Top Ten Tuesday - Overrated Authors

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish. This meme was created because they are particularly fond of lists over at The Broke and the Bookish. I'm sure they'd love to share your lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten list.

This week's topic was top ten authors that require more recognition, but I was able to come up with a whopping two (Tracy Chevalier and Carol Goodman) who sort of fit on that list. I decided to do a 180 and give you -
My Top Ten List of Authors Who Need to Take a Very Long Vacation from Publishing

1. Dan Brown - I don't mean to be one of those people who attack Dan Brown. I've read all of his Robert Langdon novels (which I went from enjoying, to tolerating, to actively disliking), and because of this I would really like him to take a long look at himself in the over-hyped author mirror. His stories seem rushed and his writing style is sloppy. The world doesn't need more Robert Langdon and it certainly doesn't need more Dan Brown.

2. Stephanie Meyer - I tried to read Twilight. I did. I promise. I just couldn't do it. I truly appreciate the things Meyer's books have done for young readers, but she is beyond over hyped. Oh, I also have a problem with the relationship dynamic she has deemed acceptable, and the fan girls she has created because of it.

3. Danielle Steel - Surprise! I use to really like romance novels. Mind I was 12, and they were easy to read and YA wasn't a big thing yet. There are just so many stories one person can tell, and I would much prefer quality over quantity. 90 something books are enough.

4. Nicholas Sparks - Sparks was a big part of my tween years. I read A Walk to Remember over and over and over again. A Teacher even let me do a report on him (WHY?!?!). Looking back at the books I read of his, they are all pretty much the same, sad, someone usually dies, they're all set in North Carolina and there in general seems to be a lack of hurricanes. His writing style isn't overly impressive, and seeing the things he's coming up with now they seem more forced than anything. No one needs to write a book with the intention of it being made into a movie starring Miley Cyrus. I could probably even forgive him for that if he didn't go on a rant last year about being a very important author who didn't write romance stories. Liar.

5. Charles Dickens - I've been good lately! I haven't mentioned my Dickens vendetta in months! This is a strictly personal thing. I get that he's a prolific author and that it's wrong to attack dead people who can't defend themselves, but I find him boring as tree bark. And not pretty tree bark that is used in statues or looks like a unicorn. Dead tree bark. For me Dickens writing style ruins the story he is trying to tell. I like his stories. When people talk about them (or I look them up on sparknotes -shhhh don't tell anyone) they seem interesting and full of life, but then I try to read them and I fall asleep almost instantly. My biggest problem with Dickens comes from the fact that I have never had this exact conversation in a class, because it seems people either have to love him or hate him, and there is no place for me  - the girl who wouldn't mind if you reenacted Hard Times with sock puppets so long as you weren't doing  a reading from the novel.

6. Dave Eggers - For all intents and purposes I should love Eggers. I love his contemporaries and I love love love McSweenys. I just think he's a bit to big for his britches. Everything I've read of his screams pretensions. Again, I usually enjoy the idea's behind his stories, but the way he's telling them makes me grind my teeth. This is nothing compared to how people talk about him. It's like he's the reincarnation of Dickens (not stylistically), writing all of the books and making all of the fan girls want his babies.

Okay, this list ins't much longer than the one I came up with for the actual topic, I'm sorry.  As always, I mean no offense to anyone and welcome civil discussion! Oh, and I'm really excited to hop around to all of your posts because I obviously need to read great, unknown authors!