Quite possibly the only way to avoid a sophomore slump is to avoid the possibility altogether, Harper Lee did it, as did Margaret Mitchell. In a bit of a twist on today’s top ten list – as hosted by The Broke and the Bookish – here are ten authors that only wrote (or have written) one novel, but I wish had (or would) attempted a second.
08. Arthur Golden. He wrote Memoirs of a Geisha, but hasn’t followed it up with anything. Maybe someday.
07. Sylvia Plath. The Bell Jar will always be one of my favorites books.
06. Emily Brontë. While Wuthering Heights is considered a classic now (and one that I don’t particularly care for), it was not well received when it was published and Emily died a year after its publication.
05. John Kennedy Toole. Do I count The Neon Bible? No.
04. Kathryn Stockett. The author of The Help will reportedly writing a second novel, but…nothing yet.
03. Chad Harbach. Author of The Art of Fielding. In theory, he will write another book. I hope.
02. Stephen Chbosky. Did you know The Perks of Being a Wallflower author has only written the one book?
01. Ernest Cline. So he’s writing Armada, but the publication date keeps getting pushed back…? I want this book.
Which author would you like to read more of?
flannel and folklore 
I love your take on this topic. Great idea! And I agree with so many of your choices. Would love to read more from Stephen Chbosky and Kathryn Stockett.
LikeLike
Thanks! Of all the authors on this list, I might like to see another one from Chbosky the most.
LikeLike
I’ll be reading Wuthering Heights soon as it it in my course this year. I’ve read a few poems of Sylvia Plath for the same reason.I started the Memoirs of a Geisha but never finished it.
LikeLike
I’m not a huge fan, but it is definitely worth reading. All of the characters are so easily to loathe!
LikeLike
I love your twist on this weeks Top Ten Tuesday.
I really do hope Kathryn Stockett writes more, and wish we all lived in a parallel universe where Harper Lee was more prolific.
It makes me feel a poorly read when I say that I have tried to read Wuthering Heights a few times but never made it more than a third of the way through.
My own TTT is here (Harper Lee also features) http://thenovelprojectchronicles.com/the-ten-authors-i-need-to-read-more-of-top-ten-tuesday/
LikeLike
I read Wuthering Heights for a school assignment, otherwise I don’t think I would’ve read it either – so don’t feel bad. The writing was good, but I hated the book!
LikeLike
I’m so with you on Chad Harbach. Put away the essay collections and give me another novel, please.
LikeLike
Yes. I’m a little nervous, given how long The Art of Fielding took. Good thing I plan to have a long life…
LikeLike
Emily Bronte wrote some poems that were published too. Don’t know if you’re interested in reading those or not, but if you’re jonesing for something else from her. I wasn’t that into Wuthering Heights either.
This was a pretty awesome list! 🙂
LikeLike
Awesome that so many people are mentioning Ernest Cline, I’m reading Ready Player One at the moment xD
I didn’t know Arthur Golden hasn’t written/published anything since Memoirs of a Geisha…interesting…
LikeLike
I loved Ready Player One. I hope you are liking it so far!
LikeLike
Ah, that’s a nice twist on the list! Yes, I’d absolutely love to read another Arthur Golden. Kathryn Stockett–hmm, not sure. For me, The Help was interesting because of the subject matter, but I didn’t feel like it was the best written novel. But I’d probably read a sophomore from her, just to see . . . the pressure she must feel must be pretty intense.
LikeLike
Thanks! I didn’t love The Help, but I liked it enough to follow up. There has to be a ton of pressure.
LikeLike
Yes! I want Armada!
I love how you always take the prompt and do your own thing with it. Granted, you read different enough books from most book bloggers that your list isn’t the same as every other TTT anyway. But I love coming here and seeing books and authors that no one else has on their list.
LikeLike
Me too. Armada had a release date earlier this summer, but then it was pushed back until next summer. Again.
And thank you! I don’t love memes in general, so if I’m going to do one, I want it to be different.
LikeLike
Love the twist! I’d like to add my pleas to numbers 1, 2, 4, and 8.
LikeLike
Thank you. I must say, you have great taste in books!
LikeLike
Ernest Cline, YES. I’ve heard next summer. But I think the publisher has been saying next summer for several years…
LikeLike
Yes they have. It had a July 2014 release date….and then, nothing.
LikeLike
Arthur Golden – yes! Memoirs of a Geisha is one of my favourite books.
LikeLike
Me too! I would love to read something else by him, though it is not looking likely.
LikeLike
I went through a period where I checked on Arthur Golden often, but had totally forgotten. A quick Google search shows I guess he was sued by one of the geishas he interviewed- maybe he was scarred by the incident? Hmmmm…
LikeLike
I remember hearing about that, but not the outcome. Poor guy (maybe, depends on the circumstances I guess…(clearly to lazy to google)).
LikeLike
Tough one, Rory, because part of the charm is that they won’t write any more ( a bit like Breece or, in music, Nick Drake). But I’d say Lampedusa.
Just realized: is it okay for men to comment on your blog?
🙂
LikeLike
Of course it is – it’s even encouraged – even though it’s rare. All kinds of readers are accepted. Comment as frequently as possible. 🙂
LikeLike