loved The Good Earth. Love to learn about her life as a missionary ..
John Irving—so wise; Tom Robbins—so clever and quirky; Margaret Atwood—a prophet.
I’d have to say Jen Turano. She is hilarious. If not her then Lisa Scottolini. Also hilarious
Steven King , I think he would be a blast to hang out with .
He had or has a band too.
@Janet , I have read that . I saw him years ago when he did his Motorcycle book tour . He just came off as a really cool guy .
Castle
Anne Lamott
Shannon Ellis
I so enjoy her humor and her spirituality.
Stephen King. although I don’t read his horror stories any more, his posts are smart and personable.
Even further back than Buck – Elsie Jeanette Oxenham. We have the same sense of fun. Also Georgette Heyer.
Harper Lee to pick her brain
Stephen King – anyone with a mind like that is someone I’d love to know.
Laura ingalls wilder!
George RR Martin
Me too and we would make him sit down and write !
James A. Michener, I would love to be involved with the research that goes into his books.
Neil Gaiman. Love his humor and ideas
Stephen King. Whenever I read an interview with him he sounds like a cool guy to hang out with.
I have given your post a lot of thought. Who would I like to meet? I have come to the conclusion that I really do not want to meet any author as I am afraid my perception of them would be crushed.
Michael Crichton
I can’t decide! Lol. Samuel Clemens, Maya Angelou, Bill Nye, Stephen King, J.R.R. Tolkien…..too many.
Why not have them all over. Great discussion time. But what would you give them to eat??
@Janet I would make my Grandma’s baked Mac n Cheese, my Nana’s frozen whiskey sours, and the family pudding pie recipe. Sounds simple but it’s a meal to linger over.
Great. Those whiskey sours will loosen them up. Have fun.
Omg! I would love to be friends with Bill Nye. NDT too!
I would have loved to meet and hang out with John Steinbeck, spent time with him in Monterey, Pacific Grove, King City, etc. It would have been great fun to meet some of his interesting friends such as “Doc” and some of the boys on Cannery Row. Also would have loved to travel with him and Charley. When I first visited Monterey 30 some years ago I did encounter several people who had known him. At that timethere was no museum, but several of the store owners on Cannery Row had items and momentos from him or relating to him, in the backs of their stores for his fans to view. This included original notes, manuscripts, etc. So interesting!
Sunny and cool today in Pacific Grove
Maya Angelou. She was an awesomely interesting woman. I loved everything she ever said & wrote.
Peter Mayle. So I could listen to all his stories about living in Provence. ❤️
Pat Conroy
Yes. I’m torn to choose!
Steve Berry
David Sedaris or Maya Angelou
Diana Gabaldon because she’s so smart ?
I was going to say Deborah Harkness for the same reason!
Too many to name just one.
For an author on the Great America Read, I would like to meet JK Rowling. She shares an Anglican faith, and we have Alsatian heritage which is not straightforward. Think, Franco-Prussian and how do you do homage to both French and German.
Mary Alice Monroe
Louise Penny because she is so down to earth. In addition to well traveled, brilliant and humble, to name a few.
Exactly who I would pick!
Toni Morrison
Jane Austen, of course.
Jen Lancaster because I would be laughing…a lot!
Jodi Picoult. Her stories are well researched, relevant and thought provoking.
Barbara Kingsolver!
Writers lead a lonely life, but if possible, maybe Sue Monk Kidd, Barbara Kingsolver too.
Laura Ingalls Wilder, even though she is no longer around. I have so many questions for her and have admired her since I was a kid.
Robert Reich and Richard Russo.
Oh yes, Richard Russo
Oh, and Raymond Chandler and Michael Connolly (the Bosch mystery novels).
David Foster Wallace RIP ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Wilber Smith!
Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird. I loved her sense of place, her characters, Scout and Jim. Everything was so true, correct.
I love to hear her sister talk, accent. I have even been to Monroeville,Alabama to the cemetery where she and her family are buried.
I also liked Eudora Welty and The Optimist’s Daughter. I really appreciate A Worn Path by her. She knew her Time and her Place, Mississippi in the mid-1900’s, and I guess a lot like it is today.
I would have liked to meet Jack London.
@Sharon because of her subject matter.
C S Lewis… what amazing discussions you could have!
Mark Twain!
