13 New Authors Reading Challenge

[Scheherazade]

~

This is really getting to be a challenge!

If anyone feels like giving it a go...

Let's read the works of 13 new authors this year!

~

[qimissung]

I'm in! Maybe I can up the quality of my reading. I always feel time nipping at my heels. I don't know why, as I have a whole year, lol!

[Scheherazade]

1. Marina Lewycka ~ A Short History of Tracktors in Ukranian 7/10 About Ukranian immigrants in the UK (first and second generation) with a humourous take on it all. Promising first book!

[Delarge]

I am in aswell.

1. Mikhail Bulgakov: Master and Margarita
2. Oscar Wilde: The Picture of Dorian Grey

[mona amon]

No way I'm going to achieve 13, but here's my first -


1. Waiting for Godot - Samuel Beckett 8/10

[qimissung]

Why do you think you won't or can't achieve 13, Mona? Did you like "Waiting for Godot?"

[Bibliophile79]

I'm in

1. The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick
2. Beautiful Creatures by Garcia/Stohl
3. Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion
4. Then We Came To The End by Joshua Ferris
5. Room by Emma Donoghue

[mona amon]

Why do you think you won't or can't achieve 13, Mona? Did you like "Waiting for Godot?"

Waiting for Godot was great! I was expecting something boring and painfully slow, since it's the play where "nothing happens, twice", but it was so sad and endearing and funny I just fell in love with it. Wish I could see it performed, by good comic actors.

As for 13, it seems like too many new authors for me. These days I prefer to reread old favourites, or new books by authors I've already tried. I don't want to become an old fossil so I'll try a few new ones, but not thirteen. :)

[qimissung]

Hmmm, I am familiar with it, of course. Maybe one of these days I'll get up the nerve to actually read it.

1. A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan. 8.5/10 I loved this book so much more than I thought I would. Egan is a perceptive writer, and I loved her insights which were piercing, yet leavened with genuine humor and hope.

[islandclimber]

Waiting for Godot was great! I was expecting something boring and painfully slow, since it's the play where "nothing happens, twice", but it was so sad and endearing and funny I just fell in love with it. Wish I could see it performed, by good comic actors.

The BBC adapted film versions of all 19 of Beckett's stage plays. Barry McGovern and Johnny Murphy played Vladimir and Estragon in Waiting For Godot. It screened at TIFF in 2000 a long with 9 others, and was quite good. Endgame with Michael Gambon and David Thewlis was also a great adaptation to film.

Yet, nothing can match seeing Beckett's work on stage. It's an experience, a brilliant one.

[Scheherazade]

Hmmm, I am familiar with it, of course. Maybe one of these days I'll get up the nerve to actually read it.

1. Welcome to the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan. 8.5/10 I loved this book so much more than I thought I would. Egan is a perceptive writer, and I loved her insights which were piercing, yet leavened with genuine humor and hope.Is this a pre/sequel to A Visit from the Goon Squad?

[qimissung]

No, it's the same book. Thanks, Scher. *sarcasm* :D (:))

Actually, I think my title is better.

[Bustrofedon]

I am in. One month behind and will have to revamp all my bookplans but it seems a fine challenge that I can't resist. Finishing Sophie's Choice tomorrow then it's all noobs.

[Labben]

I'm also in:

1. Tove Jansson: The Moomins and the Great Flood
2. Yevgeny Zamyatin: We

[Bustrofedon]

One down. Aspects of the Novel by E.M. Forster

[Lykren]

So far this year I've read

1. The Golden Notebook by Doris Lessing (which I started last year, but whatever.)
2. and Lady Chatterley's Lover, by DH Lawrence.

Both of them were quite interesting, but neither of them really struck as what you might call "Great" literature. Some of the characters and much of the dialogue in TGN seemed petty and implausible, and Lady Chatterley's Lover felt a little one-sided and polemical, as though it were banging you over the head with the thought that, "Sensuality is better than being intellectual!" which doesn't to me feel like a really interesting idea anyways.

That said, both books had some rather lovely passages, and particularly in TGN it was very interesting to get the woman's perspective on life.

Started Of Human Bondage today. I'm not very far in, but it seems promising.

[Bustrofedon]

1. Aspects of the Novel E. M. Forster
2. The Heart is a Lonely Hunter Carson McCullers. 2 out of 4. Good enough to finish but found it lacking. To borrow from book number one above, the characters were all flat. I found Mick the best of them and think CM should have stuck more to her story. I assume Mick is somewhat autobiographical which is why CM wrote her better than the rest.

On to some newer new authors now. Looking to read some recent prize winners.

[Scheherazade]

1. Marina Lewycka ~ A Short History of Tracktors in Ukranian 7/10 About Ukranian immigrants in the UK (first and second generation) with a humourous take on it all. Promising first book!

2. Amy Tan ~ The Joy Luck Club 6/10 Quite disappointed as I had heard of this book a lot.

3. Ken Follett ~ Eye of the Needle 7/10 Easy going spy-thriller, which turns somewhat predictable towards the end.

4. Somerset Maugham ~ The Razor's Edge ~ 5/10 Felt so very bored reading this. Not sure what the point of the story was even. Yes, it must be lost on me.

