Let's carry on with our challenge from last year and read something by 12 different authors whose works we have not read before this year.
If you are interested, please let us know here and report back to update your list every time you read the work(s) of a new author.
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"It is not that I am mad; it is only that my head is different from yours.”
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I am in!
Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before. ~ Edgar Allan Poe
Yeah, I'll do it!
Currently reading: A Planet Called Treason - Orson Scott Card
Books completed in 2012:
- The Savage Nation - Michael Savage
- Oedipus Trilogy - Sophocles
Compared to the other challenges out there, I have a remote possibility of accomplishing this one.
I'll see how far I get.
1. Lois Lowry - The Giver 6/10. Somewhat mixed feelings. Trying to keep in mind that it is a YA book but still found the writing pedantic and somewhat forced. Thought-provoking storyline for children.
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"It is not that I am mad; it is only that my head is different from yours.”
~
Completed A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway. Does it count if I started the book in 2011 but finish in 2012? I'll say yes.
Looking ahead my next two are:
2. Frederick Douglass - Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave
3. Oscar Wilde - The Importance of Being Earnest.....Thanks Neely
[strike](I just sent Neely a request for a recommendation)[/strike]
.
Last edited by Gilliatt Gurgle; 01-15-2012 at 10:40 PM. Reason: Neely pulled through
Jules Verne - Around the World in Eighty Days: Overall an enjoyable story, though at I found it a little hard to get into. It was a humorous and fun adventure story but his writing style did not really captivate my attention.
7/10 stars
Jennifer McMahon - Don't Breathe A Word: A very eerie, haunting, and suspenseful tale. I really enjoyed reading this one and it kept me on the edge of my seat. I really liked the way in which the authors portrayal of fairies touched back to traditional folklore, opposed to what has become the more modern portrayal of the fairy.
8/10 stars
Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before. ~ Edgar Allan Poe
I'm in. I'm currently working on The Tale of Genji and The Sheltering Sky.
Last edited by qimissung; 06-07-2012 at 01:26 AM.
"The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its' own reason for existing." ~ Albert Einstein
"Remember, no matter where you go, there you are." Buckaroo Bonzai "Some people say I done alright for a girl." Melanie Safka
I'm also in!
Currently reading DH Lawrence's "The Rainbow". I am completely dumb-founded by the character drawing and the originality of the Tom Brangwen character whose plight I greatly identify with. Although the narrative is site-specific and hinged upon a particular time and place, Lawrence manages to lift it to a universality that surprises me. However, the prose - beautiful as it is - can at times be a bit repetitive and non-industrious.
I think I can do this one too. So far this year:
1. Murasaki Shikibu - The Tale of Genji 9/10. Long but worth it; would have given it 10 apart from the ropey beginning and some off chapters in the middle.
2. J W von Goethe - The Sorrows of Young Werther 8/10. Been meaning to read this one for a while. Reminded me a lot of the style of Kafka/Hamsun. A sad but interesting read.
3. Joyce Carol Oates - Black Water 9/10. Joyce Carol Oates was one of the female writers I didn't get around to last year. Black Water is a poetic interpretation of the events leading to the death of Mary Jo Kopechne in the car accident with Teddy Kennedy, which I didn't know anything about. Names changed to protect the innocent, of course. A really beautiful, sad book. I loved it, and am keen to read more by Oates as a result.
4. Gunnar Gunnarson - The Good Shepherd 7/10. An odd, short little book about an Icelandic man who goes looking for lost sheep in a bad winter storm. Both his life and faith are challenged. I suspect there as a lot I missed about this one, so maybe a re-read would be in order at some point.
5. Salman Rushdie - Midnight's Children. Watch this space...
Last edited by TheFifthElement; 02-21-2012 at 03:48 PM.
Want to know what I think about books? Check out https://biisbooks.wordpress.com/
Count me in - longtime absent poster determined to get involved again!
So far this year, 2 new authors:
Philip Roth (hangs head in shame at never having read him) - Nemesis
Hans Fallada - Alone in Berlin
1. Lois Lowry - The Giver 6/10. Somewhat mixed feelings. Trying to keep in mind that it is a YA book but still found the writing pedantic and somewhat forced. Thought-provoking storyline for children.
