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50 Book Challenge 2017 Part Four

984 replies

southeastdweller · 05/03/2017 13:59

Welcome to the fourth thread of the 50 Book Challenge for this year.

The challenge is to read fifty books (or more!) in 2017, though reading fifty isn't mandatory. Any type of book can count, it's not too late to join, and please try to let us all know your thoughts on what you've read.

The first thread of the year is here, the second one here, and the third thread here.

What are you reading?

OP posts:
BestIsWest · 05/03/2017 14:42

Thanks South

CoteDAzur · 05/03/2017 14:43

Thank you for the shiny new thread Smile

Wowser. 4th thread already and we are barely into the 3rd month of the year Shock

I'm 47% into The Dark Net and really enjoying it.

Tarahumara · 05/03/2017 15:32

Thanks southeast Smile

SatsukiKusakabe · 05/03/2017 15:35

Thank you, southeast Smile

Going to post my list on this one:

  1. All the Light we Cannot See
  2. The Essex Serpent

3.His Bloody Project
  1. Golden Hill
  2. 11.22.63
  3. The North Water
  4. The Three Body Problem
  5. The Vegetarian
  6. The Long Goodbye

10. Revelation
11. Ready Player One
12. Wishful Drinking

A good start to the year, no duds.
SatsukiKusakabe · 05/03/2017 15:36

His Bloody Project also meant to be bold, and a highlight.

RMC123 · 05/03/2017 16:08

Checking in and posting my list

  1. My name is Lucy Barton 
  2. Plainsong 
  3. Summer Queen
  4. The winter Crown
  5. The autumn throne 
  6. The Heart Goes Last 
  7. Twelve years a slave 
  8. My Husbands wife 
  9. The bolter

10.Winter ghosts 
11. Essex Serpent 
12. Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde 
13. brave is forgiven 
14.His Bloody Project 
15. Forgotten voices of the Great War
16. Love letters of the Great War 
17.The trouble with goats and sheep
18. Victoria -A life
19.The tales of Beedle the Bard 
20.Dear Amy 
21.Crown of blood
22. The food of love 
23. Elizabeth and Mary
24. Last Train to Memphis
Passmethecrisps · 05/03/2017 16:17

Thank you for the new thread.

I turned on the wifi for my kindle today having forgotten that I bought 6 kindle books for £6 last week. A load of Damien Boyd books - anyone got an opinion? Just got them because they were cheap. Also got a Peter Robinson.

Sadik · 05/03/2017 16:23

Checking in on new thread. A little way into On Liberty by Shami Chakrabati, but going to look out my Sylvia Plath collection before continuing it & see if I have the bee poems Satsuki mentioned.

I'm also a few chapters into The Devil in the Marshalsea on audio, and slightly regretting having chosen it, I think it might have been better as a paper read. At least hopefully it means it'll last me the month :)

Tarahumara · 05/03/2017 16:39

Here's my list:

  1. The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen
  2. Heartburn by Nora Ephron
  3. The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Armin
  4. His Bloody Project by Graeme Macrae Burnet
  5. The Iceberg by Marion Coutts
  6. The Wonder by Emma Donoghue
  7. Reaching Down the Rabbit Hole by Allan Ropper
  8. Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant by Anne Tyler
  9. All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque

10. The Dark Net by Jamie Bartlett
11. The Outrun by Amy Liptrot
12. Pyramids by Terry Pratchett

No disappointing ones yet this year, and so far an (unintentional) exact 50/50 split between male and female authors Smile
RemusLupinsChristmasMovie · 05/03/2017 16:40

Thanks, South.

Here's my list. I think I set the bar too high by beginning with two absolute corkers, and nothing but re-reads is likely to live up to them now. :(

1: The Essex Serpent – Sarah Perry
2: Fatherland Robert Harris
3: Stasi Child – David Young
4: Golden Hill – Francis Spufford
5: American Gods – Neil Gaiman
6: The House by the Lake – Thomas Harding
7: 84 Charing Cross Road – Helene Hanff
8: The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street – Helene Hanff
9: Magpie Murders – Anthony Horowitz
10: Warm Bodies – Isaac Marion
11: Ashes of London – Andrew Taylor
12: Left for Dead – Beck Weathers
13: The Burning World – Isaac Marion
14: Age of Wonder: How the Romantic Generation Discovered the Beauty and Terror of Science By Richard Holmes
15: Ghosts of Everest: The Search for Mallory and Irvine – Jochen Hemmleb
16: An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth – Chris Hadfield
17: Measuring the World – Daniel Kehlmann
18: The North Water - Ian McGuire
19: Berlin: Portrait of a City - Taschen
20: It Stephen King
21: On her Majesty’s Secret Service – Ian Fleming

Grifone · 05/03/2017 17:32

Thread 4 already! I am almost finished Cloud Atlas so will try and pop back soon to update with my latest reads.

