12 New Authors Challenge

[TheFifthElement]

Update:
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. Hmm, really torn on this one. It's a well written book, funny, interesting story, clearly Rushdie is an intelligent and creative writer but, well, really I found this one a chore. On technical skill I'd give it an 8/10 but on enjoyment/engagement I'd give it a 4/10. I just felt excluded, in every way, from the story. Glad to have finished it, to be honest.

[Desolation]

I've read 6 new authors this year:

Thomas Pynchon (V.)
Don DeLillo (White Noise)
Philip Roth (Zuckerman Unbound)
Virginia Woolf (Mrs Dalloway)
Sylvia Plath (The Bell Jar)
Djuna Barnes (Nightwood)

I don't know if I'll make it to 12, though. My to-read list from here on out is mostly composed of very long books, and new books by writers I've already read.

[Dark Muse]

1. 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

2. 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
3. V. S. Naipaul - A Bend in the River : An interesting book. I really enjoyed the narration style and thought the ending was beautiful.

7/10 stars

4. Salman Rushdie - Midnight's Children: A very interesting book. I found the narrative style to be engaging and I enjoyed reading.

7/10

5. Siteg Larsson - The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo: It started out a bit slow, but than it really picked up speed and became quite the page turner. I loved the characters, particularly Salander.

8/10

[Gilliatt Gurgle]

1. A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway. 6/10. Easier to read compared to a couple other books I've read recently. I particularly enjoyed the historical aspects centered around WW I. Something had to give in the end, following the nearly wearisome run of romance, good luck in near brushes with death and discovery.

2. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave by Frederick Douglass. 9/10. I lack the gift of literary gabb, so I'll just say this was a great read. Douglass' mastery of writing is superb which is saying a lot considering the hardships of his life as a slave.

[JBI]

4. Salman Rushdie - Midnight's Children: A very interesting book. I found the narrative style to be engaging and I enjoyed reading.

7/10

5. Siteg Larsson - The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo: It started out a bit slow, but than it really picked up speed and became quite the page turner. I loved the characters, particularly Salander.

8/10

Michael Chabon - The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay - 7/10 - fun, exciting, but too long - should have been made into two novels, or chopped down. Also it seems a bit of a fanboy fiction at times, and some of the nostalgia and sincerity is annoying.

Jamaica Kincaid - Annie John - 3/10, would give it worse points if I didn't think the author herself didn't even take it seriously. I have never met an author who hates the world as much as this one, and it resonates deeply in her autobiographical novel, especially her hate for her native country, and her hate for her mother, her hate for her friends, her hate for, basically, everything. If you want school of Resentment, just read anybody praising this crap.

[Mutatis-Mutandis]

1. Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood -- 9/10.
2. The Book of Joby by Mark J. Ferrari -- 8/10.
3. Jane Eyre by Charlotte*Brontë -- 7/10.
4. Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie -- 8.5/10.
5. The City and the City by China Meiville -- 9/10.

[suprematist]

1. Pnin - Vladimir Nabokov 8/10
2. Side Effects - Woody Allen 7/10 It has its moments of brilliance, but reads often, as how I imagine it anyway- like Woody Allen sleep-talking.
3. Orphee & Antigone - Jean Cocteau both 7/10
4. Diary - Chuck Palanhiuk 7/10
5. On Photography - Susan Sontag 10/10 highly informative
6. No Exit & The Respectful Prostitute - Jean-Paul Sartre 9/10

[Dark Muse]

1. 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

2. 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
3. V. S. Naipaul - A Bend in the River : An interesting book. I really enjoyed the narration style and thought the ending was beautiful.

7/10 stars

4. Salman Rushdie - Midnight's Children: A very interesting book. I found the narrative style to be engaging and I enjoyed reading.

7/10

5. Siteg Larsson - The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo: It started out a bit slow, but than it really picked up speed and became quite the page turner. I loved the characters, particularly Salander.

