Douglas Adams, Elizabeth Peters, Terry Pratchett, (Later) Stephen King, Robert W. Service, Paolo Coelho... Those are my three favorite authors.

Carl Sagan
Edward Abbey
Richard Dawkins
I’m rereading “The End of Faith” by Sam Harris right now and he is good.

H.P, Lovecraft, Edward Abbey and Charles Stross. In that order.

James axler
Isaac Asimov
Parish Anthony

That's a though one.... Lets see.... 1) Christopher Hitchens (Makes me think), 2) Brian Greene, Hawking, Kaku...uufff too many in this category, 3) Isaac Watson (I think, freaking Alzheimer is becoming a friend of mine), and any other good biographer or historian..... Too many good choices, so little time....

John Irving
Victor Hugo
Stephen King

Dante
Asimov
Henry Miller.

Stephen King no. 1 because he was my first favorite.

Brian Greene / Lisa Randall a tie at number 2. Same subject from two different disciplines, but both make it entertaining.

Samuel Clemens/ Mark Twain another tie at no. 3 ha ha.

There's assorted others, but first thought was Shakespeare, because of midsummer night's dream, mostly. I was introduced to that one via classics illustrated at a very young age, I now love the original.

"If we shadows have offended, think but this, and all is mended...
That you have but slumbered here, while these visions did appear.
And this weak and idle theme - no more yielding, but a dream
Gentles, do not reprehend, if you pardon, we will mend ...
(Not certain if I recall the rest
correctly -)
Else Puck a liar call, and so goodnight unto you all.

The rest, er, I just don't seem to follow directions very well.

1. Craig Schaefer - I really enjoy his novels and he is a prolific author, consistantly pushlishing three very good books each year.

2. Dan Wells - A very good writer of entertaining thrillers.

3. Peter Clines - Another favorite author who writes about zombies, superheroes, the supernatural and paranormal, and sometimes all of these things combined.

1. Barbara Kingsolver

2. Anne Tyler

3. E. Annie Proulx

Jean Rhys, Elizabeth George, Gregory Maguire

George R.R. Martin, Carl Sagan, Thomas Paine

H.P. Lovecraft, Christopher Moore, Chuck Palahniuk

Anne Rice will forever be my #1, followed by Poe and Shakespeare in no particular order.

Btw, am saving this post to add to my reading bucket list.

Patrick Rothfuss- hasn’t done much, but what he’s done is amazing!
Brandon Sanderson- many different books all really good.
Joe Abercrombie- first law series is one of the best I’ve ever read.
Serious reads are Hitchens, Isaacson, Bryson

Christopher hitchens would be my first.

Currently? Louis L’amour, Karren Travis and R A Salvatore.

Easy Edward Abbey, Henry Miller and Terry Pratchett. In that order too.

Jane Austen, Alice Walker, Stephen King

Just three? Seriously? That's too few... Well, Edgar Rice Burroughs has to be #1 because if it weren't for him, I'd not know the others as well as I do. Right at this instant (ask me next week and this might change, not that these two will be numbered more than, say 5) I'd have to say Kevin Hearne and Jim Butcher top my list behind ERB.

After that? Bernard Cornwell, Brandon Sanderson, Eric Flint, Eric Von Lustbader, Steven King... and a host more. I said three is too few.

Hard to pick just three, but I'll take Jack Vance, Herman Melville, and Stanislaw Lem.

at this moment it is: 1) Dan Simmons/Neal Stephenson 2) Robert McCammon/William Gibson/Bruce Sterling 3) Glen Cook/Stephen Donaldson (had to put multiples because it is based on my mood)