New Authors Challenge

Challenge Summary: Welcome back to the New Authors reading challenge! I’m hoping everyone is still enjoying this reading challenge as we head into our fifth year. The past couple of years I’ve tried doing little mini-challenges, but haven’t been real successful with them. For 2013, since it will be the fifth anniversary/birthday of the challenge, I want to do something, but that’s still in the works.

For those new to the New Author Challenge, the whole idea started when I first started reviewing and I didn’t know that many authors in my favored genre. So I went looking. I gave myself a goal of finding 50 new authors and ended up reading 56 that first year. I loved finding these new characters, worlds and cultures, so I want to help others find new ones as well. Since 2006, I’ve tried over 150 different authors I may not have tried otherwise and I have found some really great authors.

The idea behind this is to find new authors that you’ve never tried before, not necessarily ones that are debuting. They can be in your genre of choice or be brave and try something new. You never know what you’re going to like until you try it. If you’re looking for some suggestions, you can check out the Author page here at Literary Escapism or the 2009,2010, 2011 and 2012 Challenge pages. With over 1000 reviews posted, I’m sure there will be something there for everyone.

Here are the guidelines:

1. The challenge will run from January 1, 2013 through December 31, 2013.
2. Since this is an author challenge, there is no restriction on choosing your novels. They can definitely be from other challenges. However, the authors must be new to you and, preferably from novels. Anthologies are a great way to try someone new, but only a third of your new authors can be from anthologies.
3. I want this to be an easy challenge, so you can pick to do either 15, 25 or 50 new authors. It all depends on how fast you read and how adventurous you want to be.  If you reach your goal halfway through the year, don’t stop. Any new author you try can be added to Mr. Linky. We all want to know about your new experience.
4. After reading your new author, write your review and then come back here and add your link to Mr. Linky. Make sure you include your name and the author, but adding the title is completely up to you.
5. Bloggers or Non-Bloggers alike are welcome. You don’t have to have a site to participate. You can link up via Facebook, GoodReads or even Amazon if you’d like.

Once you reach your goal, you don’t have to stop. Any new author you try, go ahead and head back here and add it to the list. Introduce us all to whoever you find. After all, there’s no reason to stop trying new authors, right?

Hosted by/Link: Literary Escapism. New Authors Challenge 

Challenge Start and Ends Dates : January 1, 2013 - December 31, 2013

My Progress: 27/50

My List:

1) Mark Haddon - The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
2) Chinua Achebe - Things Fall Apart
3) Sandy Bonny - The Sometimes Lake
4) Lisa Moore - February 
5) Linda Spalding - The Purchase
6) Richard Wagamese - Indian Horse
7) China Mieville - The City & the city
8) Hugh MacLennan - Two Solitudes
9) Vladimir Nabokov - Lolita
10) David Bergen - The Age of Hope
11) Hannah Tunnicliffe - The Color of Tea
12) Veronica Roth - Divergent
13) Jack Finney - Time and Again
14) Richard Castle - Heat Wave
15) Susanna Kearsley - Sophia's Secret
16) Mari Strachan - The Earth Hums in B Flat
17) Bernard Cornwell - The Fort
18) Alison Moore - The Lighthouse
19) Taylor Stevens - The Informationist: A Thriller
20) Chris Gudgeon - Song of Kosovo
21) Lola Lemire Tostevin - The Other Sister
22) Diana Dru Botsford - Four Dragons (SG-1 16)
23) Rohinton Mistry - Tales From Firozsha Baag
24) Pascale Quiviger - The Perfect Circle
25) Ling Zhang - Gold Mountain Blues
26) Catherine Chung - Forgotten Country
27) Melanie Dobson - The Black Cloister