8/10

6. Robert K. Massie - Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman: This was part of my efforts to read more non-fiction. I did not really know much about Catherine or this particular period of time and I have to say all in all I found the book quite enjoyable to read. The very last section felt a bit dry compared to the rest and slowed down becoming more difficult to get through, but there rest was easy to read and entertaining while giving a glimpse into the life of this woman.

7/10

[Chris 73]

The Sister's Brother's by Patrick Dewitt. 7/10
The Last Werewolf by Glen Duncan. 6/10
Rendevous With Rama by Arthur C Clarke. 7/10
Dark Entries (Hellblazer graphic novel) by Ian Rankin.6/10
Cat Power:A Good Woman by Elizabeth Goodman. 6/10
Its Only A Movie by Mark Kermode. 7/10

Out of these I liked The Sister's Brother's most of all. Though I feel its rather similar to an earlier work by the wierd fantasy author Jesse Bullington, The Sad Tale Of The Brother's Grossbart.

[TheFifthElement]

Update:
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. Hmm, really torn on this one. It's a well written book, funny, interesting story, clearly Rushdie is an intelligent and creative writer but, well, really I found this one a chore. On technical skill I'd give it an 8/10 but on enjoyment/engagement I'd give it a 4/10. I just felt excluded, in every way, from the story. Glad to have finished it, to be honest.

6. The Woman in Black by Susan Hill A real disappointment this one. Not scary, a bit boring. Nicely written, though. 6/10
7. The End of the Affair by Graham Greene Really good book. Short and tightly written, it really packs a punch. 8/10

[Veho]

Ok, why not. I was one new author short last year!

This year so far:

1) Leo Tolstoy - Anna Karenina 7.5/10

2) Anton Chekhov - Ivanov 8/10

[Dark Muse]

1. 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

2. 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
3. V. S. Naipaul - A Bend in the River : An interesting book. I really enjoyed the narration style and thought the ending was beautiful.

7/10 stars

4. Salman Rushdie - Midnight's Children: A very interesting book. I found the narrative style to be engaging and I enjoyed reading.

7/10

5. Siteg Larsson - The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo: It started out a bit slow, but than it really picked up speed and became quite the page turner. I loved the characters, particularly Salander.

8/10

6. Robert K. Massie - Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman: This was part of my efforts to read more non-fiction. I did not really know much about Catherine or this particular period of time and I have to say all in all I found the book quite enjoyable to read. The very last section felt a bit dry compared to the rest and slowed down becoming more difficult to get through, but there rest was easy to read and entertaining while giving a glimpse into the life of this woman.

7/10

7. Pearl S. Buck - The Good Earth: I have to say I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would. I had been on the fence about wanting to read this one, and I found it was beautifully written, and a well told story which I found interesting to read.

8/10

[Rores28]

I'm in. So far:

1) A Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Adams) - 3.5/5
2) God is Not Great (Hitchens) - 3.5/5
3) A Game of Thrones (Martin) - 3/5
4) The God Delusion (Dawkins) - 4/5
5) Freedom (Franzen) - 3.8/5

Currently Reading: A Short History of Nearly Everything, Freefall,

On Deck list: A Brief History of Time, Utilitarianism For and Against, and some Godel

[RicMisc]

I'll join in in this one to keep myself reading different things. So far:

1. The Hunger Games (Suzanne Collins) 7/10
2. The Great Gatsby (F. Scott Fitzgerald) 8.5/10
3. To Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Lee) 8/10
4. Pride And Prejudice (Jane Austen) 7.5/10

Currently reading: Hamlet

[Helga]

I have been doing this without realizing it. the books I have been reading for school are mainly by people I don't know.

1.Gunnlaðarsaga-Svava Jakobsdóttir 7/10
2. The Antelope wife- Louise Erdrich 5/10
3. Wide Sargasso sea-Jean rhys 7/10
4.Ilium-Dan Simmons 6/10
5.weight- Jeanette Winteson 9/10
6. beouwulf- ? don't know how to grade it....
7. die letzte welt-Cristoph Ransmayr 6/10

right now I am reading Gods Without Men by Hari Kunzru

if you count plays and short stories I think I am up to a lot more though.