Margaret Mitchell
Edgar Allen Poe or Rudyard Kipling or Tolkien, so many hard to pick one! Lee Child, David Balducci?
James Herriot
His books are so good!
I just wish he was my dogs’ vet. Lol.
I agree, you can tell he cares about the animals.
I really liked James Herriot too!
Ernest Hemingway!
David McCullough
Robert Litell
P G Wodehouse
And Charles Dickens
W.A. and J.A Johnstone
Pat Conroy. He could also cook
I ❤️ Pat Conroy! What a great reason to choose him. I have his cookbook, and the Shrimp and Grits are my fave.
Anne Lammott. A woman who tells the truth, even on herself, unflinchingly, and yet has a talent for seeking the best in herself and others.
So true! With a touch of humor and a lot of humility.
J.D. Salinger…
I’d like to ask him about Holden Caulfield!
Sure? Do you know anything about him as fully described by spurned lovers [e.g. most notably Joyce Maynard] & recent biographers–? Best friends with a notoriously anti-social? Maybe think could be The Transformative Change in his disposition / personality?! … I certainly adored FRANNY/ZOOEY & basically all of JDS minuscule output. … I could maybe want to be best friends with a character or two of his imagination!
Adriana Trigiani and Sarah Addison Allen because they both seem very approachable compared to some of my other favorite authors. I love how they both write. Adriana Trigiani is so family-oriented in her stories and Sarah Addison Allen has such an enjoyable way in which she writes her stories.
Daniel Silva. He knows the stories behind the story.
Christopher Moore because I think he would just be so fun.
He’d be a d!ck, but it would be awesome.
I’d imagine that going out for drinks would turn into a pun-tastic time.
People watching and hilarity would certainly ensue.
Rick Bragg – Love his books and love to hear him speak!
Bill Bryson because he’s hilarious.
Jon Krakauer because he is so smart and I love his writing.
Mark twain
I’d like to be friends with him, but I have enough friends who are bad with money and alway in need of a loan.
I’ve had chances to do that. It can be very disappointing.
Sadly, yes.
Isn’t that the truth?
J.K. Rowling, for her marvelous mind…
Ian McEwan…then I could learn all things British!!!
Susan Elizabeth Phillips because of her humor and sense abilities. She must be great as a friend
How to pick just one!
F. Scott Fitzgerald and Earnest Hemingway!
Hehe. But they didnt get along at all! If you had to pick one only, which one?
To pick only one! it was hard enough to pick my top two favorite would-be friends! I don’t think i can pick! ?
Your are going to have to stock up on booze.
Just off the top of my head, Mary Shelley. So young, so brilliant. But next Laura Ingalls Wider, I never could get over her and Ma spending all day to make the butter. I love the prairie life stories, she told them so lovingly.
Harper Lee. She understands friendship.
Dave Barry would be a great choice for me.
Carl Hiaasen too!
Lauren Groff. I heard her speak at the 2016 National Book Festival, and I just felt a personal connection. That and I am in total awe of her ability to write. Second up would be Richard Russo. Basically for the identical reason listed above!
Margaret Atwood
Pat Conroy because he wrote books that broke my heart and I loved the way he wrote
I’m with you there. I only wish we were related…
Craig Johnson of Longmire fame. Reincarnation of the mythical cowboy poet.
Karen kingsbury
Kurt Vonnegut. Because I think he lived in my head. But then so did Douglas Adams, but in a different way. There are several authors I feel that way about. I just know the sense of the ridiculous struck us in the same way.
Barbara brown Taylor
Steven King, Pat Conroy, Ernest Hemmingway, James Joyce. . . Why do I even try?
Louise Penny because she seems to think similarly to me, although I know I’m only basing that on her books given I don’t really know her.
If you go to their websites they have some interviews. I have listened to some on youtube. And c-span books. It is interesting to hear them talk after having read their writings.
Dick Francis…I cherish his characters. They are such courageous and vulnerable people.
I met Dick Francis at a book signing – he was so nice and gentlemanly. I read his books over and over.
Janet Evanovich…I think she must be hilarious.
I’m sure you’re right!!!
Nemo, my son in law!s last name is ‘Leacy, pronounced same as yours (he’s from Ireland). Maybe related?
Sorry, I’m not a social media fan, joined just for this group, those are my dogs names ?
