50 Book Challenge in 2013. Who's with me?

Yes, I read the Claire Tomalin bio - in terms of events, there is a fair amount of overlap with this and the Paula Byrne book, but Tomalin presents in a chronological order while Byrne hops about depending on what she's interested in. Both approaches have their merits.

I'm going to look out for that one at the library Nickname. Looks interesting. I thought I recognised the author's name - she wrote another book I read a few years ago - Perdita (Mary Robinson), about one of George IV's mistresses. It was a bit wordy at times, but on the whole enjoyable.

Have you read Claire Tomalin's biography of Jane Austen? It's also on my tbr list.

Duchess, I think the author is occasionally straining for OMG! angles on Jane Austen, but it's a useful counter to all those demure portrayals - nice to see the mischief emphasized.

Aargh, I mean born in 1965, a year before me [jeez and I'm really feeling it today ]

1. No 4 Danse Macabre - Stephen King 7.5/10

Reading 11.22.63 made me fall back in love with Stephen King and this (a non-fiction book about horror fiction and films) cemented the feeling that I reckon he's seems a really erudite fascination character (if somewhat tortured). But I got bogged down in a certain section, hence it took me 2 weeks to read.

1. Absolute Power - David Baldacci 7/10

Enjoyable trash - I needed some literary 'fast food'.

1. The Generation Game - Sophie Duffy 7.5/10

Took a punt on this book because it was about someone's life who was born in 1967 - just a year before me. And it was a real nostalgic trip, really well written with characters I came to care about.

My curiosity has finally gotten the better of me and I am now reading Gone Girl (only several months after everyone else!)

Nickname I'm shocked - off to have a look at that book on Amazon right now :o

I love Penelope Lively! Have you read The Photograph? It's one of my all time favourite books.

20. Consequences - Penelope Lively

I have loved every second of this book.

Despite liking Wife in the North, I'm not in a rush to read her latest one about all the good deeds. A J Jacobs has put me off the whole do-something-for-a-year genre.

Enjoying the Paula Byrne book on Jane Austen. Funny to think that some of her father's library was probably purchased with money earned from the opium trade.

I enjoyed Wife In the North too, so I have her latest on my to read list.

I finished book 6 yesterday - The Guilty One, which I enjoyed. Now on to Separate Lives by Kathryn Flett.

Contrary to my expectations I really enjoyed 19th Wife. The subject matter hadn't really appealed - Latter Day Saints, polygamy, religious extremism. But it was great, written in a fresh, immediate voice, with a bit of mystery thrown in for good measure.

Book 23: The Incendiary's Trail by James McCreet.

Book 10 ~ "Park Road NW11" by Anna Maslin, a very thin book in more ways than one. I could not manage to care about a rich girl meeting a rich man, set in the 1960s but could have been the 1920s. The best part was the Virginia Woolf quotation on the cover.

Book 11~"The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho, having never read anything by this writer but seeing his name so frequently on best selling/favourite author lists thought I would give him a try. A bit 'wooow' for my taste, and did not pass the Bechdel test either!

Haven't checked back but I have 9 done so far.

Great expectations
Harry Potter no 1
The mysterious affair at styles (Poirot)
The uncommon reader
The lighthouse
The tenant of Wildfell Hall
Call the midwife
Emma
Murder on the Links (Poirot)

The Poirot books are tiny but they are a lovely little diversion.

Nothing wrong with rereading! It can mean entering a different relationship with a book. No point in having endless first dates with never a second date.

After a break from The Lodger while I got distracted by other books, I have returned to it and racing towards the end. It's very speculative about Shakespeare - did he have a tendresse for his racy French landlady? - but it does recreate very vividly the London he knew - social anxiety about immigration, tavern brawls, prostitution etc.

Next up is the Paula Byrne book on Jane Austen.

19. How to be a woman - another reread. Must stop doing that!

Nickname, I really enjoyed Wife in the North too. I thought she was a really strong woman and I love her writing style - witty and honest about the challenges she faced without being over-sentimental. I went straight on to that book after her book A Year of Doing Good. That is also excellent and I'm a sucker for reading about people trying to complete year-long challenges, but it doesn't have quite the personal resonance of Wife in the North. That took me right back to how hard things can be with a young baby.

Just finished book 7: Sovereign by C. J. Sansom - I love this series of books about a lawyer in the time of Henry VIII. Annoyingly I realised a little way into it that I have actually read it before, but it's too good to stop reading on that account so finished it anyway, even though I was trying to cut back on rereading this year.

For Book 8 I'm going for The Crossing Places by Elly Griffiths. Never read any books by this author before but it was recommended on another MN book thread and sounded good.

I've just rediscovered a regency romance series I loved in my teens - the Six Sisters books (Minerva, The Taming of Annabelle, Daphne, Diana the Huntress, Deirdre and Desire, Frederica in Fashion). When I first read them, they were by Marion Chesney, but they have been re-issued under her other pen-name, M C Beaton. I haven't got on with M C Beaton's Agatha Raisin books, but I'm enjoying her old Marion Chesney ones. Back in the days when I'd never even kissed a boy, these reassured me that I might rather like the experience....

The Disappearance of Edwin Drood was not good.

Book 21: was Tambourlaine Must Die by Louise Welsh. More of a novella and was ok.

Book 22: 19th Wife, which has been on my bookshelves for some time so thought it was time to give it a go.

Having the kindle app definitely helps. I've been known to read a bit on it whilst standing in shop queues.

I'm definitely going to need something lighter after this 2nd GoT book. Any suggestions for a nice light read?

OK then -
17. The third time he left me - Sarah Harris
18. C - John Diamond

I reread all the time because I read quickly and also I like to influence my moods with books. Yes, they are my drug...

I certainly think it helps having a kindle, and a kindle app on my phone so that, when I'm out, I've always got a book handy and can read a few pages.

Also audio books are good for the times when you're doing other things like housework, cooking, driving etc. They still count towards your total. I've started getting free audio books from the library downloaded onto my i-pod :)

I have realised there is no way I am going to reach 50, but I am hoping to reach 30. I have really struggled so far. I started with Dog Days by Ana Marie Cox (now Guardian US journo) which I thought would be a real page turner, but really wasn't and would have abandoned except I really struggle with that so I finally finished it but it took most of January! I then had to read The Sun Also Rises for book group and have struggled with that too. Am only half way through but am goingt o persevere. I actually think my problem with it is I haven't read it in big enough chunks. Yesterday I bought The Silver Linings Playbook and I loved it, highly recommend. I read it straight through, some sims in style with Curious Incident. Going to see the film to see how they compare. So am at 2.5...I have so many books I want to read sitting on my shelves so am hopeful I can raise my game!

Had a few days off and added
12) Kjelden Cundiff - The Cold November Son
13) Lilian Darcy - Cafe Du Jour
14) Nora Roberts - Chasing Fire

Am I missed War Crimes for the Home at 99p!

Finished number 16 - french children don't throw food. it wasn't at all how i expected. much more of a memoir than a parenting manual. Not sure why i thought it would be but anyway, really enjoyed most of it. I am having a bit of a dilemma about rereads. Do i count them? Or do I try to read 50 new books this year?