50 Book Challenge 2015 Part 3

I might adopt the phrase "I would like to pause for a moment, to talk about my fanjo" for frequent use on MN

I'm not giving up now. I've invested too much time into this crap book.

I have Breakfast Of Champions on my Kindle. A guy I hugely respect had once recommended it to me. Now I'm worried about the penises on every page

I must admit, the thought cote would hate this did cross my mind when I read you were reading it...

Besides, there's plenty worse penis analogies out there...

Ok, the book is pretty indefensible... But it's fun!

I made it all the way to the end of. 'The Martian' actually. :)

I think I'd become immune to penis description after reading the shite that was, 'The Breakfast of Champions' which had at least one penis on every page.

Honestly - stop reading it. You will HATE it. I've there's nothing at all that's engaged you by now, you really, really won't find anything in the final 30% or so.

I'm 62% into John Dies At The End and this is the passage I just read:

Look at the bright side. At least it's not a workday.
My phone rang.
I would like to pause for a moment, to talk about my penis.
My penis is like a toddler. A toddler - who is a perfectly normal size for his age - on a long road trip to what he thinks is Disney World.

Seriously, Remus? THIS is what you liked after you gave up on The Martian because you found it juvenile?

11. We Are Not Ourselves-Matthew Thomas - story of Eileen O'Leary, the daughter of an Irish immigrant in New York in the 1960s/70s. Apparently a debut novel fought over by publishers. The book is in two halves, the story of Eileen and her family, then a twist half way through. An accomplished novel but I felt it lost its way in the second half and became a bit long winded rather than thought provoking.

I agree with a number of other posters, Night Watch is definitely the weakest of Sarah Walters novels.

Bringing my list over too - I hope that is okay.

1. The Fault in Our Stars (3*)
2. The Hobbit (4.5*)
3. The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry (4*)
4. The Rosie Project (3.5*)
5. The Cuckoo's Calling (4*)
6. The Miniaturist (4.5*)
7. The Woman in White (4*)
8. Killing Floor (4*)
9. The Shock of the Fall (4*)

I'm now reading The Wine of Spirits and listening to Dissolution (Shardlake).

Bringing over my list from the last thread and adding numbebr 12...

January

1. Us (David Nicholls)

1. The Road Home (Rose Tremain)
2. Schindler's Ark (Thomas Keanally)
3. What If (Randall Munroe)
4. The Woman Who Stole My Life (Marian Keyes)

February

1. Rivers of London (Ben Aaronovitch)
2. This Charming Man (Marian Keyes)
3. Further Under the Duvet (Marian Keyes)

March
10. The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingslover)
11. The Making of a Marchioness (Frances Hodgson Burnett)
12. The Last Anniversary (Lianne Moriarty)

I read the Moriarty since I was unexpectedly at my parents' house and saw it there, mum had got it in some set from the Book People. I had read a couple of her more recent books and really liked them, so I thought I'd give this a whirl. It didn't really grip me as much as her newer books though, but it got better towards the end and I liked the unexpected twist on the very last page. And nice to have a non-traditional romance outcome for one of the characters.

I've been mostly reading quite lightweight books recently (Poisonwood Bible excepted) due a very sad event in my personal life and just not, but think I need to read something a bit weightier now.

13 Roy Porter Disease medicine and society in England 1150 - 1860
14 Joris Luyendijk Dit kan niet waar zijn: onder bankiers
Short medical history, was alright but would have loved a bit more blood and gore..

And the Dutch one is by a reporter who wrote a blog for the guardian about the city; who works there, how, how did the crash happen and can it happen again? The scariest book I've read in ages. . Depressing too. It will be out in English later in the year.

I dragged myself through about 200 pages of, 'The Night Watch' feeling v bored. I didn't bother with the rest, and wished I'd abandoned it earlier.

BugritAndTidyup - The little Strange has been my favourite as well. I have the night Watch on my shelf where its been for about two years now and I've never picked it up.

Book 16-Affinity by Sarah Waters - loved the Victorian atmosphere and the prison setting. I thought for most of the book that it was good enough to keep reading. Not blowing me away but perfectly good. But didn't see the last 50 pages AT ALL so I can look back now and see how it all built it up.

I read The Girl In the read coat in a day
It's brilliant but not for the faint hearted
I cried at the end

21. Skin Game by Jim Butcher

15th in the series featuring Harry Dresden, Chicago's first and only wizard PI who is now the Winter Knight to Queen Mab. She is using Harry's skills to pay off a debt and must help a group of villains break into the vault of Hades, Lord of the Underworld, in the Nevernever. Leading the raid is Nicodemus Archleone, one of Harry's most despised enemies and a man who is certainly not to be trusted.

23 Naive Super by Erlend Loe
25 year old Norwegian faces a bit of an existential crisis. Ponders about the meaning of life while befriending a little boy next door, throwing a ball around and hammers a lot. Sweet short book. Difficult to review but enjoyable.

24. Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
    About Nigerian Ifemelu who after university goes to study in America and ends up writing a blog about race and the many issues black people face in America. Really loved this book. Loved the way the author creates and gives life to her various characters in the book, the humour, warmth and many interesting points this book raises about raise, culture and expectations and opportunities in life. This book will be one of my 2015 favorites.

25. We have always lived in a castle by Shirley Jackson
    Bought this after seeing it reviewed on here. Creepy book which gave me weird dreams. Excellent

The Night Watch was very definitely my least favourite Sarah Waters novel, and I've read them all. My favourite was the Little Stranger, mainly cause I'm a sucker for ghost stories and that style of setting. Then Fingersmith, then Affinity. Tipping the Velvet was okay, but a bit disappointing after Fingersmith.

Can you turn one-click off on amazon

It is not helping my tbr pile!

Just too easy - oh, that's only 3.67 - must get that!

....twenty books later, and DH is regretting letting me use his Amazon account...

Thanks for the new thread South.
I'm currently reading Americanah. My goodness, it's good. It rates alongside books by Franzen, Tartt, Z.Smith, Lethem etc.

I've just startedThe Girl In The Red Coat by Kate Hamer

Very good so far : subject is an 8 year going missing at a festival

Five - count however you like, I'd say on children's books, stig of the dump, yes, the Gruffalo, no.

Shadow - glad it's not just me then!

Five - any book counts, as far as I'm concerned.

Some people include children's books (I do), others don't include re-reads (I'm not re-reading anything atm, but would include them). I also include audio books (I've taken the time to listen to them, so they count too). It's all about enjoying reading, even if you don't make it to 50 books :)

I am currently reading The Rotters Club, one of those rare books that you resent going to work because you want to read it.

Do books that I read to DC's count, we have nearly finished Stig of the Dump

I found the Night Watch (the Sarah Waters one) hard work too. I persevered with it but never managed to get into it or enjoy it really. I really loved her books set in Victorian times though (Fingersmith, Tipping the Velvet, Affinity), so was disappointed about not being able to like the Night Watch.

mary

Olly - I'd also recommend Where Angels Fear To Tread by E M Forster (the copy I had from the library was just 148 pages long).

Also, recommend The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett. He's written several shortish novellas - Smut was good - it's a bit naughty (made me blush :o)

Susan Hill has written quite a few short novels - The Beacon, The Small Hand, The Woman in Black, Strange Meeting.

I loved The Sea by John Banville - also quite short (around 200 pages).

Academy Street by Mary Costello - lovely short novel.

A Winter Book by Tove Jansson

The Song of Lunch by Christopher Reid (a long poem - very readable)