I talked informally with Connie Willis at a book signing a few years ago, so I know she is an unassuming and friendly person as well as a great writer.
John Dufresne, for his compassion and humor. He’s not bad-looking, either.
Madaleine L’Engle, Bell Hooks, Mindy Kaling. Madaleine for her imagination, honesty, and opened mind. Bell Hooks, becase she thought me what Love looks like, and what it isn’t. Bell Hooks makes me want to be a better person, and gives me courage. Plus she wouldn’t let me get away with shit. Mindy would make me laugh, I would benefit from her sense of style and I feel we could just chill out and be awesome brown chicks.
George Martin
Mark Twain
Shannon Ellis, I know I would.
Shannon Ellis
Me by all of the aforementioned!
O. Henry
I love the twists his writing took. I wonder if his own life was the same.
O. Henry’s life was filled with twists and tragedies. It is without to read a biographical article about him. Did you know that one of his childhood homes is in Greensboro, NC?
@Pat, thank you. I’ll look for a biography.
Jodi Picolt
Jeff Zentner because I would love to learn how to be a better author from him and he seems really cool based on his Twitter
I think Elizabeth Berg would be an awesome friend for me
She is wonderful
Anne Lamott
@Sue yes!!!!
Wally Lamb, Elie Wiesel Toni Morrison -too many to choose
Jen Lancaster because she’s snarky and hillarious! Or Neil Gaiman because everything he writes is unbelievably beautiful.
JK Rowling
Anne Tyler, she just seems like a kindred spirit.
Fern Michaels, her renditions of getting the bad guys always gets to me. I love her list of characters that appear in all the novels. Like reading about old friends and catching up with what they are doing. Fern helps to get bullet proof vests for dogs and has started schools and nursing homes. She is a caring individual
Emily Bronte. I am sure if we’d lived in the same place and time in history, we would be friends because I get her intensity. I also think Lucy Maud Montgomery would have been a fun friend because her stories have such an upbeat outlook. Perhaps being friends with both of them would be a nice balance!
Maeve Binchy. Her observations of the people, places, and things around her and then she weaved it into a perfect story was a talent I want to know.
Such a loss to the literary world when she passed away.
Loved her work!
Hard to choose. Maybe Jacqueline Windspear (Maisie Dobbs series is amazing). Or JK Rowling. Or maybe Judy Blume. On the other hand, Janet Evonavich would probably be fun to hang around with…
Kate DiCamillo ~ She has incredible wisdom, a gentle heart, and she expresses herself so eloquently.
Andy Weir because he has a great sense of humor and he would be fun to talk to about space and sci-fi.
Allende
Heard her recently in person. When giggly in love (as was couple months ago), is delightful. But often enough grumpy in interviews. I do adore HOUSE OF SPIRITS (even though w.e.i.r.d.l.y. she has said not a ‘magical realism’ writer. Hmmmmm).
Living – Stephen King. Dead – Maya Angelou
John Steinbeck!
I haven’t read Travels with Charlie. Will add to my tbr list!
Harper Lee.
Ann Patchett. I’ve heard her speak on NPR about reading, books, business – intelligent, aware, giving. You’d never be at a loss for warm, heartfelt yet direct/helpful advice! And the laughs! ?
And Ursula LeGuin! She would help you understand how to be a better human.
Anne Lamott
Nancy Turner (These Is My Words) – I love her writing and the way she tells the story of what her character went through. She understands perseverance despite hardship.
Sister Souljah and JK Rowlings. For sister, her book “The Coldest Winter Ever.” Was just classic! I can read it over and over and learn something new each time about life. For JK Rowlings; a single mom with imagination who became a sensation and encouraged millions to read and use the imagination. Hats off to both POWER women. BTW, I’m reading Harry Potter series now, on book one and wow.
MJ Rose, Karen White, Lauren Willig, Beatriz Williams, Susanna Kearsley, Sarah Addison Allen,Louise Penny, Jacqueline Winspear, Stephanie Laurens, Eloisa James,, Julia Quinn, and Grace Burrowes and of course Deborah Harkness…now that: is my idea of a stellar group of friends!
What if you had to pick one?
Eloisa James
Louise Penney yes
Harlan Coban
Jodi Picoult, Kristin Hannah, Laura Ingalls Wilder to name a few.
Kristin Hannah or Pat Conroy.