5. David Lodge ~ Changing Places ~ 6/10

6. Carl Hiaasen ~ Nature Girl ~ 8/10 Ideal summer read!

7. Steven Millhauser ~ Martin Dressler: The Tale of an American Dreamer ~ 7/10

8. Roddy Doyle ~ Paddy Clark, Ha Ha Ha! ~ 8/10

9. Robert Olen Butler ~ A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain ~ 9/10

10. Yann Martel ~ Life of Pi ~ 8/10

11. Paul Harding ~ Tinkers (N11) ~ 9/10

12. Horace McCoy ~ They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (N12) ~ 8/10

13. Junot Diaz ~ The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (P/N13) ~ 7/10

14. Stephen Kelman ~ Pigeon English (N14) ~ 5/10

15. Thornton Wilder ~ The Bridge of San Luis Rey 5/10

[krishna_lit]

Oh! Great Challenge...! Very much interested into it... This year i started a new author Michael Crichton with his path breaking book 'Jurassic Park.' And many more books of so many others lined up...! Looks like I'm already into the challenging race. Thank You for the contest :)

[Bustrofedon]

1. Aspects of the Novel E. M. Forster
2. The Heart is a Lonely Hunter Carson McCullers
3. Inheritance of Loss Kiran Desai. 3/4. Enjoyed this one quite a bit. Very quick read. The characters' stories weave in and around each other. There is a line in the book in which one of the characters is lamenting the way modern authors are all over the place unlike the linear narratives of the Victorian English novels. Desai is a modern author. On the last full page of the book Desai wrote this sentence: "She turned to look." It was printed as "She turned to cook." The last bit of a good book for me builds to a crescendo then crashes at the last sentence. Suspenseful, reading quickly, enthralled. Then I stumble over this terrible, ill-placed typo. Thrown off track at the very end. There were seven or eight typos in about the last 100 pages of the book. I don't think I caught any in the first 250. Was the proofreader too engrossed to notice or too bored to finish? Typos frustrate me, discombobulate me. Is this universal or idiosyncratic?

[Lykren]

1. Golden Notebook 7/10
2. Lady Chatterley's Lover 6/10
3. Of Human Bondage 7/10 Strangely moving. I couldn't make out the end, though, as it said shortly before their engagement that Philip did not love Sally. Huh? But I suppose really that that makes it more poignant. He accepts sort of a beautiful compromise. I've heard The Razor's Edge is another good Maugham book, so maybe in the future I will read that.

Currently on A Passage to India. Very interesting way of telling a story, somehow abstracted and indirect.

[Bibliophile79]

Update:

1. The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick
2. Beautiful Creatures by Garcia/Stohl
3. Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion
4. Then We Came To The End by Joshua Ferris
5. Room by Emma Donoghue
6. Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin
7. Touching the Surface by Kimberly Sabatini

[Bibliophile79]

Update:

1. The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick
2. Beautiful Creatures by Garcia/Stohl
3. Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion
4. Then We Came To The End by Joshua Ferris
5. Room by Emma Donoghue
6. Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin
7. Touching the Surface by Kimberly Sabatini
8. The Further Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Greg Matthews

[Nightshade]

Wait sorry to clarify but you mean 13 authors I haven't read before or 13 'new' authors?
In the event it is haven't read before. Read The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins at last been meaning to since it came out.

[Bibliophile79]

13 authors you haven't read yet

[Bibliophile79]

Update:

1. The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick
2. Beautiful Creatures by Garcia/Stohl
3. Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion
4. Then We Came To The End by Joshua Ferris
5. Room by Emma Donoghue
6. Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin
7. Touching the Surface by Kimberly Sabatini
8. The Further Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Greg Matthews
9. In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

[qimissung]

Hmmm, I am familiar with it, of course. Maybe one of these days I'll get up the nerve to actually read it.

1. A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan. 8.5/10 I loved this book so much more than I thought I would. Egan is a perceptive writer, and I loved her insights which were piercing, yet leavened with genuine humor and hope.

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie Muriel Spark 6/10 I'm glad I read it, but it's kind of a downer.

Teacher Man Frank McCourt 8/10 I really loved this. It's the only book I've ever read that really describes what it's like to be a teacher. I have read most of the great 'teacher' books, and they follow the narrative arc and always have a teacher/hero at the helm. McCourt, who taught for thirty years, many of them at an elite high school in New York City, never forgot his early struggling days as a teacher, and his empathy for his students shines through.

[Bibliophile79]

Update:

1. The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick
2. Beautiful Creatures by Garcia/Stohl
3. Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion
4. Then We Came To The End by Joshua Ferris
5. Room by Emma Donoghue
6. Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin
7. Touching the Surface by Kimberly Sabatini
8. The Further Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Greg Matthews
9. In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
10. World's End by T.C. Boyle

[Lykren]

Update:

1. The Golden Notebook.
2. Lady Chatterley's Lover.
3. Of Human Bondage.
4. A Passage to India. Very well written, I thought. I want to read Howard's End now as well. Can anybody offer some comparison between the two?
and 5. I'm currently reading Ivanhoe. Unfortunately, I'm unimpressed and even bored. Fortunately, Shakespeare is next on the program for me! Wheeee

[Bibliophile79]

Update:

1. The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick
2. Beautiful Creatures by Garcia/Stohl
3. Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion
4. Then We Came To The End by Joshua Ferris
5. Room by Emma Donoghue
6. Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin
7. Touching the Surface by Kimberly Sabatini
8. The Further Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Greg Matthews
9. In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
10. World's End by T.C. Boyle
11. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

[chrisvia]

I'm a bit late to this challenge, but in looking through the 12 books I've managed to read this year so far (it would have been more had I not been inclined to tackle Gravity's Rainbow again during the entire month of January), I've managed to read some new authors:

1. Sophie's World by Jostein Gaarder
2. Love Wins by Rob Bell
3. George Washington by Paul Johnson
4. Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt
5. Self-Help by Lorrie Moore

[qimissung]

A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn-forgot to list this previously. It's fairly good. I'd give it a 7/10
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spartk
Teacher Man by Frank McCourt
Anna Karenina 10/10
The Red Bow by George Saunders (short story) 7/10 It's actually quite good, just not to my taste; although I wouldn't rule out reading more of him.

