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

991 replies

CardiffUniversityNetballTeam · 05/01/2013 16:58

Tidying up after Christmas it has come to my attention that I have nearly 100(!!) paperbacks in stacks down the side of my bed waiting to be read. BlushBlush
I am going to challenge myself to try and read at least 50 of them this year. That's nearly one a week so I am going to have to really apply myself and stop faffing around and doing other things when I could be enjoying a good book.
I wondered if anyone else would like to join me? We can post what we are reading and then post when we have finished each book and what's next.
I know I would love to hear what others are reading and enjoying (or not enjoying) so I can go out and buy more books in a few months time!
My first book of the year is President Down by Terence Strong about spies and terrorists which my dad lent me about a year ago! I'm only about 20 pages in, but so far so good.

OP posts:
Original poster
CardiffUniversityNetballTeam · 09/06/2013 09:35
  1. Winter in Madrid by CJ Sansom. More of a slow burner than a page turner but I really enjoyed it. I would advise anyone about to read it to do a small amount of research into the Spanish Civil War first though!

Next is book six in the Amelia Peabody series - The Last Camel Died At Noon.

I really need to speed up though as I'm very behind at the moment.
We will also be needing a new thread in the near future I think!!

OP posts:
mixedmamameansbusiness · 08/06/2013 21:34
  1. Working class cultures by Joanna Bourke complete

Just need to finish up my latest Poirot then into my book club read HHhH and I want to read the Guernsey Literary Potato Society this month too.

minsmum · 08/06/2013 10:28

32 Dead in the Water - Carola Dunn
33 Styx and Stones -Carola Dunn

tumbletumble · 07/06/2013 19:07
  1. You Had Me At Hello by Mhairi McFarlane. Enjoyable chick lit.
mixedmamameansbusiness · 07/06/2013 18:09

I will be half way by the end of June but have a demanding academic year coming up so will need to read lots over the summer.

DuchessofMalfi · 07/06/2013 17:59

Hoping to finish by the end of July :)

mixedmamameansbusiness · 07/06/2013 13:43

Ohh you are within sight of 50 DuchessOfMalfi.

DuchessofMalfi · 07/06/2013 13:06

Book 44 - This Is How It Ends by Kathleen MacMahon. Surprisingly good. Not chick-lit(ish) at all. But very sad.

MrsCosmopilite · 05/06/2013 21:14

Finished #27 (revised numbering - see upthread) The Westminster Poisoner. Bit of a twist near the end, which I didn't see coming. Not the most thrilling read ever, but entertaining and I'd certainly read Susanna Gregory again.

Got stuck into #28 now: Shakespeare's Mistress - Karen Harper. So far so good, as she drops into the text lots of scenes that can be related to works of the great William.

Picked up a whole stack more today, so will be back to The Sunne in Splendour by the weekend, hopefully.

Galaxymum · 05/06/2013 18:14

Book 27 The Last Summer by Judith Longhorn (if you liked My Dear I Wanted To Tell You, this may interest you. Same period and very well written)

Book 28 The Sea Sisters by Lucy Clarke - ok but a bit predictable.

Book 29 is Before I Met You by Lisa Jewell which I'm enjoying so far.

moonshine · 04/06/2013 22:28

  1. Magpies, Mark Edwards 6.5/10
    Weird, as have just noticed another thread on this book. I enjoyed it up until the end which felt too rushed. But actually a very easy read.

  2. The Sociopath Next Door, Martha Stout 7.5/10
    By brain needed a non-fiction read and this appealed as I'm convinced we definitely have 2 sociopaths (at least!) at work.

WednesdayNext · 03/06/2013 23:02

Book 21: This Is Not About Me by Janice Galloway

MrsCosmopilite · 03/06/2013 22:42

As my would-be #27 is currently being read by someone else (library book), I've 'bumped it' up the list a bit.

I've finished Caitlin Moran and highly recommend her. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll want aqua DM's and a grey streak.

Just started 'The Westminster Poisoner' by Susanna Gregory. So far, so good. Possibly a little contrived, but a murder mystery with history.

WednesdayNext · 03/06/2013 17:46

Finished Book 20: Gone Girl. I was hooked for most of it, but a bit disappointed in the ending.

Not chosen book 21 yet, think I'll see what mood I'm in by bed time!

Jdub · 03/06/2013 11:46
  1. Shamefully, I abandoned my previous number 8 (Bradley Wiggins- My Time - I found it abit too 'listy'. Although I admire him massively, I just couldn't get through it) So I replaced it with Warhorse - Michael Morpurgo- AWESOME!!! Still to choose number 9.
minsmum · 02/06/2013 23:07

31 Damsel in Distress -- Carola Dunn

mixedmamameansbusiness · 02/06/2013 20:15

  1. History: a very short introduction by John Arnold. I needed to read it for uni, it was short, sweet, to the point, written by a historian who teaches at my university and someone I had supped wine with. I enjoyed it.

  2. Currently reading 'Poirot's early cases' by Agatha Christie, short stories, guilty pleasure.

  3. Currently also reading, 'Working class cultures in Britain 1890-1960' by Joanna Bourke. Straightforward and she was my lecturer this year and will be the coming year so I sort of read it imaging her saying it, only one chapter in and enjoying it.

DuchessofMalfi · 02/06/2013 18:32

Book 42 - The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick. Boring, boring, boring. Just awful. Hated it.

Book 43 - The Color Purple by Alice Walker. A re-read. Back on track with a book I love.

Currently reading This is How it Ends by Kathleen MacMahon. Not bad so far.

MrsCosmopilite · 02/06/2013 13:37

Ooh, am very behind now. Had to take a break from reading as I got bogged down with college work.

So, I finished #24 The Somnambulist. It was well-written, and entertaining, but I think the problem with having set myself this book challenge is that it means that you tend to come across the same plot devices in quick succession. Therefore for me, it was quite predictable. That said, it was enjoyable and I'd read more by the same author.

#25 was The Etymologicon. I really enjoyed it! As I am a bit of a word geek/reasonably useless information collector, it was just up my street. (I've just reserved The Horologicon).

#26, which I'm on right now is Moranthology - Caitlin Moran. It's a collection of newpaper column articles, musings and other writings. I like her style!

#27 (pending) is The Sunne in Splendour. I did actually read the first 250 pages, but someone else has reserved it, so I had to take it back. I left a post-it note on the page I was on, with a note asking the next reader to please leave it!

minsmum · 02/06/2013 09:20

Book 30 Born to Darkness- Suzanne Brockmann. She is my guilty pleasure. I love her Navy seal/ Trouble shooter series and this was the first novel in her new series. Loved it

mumslife · 31/05/2013 22:54

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

WednesdayNext · 31/05/2013 09:40

Finished book 19 "A Dance with Dragons Part 1" and started book 20, which is "Gone Girl" by Gillian Flynn. Looking forward to seeing what I make of it following all the reviews on here.

I'm finding lots more books I want to read on here. I really have to work on getting through my existing stash of books first though.

PerksOfBeingNorthern · 30/05/2013 11:09
  1. Debbie Macomber - 16 Lighthouse Road
  2. Debbie Macomber - 204 Rosewood Lane
  3. Gordon Ferris - The Hanging Shed
  4. Hazel Gaynor - The Girl Who Came Home

Just downloaded The Light Between Oceans so happy to see some good reviews from Duchess and Galaxy!

mixedmamameansbusiness · 30/05/2013 10:17

We are nearly at 1,000 posts. Are we going to repeat the thread title?

tumbletumble · 30/05/2013 07:43
  1. The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood. Brilliant.
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