Oh way too many! But since she passed and championed literacy, I would love to have known Barbara Bush! Dig her faux petals too!
Right now Id love to know Sharon Creech!
Alexander McCall Smith! Met him at Books and Books, Coral Gables, and he is just as funny as his First Ladies’ Detective ?️♀️ Agency series.
Edgar Allan Poe.
Scott Turow
Mark Twain
Ken Follett. Read and enjoyed so many of his books
Dana Fuller Ross (James Reasoner) I love his wagons west series. He brings the pioneering trails to life.
C. S. Lewis
I want to go to Perelandra! It’s too hot and dry here in Tulsa!
Great art!
Gail Carriger. She has a wonderful imagination
Oh I also think Tolkien would be a great person to know!
Jack Lewis #1. G. K. Chesterton. Madeleine L’Engle. Sojourner Truth. Harriet Beecher Stowe.
As a young person I was captivated by Andre Norton and Piers Anthony. Later by Ann McCaffery and Margaret Atwood. The written word is about an internal life….I wonder if they are as captivating in external life.
Awesome! I don’t see people mention Andre Norton very often but I love her books! She is the one that got me started on science fiction when I was young and to this day, hers are some of my very favorite.
@Hannah Same for me on both. Her books I remember best..
J.K.Rowing. Beautiful, smart, rich and alive.
Susan Elizabeth Phillips. For Her wit and compassion
Rosamunde Pilcher….the heroine of ‘The Shell Seekers’ was a real ‘free spirit’…takes one to know one!
That’s one of my most favorite books! She would be wonderful to meet.
The Shellseekers is one of my favorite novels too! Kindred spirits.
Definately Annie Lamott. I love her sense of humor..snd we’ve been through similar life experiences.
Louisa May Alcott. She was so ahead of her time.
CJ Box because we could visit about his books while being in his beautiful home state of Wyoming that he writes about….love his books
My second choice would be Anis Nin. What a woman, Truely her own person, and she liked her men.
Julia Alvarez because she understands the Latino experience from the mid- 20th century and can craft amazing stories around the political and social conflicts of that era.
Douglas Adams
Joan Didion. I’d have SO many questions!?
Yes!! Good one
Fannie Flagg or Adriana Trigiani
Adriana Trigiani is a HOOT! I got to meet her in NYC a few years back and she gave me a big hug and told me she was so happy to see me…and had never met me. So, yeah she’d be a great pick I think!
Yes, Morgan. I’ve seen her a few times at book talks and she makes me laugh so much.
Stephen King because he is a hoot
Anna Quindlen, love her writing and heard her speak a few times. Sharp and upbeat.
I’ve been devouring her every word since she used to write an occasional column for Newsweek. Brilliant woman!
She used to have a column in the newspaper back in the 80’s when her kids and mine were little. I got hooked on everything she wrote. I was sorry when her column in Newsweek ended. I got to hear her in person once and she was just awesome!
Alexander McCall Smith
James Herriott, because I work in vet medicine and we could swap stories.
Mary Roach because she keeps me in stitches.
Anne Tyler because she makes the most mundane things in the world interesting.
Herriot for sure.
A Spaniard writer: Arturo Perez Reperte. He wrote the book The queen of the South. I believe USA has a series based on that book. But I hated that book. He has a lot of beautiful books.
Patrick Taylor…Irish Country Doctor Series. He tells a good story, and shares great Irish recipes! Yum!
Maeve Binchy or Fannie Flagg
Sharps Rifles, about twenty books in the series. Great military read.
Is that Bernard Cornwall? John and I have read most of them, loved them!
@John His Civil War Starbuck Series is really good!
@John yes, that’s the author. I was sad when the story was finished, I wanted it to go on and on.
@Marsha I’ll look into that series now.
@Jerry I loved Sharpy and the way he did things, I pictured him like Dirty Harry.
@Jerry this is thge first one.
@Marsha I will look for it, thanks
Beatrix Potter.
Charlotte Brontë…because her life (and those of her sisters) was so fascinating. I became interested in them after visiting their town of Haworth in Yorkshire, England. Such a bleak setting and much food for the imagination.
Also, JK Rowling and Elizabeth George.
Stephen King, Charles de Lint and Alison Weir
Mark Twain…he was a funny, generous, true friend, intelligent, sarcastic kind of guy…what talks we could have…and he loved his family and he loved cats.