ChessieFL · 05/03/2017 18:30

My list:
1 Word Play Gyles Brandreth
2 Case Histories Kate Atkinson
3 How To Be A Tudor Ruth Goodman
4 How To Be A Victorian Ruth Goodman
5 The Brontesaurus John Sutherland
6 Miss You Kate Eberlen
7 Full Dark, No Stars Stephen King
8 The Company Of The Dead David J Kowalski
9 Lies, Damned Lies, And History Jodi Taylor
10 One Good Turn Kate Atkinson
11 The Mermaids Singing Val McDermid
12 Jane Eyre Charlotte Bronte
13 The Brontes Brian Wilks
14 When Will There Be Good News? Kate Atkinson
15 The Etymologicon Mark Forsyth
16 Five Go Parenting Bruno Vincent
17 The Singles Game Lauren Weisberger
18 Bitch In A Bonnet Robert Rodi
19 Me and Mr Darcy Alexandra Potter
20 Lois on the Loose Lois Pryce
21 The Mistletoe Murder and other stories P D James
22 D is for Deadbeat Sue Grafton
23 E is for Evidence Sue Grafton
24 The Marvelous Misadventures of Ingrid Winter J S Drangsholt
25 The Forgetting Time Sharon Guskin
26 The Last Kiss Goodbye Tasmina Perry
27 Fat Chance Nick Spalding
28 Started Early, Took My Dog Kate Atkinson
29 First Bite: How We Learn To Eat Bee Wilson

I am currently reading Gold Fame Citrus and not sure how I feel about it yet - the first few pages didn't grab me at all then it improved slightly. It's due back at the library by Thursday so will have o either finish it or give up by then!

Murine · 05/03/2017 18:51

Also checking in, my list so far:

  1. Frog Music by Emma Donaghue
  2. After the Crash Michel Bussi

3.Work Like Any Other Virginia Reeves
  1. The Kept Woman Karin Slaughter
  2. American Gods Neil Gaiman
  3. Everyone Brave Is Forgiven Chris Cleave
  4. Detour from Normal Ken Dickson
  5. The Comfort of Strangers Ian McEwan
  6. Our Endless Numbered Days Claire Fuller

10. The Lewis Man Peter May
11. The Testament of Mary Colm Toibin
12. Deceived Wisdom David Bradley
13. Silent Child Sarah A. Denzil
14. This Thing of Darkness Harry Thompson
15. The Detectives Daughter Lesley Thomson
16. Burning Bright Tracy Chevalier
17. One Little Mistake Emma Curtis
18. Lie With Me Sabine Durrant

I've nearly finished Golden Hill and Them by Jon Ronson too, I'm enjoying both of them.
RemusLupinsChristmasMovie · 05/03/2017 18:59

I've just got After Me Comes the Flood from the library, but it's not currently calling to me. Anybody read it?

HappyFlappy · 05/03/2017 19:44

Just marking new thread . . .

And thank you for the Bee Poems.

Sadik · 05/03/2017 19:47

I've found the bee poems in my Sylvia Plath collection. I have read them before, though didn't remember them - and rather delightfully, I can see when I read them last, as the first one was bookmarked with an allotments leaflet from Cambridge City Council, where I kept my bees in the mid 1990s :)

Here's my list to date, with highlights starred. After making a bit of an effort to read more fiction last year, so far this year 14 out of the 22 have been non-fiction (though 3 of my 5 highlights were fiction if you include Lovelace and Babbage).
1 The Hacienda: How Not To Run a Club
2 The Thriling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage **
3 A Closed and Common Orbit **
4 How to be a Heroine
5 Breakfast at Tiffany's
6 Forty Autumns
7 The Dark Net **
8 The Dream Thieves
9 How to be a Victorian
10 Europe in Winter **
11 The Skeleton Cupboard
12 Poor Economics
13 Mutton (India Knight)
14 Development as Freedom
15 Blue Lily Lily Blue
16 A Very Expensive Poison
17 The Year of Living Danishly
18 The Raven King
19 What We Cannot Know **
20 Bitch in a Bonnet
21 Faulks on Fiction
22 The Complete Guide to Beekeeping

aniceearlynight · 05/03/2017 19:55

Have just found this thread and I love it!

I have always been an avid and fast reader but my consumption really dropped off last year as I discovered R4 podcasts – the Archers, Desert Island Discs, In Our Time etc – and started listening to them on my commute rather than reading. I am going to read more in 2017 though because I really miss it and 50 books sounds achievable so I'd like to join in. My 2017 books so far:

Night Wakings Sarah Moss (slow burn, grew to really enjoy it)
Golden Hill Francis Spufford (excellent holiday read)
Swing Time Zadie Smith (loved this)
Holding Graham Norton (don't bother)
The Handmaid's Tale Margaret Atwood (re-read for book club, everyone should read this book!)
NW Zadie Smith (even better than Swing Time, I think)
A Quiet Life Natasha Walter (underwhelming)
Americanah Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche (wonderful, highly recommended)

Coming up next:
A Whole Life Robert Seethaler (for book club)
Commonwealth Ann Patchett
The Last Picture of Sara de Vos Dominic Smith

I have given up Amazon and am reading real books bought from two independent bookshops, one near work and one near home!