[Lykren]

Qimi, I'm an Anna Karenina fanatic, so it always makes me happy to see someone else enjoying it! Have you read any other Tolstoy? If so, what did you think of it?

[qimissung]

I haven't read anything else by Tolstoy-maybe a short story. I doubt I would this year-still have six more new authors to go. What about "War and Peace"? Did you like it? I think reading about the battle scenes might not be interesting to me.

I loved, loved, loved "Anna;" I loved how he balanced the two stories of Anna and Vronsky against that of Kitty and Levin. I loved reading about Kitty's sister and her husband Stiva, and about Anna's husband. The language was beautiful, the insight into human nature as breathtaking as any sunset. I loved all the characters, but my favorite was Levin. Honestly, it felt like I was reading about myself-except I've never thought of suicide, nor am I a farmer or particularly enamored of physical labor.

That scene with Vronsky and his horse! That was it in a nutshell, to me. Of course it was a little more complicated than that, but what a metaphor!

[Lykren]

Yes, the way he contrasts the two love affairs is beautiful - it's as mysterious and enchanting as any Bach counterpoint.

I did enjoy War and Peace, very much. You're right about the battle scenes not being the most interesting parts of the narrative, but I still felt that his power of description (which is more prominent in W&P than the characterizations of AK) keeps it from ever being boring. You can really feel the light on your skin sometimes.

[Dark Muse]

1. The Bone People by Keri Hulme 9/10

[Scheherazade]

Wait sorry to clarify but you mean 13 authors I haven't read before or 13 'new' authors?
In the event it is haven't read before. Read The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins at last been meaning to since it came out.Nice to see you, Night! :)

13 authors you have not read before.

[Bibliophile79]

Update:

1. The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick
2. Beautiful Creatures by Garcia/Stohl
3. Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion
4. Then We Came To The End by Joshua Ferris
5. Room by Emma Donoghue
6. Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin
7. Touching the Surface by Kimberly Sabatini
8. The Further Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Greg Matthews
9. In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
10. World's End by T.C. Boyle
11. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
12. John Adams by David McCullough

[Bibliophile79]

Done!

1. The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick
2. Beautiful Creatures by Garcia/Stohl
3. Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion
4. Then We Came To The End by Joshua Ferris
5. Room by Emma Donoghue
6. Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin
7. Touching the Surface by Kimberly Sabatini
8. The Further Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Greg Matthews
9. In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
10. World's End by T.C. Boyle
11. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
12. John Adams by David McCullough
13. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

[Dark Muse]

1. The Bone People by Keri Hulme 9/10

2. Attila by William Napier 8/10

[cafolini]

Another tangerine.

In bloody packs



I’m no longer terrorized
They are part of my ancient cryptography
Shield upon shield
I know them, I accept them
Like excrement and flies
Like nightmares and fleas
Like phlem and stench

Lodgers of celestial whorehouses
Hunger and grapes of stone
White veil, immaculate country of the misogynous
Onan, Don Juan, Oedipus, Machiavelli
The boy carries both eyes blinded
Dances to psychotropic Sodoma, Príapo
How could I be terrorized, then?


By Amelia Arellano

[Bustrofedon]

Aspects of the Novel E.M. Forster
The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter Carson McCullers
Inheritance of Loss Kiran Desai
Blindness of the Heart Julia Franck. 1/4. This one took forever. It began well but quickly lost steam. Although the end was moving it could not make up for the middle. I think perhaps there was something lost in translation. My interest flagged several times but I finally trudged through.

p.s. qimisung, I'm not farmer either but the scene with Levin in the fields make you want to be out there with the muzhiks cutting hay all day? AK is right at the top of my list. Better than War and Peace.

[qimissung]

In reality, I probably wouldn't like it, but reading it-yes! The rhythym of it, the smell of the hay, the sun burning down on one's back, the feeling that one was doing good work, the feeling of brotherhood with the other people, I can feel it all now. Where is a scythe when you need one?

[Bibliophile79]

1. The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick
2. Beautiful Creatures by Garcia/Stohl
3. Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion
4. Then We Came To The End by Joshua Ferris
5. Room by Emma Donoghue
6. Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin
7. Touching the Surface by Kimberly Sabatini
8. The Further Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Greg Matthews
9. In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
10. World's End by T.C. Boyle
11. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
12. John Adams by David McCullough
13. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
14. Looking for Alaska by John Green

[Lykren]

Update:

1. The Golden Notebook.
2. Lady Chatterley's Lover.
3. Of Human Bondage.
4. A Passage to India. Very well written, I thought. I want to read Howard's End now as well. Can anybody offer some comparison between the two?
and 5. I'm currently reading Ivanhoe. Unfortunately, I'm unimpressed and even bored. Fortunately, Shakespeare is next on the program for me! Wheeee

Ivanhoe failed to improve. But since then, I've read

6. The Oresteia (Lattimore translation) was an interesting read. I'm not sure I'll re-read it anytime soon, but I can say that I loved the character of Cassandra. At the very least, it's fascinating to delve into such an ancient world.