Michael Cart where can I read this about him? I’ve read his autobio but it would hardly be in there…
Ernest Hemingway.
Pat Conroy…
Stephen King
Maeve Binchy. I loved how I felt like I was right there with all of her characters almost from the first page of each book.
Marvel Binchy is one of my top 3 fiction writers. I have bought and read everything she wrote. Her books are timeless classics. They do no rely on any ‘hook’ or contemporary mechanism to draw the reader into the story, just excellent plotting enacted by richly endearing characters. A great writer.
@Pat I agree!
I loved her earlier books and kept buying the later ones but I didn’t enjoy them as much and have now decided part with all but the ones I really enjoyed.
I don’t even have to think about that one—Samuel Langhorne Clemens! I love to laugh and so did he! I’m a little bit mischievous and cantankerous. So is he. He was the great noticer. I imagine spending time with him sitting side by side on a park bench simply noticing. ❤️
My grandmother’s cousin’s husband always made me think of Mark Twain because of his Southern drawl, story telling, jokes, kindness and charm. He smoked cigars and I loved that scent. He had a crazy small dog that would get excited about dogs walking by and jump through the living room window breaking a square glass pane. He said it happened so often the hardware store knew the exact dimensions and that size ready for him when he called in his order. Uncle Truman and his wife Meryl were fabulous! He said in school they only studied the Confederate victories and he was in his late teens when a northerner told him the South had lost the war.
KATHERINE, my choice too and I didn’t even have to think about it, he’s always one I would loved to have met
@Laurie Wonderful memory. (Of course, Mr. Clemons was a cat person.)
@Bobbi Yes, Uncle Truman remained a dog person. The last time we visited he had a “show dog” an Airedale, that had been trained to be in films and commercials. His nephew had a job connected with entertainment management and heard the dog was going into retirement so he gave him to Truman. The dog was very well behaved for a very elderly guy in his 90s to manage. They walked around the neighborhood chatting with everyone. He had lived there since 1850 and that was the late 1980s.
@Laurie You should write a memoir of your uncle. I would read it! <3
@Bobbi I was just about to add that…
About him being a cat person
@Laurie what marvelous memories!!! Thank you for sharing❤️
@Bobbi I agree!!!
@Laurie thanks for sharing…love your tale
@Shelley http://npg.si.edu/blog/mark-twain-cat-dad-extraordinaire
@Bobbi thanks, looking it up now
@Bobbi just finished reading it, I’ve read Twain’s autobiography but see I’m going to add another book to my tbrl…have you read the bio by Paine?
@Shelley No, but one of my favorites is Justin Kaplan’s Mr. Clemmons and Mark Twain. I also want to read William Dean Howells’ My Mark Twain.
@Bobbi yes, read Howells’ years ago, they were great friends…havent read the Kaplan, but will add to my burgeoning list, thank you
@Bobbi I’m sure you know Twain helped Pres. Grant get his memoirs published when Grant was dying to leave money for his family who were in bad shape financially. I always admired Twain’s generosity and faithfulness as a friend.
@Bobbi I wish we had smart phones then and I could have recorded all his witty comments, anecdotes of his youth, his years of being a traveling salesman, his devotion to his wife, the loss of their daughter at an early age due to a congenital heart defect that now is an easy surgical fix. He and his wife took us to a live country music tv show and he knew Cliffy Stone, the MC and Molly Bee who was a child star in the LA area. I guess I should write what I know since my Dad and I are the only ones left from that summer we lived in a suburb of LA.
@Laurie yes write, Laurie, write!
Diana Gabaldon. She is a zoologist but even better, writes with such detail and depth without weighing down the reader. I have heard her read and she has such wonderful character. I think life would never be boring!
Tim O’Brien
He’ll be guest of our Peters Township Library Foundation on Wednesday November 7. If you’ll be in the Pittsburgh area, join us. He’s phenomenal!
@Maura Thanks. I’m in Colorado.
Yes,maybe Diana gabaldon…
J.K. Rowling
Nalini Singh
James Lee Burke or Stephen King. I’d ask Stephen King to explain the turtle and spider at the end of IT.
Either @Mark, Sergio Aragones, or @Richard and @Wendy because they are totally cool.