DrDiva · 05/03/2017 19:58

Thank you for new thread, southeast

I am really behind in posting my books. Have read another 5. Now that funeral etc are behind us, might have the brain space to concoct a sentence or two!

FortunaMajor · 05/03/2017 20:04

Thanks for the new thread. I'm fetching my list over so I can keep track. I think my list of books I've started and cast aside may be longer. Grin

  1. Dictator by Robert Harris
  2. Conclave by Robert Harris
  3. Mistress of the Art of Death by Ariana Franklin
  4. Murder As a Fine Art by David Morrell
  5. Longbourn by Jo Baker
  6. The Poison Tree by Erin Kelly
  7. The Owl Killers – Karen Maitland
  8. When she was good by Laura Lippman
  9. Company of Liars by Karen Maitland

10. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
11. The Stranger’s Child by Alan Hollinghurst
12. The Nightingale by Kristen Hannah
13. Lord of the Flies by William Golding
14. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
15. His Bloody Project by Graeme Macrae Burnet
16. The Help by Kathryn Stockett
17. The Plague by C. C. Humphreys
18. Saints of the Shadow Bible by Ian Rankin
19. Flowers in the Attic by Virginia Andrews
20. Flight Behaviour by Barbara Kingsolver
21. The Burning Air by Erin Kelly
22 Even Dogs In The Wild by Ian Rankin
23. The Testament of Mary by Colm Toibin

Currently reading policy documents for work. Sadly not a thriller and cannot be abandoned.
wiltingfast · 05/03/2017 20:08

Yeah Remus, ATF is v atmospheric but not much actual plot if I recall. Others on the thread liked it tho.

New thread yay Smile

CheerfulMuddler · 05/03/2017 20:25
  1. The Light Years Elizabeth Jane Howard
  2. Marking Time Elizabeth Jane Howard
  3. Peter's Room Antonia Forest
  4. Run Away Home Antonia Forest
  5. The Thursday Kidnapping Antonia Forest
  6. Pride and Prejudice Jane Austen
  7. Cheerful Weather for the Wedding Julia Strachey
  8. Good Evening, Mrs Craven Mollie Panter-Downes
  9. Unpublished manuscript


Thanks for the new thread - currently reading Rumer Godden's An Episode of Sparrows.
boldlygoingsomewhere · 05/03/2017 20:37

Wow! New thread already! Here is my list so far with faces in bold.

  1. Christmas Days - Jeanette Winterson
  2. Fate of the Tearling - Erika Johansen

3. The Dark Net - Jamie Bartlett
4. The North Water - Ian McGuire
  1. The Wine of Angels - Phil Rickman
  2. Midwinter of the Spirit - Merrily Watkins
  3. The God Instinct - Jesse Bering
  4. The Edge of the World - Michael Pye

9. Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
10. His Bloody Project - Graeme Macrae Burnet
11. Kingmaker: Winter Pilgrims - Toby Clements
12. Kingmaker: Divided Souls - Toby Clements
13. The Female Man - Joanna Russ
14. The Midnight Queen - Sylvia Hunter

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RemusLupinsChristmasMovie · 05/03/2017 20:41

Thanks, Wilting. It's all sounding a little too much like Shirley Jackson for my liking too. Might not bother with it.

CluelessMama · 05/03/2017 20:58

Shiny new thread Smile
Finished two books this past week...
8. The Light Between Oceans by M. L. Stedman 1920s, a small boat washes ashore on a tiny island off the south west coast of Australia. Inside are a man (deceased) and a baby, who are found by the island's only residents - the lighthouse keeper and his wife. The plot of the novel revolves around what happens next - "This is a story about right and wrong and how sometimes they look the same". I really enjoyed this, got completely absorbed in it.
9. The Skeleton Cupboard by Tanya Byron Got this on Audible after seeing it recommended on here, thank you! It was as fascinating, and more gripping, than I expected and was well narrated as an audiobook.

DrDiva · 05/03/2017 21:00

Still no brain for a sentence of my own, so for those reading Testament by Colm Toibin:

Prayer for a New Mother by Dorothy Parker:

The things she knew, let her forget again-
The voices in the sky, the fear, the cold,
The gaping shepherds, and the queer old men
Piling their clumsy gifts of foreign gold.

Let her have laughter with her little one;
Teach her the endless, tuneless songs to sing,
Grant her her right to whisper to her son
The foolish names one dare not call a king.

Keep from her dreams the rumble of a crowd,
The smell of rough-cut wood, the trail of red,
The thick and chilly whiteness of the shroud
That wraps the strange new body of the dead.

Ah, let her go, kind Lord, where mothers go
And boast his pretty words and ways, and plan
The proud and happy years that they shall know
Together, when her son is grown a man.

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