Currently working on the Theban plays, by Sophocles, Grene translation.

[jacoblukis]

it was very interesting novel

[Dark Muse]

1. The Bone People by Keri Hulme 9/10
2. Attila by William Napier 8/10

3. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey 9/10

[ThroughMyWay]

I am also in..
2 down......
a)Sins of Father
b)Brida

[*Classic*Charm*]

Finally done school. Now's the time!

1) Waiting for Godot- Beckett
2) Lady Chatterley's Lover- Lawrence

[qimissung]

A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn-forgot to list this previously. It's fairly good. I'd give it a 7/10
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spartk
Teacher Man by Frank McCourt
Anna Karenina 10/10
The Red Bow by George Saunders (short story) 7/10 It's actually quite good, just not to my taste; although I wouldn't rule out reading more of him.
World War Z by Max Brooks. It's good; zombies aren't really my thing. I'm more of a vampire girl, but it is well done. I really enjoyed the different points of view. And I want to see the movie this summer. 8/10

[Dark Muse]

1. The Bone People by Keri Hulme 9/10
2. Attila by William Napier 8/10
3. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey 9/10

4. My Uncle Napoleon by Iraj Pezeshkzad 8/10

[coeus]

A little late to the party, but I will give it a go. Looking back over my shelves, here are the new authors I have read so far this year:

1. Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski
2. Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick
3. John Dies at the End by David Wong
4. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
5. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
6. Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill
7. The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver (what I am currently reading)

[qimissung]

A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn-forgot to list this previously. It's fairly good. I'd give it a 7/10
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spartk
Teacher Man by Frank McCourt
Anna Karenina 10/10
The Red Bow by George Saunders (short story) 7/10 It's actually quite good, just not to my taste; although I wouldn't rule out reading more of him.
World War Z by Max Brooks. It's good; zombies aren't really my thing. I'm more of a vampire girl, but it is well done. I really enjoyed the different points of view. And I want to see the movie this summer. 8/10
Lost Paradise Cees Nooteboom. 9/10 A short novel, but one that I keep returning to in my thoughts. It stays with you. I wish it had been longer, but it's what he does with it within this rather circumscribed form that I find rather fascinating.

[Dark Muse]

1. The Bone People by Keri Hulme 9/10
2. Attila by William Napier 8/10
3. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey 9/10
4. My Uncle Napoleon by Iraj Pezeshkzad 8/10

5. The Borgia Bride by Jeanne Kalogridis 8/10

[Bibliophile79]

1. The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick
2. Beautiful Creatures by Garcia/Stohl
3. Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion
4. Then We Came To The End by Joshua Ferris
5. Room by Emma Donoghue
6. Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin
7. Touching the Surface by Kimberly Sabatini
8. The Further Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Greg Matthews
9. In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
10. World's End by T.C. Boyle
11. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
12. John Adams by David McCullough
13. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
14. Looking for Alaska by John Green
15. Johannes Cabal The Necromancer by Jonathan L. Howard

[qimissung]

A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn-forgot to list this previously. It's fairly good. I'd give it a 7/10
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spartk
Teacher Man by Frank McCourt
Anna Karenina 10/10
The Red Bow by George Saunders (short story) 7/10 It's actually quite good, just not to my taste; although I wouldn't rule out reading more of him.
Divergent by Veronica Roth 7/10 A YA novel about dystopian society in the same vein as The Hunger Games. An enjoyable read.

[Dark Muse]

1. The Bone People by Keri Hulme 9/10
2. Attila by William Napier 8/10
3. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey 9/10
4. My Uncle Napoleon by Iraj Pezeshkzad 8/10
5. The Borgia Bride by Jeanne Kalogridis 8/10

6. The Black Dahlia by James Ellroy 6/10

[qimissung]

A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn-forgot to list this previously. It's fairly good. I'd give it a 7/10
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spartk
Teacher Man by Frank McCourt
Anna Karenina 10/10
The Red Bow by George Saunders (short story) 7/10 It's actually quite good, just not to my taste; although I wouldn't rule out reading more of him.
World War Z by Max Brooks
Lost Paradise Cees Nooteboom. 9/10 A short novel, but one that I keep returning to in my thoughts. It stays with you. I wish it had been longer, but it's what he does with it within this rather circumscribed form that I find rather fascinating.
Divergent by Veronica Roth 7/10 A YA novel about dystopian society in the same vein as The Hunger Games. An enjoyable read.
I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga. 7/10 What can I say? I am reading some Young Adult literature this summer, to be better positioned to recommend books, and also to add to my roster of good books to teach. This was an enjoyable read. It's about a young man who's father is a renowned serial killer. It does present some interesting questions about how we decide who we are, what to keep of what our parents instill in us, and the difficulty of turning away from or overcoming really bad parenting.

