While I haven't read many Shakespeare works lately I have definitely gained an appreciation for him lately and I hope to revisit his works again sometime soon. I particularly want to read Hamlet, seeing as I was in one of the few senior classes in my high school that didn't read it yet (we read MacBeth instead). My school also recently did a Shakespeare themed art show so that really got my blood pumping.
Now for writers I'm actually familiar with:
J.K. Rowling: I recently read through the Harry Potter series again after not reading it since early teenhood and I fell in love with her writing style. I haven't really visited her post-HP writings but I have heard good things from the people that have read them and they are surely on my to-read list.
Daniel Handler: Currently revisiting the Series of Unfortunate Events series which he wrote under the pen name Lemony Snicket and I love just how ridiculously sad it is (Oh my god my parents actually let me read this incredibly depressing series). I've also read his book We Are Pirates published under his real name and quite liked that as well.
John Green: Definitely my favorite young adult author. I've read Paper Towns and Will Grayson, Will Grayson and loved them both. I admittedly did not finish The Fault in Our Stars, it just didn't hold my interest for some reason. I really appreciate that he doesn't treat his readers like idiots and actually gives teenagers credit for being capable of being smart, thoughtful beings (which some reviewers have hilariously criticized him for). It also helps that I'm a huge fan of his Vlogbrothers videos even though I don't watch them regularly anymore.
Hiromu Arakawa: Writer and artist of Fullmetal Alchemist, she by far has the strongest writing out of any manga author I've read. The series continues to blow my mind to this day on just how well everything ties together and how much care she put into doing her research and handling the subject matter. I can't help but care immensely about every character she put in that universe. It's truly a series that few anime and manga fans dispute as one of the best. I could gush about it for days. In fact I think I'm gonna start reading the series again right now.
Bill Watterson: The Calvin & Hobbes series was one of the best comic strips to exist. It is my dream one day to own a complete collection of the series. When I was growing up reading the strips I envied Calvin's amazing imagination and his ability to create such creative worlds and stories. Watterson's guest-work on the Pearls Before Swine comic was also hilarious and among my favorite Pearls strips.
Honorable mention goes to Erin Morgenstern. Just the other day I started reading her book The Night Circus. I'm not even 30 pages in and I'm already in love with her writing style. I really can't wait to continue reading the 350 pages left in this book.
Also shout out to any writer who doesn't write their books in first-person narration. It really bothers me when a book is written that way. Especially if it's in a book set in the future. How is this character able to tell me this story when they are far in the future and there's no time travel in their world? It's a pet peeve of mine and while it doesn't ruin the book I'm reading (in fact I believe John Green usually writes in first person) it really loses points for me. It just takes me out of the story a bit, which is ironic because I believe the point of first-person narration is to bring the reader into the world more. It's a cheap tactic to immerse the reader into the world and I really wish it would stop being a trend.