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
"J'ai seul la clef de cette parade sauvage."
- Rimbaud
"Il est l'heure de s'enivrer!
Pour n'être pas les esclaves martyrisés du Temps,
enivrez-vous;
enivrez-vous sans cesse!
De vin, de poésie ou de vertu, à votre guise."
- Baudelaire
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.
Last edited by qimissung; 06-21-2013 at 02:58 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
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?
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!
"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
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.
1. The Bone People by Keri Hulme 9/10
Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before. ~ Edgar Allan Poe
Nice to see you, Night!Originally Posted by Nightshade
13 authors you have not read before.
~
"It is not that I am mad; it is only that my head is different from yours.”
~
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
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
2. Attila by William Napier 8/10
Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before. ~ Edgar Allan Poe
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
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.
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?
"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
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
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.
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