[Dark Muse]

1. The Bone People by Keri Hulme 9/10
2. Attila by William Napier 8/10
3. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey 9/10
4. My Uncle Napoleon by Iraj Pezeshkzad 8/10
5. The Borgia Bride by Jeanne Kalogridis 8/10
6.The Black Dahlia by James Ellroy 6/10

7. Poodle Springs by Ramond Chandler 8/10

[coeus]

A little late to the party, but I will give it a go. Looking back over my shelves, here are the new authors I have read so far this year:

1. Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski
2. Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick
3. John Dies at the End by David Wong
4. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
5. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
6. Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill
7. The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver (what I am currently reading)

8. The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach
9. Don't Breath a Word by Jennifer McMahon
10. Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai

[Dark Muse]

1. The Bone People by Keri Hulme 9/10
2. Attila by William Napier 8/10
3. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey 9/10
4. My Uncle Napoleon by Iraj Pezeshkzad 8/10
5. The Borgia Bride by Jeanne Kalogridis 8/10
6.The Black Dahlia by James Ellroy 6/10
7. Poodle Springs by Ramond Chandler 8/10

8. Prophecy: Clash of Kings by M.K. Hume 6/10

[Dark Muse]

1. The Bone People by Keri Hulme 9/10
2. Attila by William Napier 8/10
3. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey 9/10
4. My Uncle Napoleon by Iraj Pezeshkzad 8/10
5. The Borgia Bride by Jeanne Kalogridis 8/10
6.The Black Dahlia by James Ellroy 6/10
7. Poodle Springs by Ramond Chandler 8/10
8. Prophecy: Clash of Kings by M.K. Hume 6/10

9. Spirit of Lost Angels by Lisa Perrat 5.75/10

[Lykren]

1. The Golden Notebook: 7.5/10. Shaky ending.
2. Lady Chatterley's Lover: 6/10. Too ideological.
3. Of Human Bondage: 8/10. Deeply passionate and humane.
4. A Passage to India: 7/10. Adeptly written.
5. Ivanhoe: 4/10. Simple-minded.
6. The Oresteia: 5.5/10. Hard to judge, but ultimately not too moving.
7. Theban plays: 6/10. Slightly better than the Oresteia.
8. Medea: 6.5/10. The most psychological of the Greek tragedies.
9. Lysistrata: 5/10. Must be hard to translate.
10. The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle: 6/10. Too chaotic to achieve much.
11. The Tale of the Heike: 7/10. Many small great scenes, but the overarching narrative was a beast to follow.
12. Kokoro: 5.5/10. Apathetically narrated.
13. Snow Country: 8.5/10. Brilliantly dealt with ambiguous emotions in a precise way.
14. The Makioka Sisters: 7.5/10. Touching occasionally, but also simply a little dull.
15. The Narrow Road to the Deep North: 5/10. Again, must be hard to translate.

[Dark Muse]

1. The Bone People by Keri Hulme 9/10
2. Attila by William Napier 8/10
3. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey 9/10
4. My Uncle Napoleon by Iraj Pezeshkzad 8/10
5. The Borgia Bride by Jeanne Kalogridis 8/10
6.The Black Dahlia by James Ellroy 6/10
7. Poodle Springs by Ramond Chandler 8/10
8. Prophecy: Clash of Kings by M.K. Hume 6/10
9. Spirit of Lost Angels by Lisa Perrat 5.75/10

10. The Master by Colm Toibin 6/10

[Bustrofedon]

Aspects of the Novel E.M. Forster
The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter Carson McCullers
Inheritance of Loss Kiran Desai
Blindness of the Heart Julia Franck.

After a break for some Faulkner, adding:
Awakening by Kate Chopin (3/4)
Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward (3/4)
Bastard out of Carolina by Dorothy Allison (3/4)

[Bibliophile79]

1. The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick
2. Beautiful Creatures by Garcia/Stohl
3. Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion
4. Then We Came To The End by Joshua Ferris
5. Room by Emma Donoghue
6. Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin
7. Touching the Surface by Kimberly Sabatini
8. The Further Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Greg Matthews
9. In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
10. World's End by T.C. Boyle
11. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
12. John Adams by David McCullough
13. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
14. Looking for Alaska by John Green
15. Johannes Cabal The Necromancer by Jonathan L. Howard
16. Shogun by James Clavell

[Dark Muse]

1. The Bone People by Keri Hulme 9/10
2. Attila by William Napier 8/10
3. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey 9/10
4. My Uncle Napoleon by Iraj Pezeshkzad 8/10
5. The Borgia Bride by Jeanne Kalogridis 8/10
6.The Black Dahlia by James Ellroy 6/10
7. Poodle Springs by Ramond Chandler 8/10
8. Prophecy: Clash of Kings by M.K. Hume 6/10
9. Spirit of Lost Angels by Lisa Perrat 5.75/10
10. The Master by Colm Toibin 6/10


11. The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield 9/10

[Bustrofedon]

Aspects of the Novel E.M. Forster
The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter Carson McCullers
Inheritance of Loss Kiran Desai
Blindness of the Heart Julia Franck.
Awakening by Kate Chopin (3/4)
Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward (3/4)
Bastard out of Carolina by Dorothy Allison (3/4)

And now Steppenwolf by Herman Hesse (3/4) Fantastic book.

