Book Counters 2008 - How are you doing half way through ??

[wheelybug]

Can't believe we're 6 months into the year. Following on from the first quarter thread - how many books have people read now (anyone welcome to join in too!)?

I reckoned I read 50 at the start of the year which I actually reckon in the last couple of years was inaccurate and I hadn't read anywhere near that amount since I stopped commuting. So, its made me make more time for reading and as at the end of June I had read 26 books.

First Quarter I had read 9:
Can Any Mother Help Me ? Jenna Bailey
Gates of Fire Stephen Pressfield
Ballet Shoes Noel Streatfield
On Chesil Beach Ian McEwan
The Mitford Girls Mary S. Lovell
Playing With The Moon Eliza Graham
The Good Husband of Zebra Drive A McCall Smith
The Virgins Lover Phillipa Gregory
Daughter of Fortune Isabel Allende

Since then:

Pillow Talk Freya North (Had flu)
31 Dream Street Lisa Jewell(still had flu)
The Devil & Miss Prym Paulo Coelho
Georgiana The Duchess of Devonshire Amanda Foreman
Peter Pan J M Barrie (the next book was for bookclub so I did some research first !)
Peter Pan In Scarlet Geraldine McCaughrean
The Girls Lori Lansen
Swallowing Grandma Kate Long (No excuse !)
Portrait in Sepia Isabel Allende
Mister Pip Lloyd Jones
The Sunday Philosophy Club Alexander McCall Smith
Engleby Sebastian Faulks
The Rain Before It Falls Jonathan Coe
Michael Tolliver Lives Armistead Maupin
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day Winifred Watson
The Kite Runner Khaled Hossieni
The Piano Tuner Daniel Mason

Phew....

[TotalChaos]

I've read 46 since the start of the year. Now need to go back to old thread to see what new ones there are.

[wheelybug]

Wowee Total Chaos - thats impressive !!

[FlossieTCake]

I've slowed down massively in my reading since the last review in April. I make it 18 books actually finished since the last count, plus a couple more either attempted and given up on, or not yet finished:

Set Up, Joke, Set Up, Joke - Rob Long
The Book of Lost Things - John Connolly
This is the Day - Daniel Blythe
In the Fold - Rachel Cusk
The British Museum is Falling Down - David Lodge
How Far Can You Go? - David Lodge
Changing Places - David Lodge
Little Earthquakes - Jennifer Weiner
Self-Help - Lorrie Moore
Birds of America - Lorrie Moore
Being Emily - Anne Donovan
The Mathematics of Love - Emma Darwin
The Stones of Florence - Mary McCarthy
Brunelleschi's Dome - Ross King
Medici Money - Tim Parks (hated it, left unfinished after trudging through about half)
The Observations - Jane Harris
A Rich Full Death - Michael Dibdin
Before I Die - Jenny Downham
Steal You Away - Niccolo Ammaniti
The Rain Before it Falls - Jonathan Coe

Currently still reading:
Reluctant Capitalists
The Long Tail (both still supposedly on the go in April)

and have added

The Medici Seal - Theresa Breslin
The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket - Edgar Allen Poe
Dante in English - ed. Griffiths & Reynolds (but only partway through the massive introduction...)

Just back from holiday but didn't read nearly as much as I was hoping to - too busy doing stuff and seeing sights!! I am actually becoming my father. worrying.

[FlossieTCake]

Oh, and: The Smart Woman's Guide to Staying at Home - Melissa Hill (I can dream, can't I)

[sophiewd]

This is my list, some have been for various books clubs/swaps, here and in RL and others have been just wanting something very light to read.

Notes on an exhibition ? Patrick Gale
Fall on your Knees ? Anne-Marie MacDonald
Agatha Raisin and the Murderous Marriage
At Risk ? Stella Rimmington
Keeping Mum ? Stephanie Zia
Simple Genius ? David Baldacci
Labyrinth ? Kate Mosse
Agatha Raisin and the Terrible Tourist
A Confederacy of Dunces ? John Kennedy Toole
When we were bad ? Charlottes Mendolson
The Historian ? Elizabeth Kostova
Penguins stopped play ? Harry Thompson
A Thousand Splendid Suns ? Khaled Hosseini
Marley & Me ? John Grogan
West End Girls ? Jenny Colgan
The rain before it falls ? Jonathan Coe

Currently reading
The Shakespeare Secret - JL Carrell

[FlossieTCake]

Oh, I forgot all about the Ann-Marie MacDonald!! (how could I....)

