Have you ever wondered who your favorite authors’ favorite authors are? Well you have come to the right place. As a frequent user of GoodReads I took the liberty into investigating who my favorite authors’ favorite authors are. If you are also an avid GoodReads user you will be able to recognize that GoodReads allows you to view the books your friends are reading and what they rate them, but that also applies to authors as well.
Emily Henry, author of Beach Read and People We Meet On Vacation, has a rather interesting GoodReads profile and rankings. Henry is a well known author in the romance genre but her GoodReads is full of opposing genres. Henry seems to read a majority of fantasy novels with a sprinkle of thriller and romance. Some of Henry’s recent five star reads include: How to End a Love Story by Yulin Kuang, A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas, and Sword and Verse by Kathy MacMillan.
Author Colleen Hoover seemed to blow up overnight with the popularity of her books, such as Ugly Love or Verity. Hoover tends to write adult romance but has also written a few thriller novels as well. Each of her books explores heavier themes such as domestic violence or life after prison. Colleen Hoover mainly reads in the genres she writes in. A few of her most recent five star books are a young adult romance novel Red, White, & Royal Blue by Casey McQuinston and the thriller novel The Wives by Tarryn Fisher. However, one of her other most recent five star novels made me laugh as it is a self help book called Essential Oils for Healing: Over 400 All-Natural Recipes for Everyday Ailments by Vannoy Gentles Fite, Michele Gentles McDaniel, and Vannoy Lin Reynolds. Makes me wonder if it is for research for a new book she is writing or if she needs a break from all the thrillers she reads and writes!
Another author who has received much praise from an empire of fans is Sarah J Maas. Maas is known for her long series but even longer books. Maas is the mastermind behind the fantasy series A Court of Thorns of Roses, Throne of Glass, and Crescent City series. Through my scrolling of finding authors who have rated books on GoodReads, Maas was one of the more active authors on the app. Maas not only reads a wide range of book genres but she is also brutally honest with her reviews as well. On average she gives about four stars to many books, however that does not mean she goes lower or higher too. One of her recent reviews was of Death in Venice and Other Tales by Thomas Mann to which she gave two stars to. Maas seems to read a lot of novels by the same authors. For example, Maas read Between the Acts and The Voyage Out by Virginia Woolf. She rated Between the Acts three stars but gave The Voyage Out five stars.
Leigh Bardugo, author of Six of Crows and the The Shadow and Bone series, has also rated several books on GoodReads. Bardugo has given books such as Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu, The Female of the Species by Mindy McGinnis, and The Princess Bride by William Goldman five stars. However, according to her GoodReads account, Bardugo has not read or rated any books since 2021, so her taste in books and ratings might have changed since then.
A final author who has seemed to increase in popularity in recent years is Kristin Hannah. Hannah is known for writing historical fiction novels about friendships. On the other hand, when it comes to Hannah’s reading taste she seems to be interested in reading all genres. For example, within the last year Hannah has given the following books all five stars: Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus, which is a romance novel, the mystery thriller Before She Disappeared by Lisa Gardner, and the historical fiction novel Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead.
Next time you find yourself in a reading slump I highly recommend checking out your favorite authors’ favorite authors because you might just find your next new favorite author or five star book! Let me know what authors you would be curious to know of their favorite books or authors below!
Meet the blogger:
EMILY MILES (she/ her) is a senior at Hamline University studying English and communication studies with a concentration in professional communication and cultural rhetoric. Emily is a devoted cat mom to her kitty son Remy (yes, like the rat from Ratatouille). When she has a few spare moments from taking care of her son, Emily loves to read, write letters she will never send, and scream sing her favorite Taylor Swift and Gracie Abrams songs in the car.