[coeus]

1. Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski
2. Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick
3. John Dies at the End by David Wong
4. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
5. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
6. Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill
7. The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver
8. The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach
9. Don't Breath a Word by Jennifer McMahon
10. Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai

11. Goodbye to a River by John Graves
12. Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse
13. Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clark
14. Stories From the Corner by FX Toole
15. Tinkers by Paul Harding (currently reading)

[krishna_lit]

I finished reading the 13 new authors in this year:

1.Michael Crichton
2.Isaac Asimov
3.John Adair
4.John Keats
5.Jon Krakauer
6.James Allen
7.Ralph Waldo Emerson
8.Viktor Mayer-Schönberger and Kennetch Cuckier
9.Lao Tzu
10.Ayn Rand
11.Lewis Carroll
12.Ray Bradbury and
13.Philip K Dick

[Dark Muse]

1. The Bone People by Keri Hulme 9/10
2. Attila by William Napier 8/10
3. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey 9/10
4. My Uncle Napoleon by Iraj Pezeshkzad 8/10
5. The Borgia Bride by Jeanne Kalogridis 8/10
6.The Black Dahlia by James Ellroy 6/10
7. Poodle Springs by Ramond Chandler 8/10
8. Prophecy: Clash of Kings by M.K. Hume 6/10
9. Spirit of Lost Angels by Lisa Perrat 5.75/10
10. The Master by Colm Toibin 6/10
11. The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield 9/10

12. The Midwich Cuckoos by John Wyndham 6.50/10

[Bustrofedon]

Aspects of the Novel E.M. Forster
The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter Carson McCullers
Inheritance of Loss Kiran Desai
Blindness of the Heart Julia Franck.
Awakening by Kate Chopin (3/4)
Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward (3/4)
Bastard out of Carolina by Dorothy Allison (3/4)
Steppenwolf by Herman Hesse (3/4) Fantastic book.

adding:
Infinite Jest David Foster Wallace 4/4
Fragmented, unresolved (so much so that I keep thinking I am missing the last pages), funny and sad. This is a great one. 981 pages of text with about 100 worth of footnotes and I did not want it to end.

next:
something shorter

[Bustrofedon]

Aspects of the Novel E.M. Forster
The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter Carson McCullers
Inheritance of Loss Kiran Desai
Blindness of the Heart Julia Franck.
Awakening by Kate Chopin
Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward
Bastard out of Carolina by Dorothy Allison
Steppenwolf by Herman Hesse
Infinite Jest David Foster Wallace

Finished:
House of Leaves Mark Danielewski. 3/4. Kind of a mind-jangling book, esp. back-to-back w/ IJ. This one will have to be flipped through again; searching for secrets.

[Printer's Devil]

Some comments on suggestions so far. Firstly, Poodle Springs is not by Raymond Chandler! He wrote two pages of rough notes for it and then dropped dead. Anyone who enjoyed this book might do well to read any of the seven books he did write about the same character, except the last one, Playback, which is a bit rubbish because he was dying of alcoholism.

Secondly, somebody said that they were put off reading War And Peace by the feeling that they'd be bored by lengthy descriptions of battles. Many other people think so too, but since all the chapters dealing with the Napoleonic War are self-contained and parallel to the main narrative about a few characters trying to cope with the increasing chaos they find themselves living in, you can skip every chapter that's basically a history lesson without losing any of the main plot - none of those characters appear at all in the historical chapters. Lots of people read the book that way.

Anyway - some suggestions of my own. Firstly, James Joyce - he really had a way with words! If you're not familiar with him, you might start with Dubliners and move on to Ulysses. Just one word of caution, though - don't even think about going anywhere near Finnegan's Wake. As one reviewer remarked, the second word in the title is missing an "n". Also, to fully appreciate it, you need to have a slightly higher IQ than God. And if you like superb wordplay from the Celtic areas of the UK about a century ago, you might check out Dylan Thomas while you're at it.

Other British authors who haven't been mentioned yet (guess where I live!) include the recently deceased Iain Banks, whose large output varied quite a bit in both style and quality, but the best of it really is special. You might start with his award-winning first novel The Wasp Factory. By the way, Iain M. Banks was the same guy, but he only used his middle initial when he was writing sci-fi to make it clear which genre you were getting. And what about Steve Aylett? He's not for everybody, but his utterly bizarre books will be greatly appreciated by anybody who loves that kind of incredibly intricate and frequently hilarious wordplay. He's the kind of author who can describe a character having "a near-death experience, immediately followed by death" and get away with it. Also, everybody in the world should be aware of the late, great Ivor Cutler. His work is most easily available on CD, but there are quite a few tiny little books out there as well, if you can find them. "Look son, I've never told you this, but I've some eggs here. I keep them in a box." "Yes mammy, I know, we sometimes have an egg." "No, no, son, this is different eggs. And I feed them meat..."

[Yaur]

On the one hand I am way late to the party, on the other I just got the "serious reading" bug this summer so I might make it.

This year:
1. Thomas Pynchon, The Crying of Lot 49, first 150 pages of Gravity's Rainbow -- Interesting, but not my cup of tea.
2. Ron Curie Jr, Everything Matters -- Cheesy at the end, but the end makes the book.
3. Charles Bukowski, Post Office, Factotum, Ham on Rye, and Women -- Bukowski is Bukowski, I dig it but there is too much other amazing stuff to read to come back now that I have read the essentials.
4. Louis-Ferdinand Céline, Journey to the end of the night -- Bukowski is also an echo of Céline, but Céline brings a lot more to the table in terms of charachter development and life experiences. The main problem with this book is that the translator gets in the way some times.
5. Vladimir Nabakov, Lolita -- I came to this book with high expectations, but not high enough. Well written, intense, and, in some ways, surprising. Definitely want to read more of his stuff when I get through the "survey" period of my reading experience.
6. James Purdy, Cabot Wright Begins -- A writer's writer. I'll stop short of amazing and say "very good." Somewhere between Bukowski and Celine.

I'm not counting:
James Joyce, The first 10 pages of Ulysses -- I didn't know what I was getting in to. Tabled for now.

