My "Auto-Buy" Authors

Fall book season is coming up which means lots of A-list releases are on their way.

Do you have authors whose books you will buy as soon as you see them, or without even knowing anything about the book? Like, even if you weren't planning on buying anything but you see the latest release by so-and-so, you basically just march right up to the register or drop it your online cart?

I have a few.

Margaret Atwood. My favorites of hers include Alias Grace and The Blind Assassin. I also collect her first editions and have been trying to get them all signed.

A.S.Byatt. One of my favorite all-time writers, I've been reading her since college and did my honors thesis on one of her short stories. She hasn't had a novel in a long time and I'm not sure she will again but she did just release a collection of greatest-hits short stories. Even though I have all of them in their original publications, I got it anyway.

David Grossman. The great Israeli author never disappoints. I remember when I worked at the New England Mobile Book Fair he showed up one morning to sign stock and I lost my you-know-what because no one told us and I didn't have anything for him to sign. The horror!

Jeanette Winterson. Her books are always so different and unexpected but also always wonderful. 

Ben Macintyre. His nonfiction about the world of espionage and war is always riveting and any new book of his is a special occasion. Plus my father in law and I have a little Ben Macintyre book club going so I have to keep up.

Ludmila Ulitskaya and Ludmilla Petrushevskaya. My favorite Russian writers. Very different but never disappointing.

Angela Thirkell. I'm trying to collect all of her Barsetshire novels and I'll snap up any new ones I can find. 

David Sedaris. Goes without saying that I'm going to get my favorite memorist's latest no matter what. Preferably on audio.

Cesar Aira. Always a must-read. And his books are usually short, so no excuses.

Massimo Carlotto. The King of Mediterranean Noir is an auto-buy for sure.

I'd add John Williams to the list but he's dead and I have all his books.

I'd probably also add Melissa Broder, Jean-Patrick Manchette, Robert Kolker, Patrick Radden Keefe and Deesha Philyaw to that list too but they are pretty recent favorites.

Some favorites whose books I often buy but don't always include Ian McEwan, Kristen Arnett, Ottessa Moshfegh, Patrick deWitt and Elizabeth McCracken, although I might need to bump her up to the auto-buy list after the magnificent Bowlaway.