Ann Patchett. I love her books
Jen Lancaster – she is hysterically funny! Great personality. Obviously brilliant mind, and yet she is so down to earth normal. I like that.
I would have chosen Robert Parker , may be rest in peace !
Brenda Novak
Jane austen because her books are amazing and she’s the queen of writing.
Margaret Atwood
Ursula Le Guinea. So kind, so smart and so funny.
I’d love to hang out with Wendell Berry-so much to learn from him.
I so agree!!! The community spirit!! So in Awe!!
David Sedaris.
Absolutely!
Karen Robards ! What a mind !
Met him once at a book signing after a show. Fabulous
Yes!
Louise Penny, I adore her books and from reading her newsletters I feel we would relate to each other well.
Oscar Wilde. Stephen King. Jane Austen.
Of course, David Sedaris!
Dean R Kootnz for his psychological thrillers
Sharon mcCrumb for her beautifully written Appalachian stories
Stephen king just for the SCARE of it
King is also a very funny guy. Love his sense of humor
I don’t know Sharon McCrumb, but I definitely agree with Koontz and King.
@Loretta she’s a wonderful writer
@Shelley, I’ll have to check her out.
@Loretta she is my very favorite
Appalachian Aurthor.
Got to meet her a few yews back. That was a big deal for me
VIRGIE McCoy, that was nice I bet, seems like she’d be easy to talk with
A couple of my favorites
Was:
Frankie Silver (highly recommend)
Tom Dooley. (Another I highly recommend .
We researched book these books then visited the area each was written about n the grave sites
@Virgie that sounds highly interesting…love doing those type of literary/historical things. Whenever I go on a vacation or maybe just a weekend trip I try to add something literary to my list of things to do and see, doesn’t always work out but it’s wonderful when it does.
Tom Duley on his on his grave his epitaph read, ”
Tom Duley
Hanged May xxxxxxxxx
(gravestone was broken)
Hanged for the murder of
Laura Foster
@Virgie yes I see it’s Duley, well the first 2 letters anyway
So glad I saw this. i have forgotten about Sharon McCrumb. I used to read her books.
@Lana I did too and reading @VirgieMccoy’ s comments make me realize how much I miss her books.
@Virgie, meeting her must have been so exciting for you. That’s wonderful! Lucky girl!
My daughter Billeena also loves to read. We both also love to travel…
So we have done several of these
Laura Ingalls Wilder. She was a fascinating woman.
Can I have one from the past? Agatha Christie would have been fascinating in so many ways I think. Imagine travelling around with her and sitting with her when she dreams up those plots?
Tara Westover
Barbara Taylor Bradford, Pat Conroy and Patricia Cornwell.
Yes I do that too.
We call these our literary quest…. we also do a lot of historical things like this
What’s your favorite?
Finished The Riding Sea recently. It was very good, but it did not talk about global warming, which the title suggests. I loved Ghost Ship, another of his…
Pearl S. Buck…never read much and she lived in my neighborhood..Hilltown, P.A.
I think she is buried in Arlington VT.
@Gail wow never would’ve guessed
Karen kingsbury
Jodi Picolt, Stephen King and Michener
How I miss Michener.
So many. Jim Kjelgaard to hear about his adventures. Diana Gabaldon because she is so amazing and would be a great conversationalist.
Soooo. . .had no idea what this photo was about. A Google search turned up an intriguing story!! Do you think he did it??
@Tina, who is a delightful friend of mine!
Barbara Kingsolver
Love her writing.
Anita Shreve. Loved the moral issues she presented in her books.
Mark Twain, he’s a master of prose.
Excellent choice
Michael, wow! I have never heard this about him. I’ll have for look into that! I adore him for many reasons, including his criticism of religion and slavery.
Although you can never truly know a person, even best friends, I’m curious to see the proof. I do not support pedophiles!
Michael Cart ?
Well Jane Austen if our lives intersected but today, hmmmm. Kristin Hannah or JK Rowling.
Oh, how to choose? Ummm, Laura Ingalls Wilder. I would like to know what she didn’t put in her books. Why did she not write about Pa’s various careers in town? Why did Pa not buy a pig in DeSmet so they could raise and butcher their own meat like they used to? What was it really like when Mary lost her sight? Carrie is portrayed as frail and timid, but she went on to have a career (very brave of her); how did that come about? What was it like to live through so much technological change-from covered wagons to airplanes. What did she think of all the world events surrounding her lifetime-end of the Civil War, settling the West, WW1, the Great Depression, WW2, post-WW2 America?