[Bustrofedon]

Aspects of the Novel E.M. Forster
The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter Carson McCullers
Inheritance of Loss Kiran Desai
Blindness of the Heart Julia Franck.
Awakening by Kate Chopin
Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward
Bastard out of Carolina by Dorothy Allison
Steppenwolf by Herman Hesse
Infinite Jest David Foster Wallace
House of Leaves Mark Danielewski.

Finished Play It As It Lays Joan Didion. 2/4. A good quick read. A tale of a woman's wanderings in an decadent, vacuous world and the effects of her experiences. For some reason I assumed Didion was prim. She's not.

[Yaur]

On the one hand I am way late to the party, on the other I just got the "serious reading" bug this summer so I might make it.

This year:
1. Thomas Pynchon, The Crying of Lot 49, first 150 pages of Gravity's Rainbow -- Interesting, but not my cup of tea.
2. Ron Curie Jr, Everything Matters -- Cheesy at the end, but the end makes the book.
3. Charles Bukowski, Post Office, Factotum, Ham on Rye, and Women -- Bukowski is Bukowski, I dig it but there is too much other amazing stuff to read to come back now that I have read the essentials.
4. Louis-Ferdinand Céline, Journey to the end of the night -- Bukowski is also an echo of Céline, but Céline brings a lot more to the table in terms of charachter development and life experiences. The main problem with this book is that the translator gets in the way some times.
5. Vladimir Nabakov, Lolita -- I came to this book with high expectations, but not high enough. Well written, intense, and, in some ways, surprising. Definitely want to read more of his stuff when I get through the "survey" period of my reading experience.
6. James Purdy, Cabot Wright Begins -- A writer's writer. I'll stop short of amazing and say "very good." Somewhere between Bukowski and Celine.

7. Jean-Paul Sarte, Nausea -- I approached this as literature, and as a work of pure fiction it fails IMO. Had I approached it more as a book of philosophy wrapped in a novel I would have been less disappointed, though some of his insights seem somewhat trite.
8. James Conrad, Heart of Darkness -- At his best Conrad is incredible at his worst he is pretty good. Definitely on the "read more" list.
9. Ernest Hemingway, The Sun Also Rises -- His characters seem terribly one-dimensional and the plot somewhat predictable. I'll likely give him another shot, but my first impression is "overrated".

in progress: William S. Burroughs, Naked Lunch

[Bustrofedon]

9. Ernest Hemingway, The Sun Also Rises -- His characters seem terribly one-dimensional and the plot somewhat predictable. I'll likely give him another shot, but my first impression is "overrated".


It's been a long time since I read any Hemingway and back then I really liked what I read. But I think a rereading might put me in agreement with you after years of reading other stuff. I liked For Whom the Bell Tolls better than SAR so you might try that.

[erikarae]

As it turns out, I have read over 30 new authors this year. I've been making an effort to branch out and pry myself away from my favorites, and it worked! I don't want to post all of them, so I'll just post my top 13 of the year (in no particular order):

We, the Drowned - Carsten Jensen 10/10
The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruis Zafon 9/10
The Orphan Master's Son - Adam Johnson 8/10
Room - Emma Donoghue 7/10
The Poisonwood Bible - Barbara Kingsolver 8/10
Cutting for Stone - Adam Verghese 9/10
Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card 7/10
The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood 7/10
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrel - Susanna Clarke 9/10
The Brothers Karamazov - Fyodor Dostoyevsky 7/10
World War Z - Max Brooks 7/10
A Visit from the Goon Squad - Jennifer Egan 7/10
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle and 1Q84 - Haruki Murakami both 8/10

[Bustrofedon]

Aspects of the Novel E.M. Forster
The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter Carson McCullers
Inheritance of Loss Kiran Desai
Blindness of the Heart Julia Franck.
Awakening by Kate Chopin
Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward
Bastard out of Carolina by Dorothy Allison
Steppenwolf by Herman Hesse
Infinite Jest David Foster Wallace
House of Leaves Mark Danielewski
Play it As it Lays Joan Didion

Adding The Corrections Jonathan Franzen 2/4, I think. Quite a dysfunctional family here but Franzen makes you see everyone's point of view. A nice satire on contemporary culture.

12 down 1 to go.

[Bustrofedon]

Finished Visit from the Goon Squad. Gimisun may have started with this one if I remember correctly. A good book. Read it straight through. I got side tracked by Shakespeare half done and I think i lost something as I finished. But it is entertaining. I think Egan is still a short story writer but she brings the chapters together in a weird enough cross-stitch to make a good novel. 2/4.

2013 challenge complete. 2014 is Elizabethan so good night and good luck for you novel readers next year.

