Sunday, June 26, 2011

State of the Blog: Part Two, The Authors


Summer is here -- even in Portland -- so it is time for me to check in and see what kind of progress I've made on my lists.  There's no point in being a compulsive "list" reader if you don't play with the lists on occasion.

This is the second of my quarterly blog assessment posts.  This one takes a look at my author lists over in the right-hand column. The first part addressed my lists. Part Three will deal with the challenges I joined this year.

NOTE: If you are systematically reading the books of any of these authors, please leave a comment here or on the post for the author's list (click on the title below or in the right-hand column) and leave a link to any related post. I will add the links on the author's list post.

I recently split my author list into two parts: General favorites and Mystery favorites.  See here for discussion.

So far in 2011, I've read 23 books by my favorite authors.  As soon as I make some progress on my Guilt List, I plan to get back to my old friends.  And probably add some new names to my lists.

GENERAL FAVORITES

Kingsley Amis

The Crime of the Century

William Boyd

Brazzaville Beach (reviewed here; read for my 2011 Battle of the Prizes, British Version, challenge)

Elinor Lipman
Then She Found Me

Philip Roth

The Human Stain (reviewed here)

C. P. Snow

George Passant (originally titled Strangers and Brothers) (reviewed here)

Anne Tyler
Breathing Lessons (reviewed here; read for my 2011 Battle of the Prizes, American Version challenge)

John Updike
Beck: A Book (reviewed here)

P. G. Wodehouse
The Indiscretions of Archie

MYSTERY FAVORITES

Kate Atkinson
When Will There Be Good News?
Started Early, Took My Dog (reviewed here)

Lee Child
Gone Tomorrow

Dick Francis
10 Lb. Penalty
Bolt
Banker
Knockdown
Break In

P. D. James
A Mind to Murder

Donna Leon
Death in a Strange Country

John Lescroart
A Plague of Secrets (reviewed here)

Helen MacInnes
The Hidden Target

Ian Rankin
Strip Jack
Knots and Crosses

Dorothy L. Sayers
Clouds of Witness (1926) (reviewed here)