[StripeyKnickersSpottySocks]

Jan
Richard Hammond ? Life On The Edge
Tom Parry ? Thumbs Up Australia
Somerset Maugham ? The Painted Veil
Terry Pratchett ? Wintersmith
Ben MacIntyre ? Agent ZigZag

feb
The Thirteenth Tale

March
Quinten Van Marle ? Boomerang Road
Simkin ? The Labour Progress Handbook
RJ Ellory ? A Quiet Belief In Angels
J Krakauer ? Into The Wild.

April-

Joe Simpson ? This Game Of Ghosts
Michael Connolly ? The Overlook
John Case ? The Genesis Code
Donna Tartt ? Secret History

May-

Angie Sage - Magyk
RJ Ellory ? City Of Lies
Robin Cooper ? Return Of The Timewaster Letters
F Cottam ? House Of Lost Souls
Garth Nix- Sabriel

June-

Geraldine Brookes ? year Of Wonders
Kate Mosse- Sephulcre

July-

Patrick Gale ? Notes From An Exhibition

[Cocodrillo]

I've read that Melissa Hill book Flossie!

[Cocodrillo]

(But not this year.)

Here goes...

This year I have read:

January

The Story of You Julie Myerson
The Reluctant Fundamentalist Mohsin Hamid
The Uncommon Reader Alan Bennett
In the Woods Tana French

February

The Giles Wareing Haters' Club Tim Dowling
Digging to America Anne Tyler

March

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly Jean-Paul Belby
A Thousand Splendid Suns - Khaled Hosseini
Breathing Lessons - Anne Tyler
Whatever it Takes - Elaine Lordan
Love and Other Impossible Pursuits Ayelet Harrison

April

The House of Lost Souls R J Cottam
Fall on Your Knees - Anne-Marie MacDonald

May

Notes on an Exhibition Patrick Gale
Drinking: a love Story Caroline Knapp
13th Tales - Diane Setterfield

June

The Rain before it Falls - Jonathan Coe
This Book will Save your Life - A M Homes
The Outcast Sadie Jones
Helpless - Barbara Gowdy

total : 20.

also tried and failed to finish Theft: a love Story by Peter Carey and 84 Charing Cross Road.

[Cocodrillo]

Which book have you most enjoyed from your lists so far?

[FlossieTCake]

Ooh, that is very hard to call, Coco.

I really, really enjoyed The Observations, although it is one of those books where the ending lets it down a bit - she doesn't quite make all of the mysterious hints of the early part of the book pay off. Has been on my list for a while but bought in Kings Cross WHSmiths in desperation when facing delayed train + the journey WITHOUT A BOOK. gasp.

Self-Help was fantastic but a re-read; ditto A Rich Full Death

Steal You Away was excellent and I'm looking forward already to reading I'm Not Scared... when I can get hold of it/fit it in.

The Book of Lost Things was really good although a bit scary for me (does John Connolly write proper horror novels normally or have I imagined that? I don't really go in for horror as a rule.)

Coco, did you enjoy the Barbara Gowdy? I read an extract but wasn't sure I could face it.

[StripeyKnickersSpottySocks]

Agent ZigZag is my favourite so far, closely followed by A Quiet Belief In Angels

[wheelybug]

Great lists - there are questions I want to ask about some books but will come back tomorrow. A bit tired tonight (have been to bookclub tonight so lots of gossip intellectual discussion).

My fave books so far (had been thinking of asking this qu myself Coco !) have been The Mitford Girls, Rain Before It Falls and have loved getting into Isabel Allende (first one was read as a book club book and then that got me interested). Also Kite Runner I found unputdownable which surprised me.

The book I had to persevere most with was Georgiana. Found it very heavy going (although its not meant to be !).

[Cocodrillo]

I enjoyed the Observations, but agree about the end feeling rushed and just not satisfactory somehow!

I really enjoyed the Barbara Gowdy (if 'enjoyed' is the right word - I was gripped at any rate), but again I had issues with the end. I'd be interested to see if you feel the same way. It was a great read, though a difficult one, especially if you've got daughters I think.

I remember Georgiana feeling a bit like hard work, Wheelybug, so it's not just you.

I have the Mitfords on my shelf (! Yes all of them!), but haven't started it yet...

[wheelybug]

Hi All - am back. Can't remember all the questions I wanted to ask now but here's some of them (I find MN recommendations useful for prioritising my To Be Reads):

A Thousand Splendid Suns - Is this as harrowing as I hear it is ? I have only just read The Kite Runner and couldn't put it down so just wondered what 1000 suns was like ?