[Yaur]

This year:
1. Thomas Pynchon, The Crying of Lot 49, first 150 pages of Gravity's Rainbow -- Interesting, but not my cup of tea.
2. Ron Curie Jr, Everything Matters -- Cheesy at the end, but the end makes the book.
3. Charles Bukowski, Post Office, Factotum, Ham on Rye, and Women -- Bukowski is Bukowski, I dig it but there is too much other amazing stuff to read to come back now that I have read the essentials.
4. Louis-Ferdinand Céline, Journey to the end of the night -- Bukowski is also an echo of Céline, but Céline brings a lot more to the table in terms of charachter development and life experiences. The main problem with this book is that the translator gets in the way some times.
5. Vladimir Nabakov, Lolita -- I came to this book with high expectations, but not high enough. Well written, intense, and, in some ways, surprising. Definitely want to read more of his stuff when I get through the "survey" period of my reading experience.
6. James Purdy, Cabot Wright Begins -- A writer's writer. I'll stop short of amazing and say "very good." Somewhere between Bukowski and Celine.
7. Jean-Paul Sarte, Nausea -- I approached this as literature, and as a work of pure fiction it fails IMO. Had I approached it more as a book of philosophy wrapped in a novel I would have been less disappointed, though some of his insights seem somewhat trite.
8. James Conrad, Heart of Darkness -- At his best Conrad is incredible at his worst he is pretty good. Definitely on the "read more" list.
9. Ernest Hemingway, The Sun Also Rises -- His characters seem terribly one-dimensional and the plot somewhat predictable. I'll likely give him another shot, but my first impression is "overrated".

in progress: William S. Burroughs, Naked Lunch
10. William S. Burroughs, Naked Lunch -- Word salad.
11. William Faulkner, Light in August -- Absurdly well written character driven novel. Faulkner is definitely on the "must read everything he's written" list.

Trying to round out the year with Kafka and (probably) Rushdie.

[Buckthorn]

This year I seemed to have managed 21:
1) Yann Martel - Life of Pi
2) Erin Morgenstern - The night circus
3) Brian Froud - The Goblins of Labyrinth
4) John Green - The Fault in our stars
5) Margaret Stohl & Kami Garcia - Beautiful creatures, Beautiful darkness, Beautiful chaos, Beautiful redemption, Dream dark
6) Weis/Hickman - Dragons of Winter Night, Dragons of Authumn Twilight, Dragons of spring dawning
7) Mark Haddon - The curious incident of the dog in the night time
8) Umberto Eco - Foucault’s pendulum
9) Cassandra Clare - The Mortal Instruments
10) Isaac Marion - Warm bodies
11) Salman Rushdie - Luka and the fire of life
12) Christopher Ransom - The Birthing house
13) Ernest Hemmingway - A moveable feast
14) Ben Aaronovitch - Rivers of London
15) Veronica Roth - Divergent, Insurgent, Allegiant
16) Robyn Schneider - The beginning of everything/Severed heads, broken hearts
17) David Levithan - Every Day
18) James Phelan - Chasers Trilogy
19) Cecil Castellucci - First day on earth
20) John Boyne - Stay where you are and then leave
21) Gavin Extence - The Universe Vs Alex Woods

[qimissung]

A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn-forgot to list this previously. It's fairly good. I'd give it a 7/10
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spartk
Teacher Man by Frank McCourt
Anna Karenina 10/10
The Red Bow by George Saunders (short story) 7/10 It's actually quite good, just not to my taste; although I wouldn't rule out reading more of him.
World War Z by Max Brooks
Lost Paradise Cees Nooteboom. 9/10 A short novel, but one that I keep returning to in my thoughts. It stays with you. I wish it had been longer, but it's what he does with it within this rather circumscribed form that I find rather fascinating.
Divergent by Veronica Roth 7/10 A YA novel about dystopian society in the same vein as The Hunger Games. An enjoyable read.
I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga. 7/10 What can I say? I am reading some Young Adult literature this summer, to be better positioned to recommend books, and also to add to my roster of good books to teach. This was an enjoyable read. It's about a young man who's father is a renowned serial killer. It does present some interesting questions about how we decide who we are, what to keep of what our parents instill in us, and the difficulty of turning away from or overcoming really bad parenting.
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (finished 1/2/2014) I did not finish thirteen new authors in 2013. Oh well. Two more to go. I shall persevere.
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro. 10/10 Oh. my. God. I love this book. I love the rather flat affect of it and all the things teeming there underneath; his astute depiction of human interaction; the presumable calm building to the quiet storm. It seemed like a meditation on humanity and perhaps a metaphor not just for life but for how we treat those who are "other" than us, i.e. racism.

[qimissung]

A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn-forgot to list this previously. It's fairly good. I'd give it a 7/10
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spartk
Teacher Man by Frank McCourt
Anna Karenina 10/10
The Red Bow by George Saunders (short story) 7/10 It's actually quite good, just not to my taste; although I wouldn't rule out reading more of him.
World War Z by Max Brooks
Lost Paradise Cees Nooteboom. 9/10 A short novel, but one that I keep returning to in my thoughts. It stays with you. I wish it had been longer, but it's what he does with it within this rather circumscribed form that I find rather fascinating.
Divergent by Veronica Roth 7/10 A YA novel about dystopian society in the same vein as The Hunger Games. An enjoyable read.
I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga. 7/10 What can I say? I am reading some Young Adult literature this summer, to be better positioned to recommend books, and also to add to my roster of good books to teach. This was an enjoyable read. It's about a young man who's father is a renowned serial killer. It does present some interesting questions about how we decide who we are, what to keep of what our parents instill in us, and the difficulty of turning away from or overcoming really bad parenting.
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (finished 1/2/2014) I did not finish thirteen new authors in 2013. Oh well. Two more to go. I shall persevere.
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro. 10/10 Oh. my. God. I love this book. I love the rather flat affect of it and all the things teeming there underneath; his astute depiction of human interaction; the presumable calm building to the quiet storm. It seemed like a meditation on humanity and perhaps a metaphor not just for life but for how we treat those who are "other" than us, i.e. racism.
A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki A mesmerizing reflection of worlds corrupting, corroding, connecting.