2. Graham Greene - Our Man in Havana 8/10. Humorous and interesting. Very much enjoyed this one. Regret not having read his books any sooner.
3. Paul Bowles - The Sheltering Sky 6/10 - Even though it is a well-written book that keeps you reading, I am left with "blah" feeling when I finished it. What was the point? By now, I know that I am not keen these Americans-in-search-of-self-through-journey type of books and this one will just go into that pile for me.
4. Marilynne Robinson - Gilead 9/10 - A fantastic story written in first person. It contains heavy sections on religious (Christian) issues but still the author manages to make it about the human nature and condition. Hard to put down.
5. Geraldine Brooks - March 8/10 - Another first-person narrative and an interesting take on what happens to the father of March girls (Little Women) when he leaves his family behind to join the war.
6. Ann Patchett - Bel Canto 8/10 - Hard to put down, absurd, heart-warming and tragic.
7. Allen Drury - Advice and Consent 7/10 - A political thriller from 1950s. It is amazing to see that things hardly ever changes where politics is concerned.
8. Orhan Pamuk - My Name is Red 7/10 - A murder mystery taking place in 16th century Istanbul where Turks are struggling to come to terms with their relationship with the Western world.
9. John Le Carre - The Spy Who Came in from the Cold 7/10 Quite an enjoyable spy thriller with some philosophy thrown in for good measure. Ideal for summer holidays.
10. Diana Gabaldon - Outlander 5/10 After an interesting start, the book turned into a cliche collection with a 2D heroine far from convincing. Could have been 300 pages shorter.
11. Jose Saramago - Blindness 10/10 Phew. Simply could not put it down, feeling disgusted with humanity and falling in love with it all the same. Marvelous writing (albeit a little hard to get used to) and, thankfully, good translation.
12. Tom Stoppard - Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead 9/10 An excellent play rich with word plays and wit.
13. Laurie R. King - The Beekeeper's Apprentice 7/10 An entertaining page turner especially if you enjoy Sherlock Holmes stories.
14. Jennifer Egan - A Visit from the Goon Squad 7/10 An interesting structure, stories being told from different perspectives, expanding on a time period of many decades in the lives of semi-celebrities and the circles they move. I did not feel moved enough to care but I enjoyed the writing style very much.
15. Julian Barnes - The Sense of an Ending -8/10 Uncomplicated, solid writing enriched with a compelling storyline. I was disappointed with the ending as it felt very predictably unpredictable.
16. Anita Brookner - Hotel du Lac 7/10 Enjoyed the writing style but was not very keen on the storyline and author's approach to the subject.
17. Richard Ford - The Sportswriter 6/10 I am not sure what it is with this book. Ford's writing style is very good but I did not care much for the main character and his struggles... Which is a shame.
18. Zadie Smith - On Beauty 8/10 Two black families dedicated two different approaches to life, religion and politics and how their lives touch each other. Smith writes with ease, detailed without being stuffy or forced. Well worth the time!
19. Annabel Pitcher - My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece 6/10 Story of a 10-year-old boy who tries to come to terms with the death of a sister who's killed in a terrorist attack and the divorce of his parents following her death. Most issues oversimplified and sugarcoated. Cannot help but wonder whether it is one of those books that were written at the right time and place to be popular.
20. Patrick Ness - A Monster Calls 8/10 Another children's book that deals with death but in a more honest, open and realistic way. The book is enriched with the illustrations.
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"It is not that I am mad; it is only that my head is different from yours.”
~
Ok, why not. I was one new author short last year!
This year so far:
1) Leo Tolstoy - Anna Karenina 7.5/10
"...You are not wrong, who deem
That my days have been a dream;
Yet if hope has flown away
In a night, or in a day,
In a vision, or in none,
Is it therefore the less gone?..." E. A. Poe
The Sheltering Sky
The Enchantress from the Stars-a YA book, but really, really good. I really recommend this one.
"The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its' own reason for existing." ~ Albert Einstein
"Remember, no matter where you go, there you are." Buckaroo Bonzai "Some people say I done alright for a girl." Melanie Safka
3. V. S. Naipaul - A Bend in the River : An interesting book. I really enjoyed the narration style and thought the ending was beautiful.Originally Posted by Dark Muse
7/10 stars
Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before. ~ Edgar Allan Poe
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