Agent ZigZag - this keeps cropping up on MN, whats it about ? The title sounds like it might be a book for DH ??

Notes on an Exhibition - again, crops up a lot on MN. Any good ?

Kate Mosse - tell me honestly what you think. I have both Labyrinth and Sepulchre waiting to be read but have been put off a bit by MN. ALthough, I think we are having Labyrinth for our book club next month.....

Thirteenth Tale - I am considering this for my choice for book club (against Suite Francaise) or might just read it soon. What do you think ?

[StripeyKnickersSpottySocks]

Agent ZigZag is based on the true story of a Secret Service agent undercover in France in WWII. I'm not into these sorts of books at all and like you thought it was more of a bloke's book - but was totally gripped.

I've read Thirteenth Tale and enjoyed it, but not overly fantastic.

Just finished Notes From An Exhibition and really loved it.

Kate Mosse....I really liked Labyrinth, its a bit hard to follow in places but I'm glad that I read it and think I'll probably read it again in another year od so. Sephulcre I didn't enjoy as much. I finished it but was disappointed with it. I don't think Kate Mosse writes about characters in enough detail so that you care about them. Now in Labyrinth the story/events were enough to hold me even though the characters weren't. I don't think the story in Sephulcre was as good.

[sophiewd]

Agent Zigzag - fantastic, one of the few books that DH and I both loved.

NOtes on and Exhibition - loved it, treated manic depression with such care.

A thousand splenid suns - was good.

Labyrinth - still not to impressed.

[MrsTiddles]

Why are people counting how many books they've read? Is it a competition?

[wheelybug]

MrsTiddles - at the end of last year there was a thread asking how many books we read a year. A few of us guessed but said we were going to keep count this year (also some people have joined in who keep a log anyway). So, this thread is just to keep that going and because I am always v. nosey about what people are reading (and not in a judgemental way as I am no great intellectual reader !),. Its kind of the cyberspace equivalent of looking at people's book shelves which I love doing !!

[wheelybug]

I think I iwll get Agent Zigzag for DH's birthday (I had squirrelled away a boxset of James Bond books bought from the book people but, having just finished 'Devil May Care' he said he was going to go out and buy an Ian Fleming so I had to give him the boxset ). Its always good to have ideas because he's a fussy b*gger.

Will look out for Notes on an Exhibition/1000 splendid suns then ! thanks.

[MrsTiddles]

AHa, thanks for clarification. I have a hard enough time remembering what Im' supposed to be reading now, let alone what I've read in a year, so I won't contribute to this one, just watch.

[FlossieTCake]

Wheelybug, I actually kind of enjoyed Labyrinth, but it is quite trashy. The Grauniad called it "chicklit with A-levels" which I still think seems fair - it's obviously very well-researched and does a great job of painting a picture of its locations, but the plot and characterisation are, broadly speaking, the bastard offspring of Philippa Gregory and Dan Brown. Though with considerably more talent than the latter.

Have no particular desire to read Sepulchre but the impression I get from MN is that a lot of people disliked it intensely.

I found Suite Francaise REALLY hard going (it took me a couple of months to read because I kept putting it down and not particularly wanting to pick it up again) so even though I haven't yet read the Thirteenth Tale (although I have an MN-sourced copy on my shelf :-)) I would be inclined to recommend that over Irene. SF is clearly an "important" book but practically everyone in it is so unremittingly unpleasant that it is quite hard to engage with.

[Cocodrillo]

I gave up on Suite Francaise, so I second 13th Tale, wheelybug. A lot of MNers have raved about it on our book swap thread.

[wheelybug]

Thanks gals - will defo use 13th tale as my book club book then I think. Its a bit different to others we've read this year.

Will have to get round to giving Suite Francaise a go at some point then but won't rush !!

I think I'll prob be ok with Labyrinth then - I don't mind a bit of trash every now and again and at least its not standard chicklit.

Am now waiting for my next book club book to arrive and need something to read. Have just finished a trashy one so ought to read something a bit more challenging but not too long as I will need to get on with the book club book shortly after it arrives ! Has anyone read The Gathering ? I think I'm going to give it ago - I bought it for the MN book club discussion but didn't get round to reading it in time and its sunk to the bottom of my pile !

[Cocodrillo]

I read the Gathering, I though it was a bit meh.

I recommend the Outcast.