I thought it would be fun to take a look at my most read authors. I went into my Goodreads account, sorted all of my read books by author, and started counting.
I know I’m missing some authors on this list because my Goodreads data only goes back to 2010. For example, I’m almost positive I read nearly all of Judith McNaught’s backlist in the early 2000s. I also noticed that many of these high numbers are due to reading long-running series, which makes sense because once I find characters and a world I enjoy, I tend to keep coming back for more.
Starting from lowest to highest, here are my most read authors:
Maggie Sefton — 10 books
All of these books were part of the A Knitting Mystery cozy mystery series. There are still more books in the series that I haven’t read, but I eventually started to get frustrated with some of the characters and decided to stop.
Sophie Kinsella — 10 books
A few of these books were from the Shopaholic series, although I think I stopped after book three because, well, I get it — Becky likes to shop! Some of my other favorites by Sophie Kinsella are Can You Keep a Secret? and My Not So Perfect Life.
Sarah Dessen — 10 books
I read the majority of these books at least 10–15 years ago. I started with Just Listen and was immediately hooked. Unfortunately, I think I eventually grew out of her books, and she also went a while without publishing anything new. I believe she has a new book coming out this year, so I may add it to my TBR list.
Mick Herron — 11 books
Ten of these books came from my binge read of the Slow Horses series. Once I started that series, I flew through it.
Charlaine Harris — 12 books
Most of these came from the Sookie Stackhouse series, which I read through book nine. I also read the Midnight, Texas series.
Barbara Freethy — 12 books
These were all from her Off the Grid: FBI series, which I really enjoyed. However, I haven’t picked one up in a couple of years, and at this point I’m not sure I remember who all the characters are or how they’re connected.
Nora Roberts — 12 books
I’m honestly surprised I haven’t read more Nora Roberts novels considering she is one of my favorite authors. I think I get overwhelmed deciding what to read next because she has such a huge backlist to choose from.
Victoria Dahl — 12 books
This is another author where I read most of her books 10–15 years ago (or even longer). I really enjoyed her Tumble Creek series.
Jill Shalvis — 13 books
I’ve read a mix of books from several of her series. I haven’t picked up one of her books in a while, and I don’t think I could jump back into the series I left behind. Like some other long-running series, I’d probably need to start fresh with a new one because I don’t remember all the characters anymore.
Sarah Morgan — 16 books
Honestly, I’m surprised that Sarah Morgan is my most read author. Then again, when I think about it, I’ve read all of her holiday books, along with several stand-alone novels and a few of her series. It turns out I’ve been reading her books for years without even realizing how many I’d accumulated!
Looking over this list was such a fun little trip through my reading life. It reminded me of different phases of my reading, from my cozy mystery years to my romance binges to the series I couldn’t put down.
What a fun exercise! I may have to take a look at mine.
It was definitely a surprise as to who my most read authors are!