I know that BETTY MACDONALD would be probably the best company;plus she lived out Seattle way and I could go and visit her and she’d show me her garden- and !! since this is pure fantasy anyway , maybe I’d get to meet her mother ( the model , they say , for Mrs. Piggle Wiggle .
Now that would be incredible ?
I love Mrs. Piggle Wiggle
Nabokov seems fun. So does Fitzgerald.
Doris Lessing – I would love to just be able to sit with her and converse.
JK Rowling
John Kennedy Toole
I want Fred Roger’s to be my dad or uncle! He isn’t most known for his books, but such a great man!
and not just your neighbor, right!!
He could live next door too, he was so inspiring!
We need more Fred Rogers in the world. I admit I didn’t watch the show when I was growing up but when I see a clip on youtube I find myself smiling.
The movie about his life is very sweet!
I cried when he passed away. I still cry thinking about it.
Edgar Allan Poe.
As a drinking buddy? Kind of gloomy dude.
@Bobbi I’ve been in the gutter on a few occasions
Louise Penny.
David McCullough
Great choice! He would be on my list.
Harper Lee
Karen Robards . . . love her books! Exciting, unique, spooky, funny, you name it.
Truman Capote. But I would only party and dance with him and let him tell me stories. And never, ever tell him anything about my personal life!
Wendell Berry.
Doris Kearns Goodwin would be fascinating to meet.
Yes she would.
Jodi Picoult
Barbara Taylor Bradford. Just love her story writing and think it would great to see how her mind works
Erma Bombeck, though no longer living, not only brings back memories of my mother’s laughter, but would definitely brighten my day with her funny stories.
oh definitely her
Mark Twain. He would be fun to hang out with – never at a loss for words.
Louise Penny. But can I want to hang with the cool guy, Uncle Stevie King, too?
William Shakespeare
Rudolfo Anaya because he can get to the heart of the matter and tap into the depths of the Latino experience.
…and Zadie Smith because she is so, so cool!
Mark Twain. I would love to sit around and listen to his stories.
Meg Wollitzer. addresses relationships in different situations, love her humor…smart writing
SE hinton
Bailey White of “Mama Makes up Her Mind” and “Sleeping at the Starlight Hotel”. I wrote her a letter after reading and loving Mama and she wrote back! On the old fashioned typewriter that she mentions in the book! So I feel we really are friends!
Used to love hearing her on NPR
Nothing with strings. I too loved her on NPR radio.
O , Boy !!!
Children’s author Beverly Cleary. She published books every calendar year, but one, for decades, both in series and standalones. Her Ramona books touched me the most: comical, heartwarming, heartbreaking all within a single chapter. Covering the trials and tribulations of a middle class American family, Ramona was the bright, misunderstood child heroine who meant well …and most often, but not always, did so. ❤
My daughter , Lela ( LEE- LAH ) won the ” Ramona Look – a like Contest ” back in the eighties- , ha ha , if I knew how, I’d post her photo !!
Oh, NEAT, Trish! ?
Did not know that! Darn!!
Francine Prose
Anne Rice
Agatha Christie, love her mysteries
Patricia Polacco. She is so sensible.
Hemingway would have been fun in a bar. But I also like English mystery writer Ruth Rendell AKA Barbara Vine. She is so witty. I bet she would be fun.
Charles Dickens. It’s my favorite time period. I love his characters. They are people we can all relate to.
I was fortunate enough to have met my favorite American author. It was late summer 1966, I had just finished two very difficult military schools back-to back; Special Forces Enlisted Training Group and Artillery Officer’s Candidate School. I was finishing up a third very difficult course at the Monterey Language School on the coast of California.
Upon graduation from the language school I had orders directly to the 5th Special Forces Group in Vietnam. I was in superb physical condition and ran ten miles every morning along the beaches at Monterey and along the spectacular coastal residential roads before classes.
On the weekends, I would drive along the Pacific Coast Highway looking for rest stops where I could rappel down the cliffs and free climb back to the top. One Saturday I found a beautiful site over-looking a cliff dropping down to a crescent shaped beach. There was a FOR SALE sign off the main highway and a paved road leading back to where the flat foundation from where a house or cabin had been. A couple of cars were parked off to one side hidden from sight and I could hear surfers talking on the beach about a hundred feet below.
