Inspired by this thread from Mumsnet: http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/1377/456160?pg=1
! BAD LANGUAGE WARNING !

I can't think of any particular author who I feel is overrated, although after slogging through Stag Party, the first half of Katie McAlister's Ain't Myth-Behaving, I decided not to read the second half and went to something else instead. Is there any writer whose success mystifies you?

They're pretty rough on some of those authors, aren't they? I actually enjoy quite a few of them (Marian Keyes being one of my favorites). However, I've often read books and wonder how on earth they got published! Especially since it's supposedly so hard to GET published.

Great idea for a thread. I haven't read any of the ones already mentioned, but thought I'd add my own....James Frey!

I could have even forgiven him for that "scandal" of his (maybe), but I couldn't even get through half of his book (and I can read pretty much anything!)

Anne Rice - Her writing style is horrible

Danielle steel--- if you've read two books of hers, you've read them all--- it's like she makes an outline and just switches characters each time... ugh

I have to second nelie on Anne Rice. I'll never understand how people can read her. I actually tried. Truly, truly horrible.

I have to second Danielle Steele. She was my first thought.

In fact, I was so annoyed with H.R.H (one of her very newest) that I gave her a review at Amazon as follows:

I will never spend money on Ms Steele again.

Dean Koontz - his earlier books aren't bad but they've gotten increasingly bad. the writing is juvenile and simplistic. Ditto the plots.

Dan Brown. I hated the Da Vinci Code with a passion. Again, the writing was so simplistic, the plot was laughabe, and the dialogue just made me cringe. All of his books are written at that same 5th grade level. Bleah.

I'd say anyone with brain cells would agree that Danielle Steel's writing is crap. And Dan Brown, yes! I belonged to a book club and they picked The Da Vinci Code. I showed up at the meeting ready to trash the book for its crappy writing, and they all loved it. Scary.

OK, I like The daVinci Code, but tried another Dan Brown book and found it sorely lacking.

Margaret Atwood and Michael Ondaadtje (did I spell that right?) - 2 darlings of the Canadian literary scene, but I just can't get into their stuff.

Janie, I love Michael Ondaatje with a passion and just finished reading yet another Margaret Atwood novel. So funny how what's great to one person can totally turn off the next!

I CANNOT understand Henry James, and he's, like, supposed to be some great American literary phenomenon. Wings of the Dove? Pfft. Henry James makes my top 3 worst writers.

I also never saw the appeal in Nicholas Sparks. Eh.

I completely agree about Dean Koontz and Dan Brown. The Da Vinci Code was so annoying with the chapter breaks at just the "most" suspenseful part.

I do, however, love Margaret Atwood.

To add to the list: Judith Krantz and anything else of the Harlequin generation. Anything that involves a memoir of alcoholism (there is rarely a unique insight, just a recounting of bad drinking episodes). Also, I never found David Sedaris very funny or entertaining (though I'm afraid I'm the only one).

Patricia Cornwell---had a chemistry teacher who so adored this author that she made some of her books required reading for her class....ugh! And don't even get me started on the author's mistaken theory that cost her a butt load of money to "prove" in her Jack the Ripper novel (I forget what the exact title of the book was).

Danielle Steel--only book of hers I sorta liked was Message from Nam, but that's about it. Very much overrated...I swear, this woman had more books converted into lifetime shows than anyone else I know.

Shakespeare--honestly cannot stand this pile of works! Once you get past the language differences, I'm quite sure I would've been sleeping in my seat had I been attending the theatre back then!

James Joyce--couldn't even get past the first chapter....in fact, don't think I even got out of the first chapter!

Hmm...come to think of it, most any books during my school years that were considered classical or worthy to be read I found to be utterly boring in the extremes....

I loved Patricia Cornwall's earlier books, but lately they've become really awful. Her characters are self-indulgent, whiny, nasty people and I just don't enjoy reading about them any more. I quit buying them several books ago and I haven't even check the new on out from the library yet ... just because I don't really care.