New-To-Me Authors Read in 2010

Published on by Margaret

The other day I read Bernadette’s post about books by authors new-to-her, which of course made me think about the books I’ve read by new-to-me authors. There are 43, out of the 97 books I’ve read so far this year. Some I found by reading other blogs, some by browsing in bookshops and some from the library. Some have become favourite authors and I’ll be reading more than one of their books. Others were less to my liking and I doubt I’ll read any more by those authors. Some are début authors and some are well established authors who I’ve just never got round to reading before.

I don’t put my ratings on my reviews but just do it for my own records (and on LibraryThing too), but I’ve left them on this post for once. The asterisks indicate crime fiction. Three of the books get my highest score (I am quite generous with my ratings; I often give 5/5 and very rarely go below 3, because if I really don’t like a book I don’t finish it and don’t mark it). If you want to read my reviews I think I’ve indexed them all in my Author and Title Indexes (see the tabs above).

  1. Drood by Dan Simmons 3/5
  2. Be Near Me by Andrew O’Hagan 3/5
  3. Losing You by Nicci French 4.5/5 *
  4. The Music Room by William Fiennes 4/5
  5. Can any Mother Help Me? By Jenna Bailey 5/5
  6. Fallen Gods by Quintin Jardine 4/5 *
  7. The Warrior’s Princess by Barbara Erskine 3.5/5
  8. Poetic Lives: Shelley by Daniel Hahn 3.5/5
  9. The Careful Use of Compliments by Alexander McCall Smith 5/5
  10. Heartland by John MacKay 3.5/5
  11. A Loyal Character Dancer* by Qui Xiaolong 5/5
  12. The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters 4/5
  13. Raven Black by Ann Cleeves* 5/5
  14. Pariah by Dave Zeltserman* 4/5
  15. The Widow’s Tale by Mick Jackson 3.5/5
  16. Hearts and Minds by Amanda Craig 3.5/5
  17. King Arthur’s Bones by The Medieval Murderers 4/5
  18. Semi-Detached by Griff Rhys Jones (library book) 4/5
  19. Faithful Unto Death by Caroline Graham 4.5/5 *
  20. 100 Days on Holy Island: a Writer’s Exile by Peter Mortimer
  21. Revenge Served Cold by Jackie Fullerton* 3/5 (ARC)
  22. The Very Thought of You by Rosie Alison 3.5/5
  23. Snapped in Cornwall by Janie Bolitho* 3.5/5
  24. Agatha Christie and the Eleven Missing Days by Jared Cade 4/5
  25. Hector and the Search for Happiness by Francis Lelord 3.5/5
  26. The Crossing Places by Elly Griffiths* 4/5
  27. The Man Who Planted Trees by Jean Giono 3.5/5
  28. Bad Science by Ben Goldacre 4/5
  29. The Border Line by Eric Robson 4/5
  30. Portrait of an Unknown Woman by Vanora Bennett 4/5
  31. Whatever You Love by Louise Doughty 4/5
  32. The Gourmet by Muriel Barbery 3.5/5
  33. Thirteen Hours by Deon Meyer * 5/5
  34. Seeking Whom He May Devour by Fred Vargas *4.5/5
  35. Flodden by Niall Barr 4/5 (scan read part)
  36. The Tent, the Bucket and Me by Emma Kennedy 4/5
  37. Quite Ugly One Morning by Christopher Brookmyre * 5/5
  38. Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman 3/5
  39. A Detective at Death’s Door by H R F Keating *3/5
  40. Missing Link by Joyce Holms* 4/5
  41. All Bones and Lies by Anne Fine 3/5
  42. Seeing Things: a Memoir by Oliver Postgate 5/5
  43. Frozen Moment by Camilla Ceder *4/5

10 thoughts on “New-To-Me Authors Read in 2010”

  1. Ah, I am glad to see you finished Frozen Moment and apparently liked it!
    I don´t show people my stars either, but I am afraid I am rather mean. I give most books 3 stars so perhaps it is a good idea not to use them.

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    1. I did like Frozen Moment – lots of characterisation and seeing into people’s minds and a good plot-line too.

      Ratings are so subjective, I prefer not to show them, but I copied this list from my records and just left them on.

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  2. Star rating systems are very problematic, even when only for personal reference. I sometimes feel a little guilty when awaring more stars to something light than to an established classic of world literature. With or without stars, this will be a useful list of suggested reading, thanks.

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  3. I’m not familiar with these authors, either, except for Alice Hoffman. Some of her books I enjoy more than others. Practical Magic made a better movie, IMO.

    I think it’s amazing to keep track of these books. I should do that. This year, I’ve tracked all the books I read and all those I bought.

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  4. Great list – I have read only four or five of these – I liked The Crossing Places by Elly Griffiths a lot, and am looking forward to Frozen Moments (not yet published in UK). I enjoyed Raven Black and Thirteen Hours as well.
    I was sent a copy of Drood by the publisher but was a bit put off by its length and subject matter!

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    1. Maxine, I borrowed Frozen Moments from my library in the Scottish Borders – it was published in the UK in August. Are you thinking of another book, maybe? Drood was hard going in parts, although I thought it started off well.

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  5. I’m glad that you liked Raven Black. I have just finished the fourth in the Shetland series and am hoping that Ann Cleeves is writing another one soon because I find them utterly absorbing!
    Clearly I am going to have to try some of her other books as well.

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  6. Liz – I met Ann Cleeves at a publishing event a couple of months ago and I asked her just that question – she says she is definitely writing another in the Shetland series, after her next title published in the Spring (a new Vera Stanhope novel to coincide with the UK TV series).

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  7. Too many to comment on (how DO you manage to read so many books?), but I’m so glad you gave full marks to Can Any Mother Help Me? I loved that book! It caught my eye the other day and I was thinking I must reread it…

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  8. I got Raven Black the other week – glad it’s top notch, as I’ve been wanting to read this series for a while. I’m also glad that Brookmyre made the grade too – he’s one of my favourite authors – his books may be sweary and scatological but they’re such fun! (You forgot to bold the Oliver Postgate – lovely book).

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