I checked out the cliff and decided to rappel down it using the back bumper of my 1966 Mustang as an anchor. I free rappelled down the cliff and spent a few minutes on the private beach enjoying the sea air and watching the kids surf.
There was an old stairs on the side of the cliff the surfers used but I decided to practice free climbing back to the top and found out halfway up the foot and handholds were unreliable and I had a difficult time. When I reached the top I saw a man sitting on an overhang watching me. He had a short beard and was hold an apricot French poodle. Behind him was a maroon and black Rolls Royce, I assumed was his. The look, the dog and the car all spelled homosexual to this very arrogant highly trained Special Forces second lieutenant.
He smiled and said hi. I nodded and started retrieving my nylon climbing rope. He made small talk about rappelling and I said as few words as possible trying to ignore him. He mentioned his son was in Vietnam and had taken a discharge and stayed over there as a Buddhist monk. I gave him the high-eyebrows indicating to him I did not approve of hippies or the peace groupies. He smiled and told me he was trying to get a passport to visit Vietnam. I found that interesting and we talked for a few more minutes and then I suddenly realized—seeing him sitting on the rock with the dog—“Travels with Charlie”—I had just read the book.
He saw the light come on in my eyes and his whole demeanor changed—he now was the one becoming aloof. When I asked him, “Aren’t you John Steinbeck…” He nodded and turned to leave. I tried talking to him but he went over to his Rolls Royce and drove off.
I read every one of Steinbeck’s books from “Grapes of Wrath” to “Travels with Charlie.” He was my favorite American author.
It was a very hard lesson; one should treat strangers with kindness. It took a few more encounters before I learned that lesson.
https://www.amazon.com/MYK-Prince-Vends-D-Zlotnik/dp/1520123213/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1528490811&sr=1-1&keywords=MYK%3A+Prince+of+the+Vends
What a wise man you are to admit a fault and the way you learned from it. Love Steinbeck. Travels with Charlie led me to read Blue Highways by William Least Half-Moon, another excellent book.
I met a man named Westly Dennis in 1963 . He was John Steinbeck’s book Illustrator and lived in Va. he was a truly pleasant man he asked me what I was doing in Va. I told him my story and ended it with, then I’m going to Cape Cod and find a summer job, to which he replied take this name and go see him. He is the owner of the Cape Codder hotel. I did, and was hired on the spot as a cocktail waiter. I have read and enjoyed all of Steinbeck’s books.
What a wonderful story, thanks so much for sharing it.
Charles Dickens. His books were deeply interesting and told his stories where character growth and relationships were the best. My favorite is still David Copperfield.
I would love to meet Kevin Brockmeirer. I have read seveal of his books including A Brief History Of The Dead, The Illumination. He has interesting subject matters in his stories & I still find myself thinking about them years after I have read the books. I would love to have a philsophical discussion with him!
Great question. Have no idea how to narrow it down. Louisa May Alcott, Kurt Vonnegut, Pearl S. Buck.. I could go on forever
How could you pick just one. I’d like to have been a silent guest at the Algonquin Round Table in the 1930’s-40’s. Or maybe a fly on the wall at that famous weekend pot party at Lord Byron’s estate where they regaled each other with stories, and Mary Shelly offered her “The Modern Prometheus”, a.k.a., Frankenstein.
I “met”Ernest Hemingway while doing research on “The Sun Also Rises” for my M.A. He’s not as bad as one might suppose, though alcoholism definitely has its down side. A truly tragic life in many ways.
“TSAR” is a rich book, though. Don’t believe him when he says, “The End.” Like “Siddhartha,” it takes rereading to get past the simplicity
Robert A. Heinlein who wrote about women who were scientists, brilliant, literate, physically adept champions.
Good role for teenage girls. His wife was the template for these characters.
( Yes a bit sexualized)
I would love to have coffee and cigarettes ( I quit in 1974 ) and maybe a martini with Shirley Jackson in her kitchen in Vermont -a tirelessly fascinating and brilliant writer –
Miguel de Cervantes.
Stephen King
James Alexander Thom. To discuss US history, to learn from him…it would be incredible!
Stephen King. What an imagination he has!
Neil Gaiman. Because, well, because Neil Gaiman.